Chapter 71. The last meal...
[2 Days Ago]
The streets were dead and eerily silent with the wind dragging filth across the cracked, blood-stained streets like it was sweeping up the remains of a forgotten world. Tattered shirts still hung from poles, dancing weakly, like people who never made it back home. The bones of the old world could be seen everywhere like this was a zombie apocalypse movie—cars with shattered windows, buildings half-burnt and barely standing, and in the corners, swollen corpses slumped like garbage. Flies owned this place now. The air reeked with rot and rust all mixed into a smell that hit the back of your throat and clung like guilt. But amid the silence, the low rumble of engines broke the gloom. Trucks rolled through the ruined avenue, their wheels crushing bones and plastic alike.
Inside the lead vehicle, Gegee sat in the passenger seat, cold and still like a statue. Her dark shades masked her tired eyes, and in both gloved hands, she gripped twin Uzis, resting casually on her lap. Her gaze stayed fixed on the road ahead, but her mind was far away, lost in a loop of vengeance. She had done her part: led the team flawlessly, even fighting off two rival factions clawing for scraps in this collapsing world. And yet, none of that mattered. Not until she got the green light to leave the gates and hunt the bastard who murdered her beloved Gerald.
The truck convoy finally pulled into the fortified remains of Okutama, arriving at Darren’s base. Without wasting a second, Gegee barked, "Unload everything. Fast." Then she was off, heading straight for Darren’s quarters.
She knocked on his door, already knowing what she’d find.
"Come in," a lazy voice answered.
The door creaked open, and the familiar, pungent scent of marijuana wafted out in thick clouds. Darren lounged on his mattress, clothed in nothing but a loosely tied gown, taking long drags from a blunt. Smoke curled around him like a crown of indulgence.
Gegee stepped in, dipping her head slightly. "I’ve returned, boss. Supplies are here. Not much... but enough. It’s getting harder out there. No food left. Just scraps."
Darren coughed out a thick cloud of smoke and looked her over slowly.
"Good job, darling," he said, voice low and sticky. "Come here."
He patted the bed beside him.