Having confirmed the girl in the locket photo matched the young woman standing outside the clinic, Anna and Sarah exchanged a nod and rose to their feet.
Bryan's heart lurched. He shot out a hand and caught both of them by the wrist. "Are you out of your minds?"
Halted mid-stride, Anna and Sarah froze, turning to stare at him in confusion.
He pointed toward the entrance—toward the soldiers fanned out around the truck, tense and alert, scanning every civilian in the vicinity. "They're in the middle of unloading medicine. See how everyone else is giving the truck a wide berth? What exactly are you planning to do, walk up to them right now?"
Anna looked up. Sure enough, QZ residents were skirting around the military vehicle with undisguised fear, not daring to approach.
The realization hit her. She slapped her own forehead, silently cursing her impulsiveness. She'd nearly made a serious mistake.
She pressed down on Sarah's shoulder, guiding her back into the chair. "That was my fault. Sarah, let's not rush. We'll wait."
"…Okay."
Sarah looked from Anna to Bryan. She was anxious, but if both of them said to wait, she'd wait. She sat down and made herself be still.
Bryan exhaled with relief. He'd noticed it the moment the truck had arrived—pedestrians had practically fled from its path, as if approaching it meant death.
Watching the soldiers' posture as they emerged from the cargo bed, he understood immediately. A vehicle transporting medicine in the apocalypse was the equivalent of an armored cash transport in his previous life—arguably requiring even tighter security given the circumstances.
The terror on the residents' faces told the story plainly: someone had once tried to approach one of these trucks. The result—whether a bullet or something equally final—had been seared into the neighborhood's collective memory.
Bryan watched the soldiers carry crate after crate into the clinic, his fingers tapping a quiet rhythm on his knee, eyes flicking to the truck bed after each trip.
Finally, the last crate came out. Nothing more followed.
The lead soldier handed a clipboard—a manifest of some kind—to the Black girl standing beside him. She signed it. The soldier signaled his men back onto the truck, and with a roar of the engine, the vehicle vanished down the street.
The moment the truck disappeared, Anna and Sarah shot out of their seats. Before Bryan could get a single word of caution out, they were already rushing toward the door. Allen was right behind them.
Bryan watched them scramble out and could only shake his head. He stood and followed.
Outside the clinic.
Marlene watched the military truck recede into the distance. The memory of the lead soldier's roving eyes drew a flicker of disgust across her face. She turned to go back inside.
Two figures—one tall, one short—burst out of the clinic and stopped right in front of her, staring with barely contained excitement.
Marlene blinked. She looked them over. The older one was close to her own age, with waist-length golden hair and striking features. The younger one, thirteen or fourteen, had short golden hair. If they hadn't looked so different otherwise, she might have taken them for sisters.
Before she could speak, the younger girl beat her to it: "Are you Marlene? Do you know Sylvia?"
Marlene's pupils contracted sharply. Memories she'd locked away long ago flooded back in an instant. She seized the girl's shoulders. "How do you know that name?!"
Anna, standing behind Sarah, watched the girl's visceral reaction to Sylvia's name. A surge of certainty filled her chest. She stepped forward, placed a hand on Marlene's shoulder, and spoke gently. "Do you have a moment? Let's find somewhere to talk."
Marlene turned to look at Anna—at the kindness in her face, at the weight behind her words. These people knew something about her sister. She hesitated for only a beat, then drew a deep breath to steady herself. "Wait here for me."
She dashed back into the clinic, spoke briefly with the receptionist, then took the stairs two at a time up to the second floor.
Bryan watched her rush past. He stepped outside and turned to Anna. "Well? It's her?"
The two soldiers at the entrance gave the Asian boy a curious look. If they hadn't overheard the conversation—and if these weren't all kids—they might have assumed something suspicious was going on.
"Yes! It's her!" Sarah threw her arms around Anna and shouted to Bryan, practically vibrating with excitement.
Hearing the final confirmation, Bryan allowed himself a quiet breath of relief. One more promise to the dead, fulfilled.
In the alley beside the clinic.
Marlene took the silver locket from Anna's hand. She opened it. The photograph inside—herself as a child, standing beside her sister—made her eyes glisten with unshed tears.
Her fingers trembled as they traced her sister's face in the photo. "Thank you… for bringing this to me."
Anna had told her everything. Held nothing back. Marlene now knew that her sister had died saving Anna's father—and that Anna's father had also perished during the journey to the QZ.
Having lived through the chaos of the apocalypse, Marlene harbored no blame. No one wanted these things to happen. Both people involved were already gone. If anger had to go somewhere, it could only go toward this godforsaken end of the world.
Watching Marlene's grief, Anna stepped forward and pressed a folded note into her hand. "This is where I'm living now. If you ever need anything, come find me. And maybe…"
She trailed off, thinking of what Bryan had told her inside the clinic. Better to wait until things were confirmed before saying more.
"That's right."
Following Anna's lead, Sarah bounced up to Marlene with a bright smile. "We're at the school—if you ever need anything, write us a letter. We'll absolutely help."
Marlene wiped the tears from her eyes. Warmth spread through her chest. This was the first time since entering the QZ that anyone had spoken to her with genuine care.
She fastened the locket around her neck, then pulled both Anna and Sarah into a hug. Her voice came out slightly hoarse. "Thank you."
Bryan observed the scene from the alley's entrance, entirely unmoved. He looked down at Allen, who was sniffling with sympathetic emotion, and silently ruffled the kid's hair. Still just a child.
Marlene was Sylvia's sister, yes. But he wasn't about to let sentiment cloud his judgment the way Anna and Sarah had. Until he understood who Marlene truly was as a person, he'd reserve his opinion.
As if sensing the weight of a scrutinizing gaze, Marlene glanced toward the alley's entrance. The boy named Bryan was watching her with those deep, unreadable eyes. An odd chill passed through her—a strange, unsettling feeling she couldn't name.
But when she looked again, he'd already turned away and was chatting casually with the younger boy beside him.
Marlene frowned, shook her head, and looked once more. Nothing unusual. She chalked it up to emotional overwhelm—the news about her sister had rattled her, and she was seeing things.
"I should get back. I've been out too long. I'll come visit when I have time."
Marlene checked the hour. Half an hour gone already. Thinking of Dr. April's strictness, she hurried to say her goodbyes.
Anna didn't press her to stay. She simply nodded. "We need to head back too. Let's walk together."
"Sure."
The three of them headed toward the alley entrance.
Bryan saw them coming and steered Allen out of the way, falling into step as the group emerged into the daylight.
Anna embraced Marlene one last time outside the alley. They waved goodbye, each turning toward their own direction.
VRRRRMMMM—
"Attention! All residents on the street, evacuate immediately! Find safe shelter! Do not linger near military staging areas!"
But before anyone could take a step, the roar of engines erupted from both ends of the street, accompanied by a blaring military broadcast. Panicked shouts followed as pedestrians scattered to the sidewalks like startled birds, clearing a wide swath down the center of the road.
Four or five military trucks barreled into view from the far end of the street, rolling into sight of everyone present.
...
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