"Senior, it's not light out yet. Do you want to rest a little longer?"
Lucas Lockwood patted the underclassman on watch on the shoulder as he passed. "No need. You go get some sleep."
The young man was indeed so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. He yawned and mumbled, "Alright, I'll go catch a few winks then…"
"Mm."
As he walked out of the gas station, the eastern sky was just beginning to pale.
A sliver of the moon still hung in the sky, making the desolate highway look even more bleak.
Lucas Lockwood stood by a rust-spotted gas pump, his gaze calmly sweeping over the few scattered zombies wandering in the distance.
Suddenly, a figure appeared beside him.
Josie Quinn's skin was as white as snow. Her sleepy-eyed appearance had a hint of languor, and her slightly messy long hair only added to her vibrant liveliness.
Lucas glanced at her for only a moment before looking away, but his guard against her had already lessened a great deal overnight.
'If she really wanted to do something, last night was the perfect opportunity. We were at our most exhausted, and her ability would have made it incredibly easy to strike.'
'But she didn't.'
'So, no matter what her motives are, as long as she doesn't endanger our lives, I can let it be.'
Lucas tacitly accepted her presence and remembered the question he hadn't had a chance to finish asking last night.
"Are you sure that safe zones really exist?"
The corners of Josie Quinn's lips lifted slightly.
'As expected. No one can resist this bait.'
'But it's not like I'm lying to him. The safe zones really do exist.'
'He recharges me, I show him the way. It's a win-win.'
"Of course. I'm traveling with you. If they didn't exist, I'd be wasting my own time too."
Lucas remained silent, as if trying to decide whether she could be trusted.
A smile never left Josie's face. "I've said my piece. If you refuse, I'll just spend a bit more time waiting for the next group to travel with. But if you want to find a safe zone on your own, it will probably take at least half a year. Are you sure your underclassmen can survive that long in this apocalypse?"
With that, she leisurely stared at Lucas Lockwood's handsome face.
'I'm in no hurry. It's not like they're losing out on this deal. Lucas has no reason to refuse.'
But suddenly, Lucas's expression changed. His calm eyes filled with killing intent.
Josie's heart skipped a beat. 'Was I too confident? Did I misjudge him?'
Just as she was about to activate her ability to transform, Lucas grabbed her arm with one hand and yanked her toward him.
In the next instant, two zombies lunged forward.
SQUELCH! SQUELCH!
Two icicles pierced through the zombies' heads, and their bodies fell stiffly in front of Josie.
Lucas turned to look at her. "Are you okay?"
The smile on Josie's face vanished. She had indeed been a bit careless.
"I'm fine. They didn't get me."
'Looks like I need to be more careful out in the open.'
She took a folding basin out of her bag. "Can you give me some ice?"
Without another word, Lucas activated his ability and tossed a handful of ice crystals into her basin.
Josie gave him a bright smile. "Thanks, Senior!"
Lucas was visibly stunned for a moment, then a barely perceptible smile touched his lips.
Josie held the basin and was about to turn away when Lucas spoke in a low voice from behind her. "There are zombies wandering around. Be aware of your surroundings while you're washing up."
Josie looked back and gave him an OK sign. "Got it. I won't make that mistake twice."
She happily carried the folding basin to a corner hidden from view.
'The weather isn't that hot yet, but I'm used to life in the survivor camps. I feel gross if I go a single day without washing up.'
'This Lucas Lockwood is pretty useful. Not only can he recharge me, but he can also give me ice to wash up with.'
'Excellent! Just excellent!'
She rubbed the ice, letting the water run down her palms.
The water was bitingly cold against her warm skin, but she savored the feeling.
Half an hour later, the sky had completely brightened, and the gas station gradually grew noisy.
Some people headed to the nearby woods to relieve themselves, while others began to patrol the area, checking for threats.
Josie had already turned into a rock and had been lying on the ground for what felt like an eternity, wondering when the group would finally set off.
After a moment, footsteps approached.
Then she heard Lucas Lockwood's voice. "Still there?"
Josie quickly glanced around, and seeing that no one was there, she changed back into her human form.
"I'm here."
Lucas turned and walked toward her.
He was holding half a raw sweet potato they had scavenged from Young's Village.
He walked up to her, stopped, and handed her the half a sweet potato. "Eat."
Josie's eyes swept over the sweet potato, but she didn't immediately take it. Her smiling gaze returned to his face. "If you give this to me, what will you eat?"
"I've already eaten."
With that, he pressed the sweet potato into her hand. "Finish it and get ready. We're leaving soon."
Only after Lucas had turned and walked away did Josie raise her hand to examine the piece of sweet potato.
The corners of her lips curved up. 'In a world like this, someone is actually willing to share their food?'
'The supplies in my backpack are enough to last me half a month. I'm not actually short on food.'
She slowly sat down, leaning against the wall, and raised the sweet potato to take a bite.
CRUNCH. The sweet potato snapped crisply, and a sweet flavor filled her mouth.
She chewed slowly, savoring it until the last piece was gone.
Before long, Lucas deliberately led a few people over to her location. "Everyone, do a headcount and check your supplies. If everything's in order, we leave immediately."
While everyone was busy with their checks, Josie turned into a slip of paper and floated into Lucas Lockwood's pocket.
"Senior, we're ready. We can head out now."
Lucas raised a hand to his breast pocket. After confirming the slip of paper was there, he nodded. "Alright. Let's move out."
They headed in the direction Josie had indicated, toward a large city up ahead.
A city with at least a million zombies inside.
"Senior, are we heading to Nesterfall?"
"Yes," Lucas answered, not hiding the truth from anyone.
"But that city is densely populated. There must be a ton of zombies. Shouldn't we go around it?"
"We'll go to Nesterfall and take a look first. If we can't pass through, we'll detour."
They took an exit off the highway. For the first two days, the number of zombies was manageable. But by the third day, as they neared the city's edge, the zombies became more and more numerous.
But just when they felt they were about to be overwhelmed, the horde of zombies blocking their path would suddenly disperse.
While the other students chalked it up to luck, Lucas touched his now-empty breast pocket.
He immediately looked up, his brow furrowed tightly.
That night, after everyone was sound asleep, Lucas went out into the hallway and said softly, "Josie, come out."
Josie stretched as she returned to her human form, then took out her folding basin and waved it at him with a grin.
As if by routine, Lucas condensed some ice crystals and put them in her basin.
"Lucas Lockwood, you really are a great guy," she praised without reservation.
'With him around, I can always stay feeling fresh and clean.'
Watching the girl cheerfully slip into an empty room to wash up, Lucas stood guard silently outside the door.
From inside the room came the faint sound of splashing water and humming.
'Is she really that happy over something so simple?'
Even though he was mentally exhausted, her cheerful mood was infectious, and a smile touched Lucas's lips.
Having finished washing up, Josie pushed open the door and saw Lucas's tall, slender figure leaning against the wall.
"Still here?"
"These past few days... you've been helping us." It was a statement, not a question.