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Chapter Text

Day 30

Something was wrong. She had been feeling sick for a few days now, but at that moment something was very wrong.
It was night, she and Magna found a small wooden hut last night, it wasn't cozy or aesthetically pleasing, but safe to stay the night, only after clearing the zombies of course. Zombies. That word seemed so unreal these days, she thought it could only happen in movies, she felt like she was in a fucking movie. Yumiko had big plans for her life, she was a lawyer, she got her client out of prison just a few months ago, they fell in love, and now? They had to learn how to live again.
Magna was fast asleep on the couch next to Yumiko, who lay staring at the ceiling. At one point she felt something coming up in her throat. She jumped out of bed and ran outside, then vomited the contents of her stomach, leaned against one of the walls of the hut and closed her eyes, she opened them only when she felt a tug and heard a growl, she saw a stiff man in front of her trying to dig his teeth into her shoulder, she didn't have anything with her no weapons so all she could do was push him away as long and as hard as possible, suddenly his growling stopped and Yumiko's face was covered in blood. The woman saw her girlfriend in front of her, holding a knife in her hand, and threw the stiff man to the ground.

- How many times have I told you to ALWAYS take a gun with you when you go anywhere? - Magna said, walking closer to her girlfriend. - You don't have a bite or a scratch?

- No, everything's fine.

- What came to your mind to go out at night, alone and without a weapon?

- I couldn't sleep, I didn't think, sorry. - Yumiko said. Magna just sighed and hugged her girlfriend tightly.

- If we are to survive, you must ALWAYS carry a gun, promise me.

- I promise. It's just very hard for me to come to terms with it.

- We will never come to terms with this, Miko. We can only get used to it. Let's go back. - Magna said, grabbing her girlfriend's hand and pulling her inside. Yumiko walked inside and sat on the couch, Magna closed the door behind them and joined her girlfriend.

- All right? - Magna asked, seeing the worried look on Yumiko's face.

- Yes, I just feel bad.

- It's probably a bird, it makes itself felt in my case too. It will pass tomorrow. - Magna said, lying down on the old couch again.

- Probably you are right. - Yumiko replied, lying down next to her. Magna hugged Yumiko and closed her eyes, less than 5 minutes passed when the blonde fell into a deep sleep. Yumiko wanted to follow her example, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but as soon as she did, a terrible sight of dead people tearing people apart appeared before her eyes.
In this way, Yumiko spent the entire night staring at the ceiling with a snoring Magna cuddled to her stomach, although she couldn't complain about the latter.

Day 31

Yumiko woke up to the sun shining through the window, but despite everything she managed to close her eyes, even for an hour and only in the morning, but she managed to do so. When she opened her eyes, she noticed the absence of Magna, who should have been lying next to her, she looked around and after a while she noticed her girlfriend sitting on the floor in the corner, rummaging in her backpack, whispering something under her breath.
Yumiko moved to stand up, which caught Magna's attention, who looked at her girlfriend before looking down and smiling to herself.

- Someone used to getting enough sleep. - Magna said, still looking for something in her backpack.

- As if. I couldn't sleep, - Yumiko replied, getting up from the couch. - what are you looking for?

- Nothing more. - Magna replied, taking a large piece of paper from her backpack.

- What's that? - Yumiko asked, walking closer to Magna.

- And this, my dear, is our route today.

- Map?

- Map. I found it here and instinctively put it in my backpack in case we had to run away. - said Magna, unfolding the map.
Yumiko moved her backpack towards her and took out a canteen of water, taking a sip.

- Ha! There is a small town nearby, there may be supplies of food and even medicine there.

- Do you want to go there?

- I would like to, what is there may be useful to us.

- Maybe you're right.

- Of course I have. - Magna said with a smile.
The women packed up, took their backpacks and set off.
After a few hours of wandering, they finally reached their destination, it was a small town, or so it seemed at first glance. There was a pharmacy on one side between the houses and a small shop on the other.

- I think it would be best to split up, Magna said, putting the map in her back pocket. After a while, she reached into the side pocket of her backpack and took out two large knives, handing one to Yumiko. - I'll go to the pharmacy and you to the shop, it seems smaller.

- All right. - Yumiko replied, taking the knife that Magna gave her and heading towards the shop.

- Miko. - Magna said after a moment, causing Yumiko to turn to her. - Be careful.

- You too. - she replied with a smile.

- Scream if something happens. - Magna said again and moved towards the pharmacy.

Yumiko wasn't very good at dealing with the dead, but she still managed to kill several who were in the store. They were probably employees once. There wasn't much on the shelves, most of them had already been taken by others, so the girl took what was left and was most necessary, such as cans of food or water, she left the room and headed towards the pharmacy where Magna was, the woman had some medicines in her backpack, so Yumiko walked up to her.

- Hi. - Yumiko said, causing Magna to jump in fear.

- Fucking hell, Miko. Do not do that. - Magna replied, putting the rest of the medicines into her backpack.

- Sorry. - Yumiko replied with a slight smile. It was nice to see that Magna still knew something like fear.

- Did you find anything? - Magna asked, reading the label of one of the drugs.

- Yes, quite a lot of food for such a small shop and the current situation.

- Great, I think we should slowly find shelter for the night.

- We're not going back to the cottage?

- We can't stay in one place all the time, we have to have options.

- Right. I'll look around here and help you. - Yumiko suggested, walking away to another alley.
She found herself in the section with women's products, she thought it would be a good idea to take a few things, after all, the period does not end, even in the face of the apocalypse, sanitary pads will still be useful. While taking the pack of sanitary pads, something appeared before her eyes that immediately reminded her of her night vomiting. Pregnancy test. Yumiko took the box in her hand, and as she did so, a red light came on. Nausea, vomiting, headaches, when the hell was the last time she had her period?

- No, it's impossible, she thought aloud. - but me and Magna don't... Damn. - Yumiko put the box into her backpack without thinking. If only she could imagine it.

- Hi! - Magna shouted, jumping out from behind the shelf.

- Damn, Magna.

- Rematch. - Magna laughed as she approached Yumiko. - What did you find?

- I thought I'd take some pads. Periods don't end, at least at our age. - Yumiko replied. She didn't dare tell Magna about the test, at least until she was sure.

- Right, - Magna placed a kiss on Yumiko's cheek. - You know, I was just reading the map and there is a camping site near this town, we can try to start a car and switch the trailer to it.

- Good idea. If it doesn't work out, we can just sleep in one of the cars.

- Yes Sir. Shall we go?

- Let's go.

Magna and Yumiko continued their journey. After a few hours they finally reached the said campsite, as expected the campsite was full of dead bodies, after killing them all Magna found a car that seemed perfect to drive, she sat in the driver's seat and tried to start the car. Yumiko stood next to the car, making sure nothing attacked Magna who was focused on starting the car.

- And what? - Yumiko asked.

- It wont start. Shit.

- Maybe we should take others, there are plenty of them here.

- This will be the only option, it would be nice to finally rest our legs and travel by car again. - Magna said as she got out of the car.

- Let's sleep in the trailer for now, tomorrow we'll take another car and go. - Yumiko replied, approaching the trailer standing behind the car.

- Will you prepare a trailer? I'll look around the cars to see if any of them have a map.

- Yes, go. - Yumiko agreed, entering the trailer, Magna went in the opposite direction, looking for useful things in the compartments.
Yumiko closed the stall door and placed both backpacks on the ground. The interior was not damaged, there was no bed, but two sofas separated by a bedside table, it also had a kitchenette, a portable fridge, a small TV and a small table with two chairs.
Yumiko first took care of the beds, moved the bedside table to the middle of the room and moved one sofa next to the other, combining them into one double bed, moved the bedside table to the wall where one of the sofas had previously stood, looking at the sofas in front of her she knew that it would not be the most comfortable night, but at least it's not a wooden hut in the middle of the forest.
After a while, Magna came to the trailer holding a map and a penknife in her hand.

- Look what I found, a map with the route to Lorton. - she said, walking up to Yumiko.
The woman took the map from Magna's hands and began to read it.

- Good job, I think we can find something in Lorton.

- I also found a penknife. Nice, right?

- Fits you. - Yumiko replied with a smile.

- Do you think? You're probably right. The blades fit me. - Magna laughed, approaching the couches combined into one bed. - I found a camper, I hope it will start tomorrow, at least we will have a guarantee that the trailer willit will not disconnect while driving. Who takes first watch?

- I'll take it, get enough sleep today, you think it's a lot for you. - Yumiko joked.

- Hey! - Magna laughed. - Now you'll have time to think, smartass.

Magna wasn't wrong. In fact, Yumiko was constantly thinking about the pregnancy test resting in her backpack.
The women ate some supplies they had taken from the town and Magna went to bed. Yumiko was sitting on one of the chairs at the small table, looking at her gun from top to bottom for the hundredth time, and finally decided to get up and take the test. She couldn't wait any longer. What if it came back negative and she just ate something bad? The period could be late due to stress, after all, in the times they were in, it was not difficult to get it. She rummaged around in her backpack and found said box, went into the bathroom and sat on the toilet, took the test as instructed and waited and waited and waited, it was the longest 15 minutes of her life.
When the time was up, she looked at the test and froze. Two lines. Pregnancy. So yes. Damn, how could she be so careless about what to say to Magna? And most importantly, how will he raise a child in this world? Without doctors, no clinics, how the hell was she supposed to know how many weeks pregnant she was? She didn't even know today's date. Her shock passed when she heard banging on the trailer door and growling, but she quickly realized that it was not a single growling, she left the bathroom and went to the window, she saw that at least 20 stiff ones were banging on the door.

- Shit, - Yumiko cursed and ran to the sleeping Magna. - Magna, get up!

-Hmm?

- Magna! - Yumiko shouted, trying to wake up Magna, successfully, because the woman got up hearing the growling and screaming.

- What the hell is going on?! - Magna ran to the window, didn't stand by it for long, ran to her backpack and put it on her back, handed Yumiko her backpack and took the gun from the table.

- What we do? - Yumiko asked panicked.

- We open the door, push them away and run to the camper, hope it starts, do you have a gun?

- Yes. - Yumiko replied, taking the gun from the table.

- Okay, let's run. Yumiko, don't stop no matter what. You understand?

- Yes.

- On three, - Magna said and started counting. - one... two... - after the last one she put her hand on the doorknob. - Three! - Magna opened the door and stuck a knife into the skull of one of the stiffs, then the second and third, when the road was quite paved, the women moved to the camper. Fortunately, these stiffs weren't too fast, although there were some of them, Magna opened the camper door and sat in the driver's seat, damn, there were no keys in the ignition.

- Open the glove compartment, look for the keys. Magna said to Yumiko sitting in the passenger seat.
Yumiko did what Magna told her.

- Nothing. - she said frantically searching the glove compartment. She turned her head towards the window, the stiffs had already reached the camper and were banging against its walls. - Magna!

- I'm doing what I can Yumiko, but without the keys we can shove this camper up our ass! - Magna shouted. Suddenly she remembered something, her father hid the keys in not obvious places, for example under the windshield wiper. Magna picked it up and sure enough, she found the key underneath it. Her father was finally useful for something.
Magna put the keys in the ignition and started the car, pressed the gas and drove forward. Both women breathed a sigh of relief as they drove away from the campsite.

- What the hell, Yumiko?! You were on guard, if you were tired you just had to wake me up!

- I didn't sleep, I was lost in thought. Sorry.

- Were you lost in thought? What were you thinking about?!

- I don't know, sorry Magna.

- I'm sorry too, - Magna said after a moment. - I shouldn't shout at you.

-We're both stressed.

- You can talk to me if something is bothering you. I know I'm not the best when it comes to feelings, but I'm here to listen. - Magna said, placing one hand on Yumiko's.

- Thank you, but I don't know what worries me, I guess it's just the same as everyone else at the moment.

- Bright. It's difficult but you have to get used to it. They will never find a cure, Miko, they will never cure these people. It will be like this until the end, or maybe even worse. We have to understand this. - Magna replied, Yumiko just sighed. - Go to sleep. I'll drive.

Yumiko nodded and got up from the passenger seat. She walked closer to Magna and placed a kiss on her cheek, making her smile before taking her backpack and walking back, laying down on the much more comfortable couch and covering herself with a blanket.

- Hey, - she said to Magna. - I love you.

- I you too. - Magna replied with a smile and returned to driving.
Yumiko turned to face the window, watching the trees moving and the street disappearing by the moving car, all she could think about was the two lines that had appeared on the test just 20 minutes ago. How could such a small stick cause so many extreme emotions? How will he tell Magna? Yumiko closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Surprisingly, it worked.

Chapter Text

Day 32

When Yumiko woke up to the sun shining through the camper's windows. She quickly realized that the camper was parked, looked around the room and saw Magna sitting at a table reading a map.

- Magna? - Yumiko said to her, moving in the sheets. Magna looked away from the map and looked at Yumiko.

- You do not sleep?

- As you can see. - Yumiko said and sat down on the bed. She reached into her backpack, took a sip of water from her canteen, stood up and walked over to Magna, putting her arms around her shoulders. - What are you doing?

- I'm trying to find out where we are. In the evening, all I could think about was to escape and I didn't look where I was going.

Yumiko left Magna and sat on the bed, she felt guilty for what happened yesterday, now they didn't even know where to go or where they were.

- If I'm not mistaken, we should be 20 miles from Warrenton. We'll go northwest towards Winchester, stop there and see what happens next. - Magna said, rolling up the map and turning to Yumiko.

- Don't you want to get some sleep? You led the whole way.

- Are you sure you want to stand guard again?

- I'll be careful this time, I promise. - Yumiko said, making room on the bed for Magna who sat down next to her.

- Okay, but if anything happens, you wake me up immediately and we switch places. - Magna replied, lying down on the bed and covering herself with a blanket.

- I promise. - Yumiko replied with a smile on her face and placed a light kiss on her girlfriend's lips. - What if all this didn't exist?

- Hmm?

- This whole end of the world thing? If everything was like before, I'd be a lawyer and you...

- Was she serving filthy guys staring ruthlessly at my dude? - Magna finished before Yumiko could.

- We would find you another job, maybe not right away, but definitely. - Yumiko replied, running her hand around the woman's waist. - Maybe we could live together...

- They adopted cats? - Magna asked, laughing.

- Or dogs...

- Would we get married?

- If only we wanted to...

- We could have a baby...

- Do you want to have children?

- I wanted to, I like children, but in this world we probably won't adopt any, and considering that none of us are men, we will be childless. - Magna joked.

- Yes. Probably so. But maybe at some point we will find a child who needs our help...

- Do you think children can cope in such a world? Their parents barely do it, if at all.

- Yes... I guess you're right.

- As always. - Magna said with a smile and closed her eyes. Yumiko quickly heard her girlfriend's characteristic snoring.

Magna woke up a few hours later, the route had really exhausted her, so now Yumiko was driving and Magna was sitting next to her in the passenger seat, reading the map aloud while driving Yumiko.

- Okay, now turn left, - Magna said, looking away from the map. Yumiko did what Magna told her. - okay, now we'll go straight for some time.

- Okay. - Yumiko replied without taking her eyes off the road. - Mags.

- Hmm?

- If you had something to tell me but it would risk our relationship, would you tell me?

- Why this question?

- Hypothetically, he wants to know what to expect from you. - Yumiko replied with a smile on her face hiding her stress.

- That's a tough question, but I'd rather be honest with you.

- Even if it was something that would blow my mind? - Yumiko asked, smiling at Magna, who burst out laughing.

- Honesty is the most important thing, Miko, especially when you're in a relationship.

- You're right... - Yumiko replied. - Thank you.

- What for? - Magna asked, smiling at Yumiko.

- For your honest answer. - Yumiko replied, looking at Magna, who all she did was smile warmly at her.

- Now to the right.

Some time later, when Magna and Yumiko reached Winchester, Yumiko finally decided to talk honestly to Magna about what happened. She was afraid of her reaction, but her earlier words gave her food for thought. Yumiko pulled into the parking lot and Magna continued to read the map.

- Okay, for now let's look around the area, maybe we'll find some food. Then we'll head towards Berkeley Springs.

- Magna, I need to talk to you

- That sounded serious, - Magna said with a smile and turned to Yumiko.

- I wasn't lost in thought at the campsite then. I was in the bathroom and... And I was taking a test.

- What test?

- Pregnancy test. - Yumiko said with complete seriousness. Magna, on the other hand, started laughing.

- Not bad, I almost got fooled - replied Magna, hiding the map in her pants pocket.

- Magna, really.

- Yeah, sure, then I have a penis I didn't know about. - Magna joked. - Good, but enough of jokes, come. - Yumiko grabbed Magna's hand as she stood up and looked at her with complete seriousness.

- Magna. That's true. - Yumiko said with a broken voice, which forced Magna to return to her seat.

- How did this happen Yumiko? Anyone?... - Magna asked, thinking in her head the worst-case scenario that her girlfriend had been raped.

- No, no, that's not it. It was a conscious decision.

- What happened Yumiko? Can you tell me. - Magna reassured her, gently taking Yumiko's hand.

- I'm terrible Magna...

- Certainly not, tell me what happened.

- All right. It was about two months ago, you were still in prison, and I started having feelings for you. I was afraid of my family's reaction and tried to convince myself that I liked men. I went to the club and...

- And?

- I slept with some guy. Drunk - after the last sentence, Yumiko looked at Magna. The woman looked at her girlfriend with wide eyes. - I'm sorry, Magna, I know it's cheating, and the fact that I was drunk doesn't excuse me...

- Hey, what cheating? We weren't together, we had no obligations to each other. - Magna reassured her, stroking her hands with her thumbs.

- Magna, I slept with a stranger and now I'm pregnant.

- Listen, it was before us. What matters is the here and now, we weren't together.

- But I had feelings for you, it's not fair Magna.

- Miko. What once was doesn't matter now. I don't know how long I have left to live... Maybe I'll die tomorrow...

- NO. Magna, don't say that. - Yumiko interrupted her before Magna finished her sentence.

- Miko, these are facts. I can die tomorrow, next week, next year and there will be nothing we can do about it. - Magna said bluntly, and seeing a tear rolling down Yumiko's cheek and even more tears forming in her eyes, she reached out her hand and cupped her cheek. - I could die at any moment and I don't want to waste the rest of my life thinking and being mad at you. I want to help you, raise this child with you...

- Magna, I just don't know if I want it...

- What does it mean?

- I don't know if I want this baby. Look around at the times we live in, I can't defend myself, let alone a child?

- Miko...

- Magna, this is crazy. Children are loud, they cry and their crying will attract them. I don't want it to suffer in this world.

- Miko... - Magna grabbed Miko's hands again and they let go of hers for a moment. - Listen, no matter what you do, I will support you. You can get rid of it, you have the right to do so, you can keep it, you have the right to do so. I won't suggest anything to you, decide for yourself. I just want you to know that you have my full support. Always.

Yumiko let go of Magna's hands and placed hers on her back, hugging her. Magna soon did the same.

- I love you... - Magna said, which made Yumiko break away from her and look at her in disbelief.
This was the first time since the beginning of their relationship that Magna had uttered these words. Yumiko knew it took a lot of effort for Magna, so she didn't say a word except:

- I love you too, Mags.

After talking and deciding on a plan, Magna and Yumiko left the camper and went towards the shops and pharmacies. Yumiko decided to take the pills with her regardless of what she decided to do, because later she might not find them anywhere. Magna headed towards the food stores and Yumiko towards the pharmacy.
After a short search, she found the pills in question and took them in her hand with a little hesitation. Are you sure I'm doing it right? - She thought. However, after a while she imagined the baby's cry resounding loudly in the empty spaces into which the dead began to descend. She took the box and threw it into her bag. She took a few more things she needed and went towards the store where Magna had gone, she saw her putting something into her bag.

- People really can't look around, there are plenty of water bottles left in the back, but it's better for us. - Magna said, putting the last bottle into the bag. - I also have some cans of food, but did you find the pills?

- Luckily.

- All right. - Magna said, getting up from the floor and slinging her bag over her shoulder. - Shall we go?

- Yes. - Yumiko replied. Magna walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

- All right?

- NO.

- Hey... Everything will be fine.

- I don't know if I'm doing it right, Magna, I mean...

- Relax...

- What if we both die? And the child will be left alone in the world? It will suffer as these monsters eat it alive.

- Miko, hey, - Magna tried to reassure her. She grabbed her hands and stroked her hands gently with her thumbs. - if you keep it, I promise you that I will do absolutely everything to survive for this child... I promise.

- I'll tell you when I decide.

- Let's go, Miko, let's go back to the camper. We'll grab something to eat and go to Berkeley Springs. - Magna said, Yumiko just nodded and the women left the store.

Yumiko and Magna reached the camper, as Magna said the women ate and continued on their way, the drive to Berkeley Springs didn't take long, maybe an hour, Magna parked the camper in the parking lot.

- What now? - Yumiko asked looking at Magna.

- I'll look at the map and...

- Are we going to drive around the country? Is this the plan?

- You know very well that we couldn't stay in Richmond, you saw what was happening there, we had already been there too long, we almost died.

- And you think it can't happen in Winchester or Berkeley Springs? Do you know how many people there are in the world? Or rather it was.

- Of course it can, but driving a camper is probably better than spending the rest of your life in a cabin in the forest.

- Maybe not? Maybe we should have just stayed there and let ourselves be eaten? All our problems would disappear.

- Miko, don't say that. You know well that I'm doing what I can.

- Maybe not enough! - Yumiko suddenly shouted, getting up from the chair. Magna turned back to the steering wheel and looked straight ahead. After a moment of silence as Yumiko sat down at the small table, Magna got up from the driver's seat and sat on the bed with her back to Yumiko.
The other woman immediately realized that she had said too much, she didn't mean it at all, she thought that Magna was doing everything she could to keep them safe. Miko got up from her chair and sat on the bed next to Magna, placing her calming hands on her shoulders.

- Hey, I'm sorry. I don't think so at all.

- Then why did you say that?

- I'm stressed Magna, we both are.

- All my life I felt like I was inadequate. First my father, because he found out I was a lesbian, then my cousin, because I didn't do enough to protect her from that pervert, and now you?

- Magna...

- I thought that at least you would appreciate what I do, but I was wrong.

- Magna, hey. - Yumiko turned to her and changed her position to sit facing Magna. - I said it out of nervousness, I'm pregnant and every decision I make will be bad, this is a new situation for Magna. I'm afraid. I'm so fucking scared. - Yumiko said and looked straight into her girlfriend's eyes, she noticed that her beautiful brown eyes were full of salty tears.

- Don't you think I'm not enough?

- Of course not. You are doing everything you can to save us and I am very grateful for that. I love you Magna and you are enough.

Yumiko took Magna's chin in her hand and tilted her head up, forcing her to look at her.
Yumiko placed her lips against Magna's and wiped away her tears with her thumbs.

- Magna, listen to me. When I was little, my grandmother and I repeated one sentence every day. We can do this too.

- What was that sentence? - Magna asked, removing tears from her eyes. Yumiko took Magna's hands in hers.

- I am important, I am beautiful, I am enough. We will try?

- I'm important... - Magna began, looking at Yumiko.

- I'm beautiful... - Yumiko added, looking at Magna.

- I am enough. - they finished together, looking into each other's eyes. Yumiko kissed Magna on the cheek and hugged her.

- I love you. - Yumiko said, still hugging Magna tenderly.

- I love you too, Yumiko. - Magna replied, hugging her girlfriend.

- So what's the plan? - Yumiko asked, smiling.

- Maybe we can stay here for the night? Or several?

- Are you sure?

- Nothing is chasing us, we have food, water and a place to sleep. We haven't had a moment to ourselves for a long time. - Magna replied, giving Yumiko a warm smile.

- I think it's a great idea. - Yumiko smiled and Magna placed his lips on hers.

The women spent the evening together, they were happy that they finally talked honestly, Magna found it quite difficult, Yumiko was glad that she was the person the girl trusted, there weren't many of them, in fact there were none at all. She loved Magna very much and never wanted to lose her. Yumiko forgot about her pregnancy and the pills in her backpack, at least for a moment. At that moment, the only thing that mattered was the beautiful woman in her arms.

Chapter Text

Day 36

The womens stayed in Berkeley Springs for a few days, and one morning Magna and Yumiko cleared the area of the dead that had accumulated overnight. There weren't many of them, but they both believed that it was better to kill them when there were fewer of them than when the whole horde came together. Yumiko was getting better and better at killing stiffs, which made Magna very happy, she was afraid that Yumiko wouldn't be able to cope, they were raised in completely different conditions and the rest of them also lived completely different lives. However, Yumiko began to adapt to the new world and accept the fact that her old life would never return.

- Last! Yumiko shouted at Magna after stabbing the last stiff in sight into the skull.

- Also my. - Magna said, walking up to Yumiko. - You did well. - the woman praised her.

- To you too. - Yumiko replied, smiling at Magna.

- I think we should find another place, there are more of them every day.

- We'll find another area.

- Yes, there are definitely plenty of free parking lots. - Magna agreed and looked at Yumiko, placing a hand on her shoulder. - Have you decided yet?

- I'll do it, Magna. I can't let the baby die. - Yumiko replied, placing her hand on Magna's.

- It's good that we haven't had time to get used to the idea of being parents.

- Maybe someday, Magna. In another life. - Yumiko said with a slight smile.

Magna and Yumiko returned to the camper and went looking for a place to park, they didn't want to go outside of Berkeley Springs, at least for a while. Yumiko got behind the wheel and Magna looked on the map for places to stay.

- "In another life"? - Magna suddenly said, attracting Yumiko's attention.

- What?

- That's what you said earlier. "In Another Life"

- Oh, that's it.

- What does it mean?

- My parents deeply believed that the soul was immortal. They always told me and my brother that if we couldn't do something now, we would do it in another life.

- I don't know if "another life" still exists. It will probably be the same as now.

- You're probably right, but who will stop us from thinking about it? - Yumiko asked Magna, looking at the woman for a long moment.

- Be careful! - Magna shouted, noticing a stiff man on the road. Yumiko jerked the steering wheel violently, causing the car to veer off the road and hit a tree.

Magna regained consciousness and the first thing she heard was the sound of a horn and the growling of stiffs, she raised her head feeling the burning and pain in her forehead, she raised her hand to her forehead and touched her eyebrow, as it turned out it was cut and bleeding.
The woman looked at Yumiko lying on the steering wheel, the woman was still unconscious and lying facing the car windows.

- Yumiko. - Magna said under her breath, immediately getting up from her seat to help Yumiko. Her safety became secondary, at the moment the only thing that mattered to her was her beloved.
Magna lifted Yumiko's head from the driver's side, making the horn stop beeping, and looked at her face and noticed that, like hers, she had a split eyebrow.

- Yumiko! - the woman started shaking her girlfriend, but to no avail, Yumiko apparently hit her head too hard on the steering wheel.
Magna knew they had to get out of the car as quickly as possible, she didn't know how long she had been unconscious and gasoline could have spilled out of the car, which meant the car could have caught fire at any moment. The woman got out of the car, killed the stiffs, and walked up to the driver's side door, took Yumiko by the arm, and dragged her out of the vehicle. Magna placed Yumiko on the grass away from the accident site, she knew they couldn't stay there, they had to find shelter at least until Yumiko woke up. Magna thought about going back to the camper and taking their backpacks, there was food and water in them, she was about to get up when she heard the sound of a fire starting, the car was on fire. They lost supplies, water, means of transport and a place to sleep. Map.
Magna looked at the still unconscious Yumiko, she didn't even have a first aid kit to treat herself and her girlfriend, waiting was pointless, the only thing she could wait for was for the dead to come and die, she took Yumiko by the arm and moved forward.

A few hours passed and it started to get dark, Magna had the impression that her legs would soon give out, Yumiko was still unconscious and there was no roofed place nearby. Magna began to lose hope for shelter, she was already coming to terms with her imminent death when she saw a house in front of her, a treehouse. The woman walked up to the tree and leaned Yumiko against the trunk to keep an eye on her, Magna climbed the ladder to assess the situation with the dead, to her surprise there was none, she looked around the room, it didn't look inhabited, it was full of cobwebs and dust, the woman went downstairs to Yumiko and thought - How the hell am I going to get her up there?
Magna went upstairs again and started looking for anything that could help her, the woman found several car belts and a long rope, what are the belts doing here? - she thought.
After a moment of thinking about what to do with the things she found, she went downstairs and tied Yumiko's legs and arms with belts, then tied a rope through the point connecting all the ends of the belts and went upstairs, pulled the ladder inside and pulled the rope causing Yumiko to rise up, Magna she continued until Yumiko was upstairs, untying the straps from her legs and arms and laying her on the wooden floor, closing the hatch to the entrance and placing the heavy chest of drawers on top of it just in case.
Magna checked Yumiko's breathing and pulse, she was alive but very weak, the woman started searching through the cabinets that she hadn't searched yet, hoping to find a first aid kit there, or at least a bandage or cotton buds.
The woman didn't find a first aid kit, but she did find a pack of tissues and the remains of mineral water, she was tempted to drink the said water, but Yumiko's desire to help won, Magna poured some water on a handkerchief and placed it on Yumiko's eyebrow, the bleeding stopped, but the blonde knew that the wound needed stitching When Magna finished washing her girlfriend's wound, she tore off the sleeve of her sweatshirt and put it over her head, covering the wound. The woman did the same with her wound, covered Yumiko with her sweatshirt and stood guard, luckily the pocket knife she found a few days ago was still in her pocket, all the rest of their weapons were left in the car. Magna moved a chair over to Yumiko who was lying on the floor and sat on it, knowing that she would spend the entire night there.

Day 37

Early in the morning, Magna heard moans coming from behind her and immediately turned towards the girl. Yumiko opened her eyes and looked around the house.

- Miko. - Magna said to her, getting up from the chair. She walked up to Yumiko and placed her hand on her shoulder. - How do you feel?

- What happened? - Yumiko asked, hissing in pain as she touched her eyebrow, which was still wrapped in the sleeve of Magna's sweatshirt.

- We had an accident. We hit a tree and we both fainted, I woke up but you were still unconscious, I got us out of the car and after a while it started burning.

- We don't have supplies or water? Even weapons? - Yumiko asked immediately, and Magna nodded. - Damn!

- Don't worry, it'll be fine, we'll find food again. It's worse with your pills.

- No, the pills are in my pocket. - Yumiko replied, reaching into her back pocket, taking out the pills and showing them to Magna.

- At least they survived. - Magna said, smiling slightly at Yumiko.

- I won't take them, Magna. - Yumiko said with complete seriousness, looking at Magna.

- What? How so?

- I can't. I won't get rid of him.

- But you said...

- I want to protect them. You’re right life is too short to Wonder now. This may be my last chance to have a child. I want to do everything to make this child feel loved, even if it has a short life. - Yumiko said, placing her hand on Magna's. The other woman placed her hands on Yumiko's cheeks and rested her forehead on hers.

- I promise you that I will do everything to ensure that our child lives for many years.

- Me too, Mags. - Yumiko whispered with a smile on her face.
It might not have been the best time, but Yumiko knew she had chosen the best mother for her child.

After some time spent resting in the cottage, Magna and Yumiko decided to move on, Magna insisted that they stay there longer, but Yumiko assured her that I was feeling better, after all, they didn't know if this place was safe or inhabited by anyone, although they didn't know for sure. it looked like. They searched all the cabinets thoroughly once again.

- Look. Yumiko said to Magna. The woman turned around and saw a bow in her girlfriend's hand.

- Did you find arrows too? - Magna asked, walking over to Yumiko. She sat down next to her and looked at the weapon again, then looked at Yumiko with a smile - You look nice with him.

- You think so? - Yumiko asked, first smiling at Magna and then looking at the bow.

- Bright.

- A whole quiver of arrows. I think a hunter lived here.

- Maybe. Either way you need the gun, take it.

- I think you're right. - Yumiko replied, putting the quiver on her back.

The woman stood up and shook Magna's hand, the women left the house and set out to look for new locations.

After some time, the women found an old car in the middle of the road, Magna was rummaging in the hood of the car while Yumiko was searching it from the inside.

- Damn! - Magna shouted, slamming the flap.

- Doesn't work? - Yumiko asked her even though she knew the answer perfectly.

- Doesn't work. Damn, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish my father was here right now. - Magna got into the car.

- Apparently he's quite a son of a bitch.

- Yes. Terrible idiot.

Flashback 2004

17-year-old Magna returned home after meeting her friends. She wasn't alone though, there was a dark-skinned girl her age with her, they were holding hands and smiling at each other.

- My father is probably asleep, let's go to my place. - Magna said, leading the girl through the living room, the girls entered Magna's room, where they found a man sitting on a chair.

Magna's father. Joseph Manson, drunk, choleric, homophobe and racist.

- You're coming back late. - Manson said to his daughter. - You came with a friend.

- It's my girlfriend.

- I don't even want to hear about it, Magna.

- That's the truth.

- Don't say that, I don't even want to imagine my only daughter in bed with another girl. - said the man sharply and decisively, getting up from the chair.

- Magna, I'll go home, I don't want to cause any problems. - said the previously quiet girl at Magna's side.

- No, Chloe, it was just a little argument.

- Not only are you perverted, but you're dating a nigger.

- I'll go now, see you at school Magna. - said the girl and left Magna's room.

- No, Chloe... - Magna tried to stop her, but she heard the sound of the exit door closing. - Are you proud of yourself?!

- I will not accept such a thing neither in my house nor anywhere!

- I don't care about your acceptance!

- I won't listen to it, you piece of shit! - the man shouted and hit the closet door with his hand. - It's just a stupid period, Magna. It won't be long before you meet the right guy.

- I won't meet any boy! I'm going to have a wife whether you like it or not!

- I will never agree to this! You have to find a husband and give me grandchildren! - he shouted, approaching Magna. - Or...

- Or what? - Magna interrupted him. - Will you kill me like you killed my mother? - Magna asked, looking into her father's eyes.
He didn't answer her anything, instead she felt a burning sensation on her cheek, she put her hand to the sore spot and sat on the bed.
Joseph Manson left the room, closing the door behind him.
Magna couldn't continue to pretend to be strong. She lay down on the bed and started sobbing into her pillow.

End of Flashback

- Terrible man, I can't even imagine what you had to go through. - Yumiko said, placing her hand on Magna's shoulder. Instead of looking at Yumiko, the woman moved towards her and fell into her arms. Yumiko wrapped her arms around her girlfriend giving her a strong and supportive hug, the women stayed like that for a while, Yumiko felt that Magna needed that hug.

- My parents weren't blameless either. - Yumiko said, stroking Magna's back soothingly.

- Did they beat you? - Magna asked, wrapping her arms around Yumiko's waist.

- No, not that much.

Flashback 2008

Yumiko was sitting on the couch in her family home, she decided to take a few days off and visit her parents and grandparents in England.

- Work is work, but how's your love life, Yumiko? - her mother asked, sitting on the couch opposite her daughter, next to her husband.

- Yes, is there a bachelor hanging around you? - asked her father in agreement with his wife.

- What a stupid question, she must have a lot of men around her, look at her beauty. - added her grandfather from the armchair next to her.

- I'm not thinking about a relationship for now, I want to focus on work. - Yumiko replied, taking a sip of tea.

- Don't be silly, Yumiko. Work is one thing, but dad and I want to have grandchildren.

- And Tomi? Why don't you ask him for it?

- Tomichi has a girlfriend all the time, and you? I've never seen you with a boy.

- I don't have time or inclination for this.

- Yumiko... - her mother began to say. However, she didn't have time to finish the sentence when she heard a cough.

- Yoko. - the older woman, who had not spoken before, said to the girl's mother. - Don't pressure her, she'll have someone when she's ready.

- The clock is ticking, mom. Don't you want to see your great-grandchildren? - Yumiko's father asked.

- Yumiko will give you grandchildren if she is ready. Yumiko’s Grandma said firmly. - Honey, come with me to the kitchen, I need your help.
Yumiko put down her cup of tea and followed her grandmother

- Thank you, grandma. - Yumiko said with a smile.

- I'm tired of asking you about your love life.

- I can't tell them, you know, what they think about it.

- In time they would accept it.

- I'd rather not take any risks, grandma. - Yumiko said with sadness in her eyes. The woman felt sorry that her granddaughter had to hide her true self.

- I'm beautiful... - the older woman started to say, expecting her granddaughter to understand what she meant and finish their rule.

- I'm important... - Yumiko added, looking at her grandmother.

- I am enough. - they finished together. Yumiko bent down and hugged the older woman.

- Never do anything against your will, Yumiko.

End of Flashback

- You were lucky to have such a grandmother, she seems like a wonderful person.

- She was like that... - Yumiko said with a smile, still stroking Magna's back. - She would like you... I'm sure of it.

- And my mother would love you... - Magna laughed lightly. - One time, my father came back drunk as a spade and pushed my mother during an argument... She hit her head on the cupboard and never woke up...

- I'm so sorry, Mags.

- Even though I was five years old then, I still remember it very clearly... My mother lying on the floor in a pool of blood and my father who was so fucked up that he didn't even notice that his wife bleeding out... - Magna said, hugging Yumiko tighter. - I still remember her smile... I wish I had any photos of her. She loved me more than anything...

- Magna... - Yumiko said to her.

- Hmm? - Magna murmured, snuggling into Yumiko's chest.

- You can cry...

- Me? Cry?

- Yes you. Anyone can cry when they feel bad... - Yumiko assured Magna.
The woman couldn't help but let her tears stain Yumiko's shirt. The Asian placed one hand on the back of Magna's head, she wanted to let her know that she was with her.
After a while, she placed her hands on her tear-stained cheeks and kissed Magna on her beautiful, full lips.

There were no stiffs around, they were locked in a car in the middle of an empty street, surrounded by forest and silence. Beautiful silence.

Chapter Text

Day 98

For the last several dozen days, Magna and Yumiko have been living in old, abandoned huts and driving cars left on the road and in parking lots. So far, Yumiko's pregnancy was going well, her belly was already visible and the vomiting still bothered her, it was difficult but they had to cope somehow.
They were just returning from the store to the ambulance they had found a few days earlier when they saw two black people next to it.
Magna told Yumiko to stay back while she pulled out her knife and moved closer, the younger of them trying to get into the ambulance and the older one standing facing him and watching his movements.

- Hey! - Magna shouted, being close enough for the two not to start running away.
The younger one fell two steps and grabbed his ankle, Magna noticed that he couldn't have been more than 15 years old. The woman noticed Magna only when her companion was lying on the ground.

- What are you doing with our ambulance? - Magna asked, holding out a knife towards the two. The woman started showing various strange movements with her hands, Magna immediately looked at the boy next to her.

- She's deaf. It's sign language, it says we didn't want to hurt you or rob you, we just wanted to stay here for the night. - said the boy while making movements with his fingers, probably to explain it to the woman.

- Who are you to yourself?

- We are sisters. - sisters? Magna thought. Perhaps she misjudged the other person's gender, she looked like a boy, short hair and men's clothes, anyone could have made a mistake.

- Names? - Magna asked, lowering the knife, showing the women that she wouldn't do anything to them, of course, if they didn't do anything to her.

- I'm Kelly, this is Connie. - she introduced herself and her sister.

- I think you're hurt, does your ankle hurt?

- Yes.

- We'll take care of you, we have medicines and various medical supplies. - Magna said, looking at the girl lying on the ground, who was still explaining the entire conversation to her sister. - Yumiko! - Magna shouted, signaling Yumiko to come out of hiding, and she walked up to Kelly, taking her by the arm.

- What is going on here? - Yumiko asked, coming out from behind the ambulance, she looked at the newly met women and then at Magna.

- She's injured, we'll help her, they say they won't do anything to us. - Magna explained, leading the younger girl to the back of the ambulance.

- We promise. - said the girl while translating into sign language.
Magna sat her down in the chair and took out the first aid kit from under the seat and gently touched the girl's ankle.

- Does it hurt here?

- Yes. - replied the girl, hissing slightly in pain.

- Can you move it? - Magna asked, removing her hands from the girl's ankle.

- I think so... - she replied and moved her leg.

- It looks like a contusion to me. - Magna said, looking for something in the medicine cabinet. - Something cold would be nice, but...

- The small medicine fridge is still cooling, there are still frozen ice packs in it. - Yumiko replied and without waiting for Magna's reaction, she moved towards the fridge in question.
After a while, she returned with a compress and handed it to Magna, who placed the bag on Kelly's ankle.

- It should be fine in a few days. - Magna closed the first aid kit and put it back under the seat. Connie moved her hand from her chin and moved her lips, Magna looked at Kelly knowingly.

- She said thank you. - Kelly translated.

- Okay, anyone would do that... - Magna replied, looking between Connie and Kelly. - Do you have a camp here somewhere?

- No, we go from place to place.

- If you want, you can come with us, we'll go ahead until we find a safe place. - Yumiko said, looking at Magna.

- But you have to give us your weapons. - Magna added firmly. The woman watched as Kelly explained the conversation to Connie, and after a moment the older woman took her knife from her belt and handed it to Magna, and Kelly did the same.

- We don't have many weapons, the only ones are knives. - Kelly explained. Magna took their weapons and put them in her bag, took the bag with her to the driver's seat, sat down, adjusted her mirrors and drove off.

The road passed peacefully, Magna was leading, and Yumiko decided to stay behind with the women she had just met, although Magna was not thrilled with this idea. Yumiko assured her that nothing would happen to her and if the women wanted to do something to them, they would do it right away.
Yumiko was sitting facing the window, watching the landscape moving behind it, at one point she put her hand on her belly and, smiling, gently ran her hand over it.

- He asks what month it is. - she suddenly heard the question Kelly asked, she looked at her and Connie with a wondering expression on her face.

- I don't really know. - she replied, looking at her belly. - I found out about my pregnancy quite recently...

- Do you know the father of the child? - Kelly asked while translating on her fingers so that Connie understood the question.
The woman nudged her sister in the shoulder to let her know that the question was inappropriate.

- Kind of... - Yumiko replied. – But he's not here, he's probably dead...

Connie made a circular motion with her hand across her chest, Yumiko immediately looked at Kelly for explanation.

- She says she's sorry. - Kelly translated. - It's not good to raise a child alone.

- No, I'm not alone, Magna will raise them with me. - Yumiko explained, and Kelly translated it to Connie, who smiled at Yumiko and, even though she knew she wouldn't understand her, started making hand movements while looking at Yumiko.

- She says she is happy that the child will have two loving parents, that's the most important thing. - Kelly explained, Yumiko smiled, feeling the woman's acceptance.

- Has she been deaf since birth? - asked Yumiko Kelly, who also asked Connie the same question, but in sign language.
Connie started moving her arms as Kelly explained.

- She says yes, but she never felt bad about it, she says it's a superpower. - Kelly said. Yumiko smiled and turned back to the window.

After some time, Magna stopped in the parking lot, she wanted to get out of the car, but there were a few stiffs there, and Magna didn't want Yumiko to risk her life and that of their child.

- Kelly. - Magna said to the girl. - Can you ask Connie if she can help me clear the area of the stiffs?

- I can go with you. - Yumiko said, but Kelly had already translated Connie's question. The woman looked at Magna and nodded. Magna gave Connie her gun and they exited the ambulance together. It took less than five minutes to kill the stiffs and the women went back inside.

-Kelly, can you walk? - Magna asked her.

- Not really... - the girl replied, touching her ankle.

- I guess we should stay in the ambulance overnight and think about what to do next tomorrow. - Yumiko suggested.

- You're probably right. Kelly, can you tell Connie to give up her gun? - Kelly started explaining this to Connie and the woman handed her knife to Magna.

- Thank you. - Magna put the gun in her bag.
The women started securing the ambulance for the night, Magna stood guard so that Yumiko could sleep. In this state, it was very important to her.
The woman heard murmurs from behind her and immediately turned around. She saw Kelly approaching her quietly.

- What are you doing here? - Magna asked. - Were you trying to attack me?

- No, I just...

- Why are you sneaking around?

- I wanted to talk... I can't sleep, I don't want to wake Connie.

- You barely know me.

- You did us too, and yet you let Connie help you with your stiffs. - Kelly pointed out, Magna actually trusted Connie, she didn't know why.

- I don't think I sensed any threat from you.

- You and the other one... Have you been together for a long time?

- From the beginning, first we were in the city where we lived, and then...

- No, I mean the relationship... - Kelly interrupted her, Magna looked away from her interlocutor.

- About a few months ago, we started feeling something for each other even before all this happened.

- When did you start to notice that you were... You know... Different?

- Different?

- The thing is... When did you start noticing that you liked girls?

- Oh, that's it... Around the age of... 15. - Magna said after a short thought. - Why do you ask?

- Because... I was never attracted to boys and I started to think that I might be...

- A lesbian?

- Yes. Kelly replied. Magna looked at her and smiled.

- How old are you? - Magna asked her.

- 15.

- You still have a lot of time to discover yourself, maybe you will like a guy, maybe not, in a few years everything will be clear to you.

- I don't know if I'll still be alive in a few years, you see.

- Do you see yourself alive in a few years?

- I don't know...

- Think about it. If you see yourself alive in a few years, you will definitely succeed. - Magna said smiling at Kelly, the girl also smiled at Magna.

- Can I stay with you? I don't think I'll sleep tonight.

- If you want. - Magna replied and Kelly sat down next to her.

Yumiko woke up and sat on the chair where she was sleeping, she put her hand on her stomach and looked around, she saw that Connie was also awake, the woman smiled at her and asked her something in sign language, Yumiko looked at her with a question. Connie immediately understood what Yumiko meant. The Asian girl reached into her bag, pulled out a small notebook and a pencil, and handed them to Connie.
The woman wrote something on a piece of paper and gave it to Yumiko.
"Why do not you sleep?"
Yumiko took a pencil and replied to Connie.
"I feel sick, vomiting is bothering me"
Yumiko handed the card back to Connie.
"The joys of pregnancy, maybe drink some water?"
Yumiko read Connie's message and reached into her bag looking for a water bottle, taking it out, abortion pills fell out of her bag, Connie picked them up wanting to give them to Yumiko, she read the name on the package and then looked at Yumiko with a question.

- Oh, not that... - Yumiko started, but immediately remembered that Connie won't hear it, so she took a notebook and wrote it on a piece of paper.
"It was at the beginning, I was afraid to have a child in the current situation and I preferred to protect myself in case..."
"I understand, but I see that you have made a different decision"
"Yes, I've thought about everything and I want to give birth to them"
"You have the support of your girlfriend, I wasn't so lucky"
“Did you have a baby?”
“I got pregnant before all this happened. My boyfriend died and I had a stillborn baby.”
"I'm so sorry"
“Thank you, I've come to terms with it.”
"Why are you telling me all this?"
“I think I feel like I trust you. Only Kelly knew about it, and now you.”
"Thank you"
“Thank you for helping me and my sister. Don't worry, me and Kelly will leave you as soon as her ankle is better.”

That was the last sentence Connie wrote to Yumiko that night. The dark-skinned woman turned and lay down, falling asleep.

Day 105

Connie and Kelly spent a few days with Magna and Yumiko until Kelly's ankle was healed. The women were packing their things into their bags when Magna and Yumiko approached them.

- We talked for a while and we agreed on one thing... - Magna began, Kelly let Connie know that the woman was addressing them.

- A week is not enough time to get to know each other, and I think we will all agree that it is better to be in a larger group than just the two of us. - Yumiko finished.

- So we wanted to ask if you would like to join us. - Magna asked. Kelly and Connie smiled at each other and walked over to the women. Connie hugged Yumiko and Kelly hugged Magna.

- Besides, it would be nice to learn sign language, wouldn't it, Mags?

- Of course. - Magna replied with a smile.

That's how two became four. A group was formed. The women were happy to be together. As time went on, they got to know each other better and told more and more stories about themselves, and Kelly and Connie taught Magna and Yumiko how to sign. They hoped that this group would survive for many years.

Day 165

Another several dozen days passed. Yumiko's nausea ended and her pregnancy became more and more visible, the women were ready for the fact that the baby could be born at any moment.

- Let's keep going straight. - Kelly suggested, sitting in the passenger seat as Magna drove the car.

- You're right, we should find some water and food. - Magna replied. The woman looked to the back of the car, where Connie was talking to Yumiko while teaching her sign language.

- Do you think it's a boy or a girl? - Connie asked, looking at Yumiko's stomach.

- Honestly, I do not know. - Yumiko replied, smiling and running her hand over her belly. Connie smiled at Yumiko, and after a while the women continued their studies.

Magna stopped the car in front of a small building that soon turned out to be a library. Magna and Kelly told Connie and Yumiko to stay in the car while they went to clear the room of the dead.
There were a lot of them, so the cleansing took quite a long time. Afterwards, Kelly went to let her sister and friend know that it was safe.
Connie and Yumiko grabbed their things and got out of the car.
They entered the library and started looking around, Magna reached one of the aisles with books and one of them caught her eye. "Pregnancy and childbirth"
She thought about Yumiko's upcoming birth and took the book in her hand, questions starting to circle around her head: who would deliver the baby? How the hell do you give birth?
She put the book in her bag and went back to the rest.

Kelly took first watch. Magna stared at the ceiling while Connie and Yumiko slept deeply, the woman still thinking about Miko's upcoming birth which kept her awake.

- Miko. - Magna said to her, nudging her, trying to wake her up.

- Hmm? - Yumiko woke up, turned to face Magna and looked around. - What's going on?

- Nothing, I wanted to talk...

- I guess it's something that can't wait until morning. - Yumiko replied, supporting her body with her hands.

- It's about the baby... Who will deliver the baby?

- ... I did not think about it.

- Maybe it's time to think, we don't know what month you are in, someone has to deliver the baby.

- I guess you're right... - Yumiko said, touching her belly.

- This is serious... Maybe I should read up on it? I found a book earlier.

- I think when this will start, you won't think about the book. Yumiko laughed. - I think you'll know what to do.

- Do you think?

- Of course. The adrenaline will kick in and you will automatically know what to do. - Miko smiled. Magna did the same and the women lay back down, Magna wrapped her arms around Yumiko's waist and placed her hand on her stomach.

- Miko...

- Hmm?

- I think it's a girl... - Magna said with a smile, imagining the little girl in her arms, a copy of her beloved. - Mini Miko.

- More like a Mini Magna. - Yumiko replied, smiling to herself.

After a while, the women drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Not for long, because Kelly's watch soon ended and Magna replaced her, but the image of their daughter kept appearing in her head. Mini Yumiko.

Chapter Text

Flashback 1992

Little Magna was sleeping in her bedroom, it was late at night, her father had gone somewhere with his friends, he often did it and came back drunk, usually then he was aggressive, her mother told her to hide in the closet and only come out when he came for her, usually her mother came back with a black eye and a bloody lip.
This time, however, it was different. Little Magna woke up hearing noises from the living room, got up in bed and, together with her teddy bear, quietly went to see what was happening. From a distance, she saw her mother struggling with her father, they were shouting at each other.

- How dare you lecture me! I am the master of this house and your place is in the kitchen! - screamed drunk Joseph Manson with a bottle in his hand.

- I'm your wife and I won't let you come home like this! We have a daughter, you bastard! - Magna's mother shouted.

Rosalie Manson always put her daughter's safety and well-being first, which is why she didn't want her to see scenes like this. Every night she promised Magna that one day they would leave their father and finally live a proper life.

- Just because I have a daughter doesn't mean I can't do what I like! Besides, how can I be sure that Magna is even mine? Maybe you were cheating on me left and right?!

- How dare you! - the woman screamed and slapped her husband on the cheek. - You're the one who's been cheating on me since we got married! You're not even interested in Magna!

- You slut! - the drunk man shouted and punched his wife and then pushed her back. The woman fell and hit her head on the nightstand. She fell to the floor, and the area on the carpet where Rosalie was lying began to turn red with blood seeping from her head. Her eyes were still open.

- Mommy! - little Magna shouted, running to Rosalie. The girl started poking her mother, hoping that she would wake up soon and everything would be fine, they would run away from her father together, they would live as Rosalie told her. - Mommy, get up, please... We're going to my room, mommy... - Magna finally realized that it wouldn't help, the girl started crying over her mother's body lying on the floor.

- Ah, there's you! Like mother like daughter! - Joseph shouted at the girl.

- You are a monster! You killed my mom! - the girl screamed, feeling that she had done something wrong, because the father got up from the chair, swung and hit the girl. Magna fell to the ground with a red mark on her cheek. However, she quickly recovered and ran into the room, lay down on the bed and started crying.

After some time, the police, called by neighbors because of noises coming from the apartment, entered the apartment and her father was handcuffed. The girl went to her aunt and uncle for some time, the aunt was her mother's sister. Her funeral took place a month later, Magna cried knowing that she would never see her mother again, her father went to prison for a long time, she lived with her aunt and uncle for several years, but the girl did not tell the police that her father was beating her, she was too afraid, so the court did not deprive her father of the rights to care for her, but placed him under the supervision of a guardian. Even if he changed and stopped drinking, Magna knew it wouldn't bring her mother back. The only person she loved and who loved her.

Flashback 2002

Magna was packing her backpack for another day of school. She didn't have many friends, only one friend, but he was enough for her, the girl left her room and quietly walked past her father sleeping on the sofa, she knew better than to wake him up. Two years ago Joseph Manson was released from prison, he was there for eight years for involuntary manslaughter, since then a probation officer and a woman from social services visited their house every day, her father went to rehab and stopped drinking alcohol, but he did not change, he was still a horrible and sadistic man.
Magna left the apartment and headed to school. After ten minutes she was already there, entered through the door and headed towards her locker where her friend was waiting for her.

- Why so late? I thought I would put down roots here. - said the boy, looking at Magna.

- Sorry, Nick. You know how it is with my father, he came back from the night shift and I preferred not to wake him up. - Magna replied, taking out the books she needed for her first lesson from the locker.

- Okay, I forgive you. I'm looking forward to a trip to London, finally something more than just a museum in Richmond.

- Yeah, I guess you'll have fun.

- Alone?

- You know very well what my situation is. I don't have money for such things.

- Why didn't you tell me? You know very well that I can afford to pay for myself and you.

- I won't ask you for money, I have no way to pay you back.

- Who says anything about giving back? I'm giving it to you, I'm not lending it.

- Nick, I don't want to ask for money.

- Mags, I don't want to go without you.

- I'd like to go too, but I don't have money...

- We'll think of something, you'll go. - Nick comforted Magna, the girl smiled at the boy and they went to their first lesson together.

- Okay, class. Today, as I announced, we will be doing dissect a frog, you will do it in pairs. - said the teacher, Magna and Nick looked at each other and smiled at each other. - But I'll choose you.

- Shit. - Nick said under his breath.

- You will work according to your position on the list. Avril with Backett, Bennet with Blaise, Duston with Dyett...

- See you at break then. - Nick said, took his things and joined his partner.

- Emmet with Hunter, Lewis with Mainley, Manson with Philips and Raimond with Warren. Here we go.

Magna sat down next to her partner, the girl had light eyes and dark hair tied in a ponytail.

- Hi. - greeted the girl, extending her hand to Magna. - I'm Mia.

- Magna. - Magna replied, shaking hands with the girl, they started working, they talked throughout the lesson and they liked each other very much.

- It's nice talking to you. - Mia said, smiling at Magna. - Are you going on a trip to London?

- I would like to, I have a rather difficult situation at home when it comes to money...

- I hope you can go, we could be in a room together. - Mia said. At the same moment, the bell rang and the students left the room, Magna and Nick met at the door and walked together towards their lockers.

- How was it working? Nick asked, nudging Magna with his shoulder.

- Never mind. Nick, I have to go on this trip.

- What made you suddenly change your mind? Is that the pretty girl you worked with?

- What? No, I just enjoy talking to her.

- Please, I saw the way you looked at her.

- Are you watching me, you pervert? - Magna asked jokingly as she opened her locker.

- Oh, the eye just rolled to the side. - Nick laughed. - You like it, you just don't know it yet.

- You know what my father thinks about homosexuals. I can not be...

- A lesbian?

- Yes.

- Okay, first of all, he doesn't have to know everything, you can break off contact with him permanently when you turn 18, and secondly, you like Mia. - Nick said, put his arm around Magna and they went to spend their break outside.

The girl wasn't sure if Nick was right. She has never felt anything for any girl, and not for any boy either. She didn't know what to think, maybe she just had a good conversation with Mia, although she also had a good time with Nick, and she never thought about him all day after talking to him. Maybe she liked girls after all...

Flashback 2005

Magna has just fulfilled her and her mother's dream and moved out of her father's house. She had just gotten into university and decided to move out of the apartment with so many bad memories.
Her aunt, her deceased mother's sister, offered her to live with them for some time until she found an apartment for herself. Magna accepted this offer and moved into the house of her aunt and uncle, Marie, Tim and their daughter, her cousin, 8-year-old Lily.
The girl got her own room upstairs and the love she had previously only received from her mother.
She loved spending time with Lily, she was like the little sister she never had.

Flashback 2008

Magna lived with her aunt and uncle for three years until she rented her own apartment in the suburbs of Richmond, it was small, it had a kitchen, one room and a bathroom, but Magna only spent nights there, she finally lived the way she wanted, she had friends and she finally accepted her orientation, around she wasn't into Joseph and she knew her mother would be proud of her.

Magna had just finished studying for the test and decided to take a shower. She entered the cabin, turned on the water and started soaping her body, but after a while she turned off the water when she heard the doorbell and frantic knocking, she got out of the shower and went to the door, when she opened it, her 11-year-old cousin, Lily, appeared. She was crying, her clothes were torn and her hair was torn, her face and hands were covered in bruises, Magna immediately let her into the apartment.

- Lily? What happened? - Magna asked in shock, leading Lily to the couch.

- Magna... - was all Lily said for half an hour. The girl was sitting on her cousin's couch and hugging her, unable to say more.
After 30 minutes, Lily finally started talking.

- When I was coming back from school, a man attacked me. I saw that he had been standing in the same place for several days, but I thought he was just waiting for his child to come back from school, I always came back with my friends, but today they canceled maths, so I came back with one friend, she lives close to the school, so I came back alone the rest of the way, I saw him again but I didn't care, at one point he attacked me and took me to his apartment... Then... - said Lily. At one point she stopped, unable to tell Magna this scene.

- I know what he did, Lily... What happened next?

- He let me go, he probably thought I would be too scared and wouldn't tell anyone... Your apartment was the closest...

- Lily, honey... – Magna said and hugged Lily even tighter, letting her know that she was there for her. - Do you remember where it was?

- What?

- So what did he do to you? Can you remember?...

- A few streets from where... I remember that when he put me in the car, we kept going straight and then turned right... The building was characteristic, two-story, there was one in this estate... We went to the top floor and entered apartments... On the left...

- Do you remember what he looked like?

- Fat, gray hair and mustache... he was wearing a T-shirt and tracksuits... Someone greeted him... I think his name was Herbert...

- I'll call your parents, honey... - Magna said, took her cell phone from the nightstand and called Aunt Marie. Lily's parents picked her up and returned home, Lily told them what happened, they decided to report it to the police, but they didn't have time, Magna was faster.

The next day, the girl went to the apartment that Lily had shown her. She wanted to take personal revenge for what this disgusting guy did to her beloved cousin.
Magna entered the building and went up the stairs, the door to the apartment was open, so Magna went inside, she didn't find anyone, she looked around the apartment, looking at everything with disgust, she imagined what this man had done to her young cousin, she turned around when she heard rustling noises behind her and saw a man in a T-shirt standing in the doorway.

- Who are you and what are you doing here? - asked the man, sipping his beer. T-shirt, big jeans, gray hair and a beer in hand. The man reminded Magna so much of her father, in one moment she was a little girl again, hugging her teddy bear, watching her drunk father stand in the doorway and slap her mother on the cheek instead of kissing her. Magna didn't even remember when she attacked him with her fists, she started punching him in the face so much that it was practically unrecognizable with so many bruises and blood, after a while the man gathered his strength, overpowered her and pushed her to the floor, he already had swing and hit her with the bottle he dropped on the ground when Magna reached for a vase on the cabinet and hit him in the head with it, the man fell to the floor and blood started pouring from his head.
Magna touched his neck to check his pulse and did the same with his hand, but the result was clear. He was dead.
A moment later, Magna heard police sirens, it was too late to escape, the police rushed into the apartment and handcuffed Magna, she felt like her father years ago, she was handcuffed and taken to the police station, and there was a dead man next to her.

Magna was sitting at the police station waiting for the policeman to return to the interrogation room, she knew she had done something terrible, she was going to confess to everything, she wanted justice to be served, she did it to take revenge on this man.
It didn't take long for the policeman to return to the interrogation room and sit down. He took a folder full of papers from the desk, opened it and started reading aloud.

- Magna Manson, 21, residing in Richmond, daughter of Rosalie and Joseph Manson?

- Yes.

- Your father has an extensive record. - the policeman started. Magna just stared at him, unable to say anything. - 16 years ago, the police entered your apartment, handcuffed your father and put him in prison, his wife was lying dead and bleeding next to him. Your light doesn't come on?

- What?

- Do you know what the difference is? Your father, knowing how bad the situation was, immediately confessed. That gave him less years in prison than he should have gotten, and you keep going.

- I did not do it!

- The police found you in Herbert Nelson's apartment, he was dead and you were next to him, your fingerprints were everywhere!

- I have done nothing!

- Don't make your situation worse, you stupid girl! - the policeman shouted, hitting his fist on the table. - You were found in a dead man's apartment, your prints were everywhere, so I'll ask one last time! - he shouted and turned on the recorder lying on the table. - Magna Manson, do you confess to the murder of Herbert Nelson on January 14, 2008?

- I'm innocent! - Magna shouted, slamming her hands on the table.

- Are you innocent? I see. Take her. - said the policeman, then two other policemen standing at the door took Magna out of the room and took her to jail.

Magna spent several weeks in custody until she was granted a lawyer. Unfortunately, it did not help, the woman was sent to the women's prison in Richmond, she had already passed the first inspection, and now she was waiting for the allocation of prison belongings.

- What for? - asked the dark-skinned girl standing behind the counter handing out items.

- What? - Magna asked confused.

- What are you in jail for?

- I'm innocent.

- Yeah. Each one is. I'm Emily. - the girl introduced herself, giving Magna her hand.

- Magna. - she also introduced herself, shaking her hand.

- So maybe you'll at least tell me why they put you in jail if you're innocent?

- It's a misunderstanding. They think I murdered someone.

- Uuu... Not bad... - the girl replied and handed Magna her box with things. - Your stuff. I'll meet you later, I'm here too, the counter is kind of an extra job, and you better get used to this place, they don't put you in prison for 20 years if you're innocent.

The guard took Magna to the control room, there were a few more inmates there, the guard explained the rules of operation to them and carefully checked whether they were trying to bring anything inside. The women changed clothes and were placed in their cells.
Magna was sure of one thing, that it would be very difficult to prove she was innocent, so she began to get used to the idea that she would spend many years here, maybe get released earlier for good behavior? Who knows?

Magna's first weeks in prison were quite peaceful, considering what she had heard. She didn't get in anyone's way, so no one got in her way, many of the prisoners were also lesbians, so Magna couldn't complain about the lack of dates, one day, when Magna was sitting in her cell during her free time, a girl from the next cell, Amelia, walked in.

- Magna! - the girl shouted, running to her bed. - Come with me, I want to show you something.

- But what? - Magna asked, smiling at Amelia. Not many people saw her smile, but Amelia was one of the ones Magna really liked, she was a little older than her and was in prison for stealing a car, Magna felt that they were good friends, she felt nothing more for her.

- Oh, you'll see, come on! - the girl screamed again and pulled Magna by the hand, the women ran to the laundry room and entered through a door that Magna had never seen before.
Amelia led Magna through the door, there were several other women in the room.

- Is this some sort of ambush? Do you want to beat me?

- Don't worry, it's nothing like that. - said one of them, Zoey.

- We want to baptize you. - added another one, Melinda.

- What? - Magna asked with a slight smile. The women raised their left hands and showed her their tattoos, they were five dots, one in the middle and four around, between the thumb and forefinger, she had seen this tattoo before, her father had come back from prison with the same one.

- Four dots mark the walls of the cell, one in the middle means the prisoner. - Zoey explained.

- We want you to have one too. - Melinda added.

- If you agree, of course. - Amelia added, placing her hand on Magna's shoulder.

- I'll be here for another 20 years so... Screw it. - Magna said and sat down in a chair, and Melinda started to apply the tattoo. - Where the hell do you even get a tattoo machine?

- A machine? It's a needle and ink for a pen. - Zoey laughed. - But don't worry, you'll be fine, none of us were there.

Flashback 2009

Magna was lying in her cell, she and her roommates had returned from their morning bathroom and were about to get ready for the rest of the day's activities when one of the guards entered.

- Manson. - he turned to Magna. - You have a visit.

- Me?

- Do you know another Magna Manson? - he asked and led Magna out of the cell. She found it strange, she always dated her aunt and uncle, when they came over it couldn't be them.
The guard led Magna into the visiting room.

- Table number 5 - the man pointed. Magna was shocked, there was a woman sitting at table number 5, she had a black suit, matching high heels and her dark hair was tied in a bun at the back of her head, Magna walked up to the woman and sat down at the table, as soon as the woman noticed her she smiled .

- Mrs. Manson? - asked the woman, extending her hand to Magna. - My name is Yumiko Okumura, I will represent you in court.

- In court? My case is over.

- Well, no. I have looked through your files carefully and I dare say that the case was not handled properly, I would like to handle it again.

- You better tell me how much it will cost.

- Cost? Oh, it's free.

- Nice suit, probably expensive?

- I'll tell you straight. Of course I take money for my work, but from people who can actually pay for themselves, in addition to offering free services, I also have my own law firm.

- So I don't have to pay you?

- Nothing, nothing. So how? Will we take care of your case? - Yumiko asked, extending her hand to Magna again. This time as a gesture of cooperation.

- Why not, nothing worse can happen. - Magna offered her hand to Yumiko, the woman was smiling at her the whole time.

- Great, so I'll see you exactly next week at the same time. - Yumiko said and took her purse that was hanging on the back of the chair. - See you later, Miss Manson.

- See you. - Magna replied, looking at Yumiko leaving the visiting room, and the guard took Magna back to the cell.

Another few weeks passed, Magna regularly met with Yumiko while working on the case, the woman became not only a lawyer for Magna but also a new friend and confidante, Magna waited the whole week to tell Yumiko sometimes funny, sometimes terrifying stories from this place, the woman liked these meetings, she felt that Yumiko really wanted to help her, apart from her mother and aunt she was the only person who actually wanted to do it.

- Shall we go for a yard later? - Amelia asked, sitting next to Magna in the cafeteria.

- I would like to, but I have a meeting with Yumiko, you go, I will join. - Magna replied, quickly realizing that Zoey, Melinda and Amelia were staring at her. - What?

- So you call each other by name? - Melinda asked with a smile.

- She's not much older than me.

- Probably not much uglier either? - Zoey added.

- What? She's my lawyer, nothing more.

- Yes, yes, if that's the case, I'll be out in three days. - Zoey joked.

- Well, enjoy your life in freedom, because I'm not in love with Yumiko.

- No one suggested to you that you were in love with her. - Amelia said looking at Magna when the rest started laughing.

- Magna and Mrs. Attorney! - Zoey, Melinda and Amelia said together.

- Girls...

- Our Magna is in love! - Amelia shouted.
Magna just smiled and went back to eating, she knew there was no point in denying it.

Stress and nerves went hand in hand as she accompanied Magna Manson to court, sitting in the defendant's seat and listening to the judge's words, she saw herself going back to a cell for the next 20 years, she looked at her lawyer, she was stressed too, even though she didn't show it.

- Mrs. Attorney. - the judge asked Yumiko. The woman stood up and walked into the middle of the courtroom.

- My client has been charged with the murder of the above-mentioned Herbert Nelosna, my question is why? - the lawyer started to say.

- The accused was found in the murdered man's apartment, her fingerprints were at the crime scene, she also had a motive to commit the crime.

- Why don't we ask Miss Manson for her side of the story? - Yumiko suggested, looking between her client and the judge.

- If it might help solve the case, please, Miss Manson. - the judge agreed. Magna got up from her seat and walked over to the testimony area.

- Miss Manson, please fill us in on the events of January 14, 2008. Yumiko demanded.

- My cousin told me what happened, I received details of the place and a description of the man responsible for this act, I went to his apartment and the first thing that caught my eye was the open door, so I entered the apartment and found a man lying on the ground. He was lying in a pool of his own blood with his eyes open, I went to him and checked his pulse, he was dead. At the same moment I heard the sound of police sirens and before I knew it two policemen entered the apartment, handcuffed me and we went to the police station. I had nothing to defend myself except "I am innocent."

- Thank you, Miss Manson. - Yumiko said. Magna sat back in her seat.

- Does the witness confirm Miss Manson's story? - Yumiko said to another woman. She was a neighbor of the man allegedly killed by Magna.

- I saw this girl entering the apartment, the door was actually open.

- Did you hear any sounds of fighting?

- No.

- Are there cameras in the building?

- It's an old building, cameras only work on the ground floor.

- Cameras on the ground floor did capture Miss Manson, but no camera recorded her entering the apartment or committing the alleged crime.

- What about her fingerprints, Attorney? - asked the judge.

- My client testified that when she saw the man on the floor she checked his pulse, which was also confirmed by the police and doctors, so she had to get to his neck and hands, it was dark in the apartment, in the dark it is difficult to see where you are taking steps, much less places his hands, this explains the presence of fingerprints.

- So, what do you think happened before Miss Manson arrived?

- In my opinion... Herbert Nelson returned to the apartment drunk, the investigation showed that he must have drank at least 5 or 6 beers before the accident. He returned to the apartment, lost his balance and hit his head on the cabinet, which explains the broken vase. My client entered the apartment, saw a man lying on the ground and did what any citizen would do, she wanted to help, but she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

- That's all? - asked the judge.

- Yes, Your Honor. - Yumiko replied and sat down in her seat next to Magna.

- We need to think about the decision, I suggest a short break, after which we will issue the final verdict.

Magna and Yumiko went out into the hall. Both women were very stressed, but both did not show it, they did not want to stress each other.

- Yumiko...

- Yes?

- It'll be fine, right? - Magna asked, Yumiko lightly hugged Magna letting her know that she was there for her.

- Of course I will... I'll get you out of this, I promised you that.

- Even if you fail, I want you to know that I am grateful that you tried...

- It'll work, Magna...

A moment later, the judge called everyone back. Magna and Yumiko returned to their seats and impatiently waited for the verdict.

- Pursuant to Article 251 of the Penal Code, I find the accused Magna Manson innocent of the charges against her and release her from prison on February 27, 2010 due to the lack of sufficient evidence in the case. - said the judge, banging her gavel.
The parties concerned left the courtroom, Magna and Yumiko walked out of the courthouse and stood in front of him.

- You did it! - Magna shouted and hugged Yumiko tightly in thanks.

- I can't believe it was so easy, it was the shortest case in my life! - Yumiko shouted and returned the gesture.

- Thank you... - Magna said, Yumiko didn't even have time to answer, Magna's lips pressed against hers, but Yumiko didn't pull away, she even kissed him back.

- I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, it's just... - Magna started as she removed her mouth from Yumiko's, but the woman didn't let her finish because this time it was Yumiko's mouth that stuck to Magna's.

- That's okay. - Yumiko replied as she finished kissing Magna. - Is this a good time to ask you out on a date?

- You and me? Together?

- If you don't want to, I understand, I just...

- No, no, no... On the contrary... The date idea is perfect...

- Great... But maybe get your stuff out of the prison first.

- Yes, but my apartment is probably already occupied by someone.

- You can stay at my place... I have another bedroom, you'll find a job and then you can move out... If you want.

- It's too much, Miko...

- I don't want to hear it, call me when you're ready, I'll come pick you up and first we'll go to drop off your things at my place, and then go on the promised date. - Yumiko said with a smile, Magna didn't want to refuse, over these few months she had become very close to the lawyer.

The woman did as Yumiko said, collected her things from the prison and called her former lawyer.
Yumiko took them to her apartment where Magna could rest and take a shower, a day later they went on their promised date, the first, but certainly not the last.

Flashback 2010

Magna and Yumiko moved in together. Yumiko was still working as a lawyer and Magna had found a job as a waitress at a truck stop, it wasn't something she was happy with, but at least she was earning money and contributing to Yumiko's bills whenever possible, even though the Asian assured her she didn't have to do that. The woman became more than just a friend and roommate for Magna.

Magna was just finishing her shift, wiping down the counter, next to her a co-worker was throwing trash from the trash can into a black bag, and today's news could be heard in the background.

- This is not the first time that one person attacked another, according to our source, the infected bite people and eat their bodies, research is being carried out on the infected, please stay at home if possible and take care of yourself. - said the presenter. Her co-worker turned off the TV and snorted in disbelief.

- Propaganda only scares people and the naive believe it. - said Phill, tying the garbage bag.

- Why would they do that? - Magna asked, spraying cleaning liquid onto the counter again.

- Because that's the way of the world, little one. They paid people to pretend to be cannibals to collect more money from gullible people. - the man said and went out the back door to take out the trash.

Magna finished cleaning the station, left work and went to the apartment, they didn't live far away, maybe a dozen or so minutes walk, she expected Yumiko to be asleep, but when she entered the apartment she found her girlfriend sitting on the sofa with a mug in her hands, she closed the door behind her. the door locked, she took off her jacket and hung it on the hanger.

- I thought you'd be asleep. - Magna said, walking up to Yumiko. The woman sat down next to her on the couch and placed a quick kiss on her lips.

- I wanted to wait for you, we haven't seen each other all day, I missed you. - Yumiko replied with a smile.

- I missed you too. - Magna hugged Yumiko and placed a kiss on her cheek.

- Do you want tea?

- Gladly. - Magna and Yumiko got up from the couch and went to the kitchen area. Magna sat on the kitchen island and Yumiko started making her tea.

- Have you heard about these infected people? - Magna asked, playing with her thumbs.

- They talk about it all the time at work, I'm fed up with it.

- It's the same for me... There's news all the time... Do you think there's anything to be afraid of?

- I have no idea, it may be temporary, they will cure them and everything will be fine. - Miko comforted her and, handing her a cup of tea, placed another comforting kiss on her lips.
The women spent a nice evening together in each other's arms, watching different movies until they fell asleep on the couch, they appreciated such evenings very much, they didn't have too many of them, they both worked a lot, but when they had an evening to themselves, they enjoyed it 100%.

There was nothing well, the city went crazy, people started eating others and the dead came back to the living.
Magna and Yumiko were driving the car forward, Yumiko was driving, her hands were shaking very much and her breathing was getting heavier, at one point the woman stopped in the middle of the road.

- Miko, I can drive. - Magna reassured her, but her breathing was still very heavy and uneven.

- Magna, I...

- Hey, everything's fine, breathe...

- Nothing's fine, Magna! What will our lives look like now?!

- Miko, look at me... - Magna said, grabbing Yumiko's hands and stroking them gently with her thumbs. - Breathe, count to ten... - Yumiko did what Magna told her and then fell into her arms.
Magna wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and stroked her back, the women spent a long time like that before moving on, Magna just hugged Yumiko, letting her know that she was there for her, that she loved her very much and wouldn't let her get hurt... That everything would be fine.

Chapter Text

Day 256

Weeks passed and the women still had not found a safe place to live and where Yumiko could safely give birth. Magna was afraid that labor would start somewhere along the way, where there would be no conditions for giving birth and the place would be full of stiffs.
Magna walked in the front and Kelly in the back, together protecting Connie and Yumiko who were walking in the middle.

- Ouch... - Yumiko hissed quietly, placing her hand on her belly, Connie placed her hands on Yumiko's shoulders.

- What's going on? - Connie asked. - Maybe I'll let Magna know?

- No, no, nothing is happening, the baby just kicks, nothing else. - Yumiko replied, straightening up and placing her hand on Connie's shoulder.

- Are you sure?

- Yes... I guess so...

- Hey! Look! - Magna shouted and ran forward. The women accelerated their pace and after a while they saw what Magna was running towards.
A small brick house, the roof was covered with moss, the windows were in good condition, the door was intact, it seemed perfect.

- Stay here, Kelly, come with me and we'll check it for dead. - Magna said and she and Kelly went inside, after a few minutes they signaled to Connie and Yumiko.
The women went inside and looked around, there was one bed, a small table, a kitchenette and a door leading most likely to the bathroom. Yumiko placed her bag on the floor and sat on the bed.

- Finally, my legs are giving out. - she said, lying down on the mattress.

- You take the bed, me and Connie will sleep in the sleeping bags. - Kelly said while explaining this to Connie, the woman nodded and started to unfold the sleeping bags.

- We should look for supplies before it gets dark. - Magna said and patted Connie on the shoulder - Will you come with me?

Connie nodded and shouldered her bag.

- We'll be there soon. - Magna assured and placed a tender kiss on Yumiko's cheek.
Magna and Connie left and Kelly and Yumiko stayed in the cabin.

Hours passed and Magna and Connie still did not return. Yumiko and Kelly were going out of their minds, imagining the worst, both pacing around the house in anticipation and nervousness.

- What if they don't come back? Kelly asked suddenly. Yumiko stopped in her tracks and looked at the younger girl.

- Don't even say that, they're fine, maybe they just got lost...

- What if... - Kelly started, but before she could finish, Yumiko interrupted her.

- Kelly! - Yumiko shouted. - They're fine, they just... Ouch... - Yumiko hissed, bending over and touching her stomach.

- What is? - Kelly asked, slightly nervous, approaching Yumiko.

- No, nothing... Nothing...

- Are you sure? Won't you give birth now?

- No, I don't think so... Ouch! - she screamed again. Kelly walked over to her and led her to the bed. - Or yes...

- But you have to have contractions first, you can't go into labor right away, maybe...

- I had cramps all day long...

- What? Why didn't you say anything?!

- I didn't want to worry you...

- Yumiko!

- I'm sorry, Kelly...

- I shouldn't yell at you... Do you think you'll be able to hold it until Magna comes back? - Kelly asked, but at the same moment something wet and warm ran down Yumiko's leg, they both looked at each other.

- I don't think I can make it...

- Okay, okay, okay... What should I do? Kelly panicked.

- Deliver the baby... - Yumiko said, lying down on the bed. Kelly stopped dead in her tracks, looking at Yumiko with terror in her eyes.

- B-but I've never done that

- Believe me, neither do I. - Yumiko lay down on the bed and spread her legs. - Check if the baby's head is visible. - Kelly did what Yumiko said, sat on the bed and looked between her legs.

- Damn!

- Can you see it?

- Yes! What should I do?!

- I'll push and you'll help the baby get out.

- What if I do something to him?

- Kelly, please! - Yumiko shouted, Kelly put her hands out and waited for Yumiko to push the baby out.
For several minutes the woman screamed in pain, some of the loudest and most painful screams Kelly had ever heard.

- The head is out, just a little more! - Kelly shouted, trying to shout over Miko, but it didn't seem to change anything, because Yumiko was so absorbed in what she was doing that she couldn't hear anything else but her scream.

- Just a little longer, Yumiko! - Kelly shouted. That was her last cry before they heard the baby cry. Yumiko fell onto the mattress exhausted, Kelly took off her sweatshirt, wrapped the baby and handed it to Yumiko.
The Asian woman hugged the baby to her chest and rocked it gently to calm its crying.

- It's a girl... - Kelly said with a smile. Yumiko looked first at her daughter and then at Kelly.

- Thank you, Kelly...

- Anyone would do it in my place... - Kelly said, placing one hand on Yumiko's shoulder, their happiness didn't last long because they heard growls coming from outside the house, Yumiko's screams attracted the dead, Kelly stood up, pulling out a knife, ready to defend herself, Yumiko and her daughter, the growling slowly began to stop, and someone from the outside moved the doorknob, Kelly was ready with a knife in her hand, and Yumiko hugged her daughter tightly to the breast. The door opened and Magna and Connie stood there.

- What is going on here? Stiffs are everywhere! Kelly, why do you have blood on your hands? - Magna shouted as she closed the door behind her, Kelly ran to Connie and wrapped her arms tightly in her arms.
Magna then noticed Yumiko lying on the bed and the baby she was holding in her arms, she dropped her bag on the ground and slowly walked towards her girlfriend.

- Miko... - Magna choked out, the woman crouched down next to the bed and looked at the child.

- It's a girl, Mags... - Yumiko said, placing one hand on Magna's cheek.

- Baby girl... Mini Miko...

- Mini Magna... - Yumiko laughed, looking at the child.

- I'm sorry, Miko...

- What for?

- I wasn't there with you... With you...

- Oh, Magna... You have your whole life to be with us... - Yumiko comforted her, placing her hand on Magna's shoulder, Connie walked up to them and started writing, but both Magna and Yumiko were too shocked to understand her, especially since they didn't know sign language as well as Kelly, who walked up to them and started translating what Connie was spelling.

- She says the umbilical cord needs to be cut... - Kelly translated. Yumiko looked at Kelly, then at Connie, then at the baby.

- Does anyone know how to do it?... - Yumiko asked. She wasn't prepared for childbirth, she wasn't prepared for anything. She never thought about children, she was sure that I didn't want to have them, so she wasn't interested in matters related to childbirth, when she got pregnant she couldn't find out at what stage of pregnancy she was, she didn't know that labor would start today.
Connie approached Yumiko, Magna stood up and moved aside to give Connie better access, but after a while Connie showed her that she needed her help, Magna approached Miko again, Connie told her to grab the umbilical cord firmly in two places, she herself took it out of her pocket a knife and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, she washed the blade and started cutting the umbilical cord, when she cut it, some blood began to flow from it.

- Should it be like this? - Magna asked panicked, looking at Connie so she could read her lips. Connie nodded and started looking for something.

- What is it about? - Kelly asked. Connie started spelling. - She says she needs to put something on it that could act as a clip, like a plastic pin, I'll go look for something.
Kelly searched through several cabinets but couldn't find anything that looked like a clip, she walked up to Connie and shook her head.

- I think I saw a dryer outside... Maybe there are some clothespins on it... - Yumiko said, Kelly translated it to Connie and went outside, most of the stiff ones had already come apart, so Kelly had to kill maybe four, she took a few clothespins and she went back inside and handed them to Connie.
The woman poured hydrogen peroxide on the clip and placed it on the end of the umbilical cord.

- How did you know how to do that? - Yumiko asked, looking first at Connie and then at Kelly, as Kelly spelled Yumiko's question Connie began to spell her answer and Kelly translated.

- She says she had to cope somehow when she gave birth at the beginning of all this, the baby was dead immediately after birth but she still had to cut its umbilical cord. - Kelly translated. Connie just smiled sadly, and Yumiko and Magna looked at her with absolute gratitude.

- Magna... - Yumiko said to her, Magna immediately lowered herself to her height. - Do you want to hold her?

- Very much... - Yumiko handed the little girl to Magna, the woman hugged her and looked at her with absolute love, she looked at the baby carefully, she couldn't pick out any detail that would show any resemblance to Yumiko other than a few dark brown hairs on her little head, Magna she ran her hand over it.

- I think she could use a bath... - Kelly commented. - There are several bowls in the bathroom, I can pour water into one of them...

- Thank you, Kelly... - Magna said and walked up to Connie, handing her the little girl. - Can you hold her? I have to help Yumiko wash herself... - Connie nodded and started rocking the girl, smiling at her, Magna followed Kelly to take a bowl from the bathroom, she also found a cloth in one of the drawers, she dipped it in water and started washing Yumiko's intimate parts.
Meanwhile, Connie walked up to Kelly and knelt down by the bowl of water, dipping the baby which made her cry a little, Yumiko kept a close watch on Kelly and Connie washing her baby.

- How do you feel?... - Magna asked once again, soaking the cloth in the bowl of water.

- As if I had been run over by a car... - Yumiko laughed. - But I'm glad it's all over...

- Yes... Me too... - Magna said in an unsure tone.

- Mags... Is everything okay?

- I'm afraid, Miko... Now that she's born, we have to protect her even more... Protect not only one, but also two people...

- Hey... It'll be fine, we'll protect her together...

- I hope we will succeed. - Magna finished washing Yumiko, at the same time Connie and Kelly finished washing the baby.

- I guess we need to find some clothes for her...

- Actually... - Magna began, walking over to her bag. - We were gone so long because we found various clothing stores... Including baby stores... - Magna took out some baby clothes and a set of diapers from her bag. -I thought they might be useful...

Connie took the clothes and diapers from Magna, walked over to Kelly, who placed the girl on the table on a towel she had prepared earlier, dried her and took one of the clothes in her hand.

- Can I do it?... - Magna asked, coming closer, Kelly gave her a seat,

Magna took one diaper out of the package and looked at her daughter. Connie, seeing that Magna didn't know how to cope, walked up to her and took her hands in hers, showing Magna how to put a diaper on the baby.
Connie also showed Magna how to dress the baby in rompers, the woman took her daughter in her arms and sat on the bed next to Yumiko.

- I think we might need a cradle... - Kelly said, explaining to Connie.

- There were also cradles in this store, let's go together, let's give them some time together. - Connie replied and picked up her bag from the floor.
The sisters left the house, leaving Magna and Yumiko with their newborn daughter.

- Does she have a name? - Magna asked as Connie and Kelly left, closing the door. Magna looked from her daughter to Yumiko.

- I couldn't think of anything... Maybe you'll succeed.

- I'm not good at this. - Magna laughed. - I guess we'll have to wait until we come up with the perfect name.

- I guess you're right... For now, she's our baby...

Magna, Yumiko and their little daughter spent a long time together, Yumiko had the opportunity to feed the baby for the first time and hug her longer than before. Soon, Connie and Kelly returned to the house with a cradle for the new member of their group, and Connie and Kelly fell in love with the baby.
After some time, the women went to bed, Connie took first watch so that Magna could stay longer with Yumiko and their daughter.

Magna was lying on the bed, cuddled up to Yumiko, she wasn't sleeping, instead her eyes were turned towards the cradle with the little girl, Magna was closely watching every movement and listening to every purr of the baby.

- Magna?... - Yumiko asked her, waking up from her sleep. Magna turned her eyes from the child to Yumiko.

- What happened? Do you need something?

- No, why aren't you sleeping? Connie is watching over us.

- I want to be sure that you'll be fine...

- Go to sleep, mom, everything's fine, we'll definitely hear if the baby needs us. - Yumiko said and kissed Magna on the lips, turned to face the wall and fell asleep again.
Magna reached into the cradle and stroked her daughter's hand, the baby moved in the blanket and purred under her breath.
Magna smiled and turned to Yumiko, hugged her waist and kissed the back of her head, falling into a deep sleep soon after.
The little girl woke up several times, most often she was hungry and wanted Yumiko to feed her or needed a cuddle. Magna woke up with her girls, she felt that she was finally in the right place, with the woman she loved and her child, even though the girl was not her biological daughter, she was the child of Yumiko, the woman she loved most in the world, she wanted to protect them both at any cost, she was willing to do anything for them... Whatever it was...

Chapter Text

Day 288

A week had passed since the birth of Yumiko and Magna's baby, the group decided to stay at the cottage for at least a few weeks so that both Yumiko and the girl could recover. Magna and Kelly had just returned from scouting, they entered the cottage and closed the door behind them, Kelly walked over to Connie and began to spell out to her what she and Magna had find out, while she walked over to Yumiko sitting on the bed next to their daughter's crib, folded the delicate a kiss on her forehead and then on her lips.

- How do you feel? - Magna asked, taking Yumiko's hand in hers.

- Better, slowly regaining strength. - Yumiko replied with a smile.

- I'm glad... And how is our little Miko? - Magna asked, looking into the cradle with the baby, the little girl was sleeping soundly covered with a blanket.

- Mags... We won't call her Miko. - Yumiko said, rolling her eyes.

- Why not? It suits her.

- Because I won't name my child after me.

- Why?

- This is stupid, Magna.

- Not at all, she looks like you, so it makes sense that she would have your name.

- For now, it's hard to tell who she resembles, a week has passed.

- But I already know she'll be like you. - Magna smiled, Yumiko just rolled her eyes again, but smiled too.

A few hours later it was night. Kelly stood guard and the rest of the group slept soundly until Magna was woken up by a nudge, it was a panicked Kelly.

- Kelly? What's going on? - Magna asked, still slightly sleepy, and after a while she heard the sound of banging on the door. Yumiko also woke up, hearing the knocking and feeling Kelly's nudging.

- Who's banging? - Yumiko asked, rising slightly.
Kelly went over to Connie to wake her up, once the group was up Kelly started to explain.

- I was standing guard when I heard a man's voice and his knocking on the door, he shouted that he needed help, I didn't know what to do...

- Hey! - came a man's voice from behind the door. - I need help! I won't do anything to you, I promise!

- What we do? - Yumiko asked in a whisper.

- I saw you... Two... You came in here a few hours ago!

- I'll go out the back and knock him out... You'll open the door for me when I call. - Magna said and moved towards the back exit.

- Be careful... - Yumiko said. Magna quietly opened the door and stepped outside.

- Hey! Please, I won't do anything to you! I just want... - the man's screams stopped and there was a knock on the door.

- Let me in! - Magna shouted, Yumiko opened the door, and Kelly and Connie helped Magna pull the man inside.
He was a stout man with a light beard and a head full of brown curls. Magna, Connie and Kelly leaned him against one of the walls and bound his hands, tying him to a protruding pipe.

- What now? - Yumiko asked, watching as Magna wrapped a piece of cloth around the man's head and Kelly searched his pockets. Connie took his backpack from outside and threw it on the bed.

- We'll wait until he wakes up and ask what I want from us... - Magna said, it didn't take long because the man started to wake up, Magna and Kelly moved to a safe distance, the man groaned and wanted to hold his head, but he realized that his hands are tied.

- Come on... Do I look dangerous? - the man asked, looking at each of the women in turn.

- I don't care what you look like, a wolf can also pretend to be a sheep in a herd. - said Magna, approaching the man with a knife drawn.

- I have no bad intentions, I swear.

- It remains to be seen. How did you find this place?

- I noticed you with that boy behind you and...

- It's not a boy, it's a girl.

- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I just...

- Never mind. Go on.

- I noticed you and wanted to run to you, but I panicked, I was afraid that you might do something to me... I followed you and saw that you were coming in here, I didn't want to scare you.

- Were you following us?! - Magna shouted. Because of her scream, the baby, who had been sleeping in the cradle, woke up and started crying, Yumiko approached the cradle and took the girl in her arms, trying to calm her down.

- Do you have a child here?

- That's not what we're talking about now, why were you following us?

- Wouldn't you follow people who can help you? I wanted to survive, I thought I could stay here for a night or two...

- Now you will stay, whether you want to or not. - Magna said and moved away from the man, Yumiko put her daughter back into the cradle once she calmed down, the women went to bed, and Connie changed Kelly and took over the guard.

A few hours later, Yumiko woke up to the sound of her daughter crying. Magna didn't move, she was probably sleeping too tightly, Kelly was also a heavy sleeper today, and Connie couldn't hear her, Yumiko went to the cradle and stroked her daughter's belly to calm her down.

- She is a little restless... She was purring during this time... - the man said, Yumiko flinched when she heard him, but quickly remembered the previous events.

- You do not sleep?

- My head hurts, and it's hard to sleep with my wrists tied.

- I think so...

- She's probably hungry, you should feed her. - suggested the man.

- I guess you're right again. - Yumiko replied, she lifted her blouse so that the girl could eat, the man turned to face the wall, giving Yumiko privacy.

- What are you doing? - Yumiko asked, stroking the child's head.

- I want you to feel comfortable... As much as possible...

- Oh... Yes, thank you...

- It must be difficult for you... In these times... Your boyfriend died?

- No, I don't have a boyfriend, I didn't... Magna is my girlfriend, the one who tied you up... Sorry, by the way...

- I understand, I wouldn't trust me myself...

- Yumiko...

- Luke... Nice to meet you, Yumiko... And this is...?

- She doesn't have a name yet... We can't think of anything.

- The perfect name just pops into your head, you'll definitely be able to name her soon. - the man said and smiled, Yumiko did the same. The woman looked at her daughter, the girl finished eating, Yumiko took her in her arms, burped her and put her in the cradle, took advantage of Connie's attention and carefully approached Luke, and then loosened the material that Magna had tied his wrists with.

- Magna will kill me if she finds out... But I guess we should be people for each other... There aren't many of us left... - Yumiko said and moved away from Luke.

- Thank you... - Luke said and smiled at Yumiko, the woman went back to bed, waited until her daughter fell asleep and fell asleep too.

Day 289

In the morning, Magna rightly noticed that water supplies were running out, and the woman decided to go to the shop nearby where she and Connie had been a few days ago.

- I will go with you. - Yumiko said. Magna turned to her and looked at her with a look that said: you must be dreaming.

- Are you crazy?

- Magna...

- You gave birth a week ago, I won't take you on a mission with me, if we both die we won't take care of it!

- Magna, this isn't a mission, it's a water expedition, this shop isn't far, you said so yourself.

- He's not next door either! What if something happens? Kelly, will you come with me?

- I'm going with you and Kelly. Yumiko said firmly. - Magna, I have to start fighting again, I feel so useless.

- Miko...

- NO. I don't want to hear the word no, I'm going with you. - these were Yumiko's last words before she took her bow and bag and went outside, kissing her daughter on the head.

- Connie. - Magna said to her spelling. - Will you keep an eye on her? - she asked. Connie nodded with a smile and hugged Magna. - Keep an eye on him too.

Kelly walked up to Connie and hugged her as well, when everyone finished saying goodbye the women went outside the cottage to Yumiko and started on their way.
Connie was left alone with the baby and Luke.

After a short time, Magna, Yumiko and Kelly arrived at the store.

- Let one of us go get food and two of us get water. - Magna said.

- Stay together, I'll get the food. - Kelly replied and moved towards the given department, Magna and Yumiko went to the back to look for water.

- Magna... - Yumiko said to her.

- Hmm?

- This guy, Luke...

- Who?

- This guy... The one who's tied up in our house...

- Oh... Luke... Have you met him?

- Yes, that night... He's probably not dangerous...

- Miko, please.

- He doesn't look bad.

- My father didn't seem evil to many either... And yet he did what he did to me and my mother...

- But he's not like that... I talked to him a bit... If he wanted to do something to us, he would have done it when... When I loosened the fabric...

- What did you do?!

- He didn't do anything to us, he could have.

- Yumiko, we left Connie and our baby with him!

- He won't do anything to them, if he wanted to he would do it at night!

- We were all there at night! When he thinks that he can free himself, and all he has to defeat is a deaf woman and a newborn, he will kill them immediately!

- Magna! Stop! Why don't you trust him like you trusted Connie and Kelly? How were they different from him? - Yumiko asked her. Magna just stared at her girlfriend. - He's a guy, right? Is that why you don't trust him?

- Maybe...

- Magna... - Yumiko said and walked up to Magna, hugged her gently and placed her hand on the back of her head. - I know that there were men in your life that you were disappointed with... But Luke doesn't have to be like that... He seemed very nice to me during the conversation...

- Maybe I'm oversensitive... But I just want to protect you... All of you...

- Me too, Magna... Luke seems good... You can talk to him yourself...

- I can try... But I can't promise you anything.

- Okay... - Yumiko said with a smile, she was glad that Magna listened to her, she usually stood her ground and didn't let anyone change her mind, but Yumiko managed to do it.

Connie was sitting at a small table inside the cottage. The little girl was sleeping and Luke was still tied to the pipe, suddenly there was a small notebook on the floor next to him, he looked up and saw Connie kneeling next to him.

"Hi," Connie wrote on one of the pieces of paper, turned it over when Luke read it, and wrote again on the blank page,"Nod your head yes or no."
After making sure Luke understood, she turned the page again and wrote another sentence - "Are you okay?" - Luke nodded, but touched the back of his head with his hand, which caused Connie to come up behind him and unwrap the piece of cloth from his head, the wound wasn't deep, but it required stitches and was bleeding.
Connie showed Luke that she would be back in a moment, returned with a bowl filled with water and a cloth, knelt down and began to wash Luke's wound. When she was finished, she wrapped it in a new, clean piece of fabric, returned to her previous position to sit facing him, took her notebook and wrote on the blank page - "Requires sewing." Luke nodded, signaling to Connie that he understood.
“We need thread and a needle…” she wrote on the next page. "I think I saw a box of sewing supplies somewhere..." Connie got up from the floor, lit a candle and searched the cabinets, then returned to Luke and shook her head. “Maybe he's outside. "I'll go look," she wrote, and after nodding to Luke, she left, closing the door, the force of the door closing caused the candle that was on the edge of the table to wobble and fall to the floor, and the old wooden surface quickly caught fire.

Magna, Yumiko and Kelly left the shop and slowly moved towards the house, the women managed to find both food and water, people had to run away really quickly because they left a lot of food in the shops, the women didn't take everything because of the limited space. in bags.
Yumiko and Magna were at the back and Kelly was at the front.

- Mags, - Yumiko said to her.

- Hmm?

- I think I have an idea...

- What idea?

- Our daughter's name...

- Seriously?

- Yes... I just remembered, I read about this name somewhere, probably in a book...

- Miko, you keep me in suspense, what's the name? - Magna asked, laughing.

- Kai.

- Kai... Sounds great, perfect...

- I think so too... I think it will suit her...

-Kai Yumiko Okumura, it's great.

- Kai Yumiko? I was thinking more about Kai Rosalie... - Yumiko said smiling at Magna, the woman looked at her with a slight smile. - I know how important she was to you...

- Very... I think it will be even better Kai Rosalie Okumura...

- Perfect name for a British-Japanese-American girl. - Yumiko laughed, looking at Magna.
She was happy at the thought of raising her daughter with the woman she loved so much.
Her happiness didn't last long as they heard Kelly's disturbing words.

- Hey... I think something is burning... Not far from us... - said the girl, Magna and Yumiko ran closer to her and also noticed the smoke.

- Kai, Connie... - Magna said to herself and ran towards the smoke.

30 minutes earlier

- Damn. - Luke cursed, seeing the fiery, orange flames that were getting bigger and thicker, he tried to free himself from the knots by jerking his hands, the girl, hearing noises and feeling smoke rising from the ceiling, woke up crying.

Finally Luke managed to free himself, he took his backpack from the bed and Connie's backpack lying on the floor next to it, he went to the cradle, took the crying girl out of it and ran outside with her, Connie ran up to them, took out a notebook and wrote on one of the pages "What happened? All I saw was fire through the window.”
Luke took the pen from her and, with the hand that wasn't holding the girl, wrote on the next piece of paper, "The candle fell off the table, I managed to free myself, I took my backpack and the one lying on the floor next to the bed, I took the little one and ran out."
Connie read what Luke wrote, shook her head and wrote on the next page "We need to hide somewhere, come on, I have a tent in my backpack, I'll set it up and we'll hide."
Luke and Connie went behind the house, Connie took the tent out of her backpack and tried to set it up, but her hands weren't good enough to do anything, they were shaking too much, Luke noticed this and patted her on the shoulder, he handed the girl over to her, suggesting that he he would take care of the tent and she should calm down the still crying girl, Connie hugged her and rocked her in her arms, she imagined her own child resting in her arms, she loved Yumiko and Magna's daughter like her own and wanted to protect her at all costs.
When Luke set up the tent, Connie went inside with the little girl, who was already calm and had stopped crying, Luke followed them and sat down next to them, he took out Connie's notebook that he had put in his pocket earlier and wrote:
"It's not your fault"
“If only I hadn't put the candle so close to the edge.”
"There's no point in thinking about it, it happened, you can't blame yourself, the most important thing is that you're both alive."
"And you too"

-Connie!

- Connie! - Kelly shouted, even though she knew that Connie wouldn't be able to hear her, the girl ran to the house, the closer she got, the clearer everything became. Fire.

- Kelly, she... - Magna said, catching up with the younger girl.

- She can't hear, I know!

- Where are they?! - Yumiko shouted, slowly approaching Kelly and Magna.

- Hey! We are here! - Luke shouted, running out of the tent.
Magna and Kelly immediately ran to him, Yumiko walked as fast as she could, she immediately entered the tent in search of her daughter, when she saw her in Connie's arms, a stone fell from her heart.

- Kai... - Yumiko said with the greatest relief, seeing that her child was safe and sound. After a while, Luke entered the tent and sat down next to the women. - What about Magna and Kelly?

- A few stiffs have arrived... They're clearing the area. - Luke said. Yumiko nodded and hugged the baby tighter.
After a while, Magna and Kelly entered the tent, Kelly even threw herself at Connie with pressure, and Magna slowly moved to Yumiko and Kai.

- Is she okay?... - asked the blonde, placing her hand on the child's back.

- It's all thanks to Luke, he carried her out of the fire. - Connie spelled, smiling at him. Magna and Yumiko looked at Luke gratefully.

- Thank you... - Yumiko said, smiling at him, Magna did the same, but her smile was more symbolic.

Magna took first watch and sat listening to every grunt and sound that came from outside. Yumiko was sleeping soundly with one hand on Kai's little belly, Magna's heart melted as she looked at her girls, out of her thoughts she heard a voice from across, she turned her head and saw Luke sitting in the same position as her.

- Why do not you sleep?

- My head hurts a bit...

- Yes... Sorry, I think I hit you too hard...

- I understand... You protected the people you love...

- Yes, it's true... Most...

- So it's no wonder...

- Thank you for saving Kai and Connie...

- Anyone would do that...

- Not everyone, believe me not... Many would lock them up inside after such treatment...

- I'm not one of those... - Luke said. - So she already has a name? Kai.

- Yes... We figured it out along the way...

- Nice... Short, easy to remember...

- Yes, it will be easy for all of us...

- Us?

- Us. It's nice to have more people you can rely on...

- So I can stay with you?

- If you don't wake us up in the middle of the night again, banging on the door and following us.

- I promise... - Luke laughed, Magna smiled slightly and turned her head to face the exit of the tent.

- But I still don't trust you...

- Okay, neither do I, if you're interested.

- Yes... It's a long way ahead, but I think we can do it, right?

- I think so...

- So officially... Magna... - Magna introduced herself, extending her hand to Luke.

- Luke... Luke Abrams... - the man introduced himself, also shaking her hand.

- And I'm officially sorry about head.

- And me for waking up.

- You won't fall asleep for now, will you?

- I rather doubt it, you can go to sleep, I'll watch over you.

- Have I already told you that I don't trust you yet?

- Right. - Luke laughed.

- Besides, I'd rather look at them. - Magna said looking back at Yumiko and Kai.

- They're lucky... Not only the two of them, all of them... You're a born leader... - Luke said, smiling at Magna, and the woman turned around to hide the blush on her cheeks, she was very pleased that someone other than Miko he appreciated her, she knew Connie and Kelly did it too, but she had never heard it from them.

- So... Who were you before all this?

- Interview?

- If neither of us is going to sleep, we need to talk about something.

- I think I agree with you.

Magna and Luke spent the night talking and laughing, both of them still didn't trust each other as they had told each other before, but that didn't mean they couldn't talk to each other, especially since the conversation was good and very nice, Luke apart from her former friend from high school was the first man in her life who was good to her and treated her with respect and equality, she felt that in a few weeks or months they could become really good friends.

Chapter Text

Day 303

The house did not burn down completely, in fact its wooden floor was badly damaged, and the window and door frames needed repairs, the doors and windows barely closed, so the group unanimously decided that it was not safe inside, so they took what was left of their belongings and set off.
The group was constantly on the move, they walked through the forests and meadows, sleeping in tents that they set up in secluded places to minimize the risk of starving stiffs as much as possible, but it was getting colder and colder outside, the trees were starting to shed their leaves, so it was probably already autumn, and therefore winter must come after it.
Luke became an official member of the group, Magna still didn't trust him, not enough time had passed for her to, but her sympathy for him was growing every day.
She was happy that Kai could have a man by her side who could help and advise her on many issues in the future.
The group had just found a quiet place in the forest to spend the night, the whole day of hiking had exhausted them, Yumiko and Luke were making a fire to roast the rabbit they had hunted earlier, while Magna and Connie were finishing clearing the area of the small group of stiffs. At that time, Kelly was taking care of little Kai, she was holding her in her arms and showing her, describing and spelling various things in detail, everyone thought that sign language would be very useful for Kai later, she didn't have control over her movements yet, but there was no harm in starting to spell now?

- You see? It's a ladybug... - Kelly showed her again, spelling the word exactly. - She's small, just like you... Actually, I think I suit you... Little ladybug... I don't like little children, but you're fine... - Kelly laughed. Kai was like a little sister to her, recently she was responding better and better to stimuli, she smiled more often when she heard Yumiko's voice in particular, but the truth was that she could be happy and laugh with everyone in the group.

- I guess we'll go back to mom, right, ladybug? - Kelly asked, knowing she wouldn't get an answer from the child, but she could guess that a girl her age wouldn't last long without her mother. Kelly moved towards Luke and Yumiko sitting by the already lit fire, walked up to them and sat down on the green grass.

- I'm sorry I forced it on you, Kelly. - Yumiko said, taking the girl from her.

- No problem, we had a nice time together.

- Yes? Did you have a nice time with Aunt Kelly?

- Not Aunt Kelly... It's making me look older. - Kelly said with amusement, it was hard for her when she found out that she would be the aunt of Connie's child, there was a big age difference between her and Connie, Kelly was still a child herself, she preferred not to be called aunt.

- Okay, - Yumiko laughed.
At that same moment, Connie and Magna approached the fire with blood-stained blades.

- It's safe for now... - Magna said, sitting down next to Yumiko and Kai. Connie sat down between Luke and Kelly.
The group ate the baked rabbit and went into their tents, Magna and Yumiko shared the tent, Connie was with Kelly and Luke had it to himself.
Late at night Yumiko woke up hearing Kai purring, she got up and stroked her daughter on her little belly, she noticed that the side of the sleeping bag where Magna had previously slept was empty, she looked around the tent but she was nowhere to be found, the woman put on a warm sweatshirt and hugged her her daughter to her chest, wrapping her in a cloth, she left the tent and saw Magna sitting facing the extinguished fire, she heard her rubbing the end of the knife on something hard, probably a stone, she approached her quietly and put her hand on her shoulder.
Magna flinched and jumped back towards the extinguished fire.

- Damn it, Miko... - Magna said, clutching her chest.

- It's just me...

- You scared me, I thought it was stiff... - Magna replied, sitting down on a piece of wood again.

- I'm sorry... What are you doing here? I thought Kelly was on guard... - Yumiko asked, sitting down next to Magna.

- I can't sleep anyway, so I left and told Kelly I'd stay.

- When was the last time you slept through the night?

- I guess when everything was still normal...

- Magna... It's not funny, you may have health problems.

- I guess we all have them now...

- Hey... What's going on? - Yumiko asked, hugging Magna with one arm while her other hand was still resting on Kai's back, keeping her in a comfortable position.

- We wouldn't be here if it weren't for my stupid choices...

- What?

- I was the one who talked to you while driving, that's why the camper crashed, I ordered to go out for water and the previous house burned down, the only right decision I didn't make was to stay in that library... If we hadn't left this place, we would now have shelter, not they spent the night in the field.

- Hey, what are you doing? We are all terrified...

- But I'm the leader, I should make the right decisions to protect you... And what did I do?

- Mags...

- I'm the worst leader... Maybe it would be better if someone else became the leader...

- Magna...

- Kai almost died in a fire!

- Nothing happened to her, Magna, me too... If you had made different decisions, maybe we would have never met Connie, Kelly, Luke...

- Maybe we could have a shelter too... Kai could live without fear, we could live without fear that her every cry would attract stiffs...

- Listen... Everyone makes bad decisions sometimes...

- But in my case it is unacceptable, Miko... Father was right... Not only have I not achieved anything, but I am also letting everyone down... Everyone I love so much...

- Magna... You do everything to keep us safe, you are so caring and brave... I love you the most... Your father didn't know anything about you, you are a valuable person, you are smart, beautiful and loving, never let anyone tell you that that it's different... - Yumiko said, Magna immediately put her arms around her waist, hugged her but to Kai resting on her chest, Yumiko put her arm around her and stroked her back.

- I love you... - Magna whispered.

- I love you too, my love...

- And I love you, honey... - Magna said, placing her hand on her daughter's back.

- Today Kelly called her little ladybug... I think I like that nickname...

- Little ladybug... It fits her...

- I think so too... Magna, go back to the tent, you should get some sleep, and I haven't been on guard in a long time.

- You?

- Magna, I'm not sick...

- But you recently gave birth, you're breastfeeding and...

- And what? I can still fight... Magna, let me... I'm already at full strength... - Yumiko said. Magna thought for a moment, she wasn't convinced, but Yumiko was an adult woman, she made her own decisions.

- Okay... But if anything happened...

- I'm calling you... Or Connie, or Kelly, or Luke...

- Exactly, I'll take Kai and we'll go to sleep... - Magna said, getting up from the piece of wood.

- If she's hungry, just come with her... - Yumiko said, handing Kai over to Magna. The woman hugged her and wrapped her in her sweatshirt.

- Sure... Shall we go to bed, honey? - Magna asked little Kai in a childish tone, Yumiko smiled to herself as she watched Magna melt next to the girl.

- Who would have thought that you would be like this around her?

- What?

- So... Warm, charming...

- So I'm not normally like this? - Magna joked, although she knew the answer perfectly well.

- Not for others... You lisp when you talk to her...

- Me? A lisp?

- Of course.

- You must have made a mistake, right, ladybug? Mommy doesn't seem to have heard the lisp... - Magna started talking to the baby, not even realizing how her words softened and her smile widened.

- Yes, yes... Mommy didn't hear the lisp... - Yumiko laughed, and Magna entered the tent with little Kai.
The Asian stayed on guard for a while until Connie replaced her, just as she was supposed to replace Kelly, when Yumiko entered the tent she saw a sight she was definitely not prepared for.
Kai lying on her back in the sleeping bag and Magna lying close to her with her hand placed on her belly, Yumiko had never seen Magna sleep with Kai like that before for several weeks, the woman placed herself on the other side of her daughter and put her hand on Magna's hand, like that they spent the rest of the night cuddling, keeping each other warm.

In the morning, when everyone woke up, they decided to move on. They folded their tents and walked forward, every now and then they changed what to carry Kai, Yumiko couldn't do it the whole way, so Luke took the initiative and hugged the girl.

They walked like this for a good few hours, they had little water and food, so they tried to eat only in the evening, before going to bed, drinking was only mentioned when someone was practically dehydrated, they had no other choice, this was what life was like now.

- I've had enough... - Kelly said, sitting down in the middle of the road they were walking on.

- Kelly, we have to move on. - Magna said, stopping.

- I have no strength, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, my legs give out...

- Kelly, sitting here won't change anything, we have to...

- What do we need? Find a quiet place, pitch tents, hunt a wild boar, go to sleep, and do the same thing in the morning?

- We have no other choice, Kell...

- Of course we have, find a room with walls, floor and ceiling and finally stop walking from one object to another.

- Kelly, you know what happened last time.

- And what? This means we can't find a new one?

- Kelly...

- NO! No Kelly! I'm fed up with this life! It's best if you kill me, Magna!

- Kelly, don't say that! - Magna shouted, and her scream woke up the sleeping Kai, who was afraid and started to cry, Luke gave her to Yumiko, who hugged her and rocked her, trying to calm her loud crying.

- Kelly... - Magna began, the woman crouched down next to the younger girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. - I don't like it either... You think I don't want us to have shelter? But you see what happened with each previous one, we have to find one that will be safe, durable... Muted...

- I just want to rest... - Kelly replied, lowering her head. Magna pulled Kelly towards her and wrapped her in her arms, the girl returning the gesture.

- Hey, guys... - Luke started, but was ignored by the rest, so he touched Connie's shoulder to get her attention, took a notebook from his pocket and wrote something on the blank page.

- I know it's hard Kelly, we'll find the perfect place eventually, I promise you...

Connie crouched down and touched the ground, looked at Luke and nodded.

- Guys... - the man continued, but Magna and Kelly, who were still focused on each other, and Yumiko, who was trying unsuccessfully to calm Kai's crying, did not pay attention to him.

- What if not?

- Guys! - Luke finally shouted, drawing the attention of the others.

- What is wrong with you, Luke? - Magna asked looking at Yumik who couldn't calm Kai down and she was crying even more.

- We've been trying to tell you something for several minutes. - Luke said, and Connie began to spell, Kelly first translated it in her head, then to the rest.

- She says she felt movement... The stiffs are coming... - Kelly said. Everyone looked at each other in turn, heard the growl of at least a dozen stiff ones, they were coming from three sides, from behind, from the right and left.

- Magna, what do we do? - Yumiko asked, approaching the rest, unfortunately the girl in her arms still didn't stop crying. Magna looked around her surroundings, trying to think about running away or, at worst, fighting.

- Magna... - Kelly said to her. - Magna!

- Let's run straight... At One... Two... Three! - Magna shouted, letting go of Kelly first, then Connie, Luke, Yumiko, and finally running away herself.

- Magna, I can't do it! - Yumiko shouted, running much slower than the rest, due to her recent delivery and the baby resting in her arms.

- Of course you'll give it to Miko! - Magna shouted. Yumiko stopped with Magna right behind her, the woman handed the little girl to her.

- Run and protect her at all costs Magna, tell her about me...

- You must be really dehydrated because you're talking nonsense, don't think you'll get rid of me, just hang in there. - Magna took her daughter in her arms and bent down so that Yumiko could jump on her back, the woman did so, and Magna started running slowly, catching up with Kelly, Connie and Luke, unfortunately the stiff ones also started catching up with them.
None of them looked around so they didn't notice that they had run into the forest, Connie, Kelly and Luke stopped for a moment waiting for Magna, Yumiko and Kai, none of them had felt tired until that moment, the adrenaline was too much, that's why it's no wonder that before they ran ahead without feeling any effort, and now, when they felt safe for a moment, each of them leaned against a tree.
Magna finally caught up to them, she stopped and Yumiko got off her back, everyone could breathe for a moment.
It didn't take long, a few faster stiffs caught up with them, and on the other hand, the stiffs who had already been in the forest earlier started to become interested in them.

- Magna, what do we do? - Kelly shouted at her, retreating further towards the blonde.

- We fight! - Magna replied, handing Kai back to Yumiko, the woman took out her gun, and the rest did the same.

Magna threw one of her knives, hitting the stiff's skull, Connie and Kelly shot them with their slingshots, sometimes hitting them, sometimes not, they hadn't fully mastered them, they found them a few days ago, Luke was sticking his knife into each skull one by one.

They fell to the ground stiff and neither of them realized when they were all killed, they looked at each other and smiled. After so much time on the run, they finally managed to cope. They really succeeded.

- Hey, you! - shouted an unknown male voice. The group immediately became more cautious, Magna approached several stiffs lying on the ground with knives stuck in their heads, Connie and Kelly set their slingshots, the group was ready for another fight.

- We won't do anything to you! - the same voice shouted again.

- How are we supposed to know this?! - Magna asked.

- Because we need help ourselves! - another voice shouted. This time it was a woman's voice.

- We are not enemies!

-Prove it! - Magna shouted. No voice responded, instead several bottles of water flew out of the bushes nearby. - And this is supposed to be proof?

- What else should we do?!

- Go outside. With your hands up, throwing your weapon in front of you!

- Why should we trust you?

- And why should we trust you? - Magna asked. The voice didn't answer. - You have five minutes. After this time, we go, If you want help, come out and show us that you have no ill intentions!

The group was constantly ready for a possible fight. They didn't wait long until two people emerged from the bushes, a woman and a man, they were young, not much older than Kelly, maybe a little younger than Magna. The man had dark brown hair and fine facial hair, he had an athletic build, the woman had light, curly hair, was slim, both of them had quite well-kept clothes, too neat for my current situation.
They secured the pistols and threw them on the ground, and in addition to the pistols, they took knives from their belts and threw them next to them.

- We trusted you. Now it's your turn. - said the man. Everyone looked at Magna, waiting for an answer to the question. What to do?
The leader looked at everyone in turn and nodded. Connie and Kelly threw down their slingshots, Luke and Magna threw down their knives, Yumiko tried to take the bow off her back, but the baby she was still holding in her arms prevented her from doing so, Connie seeing this walked up to her and took Kai in her arms so that Yumiko could throw down the weapon to the ground, she also took out her gun, which she also threw on the ground, next to all the other weapons.

- How old is the baby? - asked the woman. Magna turned for a moment to look at Connie holding her daughter.

- A few weeks... - Magna replied. - Do you have a camp somewhere?

- You could say. We went hunting, if you want you can come with us, our camp can accept you.

- It would be great... - Luke began, but his words were interrupted by Magna.

- NO.

- Why? - Kelly asked.

- Because we don't know them! They gave us water and threw weapons, but that doesn't mean you can trust them.

- If we even try to do anything to any of you, feel free to shoot us.

- I kill you and one of us will bleed to death? No thanks. You go your way and we go ours. - Magna said. Kelly rolled her eyes and Luke sighed heavily.

- Who of you is the leader?

- Why do you think we have a leader? - Magna asked, even though she knew full well that she was him.

- Groups tend to have it, but if you say so, I'll say it to everyone... Think carefully about your answer, because we have something really good to offer, you have a small child, this place is perfect for him, think about it.

- Can we have a moment to confer? Luke asked, standing next to Magna as the man in front of them nodded, taking Magna's hand and pulling her to the others standing close to him, waiting to confer.

- Magna, that's a good idea. - said Kelly, who desperately wanted to finally live differently than now.

- We don't know them. - Magna replied, Connie began to spell with one hand.

- I know how it works, Connie...

- Connie is right, you didn't know them before you trusted them, or Luke... - Yumiko added, she also wanted Kai to be able to live at least a little normally, without running away.

- Mag, they seem good. - Luke added.

- What if they aren't? If they attack one of you?

- We won't find out if we don't trust them. - Kelly pointed out rightly. Magna thought for a moment and then looked at the woman and the man.

- It is far? This camp of yours?

- Maybe half an hour from here.

- I don't think anything worse will happen to us. - Magna said, looking at her group. - All right. We can go with you.

- Come on in then, bring your weapons. Before we go, I think we should get to know each other. - said the man, he carefully approached the group, showing that the pistol he had picked up from the ground was still secured, and after a while, the woman also joined him. - Auden. - he introduced himself, extending his hand to Magna, when he went to see the others, a woman approached Magna, also extending her hand.

- Alyssa.

- Magna. - she introduced herself, shaking the woman's hand. Alyssa walked over to the others and greeted everyone.
When everyone got to know each other, the whole group moved to the site of the camp in question.

Magna was still the first to go, carefully observing Alyssa and Auden and looking back at her group from time to time. At some point, little Kai started crying again, everyone guessed that it was probably because she was hungry, she hadn't eaten longer than she should have, so it's no wonder she was demanding food.

- If you want, we can stop, we have time. - Alyssa suggested, stopping.

- No, I don't want to slow us down, I'll feed her when we're safe...

- Don't worry, nothing is chasing us, we will stop if necessary. - added Auden, sitting on a detached tree trunk. Yumiko had no choice, she sat on the other tree trunk and started preparing to feed the girl.

- I think you and Luke should turn around. - Alyssa pointed out to them, smiling at her friend.

- Ah, yeah, sure... - Auden said and walked away with Luke a few meters so that Magna could keep an eye on them.
At this time, Yumiko began to feed Kai, Magna sat next to her and gently wrapped her arm around her.

- What is her name? - Alyssa asked, taking a sip of water.

- Kai. - Yumiko replied, looking at the girl with a smile.

- Ocean. - Alyssa replied, both Magna and Yumiko looked at each other and then at Alyssa.

- What? - Magna asked. Alyssa smiled.

- I used to be interested in Hawaiian culture, the Hawaiian language and the meaning of words... I once read that Kai means ocean, I thought it was very nice...

- We had no idea about it... It just popped into my head... - Yumiko replied.

- But you're right, it's nice... - Magna added.

- I think you'll like our camp...

- I wish it were true... - Magna replied.

When Yumiko finished feeding her daughter, the rest of them continued their journey, and it didn't take long until they reached their destination.
The group was shocked, the "camp" that Alyssa and Auden were talking about was actually a large, high, iron wall, in front of it, embedded in the ground next to the path leading to it was a sign with a large inscription: "COALPORT".

- Welcome to Coalport...

Chapter Text

- Welcome to Coalport... - Auden said, pointing to the iron fence.
The group didn't know what to think, much less respond, everyone taking turns staring at the space in front of them and at each other.

- What is this? - Magna asked confused.

- Our camp, settlement, call it whatever you want, the most important thing is that it is safe here. - Alyssa replied with a smile.

- We have about thirty people here now.

- Thirty? - Kelly asked in disbelief, looking at Auden.

- Yes, we know it's not much, but we are constantly looking for new people.

- Not much? I don't remember the last time I saw thirty people in one place... - Kelly said with excitement, imagining what the settlement might look like inside.

- You'll see in a moment, we need to introduce you to our leader.

- Do you have a leader?

- A leaderless community? We probably wouldn't exist anymore.

- Hey, Bernie! - Alyssa shouted, drawing the attention of a tall man with black hair, wearing light jeans and a shirt with Turkish patterns, which made Magna grimace.

- Oho, fresh meat! - the man shouted, and after a while the gate opened, revealing a settlement before the group.

- Don't worry, that's just the way he is. - Auden reassured them, explaining Bernie's joke.

- Come on, there's nothing to be afraid of. - Alyssa said as she followed Auden who was already inside, the group entered through the gate, as soon as they were inside the gate closed and the man who opened it stepped down from the ladder leading to a small observation point in the form of a footbridge attached to the ground for several meters.

The settlement was neither too big nor too small, it looked like a small town, where everyone knew everyone, there were no houses, only caravans, campers and tents.

- How did you do it? - Yumiko asked as she spread out around the settlement.

- Me and Alyssa only got here a few weeks ago, you can ask Chris anything.

- Actually, I think we should take him to you. - Alyssa said and pointed to the trailer, no different from the others, except that it was furthest back, right next to the fence.
Alyssa and Auden led them to the front of the trailer, Auden knocked on the door, and after a while there was a loud "Come in!"
Alyssa went inside and Auden stayed with the group, after a while the woman signaled to the rest that the leader could receive them, the group entered the room with Auden, and they saw a middle-aged man, his brown hair was slowly turning gray, so same as the beard, he wasn't fat or skinny, he was more in the middle, he didn't seem bad.

- Chris, we have some new people... - Auden started to say.

- We found them in the forest, they are fighting incredibly, we saw them and... - Alyssa wanted to finish, but the man did not let her, silencing her with a wave of his hand.

- Thank you Auden, Alyssa... But I would like to question our guests myself... - the man said, letting Alyssa and Auden know that I wanted to be left alone with the group.
Alyssa and Auden obediently did as he ordered, before leaving, Alyssa looked at each of the group in turn with a smile one last time.
Chris closed the door and returned to his seat.

- So... I guess you have names? - he asked, standing in front of the group.

- Yes... I'm Magna, this is Yumiko, Connie, Kelly and Luke... - Magna introduced everyone.
The man approached each of the women and greeted them by gently shaking their hands, Kelly and Luke received a rather cold welcome as the man only patted them on the shoulder.

- And the baby? Does it have a name?

- Yes... Her name is Kai.

- There hasn't been a baby here for a long time, people will be delighted to see a baby... - he said and moved closer to Magna, his eyes wandered from the top to the bottom of her face. - I guess you're in charge here, huh?

- It looks...

- I knew it, you look like a leader and I bet you have all the perfect qualities...

- I don't know...

- Yes! Magna is a born leader. - Kelly interjected.

- Really? - the man asked, keeping his eyes on Magna's face. - I don't think we should stand here, we should find a suitable place for you as quickly as possible... Follow me, please.

The man left the trailer and the rest followed him, they walked ahead, passing inhabited trailers, campers and tents.

- We don't have any houses yet, we wanted to take care of the fence first and then provide accommodation.

- We? - Yumiko asked.

- I and my wife.

- Where is she now?

- She couldn't make it... She died a few weeks ago...

- I'm sorry...

- I pulled myself together. - said the man with a straight face and a cold tone.

- Chris. Where are we exactly? - Luke asked, speeding up to get closer to him.

- In Pennsylvania.

- From Virginia to Pennsylvania, impressive. - Yumiko said.

- You entered from the land side, but on the other side we are surrounded by the sea, there is a second gate there in case of evacuation. - said the man and stopped at the two large campers standing next to each other. - I thought you'd like to get apartments close to each other. You can now come in, unpack and rest peacefully.

- We appreciate it, Chris. - Magna said, Chris smiled slightly at her and stared at her again for a long moment.

- Rest, I'll tell someone to bring a cradle for the baby in a moment. - the man replied, finally taking his eyes off the blonde, and then looked at Yumiko and Luke. - You and your husband don't have to worry.

- Oh, no, that's a mistake. - Luke said, looking at Yumiko and Chris alternately. - I'm not with Yumiko.

- Me and Magna are together, we are both parents. - added Yumiko, Chris looked at her with surprise.

- This is a problem? - Magna asked, bringing the man's gaze back to herself.

- No, not at all. I've just never encountered this before. Rest. - replied the man, walking away from the group, leaving them alone in their company.

- He's right, we should rest. - Connie spelled.

- Yes, I'll meet you later. - Magna replied while spelling for Connie.

- We'll sleep and go sightseeing. - Luke added, everyone agreed with him and dispersed to the two campers.

Magna, Yumiko, and Kai took one camper, and Connie, Kelly, and Luke took the other.
After a few minutes, two men carried the promised baby girl's cradle into Yumiko and Magna's camper, along with a pack of diapers and several beige pairs of baby onesies.

Little Kai was sleeping peacefully in the cradle, enjoying the sight of the younger of her mothers, Magna was staring at her sleeping daughter, the longer she looked at her, the more Yumiko's features she saw in her, over a few weeks her hair became longer and darker, it was dark brown, exactly like Yumiko had, and the girl began to open her eyes more and more often to look around, which made Magna start to notice their dark color, another feature of Yumiko's appearance.

- She's so beautiful... - Magna said quietly, but not so quietly that Yumiko couldn't hear her, the older woman lay on the bed resting and staring at the two most important people in her life.

- You're saying that for the fourth time in a dozen or so minutes. - Yumiko laughed, the woman got up from the bed and approached Magna from behind, hugging her around the waist.

- What can I do if you gave birth to such a beautiful child?

- She would be even more beautiful if she also had your genes... - Yumiko said, hugging Magna from the side. - Although I also think she's the most beautiful...

- It's a pity we can't have a baby like this...

- It's a pity... But remember, family is not blood, it is the love you have for the other person.

- Yes I know...

- I never wanted to have children...

- Really?

- Yes... Children always annoyed me, I wanted to focus on myself, on my career... Or I was just afraid that I would be like my father...

- I'm also afraid that one day I will become my own father.

- You? No kidding.

- You know well that sometimes genes are insurmountable.

- I also know what kind of person you are. You will never become your own father.

- I'd like to believe that...

- Listen... I'd like to talk to you... - Yumiko said in a serious tone, causing Magna to look at her, taking her eyes off Kai.

- About what?

- That Chris... He's looking at you weird, I don't like it.

- Weird?

- I mean... Lustful... Maybe I'm just overtired, or...

- Jealous? - Magna laughed. The thought of Yumiko being jealous? The Asian was always very rational, she never had any reasons to be jealous from Magna, and when Magna loved someone, she loved him with all her heart, there was no question of betrayal.

- Me? Jealous? Don't be ridiculous... I just don't like the way he looks at you...

- It means you're jealous.

- I'm not jealous, just worried.

- Jealous.

- Oh, okay, I'm jealous, you can laugh.

- I would like to, but no.

- No?

- If I had someone like me, I'd be jealous too.

- Stupid. - Miko laughed, Magna smiled and moved back on the bed, taking Yumiko's hands, after a while the Asian landed on Magna's lap.

- Maybe he likes me, but there's nothing we can do about it, the only thing left is to wait until he comes to terms with the fact that I'm a lesbian... And I'm taken...

- I hope he understands, because I have no desire to share you. - Yumiko said and placed a kiss on Magna's lips, the blonde placed her hands on the Asian's cheeks and deepened the kiss by taking her hands from her cheeks and slowly moving them from her waist down.
The younger woman moved her mouth to Yumiko's neck making a red mark on it, one of Yumiko's hands was gently caressing Magna's back and the other was digging into her curls, neither of them wanting to stop considering that months had passed since they last had sex, but it wasn't a good time considering the baby sleeping next to them.
Yumiko reluctantly broke away from Magna, the blonde looked at her with surprise, but quickly realized what her girlfriend meant.

- I guess we should leave it until we're alone. - Yumiko laughed, tangling her hands in her girlfriend's curls.

- Life as a parent is hard. - Magna laughed, stretching out one of Yumiko's hands and pulling it to her lips, placing a gentle kiss on it.

- You know... Maybe Connie could take care of Kai tonight... Maybe we could finish this...

- I'm surprised that you feel like doing this in the postpartum period.

- Every woman experiences it differently... Apparently my sexual drive is higher... Especially with such a beautiful and sexy woman next to me...

- If you keep talking like that, I'll take Kai to Connie myself. - Magna said, Yumiko laughed and hugged Magna. - Are you sure you feel good to do this?

- Very good...

- Are you still bleeding?...

- Not much... Less than before...

- Nothing hurts?

- Not anymore... It almost doesn't hurt...

- Miko... Maybe we should wait until the postpartum period is completely over... I would like you to feel comfortable...

- I just wanted to make you happy... I know we haven't done this for a long time, and you also have your needs...

- My needs can wait, Miko...

- Really?

- Of course, give yourself time... We'll still have time...

- Maybe you're right...

- Of course I have...

Yumiko got off Magna's lap and lay on the bed, Magna changed her position to lying down and hugged the older woman from the back, with one hand she grabbed the blanket lying next to them and covered their bodies, the blonde kissed Yumiko on the neck and cuddled up to the woman, after a while Yumiko she heard Magna's quiet, distinctive snoring, the woman loved this sound, even though it sometimes kept her from sleeping, but this time Yumiko was too tired and the quiet snoring of the woman next to her even helped the older woman next to her fall asleep, effectively calming her down.

Some time later, Magna and Yumiko were still sleeping, Kai was really understanding, she must have been as tired as her mothers, because she didn't cry the whole time, she just slept soundly.
Magna woke up hearing a knock on the door, she got up and gently, so as not to wake Yumiko, she got out of bed, opened the door of the camper and saw the man who had previously opened the gate when they entered, a stupid smile on his face and the same shirt that made Magna nausea.

- Hey, new one. - the man greeted, smiling at Magna.

- New one?

- You just moved here, so yeah, new one. - the man laughed, extending his hand towards Magna. - Bernie.

- Magna. - Magna introduced herself reluctantly, extending her hand.

- So what? It's probably worth get to know each other.

- Getting to know each other?

- Yeah... You know, so you can get to know everyone.

- We'll find out eventually.

- But a get-to-know-you campfire wouldn't hurt.

- Well, I don't know, I'm sorry but we're still tired, so if you could... - Magna started, but she didn't have time to finish because she felt the hands of what she guessed were Yumiko's hands on her waist.

- I think it's a great idea. - Yumiko said, standing face to face with Bernie. -I'm Yumiko.

- Bernie, nice to meet you. I was just explaining to your friend that a bonfire would be a good idea, maybe you can convince her to do so?

- I think it's a great idea too.

- I don't know, Yumiko, we should...

- Magna, Kai seems to have woken up, why don't you check on her? - Yumiko suggested, not letting the girl finish. Magna retreated deeper into the camper and walked over to the cradle. The girl was not sleeping, instead looking around, Magna leaned against the cradle, one of her hands touched Kai's belly and stroked it gently.

- New surroundings, huh? You need to look around. - Magna said, after a while she removed her hand and instead took the girl out of the cradle and hugged her to her chest. - You probably can't see anything anyway, but you feel safe here...
The girl grabbed Magna's index finger, the woman raised her daughter's hand to her mouth and gently kissed her little fingers.

- He's quite nice. - Yumiko said as she approached Magna and Kai, the older woman placed her hand on her daughter's small head and stroked it gently.

- He's weird... His shirt is giving me a headache.

- It's not that bad.

- It is, and I know very well that you think so too.

- Okay, it's terrible... But it's his business... He invited us to a bonfire in the evening.

- We go?

- What's the harm? We should have a good relationship with these people, there aren't many left alive.

- But is a bonfire really necessary?

- Magna... It's only one evening.

- Maybe that's right... Okay, we can go...

- Great, I have to tell the others, I'll go to them. - Yumiko left the camper to inform the rest of the group about the evening meeting.

- Mom's probably getting too excited... - Magna said to Kai, the girl was still holding Magna's finger and playing with it. - Remember, not everyone can be trusted.

In the evening, the group left their campers and went to the bonfire planned by Bernie, probably the entire village came together, such a number of people in one place was a surprise, but also happiness, knowing that there are still more people in the world was very helpful.
The group spent a nice time with the people of the settlement, laughing, getting to know each other and telling stories, even Magna perked up a bit, although she wasn't very talkative. As Chris predicted, people were delighted with little Kai, everyone wanted to look at her and some even held her, which her mothers didn't really like, but they didn't mind the nice comments about their beautiful baby.
They could finally spend the evening in peace. Just like before.

- Hey, mom, you don't have to watch us like that anymore. - Yumiko laughed when they returned to the camper, little Kai was sleeping peacefully in the cradle, Yumiko changed into clean clothes, and Magna was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her daughter.

- Easy for you to say, I will never stop watching over you.

- Magna, we're safe here.

- How do you know that?

- We are protected by a high iron fence.

- But there are still people here...

- Who you just met, who admired Kai.

- They may look innocent, but who knows what could happen to them.

- Magna... - Yumiko said, walking up to Magna. The woman sat down next to her and placed her hands on her shoulders. - Promise me you'll sleep through the night tonight.

- I can't promise something I can't fulfill.

- Magna... Listen, we'll talk to Chris tomorrow and see if there's anything we can do to help, defend the gates or look for supplies... But tonight, sleep through the night... Please...

- You know very well that only you can convince me to do this. - Magna laughed, looked at her daughter one last time and lay down on the bed, Yumiko did the same, she hugged Magna and blew out the candle.

- You see?

- What?

- If it weren't for your choices, we might never have found Coalport...

- It's not entirely due to my choices...

- We took in Connie and Kelly, then Luke, we trusted them... It was good for us... Meeting Auden and Alyssa also ended well... We are safe... Maybe Kai will have at least some of her childhood after all, what we had...

- Maybe so...

- Go to sleep, baby... - Yumiko said, turned to kiss Magna on the lips, ran her hand through her beautiful blonde curls. - I love you, my leader...

- I love you too... - Magna replied as she slowly fell asleep, Yumiko's scent and her hand in her hair acted like melatonin on her and after a while the woman drifted off, fell asleep in her beloved's arms, in the most comfortable place in the world.

Chapter Text

Flashback 1985

Little Yumiko knew from childhood that her family was demanding, her brother, Tomichi, who was three years older, had recently entered the second grade of primary school, from the first year of his schooling, his father expected a lot from him, he had to study all day long after returning from school, his father required him to be active in classes and to be further with the material than his peers, the girl knew that this would happen to her too.
That day, Little Yumiko witnessed the first argument in her life between her brother and her father, Tomichi had never opposed his father, he was too afraid, but that day something happened to him.

- No discussion, Tomichi. There's school tomorrow
I told you that you can only go out on Fridays and Saturdays as long as you don't have anything to study for Monday. - said Yumiko and Tomichi's father, Taichi Okumura.

- They didn't give us any homework, dad. - replied 8-year-old Tomichi.

- You have a math test on Monday, you have to learn multiplication.

- I am well prepared, we learn it at school, we solve problems...

- You have to be best prepared, not well prepared.

- I'm the best in my class...

- Maybe for the teachers, for me you are far from being the best. - these were Taichi's last words before he sent his son to his room.

Little Yumiko entered her brother's room. Tomichi was sitting at his desk and studying his math textbook, next to it was full of sheets of paper filled with multiplication table problems.

- Tomi, can we play together? - asked the little girl, holding her dolls in her hands. Tomi always liked playing with dolls with Yumiko, even though he was a boy.

- I can't, Miko. Dad told me to study. - replied the boy. Yumiko walked up to her brother and stood on her tiptoes to look over his shoulder.

- You learned this yesterday... - the girl noticed, her brother just sighed and turned to his younger sister.

- I know, Miko. Yesterday, the day before yesterday, a week ago... It's still not enough for my father...

- You are enough for me, Tomi... - Yumiko said and hugged her brother tightly. They were always close, they had to stick together, Tomi returned the gesture and patted his sister on the head.

- I love you, Miko.

- I love you too, Tomi.

- If you want, we can do something together.

- Why?

- You can sit with me and learn multiplication, it's not the most interesting activity, but at least we spend time together... - Tomi said, Yumiko didn't even need a moment to think about it, she sat on her brother's lap and looked at the papers, and Tomichi hugged her tightly.

- Okay, so let's start with the first column...

Flashback 1992

Yumiko was sleeping soundly in her bed. The next day she got up early to start studying in the morning and thus have more time for herself. Her father made her and her brother study even on Saturdays and Sundays, Yumiko was the best in her class, yet she still wasn't enough for Taichi.
The girl heard noises from the corridor, she thought that someone had broken in and I was going to rob their house, she quietly got out of bed and went to the door, opened it slightly and saw her older brother quietly sneaking out of his room.

- Tomi?... - Yumiko asked her brother. The boy turned around abruptly and grabbed his chest.

- Miko... You scared me, why aren't you sleeping?

- I heard footsteps...

- Yes... The boys invited me to their place... Charlie is having a house party and I really wanted to be there, but my father would definitely not agree to it.

- You're right, I would like to see my friends more often...

- Why don't you do it?

- Dad doesn't let me leave the house often...

- I do not like this?

- You know very well that I don't...

- And you'll just accept it?

- What should I do?

- Defy him?

- You didn't do it...

- But I do what I like when he doesn't see it. - Tomichi said and walked up to Yumiko. - Sometimes it's fun to break the rules, Miko.

Yumiko smiled.

- Go ahead... Have fun.

- Won't you turn me in?

- You're my brother... Of course not...

- Thank you, little sister. - Tomichi left and Yumiko went back to bed, maybe her brother was right? Maybe she should see her friends more often and stand up to her father? NO. It's stupid. Stand up to Taichi? No way.

Flashback 1995

During the break, Yumiko was sitting in the classroom with a book on the school desk, revising the subject for the test that was to be taken in the next lesson, she was sitting alone until her friends came into the classroom, Charlotte, Matilda and Anna were constantly persuading Yumiko to go out after school or at home. weekend, unfortunately Yumiko's answer was always the same.

- Miko! - Matilda shouted as she sat down on the bench in front of Yumiko.

- We're going to the cinema today, come with us. - Charlotte suggested sitting next to her friends.

- You know I can't, I have to study...

- Today is Friday, Miko... Take a day off... - added Anna.

- I would like to, but you know what my father is like...

- Miko, please, just this once...

- Okay... I'll ask him, but I don't promise you anything. - Yumiko said, wanting to make her friends happy, although she expected her father's reaction.

Yumiko left her room and headed towards the living room, her father and mother were sitting in front of the TV watching a program, Yumiko, although stressed, stood in front of them and finally gained the courage to ask a question.

- Mom, dad... I was just thinking... Today is Friday, I did all my homework, I just finished studying... Charlotte, Anna and Matilda invited me to the cinema... Could I go? - Yumiko asked, nervously playing with her thumbs, Taichi and Yoko looked at each other, Yumiko's mother didn't really interfere in her children's education, of course she wanted her children to have good academic results, but the final decision regarding education was made by her husband.

- You did very well in your last tests, Yumiko. - Taichi said.

- Yes, thank you, dad.

- I think you have one choice, have fun.

- Thank you, dad. - Yumiko said with a smile, she left the living room to call her friends, but as soon as she crossed the threshold of the hall she jumped with fear, the reason was her brother, Tomichi.
The boy was standing by the door, leaning against the wall.

- Our father allowed you to go...

- Yes, I was surprised myself... I thought he would send me to my room...

- I wonder why he let you do it and never me.

- Tomi, it's not my fault, you know it.

- I guess so... I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he allows more of his beloved daughter, a praiseworthy, composed and perfect young lady... And his wayward son? No matter what I do, he doesn't care.

-It's not my fault, Tomichi. Maybe if you stopped rebelling and started trying harder, he would treat you the same way.

- Now are you going to lecture me? My younger sister?

- Apparently smarter too. I'll give you a piece of advice, stop arguing with him and sneaking out every night, and your father will start looking at you differently.

- Future Attorney... Are you already practicing for the role you will perform for the next sixty years?

- And you, Doctor? I think you should study more, I wouldn't want to be operated on by a doctor who has no idea about his profession. Yumiko said sharply. Tomichi just smiled and retreated to the room.

- Have fun at the cinema, Counselor. - the boy said as he left and closed the door to his room. Yumiko dialed Charlotte's number to inform her about leaving today.

Yumiko was having fun with her friends, it was still early, so after the cinema, the girls decided to go to a nearby skate park to watch boys their age skate. The girls were staring at one of the guys riding a skateboard, he was dressed in loose clothes and had a hat on his head.

- I give him seven. - Anna said, looking at the boy.

- Are you crazy, it's a maximum of four. - Charlotte replied with a face that said: Are you sure we're looking at the same guy?

- It looks great, would you like one?

- He looks like a homeless person.

- Not true!

- Annie likes them, Charlie. - Matilda added with amusement, looking from her friends to the boy. - I give him five and a half... What do you think, Miko?

- Me?... I don't know... I guess I don't like it...

- Seriously?

- Not at all?

- No... I guess he's not my type or something...

- Okay, what about this one? - Matilda asked, pointing to a boy sitting on a nearby bench repairing his skateboard. He was the opposite of the previous one, with short windblown hair and more fitted clothes.

- Well, I don't know... Probably three...

- Three? - all three girls said with surprise.

- Well, I don't know... I don't like...

- So who do you like from where?

- I don't see anyone like that... - Yumiko said, spreading out around the skate park. After a while of searching, she found someone like that, but it wasn't him, but her.
A tall girl, long blonde hair covered with a beanie hat, loose, low-set jeans and a large black sweatshirt.

-Miko, hello. - Matilda said, getting Yumiko's attention.

- Who were you staring at? - Anna asked.

- No... No one.

- Someone for sure. Tell me, who will you tell if not us?

- Well... Is it possible that I like a girl?...

- Girl?

- Yes...

- Which one?

- This... Blonde... - Yumiko said, pointing discreetly at the girl riding a skateboard.

- I know her, she comes here sometimes, it's Danielle.

- Does Miko like someone?

- But it's not a boy...

- So what? You might like girls.

- Really?

- Yes. Never heard of gays or lesbians?

- Of course I heard... Only negatives... That they are perverts or just want to attract attention...

- Your parents told you that?

- No... They didn't talk to me about it...

- And your brother?

- He has a girlfriend all the time... There was no point in bringing up this topic...

- Well, we'll do it...

- Listen, Miko, it's nothing bad.

- Yes, everyone has the right to love whomever I want...

- Many people don't understand it and always will, but if you turn out to be a lesbian, you have our support...

- Thanks girls...

- Speaking of your brother, is he free now? - Charlotte asked with a smile.

- I don't know... Why are you asking?

- There's something about the boy... He's very sexy...

- Yuck! Don't talk about my brother like that! - Yumiko laughed, her friends also burst out laughing. The young Asian woman laughed until a skateboard appeared at her feet, she looked up and saw the blonde they were talking about earlier.

- Sorry, she escaped me. - said the girl and picked up her skateboard, Yumiko saw the color of her eyes for the first time, green, beautiful like two emeralds.

- It's okay, I mean nothing happened...

- I'm Danielle. - the girl introduced herself.

- Yumiko, I mean Miko.

- Nice to meet you, Miko. I'm glad you're not angry. - Danielle said and went back to driving. Yumiko looked at her friends and smiled.

- And she?

- Nine out of ten... - Yumiko laughed.

Yumiko returned home after a successful outing, as she had promised her father, she was home by ten, informed her parents of her return and headed to her brother's room. She found Tomichi sitting on the bed, staring at a book.

- What are you doing, Tomi? - Yumiko asked, standing in the doorway.

- I want to go out this weekend, and I have a biology test on Monday. I have to pass it. - Tomichi replied, Yumiko entered his room and closed the door behind her, she sat on the bed, attracting her older brother's attention.

- I'm sorry for what I said...

- It's my fault. I shouldn't be angry with you because our father let you go to the cinema...

- It's true, you know very well that I have no influence on how I treat you... If I had, I would definitely treat you better.

- Thanks, sister... Maybe I should really do better if I'm supposed to be responsible for people's lives.

- Yes... Tomi, I would like to talk to you about something...

- With me?

- Yes...

- If you want to know where babies come from, go to our mother.

- I know where babies come from, Tomi. I'm not five years old.

- Well, I'm listening.

- Do you have any... Gay friends?

- I probably do, but what are you getting at?

- Because... Today at the skate park, my friends were judging the boys' appearance... And I liked the girl...

- And you're afraid you might be a lesbian?

- I've never liked any boy.

- Miko... You're still young, maybe you'll like it... That doesn't mean you can't like girls.

- How so?

- Well, apart from homosexuals, there are also bisexuals, these are people who like both sexes.

- What if I never like the boy?

- That means you're a lesbian.

- But what do our parents say...

- Is this your life or theirs?

- Mine, but...

- Miko... It's none of their business... Who you go to bed with and who you love is only your business.

- And you have nothing against such people?

- Should I have something against people who love each other?

- So it's nothing bad?

- Of course not... Miko, love is love... It has no color, creed or orientation... It's just the marriage of people who love each other. - Tomichi said with a smile, Yumiko smiled slightly and hugged her brother.

- Sometimes you can be serious. - Yumiko joked, Tomichi laughed and stroked his sister's back.
Maybe their lives weren't perfect, but at least they had each other.

Flashback 1996

She couldn't believe he was doing this to her. How could he leave her alone with her parents? He knew well what they were like and maybe that was why he was moving out, his things were packed in his room, he was just starting his first year as a medical student at Oxford, his results were very satisfactory, so without much surprise he was informed about getting into one of the best universities in country, and maybe even in the world.
Yumiko still had two years left before I could move out, she had to stay with her father for two more years. Two years. Without his brother.

- I can't believe you're doing this to me. - Yumiko said nervously, sitting on her brother's bed.

- Miko, you'll be fine.

- You know very well that it's not true. Not without you.

- Miko... - Tomi began, sitting down next to his sister. - You won't even know when you go to college.

- But I want to live with you...

- We're getting older, Yumiko... It was obvious that we would both go our separate ways eventually.

- But I don't want it...

- Me neither, Miko... But you can visit me.

- You're going to study medicine, do you really think you'll have time to visit me?

- I'll definitely find it for you. - said the boy with a smile and grabbed his sister's hand.

- When you go?

- First thing tomorrow morning.

Yumiko woke up in the morning, the clock showed nine o'clock, she left the room and went to her brother's room, but there was no luggage or Tomi there, Yumiko came back to her room and looked at her bedside table, there was a white envelope addressed to it to her.
Yumiko opened it and took out a letter.
“You can do it, Attorney, I love you.
~ Tomi”
Yumiko smiled and put the letter back in the envelope and put it in her drawer. Only two more years.

Flashback 2009

Thirteen years later, Yumiko Okumura, after completing her studies at both Oxford and Harvard, decided to stay in America, specifically in Richmond, Virginia. She had her own law firm, her work brought her a lot of profits, and she also wanted to help people who could not afford services such as a lawyer.
She was just getting ready for such a meeting. She put on a suit, tied her hair in a bun and put on high shoes to match the outfit. She got into her car and drove to her destination. She stopped after ten minutes at the gates of the women's prison. She got out of the car and went inside, after going through the procedures she was allowed to enter, she sat at the table and while waiting for her client she looked at his papers again. Magna Josephine Manson, 22, capital murder, sentenced to life in prison.
Yumiko looked at the photo of the girl, blonde, curly hair, brown eyes. So young.
The door opened and the girl from the photo stood there. The guard brought the girl in handcuffs and sat her down at the table, her expression was uncertain, Yumiko sensed her nervousness, she smiled slightly at the girl, the only thing she could think about was that this person was convicted for something she didn't commit. No one has ever trusted her, which is why she doesn't trust others. She's still so young.

- Mrs. Manson? - Yumiko asked, extending her hand to the younger girl. - My name is Yumiko Okumura, I will represent you in court.

- In court? My case is over. - the girl replied, looking at the Asian.

- Well, no. I have looked through your files carefully and I dare say that the case was not handled properly, I would like to handle it again.

- You better tell me how much it will cost.

- Cost? Oh, it's free.

- Nice suit, probably expensive?

- I'll tell you straight. Of course I take money for my work, but from people who can actually pay for themselves, in addition to offering free services, I also have my own law firm.

- So I don't have to pay you?

- Nothing, nothing. So how? Will we take care of your case? - Yumiko asked, extending her hand to Magna again. This time as a gesture of cooperation.

- Why not, nothing worse can happen. - Magna offered her hand to Yumiko, the woman was smiling at her the whole time.

- Great, so I'll see you exactly next week at the same time. - Yumiko said and took her purse that was hanging on the back of the chair. - See you later, Miss Manson.

- See you. - Magna replied, watching Yumiko leave.

The weeks passed and Magna and Yumiko liked each other more and more. Apart from the fact that they were connected by legal services, they also became good friends, Yumiko looked forward to each subsequent meeting with Magna and hoped that it worked both ways.

- I wanted to go shopping today after work, will you go with me? Yumiko's co-worker Taylor asked.

- I can't, I have a meeting with Magna.

- Magna?

- Yes, that girl from prison. - Yumiko said, looking at Taylor, who had a piercing smile on her face.

- You call each other by name?

- She's younger than me.

- Come on, you guys are on your own, you talk about her all the time and you probably think about her too.

- Not at all.

- Yumiko Okumura is in love.

- What? NO!

- Of course.

- I'm like that with all my clients.

- Not at all, you're just talking about her Magna, not Mrs. Manson.

- Because she is younger, 22 years old.

- And you're 29, not a big difference, you might make it.

- What? My parents would tear me apart, you know how eager they are to have grandchildren.

- So what? Miko, it's your life, not theirs.

- No, I'm not a lesbian.

- Yes, yes... - Taylor laughed under her breath. - Speaking of relationships, I wanted to go to the club, have fun, meet someone new... Do you want to go?

- When?

- Whenever you want.

- Tomorrow I have a free day...

- Fits me.

- Great, I'll show you that I'm not a lesbian.

- Miko, you don't have to prove anything to anyone.

- I want to prove it to myself. I'll find a guy and you'll see, I'm not in love with Magna. - Yumiko said.
She didn't know yet how wrong she was.

The next day Taylor and Yumiko went to the club together, the mission was clear, find a boy, date him and prove to herself that she likes men.
After a few hours and drinks, the girls separated, Taylor went somewhere with a boy she met on the dance floor, and Yumiko stayed at the bar, the last thing she remembered was entering one of the bathrooms with a mysterious man she met at the bar, then only flashes of they both took off their clothes and they have a sex. She knew it was a mistake, but the alcohol had an effect on her like nothing else, but one image kept lingering in her mind, the blonde sitting in front of her, smiling, the sound of her laughter, the most beautiful sound in the world, her beautiful brown eyes staring into her. She couldn't deny it. She fell in love.

Yumiko woke up in her apartment, next to her on her big bed was Taylor sleeping, Yumiko got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror, her makeup was still on her face, she was still wearing what she had on myself the night before. The Asian girl took off her clothes and entered the shower, washed off her makeup and changed into clean clothes, went to the kitchen and started making coffee, while she was doing so, a sleepy Taylor joined her.

- Hi. - said the woman, sitting on a swivel chair at the kitchen island.

- Hey, coffee?

- Yes, please... I don't remember much, do you?

- I remember when we separated, I stayed at the bar and you went with some guy... I think he was black.

- Oh no! I forgot to get his phone number, he was so sexy... - Taylor said, Yumiko laughed and placed the coffee in front of her.

- Before it cools down, you can go wash yourself, there is a separate bathroom in the guest room. - Yumiko said, Taylor went to the bathroom in the guest room and returned to Yumiko sitting on the couch, the Asian gave her a cup of coffee and took hers from the cabinet next to it.

- You were right...

- About what?

- About Magna...

- What changed your mind?

- The fact that I slept with a man...

- What?

- I slept with some guy...

- Even though you protected yourself?

- I don't remember...

- Miko...

- God, how stupid.

- Miko... Hey... - Taylor moved to Yumiko and put her arm around her. - At least you know how you feel about Magna.

- That's the only good thing... While having sex with him, all I could think about was her.

- Maybe don't tell her that, not the best pick-up test. - Taylor laughed, Yumiko hugged her and smiled.

Flashback 2010

Yumiko won Magna's court case, freed her from prison, kissed her in front of the courthouse, which was the best decision in her life, now they live together and are a couple, everything would be perfect if it weren't for the recent news on TV, talking about cases of people eating others, cannibals? Some virus? Terrifying.

Yumiko was sitting in the office looking through the files of the next case, she was stressed about it, because the client had already been convicted, and the crime he had committed certainly did not give him a chance for a lenient sentence, the woman got up from her seat and went to the dining room to make some coffee, she found that the news was on TV and some of his colleagues.
Everyone was talking about one thing.

- They're doing it to scare us. - said one of the men.

- This isn't funny, David. Maybe something is actually happening...

- They also said the same about the flu epidemic, the flu is still there, but there is no epidemic, you will see that all this chaos will end soon.

Yumiko made some coffee and left the dining room to get back to her business, but she couldn't concentrate at work, so she took her work home. She knew Magna would be back late, so she had to keep her mind occupied.

Magna actually came back late, the women exchanged their opinions about the situation in the media, spent the evening together and went to bed, Magna fell asleep so quickly that Yumiko didn't even notice when her girlfriend started snoring. She loved her quiet snoring, but sometimes instead of a quiet and soothing sound she got a loud and unpleasant one, although she couldn't complain, it made her unable to think as much, and that was good for her.

Nothing was good, the city went crazy, people started eating others and the dead came back to the living.
Magna and Yumiko were driving the car forward, Yumiko was driving, her hands were shaking and breathing was getting heavier, at one point the woman stopped in the middle of the road.

- Miko, I can drive. - Magna reassured her, but her breathing was still very heavy and uneven.

- Magna, I...

- Hey, everything's fine, breathe...

- Nothing's fine, Magna! What will our lives look like now?!

- Miko, look at me... - Magna said, grabbing Yumiko's hands and stroking them gently with her thumbs. - Breathe, count to ten... - Yumiko did what Magna told her and then fell into her arms.
Magna wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and stroked her back, the women spent a long time like that before moving on, Magna just hugged Yumiko, letting her know that she was there for her, that she loved her very much and wouldn't let her get hurt... That everything would be fine.

Chapter Text

Day 424

They had been living in Coalport for several months and everything seemed perfect. Kai grew up, new people began to arrive, the group found tasks for themselves, they were the main guardians of the gates of Coalport, Connie, Kelly and Yumiko defended the settlement with their slings and bow, Magna and Luke were most often outside the gates, they had weapons that required a closer approach to victims.
Yumiko recovered fully and eagerly returned to the fight, finally feeling useful, the group tried to ensure that someone could always stay with Kai when they went outside the gates, but they had a few trusted people who stayed with the little girl when there was no other option.
This time the whole group was scouting and looking for supplies, so they split into two groups, Magna and Luke searched the area, and Yumiko, Kelly and Connie went looking for food and water.
The trip took practically half a day, everyone met halfway to Coalport, safe and sound, Kelly, Connie and Luke returned to their camper, and Magna and Yumiko went to one of the trailers at the other end of the settlement, the young girl living there, Camille she took care of their daughter, she loved spending time with Kai as much as they did.

- Hello, darling - Yumiko said to her daughter, taking the laughing girl into her arms.

- Thank you, Cam. - Magna added, walking up to Yumiko and placing one of her hands on her daughter's small head.

- You know it's a pleasure for me, she slept quite a long time, ate carrot puree, didn't cry much.

- We are very grateful for your care.

- You have nothing to be thankful for... How's the scouting going?

- Everything's fine for now... We also found some supplies.

- Good to hear that.

- Let's go, we need to rest a bit. - Yumiko said. - Thank you.

- You're welcome. - Camille replied. Magna and Yumiko left the trailer and started walking towards their camper, as they got close they saw Kelly, Connie and Luke approaching them.

- Where are you going? - Magna asked.

- To you... - Kelly began.

- We're taking Kai for the evening. - Connie added, spelling with her fingers.

- Why?

- You need rest. Come on, little ladybug. - Kelly replied, already taking the girl into her arms.

- And spend the evening together. - Luke added. Magna and Yumiko smiled at each other, Magna took Yumiko's hand.

- Thank you... - Yumiko replied, Magna smiled at the group and together they headed towards their camper.
The women reached the camper and laid down on the bed, Yumiko snuggled against Magna's back, the couple lay like that for a while until Magna felt something warm on her neck, Yumiko's lips, the blonde turned to her girlfriend and smiled at her.

- Since others are taking care of Kai, I thought we deserved a nice evening...

- You are ready?

- And would I be doing it if I wasn't?

- I want you to feel as comfortable as possible...

- I feel comfortable Magna... I feel comfortable with you...

- Are you sure? - Magna asked, Yumiko's answer was a passionate kiss, it didn't take long for Magna to give it back, after a while Yumiko found herself on Magna's lap, the blonde took off her shirt and started taking off Miko's shirt. When both women were only in their T-shirts, Magna placed Yumiko on the bed, sat on her and lowered her kisses to Yumiko's neck and then chest, gradually increasing the intensity of the kisses, how much she missed it.

- Magna... - Yumiko whispered between her girlfriend's kisses. Magna removed her mouth from her chest and moved it to hers. -Mags...

- Hmm? - Magna asked without taking her eyes off her beautiful woman.

- Magna, stop... - Yumiko said, these words had an effect on Magna and after a while she broke away from the older woman's mouth.

- I did something wrong? - the blonde asked, straightening up and getting down with Yumiko back onto the bed.

- No... I just thought I saw someone under the window...

- Our camper is at the very end, I don't think anyone goes here.

- Maybe it wasn't a coincidence...

- I'll check it out if it'll make you feel better. - Magna said and kissed Yumiko on the lips one last time before she folded her shirt and got off the bed, the girl got out of the camper and walked around it.
Yumiko sat inside and waited for her girlfriend to return, she waited for her for a few minutes in silence until she heard Magna scream, after a while the younger girl returned to the camper.

- What happened? - Yumiko asked. Magna sat down on the bed next to her.

- That idiot was spying on us!

- Who?

- The one in the hideous Turkish shirt!

- Bernie?

- Whatever, pervert! I found him under the window, the idiot thought I wouldn't notice it.

- But what was he doing there? Why was he spying on us?

- I don't know, he wanted to jerk off!

- Calm down...

- NO! I won't calm down, Miko!

- Let's just cover the window and we can finish this...

- We can't even have a moment of privacy.

- We can, let's just close the door and cover the window...

- Okay... - Magna said and lowered the curtains, went to the door and locked it.
The younger woman returned to the bed and took off her shirt, returning to what she had interrupted.

Day 431

A week later, the situation calmed down a bit. Whenever Magna and Yumiko wanted to be alone, they covered all the windows and closed the doors to avoid the situation from last week.
Magna was just finishing her afternoon watch, coming down from the observation point, when she heard someone calling her name.

- Mag! - a man preferred her, Magna knew him, his name was Simon, he worked with her and her group as one of the defenders of Coalport, sometimes he and Magna had shifts together.

- What happened? - Magna asked, descending completely from the ladder to the ground.

- Chris wanted to talk to you, I think about work... He's waiting at his place. - Simon said and changed Magna by climbing the ladder.

- Thanks, Simon. - Magna replied. The woman moved towards Chris' trailer and was about to knock when she heard two voices talking to each other.

- It's unethical! - one of the voices shouted.

- Do you think I care? - replied the second one, apparently belonging to their leader.

- Why should I do this? You can see that everything is fine with them.

- Because I say so, unless you want to get kicked out and fend for yourself, go ahead!

- I do not want to do it.

- Then get out! Go on your own in the wild! - after these words there was silence. After a while, one of the voices answered again.

- Let it be... But as we agreed...

- I always keep my word, it's sacred to me. - said Chris.

- I hope. - an unknown voice answered for the last time.
Magna knocked on the door, hoping the conversation was over.

- Just a moment! - Chris shouted, Magna heard the sound of the trailer door opening, probably the door on the other side, after a moment she heard the sound of the lock opening, the door on her side opened and Chris stood there.

- Simon said you wanted to see me.

- That's right, come in. - Chris confirmed and opened the door wider, inviting Magna inside, the woman entered and the man locked the door.

-I thought you were talking to someone...

- No, you must have thought, I've been alone since this morning.

- Apparently my hearing is failing me...

- It's quite normal after the afternoon shift, you probably missed your daughter.

- Yes, I would like to go back to her...

- You seem very attached to her.

- I guess that's how it is...

- You gave birth to her?

- No, no, this is Yumiko's biological daughter.

- So yours isn't?

- Not biological, but she's my daughter, I love her.

- It's obvious... Tell me, you and Yumiko... Have you been together for a long time?

- We started being a couple a little before the fall... Why do you ask?

- No reason... I just wanted to ask if you'd like to meet me... Alone...

- No, Chris, it's impossible. I'm with Yumiko, and I'm also a lesbian.

- I understand your transitional phase, but believe that one evening with me is enough and you will change your mind...

- There was only one man in my life who tried to change me... My father and you know what? Dead.

- I don't think the same thing will happen to me.

- Never say never.

- Tell me, Magna. I assume you know well how favors work in prison... - Chris began. Magna looked at him in surprise, how could he know?

- Where from?... - Magna asked. The man didn't even let her finish her question.

- I know about the tattoo. You think I haven't seen it? Let me ask you just to be sure, do you know how favors work in prison?

- ...Yes.

- A favor for a favor, I welcomed you here... And I can also throw you out...

- What?

- Easy. It's enough for you to disappoint me... Even one small mistake... But your people don't need to know...

- ...What should I do?

- Make me the happiest man in the world and meet me.

- NO. I don't want to. We've managed on our own for so long, and we'll manage this time too. - Magna said confidently, the woman turned and headed to the door, removed the lock and grabbed the handle, which she had almost pressed.

- Think about it, Magna. You have a small child, you probably don't want something bad to happen to little Kai. - said Chris. Magna let go of the doorknob and quickly walked towards the man.

- Don't you dare threaten my daughter!

- But Magna, I'm not threatening her, the only person who can be responsible for her fate can be you...

- Don't worry about Kai's safety, she's in no danger from me, Yumiko, or anyone from my group. And it's better that nothing threatens her from any side.

- Think about it. I'll give you time, whenever you're ready, come to me. - said Chris. Those were his last words before Magna left his trailer.

That evening, Magna couldn't keep her mind off her afternoon conversation with Chris. The woman was sitting on the bed, watching the girl playing on their bed. Kai had changed a lot over the past few months, her Asian features were becoming more and more noticeable and with each passing day she looked even more like Yumiko, her dark brown hair had grown so much that it could now be tied into small ponytails, Magna loved playing with her daughter's hair , especially since Yumiko herself didn't like it when someone touched her hair.

- Hey, Kai Kai, look what I have. - said Magna, showing the lying girl the bunny mascot she found during the last scouting trip. The girl stretched her little hands up, catching the stuffed animal and putting it to her little mouth, Kai put one of the bunny's ears into her mouth and started sucking it, Magna smiled and bent down to be closer to the girl.

- You're beautiful, darling. - added Magna, taking Kai's small, chubby hands in hers and kissing her daughter on the cheek.
At the same time, Yumiko entered the camper, the older woman had just returned from hunting, she was getting better at aiming a bow.

- Hi, I hope she didn't cry too much. - Yumiko said and approached the bed, kissed Magna on the lips and little Kai on the forehead, causing the girl to laugh.

- She's such an angel, you could leave me with her for the whole day.

- Oh, so I see I'm not needed. Yumiko laughed. - But our little one is probably hungry, she needs to be fed.

- Yes, that's what you're needed for... - Magna said smiling at her girlfriend, Yumiko took her daughter in her arms and hugged her to her chest.

- Come on, honey, can we eat something? - Yumiko asked the girl and without waiting for the answer, which would not come anyway, she took off her shirt and exposed one of her breasts, Kai put her little mouth to her mother's nipple and started drinking milk.

- How was your day? - Yumiko asked, looking at Magna and stroking Kai's back with one hand.

- As always, nothing new... What about you? - Magna asked, sitting down next to Yumiko, placing her hand on the back of her daughter's head.

- I'm getting better at shooting at targets, I guess I'm a good archer...

- You're getting better at fighting... - Magna praised her and placed a light kiss on Yumiko's lips.

Magna, Yumiko and Kai spent the evening together, Kai ate and retired in Yumiko's arms, the women didn't have the heart to wake the girl up, so they sat on the bed for an hour and watched every move of their precious daughter, they treasured moments like this, peaceful and quiet moments only in the three, they hoped to see Kai grow up, to learn to fight, to protect the people he loved, they hoped that in Coalport they would be safe, that they would finally be able to live at least a little like before. Magna feared there was only one way to do it.

Some time later, Yumiko put Kai in the cradle and fell asleep herself after a busy evening, Magna looked at her two beloved girls, safe in their warm beds, without having to get up on watch, she thought about Kelly, she was only a teenager and she had already experienced too much for her such a young person, her entire group was happy and safe here, she couldn't take that away from them. She decided to go to Chris' trailer, she didn't know if she was doing wrong or right, she just wanted her entire group to be safe so that they could avoid the situation before Coalport, she couldn't let anyone she loved die. Not again.
The blonde knocked on the trailer door, heard the sound of the lock opening, and after a while the door opened and Chris appeared. The man was already wearing loose clothes, probably pajamas.

- Magna. I'm glad to see you. - Chris said with a smile and let the blonde inside. Magna entered the trailer, the man locked the door behind her and stood in front of her. - I trust you've already made up your mind since I see you here.

- If it will keep my group safe, I'm willing to agree...

- I'm so glad to hear that... You'll see, soon it will no longer be a chore and will become a pleasure.

- I sincerely doubt it.

- Remember my words again. You will soon become the leader of Coalport, my beauty. - said the man, approaching Magna from behind, he placed his hands on her waist, and his lips went to the blonde's neck, his breathing quickened as he kissed Magna's neck. His hands allowed themselves more and more, they moved higher and higher and after a moment they moved from her waist to Magna's breasts, the man touched them through her T-shirt, he took off her shirt and threw it on the desk, as soon as his lips were on the woman's shoulder Magna moved away up and put her shirt back on.

- I guess that's enough for the first time... - Magna said, covering the hickey on her neck made by Chris with her curls.

- You're right, pretty girl. - the man agreed, coming closer to Magna, he grabbed her chin and turned her head to kiss her on the cheek. - Go, or they'll start worrying about you... It was a good decision, see you soon, darling... - Magna walked to the door, playing with her hair, grabbed the handle and went out of the trailer, closed the door behind her and leaned against against the trailer, tears began to fall from her brown eyes, she sat on the ground and buried her face in her arms. She couldn't look at herself, she was disgusted with herself, she felt like a whore and a traitor, she betrayed Yumiko. She betrayed the person she loved most in the world. After a few moments of crying, Magna felt someone touch her shoulder, she looked up and saw a black-haired, tall and thin man. Bernie.

- What the hell are you doing here? - Magna asked tearfully. The woman quickly wiped her eyes and stood up, she was quite tall, but next to Bernie she seemed very short.

- I saw you crying, what happened?

- Nothing, don't worry about it.

- Magna, did he do something to you?

- What? Of course not!

- So why are you sitting in front of his trailer and crying? And do you have a hickey on your neck?...

- It's none of your business. - Magna said and covered the red kiss mark with her hand. - Me and Yumiko are in a relationship and we do different things, it's normal for people in a relationship, and you should know it since you spy on us regularly.

- I'm not spying on you, Magna.

- Of course not, because from then on we cover all the windows.

- You don't have to, I don't do it and I haven't done it.

- Yeah? Then why did I catch you outside our window last week while we were having sex?

- It's not what you think.

- What I saw is enough for me. - Magna said, passed Bernie and away from him.

- Magna, did he force you to do something? - Bernie asked. Magna stopped and turned to the man.

- Don't interfere. Leave me alone, all of us, I don't want to see you.

Magna returned to her camper and lay down next to the sleeping Yumiko, the older woman turned to Magna and hugged her around her waist, burying her face in her chest.

- Where have you been? - the British woman asked in a sleepy voice.

- I had to take a walk, I can't sleep... - Magna replied, running her hand around Yumiko's waist. The older woman, feeling the gesture, smiled and placed a kiss on the blonde's lips.

- I love you... - Yumiko said, slowly falling asleep again. Magna wanted to answer, but her conscience wouldn't let her, she couldn't stop thinking about what she had done, she couldn't look her in the eyes or say the words "I love you".

Chapter Text

Day 438

Throughout the week, Chris indulged in more and more. He called Magna to his place more and more often, even several times a day, no one seemed suspicious, because Magna was not only the leader of one of the groups but also one of the main soldiers of Coalport, so no one was surprised that she visited him often, he had thought everything through. .
Today she was invited to the man's cabin again, before the shift she went to him to find out what was going on, the woman ruthlessly entered the cabin without bothering to knock on the door, Chris was sitting at the table with a book in his hand, when he noticed the blonde he put it down, put it on bookmark in it and got up from the chair.

- Magna, I didn't expect you to be here at this time.

- Of course you expected it, one of your men said you wanted to see me.

- Honey, these are your people too. You'll be a leader soon.

- I don't need to be a leader. Besides, don't call me honey.

- We're in a relationship, we should soon...

- Wait, what relationship? I agreed to several meetings, but that doesn't mean we are together.

- Magna...

- No, we're not together, I'm with Yumiko.

- With Yumiko...

- Yes, with Yumiko. Did you want to hear this? I can go?

- Yes, that's what I wanted to hear. I'll see you in the evening. - said Chris. Magna turned to the door, grabbed the handle and had one foot on the stairs to the changing room. - If you see Sammy, tell him to come to me as soon as possible.

- Of course. - Magna replied and left the trailer.

In the evening, Yumiko, together with Luke and two other men, left Coalport to scout, Magna stayed with little Kai, Yumiko did not return for a long time, and she had to fulfill her promise to Chris. The girl was full, so Magna didn't have to worry about food, but what worried her was that her girl and friend were behind the walls longer than they should have been.
The blonde knocked on the camper across from them, Connie opened the door and smiled.

- Hello, can you take care of Kai? Yumiko won't be back for a long time, and I have some things to do. - said Magna, writing with the hand free from Kai. Connie smiled wider, nodded and took the little girl into her arms, Magna kissed her laughing daughter on the cheek, waved Connie away and headed straight for Chris's trailer.

This time Magna knocked on the door of the changing room, when she heard permission she went inside and closed the door behind her, the woman was speechless when she saw the table set, there was a lit candle in the middle, glasses standing on both sides of the table, a full bottle of red wine standing in the middle next to the previously mentioned one. candle, the man approached the blonde and grabbed her hands.

- I'm glad you're here. - said Chris and led Magna to the table, moved her chair, and when she sat down, he went to his side, sat down in his seat, took out an opener from his pocket and unscrewed the bottle of wine, poured wine first for Magna and then for himself.

- Do you feel better than this morning?

- I think so. I'm worried about Yumiko, she hasn't returned from scouting yet.

- I'm sure nothing happened. What did you do with your daughter?

- Do you care?

- I wouldn't ask if it were otherwise.

- Connie is taking care of her.

- So you have the whole evening for me. - Chris said with a smile. The man reached into his pocket and took out a wedding ring. - This morning you pointed out something very important, so I thought you should have it.

- NO. This is an exaggeration. - Magna said, the woman got up from the chair and walked to the door.

- Magna. - Chris said and got up from his seat, went to Magna and grabbed her hand.

- There was no talk about it!

- I think you forgot that I'm telling you what to do and what not to do. - the man said firmly and squeezed the blonde's hand even tighter.

- It hurts!

- Stop struggling and start listening, it won't hurt! - the man shouted and pulled Magna with such force that she successfully pulled her to him.

- Stop!

- Then you stop! - Chris shouted again and pushed Magna onto the bed, when she lay confused Chris crushed her with his body and started kissing her neck while ruffling her curls, his action was interrupted by the noise of the door suddenly opening, which hit the wall, Chris jumped out of the bed, leaving her on it shocked Magna.

- What the hell, Gavin?! - Chris shouted at the man, Magna slowly got up and sat on the bed, she looked at her hands and saw two blue marks on both wrists.

- It's just... I was scouting with... With Luke, Yumiko and Sammy...

- And what?! Speak out, damn it!

- A horde attacked us, Yumiko and Luke collided with each other and both fainted, they had wounds on their heads and...

- What?! - Magna shouted, immediately jumping to her feet.

- They...

- Where are they?!

- In the infirmary, Owen is examining them... - Gavin said. Magna ran out of the trailer and ran to the infirmary at the speed of light.
Just not Yumiko. Just not her.

Magna was sitting in the infirmary next to the bed where the unconscious Yumiko was lying, Luke was lying on the bed next to her, both of them had just been examined and treated.

- Magna. - a man named Owen, a local doctor, asked her. - Their condition is stable, they suffered quite serious injuries...

- Please tell the truth... - Magna demanded, ready to hear the worst. The man hesitated for a moment, but after a short thought he began to speak.

- Yumiko is worse. She probably hit her head on a rock or branch. There's no telling when he'll wake up. - Owen said, Magna lowered her head to the sheets, grabbing Yumiko's hand. - I wish I could do more, Magna. But you have to wait.

- Will you give us a moment alone?

- Of course, as much as you want. - Owen left the room, leaving Magna with Yumiko and Luke.

- Yumiko... Please, baby. Don't leave me... I'm begging you, Kai needs you... I need you... - Magna whispered, the woman kissed the older woman's hand and stroked her forehead.
The blonde sat next to Yumiko for a while, before leaving, she placed a kiss on her girlfriend's lips and walked up to Luke, squeezed his hand, letting him know that she was with him.

The woman left the infirmary and went to Connie, Kelly and Luke's camper to pick up Kai from them, the girl had been with them too long, both women were definitely worried about the rest of their group, and the baby was very hungry, Magna knocked on the door , after a while Kelly stood there.

- Finally! We were terribly worried, where are Yumiko and Luke? - the younger girl asked, Magna looked into her eyes and sighed, expressing more than a thousand words. Kelly invited Magna in, gave her some water and sat across from her to listen.

- Yumiko and Luke went scouting with Sammy and Gavin, they didn't come back for a long time, so I started to worry, I had to take a shift for Alice, so I saw them being carried in, now they're both in the hospital... Their condition is stable, but we don't know when they'll wake up ... - said a shaky Magna, who didn't even have the strength to translate what she was saying into sign language, so Kelly translated everything so that Connie also knew what was happening.
The woman sat down next to Kelly, holding the sleeping Kai in her arms, and placed her free hand on Magna's, letting her know she was there for her.

- It'll be fine, Mags... Miko and Luke are tough guys, they'll do it. - Kelly said, smiling slightly at the woman.

- I hope... Kai will definitely miss his mother soon too...

- He won't make it... Yumiko will wake up in a week or two and...

- Be realistic, Kelly, Owen says there's no telling.

- You have to be positive, Mag... - Connie spelled, the woman gave the blonde her daughter, Magna hugged her, stroking her back with one hand.

- Thank you for taking care of Kai... We'll go, I need to rest... - Magna said, getting up from the chair, both women got up with her and walked her to the door.

- If you need help just knock... - Kelly said, the younger woman hugged Magna and petted Kai's head.

- Thank you... - Magna left Connie and Kelly's camper and went to her own, closed the door and put Kai in her bed, covered the girl with a blanket and gently ran her hand over her pink cheek, the woman sat on the bed and buried her face in her hands, laid she turned and turned to face the wall, after a few minutes she drifted off to sleep, exhausted by the events of the day. It was too much.

A few hours later, Magna woke up to Kai's crying, it wasn't strange, the girl usually woke up several times a night, Magna had to be strong for her, she had to provide her with love for herself and for Yumiko at least for a few weeks, the woman got up from the bed and walked over to the baby's bed. The girl waved her arms and legs, giving her mother a sign that she needed a hug.

- Hey, what's going on, honey? - Magna asked in a whisper, taking the girl in her arms, Kai was still crying even while cuddled in her mother's chest, Magna began to rock the girl and kissed her head.

- Kai Kai... I miss mama too... - Magna was still monologuing, trying to calm the girl down, she gave her a pacifier, but nothing worked. - Your bunny... - Magna said to herself, starting to look for the toy, there was no trace of it in her bed, at the same moment she also heard a knock on the door, so she went to it and opened it, her eyes saw worried Connie and Kelly.

- I'm sorry she woke you up, she's grumpy today...

- You need help, Magna... - Kelly said, taking Kai from Magna's arms.

- No, I just lost her bunny...

- I'll help you look for... - Connie spelled out and she and Kelly entered Magna's camper.

- No need, I can handle it, I just won't sleep...

- Magna... You need help now... I'll help you find the bunny, come on. - Connie spelled again and started searching the camper.

Kelly and Connie stayed with Magna all night, while Kai cried Kelly rocked her and Connie took care of Magna, she lay down with her and cuddled her until she fell asleep, Kai continued to cry for some time, she probably had colic or just felt something is wrong. She felt Yumiko's lack just like Magna, although the girl already ate pureed vegetables and fruits, she needed mother's milk, which she couldn't get at the moment.
When the girl finally managed to fall asleep, Kelly lay down next to her sister and friend and fell asleep.

Early in the morning, Magna received a message from Chris passed on by one of his men, the blonde left the camper without waking up her friends and daughter sleeping next to her and went towards the man's trailer.
When she arrived, she found the door open, so she went inside, finding Chris sitting at his desk as usual, when he saw Magna, he stood up and walked closer to her.

- Magna. - he turned to her, trying to touch her arm, but the woman moved away from him and walked to the other end of the room.

- Never come closer to me. - said Magna terrified.

- Honey, I'm sorry about yesterday, I was nervous.

- Do not talk to me like that!

- Do not shout. - Chris said, closing the door and turning the key.

- Why are you closing the door?...

- So that no one disturbs us... - Chris began to slowly approach Magna, who moved away until she bumped into the desk and had no escape route. Chris stood close to her and placed his hand on her cheek. - How are you feeling today, honey?

- Do not talk to me like that.

- Magna. How are you feeling today?

- Tired... I'd rather go back to my place...

- Didn't your daughter let you sleep?

-She had a rough night too. Yumiko couldn't feed her and she had colic...

- Poor girl... Well, we finally had to wean her.

- She's still too young, only a few months old...

- Besides... Now that Yumiko is in a coma... Maybe we can have some time together?

- What?

- I'm just saying maybe it's better. - Chris said with a smile, but as quickly as the smile appeared, it disappeared due to the burning sensation on his cheek caused by Magna's hand.

- Don't you ever dare say that. Never. - Magna said, looking the man in the eye, he was so confused that he didn't even notice Magna running out of his cabin.

Day 445

For the next week, Magna managed to avoid Chris, the man didn't want to meet her, which didn't necessarily bother her, she had time for Kai and to visit Yumiko and Luke, today she combined these two things and took her daughter to the hospital so she could see her mother.

- Mom will wake up soon and you can play with her, ladybug... - Magna said in a whisper, looking at the girl in her arms, both of them were at Yumiko's bed, and the blonde was holding her hand. - With Uncle Luke too...

Confused, in pain, he woke up, touched his aching head and looked around. Yumiko was lying unconscious on the bed next to him, only two voices could be heard talking to each other in the room, it took a moment before he recognized them, but he did: Alyssa and Auden.

- It was a mistake, Auden, we shouldn't have brought them here.

- I didn't know it would be like this, I wanted to have more people here.

- Or maybe you just hoped they'd get us out of this?

- Maybe so, I don't know Alyssa.

- I can't blame you, I would like this nightmare to end, but they have a small child... What if?...

- No, Alyssa, don't even think about it. He certainly didn't do it.

- How do you know about this?

- He's a pervert and a rapist, but not a pedophile.

- People change. He is unpredictable... When I think that he could do this...

- Stop... I feel sick thinking about it...

- We have to finish this. They have to escape from here today.

- And Yumiko and Luke? They won't escape without them.

- They'll have to... You'll have to convince them somehow...

- How do you know he hasn't raped her yet?

- Believe me, I would know...

- Who was going to rape who? - Luke asked, getting up from the bed in pain, both Alyssa and Auden were standing in the corner of the room, and when they heard Luke's voice, they turned towards him.

- Luke...

- What were you talking about? - Luke asked. Alyssa and Auden walked up to Luke.

- I'll go get Owen... - Alyssa said, trying to back out of the answer, Luke grabbed her hand, stopping her..

- What is it about? - Luke asked again. Alyssa and Auden looked at each other and sat on the bed.

- Luke... The thing is... - Alyssa started.

- Chris is an unpredictable, disgusting and nasty pervert... He forces young women to have sex, he exploits them and does whatever he wants to them because he knows they would rather do that than be thrown out... - Auden finished.

- As soon as we got here, I caught his eye... He's been using me ever since...

- He's blackmailing Alyssa, saying he'll kill me if she doesn't do it.

- At first I thought he wasn't serious, but then he beat him...

- I mean... He had his people do it... Owen had to give me ten stitches...

- Since then, he's been doing whatever he wants with me... I'm not the only one, there are several women like that... including Magna...

- What?

- I know it's a shock, but you need to talk about it.

- Chris I want to find out as much as possible about Magna and Yumiko's relationship... Even about their sex life... He is blackmailing Bernie that he will throw him out if he doesn't spy on them, eavesdrop and report everything he finds out...

- Luke... - Alyssa began, looking at the man. - He hasn't done anything to her yet... He hasn't raped her... It's not too late, you can run away, you have a small child, save her...

- She's still little, he's not a pedophile, but when she grows up...

- I don't even want to think about it... I have to tell the others...

- I'll call Owen first, he needs to examine you... - Auden said, the boy got up from the bed and went out in search of Owen.

- Alyssa... What about Yumiko?

- She hit her head very hard... Owen says nothing is known...

- Did she hit herself?... No... She didn't hit herself...

- What do you mean?

- I was scouting with her... With her and two other men... At some point, one started to distract me, and the other hit her on the head with a stone... I ran to her to check if she was alive, but that's the last thing I remember...

- With two other men?... Who was it?

- I'm not sure... One was named Gavin and the other... I think Sam or something...

-Gavin and Sammy?

- Yes! Sammy.

- Damn... They're Chris's people. He wanted to get rid of Yumiko so he could have Magna all to himself.

- Will she wake up?

- Owen isn't sure... Magna knows about it... - Alyssa said sadly, after a while Auden returned to the room accompanied by Owen, the man began to check Luke's condition.
Auden and Alyssa left the hospital, giving Owen the right conditions to work.

In the evening, Connie and Kelly visited Luke. Auden and Alyssa informed them that their friend had woken up immediately after leaving the hospital, but they thought it would be better to also say that he should be properly examined, so the sisters waited until the evening.

- How do you feel? - Connie spelled as she sat down on Luke's bed.

- It could be better, but I'm not complaining... - Luke spelled out, looking at both women.

- I'm sure Magna would like to see you too. - Kelly said while spelling.

- Is she scouting?

- No, we don't really know what she does... She always says she goes to be alone... - Kelly said.

- What did you do with Kai?

- She stayed with Camille. - Connie spelled.

- I need to tell you something about Magna... - Luke said, asked Kelly to translate it into Connie's sign language at the same time and started talking.

Magna entered the familiar trailer she had been going to for so long, too long. She couldn't think of anything to do with Chris, Connie and Kelly couldn't take care of Kai every night, Yumiko and Luke were in a coma, Magna felt like everything was falling apart, and she still went to this man and let him do whatever he wanted with her. to touch her everywhere.
Maybe this is her punishment for what happened to Lily?... For not being there for her.
Chris walked up to Magna, and to her surprise, he passed her and went to the door, locked it, and turned back to Magna.

- Oh, Magna. - Chris started, touching the blonde's cheek. - What you did last week was a big mistake...

- You said terrible things about the person I love.

- I wanted to settle this kindly... Give you time... But you don't give me a choice... - said the man, removing his hand from Magna's cheek and moving it to her neck.

- Choice?... - Magna asked stressed, and not even a moment had passed when Chris grabbed her arms tightly and quickly removed her shirt.
Magna struggled, making his task difficult, but Chris didn't give up, throwing Magna onto the bed and immobilizing her.
The man tore Magna's shirt, leaving her in just her bra, he took off his shirt and started undoing his belt, Magna was still swinging her legs and arms as much as her position allowed, she took advantage of Chris' lack of attention and reached into her pocket, she always carried a knife with her. Always. Now he was finally really useful to her, with the last of her strength took a blade from her pocket and plunged it into the man's thigh.
Chris screamed in pain and fell to the floor releasing Magna, the blonde was overcome with emotions, she couldn't control her anger, she got up from the bed and sat on the man, she began to plunge the blade into his chest, stomach and arms, it didn't take long when Magna swung and she plunged a knife into Chris's skull, the woman only came to her senses when the man lay dead on the floor, bleeding out. He got what he deserved. Magna looked at her hands, covered in blood, the blood of the first man she had killed after falling when that was when people were supposed to stick together.

After Luke's story, Connie and Kelly sat in shock and disgust. They couldn't believe they hadn't noticed anything, was Magna giving them signs? Were they just too busy to notice?
It was definitely too much for today. Connie and Kelly said goodbye to Luke and left the hospital, went to Camille's to pick up Kai, and then went back to their place.

- We need to talk to Magna... - Kelly spelled out as Connie walked around the camper with little Kai, rocking her to sleep.

- Do you think she'll tell us something? - Connie spelled with her free hand.

- We won't know if we don't try... - Kelly spelled again, the girl heard a knock on the door, so she went to play it, and when she did, she was shocked. Magna was standing in front of her, her curls were disheveled, she was wearing nothing but a bra and pants, her wrists were blue, there were red marks on her neck, tears were falling from her eyes, and her hands were covered in blood. Kelly quickly figured out what happened. Unfortunately.

Chapter Text

Happy Christmas to everyone!
I promise I'll start writing more after new year and of course during my Christmas break!
Happy Christmas, Happy new year and amazing time with your families,
Love u all🤍🤍

Chapter Text

   - Mag... - Kelly whispered, looking at Magna up and down. The blonde looked at the younger girl with terrified eyes.

   - Don't be afraid, Kelly... Please, I'll explain everything... - Magna said quietly. Her voice cracked with each word.

   - We already know everything, Magna... - Kelly replied, letting Magna inside. At the sight of her half-naked and bloody friend, Connie got up, trying to disturb the baby sleeping in her arms as little as possible.

   - What happened? - Connie spelled with her free hand, Kelly helped Magna sit up, the blonde looked at both women with surprise and worry.

   - Mag... We know what he's doing to you... - Kelly said, grabbing Magna's hand.

   - How do you know about this?...

   - Luke told us...

   - Luke woke up?... And...

   - Yumiko is still in a coma... I'm sorry, Magna... - Kelly said sadly, Magna lowered her head.

   - How does Luke know about this?...

   - He heard it from Alyssa and Auden... He's using her too...

   - What did you do to him? - Connie spelled out.

   - I... I had to defend myself... He wanted... - Magna began. The blonde was too shaken to spell or speak further, she hid her face in her arms.

   - Is he alive?... - Connie spelled out when Kelly finished explaining Magna's words to her.

   - NO. I plunged the blade straight into his head...

   - Magna...

   - Was he supposed to live on after what he did to me?... What did he want to do to all of you?... He threatened to throw us out if I didn't do what he told me...

   - We could do it, Magna...

   - Not at all! You don't deserve this! Kelly, you deserve better than running across the country from place to place! Kai deserves a normal childhood, not running and fighting! - Magna shouted, her loud behavior woke up the baby in Connie's arms, who started crying, Connie seeing her scared face started rocking her and hugging her soothingly.

   - Kai Kai... - Magna whispered as she approached Connie and Kai, the girl turned her attention to her mother, but all the blood on her face, her scared eyes and torn hair scared the girl even more and she buried her little face in her aunt's chest. - Honey, don't be afraid, it's just me, mom...

   - She's as scared as you are, children feel their parents' emotions... - Kelly comforted her, leading Magna back to the couch. The women sat down and Kelly looked at Connie in agreement. - Magna... We have something to tell you... Chris ordered Yumiko killed so he could have you for himself...

   - What?...

   - He told Gavin to hit her in the head, and since Luke went with them, he also became a victim...

   - He deserved what I did to him even more. We had an agreement, he could do whatever he wanted with me, but he had no right to touch Yumiko.

   - Come on, let's wash this blood off you. - Kelly said and helped Magna up, covered her with a blanket and took her out of the trailer to get a bowl of water, halfway there the women met Gavin and Sammy, who were leaving Chris' cabin, frantically looking for something.

   - There she is! - Sammy shouted and both he and Gavin moved towards Magna and Kelly.

   - What are you talking about? - Kelly asked.

   - Chris is lying dead in his trailer, there is blood everywhere, and Magna was the last one to be with him.

   - Asshole is lucky that I didn't leave him like that. He could come back to life in the worst way.

   - So you admit it?

   - He tried to rape me!

   - No kidding. We all know you fucked him because you wanted to take over Coalport.

   - What?!

   - You took advantage of the fact that he fell in love with you.

   - He fell in love?!

   - Yes, he fell in love. To kill. Unfortunately, probably not reciprocated. - Gavin said, looking at Magna with disgust.

   - Listen, until this all gets sorted out... - Kelly began.

   - Until all this is sorted out, Magna will be isolated from Coalport. We have to protect everyone now that Chris is gone. - Sammy finished for her, the man grabbed Magna's hand and pulled her to him.
Gavin grabbed her by the arms and began to lead her to the other side of Coalport.

   - We'll call a meeting tomorrow. In the evening. Everyone will be there and together we will decide what to do with Magna. - Sammy said as he left and joined Gavin and Magna.

Gavin and Sammy led Magna to the trailer at the far end of Coalport. The windows are boarded up and the doors are locked from the outside.
Gavin watched over Magna while Sammy went to get water, gave Magna a full bucket and a cloth to wash herself with, and found an old, torn t-shirt for her to put on when she was done.

   - See you tomorrow. - Sammy said goodbye and together with Gavin they left, closing the locker door.
Magna looked around the room. The trailer had a camp bed and a portable tourist toilet. Suddenly she felt as if she had fallen again and remembered the cold and dirty prison cell. The blonde dipped a cloth in water and put it to her neck, the water was terribly cold but she didn't get anything better and she wanted it.have as little of any remnants of Chris on them as possible.
Magna cleaned her neck and hands and put a bucket of dirty water in the corner, the woman put on a much too large T-shirt and lay down on the bed, cold and uncomfortable, but she didn't even try to sleep, she knew it wouldn't do. Not today.

   - Really?! - Connie spelled nervously as she placed Kai on the bed.

   - Yes! They took her somewhere, I don't even know where. - Kelly spelled, sitting across from her sister.

   - What we gonna do now?

   - Tomorrow evening there will be a meeting about her... With everyone...

   - We have to convince them that Magna did it as an act of self-defense, that he wanted to hurt her.

   - Maybe we should tell Alyssa about this?

   - It's a good idea. We can go to her first thing in the morning.

   - Connie... Do you think everything will be fine?...

   - Of course I do... - Connie spelled out, giving her younger sister a supportive smile as she grabbed her hand.

   - What about Kai?...

   - Today she will stay with us... - Connie spelled, taking her hand from her sister's and placing it on the girl's belly, who moved slightly and let out a quiet moan, causing Kelly to smile.                        

First thing the next morning, Connie and Kelly went to Alyssa's trailer to talk to her about Magna and convince her to testify against Chris and tell everyone about the abuse.
The women didn't even make it halfway before they saw Alysse frantically walking towards them.

   - Have you heard? - Alyssa asked, walking up to the sisters.

   - About what?

   - Magna. They found Chris dead and Magna was the last one with him.

   - Yes, we know that... They took her somewhere... Gavin and Sammy...

   - She killed him?

   - She defended herself. - Kelly said while spelling. - We were just on our way to see you...

   - Me?

   - Yes, we want to ask you to tell everyone what Chris was like. About him taking advantage of you...

   - Luke told you?...

   - Alyssa, it's nothing you should be ashamed of... It's men like them who should be ashamed of it. - Kelly said, explaining what Connie had spelled. - You're not the only one, right?... - Kelly asked, Alyssa lowered her head with this gesture, giving them an answer.

   - Of course not... He used everyone who caught his eye...

   - Alyssa, they need to know...

   - Everyone knows it, Kell! He intimidates boys, molests girls and you think no one noticed?! Bernie goes to the hospital on average several times a week, he has panic attacks because of Chris, because of what he does to him if you don't listen to him.

   - Alyssa, we have to help Magna, you too...

   - Gavin will take over and he's the same... Or even worse...

   - Maybe not... If people rebel...

   - They won't do it, they're too afraid of Chris's people... Luke probably told you what they did to Auden...

   - Alyssa we have to help Magna and everyone... We can live well here... - Kelly said, putting her hand on Alyssa's shoulder. The girl looked into the distance as if she was thinking, but after a while she frowned, looking at one point in front of her.

   - Auden?... - Alyssa whispered, Connie and Kelly turned and saw a man leaving the clinic.

   - It's good that I found you... - Auden said, running to the women. - Yumiko...

   - Is she?...

   - She woke up.                        

Connie and Alyssa entered the hospital, on one bed lay a smiling Luke, and on the other was a newly awake and confused Yumiko. Connie sat on her friend's bed and grabbed her hand, Yumiko smiled and looked around the room.

   - Kelly went to get Kai, she'll be back soon... - Connie spelled, not sure if Yumiko understood her, but when she saw the smile on Yumiko's face and her nod, she knew she remembered sign language.

   - How are you feeling?... - Alyssa asked, walking up to Yumiko.

   - Confused... Tired... My head hurts... But I'm alive...

   - It's good to see you... - Alyssa said, smiling at Yumiko.

   - You should stay with yourselves, we'll go now. - Auden said and he and Alyssa left the hospital, passing Kelly with Kai in her arms. The girl approached Yumiko, and Connie helped Yumiko lean against the pillows so she could take her daughter in her arms.

   - Hello, sunshine... - said Yumiko, taking her daughter in her arms and hugging her to her chest. The girl was also happy to see her mother, she kept smiling and touching Yumiko's face.

   - She missed you... - Kelly said, sitting down next to Connie. Soon Luke joined them as well.

   - I'm glad I came back to her... To all of you... And Magna?... - Yumiko asked. Connie, Kelly and Luke looked at each other and their eyes said the same thing: It's better not to tell Yumiko about what happened for now, it would be too much of a shock.

   - Magna is scouting... When he comes back, he'll come to you straight away...

   - I thought I would leave today... Owen was supposed to examine me... - Yumiko said, stroking little Kai on the back.

   - Better lie down for a few days... I woke up a week ago and I've been here ever since. - Luke said, placing his hand on Yumiko's.

   - Maybe you're right... I've been gone for a long time?

   - Maybe two weeks... Owen said you weren't feeling well and you wouldn't know how long you'd be in a coma... - Kelly said.

   - Do you remember what happened? - Connie asked.

   - I... I only remember that I was scouting, then I fell down and only woke up today...

   - Okay... Rest, we'll get Kai and... - Kelly said, reaching out to take Kai.

   - Actually... Can I stay with her?... She definitely missed me... - Yumiko interrupted her, still holding her daughter in her arms.

   - Sure... We'll come pick her up in the evening... - Kelly replied, getting up from the bed, Connie and Luke also got up, the man sat down on his bed, and Connie hugged Yumiko lightly.
The sisters left the hospital, giving the woman time to regenerate and spend time with her daughter.                          

In the evening, the entire community gathered around a bonfire organized by Gavin and Sammy to decide Magna's fate. The blonde was being led like a prisoner into the courtroom by Gavin. Magna felt it all come back, the sentence she received from the judge before her fall, but this time it was different, Yumiko, the woman who saved her life, was not with her.

   - And so. The situation is as follows... - Gavin began.

   - Chris was found dead in his trailer. Magna was the last one with him, we found her covered in blood... Half naked. - finished Sammy.

   - Magna and Chris had been dating for a while, she wasn't satisfied with being an ordinary resident, so she took advantage of Chris, and when she got what she wanted, she just got rid of him.

   - If no one has anything to say, I guess we can end our meeting...- Sammy said, waiting for the community's response. No one said a word, everyone was too shocked or agreed with the men's story, after all, they had known Chris longer than Magna.

   - Nobody? Okay, so I guess I can say we're all thinking the same thing... Magna and her entire group should leave Coalport right now.

   - Stop. - Alyssa said, getting up from her seat. The girl walked into the middle and stood next to Magna. - I wasn't supposed to say anything today, but I can't anymore... It wasn't Magna who took advantage of Chris... It was the other way around... He used me too... Not only me... I don't think there's a young girl here who hasn't she would be molested by him...

   - You're joking, Alyssa. - Gavin said, snorting and mocking the girl's words.

   - He intimidated the boys... Auden was beaten, Bernie too, more than once... He told him to spy on people, otherwise he would throw him out of the community...

   - Alyssa.

   - He told you to kill Yumiko! - Alyssa shouted, at this point everyone including Magna turned towards Gavin and Sammy.

   - Don't be afraid, talk about it... - Alyssa said, looking towards other women from the community. - Jasmine, Hannah... Auden... Show them your scars... - the girl said to him. The boy stepped forward, standing next to Alyssa, and uncovered his forehead, previously covered with hair, revealing the scars left by the stitches.

   - Is this supposed to be evidence? Gavin asked with a smile.

   - Maybe he got them in a different way and you just want to defend Magna. Sammy said confidently.

   - They're telling the truth… -  said one of the young women whom Alyssa had pointed out earlier.

   - Chris molested us... He told us that we would get various benefits from it... - added the second young woman also previously indicated by Alyssa.

   - Then Magna showed up... He slowed down a bit, but when he wasn't seeing her, he told another girl to come... - Alyssa said, looking at Magna. - I'm sorry you went through this...

   - Nothing you say will be confirmed... We have no way to confirm your words.

   - We base it on what we saw. Magna was the last to see Chris, we found him dead and Magna was covered in blood.

   - Yes. I killed him. - Magna finally said and with her words she turned everyone's eyes on her. - I did it as an act of self-defense. He tried to hurt me... I don't regret what I did in any way... If you want to throw us out, go ahead.

   - We'll manage. - Kelly added, standing next to Magna. - We'll go get Miko and Luke and leave Coalport.

   - If that's how it's supposed to be, okay then. - Connie spelled.

   - So I guess the problem is solved.

   - If you throw them out, we leave too. - Alyssa said and she and Auden stood next to the blonde and her friends.

   - Me too. - Bernie added, also joining the group.

   - Anyone else? - Sammy asked.

   - Excellent. Cross on the road. - Gavin said, the man started to walk Magna and her group to the gates, and Sammy went to the infirmary to take Yumiko and Luke from there, but they both stopped when they saw a gap in the fence and the stiffs entering through it.

   - Who the hell was on guard!? - Sammy shouted.

   - I'm afraid no one... Everyone was here. - Alyssa said.

More and more stiffs entered through the gap, the group retreated back to the fire, Gavin, not looking where he was going, tripped over one of the wooden stools, causing it to fall halfway into the glowing fire, after a while the entire stool caught fire, setting the grass and other stools on fire , the community scattered around their trailers and tents, preparing to escape.

   - Magna, what are we going to do?! - Kelly asked.

   - We'll split up, Kelly go to our campers and grab whatever you can, the fire shouldn't get there so quickly, Connie come with me to the infirmary, we need to get Yumiko and Luke... - Magna said, Kelly quickly did what she the leader told her, and Connie and Magna headed towards the infirmary. - Wait, where's Kai?!

   - She's with Yumiko at the infirmary, don't worry. - Connie spelled, reassuring Magna. The women arrived at the infirmary where they found Yumiko holding baby Kai and Luke sitting next to them.

   - Miko... - Magna whispered, approaching the girl and her friend.

   - Mags... What's going on there? We heard screams and...

   - This is not the time to explain, we have to run. - Magna interrupted her, taking Kai into her arms. The blonde grabbed Yumiko's hand and they left the hospital together, there were stiffs all around and Kelly still hadn't come back.

   - We have to run! - Yumiko shouted.

   - Kelly... Kelly isn't back, I won't go without her. - Connie spelled, trying to walk towards the campers, but was stopped by Luke.

   - I'll go get her, you hide in a safe place, we'll find you. - Luke said, spelling. The man ran in the direction where the teenager had previously run, leaving her friends behind.

   - Magna, what do we do? - Yumiko asked terrified, nudging Magna, the younger woman was looking at the gate on the land side and at the one on the water side. Gavin was already launching the boats, most of Coalport was ready to escape by water.

   - Land. We won't be able to escape by water... Too many people... - said Magna after a moment's thought. - Let's go!

When Luke got there he saw one of the campers open, he went in and saw the lockers were open, Kelly was here.
The man turned and left the camper, heading towards Magna's camper and Yumiko heard a growl, entered through the open door and saw three stiffs trying to get to Kelly, who was pushing them away with all her might. Luke took out his blade and plunged it into the skull of one of the stiffs causing him to fall to the ground, he did the same to the other and Kelly pushed the last one away enough for her to take the weapon she had dropped, getting up and driving the blade into the skull of the last stiff.

   - All good? - Luke asked, approaching the girl.

   - Yes, thanks to you... I took some of our clothes and I wanted to take Magna's, Miko's and some of Kai's sleepsuits and diapers, but they came in here, I dropped the knife...

   - It's okay... Come on, we have to run, the rest are waiting for us... - said Luke.
He and Kelly got out of the camper and ran towards the gate, ran out of Coalport and started looking for the rest of the group.

   - Come on, we'll find them when it gets quieter... - Luke said, he and Kelly hid in the nearest bushes, waiting for the area to get quieter.

   - Land. We won't be able to escape by water... Too many people... - said Magna after a moment's thought. - Let's go!

Connie and Yumiko ran after Magna, who headed towards the gate. Magna, being too focused on saving her and her companions' lives, did not notice that Alyssa, Auden and Bernie had joined them.

   - Miko, please, can we stay with you? - Alyssa asked, catching up with Yumiko.

   - Gavin is just like Chris. He'll kill us if we stay with him... - Auden added.

   - Yes... Yes, stay... It's okay... - Yumiko said shakingly, watching Magna.

   - Where are we going?

   - I don't know... Magna leads...

   - What about Kelly and Luke? - Bernie asked, looking around.

   - Kelly went to get her things, Luke went to get her, they should find us. - Yumiko said. Magna stopped at one of the trees, looking it up and down.

   - What are you doing? - Connie asked, looking at the same tree.

   - Nothing... I need to know where to go... - Magna replied, nodded and entered the forest, the whole group followed her although they didn't know where their leader was leading them, that's the role of a leader, to gain trust.

After a few minutes, the group reached the wooden hut, Magna opened the door and let her people in first, then entered herself, closing the door behind her, took a flashlight from her pocket, gave it to Kai Yumiko and started looking for something in the drawers.- Mag, what are you doing? What kind of hut is this? - Yumiko asked, following her girlfriend with her eyes wherever she went. Magna finally found a candle in one of the cabinets, took matches from her pocket and lit the candle.

   - I found it on one of the scouts... Perfect for this situation...

   - It's very far, Luke and Kelly won't find us... - Connie spelled, Magna walked up to her and placed her hands on her shoulders.

   - I'll look for them... I'll just make sure you're safe... - Magna replied, the girl left the hut and after a while she returned with two boxes covered with sheets, she set them on the ground, and when she turned to close the door, Alyssa uncovered the sheet, revealing food supplies. Fish, fruit, vegetables.

   - What is this? - she asked in surprise, looking carefully at the food.

   - I wanted to be ready for this situation, I found this hut, I brought some of the supplies I found here.

   - Recently, a crate of vegetables disappeared. -  Auden remarked, looking at Alyssa.

   - Magna, is this Coalport wrestling? - Bernie asked. Magna looked at him and his companions, then turned around and left the main room, disappearing into another.

   - Magna... - Yumiko said, following her girlfriend. - Magna, why you?...

   - Would you rather we were left with nothing?

   - I'd rather you didn't steal...

   - Miko, I found these supplies myself, I didn't rob anyone. - Magna said, taking something out of the cabinet.

   - And the fish? Alyssa said the vegetable box was also missing.

   - I was scouting, Peter caught some fish, I took a few.

   - And the vegetables? Why did you rob them?

   - Miko, do you remember when the house in the forest burned down? Kai, Connie and Luke almost died, we were left with nothing and I promised myself I would never let that happen again... Sorry if you're outraged, but now we're safe for a few weeks. - Magna said as she passed Yumiko and left the room.
The girl threw two sleeping bags to Connie and the other two to Alyssa.

   - I only have four, I didn't expect we would have more people. - Magna put on her backpack, took a flashlight in one hand, and a gun in the other.

   - Rest. I'll go find Kelly and Luke. - Magna said, spelling and looking at Connie. - Bernie. You're coming with me.

   - Me? Why?

   - I won't leave you here. I have to keep an eye on you. - Bernie joined Magna at the door and they left to look for Luke and Kelly.

Magna looked into every bush, every little cave, shining her flashlight and calling to her companions, Bernie protected her behind, looking around.

   - Do you think we'll find them?

   - Luke and Kelly are tough guys. We will definitely find them.

   - Maybe they ran away somewhere far away? They might be in... - the man began, but Magna didn't let him finish, she straightened up and looked at him.

   - What do you mean? Do you want them to die?

   - No, I just look at everything realistically.

   - Think less, search more. - Magna turned away from Bernie and started looking for her friends again. The man just stared at the blonde for a few minutes, then followed her, catching up with her.

   - You know... I understand why you did it.

   - What?

   - Wrestling. I understand why you stole them. - Bernie said. Magna didn't answer, still walking forward. - I would do that too.

   - I'm not saying it was smart. I wanted to be prepared for the worst, maybe it was stupid, but...

   - It wasn't stupid. I'm actually impressed by how much you care about them. Magna didn't answer again, so Bernie continued. - Magna, I... I never spied on you... When you found me under your camper, I was just sitting there... I'm not a pervert, I've never seen how you...

   - Did he blackmail you too?

   - I had panic attacks because of him... I was afraid he would throw me out, I could barely cope at the beginning...

   - Some people still can't cope... He told me he would throw us all out... And he threatened Kai...

   - Asshole... I guess what he might do with her when she was older...

   - NO. Don't say things like that, I'll vomit.

   - Sorry. It's terrible... - Bernie began, but Magna silenced him with her hand, hearing rustling and the sound of breaking branches, which the man also heard a moment later.

   - It could be stiff, or...

   - Luke and Kelly...

   - Why did she do it? - Alyssa wondered as she walked around the cabin, Auden sat on the floor unfolding his sleeping bag, Connie was doing the same next to him, and Yumiko tried to calm Kai, who was getting restless, probably from the sheer volume of events.

   - Magna is like that, it's just... - Yumiko started, but Alyssa interrupted her, stopping for the first time since Magna and Bernie left.

   - Does he always steal from others?

   - She just wanted to be prepared for a situation like today! - the Asian screamed, causing Kai's crying to become more intense, Connie walked up to her friend and took the girl into her arms, hugging her tenderly.to the breast.

   - Listen... I don't approve of her behavior either, but she has her own reasons not to trust everyone... As you can see, it's right...

   - Let's calm down... - Auden said, getting up from the floor and standing next to her friend. - Alyssa, what will you do after the fact? Coalport is gone, we won't give it to anyone, we can be glad that something remains.

   - Sorry about Magna... - Yumiko said, sitting down on the sleeping bag she had already laid out.
Then there was a knock on the door. Auden was closest to the entrance, so he grabbed the handle and gently opened the door.

   - We won't find them sitting in the bushes. - Kelly said, resting her arms made of sticks and leaves.

   - It needs to be cleaner. Luke said, observing the area, his field of vision narrowed by the density of the plant.

   - Do you think they'll look for us?

   - Definitely. We are family, they won't leave us.

   - Do you think everyone's okay? - the teenager asked. Luke turned to her with a smile.

   - With Magna at the helm? I think everything is definitely fine... Let's go towards the forest, the stiffs disperse...

   -Okay... Now?

   - Yes, I'll go out first and give you a sign, okay? - He asked. Kelly nodded and he slowly walked out of the bushes. After a while, Kelly received a signal, put her bag on her shoulder and left her hiding place.
Kelly and Luke moved forward, they didn't even have flashlights, so they didn't really know where they were going, tripping over branches and stones. At one point, Kelly stepped on a skinny branch, which broke under her touch.

   - Shit... - she cursed quietly. Luke grabbed her arm and dragged her to the nearest bushes, covering his mouth with his finger to show her to be quiet. Kelly heard frantic footsteps, as if someone had just run.

   - Maybe you misheard? - asked a male voice.

   - You heard it too. - replied another voice. This time feminine, recognizable, very familiar. Magna.

   - Mag?...

   - Luke and Kelly... - Magna ran to the source of the sound, Bernie followed her, he saw that the blonde had stopped a few miles away, observing something closely.

   - Maybe you misheard? - Bernie asked, walking towards the woman.

   - You heard it too. - she answered him without taking her eyes off the bush she was staring at.

   - Mag?... - asked a girl's voice. Magna recognized him immediately.

   - Kelly?... - Magna asked in a whisper, moving even closer to the source of the sound. The bushes moved, and after a moment Kelly emerged, followed by Luke. The teenager ran to the blonde and wrapped her arms tightly around her, Magna did the same, wrapping her arms around her younger friend's waist.

   - Is everyone okay? Connie? - Kelly asked, moving away from Magna and looking at her.

   - Yes, everyone is fine... - Magna replied, moving away from Kelly to hug Luke.

   - Let's go before they get together. - Bernie said. Magna passed him and led the group back to the cabin.
After a while, they reached their destination, Magna knocked on the door, which opened ajar after a while, Auden was standing there holding it, when he made sure who was standing at the door, he opened it, allowing the group to enter.
Kelly, noticing Connie, ran inside and hugged her sister tightly, the rest followed her, Luke hugged Yumiko and Connie, Magna walked up to Yumiko, placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on Kai's little head, which had just been passed back into her arms We have.

   - Is everyone okay? - Yumiko asked, placing her hand on Magna's hand, which was resting on their daughter's head.

   - Fortunately... They didn't hide far away, we started looking for them just in time to prevent them from going any further... And here?

   - Everything's fine... It's just... Alyssa is mad at you...

   - I had to do what was right for us.

   - Magna...

   - Miko... We'll talk about it later... I'm sure everyone is hungry... - Magna left Yumiko and walked to the fish box, took out two of them and walked towards Alyssa.

   - We can do one of these things. You can continue to be mad at me and accuse me of stealing from you... Or have dinner with us... What do you choose?

Some time later, the group was already full. They built a fire behind the cottage, there was a fence around the back, there had probably once been a garden there, the forest was quiet, in the time they were running away from Coalport, looking for Luke and Kelly, or just sitting and hanging out together, they had only killed a few stiffs.

Yumiko went to bed some time ago, taking little Kai with her, who had been full and had been sleeping for some time. Connie and Kelly joined them, leaving Magna and Luke with Bernie, Alyssa, and Auden.

   - I didn't want it to turn out like this... I just wanted to keep us safe... - Magna said after a moment of silence.

   - It wasn't very ethical... To rob the people who welcomed you... But on the other hand, I know exactly what kind of person you had to face and I understand what convinced you...

   - We'll let you talk privately... - Bernie stood up, signaling to Luke and Audenew ones.

   - We'll go check out the area... - added Auden, who got up from the piece of wood he was sitting on.
The men left the garden, leaving the women alone.

   - It's good to have a friend like Auden... - Magna smiled slightly. Alyssa returned the gesture, looking after her friend until he was so far away that she lost sight of him.

   - Magna, did he?...

   - NO. He didn't make it... I killed him when he was about to do it.

   - I'm glad you dealt with it... I wasn't so lucky...

   - I'm sorry...

   - You know... When Auden and I got to Coalport, Chris wasn't alone... He had a wife... But that didn't bother him... Sarah knew he was cheating on her... But she didn't know he was a rapist ... He finally had enough of something blocking him... He decided to take the ring off his finger, but it wasn't enough...

   - He killed her?

   - Not alone. He didn't get his hands dirty. He told Gavin to kill her... "She didn't wake up," that's what they said... Gavin came in at night and smothered her with a pillow...

   - How do you know about this?...

   - Chris told me himself... He knew I was too afraid of him to tell anyone... Besides, who would believe me?...

   - That day... He wanted to give me a wedding ring... Propose to me... Do you think it was hers?

   - Certainly... He didn't have another wife.

   - Psycho...

   - Yumiko knows what happened?

   - I don't want to worry her... She's already under too much stress, she just woke up from her coma...

   - I see... Maybe it'll be better this way... - Alyssa looked at Magna. At that moment, Auden, Luke, and Bernie returned to the garden and sat back down in their seats.

   - Then when they locked me in that trailer... I felt like I was there again... I felt like I was in prison again... - Magna looked at her shocked companions. None of them knew it, not even Luke, the only one who knew was Yumiko.

   - Why were you there?... - Alyssa asked after a moment of silence.

   - Wrong place at the wrong time... It was enough to lock me up... Yumiko was my lawyer... She managed to get me out of there, but the first night there... I felt like a defenseless girl again...

   - Why are you telling us this?... - Auden asked, looking at everyone in turn. Magna just shrugged.

   - Does it matter where I was before?... Probably not, so what's the harm?...

Magna, Alyssa, Luke, Bernie, and Auden sat by the fire for a while longer, talking and exchanging little stories.
Everyone was getting more and more tired, so they put out the fire and went to the cottage, everyone settled down in their sleeping bags, ready to sleep.
Magna hugged Yumiko, the blonde was about to close her eyes when she heard a quiet cry.

   - Miko?... - Magna asked her, the woman brushed the hair from her girlfriend's face and grabbed her by the chin, turning her head towards her. - Miko, are you okay?...

   - How can it be okay?... Magna, what do we do now?...

   - Hey... Miko... - Magna hugged Yumiko tightly and stroked her shoulder.

   - And Kai?... She could have had a home... She could have been safe... Now we don't know if we'll survive the night...

   - Miko, before Coalport we lived like this for a long time...

   - We would have died if it weren't for Coalport...

   - We're getting better... All of us... I saw you shooting a bow... You're getting better... And your bow?...

   - Kelly brought it... Along with clothes... Ours and Kai's, she also took her diapers...

   - Luckily...

   - This will all end someday, Magna...

   - We'll be fine, Miko... Don't worry about it... That's what I'm for... Focus on the fight and our ladybug... - Magna laughed, causing Yumiko to react the same way, the blonde gently placed her hand on her belly. daughter lying next to them, Yumiko stroked her tiny forehead and placed a kiss on it.
She turned towards Magna and kissed her lips, Magna returned the gesture and hugged Yumiko so that she could fall asleep peacefully. Yumiko's eyes began to close, Magna stroked her head, running her fingers through her hair, Yumiko was too tired to protest.

   - I'm glad you're back... I missed you terribly. - Yumiko smiled at Magna's words, soon falling into a deep sleep.

Soon after, Magna did the same, lying next to her love, or rather two of them.

Chapter Text

Day 476

The group has been living in a house in the forest for several days. Alyssa, Auden and Bernie decided to stay with Magna's group, the blonde didn't mind, she had known and trusted them for the past few months, maybe she didn't fully trust Bernie, but the group knew it was only a matter of time.

That day, when Magna and Kelly returned from scouting, they found Bernie sitting on a tree trunk holding Kai in his arms, the girl laughing and pulling the man by the corner of his Turkish print shirt, Magna decided to approach them while Kelly went inside the cabin.

- Don't you have another shirt? – the blonde asked, moving closer to Bernie holding her daughter, who was now sucking on the end of the shirt she was holding.

- Your daughter seems to like it, right, donut? – the dark-haired man asked, taking one of Kai's chubby hands in his.

- Hey, don't call her "donut." - Magna gathered Kai in her arms, kissing her plump cheek.

- It's nothing offensive, you can see she has an appetite, but that's good... She will be strong and healthy.

- I hope so, and this shirt is terrible, isn't it, ladybug?

- She likes it, didn't you see her playing with it?

- She plays with everything she can get her hands on... Why are you taking care of her?

- Yumiko had to help Luke with something, why? You don't like that I'm spending time with your daughter?

- No why? You can spend time with her, just don't teach her swear words.

- Sure... We're just talking... - Bernie said. Magna smiled and walked away, leaving him alone sitting on the log.

In the evening, when everyone went to bed, Magna stayed outside to watch the house. Alyssa was going to change it halfway through the night, but for now she was sitting on a stump and sharpening her knife on a stone she found outside, the fire had gone out, and the only light was the flashlight next to Magna. Suddenly, the woman heard the rustling of leaves behind her, she dropped a stone, took the flashlight in her other hand and shined it at the place where she heard the noise. She saw a male figure approaching her, she was about to swing and throw a knife at him, but when she got close enough to recognize him. Bernie. He was wearing a black zip-up sweater, finally something other than that awful shirt, she thought.

- Don't be afraid, it's just me. - he said and sat down next to Magna.

- Why are you here? – the woman asked, put down the flashlight and picked up the stone she had dropped on the ground earlier, returning to sharpening her weapon.

- I can't sleep... Besides, I thought you might like some company...

- Not really... A moment of silence is sometimes useful... Especially when you're a parent... - Magna laughed, there was silence between her and Bernie for a moment, the blonde looked at him and saw that the man was looking at him. he looks at her.

- What?

- Nothing, just... What's your middle name?

- What?

- I'm asking about your middle name...

- Why do you need this?

- I thought it would be cool to have nicknames... Something only we know about...

- Do you think we are friends?

- No?... Oh, Magna... You're breaking my heart... - he laughed. Magna smiled a little too, turned her head for a moment, looking far into the forest, and then turned back to Bernie.

- Josephine.

- Josephine... A little seriously... From your grandmother?

- After my dad, Joseph, unfortunately... I'd rather it not be my nickname.

- Was your dad an asshole?

- Yes. I was afraid of him my whole life... When Chris started taking an interest in me, I felt at home... When my mother died.

- I'm sorry... My father wasn't the best either... In fact, he wasn't there at all... When I was little, my parents divorced and he built a new life in which there was no room for me.

- Some people shouldn't have children...

- Yes... After all, you're a wonderful mother for a donut...

- Don't call her that... - Magna laughed, even though she liked Bernie's nickname Kai.

- So... If not Josephine... Josie?

- Josie... If you want... What about you?

- I'm also named after my dad... William.

- William... Billy? Has anyone called your dad that?

- I do not recall.

- So Billy and Josie.

- Yes... I'm going to sleep... Someone has to watch them inside... - Bernie said, getting up. Before leaving Magna alone, he took off his black sweater and handed it to the blonde, who slowly reached out and took the clothes.

- Why are you giving this to me?

- You'll be here for a while before Alyssa switches places with you, you're only wearing a flannel, you'll get sick, Josie. – Magna smiled and put on the sweater.

- At least you weren't wearing that ugly shirt for a while.

- Keep saying that and I'll wear it until I die. - Bernie patted Magna on the shoulder and went back inside, leaving her alone.

Few months later

It's been a long time since Magna and her group left Coalport. Since then, they did not find another community, they lived in the same house in the forest, everything seemed to be falling into place, Kai was growing healthy and strong, Bernie was gaining more and more Magna's trust, and the entire group uses sign language better and better.

That day, Magna and Bernie were cleaning the scales of the fish they had caught earlier, suddenly Magna heard Yumiko calling her name, she immediately dropped everything in her hands and ran home, leaving Bernie behind. The blonde ran home and found Yumiko holding Kai's little hands, the girl standing on her feet with her mother's support.

- What happened? – Magna asked, approaching the girl and her daughter.

- Look at her! – Yumiko shouted excitedly, leading the girl forward.

Magna looked at her daughter with admiration, the blonde crouched down and stretched her arms to receive the girl. Yumiko led her even closer to Magna, letting go of the girl's hands at the last moment so that Magna could take her in her arms. The blonde hugged her daughter and kissed her cheeks, straightening up. Yumiko walked over to her girls and kissed Kai's head and Magna's lips.

- She looks like you, you know? – Magna laughed, stroking her daughter's head covered with dark hair tied in a small ponytail.

- I'm totally convinced he looks like my brother when he was little, if I had a photo I would show you.

- You miss him very much, don't you?

- We haven't talked for years. He went to Chicago, I went to Richmond... Contact was lost...

- I'm sorry... Me and Lily... I wish I could turn back time and take her with me... Now I'm pretty sure she's dead...

- Don't blame yourself... - Yumiko said, placing her hand on Magna's shoulder. The woman smiled at her and brought Kai's head to her mouth.

- I'll go back to Bernie. I ran like an arrow. – Magna laughed, handing Kai back to Yumiko.

The blonde gave the girl one last kiss and left the house.

Two years later

After a few years, Magna and her group decided to leave the cabin in the forest. It wasn't typical for Magna to stay in one place for so long, but for Kaia's sake and safety, she decided to stay for a while. Little Kai grew, her hair became darker, falling to black, it was longer, reaching to the middle of her back, her eyes were still brown, they reminded her so much of Yumiko, Magna believed that the girl was a walking copy of her beloved girl, but she still insisted that Kai is very similar to his older brother.

The group was on their way, they stopped in a quiet and empty clearing to rest and drink some water, while the entire group rested, Kelly was taking care of Kai, the girl was walking with her in the clearing showing the different plants and trees, typing out every word, she wanted him to Kai learned sign language now that she was a child, she knew from her own example that children learn everything faster, she had practiced sign language since childhood so that she could communicate with Connie.

- Did you see that? Squirrel. - Kelly said, showing Kai a small red animal as she typed. Little Kai pointed his little hand at the same point as Kelly, smiling. Kelly set Kai down on the grass and grabbed her little hand, leading her towards the rest of the group, now that she was close, the girl let go of Kelly's hand and ran to the older mother, running into her arms, Kelly sat down on the grass next to Connie, drinking water.

- Mama! Kelly showed me a squirrel! Did you see that? – the girl asked with a lisp, Yumiko wrapped her arms around her and sat her on her lap.

- Yes, honey, can you spell it? Squirrel. – Yumiko spelled it slowly so that the girl had time to absorb it in her head and remember the finger movements.

- Squirrel... - the girl spelled. Connie smiled and clapped her hands for little Kai, and the girl did the same, imitating her aunt.

A few hours later, the sun began to set, Magna and her group found a large white villa. Magna held a map of Philadelphia in her hand, marking the places she had already visited.

- All right. Yumiko, Connie and Kelly, stay outside and the rest of us clean this house. – Magna said.

- Be careful, mom... - little Kai said quietly to Magna, hugged to Yumiko's chest, the blonde smiled at her daughter and stroked her chubby cheek.

-Of course I'll be careful, baby... The group left Connie and Yumiko outside, safe from the stiffs, while they went inside to clean the house.

Magna, Luke, Alyssa, Auden and Bernie entered the large villa, the place was so large that the best solution was to go there with more than two people like they had done before. Magna and Bernie went into the living room, and Luke, Auden, and Alyssa went upstairs.

- Oh shit! – Luke shouted. Alyssa and Auden, who were in different rooms, immediately ran to the one Luke was in to see if their friend needed help. Alyssa and Auden saw Luke with his back to them, the room they were in looked like a children's room, it was full of toys and posters, there were yellow stars painted on the dark blue walls, and above them hung a night lamp in the shape of moon. 

- Luke? - Alyssa said to him, walking closer to him with Auden. The man slowly turned to his friends and held a violin case in his hands.

- I can't believe it... - he started to say, carefully examining the contents. - Original Stradivarius...

- What? Auden asked, looking at Luke with a questioning expression.

- It's my lucky day! – Luke shouted happily. Alyssa smiled at Auden and walked closer to Luke, placing a hand on his shoulder.

- I think it's light upstairs, let's go down, Magna and Bernie might need help... - Auden said.

The three of them went downstairs, finding the other two in the large living room.

- Nothing? – Alyssa asked, walking up to Magna, the blonde shook her head.

- Only one, which was in the glove compartment but posed no threat, became attached to a pipe before it died... - Bernie said.

- Apparently no one has been here yet... - Auden added. Magna went to get the rest of the group and led the women inside.

The group boarded the windows and locked the doors, used the living room as a sleeping place, set up sleeping bags and made a fire in the fireplace with the wood they had collected earlier. Magna stood guard while the rest went to sleep, the woman was sitting on a comfortable armchair, staring at the fire, suddenly she heard footsteps and turned around to see if Bernie had thought she needed company again, but she didn't see Bernie, only Kai. The girl was coming closer to her mother with a stuffed bunny in her hands.

- Why aren't you sleeping, sunshine? - the blonde asked, spelling and taking the girl in her arms and sitting her on her lap.

- I can't sleep... - the girl replied, cuddling into her mother's chest.

- Did you have a bad dream? - Magna asked, brushing Kai's dark hair from her eyes.

- No, but I'm cold... - Kai replied, playing with the bunny. - Sparkly is cold too...

- Let's get warm, shall we? - Magna hugged the girl tighter and ran her hands over her arms to warm her.

-Mommy...

-Hmm?

- Will you tell me something?...

-What story do you want to hear, baby?

- The one about the princess who saves the other princess... Please... - Kai asked, looking at her mother with a look that Magna couldn't refuse, so she smiled and started talking.

- A long time ago, there lived a princess... She had beautiful, long hair... One day she was accused of a terrible crime and locked in a tower... One night, the princess heard a noise coming from outside , she thought it was a wild animal, but when she approached the window she saw a beautiful woman in an equally beautiful dress, the woman shouted at her to let down her long hair, so she did... The second princess went up , freed the princess from the tower and together they lived happily ever after...

-Did this really happen?...

- I don't want to spoil your beliefs or imagination, but unfortunately not... Love doesn't work that way, honey, fairy tales didn't teach us that...

- And how does it work, mom?...

- I'll explain to you someday, for now just know that it doesn't work like in the fairy tales you hear... The original version of this story was a prince and a princess...

- And that's better than a princess and another princess?...

- It's just as good as long as someone is happy... It may as well be a prince or another prince... Some people don't understand that.

- Why?...

- I don't know, honey, I'd also like to know why some people don't want others to be happy so much...

- Are you and mom happy?...

- You don't even know how...

- I'm happy too... I'm glad you're my moms...

- And we are glad that you are our daughter... - Magna said with a smile, placing a kiss on the top of Kai's head, grabbing her hand, the girl put her bunny to Magna's mouth, the blonde also kissed his head.

- Sparkly also wanted a kiss... - Kai said, hugging the mascot. Magna looked at the girl with adoration, this child is a real miracle - she thought.

-Of course...

- I love you... - Kai spelled flawlessly. Magna smiled as widely as she could, this little girl was learning new words every day and Magna couldn't be more proud of her.

- I love you too, baby... You don't even know how much...

-Did you understand? Did I do it right?

- Perfect, darling... - Magna hugged Kai to her chest, stroking her head until the girl fell into a deep sleep.

Halfway through the night, Bernie got up to switch places with Magna, the man walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch slightly and hug Kai tighter, her fears subsidizing when she saw a familiar face and, unfortunately , and a familiar shirt.

- Go to sleep, Josie... My turn... - the man said with a smile. Magna got up from her chair, making room for her friend.

- Change your shirt, Billy. - Magna said in a whisper. Bernie sat down in the armchair, sinking into it and the warmth coming from the fireplace.

- I've been saying the same thing for years, the more you tell me about it, the longer I'll wear it. - Magna snorted and smiled at Bernie.

- I recently added wood, it won't go out anytime soon...

- Sure... Go to sleep... I can handle it.

- Good night, Billy...

- Sleep well, Josie... - Magna went to the couch where Yumiko had been sleeping for several hours, the woman gently placed Kai next to her, covering her with a blanket, and then she herself lay down next to them, hugging them both and placing her hand on Yumiko's belly - a habit that remained after her pregnancy with Kai, after a while Magna also fell asleep, cuddled up with her little family.

Early in the morning, when Bernie woke up the rest of the group, the friends started searching the house, hoping to find new clothes or supplies. Magna went upstairs and searched the rooms, she found some clothes and underwear that would also be useful, the last room was the room Luke had searched the previous day, the children's room. As Magna spread out around the room, she began to imagine what Kai's room would look like if everything were normal, she knew that her daughter didn't like the color pink, but would she like it if it weren't for all this? Would she rather have flowers or hearts on the walls? Would she rather sleep with a night light or could she cope without it? Would she have lots of toys? Definitely. Magna would pamper her as much as she could, buy her toys, clothes, give her what she didn't have, a happy childhood.

Magna came back to reality. The world has fallen, Kai will not have the childhood that Yumiko had, she will not go to school, she will not go to college or work, it was not known whether she would survive at all... No. Magna quickly dismissed that thought, opened her backpack and opened the chest of clothes, they were boyish and a little big, but it would have to be enough, Kai had no problem wearing boyish clothes, in fact she probably didn't even realize it and had no other choice, the blonde she emptied the dresser and walked over to the bed, opening the nightstand and seeing an oblong object lying alone in the drawer. Kaleidoscope. She took it in her hand and put it to her eye, she saw colorful figures that changed as soon as she turned the toy, she moved it away from her eye and looked at the object, when she wanted to put it in her backpack, she heard someone knocking on the door frame, she looked towards the source sound and saw Yumiko standing in the doorway.

- Are you still here? - asked the Asian woman with a smile, approaching Magna.

- Look... - Magna showed Yumiko the Kaleidoscope that she was supposed to put in her backpack, the woman took it and looked at it carefully. - I thought Kai would like it.

- I'm sure... - Yumiko said, moving the toy to her eye. - I used to have a kaleidoscope... My brother kept taking it away from me... We fought so much about it that my parents bought another one... I ended up getting bored with it and Tomi ended up with both. .. - Magna laughed at the memory of Yumiko. She knew she missed her brother, the woman sometimes envied her girlfriend's childhood, although she knew it wasn't perfect either, but whose was it? The blonde would give anything to have parents who appreciated her and an older brother who loved and protected her.

- Speaking of Kai Kai, where is she? - Magna asked, taking the toy Yumiko handed her and putting it into her backpack.

- Kelly's teaching her sign language... She's getting better, you know?

- I know... She spelled the sentence perfectly last night...

- Last night? She didn't sleep?

- She couldn't, she came to me when I was on guard.

- Great, I'm dozing off all the breakthrough moments in our daughter's life. - Yumiko laughed.

- It's good that you didn't sleep through the birth. - Magna laughed, zipping up her backpack and putting it on her back.

- Believe me, I'd rather...

- I believe it, it sounds fucked... - Magna moved closer to Yumiko, wrapping her arms around her waist, the older woman placed her hands on both of Magna's cheeks and placed a kiss on her lips, the women stayed like that for a moment, hugging each other and taking advantage of the moment alone.

After a few minutes of cuddling, they came downstairs to find the entire group, Kelly, Connie, and Kai sitting on the couch learning sign language together, Auden, Alyssa, and Bernie playing cards they probably found in one of the cabinets, Luke adoringly looking at the violin , which he found the previous day. The women stopped in the doorway and looked at their family.

- Luke, man, stop staring at that violin, you've been doing it since yesterday. – Bernie said, taking a break from the game.

- This is not an ordinary violin, man... - Luke replied indignantly, hugging the case to his chest.

- It's a fetish, Luke. – Connie showed with a smile.

- No, it's not a fetish, Connie, you don't understand my passion, I just love instruments.

- It's a fetish, Luke. – Kelly added.

- Uncle Luke, why is this violin so important? – Kai asked innocently, spelling part of the sentence, with few mistakes, but the most important thing is that she tried and it got better every day.

-Don't even ask, donut. – Bernie laughed, returning to the cards, Luke sneered and stood up from his chair, walking over to the girl with his treasure.

- This, my dear, is an original Stradivarius from around 1725. - said the man, showing the girl the open case with its contents.

- Will you play them? – the girl asked, Luke smiled and closed the suitcase.

- Not yet. It's old, I don't know if the strings will break... But if you want... - Luke started to say, taking out a harmonica from his pocket, the man put it to his mouth and started playing, Connie took it, Kai laid down on her lap and hugged her , she couldn't hear the sound of Luke's harmonica, but she still knew that everyone was enjoying it, Magna and Yumiko still stood in the doorway and watched their family.

Over the last few years the group had become incredibly close, they had become brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, Yumiko and Magna were worried that Kai would accuse them of not having a father, but when Luke, Bernie and Auden joined their group, their fears disappeared , knowing that their daughter would have the best daddies around her, Kelly and Alyssa were like big sisters to her, and Connie was like a beloved aunt. They gave their daughter the best family a little girl could ever have. At that moment, Yumiko knew she had done the right thing that day by staying pregnant. She couldn't imagine life without Kai in their group. She was a ray of hope, she gave them the strength to fight, to look for a new home, to live, to be able to raise her, teach her to fight, protect and love, show her beautiful things, because they still exist in this world, despite what the event was. 

It was still clearly visible among the living dead.

Chapter Text

One year later

A year passed. The group still hasn't found a permanent place to live, for now they are staying on an abandoned farm. There were no animals there, but there was a lot of agricultural land, you could stay here at least for some time, grow vegetables and fruits, behind the house there was a forest where you could go hunting, the entire property was fenced, so the area was apparently safe.

While part of the group set up sleeping bags and blankets, and the other part went to look around the area, Magna took Kai near the forest and taught her how to throw knives, just like she did herself, they threw them at trees, that was enough for the beginning, Kai didn't have to fight yet, the whole her family would give their lives for her, defend her with all their might, and when Kai grows up, she will do the same for them.

Magna picked up her knife and threw it at a nearby tree already riddled with holes from her blade.

   - It's your turn, ladybug. - Magna approached her daughter, giving her the blade, the blonde directed her daughter's hand at the target and, holding it, helped her throw the object, hitting the tree.

   - Good? - the girl asked, Magna went to the tree again to pull the knife out of it.

   - Very good, you're getting better, now throw it yourself. - Magna said, handing the blade back to Kai. The girl took a knife and, aiming at the tree, threw it so that it landed on the grass behind the tree.

   - Miss... - said the disappointed girl, lowering her hands. Magna bent down to her height and placed her hands on her shoulders. 

   - Hey, don't worry, you can't always do everything right away... - her mother consoled her. The girl smiled gently at Magna.

   - Will I be better?

   - If you just practice... - Magna straightened up. - Wait here for me, I'll go get the knife.

Magna turned and walked deeper into the forest, she searched for the blade among the leaves and trees, but couldn't find it.

   - Is that what you're looking for, babe? - Miko asked with her bow in one hand and Magna's knife in the other, she was leaning against one of the trees.

   - What would I do without you? - Magna approached Yumiko and tried to take the blade, but Yumiko moved her hand away, causing her girlfriend to be surprised.

Magna, however, quickly understood what Yumiko meant and approached her, placing her hands on her cheeks. Magna's lips moved closer to Miko's, sinking into a sweet kiss.

Yumiko smiled once they managed to break away from each other and handed the gun back to Magna.

   - What are you doing here alone? You went with Kelly and Auden. - Magna asked, putting the blade into her belt.

   - We split up to check everything faster, what are you doing here?

   - I taught Kai how to throw knives.

   - Throwing knives?... Isn't it too early?

   - Miko, you know what times we live in, I want her to be able to defend herself.

   - But does she need it now? We're all protecting her for now... She doesn't need it now...

   - The sooner she starts learning, the more she will be able to do in the future... Just like with sign language... You know I want the best for her...

   - Me too, Mags... But I can't get used to the fact that my several-year-old daughter is in contact with weapons...

   - I would also prefer her to play with dolls or read children's books, but there is no other option... - Magna said, Yumiko sighed and there was silence between them for a moment.

   - Wow... I didn't think that word would come out of my mouth...

   - Weapon?

   - No... My daughter...

   - Me too... But you have to get used to it...

   - I have nothing against. - Miko laughed, walking up to Magna and placing her hands on her waist.

   - Don't worry, I'm watching her... - Magna reassured her, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's neck.

   - Okay... But be careful, I don't want her to stab herself in the body... Okay?

   - Sure, you have nothing to worry about. - Magna hugged Yumiko and stroked her back.

   - Maybe I should teach her how to shoot? - Yumiko laughed causing Magna to laugh, both women headed back to Kai who was sitting on the grass playing with whatever she could find.

   - Hey, I found it. - said Magna, Kai, seeing both mothers, got up and ran to Yumiko, hugging her legs.

The Asian woman put the bow on the ground and picked up the girl, hugging her to her chest and kissing her cheeks.

   - Mama, mommy is teaching me! - the excited girl shouted, spelling the entire sentence flawlessly.

The family made sure that the girl spelled not only when talking to Connie or Kelly, but also to everyone, it was the most effective way for her to remember finger movements.

   - I know, love, and? Are you doing well?

   - No. But mommy says that if I practice, it will get better.

   - Of course you will... Mom is a great teacher... - Yumiko kissed Kai on the cheek one last time, set her down on the grass and picked up her bow, walked over to Magna and kissed her cheek. - I'll go back, I don't want Auden and Kelly to start worry...

   - I'll see you at home... - said Magna. Yumiko smiled and left back into the forest, Magna and Kai continued their practice.

Few months later

Winter came, not the first and not the last, but it had to be admitted, this time of year caused problems, in the normal world it was simpler, the roads were cleared of snow, in stores you could buy thick clothes, scarves, gloves, now you have to enjoy what you have has.

Although the farm was an ideal place to live, a large house, a fence, farmland, forests around, the winter tested the durability of the house, the wind was so strong that the windows and doors let in cold and noise, the whole house was so cold that the group could not she kept up with the fire in the fireplace.

That night while everyone was sleeping and Auden was on watch, Magna woke up to the sound of light coughing and sniffling, the blonde was a very light sleeper so the sounds immediately caused her to open her eyes.

Magna saw Kai wipe his little nose on his hand wrapped in the end of his sweater sleeve.

   - Are you okay, Kai Kai? - Magna asked, placing her hand on the child's back. Kai first responded by coughing, which was enough of an answer for Magna.

   - I feel bad, mommy...

   - Does your throat hurt?... - Kai nodded.

   - My nose is stuffy... - said the girl, Magna took her hand from Kai's back and placed it on her head, and with her other hand she nudged Yumiko, she decided to wake her up because she had no idea what to do. The Asian slowly opened her eyes and started looking around the room.

   - Miko, Kai is sick... - Magna said, Yumiko straightened up, sat down and put her hand to Kai's forehead.

   - She has a fever... - said Yumiko, scared. Magna followed her and also moved her hand to her daughter's forehead, which confirmed her girlfriend's words.

Auden noticed that the women were awake and decided to approach them.

   - Hey, is something wrong? - the boy asked, sitting on the couch next to them.

   - Kai has a fever. - Yumiko replied.

   - I'm cold... - said the girl, Magna took off her blanket and covered Kai with it.

Auden went to his backpack and took out a few sachets of pills, then walked back to his friends.

   - I have pills to kill the fever, maybe you want to give them to her?

   - Can you give pills to such a small child?... - Yumiko wondered, stroking Kai's thick hair.

   - Better than having a fever... - Magna took the sachet from Auden and took out one pill. - I'll give her half, if nothing happens to her and nothing helps, I'll give her the other half... Okay?

   - Okay... - Yumiko replied. Auden handed Magna a bottle of water, the woman broke the pill in half and gave it to her daughter, wrapped the other half in a tissue and put it in her pocket.

Kai put the pill in her mouth and drank plenty of water.

Auden checked once again that his friends were okay and returned to the part of the corridor where he was on guard duty.

Yumiko lay back on the couch, hugging little Kai into her chest and placing her hand in Kai's black hair, for a moment she was lost in the scent of her daughter, thinking about nothing but the baby in her arms, but after a while she looked at Magna, who instead of laying her She was sitting next to the couch and looking at Kai.

   - What are you doing? - Yumiko asked, continuing to stroke her daughter's head.

   - You don't think I'll fall asleep now...

   - Magna, everything will be fine...

   - I know... I know, it must be good... I'm just worried...

   - You can worry by hugging us... - Yumiko smiled. Magna returned the gesture and lay down, hugging her girls, placing a gentle kiss on Kai's hair and another on Yumiko's hand.

After some time, Kai's fever dropped, Yumiko fell asleep, but Magna still lay there, hugging and watching over her daughter in case she needed her, her body was weak, she was less resistant to diseases and infections, and now that there was no access to medicines and doctors, it was much it is more difficult to keep yourself, and especially your child, in good health.

Two weeks later

Kai did not recover.

In fact, she became even more ill, the winter was not going away, it was snowing like crazy, it was cold and wet, the group tried their best to secure the house, but it was no use, it was too old.

Alyssa and Luke went out to look for medicine, Kai had a fever, cough and runny nose, for such a small child an untreated disease could quickly bring terrible consequences.

   - Miko... - Magna said to her, waving her finger, the woman was sitting on the sofa, hugging Kai, who was lying under the blanket.

Yumiko looked at Connie sitting next to her and caught her attention by lightly nudging her in the shoulder.

   - Can you stay with her? - Yumiko spelled, when Connie understood her friend's question, she smiled and took the girl into her arms.

Yumiko stood up and walked over to Magna, the pair stood in the hallway to be away from everyone else.

   - Luke and Alyssa haven't been back for a long time... - Magna started to say, Yumiko looked first at the woman in front of her, and then tilted her head to look at her daughter now lying in her aunt's arms.

   - They'll definitely be back soon...

   - What if not?

   - What does it mean?

   - Kai is weak, she feels worse every day...

   - Do you think that?... - Yumiko started to say. Magna, however, silenced her, not wanting her girlfriend to finish that thought.

   - No. That won't happen, but if she doesn't get better and Alyssa and Luke don't come back, we'll have to hit the road...

   - Magna, Kai is too weak...

   - There will be no other choice... This house will fall apart soon... - Magna said, at that moment the couple heard a knock on the door, Yumiko walked to the door and looked through the peephole.

She opened the door, revealing Alyssa and Luke covered in snow.

   - And? - the blonde asked, approaching her companions. Luke just shook his head dully and started brushing the snow off himself.

   - Nothing?

   - Completely... Everything was ransacked, there's no syrup, no medicine, not even vitamins... - Alyssa said. Yumiko turned her head away trying to hide her tears, Magna noticed this and put a hand on her lover's shoulder, but she pushed her away and retreated back to the living room.

   - We're sorry, Magna... - Luke said sadly, walking up to his friend, Magna sighed and put her hand on his shoulder.

   - It's not your fault... We should leave the farm... Look for something else, something more permanent...

   - I think so too, Kai won't be able to cope in such a cold room... Besides, we'll all get sick if we try to warm her up at all costs. - Alyssa said as she finished removing the snow from her clothes.

   - Do you think we'll find something warm in winter? - Luke asked.

   - It won't get any worse...

   - Maybe you're right... Okay, time for Uncle Luke, we need to make this little ladybug laugh. - Luke said as he went to the living room, the man took his harmonica out of his pocket and started playing, much to Kai's delight. 

Soon both Alyssa and Magna joined them and tried to act normal, laughing and having fun so that Kai wouldn't feel like something was wrong. 

Or maybe they all tried to convince themselves of the same?

Late at night, when everyone except Kelly, who was on watch, was fast asleep, Magna woke up to drink some water, the woman moved carefully around the room so as not to wake anyone, she gave a silent sign to Kelly that everything was okay and took a canteen of water from her backpack, she took a sip, turned around and wanted to go back to sleep when she saw that instead of sleeping, Kai was lying with his eyes open and watching his mother.

   - Hey, did I wake you up? - Magna asked, laying back down next to Kai and taking her hand in hers.

   - No... I can't sleep... - the girl replied, snuggling into her younger mother's chest. - Mom... I'm going to die, right?...

   - Kai, don't even say that...

   - Is that why mom is crying? Because I don't have much time left?

   - Of course not, mom is just worry... We'll do something...

   - What if not?

   - I won't let you go anywhere, ladybug... None of us will...

   - What if I come back like sickos?

   - Hey, where did you hear that? - the woman laughed, placing her hand on Kai's belly and tickling it, causing her to laugh lightly.

   - From Uncle Bernie...

   - I think I like it...

   - Yes, that's cool... Will you live without me?

   - Kai, we will live with you... We will cure you...

   - I don't feel well, mom...

   - I know, baby... - Magna placed a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead and stroked her hair.

   - I can not sleep...

   - We don't have to... We can lie together... What do you say? - Magna asked, Kai nodded with a slight smile and directed her hand to her mother's arm covered with tattoos, running her finger down to her hand, stopping at the last tattoo.

   - Why don't others have them?

   - Because I'm a fairy... - Magna laughed, Kai looked into her eyes and smiled. - My job is to protect you and all of you...

   - Really?

   - Just kidding... But it's true that I'm here to protect you all... And tattoos... Some people do them, some don't...

   - Why did you make them? - the little girl asked innocently, looking closely at Magna's entire hand again.

   - I don't know actually... I just wanted to have them... - Kai didn't answer, she just nodded, her mother stared at her as if she was the most precious jewel in the display case, running her fingers through her hair soothing her until the girl started to close her eyes, beautiful eyes. 

After a while she fell asleep, she managed to do it.

Few days later

After much discussion, the group decided to leave the farm.

They packed the most necessary things, provisions and the warmest clothes and set off.

The roads were full of snow and ice, although the snow had stopped falling it was still cold and windy.

Yumiko carried Kai, hugging her tightly to her chest, the girl was wearing several layers of clothes and wrapped in a blanket.

   - Hey, why don't you rest and I'll carry her? - Connie asked, walking next to Yumiko, seeing that her friend was tired and not only the long way, but also carrying the girl, little Kai was not heavy, she was very slim and therefore light, but she was getting older and carrying her for a long time was exhausting.

   - No, I can do it, thank you... - Miko replied, lightly tossing her daughter, changing her position to make her more comfortable.

   - Miko... Rest, she'll be safe with me, you know that... - Connie spelled, Yumiko was about to answer the same as before, but after thinking about it, she stopped and handed her daughter over to Connie.

The Asian kissed her daughter on the head and stroked her hair, Connie hugged Kai and stroked her back.

Yumiko took her bow off her back and took out one arrow, putting it into the bow, keeping her weapon at the ready.

   - Mag, it'll be dark soon, we should find a place to sleep... - said Luke, catching up with the leader.

   - Yes, I know... And I think I have something... - replied the blonde, pointing her finger at the point. Medium-sized observation point.

The group reached it in a few minutes, Magna went upstairs to check the stability of the building and clean the interior if necessary.

Inside, the blonde found only one sick, he was leaning against the wall and stretching his arms towards her, growling. Magna went all the way in and drove the blade into his skull, once he was dead Magna pushed him and knocked him off the point, she climbed down the ladder signaling to the others.

   - Come in, but one at a time. - spelled Magna.

The group took turns climbing the ladder, the point was certainly more wind-resistant than the old farm house, it was tight on the inside but cozy for a lookout, everyone set up their sleeping bag, Magna lit a candle, Luke and Bernie pulled a table up to the door, so that nothing and no one can get to the top. Yumiko took Kai from Connie, sat on her sleeping bag and hugged her daughter to her chest, looking at her forehead with her hand. Magna walked over to her girls and placed one of her hands on Yumiko's knee and the other on Kai's head.

   - How is she?

   - She has a fever, she is very pale... - said Yumiko terrified, although the women tried not to talk about bad things in front of Kai, the girl was too weak and tired to care about her scared tone.

   - I'll give her a pill... - said Kelly, taking pills to reduce the fever and a bottle of water from her backpack.

   -Who takes first watch? - Alyssa asked, looking at everyone in turn.

   - I'll stay... I won't fall asleep anyway... - Yumiko said, hugging Kai tighter.

   - I'll stay with you, you shouldn't focus on Kai's health and protecting us at the same time, it would be too much for you, Miko.

   - No, I can stay with them. - Connie spelled, Magna was about to protest, but Connie was faster. - Magna, you should rest, when was the last time you slept?

   - You know I'm watching...

   - You can't stay awake all your life, you will sleep and I will watch over them. - Connie placed a hand on Magna's shoulder, trying to calm her down.

   - Thank you... - Magna smiled at her friend. She was very grateful to Connie, she had seen more than once how the woman took care of Yumiko and their daughter when Magna couldn't do it, Kai adored her aunt and no wonder, it was hard not to like Connie.

After preparing the place, the whole group, except for Yumiko and Connie, went to sleep, although no one actually slept a wink, everyone tried to fall asleep but it didn't work, they were too worried about Kai, about their future lives, they thought whether they would really it will work.

Yumiko was sitting on her sleeping bag the whole time with Kai, whose head was resting on her lap, Yumiko was gently stroking her dark hair, running her fingers through it, every now and then leaning down to her face to feel her breathing. 

After a few hours, when Connie noticed that Yumiko's eyes were slowly closing, she approached her to pick up Kai.

The woman lightly stroked the other's shoulder, causing her to flinch and look around the room.

   - It's okay, I just wanted to take Kai, I saw you falling asleep... - Connie spelled slowly, Yumiko looked at her daughter and put her ear to her face again, checking her breathing, luckily she felt it.

   - No need, I can do it, I just fell asleep for a moment...

   - Miko, please... Lie down next to Magna and don't worry, I can handle her... - Yumiko looked at Connie for a moment, then her eyes turned to Magna, and then to her daughter, the woman nodded and passed on little girl to Connie.

The woman hugged the baby to her chest and stroked the little head, Yumiko made a hand gesture thanking Connie and lay down on her sleeping bag next to Magna, hugging the younger woman.

   - You're not sleeping, are you? - Yumiko asked, getting Magna's attention, the blonde opened her eyes and turned to Yumiko.

   - How did you know? - Magna laughed, infecting Miko as well.

   - Premonition...

   - Connie is amazing, isn't she?

   - Yes... I don't know what we would do without her... Magna, I'm so scared...

   - Me too, Miko... I don't want to tell you that it's not true, the truth is that I'm really scared for her... - Magna took Yumiko's hand, intertwining their fingers.

   - You have to be positive, Mags...

   - Since when did the roles change? - Magna joked, causing Yumiko to laugh, the woman looked into the other's eyes and after a moment placed a sweet and quick kiss on her lips.

   - I love you, you know?...

   - Really? - Magna teased Yumiko, knowing that her girlfriend loved and hated it at the same time.

   - Yes, you idiot... - Miko replied, laughing, snuggling into Magna's chest.

   - I love you too... - Magna placed one last kiss on Yumiko's head and then rested her chin on it.

Magna knew that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep, she could only help Yumiko fall asleep, her girlfriend was worried about Kai from morning to night, she provided her with warmth and love, she also needed it, and Magna did everything to provide her with it. Everything.

In the morning, when the sun was just rising, the entire group was still in their sleeping bags. None of them, except Miko and Kai, slept a wink that night, they tried to get some sleep considering that they probably wouldn't stay here for long and would have to move on soon.

Two male voices woke them from their rest, Magna jumped up, trying not to make too many sounds, she signaled to the entire group by putting her index finger to her lips.

The voices became more and more distinct, which meant that they were getting closer, suddenly the conversation stopped and the whole group heard what they were all afraid of the most.

Someone on the other side tried to open the door, but a heavy table standing next to it effectively prevented them from entering.

   - What's up, man? - one of the voices asked.

   - Fuck, they must be frozen. - stated the second, more clear and audible voice.

   - What are you talking about, you're just a pussy, I'll try.

   - Fuck off, open it yourself if you're such a badass.

   - Watch and learn.

After a while, they heard a bang on the door again, this time stronger, but not enough for the man to unlock the entrance.

   - So what, idiot?

   - Shut up.

   - Dude, I'm about to freeze, maybe we'll come back here at the end?

   - And what? It'll just freeze even more and we'll never get in, now or at all.

   - So how do you want to get there?

   - Come in and help me, the two of us will definitely be faster.

Magna looked at each of her group in turn, Yumiko woke up hearing noises, Kelly walked up to her and put her hand over her mouth, preventing her from making any loud noises, explaining to her friend what was happening with one hand.

Magna signaled to Luke and Bernie, the men walked to either side of the table grabbing their legs, Alyssa and Auden took out their weapons and positioned themselves next to Bernie and Luke, Connie hugged Kai tightly with one hand and reached for her belt with the other taking out her knife, Magna stood up and positioned herself right next to the exit, but this time instead of one of her blades, she took out a gun and aimed it at the door, Yumiko raised her bow, inserting one arrow into it, and also aimed it in the same direction as her girlfriend, and Kelly straightened up stretching the slingshot.

At Magna's signal, Luke and Bernie moved the table away from the door, letting the men in. Before they could look around, Magna reloaded her gun, drawing their attention.

   - Hey, calm down. - said one of them as they both raised their hands in surrender. The other man looked around the room, noticing Luke and Bernie, then Alyssa and Auden.

   -Who are you and what are you doing here? - Magna asked, pointing her gun at their heads.

   - I think we should ask, are you at one of our points?

   - One of?

   - We have several points that we need to check.

   - Are you alone?

   - Maybe yes maybe no.

   - Yes or no. - Magna said firmly, one of the men looked behind Magna, noticing Connie holding little Kai in her arms.

   - Do you have a child?

   - That's not what we're talking about.

   - We can help you if you stop pointing guns at us.

   - So you can take out your guns and shoot us?

   - Okay, we can come to an agreement. You will put down your weapons, we will too, and we will talk calmly.

Magna looked at her group, then back at the men and nodded, the woman allowed them to continue in, so they did so and closed the door behind them, they both reached into their belts, pulled out their guns and two large sized blades, they and Magna looked at each other and in agreement they nodded, after a few seconds they simultaneously threw their weapons on the floor, Magna looked at her entire group signaling them to do the same, Luke, Bernie, Alyssa and Auden walked to the other side of the point leaving the men at the other end.

   - So, what do you have to say? - Magna asked, sitting on the floor.

   - Maybe we can get to know each other first?

   - If you want.

   - I'm Fred, this is Ross.

   - Your turn.

   - Magna. - Magna introduced herself, after a while introducing the rest of the group.

   - So, you've taken our point and we should kill you... But we can offer you something else... - Ross started to say.

   - We belong to a certain community, not far from here, our task is to check nearby points marked on the map, constantly checking their strength and condition... This is in case of evacuation...

   - So, we can kill you or take you to us. - Ross joked, after a moment he was nudged by Fred, who noticed the group's surprised expressions.

   - You idiot, don't say that, of course we won't kill you, but you can come with us.

   - The baby is sick... Can they help her in your community? - Yumiko asked, looking at Fred and Ross, and then at the still sleeping Kai.

   - Of course... You don't even have to stay, but considering your child's condition, it would be best to come with us and get help... We have medicines, doctors...

   - It would be... - Yumiko started to say, but her statement was interrupted by Magna.

   - We need to confer. - said the blonde, turning away from the men and sitting in front of the whole group, not wanting Fred and Ross to hear their conversation, they decided to spell it.

   - Magna, what are you doing? - Luke asked.

   - Do you remember Coalport? Do you want the same?

   - Magna, Coalport is a completely different story. - Alyssa spelled.

   - They said we didn't have to stay. - Auden added.

   - That's why we can go with them, wait out the winter, let them help Kai...

   - I have a better idea, maybe we'll go with them, and when they help Kai, we'll think about what to do? - Connie suggested, the whole group looked at each other and nodded, Magna and Yumiko turned back to Fred and Ross.

   - Okay, we agree, we'll go with you.

   - Then we can go, it's not far. - Ross said, straightening up.

   - Can we take our weapons? - Fred asked, also getting up from the floor.

   - If you show me your map. - Magna demanded. Fred took a piece of paper folded into several pieces from his pocket.

   - Good move, blonde. - laughed Ross, who was nudged again by Fred.

Magna unfolded the paper and the first thing that caught her eye was the large inscription "JS Evacuation Points", her eyes wandered lower, noticing several red symbols.

   -JS? - Magna asked, rolling the paper back up and giving it to Fred.

   - The name of our community.

   - Jones Springs.

   - Jones Springs... All right, let's go.

Everyone rolled up their sleeping bag and packed their backpack, Connie stood up taking Kai in her arms, once the group was ready, everyone got down from the ladder one by one, before Connie went down she handed Kai to Yumiko so as not to risk dropping the baby.

   - Mama, what's going on? - asked little Kai, who finally woke up due to the sudden movements.

   - Nothing, baby, we met two nice gentlemen, they will help us. - Yumiko replied, hugging the girl tightly and stroking her back. After a while, Kai drifted off again, sinking into her mother's embrace.

   - What is her name? - Fred asked once they were on their way, the man walking next to Magna and looking every now and then at Yumiko carrying the baby.

   - Who? - Magna asked, not sure who Fred was asking her about.

   - A girl.

   - Her name is Kai.

   - How old is she?

   - About four, I think...

   - Child of the apocalypse... We have some children in Jones Springs, she will have someone to play with... If you want to stay.

   - Yeah... 

After some time, the group, along with Fred and Ross, reached the community in question. 

Jones Springs. 

A large sign hung on a high fence, the gate was closed, and there were practically no sick people around.

Ross banged on the gate three times and after a while the door opened revealing the inside, there were a few small houses, farm fields that were now covered with a transparent sheet.

Fred and Ross went inside inviting the group, when they entered the gate closed behind them and Fred ran to one of the houses, returning with two women who ran to Yumiko.

   - These are our nurses, Nancy and Donna. - Fred introduced the two women to the rest of the group, one of the women touched Kaia's forehead and checked her breathing.

   - She has a fever, she's weak, but she's breathing. - said one of the women previously introduced as Nancy.

   - How old is she? - Donna asked the other one.

   - About four... I think... - Yumiko said.

   - All right, come with us...

   - Will you help her?

   - Everything will be fine, he just needs medicine, a warm bed and tea.

   - You all need this. - Donna and Nancy took Yumiko with Kai to the house where both women had just left. 

After an hour, the group met again.

Kai was lying in bed in the infirmary, she was covered with a duvet and blanket, her cheeks and nose were red from the cold, on the shelf next to the bed there was a mug with hot, steaming tea just waiting for Kai to wake up.

Yumiko and Magna were sitting on the armchair next to the baby's bed, they both had cups of tea in their hands, everyone got tea and a warm blanket.

The infirmary looked different than in Coalport, there were more medicine cabinets, more beds and drips.

   - Everything will be fine, she's tough. - Connie walked up to her friends and put one of her hands on Miko's shoulder, who returned the gesture by placing her hand on Connie's.

   - I hope so... - Miko replied, placing her head on Magna's shoulder.

   - She's survived this long in the cold, she's indestructible... - Luke smiled and Bernie laughed.

   - Donut is a tough girl... I told you it would be so... Healthy and strong.

Magna smiled at the memory of Bernie calling Kai a donut.

After a while, they heard the rustle of the blanket and the quiet moans of little Kai, everyone ran to the bed, looking at the girl who had just woken up and started looking around the room.

   - Kai, darling... - Yumiko put the tea on the table and put her hand on Kai's head, stroking it.

   - What's going on? - asked the confused girl.

   - Nice people found us, helped you... - said Magna, placing her hand on Kai's belly.

   - I'm not going to die?

   - Of course not... I told you everything would be fine, Kai Kai... - Magna leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the girl's cheek.

   - We have a new home?... - Kai smiled and her eyes began to sparkle with excitement, Yumiko looked at Magna, and the blonde already knew what question she wanted to ask, she looked at each of her group in turn.

   - I think we can try. - Magna hugged Yumiko and placed a kiss on her lips.

She saw Kelly's quiet excitement as she explained everything to Connie, saw Luke and Bernie smiling at each other, and Auden and Alyssa smiling at each other.

   - It can't be worse than Coalport.

Chapter Text

One day later

The group decided to stay in Jones Springs, at least for a while, to wait until Kai was fully recovered, the winter was over and everyone was back on their feet. Everyone spent the night in the infirmary, because they didn't have apartments yet, and Kai had to stay there for some time, there weren't too many sick people, so it wasn't a problem for anyone.

Today Magna was supposed to meet with the community leader, the woman decided to take Bernie with her, she was afraid to be alone with a stranger, especially after what happened in Coalport. Bernie decided to change his clothes, so Magna was waiting for him outside the infirmary, when she noticed Fred approaching her, she decided to hurry her friend.

- Billy, hurry up, we have to go! - Magna shouted, and after a while the door opened and Bernie stood there, dressed in jeans and his Turkish-patterned shirt. As soon as Magna saw what Bernie was wearing, she closed her eyes and placed her hand on her forehead. The man had already wrapped the scarf around his neck and started putting on a warm jacket.

- You're testing my patience, aren't you?

- What? I wouldn't dare, Josie.

- You know I hate this shirt?

- Really? You never told me that.

- I must've forgotten.

- Hey, ready for the meeting? - Fred walked over to them and leaned against the infirmary door.

- I guess so. - Magna looked at Bernie, who confirmed her words.

- Let's go then, there's nothing to wait for. - Fred straightened up and moved forward, with Magna and Bernie following him.

- Hey, man, is your leader a good guy or someone to watch out for? - Bernie asked.

- You'll see for yourself, actually you'll do it in a moment, we're already here. - Fred pointed to one of the houses, a one-story white building, Fred let Magna and Bernie inside, the living room looked as if the fall had never happened, well-kept and fragrant, there was a small beige sofa in the middle, hand-painted paintings and furniture hung on the wall they were of good quality, bookshelves, chests of drawers and a coffee table, and there was a white carpet on the floor.

- Wow... - Magna looked at everything with wide eyes just like Bernie, since the fall they had only lived in abandoned places, old, wet, often falling apart, Coalport wasn't exactly a new place either, it was nice to see something so well-kept.

- Impressive, huh? - Fred smiled at their reaction, went inside the house, and Magna and Bernie followed him. They saw a short corridor with three doors. Fred put his hand on one of them and opened it. - I'll be waiting in the living room, you'll need to be shown around. - Magna and Bernie entered the room, it looked like an office, there were shelves with books, a desk with a stack of papers on it and two armchairs in front of the desk.

They noticed a female figure standing facing the window, her long brown hair reaching down to her waist, the woman didn't seem to notice them, so Magna decided to knock on the door frame to get her attention. The woman turned and smiled at Bernie and Magna, put down the notebook she was holding and walked towards them, holding out her hands.

- Hello, you must be the new ones. - the woman offered one hand to Magna and one to Bernie - Sorry, I have so much on my mind, I didn't notice you, I'm Carmen.

- Magna, this is Bernie.

- Great, sit down, I'll ask you a few questions and then I'll answer yours. - Carmen pointed to two armchairs, Magna and Bernie took off their outerwear and sat on the armchairs, and Carmen at her desk, took another notebook from the drawer, opened it and prepared a pen. - So, we can start. To start with, how many people are in your group?

- Nine people. - Magna said, and Carmen wrote it down in her notebook.

- Children?

- One, about four years.

- Have you been on the road for a long time?

- For several years we lived on our own in abandoned houses or warehouses.

- I guess one of you is the leader, right? - Carmen looked up from her notebook and looked first at Magna and then at Bernie, but after a while her eyes went back to Magna and a smile appeared on her face. - I guess it's you?

- Where do these conclusions come from? - Magna asked, straightening up in her chair.

- You look like someone people follow, you exude strength and temperament. - Carmen looked from Magna to Bernie and gave him as warm a smile as Magna. - you are her right hand?

- Not exactly, I'm just accompanying her today.

- It seems to me that you are someone she trusts, someone she can rely on. - after this sentence, Magna and Bernie looked at each other, and Carmen stared at the notebook. - Have you lived in any other community besides Jones Springs?

- Yeah, about four years ago, we were alone after that.

- Why don't you live there anymore?

- The community fell apart, everyone ran away in different directions. - Carmen wrote something in her notebook again and then put it aside She picked him up, propped herself up on the desk, and looked at Magna and Bernie.

   - Okay, that's enough for me, all that's left is to arrange you in houses, Fred will show you everything, we have ten houses at our disposal in a condition suitable for living, we are constantly expanding. Will all nine of you live in one house or split it into two? - Magna and Bernie looked at each other questioningly again.

   - Maybe let's move in together first. - Bernie suggested.

   - Yes, after that, if we get used to it, we can think about moving? - added Magna, to which Carmen gave her a warm smile and opened her notebook again and prepared a pen.

   - How many bedrooms will suit you?

   - I think three will be fine.

   - Each room has one double bed, but you can easily add another one. So, now that we've settled everything, would you like to ask me a question?

   - How many inhabitants does your community have? - Magna asked.

   - About one hundred and fifty at the moment, but we are constantly growing, we try to accept everyone, unless we sense their bad intentions.

   - And what are our intentions? - Magna asked inquisitively, looking at the woman piercingly.

   - Well, you spent the night here and now you're talking to me, so I guess we don't feel any bad intentions from you.

   - How do you feel it? You simply trust your intuition? You were a psychologist or something? - Magna flooded Carmen with a sea of questions, but the woman seemed to be prepared for them, because none of them surprised her, she still sat opposite Magna and Bernie and stared stoically at her interlocutor.

   - That's exactly what I was talking about. You didn't have to tell me you led these people, you showed me now. And we definitely need someone like that. Ross is in charge of bringing people here, and I'm in charge of intelligence.

   - And what is your decision to we stay here?

   - One day you will find out. And now it's time for your house. - Carmen got up from the chair and left the desk. She walked to the door and waved her hand to signal Fred, who appeared a moment later. Carmen took a small piece of paper from the stack and wrote something on it, then handed it to Fred. - Show them the house, show them around Jones Springs and tell them what and how, okay?

   - Sure, come on, there's no time to waste. - Fred read the contents of the note and then looked at Magna and Bernie. After a while, they both got up from their seats and followed him into the already familiar corridor.

After some time, Magna and Bernie arrived at the house with Fred. A typical American building, one story, similar to Carmen's house, with one difference, it had brick walls instead of white, a dark gray roof with white trim, wooden doors, and several pairs of large windows with white frames.

   - And? - Fred asked, staring at the house.

   - I didn't have one even when everything was normal. - Bernie laughed, looking at Magna, Fred and the house.

   - Carmen wrote down my second house on a piece of paper, it's the one next door, in case we move, wait, I'll just put the information on it. - Fred left them and headed towards the house next door, it looked the same as the one they were offered, all the houses in the area were very similar. Once Fred was out of earshot, Bernie approached Magna.

   - What do you think? - he asked in a whisper that only she could hear.

   - All this seems suspicious to me.

   - What? Why?

   - Premonition. It's all weird.

   - Magna, it's your first day here, Carmen and I have only talked for the first time, maybe let it go and enjoy the safety of Jones Springs.

   - Carmen... There's something about her that I don't like... She's too calm.

   - Hey, at least she's a woman, we have nothing to worry about.

   - Maybe so. I'll keep an eye on her. You have it too.

   - Yes, Captain. - Bernie made a gesture with his hand and laughed, infecting Magna.

At that moment Fred came back and joined in the laughter.

   -What are we laughing at? - he asked with a smile, placing his hands on his hips.

   - We just talk about how lucky we are that you found us. - Bernie replied.

   - No problem, you have to help the living, right? Do you want to see it from the inside?

   -Can't we go get our people first? They would love to see him with us. - Bernie said.

   - Maybe let's give Kai a little rest, when he gets stronger we'll all move here. - Magna replied.

   - I think so too, come in, see what's going on, then you'll show everything to the rest. - Fred suggested. Magna and Bernie looked at each other, nodded, and she and Fred headed inside.

The interior was similar to Carmen's. A beige sofa, a fireplace opposite, an island separating the kitchen from the living room, then there was a corridor with four doors, probably three of them leading to the bedroom and one to the bathroom.

The three of them moved down the hall to see the rest of the house, each bedroom looked the same - white walls, wooden floor, in the middle there was a large wooden bed, there were shelves in the same shade of wood, white curtains on the windows, and a carpet in the same color covering most of the floor. Where the hell did they get that? - Magna thought.

The bathroom looked normal, like almost any bathroom, shower, toilet, sink and a small bathroom rug. It used to be something normal, but now the thought of a warm shower brought incredible joy to everyone.

   - You like it? - Fred asked as he sprawled out in the bathroom, all Magna and Bernie could do was nod. - Carmem wrote down everything, people with three extra beds should arrive within a few days, will you be able to cope for now?

   - Yeah, sure. The couch looks comfortable, we'll be fine. - Bernie reassured him, Fred smiled hearing the happiness and gratitude in his voice.

   - I'm on my rounds in a moment, I have to go, stay and look around for a while. - said Fred and after saying goodbye to Magna and Bernie, he left the house, leaving them alone.

   - Now seriously, Jo. What do you think? Bernie said to her. Magna looked at him and looked around the bathroom again.

   -What makes you think I'm not telling the truth?

   - I know you a little bit.

   - I don't know.

   - I see something's wrong.

   - It seems to you. I'm glad we'll have a house.

   - Okay, you don't have to say anything for now, come on, you have to tell the others. - Bernie left the bathroom and walked down the hall to the living room.

   - There is nothing to talk about. - Magna followed Bernie and they left the house and went to the infirmary to meet up with the rest of the group.

Magna and Bernie reached the infirmary, went inside and found Yumiko sitting by Kai's bed talking to the doctor who was standing on the other side, who as soon as he noticed Magna and Bernie smiled and turned to Magna.

   - I was just telling Yumiko that Kai is getting better, she will be able to leave in a few hours. - the doctor said with a smile, Magna returned it and came closer.

   - Thanks. - she said gratefully, the doctor smiled even wider and moved away from the girl's bed.

   - If you need me, you know where I am. I'll give you a moment. - he said and left, leaving the group alone.

   - Hey, - Magna said with a smile, placing a hand on Miko's shoulder and placing a quick kiss on Kai's forehead. - so you're feeling better, huh?

   - Yes, you saw everything? - the girl asked in an innocent voice.

   - Not everything, but I saw the house where we will live.

   - Is it beautiful?

   - It is, baby.

   - We stay here?

   - For now, yes.

   - For now, we have to wait until you regain full strength. - Yumiko said, placing one of her hands on her daughter's head and combing her dark hair.

   - It's all right now. I want to stay here mom.

   - We'll stay here for now, don't worry.

   - Yes, mom is right, don't worry, it's my job.

   - I did not say that. - Miko laughed, looking down at her beloved.

   - Everyone knows that, Miko, relax. - said Luke, who had been sitting quietly on his sleeping bag, playing cards with the rest of the group.

   - See? - Magna asked jokingly, sitting on the chair next to Yumiko.

   - By the way, Mags. When can we move in? Unless we live in the infirmary. - Luke asked, smiling at his friends.

   - The house is ready, just wait until Kai is released and I hope we will sleep there tonight.

   - What about the leader? Is he an asshole or is he a cool guy? - Luke asked again.

   - The leader is a woman.

   - For real? Now you have to stay here, it's an opportunity.

   - Well, I don't know, man, Mags has big doubts. Bernie interjected.

   - I just don't know her yet, it's hard to judge someone in one conversation.

   - But you do it anyway. - he added, giving her a significant look.

   - Okay, that's enough. Bernie, you know what Magna is like, but let's not judge anyone by one day. - Connie spelled, putting the cards on the floor. - When we get out of here, we'll all talk to her and then we'll evaluate her.

   - Good idea, probably the first one like this today. - Luke replied and went back to playing cards. Yumiko and Magna soon joined them as well, and Kai, after a few minutes of watching from a distance, took a blanket that was lying on the bed, covered herself with it and went out to watch the game up close, finding a place on Magna's lap.

A few hours later, Kai was finally able to leave the infirmary. The whole group took their sleeping bags, thanked the doctor who helped them and followed Magna and Bernie to see the house.

Everyone was delighted with the building both from the outside and inside, although in those days a tent or a trailer would be enough for them, as long as it was behind the walls, they still couldn't complain about the luxury they got, hot water, a fireplace, a soft bed

Jones Springs seemed perfect.

One week later.

A week has passed since they arrived in Jones Springs. Everyone received their tasks, Carmen managed to get to know every single person in the group during this time, the woman seemed delighted to meet them, especially Kai. The woman did not hide from them that there were not many children in the community, which is why Kai felt adored by most people.

That day, Yumiko and Magna went on a planned scouting trip, two other people from Jones Springs were with them, the women left Kai with Connie, who finished doing all the duties she had that day. This wasn't the first time Kai had stayed with her aunt, but today Yumiko felt different being away from the girl, which of course didn't go unnoticed by Magna, who noticed her girlfriend's worry and significant distraction.

   - Miko... - Magna said to her when she finished killing the last sick. The woman ran to her girlfriend, who had also finished killing her share of the sick. - Are you all right?

   -Yeah, why do you ask? - Miko replied without even looking at Magna, instead the woman wiped the blade of her knife on her shirt and moved forward towards the characteristic arrows sticking out of several corpses.

   - You haven't looked at me since we left, you're absent.

   - I'm having a bad day. Let's go, Roger and Danny will be looking for us. - Yumiko took out the last arrow and wiped it on her shirt, Magna did not give up and, catching up with Yumiko, she placed her hand on her shoulder, the older woman looked at her for the first time since leaving the gates, and there was uncertainty and fear in her eyes.

   -What's up? - Magna asked again, gently running her hand over Miko's shoulder.

   - Kai. - Yumiko replied briefly, looking away from Magna.

   - Kai? She's... - Magna started to say, Yumiko looked at her beloved again and grabbed her.

   - At Jones Springs, yeah, I know.

   - What's the matter with Kai?

   - Since we left, I can't stop thinking about her. Is she safe, is she alright...

   - Miko, it's normal, you've never left her for so long. - Magna tried to calm her down, smiling at her gently, but it didn't help, Yumiko was still irritated.

   - No, Magna, you don't understand. She makes me weak. - Yumiko replied, looking into Magna's eyes, which showed surprise.

   - What are you talking about, Miko?

   - Since I gave birth to her, I haven't thought about anything else. Today I almost got bitten because I was staring at... A little girl... A dead girl...

   - Miko, I'm sorry... But it's normal, as a mother does.

   - No, Magna, it's not normal, not these days. First I couldn't fight after giving birth, then I had to take care of her, now I have to defend her... It's a weakness. 

   - Miko, should I understand that you regret it?

   - What? No. No, of course not. I love Kai, I'm very happy to be her mother, but... - Yumiko stopped for a moment, looked into the distance and sighed, then her eyes moved to her shoes and then back to Magna. - I'm afraid it will get worse, that one day I won't be strong enough to defend myself or her...

   - Hey, Miko... You're not weak, okay? You worry about her like any mother, Kai is still little, when she grows up she will learn to fight and everything will change. Miko, I'm worried about her too...

   - That's different. Magna, I'm her biological mother, I gave birth to her, not you. - Yumiko said, even though she saw the expression on Magna's face and knew that she had hit her weak spot, she did not take back her words, but repeated the last ones before she left in search of the rest. - Not you.

When Magna and Yumiko returned to Jones Springs, they were greeted at the entrance by little Kai, who quickly broke out of Connie's arms and ran to Magna's legs, hugging her tightly.

   - Mommy! I missed you! - the girl got excited, and Magna returned the hug, lifting her daughter.

   - I missed you too, ladybug. - Magna stroked the girl's head, combing her dark hair.

   - You killed a lot of sickos?

   - Yes, lots of them. - the younger woman laughed.

   - When will you teach me too?

   - When I have free time, honey, for now I have important work.

   - Okay... - Kai said, slightly disappointed, but her smile appeared on her face again when she turned head towards Yumiko and held out her hands. - Mama!

Yumiko, instead of accepting the girl in her arms, only stretched out one hand and placed it on her daughter's cheek, stroked it, and after a while she moved forward, heading deeper into Jones Springs.

   - What's wrong with mama? - a little girl asked in a whisper, hugging Magna's neck.

   - Mom is tired today... Let her sleep, tomorrow will be better... - replied Magna, hugging the baby even tighter. The woman noticed a red mark on the cheek where Yumiko's hand had rested earlier, apparently the blood of one of the sick. Magna wasted no time, dipped the hem of her shirt with the rest of the water from her canteen and wiped the girl's cheek, causing her to laugh. The most beautiful sound in the world.

In the middle of the night, when Magna woke up, she pulled Kai closer to her, and with her fingertips she wanted to touch Yumiko's shoulder, she felt that her girlfriend was not next to her. The young woman stood up and looked around the room, but there was no sign of Yumiko. Magna stroked Kai's head and gently got out of bed, trying not to move the girl so that she wouldn't wake up, the woman covered the girl with a blanket and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Magna looked for Miko in the kitchen, bathroom, living room, and even quietly looked into the bedrooms of other household members, but she was not in any of these places. The woman decided to go outside the house, where she finally found her lost item. Yumiko was sitting on one of the wooden chairs, and a smoking object could be seen in her hand. Magna approached her, but the older woman didn't seem to notice her.

   - I thought you quit. - Magna said, causing Miko to turn to her in slight fear, surprised by the person behind her.

   - I didn't quit. The world forced me. - she replied, then turned around and put a cigarette in her mouth.

   -Where did you get them from? - the younger woman asked as she sat down next to her girlfriend, inhaling the smoke that was coming out of Miko's mouth.

   - I found it during one of the scouts. I thought I might need them. As you can see, I wasn't wrong.

   -You're not going to say anything, are you? -  Magna asked, causing Yumiko to look at her questioningly.

   - About what?

   - About today? First you say you miss Kai, and when we get back you won't even talk to her.

   - You don't understand.

   - Of course, I'm not her mother, right?

   - Magna, that was inappropriate, but I'm not going to apologize to you for being stressed.

   - That doesn't excuse you.

   - Okay, you know what, we won't get along like this. - Yumiko threw her cigarette on the floor, crushed it with her foot and stood up to leave

   - You don't even want to get along. - Magna stood up and blocked Yumiko's path.

   - You don't understand me. Kai makes me weak, I have to be strong.

   - So I take it you'll stop talking to her? Hug her, love her? Maybe you should stop loving me?

   - There are plenty of people who can take advantage of my weakness. When they see that I'm soft around her... Magna, I want to protect her.

   -That doesn't mean you have to be uncaring towards her.

   - I'm not uncaring. I love my daughter, so I have to limit my affection with Kai in front of others... And with you too. - Miko pushed Magna's hand away and opened the door, walking inside, leaving her girlfriend alone.

Yumiko entered the bedroom, closed the door behind her and went to bed, her daughter was sleeping in the middle, so Yumiko lay down next to her without even touching the girl. Yumiko closed her eyes trying to fall asleep.

   - I'm sorry. - a small voice suddenly said next to her. The woman opened her eyes and saw her daughter in front of her, the girl was looking at her with wide eyes.

   - For what? - Yumiko asked, looking at the child. The little girl sighed and buried her face in the pillow, and Yumiko reached out her hand and stroked her daughter's head. - Kai...

   - I heard what you said...

   - What did you hear?

   - That I make you weak... I'm sorry I can't defend myself...

   - Kai... - Yumiko started talking, looked into her daughter's eyes and saw sadness and guilt in them, which immediately acted on Miko like a bucket of cold water. - I want to protect you... I don't want anyone to see that I love you so much and then use you as my weakness... You understand, right?

   - I don't think so... Mama, we're at home... Nobody here wants to hurt us...

   - You can never be sure... - Yumiko said. Little Kai sighed and rubbed her eyes with her hand. The girl turned her back to her mother and closed her eyes.

Yumiko moved closer and placed a hand on her shoulder.

   - Kai... Honey, I love you... I love you and mom the most... That's why I'm so worried about you...

   - Even at home you didn't pay attention to me... You didn't want to hug me...

   - Kai Kai...

   - No. - the girl got up from the bed and carefully got off it, taking her stuffed bunny in her hand. - I'm going to sleep with auntie... She loves me... - she said and left the room, closing the door.

Yumiko felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces, the woman put her hand over her mouth and turned to face the window, trying to fall asleep.

Magna was still on the porch sitting on the wooden chair, there were a few smoked cigarettes at her feet, Magna counted three, they had to be Yumiko, no one else was smoking, at least Magna hadn't seen anyone else do it.

   - Magna, what are you doing here? - a female voice broke Magna from her thoughts and took her eyes off the floor, causing the woman to look at the person in front of her, it was Carmen. The woman stood in the middle of the road wearing a bathrobe and looked at the blonde sitting on the porch.

   - I could ask the same. - Magna replied. Carmen walked towards the house and entered the property, finding the place in front of Magna.

   - May I? - asked the woman pointing to the empty seat next to Magna, the young woman looked first at the empty seat and then at Carmen with a shrug. The older woman sat down next to Magna and looked at her.

   - I ask again, what are you doing here at this time? - Carmen asked again.

   - Couldn't sleep. I needed to get some fresh air. - Magna finally replied. Carmen looked at the floor, noticing a few smoked cigarettes.

   - You smoke? - she asked, and Magna looked first at her and then at the cigarettes.

   - No, not me. It's Yumiko, I'll clean it up soon. - she replied and started picking up the cigarettes that had been thrown there earlier.

   - Tell her to clean it up next time. Or didn't throw them to the ground.

   - Yeah. Sure. I repeat my question. Why are you here? - Magna straightened up once she had collected all the cigarettes.

   - I like night walks. - Carmen replied, looking at the moon, which was perfectly visible from the house on whose porch they were sitting. - Besides, I can't sleep either.

   - Is something bothering you?

   - No. I mean, not really. I just think too much, that's all. - Carmen said, and Magna laughed under her breath, knowing perfectly well what Carmen was talking about.

   - This happens a lot when you're a leader. I know what you mean. - Magna looked away for a moment, and when she looked back at Carmen, she saw the woman watching her with a smile. - What?

   - You remind me of my daughter. Especially now when you are smiling. - Carmen said, smiling at Magna.

   - Is she dead? - Magna asked, and Carmen shook her head, lowering it. - I'm sorry.

   - It's okay... She died before all this... I'm glad she doesn't have to see it all... Now she would be... Twenty-one years old...

   - Was she sick? - Carmen nodded.

   - She has been sick since she was twelve... Multiple sclerosis... I miss her every day... And I think about her every day.

   - It's understandable... I would miss Kai too... I'm surprised you managed, I don't know if I could survive if I lost her now.

   - I'm sure you would... But you shouldn't think about what would have been, think about what is now. - Carmen said the last sentence, and after it there was silence between them, only the sounds of the night, crickets and the gentle breeze of leaves in the wind could be heard.

   - What was her name? - Magna broke the silence, drawing Carmen's attention. - Your daughter?

   - Narcisa. Like a flower. - she said proudly and smiled to herself.

   - Nice. May I ask you something?

   - Anything.

   - Why didn't you ask who we were before? A week ago, when you welcomed us?

   - Does it matter? It's who you are now that matters.

   - Many would disagree with you. 

   - Magna. - Carmen said to her. - If I told you that I once killed a man, would you believe that I am a good person now? That's how the human psyche works, Magna. We are afraid that the person who has changed for the better will one day become the same person he once was, people are getting crazy, they don't trust you, and who knows what your reasons were? Only you. I saw your prison tattoo. Still, I gave you a chance to show a different side of yourself.

   - How do you?...

   - My husband has the same one. He has a bad past, but I love him because I know who he is now and what he had to go through to get here, to be the father of our daughter. We met there, he was serving a sentence and I was a volunteer.

   - I know that from somewhere. - Magna smiled, remembering how she met Yumiko.

   - You and Yumiko look happy. Don't let anything, especially your past, change that. - Carmen smiled at Magna, got up from the chair and straightened her robe.

   - I hope so.

   - I know you don't trust me, I can see it, I'm not blind... But I hope it's just a matter of time...

   - Why didn't you take our weapons?

   - You never know what will happen, I don't want to take away your protection. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about prison... You'll tell me when you're ready or not. - Carmen said. - I think I should go back. Time to sleep, tomorrow is a busy day. Good night, Magna.

   - Good night... - Magna replied, and Carmen moved a few feet from Magna's porch.

   - Oh, and you were right... I was a psychologist. - Carmen said as she left and left the estate, disappearing from Magna's sight.

The younger woman went back inside, closing the door behind her, threw the cigarettes she had collected from the floor into the trash can, and headed towards the bedroom. On the way, she heard water running in the bathroom, and after a while she saw Yumiko leaving the bathroom, the woman was wiping her eyes with a piece of paper and sniffling.

   - Throw away used cigarettes in the trash if you must smoke. - Magna said and Yumiko looked at her, then Magna noticed her red eyes. - Did you cry?

Yumiko turned off the light in the bathroom and walked up to Magna, hugging her tightly. Magna, although still angry at Yumiko, couldn't be indifferent to ii, she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and placed one of her hands on her back, stroking it soothingly.

   - I'm sorry... - Miko said, sobbing gently into Magna's chest. - I don't know what happened to me...

   - It's okay, Miko...

   - I didn't mean to say it... You are Kai's mother... It doesn't matter whether you gave birth to her or not.

   - Thanks, Miko. - Magna said, placing her hands on Miko's cheeks, lifted her head and brought her lips closer to hers, immersing herself in a sweet kiss.

   - I didn't want to be like this for Kai... I love her... I love her the most...

   - I know, Miko, I know. - Magna reassured her, gently stroking her hair.

   -You know I don't like this. - Yumiko laughed, feeling Magna's gesture.

   - But I do. - Magna replied with a smile.

   - Kai heard our conversation... She's sad and upset... She's sleeping with Connie...

   - Hey, we'll talk to her tomorrow... Everything will be fine, we'll explain everything to her...

   -Okay...

   - Let's go to sleep... - Magna said, taking Miko's hand. The women went to the bedroom together and lay down in their bed, gently hugging each other, and soon they both fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

A few weeks later

Life in Jones Springs was quite peaceful. Everyone has become accustomed to their duties, has explored every corner of the community, and has gotten to know most of the people.

That day, Magna went scouting alone. Yumiko and Bernie were on duty at the front gate, Connie and Auden were on duty at the back gate, Luke and Alyssa helped with the crops, and Kelly volunteered to help with Kai and stayed home with the girl.

Magna was about to return to Jones Springs, the woman was walking through the forest with a knife in her hand, observing everything that was happening around her.

   - Magna. - she suddenly heard a voice from behind her, combined with the rustling of leaves. The woman swung and threw the knife in the direction of the sound, hitting a tree.

She looked at the person standing behind her and saw Carmen in a completely different version than she usually saw. Her clothes were worn out and a bit dirty, she was wearing a brown hat and knee-high boots of the same color, and in her hand was a large, sharp machete.

The older woman switched the weapon to her other hand and used her free hand to remove Magna's knife from the tree.

   - That was close. - said the woman, approaching Magna and giving her the gun.

   - I thought it was sicko. - she replied, putting the knife in her belt.

   - I don't blame you, I probably would have reacted the same way.

   - What are you doing here?

   - You think I just sit inside and assign people to houses? Everyone needs to get out sometimes... To remember what it looks like now.

   - You surprise me. - Magna said as she and Carmen moved forward.

   - Why? Do I look like a nice middle-aged lady who is only fit to run a community?

   - Do I have to be honest? - asked the younger woman, receiving an affirmative nod. - Kind of like that.

   - Then I have to change my reputation, although it will be difficult to look like a warrior in the eyes of a warrior.

   - Warrior?

   - In yours, I mean.

   - I'm not a warrior, I just found myself here.

   - Watch your words, Magna. These days, just breathing makes you a fighter.

   - I'd like to think so.

   - Shall we sit? - Carmen made a gesture with her hand, showing a broken tree trunk, the women sat down, and the older one took a canteen of water from her bag and handed it to Magna, who accepted it and took a sip.

   - So, I guess I can ask this question... Who were you before all this?

   - You said it doesn't matter. - Magna gave the canteen back to the woman.

   - Because there isn't, but is curiosity forbidden? the woman laughed, and Magna looked at her for a moment before answering.

   - There's nothing interesting about it... I was just an ordinary waitress.

   - Every job is important and deserves to be respected by people.

   - I'm not talking about a waitress in a restaurant... I worked at a truck stop.

   - So I respect you for sticking with it, you must have been accosted by a lot of men.

   - And how much... They treated me like an object.

   - Some people stand out for their lack of respect.

   - They're just being assholes. - Magna said, causing Carmen to laugh.

   - You're direct. I like this. - after Carmen's statement, there was a longer silence between them before Carmen asked Magna a question again.

    - A good place to put a supply crate, by the way. - Magna looked at Carmen in shock, expecting to see anger in her eyes, but all she saw was a smile on her face. - Jones Springs Wrestling. I saw you taking them at night, I followed you to see what you would do.

   - Were you following me?

   - I prefer to call it a chance meeting.

   - I'm in trouble, huh?

   - Why do you think so?

   - I dunno. Maybe because I stole supplies from your community? The supplies your people gather day and night? - Magna said, making Carmen laugh.

   - You didn't take everything. These are just some supplies, when Johnny and Ronald come back from fishing there will be more fish and the vegetables are growing beautifully too. We have enough of everything.

   - Will you answer me one question? - Magna asked, looking straight into the eyes of the older brunette.

   - Of course. Anything.

   - Why are you like this? - the younger woman asked, but seeing the uncertainty in Carmen's eyes, she asked another question. - Do you trust me that much?

   -Isn't it visible?

   - Of course it's visible. My question is why? Why do you trust me so much? - Magna asked. Carmen just turned towards the forest and there was silence between them for a moment.

   - I guess I see myself in you. We are very similar, even if you don't realize it.

   - I don't want to be rude, but no, I don't see it.

   - All right. The important thing is that I see it. - Carmen smiled, making Magna smile too. - We should go back to Jones Springs. I went out for a short time, if I stay here too long they'll start looking for me, and I don't need anyone to defend me.

   - You're right. - Magna got up from the trunk and gave Carmen's hand to help her up, the woman accepted it with a smile and stood up.

   - Am I that old already? I look infirm? - the woman joked, putting the water canteen back into her bag.

   - We have to help the elderly. - Magna laughed and she and Carmen headed back towards the community.

The next day, Magna had a free morning, so as usual on such a day, the woman got up before sunrise and started getting everything ready to go outside the gates. She tried to practice throwing as much as possible, poured water into a canteen, packed the blades in a bag, took some provisions and put everything in the bag.

The woman was about to leave when an idea came to her mind, she closed the slightly ajar door and returned to the bedroom where Yumiko and Kai were sleeping.

The blonde walked to the bed and gently, so as not to wake Yumiko, she started to wake up the girl.

   - Kai Kai... - Magna gently nudged her daughter, successfully waking her from sleep.

   - Hmm... Mom, what's happening? - the sleepy little girl asked, looking at her mother with eyes still glued from sleep.

   - Would you like to go to practice with me? - Magna asked, waking up her daughter, who sat on the bed and rubbed her eyes with a smile.

   - Really?

   - Yes, but we have to be quiet, let's let mommy sleep, okay?

   - Okay. - little Kai hugged her mother, and the woman took her in her arms and took her off the bed so that the girl wouldn't make too much noise.

Magna went to the dresser and took out blue jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and a warm sweater. The woman shook her daughter's hand and led her to the living room so she could get dressed.

   - Okay, get dressed, I'll write mama a letter. - Magna left Kai and her clothes on the couch while the girl put on her clothes. Magna went to the table to grab Connie's notebook and pencil that she usually left there and started writing a message for Yumiko.

   - Mama doesn't know we're going? - the girl asked, putting on the shirt.

   - She knows I'm going... I didn't have time to tell her about you, but don't worry, she'll read the letter and won't worry about you.

   -You sure? - Kai asked as she buttoned her sweater.

   - Sure, ladybug, come on, let's comb your hair. - Magna took her daughter to the bathroom and started combing her dark hair. The woman gave her daughter two high buns.

When the girl was ready to leave, Magna placed the letter to Yumiko in a visible place and she and Kai went out the door.

“Don't worry, I took Kai to training with me.

  ~ Magna.”

When Kai and Magna were leaving Jones Springs, a voice stopped them from behind, when Magna turned around she saw Carmen, not in a bathrobe, but dressed, an older woman was looking at Magna and Kai with a smile.

   - Carmen, what are you doing here?

   - I couldn't sleep, so I started working and went out to get some air. - the woman replied, approaching Magna and Kai. - And you? Where are you going?

   - I'm taking Kai to training, she has to learn someday. - Magna said, smiling and looking at her daughter. Carmen leaned down to the girl and smiled at her.

   - Want to learn to fight? - Carmen asked and Kai smiled at her.

   - Yes, mommy promised to teach me. - the girl replied with a smile, and Carmen gently grabbed her hands.

   - You will be a very strong girl. - the woman tucked Kai's stray dark hair behind her ear and straightened up to look at the girl's mother. - Like your mom.

   - Yeah! I want to be like mommy! - the girl shouted excitedly, causing both women to laugh.

   - I won't stop you, just go. - Carmen straightened her sweater and took a few steps away from the mother and daughter. - Enjoy your training. - she said and walked away completely.

Magna and Kai left through the gate and headed deeper into the forest.

Finally, mother and daughter reached Magna's training site, Magna carried Kai most of the way so that the girl wouldn't hurt herself on the branches, even though she knew she shouldn't do that, after all, Kai should learn how to behave in this world on her own, she knew already that you have to be quiet, watch out for sickos and defend yourself and your loved ones.

   - Okay, here we are. - Magna set Kai on the ground and took the bag of knives out of the bag, opened it and placed it on one of the stumps, showing Kai the entire set. - Look - Magna took one of the knives out of her bag and showed it to Kai. - it's a knife with a blade called Clip Point, do you know what its characteristics are?

   - No, tell me, mommy.

   - They are not very durable, but they tear the flesh very well, which means they are good for hunting game, you will work with it today, be careful, do not cut yourself. - Magna handed the girl the knife and reached into the bag again, looking for the knife she would work with today.

   - What will you use to fight?

   - I, honey, - Magna began to say, taking the knife she was looking for from the bag. - I'll take Rescurve today. Its blades cut very well and cut through the skin, but sharpening requires precision and time.

   - Does it throw well? - the girl asked, looking at the blade.

   - Check it out. - Magna said, straightening up, the woman swung and threw the knife at the tree, hitting the exact center of the target she had drawn.

   -Whoa. - the girl was delighted, looking at her mother with admiration.

   - Cool, huh? - Magna walked up to the tree and took out a knife from it, giving Kaia room to throw. - It's your turn, baby.

The girl grabbed the knife by its handle, swung it and threw it at the tree, she didn't hit any of the designated points, but the blade successfully stuck in the tree.

   - Well done, very good, honey. - Magna praised her, but the girl stood in her place with a sulky face.

   - I missed... - Kai said disappointedly, approaching Magna.

   - Hey, you hit a tree. Remember a few weeks ago when you missed and hit the grass? Everybody learns. - Magna comforted her, the girl seemed to listen to her mother and take into account her opinions, because a delicate smile appeared on her face.

   - Will it get any better?

   - If you practice, as I always say?

   - "It takes hard work to achieve your goal."

   - Exactly, now take the knife out of the tree and we'll continue training. - said Magna, supporting the girl so that she could pull out the blade herself.

Kai and Magna continued training, Kai was doing better and better, hitting her spots more often, and even gaining confidence.

Magna was incredibly proud of her little girl, she knew she would be tough and be able to defend herself.

When the sun started to shine more and more, Magna decided it was time to return to Jones Springs, when she put away all the knives she decided to throw one last time, unfortunately Magna did not take into account three factors:

the sunlight falling straight on her, the wrong position of the blade, and Kai standing too close, Magna threw the knife and it stuck into the tree, but before Magna could notice it, she heard Kai screaming and crying as she was lying on the ground holding her leg, the woman she ran to her and saw that the girl's hands were covered in blood.

   - Kai, wait, baby, let me see. - Magna gently moved Kai's hands away from the wound, it was quite deep and bleeding a lot. Magna took a canteen of water from her bag and poured it on the wound.

   - Hurts. - Kai complained, crying even more.

   - Why did you stand so close to the tree?! Damn it! Did I tell you something about being careful?! - Magna shouted, scaring Kai, who instead of calming down, cried even more.

   - I'm sorry, mom... - said the girl, sobbing and rubbing her watery eyes with the sleeve of her sweater.

   - No, honey, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have screamed, you're just a child. - Magna said gently, moving closer to Kai and hugging her, trying to calm her crying. - Shit, I'm an idiot!

The woman took off her shirt and tore it to make a makeshift dressing for Kai, once the wound was wrapped Magna sat her daughter on a tree trunk trying to calm her down.

   - Here, have a drink. - Magna handed the girl a canteen of water, and she took a sip, still sobbing from pain and fear. - It's okay, little one, wait, I'll take my bag and we'll go home.

Magna packed everything into a bag and carried it over her shoulder, picking the girl up and rubbing her back soothingly.

Mother and daughter started towards Jones Springs, Magna ran as fast as she could, meanwhile Kai's dressing began to leak, staining Magna's shirt and part of her pants with blood.

   - Mom, am I going to die? - the girl asked with the last of her strength, hugging her mother.

   - Of course not, don't say that, we'll be home soon, Nancy and Donna will help you.

   - Mom, the sickos are coming. - Kai said quietly. Magna stopped, wondering what her daughter was talking about, but when she turned around, the situation became clear to her.

Several dead had probably been following them for some time, Magna turned around without having time to fight, but several more dead appeared in front of her, wanting to change the direction of the route to avoid them, she saw more of them, on the other side the same. They were surrounded, they had to fight.

   - Kai, I'll put you down, I'll drag them away. - said Magna, placing the girl as far away from the corpses as possible. - Everything will be alright.

Magna took her knife from her belt and began fighting with the tips, driving the blade into each skull in turn.

As she fought those in front and to the right, those behind began to get even closer, Magna turned around and tried to deal with the last few deads, one of them lunged at her and tried to bite her, then Kai started crying and scream in fear for her mom.

   - Mommy! - Kai screamed in tears when several of the sickos turned towards her and started walking towards her, the girl took out one of Magna's knives from her bag and stabbed him into the stomach of one of the dead, causing her to spill his blood on herself, but it didn't help, and the sickos were still heading towards Kai.

   - Mom! Mommy, help me! - the girl cried and screamed, Magna finally managed to free herself, killing the dead, and finally ran to Kai, killing the rest of the dead, who was interested in her daughter.

   - Kai, are you okay? Don't you have a bite or a scratch? - Magna asked, washing the blood from the girl's neck with her hand and checking her little body.

   - No, and you? - she asked, hugging her mother.

   - It's okay, honey, don't worry. - Magna breathed a sigh of relief and placed her head on Kai's little head, giving her a strong kiss on the forehead and wrapping her arms around her as tightly as she could so that no one would take her away.

The joy didn't last long, because a moment later Magna felt a tug and heard a growl, one of the dead approached them and tried to grab them, Magna pulled out a knife, and Kai let out a high-pitched screech, the woman didn't even have time to plunge the blade into his skull when she heard a gunshot and saw blood splattering in all directions, she instinctively embraced Kai, covering her with her body, wanting to protect her with all her strength.

Magna opened her eyes and saw a dead body lying on the ground with a broken skull. Magna saw Carmen standing in front of them, securing her weapons and running up to them, hugging them.

   -Magna, Kai, are you all right? - asked the worried woman.

   - W-what... What are you doing here? - Magna asked, surprised by Carmen's presence.

   - I saw what was happening, I wanted to help you, but you dealt with them quickly, when I saw that he was the last one left, I wanted to help you.

   - For once, I'm glad you followed me. - Magna joked, smiling gently at Carmen, but after a while she looked at Kai and noticed how pale she was. - Help me, Kai's hurt, she needs to go to the infirmary quickly.

   - Is she bitten?

   - No, she cut herself with a knife, she's losing blood, please help me. - Magna begged, almost crying, she took Kai in her arms and hugged her.

   - Hold it, I'll take the bag and protect us. - Carmen assured her, the women moved forward towards Jones Springs without stopping for a moment.

Magna held Kai and rubbed her back, almost crying and begging God or whoever was there for her little girl to be strong and survive.

The women reached home, fortunately for Magna, Alyssa was standing guard at the front gate, when she saw Magna and Kai came downstairs approaching them, Carmen meanwhile went to the infirmary asking for help and Magna sat on the ground hugging Kai and crying.

   - Magna, what happened? - Alyssa asked worriedly, looking at the baby in Magna's arms and at Magna herself.

   - Al-Aly... Where's Yumiko? - she asked, sobbing and looking at Alyssa.

   - She's at the back gate today.

   - P-please go get her, tell her that we're in the infirmary. - at this time, Carmen returned with the doctor, Lawrence, the woman helped Magna get up and the three of them quickly ran to the infirmary, and Alyssa quickly let her partner know that he was staying alone on watch and ran to inform Yumiko.

Lawrence decided to take care of Kai first, Magna herself would not allow it to be otherwise. Lawrence placed the girl on the bed and started dressing her wound, and Nancy and Donna took Magna to another room and started dressing her wounds, she had scratches on her face, arms and stomach, most of them were not serious, she probably got them from running in the forest, rubbing various branches, but if not disinfected, they could lead to bad consequences. The women washed Magna's face, stomach and hands from the blood of Kai and the dead and began to wash the wounds.

   - Don't bother with me, help Kai. - Magna said firmly, but Donna and Nancy stayed put and continued doing their work.

   - Lawrence'll take care of her, don't worry. - Donna replied, throwing another bloody cotton swab into the trash.

   - She's in good hands, and you need help yourself. - Nancy added, placing her free hand on Magna's shoulder and applying plasters to the already cleaned wounds.

At this time, Carmen entered the room, the woman approached Magna to see how I was feeling, she put her hand on her shoulder and stroked it gently.

   - Carmen, what about Kai? - the younger woman asked, placing her hand on Carmen's.

   - Lawrence cleans the wound, but says he won't do without stitching. - Carmen informed her, and Magna buried her face in her hands and began to sob quietly.

   - Yumiko will kill me, she will kill me and she will be right! I'll kill myself! - Magna shouted, hitting her head with her hands and pulling her hair.

   - Magna... - Carmen sat down next to Magna and put her arm around her. - Nancy, Donna... Could you leave us?

   - Well, actually, it's already taken care of. - Nancy said looking at Donna.

   - Let's check if Lawrence needs anything. - Donna added and she and Nancy started to leave. - Call us if we're needed. - the women left the room, leaving Magna and Carmen alone, the older woman hugged Magna and tried to calm her down as best she could.

   - I'm a terrible mother! It's my fault!

   - Magna, don't say that, it's not true.

   - Of course it's true! Because of who she's here?!

   - Thanks to who she's here. You defended her like a lioness, I saw it, you were ready to sacrifice everything to help her, to save her, never say about yourself that you are a bad mother.

   - I'm not good... I'm like a father... I'm not good for anything... He was right...

   - Magna! Joseph was wrong! - Carmen shouted causing Magna to look at her in surprise and confusion, Carmen quickly realized what she had said and turned her head away.

How the hell does she know my father's name, she thought.

   - How the hell do you know his name?

   - Just a coincidence, we thought that since your middle name was Josephine, then...

   - How do you know my middle name?...

   - Magna, I...

   - Who the hell are you! - Magna shouted, both women stood up, now facing each other, but Magna quickly felt the effects and sat back on the bed feeling dizzy, Carmen walked up to her and placed her hand on her shoulder again, and the younger woman was too weak to use that hand to lose.

   - Magna, breathe. - Carmen said, a second later the door opened and a panicked Yumiko stood there, along with equally nervous Bernie and Connie.

   - Magna, what happened, Alyssa told me... - Yumiko started to say, walking to Magna's bed, looking at her from top to bottom.

   - M-Miko... You will kill me and you will be right...

   - Magna... Where's Kai?

   - She...

   - Magna!

   - Yumiko, don't shout. - Carmen said calmly, approaching Yumiko.

   - Carmen, I'm sorry, you know very well that I respect you very much, but it's none of your business.

   - Miko, she saved us... Let her tell you everything... I... I-I can't handle it... - Carmen gently grabbed Yumiko's hand and took her aside to talk to her.

   - Yumiko... Magna took Kai to training... Unfortunately, the little girl had an accident... She has a wound that requires stitches, they were attacked by deads and... - Carmen didn't even have time to finish the sentence because Yumiko started breathing very heavily, the woman grabbed herself. the back of the chair next to her and tried to calm down.

Carmen noticed Yumiko's condition and helped her sit in a chair. The woman crouched down and tried her best to calm Yumiko down, grabbed her hands and gently ran her thumbs over them.

   - Yumiko, breathe... Everything's okay...

   - Was Kai... Was she... bitten or scratched?...

   - No, no... Yumiko, everything's fine... Magna saved her, she just has this wound...

   - What about Magna?

   - Magna only has a few scratches... - Carmen said, but when she looked at Yumiko, who was staring at her in horror, she felt she had to clarify her statement. - From the branches... It's nothing...

Yumiko sat on the chair for a while, when she calmed down she slowly stood up and walked over to Magna, she sat on her bed and cuddled up to her, Magna wrapped her arms around Yumiko and placed her head on hers.

   - Thank God you're okay... - Yumiko said with relief, snuggling even closer into Magna's chest.

   - But Kai... Miko, I failed... I failed as a parent...

   - Magna... It could have happened to anyone. The most important thing is that you are both alive... - Yumiko said, trying to lift Magna's spirits, at the same moment Lawrence entered and everyone's heads turned to him.

   - Larry, what about Kai? - Carmen asked, Lawrence entered the room and approached her, then said something in her ear.

After a moment, he turned back to the others and looked at Yumiko.

   - Yumiko, will you come with me?

   - What? Did something happen to Kai?

   - Come with me... Please... - insisted the doctor. Yumiko, already stressed, got out of bed and went into the room with Lawrence.

Lawrence opened the door, letting Yumiko in first, the woman looked ahead and the first thing she saw was the bed on which her daughter was lying, the woman moved forward without a second thought and sat down on the edge of the bed.

   - Oh God... My baby... - Yumiko said in a whisper, taking one of Kai's hands in hers and touching her sweaty forehead with her free hand. - Is she?...

   - She fainted... She lost a lot of blood... - said the doctor, moving a chair to the bed and sitting down to be closer to Yumiko. - Listen, Yumiko. We have to stitch the wound, but for that he needs blood... Otherwise she'll bleed to death...

   - Blood?...

   - Yes... I wanted to ask if you know what kind of group she has...

   - It must be the same, right?... - Yumiko asked, looking at Lawrence, who confirmed her words. - I have no idea what blood type she has...

   - Okay... So we have to look for someone with blood type O...

   - Lawrence... Could she die?

   - I'll be honest... - he started and grabbed Yumiko's hand gently. - If we don't hurry... If she doesn't get blood... That's more than sure.

   - My dear little girl...

   - There's something else... We don't have any anesthetics...

   - So you'll have to... - Yumiko looked at Kai and took a deep breath. - Stitching her without anesthesia?...

   - If no one finds the anesthetic... And I'm afraid there's no time... We have to start within an hour, if we don't make it...

   -Okay... I see...

   - We need to find a donor... As soon as possible... Nancy and Donna will go ask people... I'll ask other patients...

   - Thank you... - Yumiko said with a gentle smile, which Lawrence returned.

There was no time to waste, Lawrence went to ask patients, Nancy and Donna went to ask people in the community, and Yumiko returned to her family leaving her little daughter alone.

She hoped that he would hear her voice, her laugh, see her smile, her beautiful eyes, touch her beautiful hair and smell her beautiful scent. She had her whole life ahead of her, she was supposed to learn to fight and defend her family, and now it was unknown whether her beautiful daughter would survive. She had to survive. She had to.

Chapter Text

Yumiko returned to her group to inform them of Kai's condition.

She entered through the door, seeing the worried faces of her companions, stood in the middle of the room and started walking around, unable to find a seat.

   - Miko... What about Kai? - Magna asked as her eyes followed Yumiko.

   - Lawrence says she need a transfusion... Without it... - Yumiko couldn't finish the sentence, she stood in one place and covered her face with one hand, Magna wanted to go to her, but was stopped by Connie, their friend walked next to Magna, putting a hand on her shoulder stopping her in place, then she walked over to Miko and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her to herself.

   - So she needs blood from one of us? - Connie asked, gently stroking Yumiko's shoulders, who nodded in confirmation.

   - I'll give it to her. - Magna declared.

   - No, Mags. You have to be 100% sure that you have the same blood type, otherwise her body will reject the blood and she may not be able to stand it... Lawrence says they need to find someone with the blood type 0, Nancy and Donna are asking the community, he himself is asking the patients... .

   - Group 0? - Bernie, who had been sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, suddenly said, coming closer to his companions.

   - Yes... Do you know someone who... - Yumiko started, but she didn't have time to finish her question because Bernie interrupted her.

   - Miko, I have group 0... - Bernie said, coming even closer to Yumiko, whose face appeared with hope.

   - What?... Bernie, help her, I'm begging you...

   - Of course, yes... Let's go and tell Lawrence. - Yumiko went out the door in search of the doctor, taking Bernie with her.

The transfusion was successful, Kai's body accepted Bernie's blood, and the risk of the girl's death was significantly reduced, so the operation could be stopped.

Lawrence prepared the room, bed and equipment. Nancy and Donna were in the room if Lawrence needed them, Magna, Yumiko, Connie, Bernie and Carmen were inside waiting for Lawrence to start the surgery, instead the doctor approached them.

   - Listen, I'm going to stitch her wound now, she's unconscious for now, but when she wakes up... You don't want to see this... - the doctor warned them.

   - So we should leave? - Magna asked, looking at Kai lying on the bed.

   - This will be best. Bernie, don't go too far, we might need you if he loses blood again. - he said and walked closer to the group. - Listen, you will hear screaming, but try to be strong.

The group walked outside the treatment room before saying goodbye to Kai. Yumiko kissed her forehead and Magna took her hand and kissed the back of it.

After a while, the group left the room and Lawrence and the nurses began surgery.

For the first few minutes there was no sound from the room. Kai was probably still unconscious. However, after a long while, the entire group heard Kai's loud, high-pitched scream.

The girl screamed so loudly that everyone felt as if they were next to her and not waiting outside the door. Yumiko couldn't stand it, cried and hugged Connie, who was sitting with her at one of the walls and hugging her. Magna noticed this and walked up to the girl and her friend, crouched down in front of them and placed her hands on Miko's knees, running her hands gently over them.

   - For once, I'm glad I don't hear it. - Connie spelled.

   - Believe me, I'd rather be deaf right now. - Magna replied, moving closer to Miko and hugging her back.

   - Magna, I'm scared... - Yumiko said crying, putting her head on Magna's shoulder.

   - Me too, Miko... But everything will be fine... Bernie saved her life, now she just has to endure, she's a strong girl.

   - Magna's right, Yumiko. - Carmen said, also moving closer to the group. Bernie also joined her friends and placed a hand on Miko's shoulder, trying to cheer her up.

   - Mom! - Kai screamed. - I want mommy! Mom! - the girl screamed, and Magna looked at Yumiko and released her from her arms.

   - Sh-should I go there? - Yumiko wondered, trying to get up, but Connie stopped her, hugging her tighter and placing a hand on her head.

   - No, you stay here, I'll go. - Magna said and walked through the door.

The young woman saw her daughter being held by Donna and Nancy by her arms and legs, and Lawrence at the wound, which was already half stitched.

   - Mom! - the girl screamed with tears when she noticed Magna standing in the doorway. - Mom, help me!

   - Donna, leave it to me, I'll hold her. - Magna said as she approached the nurse who was holding Kai's hands. Donna did as Magna told her and sat down next to the girl's head, taking her into her lap and holding her with her hands so that she wouldn't move.

   - Mom, it hurts! Help me!

   - Honey, Lawrence is helping you, it'll be over soon. - she tried to calm down and kissed her, but the effect was the opposite, Kai cried and screamed even more.

   -No! Mom, help!

   - Honey, hold on, you're so strong, you can do it. - Magna placed one of her hands on Kai's sweaty forehead and tried to calm her down.

   - Just a moment, Magna, five minutes. - Lawrence said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

   - Baby, everything's fine, it'll be over soon.

   - NO!

   - Baby, listen to me... - Magna started to say, loud enough so that Kai wouldn't drown her out with her screams. - When you were born, I wasn't with your mama, Kelly was there, when I arrived you were already born, and I swore to myself that I would never leave either you or mom, so I will stay here with you as long as it takes, you are the strongest child I know, you can do it, little one, don't give up, please.

   - Mom, it hurts... - she said, sobbing, she had no strength to scream, her throat was raw and she was too tired, the only thing she could do was breathe heavily. 

   - It'll be fine in a moment... - Magna said, still holding Kai by the waist, while Lawrence finished sewing the wound and wrapped it with a bandage.

   - Done. - he said, approaching Kai and Magna. - It's okay, it's all over... - Lawrence returned to the station and collected the blood-covered medical tools and tissues and the blood-covered cotton swabs.

Nancy went to the girl and wiped her forehead, and Donna adjusted the pillow, while Magna got off the bed and let Donna do it.

   - Mommy, don't go, don't leave me... - the girl whispered with tears in her eyes. Magna knelt by her daughter's bed and grabbed her hand with one hand and placed the other on her forehead.

   - I'm not going anywhere, honey. - Magna reassured her, while Nancy covered Kai with a blanket, leaving a fresh wound on the surface, and Donna connected the drip to the girl's hand.

   - Is it over?...

   - Yes, my love, it's over...

   - Mommy, I... - Kai started to say, but Magna silenced her, she didn't want her to overwork herself, and it was obvious that speaking was causing her an effort.

   - Shhh... Hush, honey... Don't get tired, go to sleep... - the girl listened to her mother and after a while her eyes began to close and she fell into a deep sleep.

After a few hours, Kai woke up. Opening her eyes, she noticed Yumiko and Magna sitting by her bed, the women were talking and didn't seem to notice that their daughter had woken up.

   - I'm sorry I took her, I shouldn't have... - Magna said, lowering her head.

   - Magna, do you know how scared I was when I couldn't find Kai?... At first I thought she heard you and followed you out... Then I found the letter, Connie calmed me down, she said she was safe with you...

   - And she was wrong... Miko, I will never forgive myself if she...

   - Magna. She won't die. Everything is fine.

   - I fucked up, Miko...

   - No, Magna, it's not true, you protected her, you saved her life... Magna, I'm angry that you didn't agree anything with me... You just took her and I found out after the fact.

   - I'm sorry... I should have told you... You're her mother...

   - You too, Magna... That's why we have to figure everything out together.

   – Me? A mother? What mother puts her child at risk like this? - Instead of answering, Yumiko moved closer to Magna and hugged her tightly, the blonde wrapped her arms around her partner's waist and rested her head on her breasts.

   - Mom. - Kai said in a whisper, focusing the eyes of both mothers, who moved closer to their daughter.

   - Kai. - whispered Miko, taking Kai's hand in hers.

   - Is everything okay? - the girl asked, looking at Magna with a gentle smile.

   - It doesn't matter. You matter now, don't worry about me. - replied Magna, gently placing her hand on her daughter's belly, knowing that it calms her down from an early age.

   - You hurt yourself too. Nothing happend?

   - No, my love, everything is fine. How are you feeling?

   - My leg hurts. And my throat.

   - Lawrence had to stitch up your wound, don't worry, it will heal soon. - Yumiko said, using her other hand to caress Kai's little hand.

   - You screamed a lot. - Magna added, explaining the reason for her sore throat.

   - Oh. I remember.

   - It'll be fine, honey, I'll go to Lawrence and have him check you out. - Magna said and left the room in search of a doctor.

After a while, Lawrence entered the room and started checking Kai's stitches.

   - Okay, the next twenty-four hours will be crucial, but I think everything is going in the right direction... She should stay here, for twenty-four hours for now, then we'll see. - he said, walking up to Yumiko and placing his hands on both of the girl's mother's arms.

   - Thank you... For everything... - she said, smiling at him.

   - It's not me you should be thanking... It's my job, Bernie, Magna and Carmen did the most.

   - All doctors say the same thing. - Yumiko laughed. - And the truth is that you love healing people. Giving them a second life. 

   - It looks like you know the medical profession well...

   - Yes... My brother is, I mean he was, a doctor...

   - In what specialization?

   - Thoracic surgeon.

   - Tough job. 

   - Yes... He had problems... With sleep and other things... I'd rather not talk about it.

   - Sure, I understand... It's not easy... - Lawrence said, gently stroking Yumiko's shoulder. - Okay, I'll leave you... Hold on, little one. - he said and left, smiling at the mother and daughter.

   - Mom... You never told me about your brother... - the little girl noticed, staring at her mother.

   - Yeah? Oh, right, I guess not. I guess there wasn't an opportunity for that...

   - Is he alive?...

   - I have no idea, honey, you know, there will definitely be a chance to talk about him. For now, you need to rest, okay?

   - Okay. - Yumiko leaned over the girl, giving her a strong kiss on the forehead, then on the cheek, and finally on the hand.

   - I love you, honey. - she said, running her hand over her daughter's forehead.

   - I love you too, mama. - after these words, the girl closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep under Yumiko's watchful eye.

In the evening, everyone agreed that Yumiko and Magna would stay the night with Kai in the infirmary. After Kelly, Luke, Alyssa and Auden came to check on little Kai they all went home for the night and Yumiko and Magna stayed with their daughter as night fell, the girl was fast asleep on her bed and Yumiko was sleeping in the chair next to her. 

Magna, on the other hand, was sitting on a chair keeping an eye on both of them, in case Kai felt sick or needed to go to the bathroom, the woman decided to take a break and go out for some fresh air, when she stood in front of the infirmary she saw a female silhouette approaching her.

Dressed in pajamas and a robe, Carmen walked towards him with fear written all over her face.

Magna focused on her for a moment, but then she looked ahead and stared at the front gate.

   - Magna. - the older woman said to her, standing next to her.

   - Carmen. - Magna replied, still unable to look at her. - Can't sleep?

   - Nope. And you?

   - I can but I do not want to...I have to watch them.

   - They're lucky to have you.

   - Carmen. - began Magna, who finally gained the courage to look at the interlocutor and talk to her honestly. - How do you know my father's name? My middle name? - Carmen reached into her pocket and took out a piece of paper folded into four pieces and handed it to Magna.

The younger woman unfolded the paper and a photo appeared before her eyes, two young women, about twenty years old, one had long brown hair that reached to her waist, and the other was a blonde, a dark blonde with shoulder-length curls, the women were hugging each other and they smiled at each other.

   - What is this? - Magna asked, showing Carmen what she had just seen.

   - Turn it around. - Carmen said, and Magna obeyed her command.

At the bottom of the card there was an inscription:

"Carmen and Rosalie, Dortmund 1980"

   - Rosalie Löwe. - said Carmen, taking her eyes off Magna. - I always laughed that her name fit her appearance perfectly, she looked like a lion.

   - I... No, I don't understand... You and my mom...

   - I met her during my studies... I went to Dortmund to study psychology and she lived there. We met in the city, then I found out that he was moving to the USA. When I finished my studies, I returned home and stayed in touch. Then I met my husband and she met your father. I told her there was something wrong with him, but she couldn't see it. We were still friends, she gave birth to you and I gave birth to Narcisa six years later. She didn't get to know her, but I got to meet you. When she died, I wanted to try to take care of you, but it didn't work...

   - Because Aunt Marie did it. Mom's sister. Then my father got out of prison.

   - Still, I'm glad you lived with Marie. She was good.

   - Why can't I remember you?

   - Joseph banned us from seeing each other when you were three.

   -Two years later, he killed her.

   - He never liked me. He always said I was a bad influence on Rosie.

   - Did you recognize me after all these years? - Magna asked with surprise, looking straight at Carmen.

   - When I saw you, I thought I had hallucinations. I thought it was Rosalie, even though I knew it was impossible. You look like her and even more. Every detail of your face, your eyes, hair, lips, smile. - Carmen said, looking at Magna, and her eyes began to fill with tears.

   - That's why you told me I reminded you of your daughter. - she realized, and Carmen nodded. - That's why you always supported me, that's why you trust me so much.

   - I didn't mean to tell you. But when you started saying you were like Joseph...

   - Mom always said that we would run away from father, that we would live without him. We didn't make it.

   - Your name... When I heard it, I couldn't be more sure. Rosalie gave it to you herself, Joseph agreed on the condition that he could decide on a middle name.

   - And he gave me his own. And he kept saying that my mother had cheated on him, that I wasn't his. The truth was that he brought young girls home when his mother was away. Even after he killed her, he got out of prison and the first thing he did was go out drinking.

   -You know what your name means? - Carmen asked, looking at Magna, who was close to tears, her eyes filling with tears. - Magna means Great. She always said that you were her greatest happiness. - at this point Magna couldn't stand it and burst into tears, Carmen took her in her arms and placed one hand on her back and the other on the back of her head, running her hand through her curls.

   - She didn't deserve this fate. He didn't deserve her. - Magna said angrily, burying her face in the older woman's neck.

   - It's true. But she always said she was grateful to have met Joseph. - Carmen said, causing Magna to straighten up, wipe her eyes, and look at Carmen in confusion.

   - What?

   - She said if she hadn't met Joseph, she wouldn't have had you. Her precious little girl. Like she always said. - Carmen explained, placing her hand on Magna's blonde locks again. - Seeing you with Kai, when you protecting her, wanted to save her at all costs, I saw Rosalie. Rosalie protecting you against the evil of this world. She sees you. She look after you from above, you and everyone you love.

   - And you too. - said the blonde, rubbing her eyes.

   - She'd be so damn proud of you.

   - Well, now you have a chance to get to know me better, just like you wanted.

   - I hope we can do it.

   - For sure. - the women embraced each other again until Magna decided to straighten up and tell Carmen one more thing.

   - You know, Kai's middle name is Rosalie.

   - Magna, that's so lovely of you...

   - It wasn't my idea, Miko's. I wanted her to have Yumiko's name, but her idea definitely won.

   - Have you told her about her?

   - As much as I remember...

   - If you want, I can tell you more stories about her...

   -You can tell us three. Me, Miko, Kai...

   - No. I'll tell them to you, and you'll tell them. You deserve to talk about her. - Carmen said, hugging Magna again. The blonde wasn't usually this soft, she didn't like being touched, everyone knew that, the only people who could hug her were Yumiko and Kai, and only Yumiko saw her in the state she was in now.

She saw a part of her mother in Carmen when she found out they were friends, she wished she had had her mother with her more, so she could see her grow up, so she could get to know Yumiko, she was sure she would love her like a daughter.

   - Please don't tell anyone about what happened. - Magna said, freeing herself from Carmen's embrace.

   - Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. - Carmen reassured her, the women said their goodbyes, Carmen headed towards her house, and Magna returned to the infirmary, finding her girls just as she had left them, fast asleep.

Magna sat down in the chair and placed her hand on Yumiko's, unfortunately for her, the woman wasn't sleeping as soundly as Magna thought and she moved in the chair, looking at Magna with sleepy eyes.

   - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up, go back to sleep. - Magna calmed her down.

   - Would you like to switch? - asked a sleepy Yumiko, rubbing one eye.

   - No, sleep, I can't anyway. - the blonde replied. Yumiko nodded and closed her eyes again.

Magna looked at the sleeping Kai cuddling her bunny that Connie had brought her earlier, the woman leaned down to kiss the baby on the forehead, once she did she straightened up again in her chair.

Despite her words, her eyelids became heavy and a moment later she fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, when Lawrence checked Kai's wound, it turned out that it was healing very well, the girl was allowed to go home, but she could not strain her leg, she was banned from walking long distances for the next two weeks, because that was when she was supposed to come for the stitches to be removed.

After two weeks, Kai and her mothers appeared at the outpatient clinic to have the stitches removed. The procedure was practically painless, which meant that the wound was healing properly, Kai only felt slight pinpricks and tugs, but she could cope with it.

Magna's wounds also healed quickly. The mother and daughter returned to full fitness to start attending further training sessions, of course ones where they would be more careful.

Magna promised this to Yumiko, Kai, and most importantly, herself.

She would protect her from the evil of the world, just as Rosalie did with her.

Chapter Text

Two years later

Kai and Yumiko

Yumiko was walking along the road leading to a small wooden building with a large bell on its roof. Yumiko stopped in front of the building next to the other people gathered around. After a while, the bell made a loud sound and the door opened, revealing children running out of the building.

There was a small school in Jones Springs, they didn't teach the children unnecessary things like the structure of the earth or the capital of each country, but a little lesson in numeracy and English could always be helpful, there weren't many children in Jones Springs, maybe fifteen or twenty, so the buildings weren't very big.

Yumiko waited for her daughter to leave the building. She finally spotted her, the six-year-old was walking with her friend, Scarlett, talking.

Scarlett quickly noticed her mother waiting for her in front of the school, the girls said goodbye, and Kai soon noticed Yumiko and ran to her.

 - Hey, how's school? - she asked, hugging her, the girl just looked at her with a look that said, what do you think? - What?

 - I don't know why I come here, I don't want to learn math, I want to be able to fight. - the girl replied and together with Yumiko they headed towards the house.

 - This will be useful for you too, you need to be able to count and write. - Yumiko laughed, hugging Kai, who hugged Yumiko's hips.

 - I can count and write. I am not stupid.

 - Of course you're not, honey.

 - They can't teach us sign language? This will be more useful.

 - You can suggest this to Carmen. I think she'll appreciate your idea.

 - Really?

 - I can't promise you anything, but you can try.

 - Yay! - the girl shouted excitedly.

 - You have homework today?

 - Nope.

 - Okay, so I have a proposition for you. - Yumiko said, stopping and crouching down to Kai's face level. - How about putting your stuff away and coming to a little lesson with me?

 - Yes! - she shouted without even knowing what she was talking about, making Yumiko laugh. - Lessons of what?

 - I need to sharpen some arrows, I'll teach you how to do it, what do you say?

 - Yes! Let's go! - the girl screamed, pulling her mother's hand to get home as quickly as possible.

Mother and daughter left the gates and went to the place where Yumiko usually whittled arrows and practiced her bow.

Yumiko pulled some arrows from her quiver using them as a pattern, she also gathered some wood to have something to whittle, took out a knife and showed her daughter how to make her arrows.

 -Whoa. So pretty. - the girl was delighted, looking at the freshly made arrow from top to bottom, running her hand over the feathers at the end of the arrow.

 - You like it, huh? - she asked, and the girl nodded. - Okay, now take a knife and whittle, hold the knife by the handle and whittle towards the grass, never do it towards yourself.

 - Why? - she asked, taking the knife in her hand.

 - Because, dear, if you pull it too hard, you can stab yourself in the flesh, you don't want that, do you?

 - Nope. - the girl replied firmly, her mother, seeing that her daughter was not doing well with sipping, sat behind her, grabbed her hand and guided her to show her how to do it.

 - Better? - she asked, and Kai turned her head to her in response and nodded with a smile. - Now try it yourself. - she said, letting go of her hand.

Kai, now more confident, was carving wood better and better, and Yumiko moved to the other tree trunk, watching her daughter's work.

After a few hours, Yumiko decided it was time to head back to Jones Springs. The woman put the freshly sharpened arrows into her quiver, put the knife in her belt, took her bow, and together with Kai, they set off through the forest back to where they had come from.

 - I'm thinking, maybe you should think about what weapon you will use to fight? - Yumiko suggested, hugging Kai to her.

 - I wanted to have knives like mom, but I also wanted a bow like you. - the girl replied, hugging Yumiko's thigh. The woman stopped herself and Kai as she removed the bow from her shoulder.

 - You don't have a fair comparison, you didn't shoot a bow. - Yumiko crouched down and took an arrow from her quiver, opened her arms to receive Kai, and as soon as the girl snuggled into her mother, Yumiko took her hands in hers, showing her how to prepare the bow for a shot and aiming at the tree in front of them. - Okay, now let's shoot at this tree, okay?

 - All right. - Kai said, and Yumiko, helping her, shot her bow so that the arrow stuck in the tree.

 - Well done, very good, honey. - Yumiko praised her as a happy Kai turned towards her mother and cuddled up to her. - You liked it?

 - Yeah.

 - Now try it yourself, just like I showed you. - Yumiko straightened up and went to the tree to take out the arrow.

Kai did exactly the same as she did with Yumiko's help, but the arrow she shot did not stick into the tree, but into the grass in front of it.

 - Sorry. - said the embarrassed girl.

 - Hey, nothing happened, you just need training. And a smaller bow. - Yumiko took an arrow out of the grass and put it in her quiver, she put her arm around her daughter's arm and walked with her forward again.

 - The bow is nice, but so are Mommy's knives.

 - It's good that you like both of them, you can't rely on just one weapon.

 - Yeah, I know.

In the evening, when the whole group was home, they decided to spend some time together. It was usually difficult to find time for this, considering that some of their family sometimes had to watch the gate at night, and some were too tired from their daily duties, so they were glad that they could find time for themselves, at least once a month.

The sun had set for good and Kai was getting tired, so Yumiko decided to put her to bed, after saying goodbye to the whole family, the girl and her mother went to the bathroom so that she could wash herself, and then to her room so that she could go to bed.

 - Mama. - Kai said to Yumiko as she covered her with a blanket.

 - Yeah? - Yumiko asked, straightening the girl's blanket.

 - What do you miss? - the girl asked, and Yumiko looked at her with surprise. - From the old world.

 - Oh, many things.

 - For example? - Kai asked again, and Yumiko sat on the corner of the bed and stroked her forehead.

 - For comfort, a normal shower, toilet, food. Probably most of all for sweets. - Yumiko laughed, lying down next to Kai and hugging her. - We had such huge packages of jellies, they were wonderful.

 - And what do you miss the most? - she asked again, hugging her bunny.

 - Mostly, I think, I miss my family. I wish I had spent more time with them before all this happened. - Miko recalled, stroking Kai's dark hair.

 - Why didn't you guys hang out?

 - We lived very far from each other. My brother lived in Chicago, my parents in England, so my grandparents, although they were often in Japan as well.

 - And have you been to Japan?

 - Of course, we were there often as a kids.

 - I'd like to go to Japan too. - Kai said, looking from Yumiko to the bunny.

 - I'd like to take you there, honey. - Yumiko replied, giving Kai a tender kiss on the forehead.

 - Can you speak Japanese?

 - Not fluent, but I know a few words.

 - Like what? 

 - Let's think about it. - Yumiko looked away from Kai and looked at the ceiling, trying to remember anything in Japanese. - Aishitemasu.

 - What does it mean?

 - It means, I love you. - Yumiko translated, giving Kai another tender kiss on the forehead and then on the head.

 - I love you too, mom. - the girl replied with a smile, taking her mother's hand.

 - Go to sleep, honey. - Yumiko kissed her daughter again, this time on the hand. The woman extinguished the candle, got out of bed and moved towards the door.

 - Will we also go to practice tomorrow? - Kai asked, stopping her mother in the doorway.

 - If you don't have homework, of course. - Yumiko smiled, grabbing the door handle of her daughter's room. - Sleep well, goodnight.

 - Goodnight, mom. - the girl replied, and Yumiko closed the door and left the room.

One week later

Kai and Connie

Connie picked Kai up from class. The woman took the girl home and decided to use this time to learn sign language.

 - Okay, did you understand me? - Connie asked.

 - Yeah. - replied the girl.

 - Okay, how do you spell „I love you”?

 - I love you. - the girl spelled it and, to Connie's delight, she spelled it perfectly.

 - Great, now something more difficult, try to introduce yourself. - after making sure Kai understood, Connie smiled and carefully watched Kai's hand movements.

 - My name is Kai, I live in Jones Springs and I'm learning sign language.

 - Wonderful, honey. - Connie congratulated her, hugging her.

 - I wanted them to teach us this at school. - Kai said as she moved away from Connie. - Mom said I should talk to Carmen.

 - That's a good idea, but who would teach you?

 - You, auntie. You are the best teacher. - Kai smiled, hugging Connie's shoulder, and the woman ran her hand through Connie's smooth hair.

 - You are lovely, Kai.

 - Auntie Connie. - Kai said to her. Connie turned her gaze to the girl to watch her finger movements and read her lips. - Did you have children?

 - Why do you ask?

 - I was curious. Is this a bad question? Sorry.

 - No, no. Nothing happened. - Connie reassured her, she looked away for a moment and took a deep breath, only to look at Kai again. - I had a daughter.

 - She died?

 - Yes. When she was still in my belly.

 - I'm sorry.

 - I'm glad she didn't have to live in such a world.

 - You named her?

 - I didn't had a chance. - Connie spelled with a sad smile, Kai stared at her, then moved closer and hugged her aunt tighter.

 - Would you like to have children again someday?

 - I didn't think about it. Besides, now I have you, my dearest niece. - When Connie finished spelling, she hugged Kai even tighter and kissed her head.

 - She'd be lucky. - Kai said while spelling. - Your daughter. She would have the best mom.

 - Baby... - Connie stroked the girl's long hair and hugged her, stroking her back, Kai buried her face in her neck. - I love you.

 - I love you too, Auntie.

Kai and Kelly

Kelly was sitting at home, in an armchair in the living room, reading one of the books that were on the shelf. Suddenly the front door opened and Kai rushed through it, the girl ran to Kelly and sat next to her, looking inside the book.

 - Kell, what are you doing? - Kai asked, looking at the book and Kelly alternately.

 - I'm actually bored. - Kelly laughed, closing the book and putting it on the couch.

 - Kelly. - Kai said to her, looking at her ears.

 - What's up?

 - Where did you get these earrings? - Kai asked, reaching out and touching the older girl's ears.

 - I made them before all this.

 - They're nice, will you make one for me?

 - Oh, you know what, I don't think it's a good idea.

 - Why?

 - I don't know how to do this, I don't want to hurt you.

 - Kelly, please. - said the girl, looking at Kelly with pleading eyes.

 -Okay, okay, but don't say a word to your moms.

 - I promise.

Kelly and Kai went to the girl's bedroom. Kelly wanted to back out, but she remembered how she wanted to pierce her ears, how her friend did it with an ordinary needle, nothing happened, so the girl did the same, found a needle, matches and started piercing.

 -Okay, - Kelly sat down next to Kai's bed and put a burning match to the needle. - It may hurt, but it will be temporary.

Kelly moved the match away from the needle and Kai squeezed her bunny tighter and closed her eyes, the older girl stuck the needle into Kai's ear and she put it in her mouth a pillow to muffle scream.

After Kelly pierced both of Kai's ears, she left her in the bathroom to look at her ears while she went to her room and brought her a pair of her earrings.

 - Thanks, Kell! - Kai said excitedly, hugging her older sister once she put on the earrings.

 - You're welcome, but I don't even want to know what will happen if your moms find out. - Kelly replied, hugging the girl.

 - They won't find out, I promise. - Kai assured her, moving away from the hug and extending her little finger, which Kelly immediately squeezed.

 - I hope so.

Few days later

While the rest of the group had their tasks, Kelly stayed home with Kai. The sisters were spending time together playing cards when they heard someone opening the front door. Kelly looked behind her and saw Connie closing the door, the girl signaled to Kaia to cover her ears, and the girl immediately obeyed her older sister's command by covering her ears with her hair.

 - Hey, what are you guys doing? - Connie asked, sitting between Kai and Kelly.

 - Everyone has chores, so we play cards, right? - Kelly replied, looking at Kai, who nodded and added another card into the pile.

 - Do you want to play with us? - Kai asked.

 - No, I'm thirsty, I'll have something to drink. - Connie replied, stroking Kai on the back, the woman stood up and went to the kitchen, turned on the tap and poured water into a glass, Kelly looked at Kai and nodded.

 - Kell, someone will finally notice, maybe we should tell Aunt Connie? - Kai said in a whisper, and Kelly turned to look at Connie, still facing the counter.

 - If we tell Connie, she'll tell your moms.

 - Maybe not. - Kai said. At the same time, Connie joined the sisters again and sat down next to the younger girl. Kai looked pointedly at Kelly.

  - Connie, - Kelly started, touching her sister's arm to get her attention. - me and Kai have something to tell you.

Kelly looked at Kai, who tucked her dark hair behind her ear, revealing her newly pierced ears with Kelly's earrings in the holes.

Connie turned a surprised look from Kai's ears to Kelly, then moved even closer to Kai, examining her ears carefully. Her eyes returned to Kelly, but she was no longer surprised, just furious and terrified.

 - You're being ridiculous. What if she got an infection? - Connie spelled nervously as the three of them moved to the bathroom, removed Kai's earrings, and Connie carefully examined her ears.

 - Nothing happened. Remember how I pierced my ears with a needle? - Kelly tried to calm down the situation by also looking at Kai's ears.

 - Yeah, I remember. And I also remember how furious our parents were when they saw it, Magna and Yumiko will react the same way.

 - Con, let's not tell them. - Kelly spelled as Connie looked at her. Her eyes said one sentence, Don't be ridiculous.

 - You must be crazy, you think they won't find out?

 - She doesn't have to wear earrings, or she can cover them with her hair.

 - Yeah, and I don't have them anyway, these were Kell's. - Kai added.

 - You're lucky nothing happened to you. - Connie replied, then carefully examined Kai's ears again.

 - Nothing happened to Kelly.

 - Kai, just because nothing happened to Kelly doesn't mean it couldn't have happened to someone else. - Connie spelled as she moved away from Kai's ears for the third time. - It was so stupid.

 - Auntie, moms will notice anyway, don't tell them, please.

 - I won't say anything, but when they find out, I didn't know anything about it. - Connie said and left the bathroom, leaving Kelly and Kai alone.

 - When they find out, we'll find you some nice earrings. - Kelly said, smiling at Kai, who stretched her hand up waiting for Kelly to do the same, a moment later the older girl stretched out her hand and brought it closer to Kai's smaller hand, giving a high five.

 - You're a great sister. - Kai said, smiling at Kelly.

 - You're the best little sister. - Kelly replied, hugging Kai to her.

Kai and Bernie

Bernie entered the house looking for Kai, and instead found her mother, Yumiko.

 - Hey, Miko, where's donut? - he asked, sitting next to Yumiko, who was cleaning blood from her arrows after today's scouting.

 - She went to practice with Magna, why? - Yumiko asked, Bernie took out a medium-sized box from behind his back and placed it on the table, Yumiko put down the arrow she was cleaning and moved the box closer to herself, when she opened it, she saw a medium-sized wooden bow.

 - Whoa. Bernie, where did you find this? - Yumiko asked, gently running her fingers along the rope.

 - I made it myself. - he replied with a smile.

 - No. Don't tell, really? - Yumiko was surprised, looking at the weapon from top to bottom once again.

 - Yes, it took me weeks, but I think it's permanent.

 - It definitely is, the line isn't too thin.

 - It's a stretchy string, I really tried, donut must defend herself.

 - Yes, she'll definitely like it.

 - Look over here. - said Bernie, pointing his finger to the side of the wooden handle. Yumiko looked at the indicated place and saw the initials engraved on it: "K.R.O", Kai Rosalie Okumura.

 - Bernie, It's wonderful, Kai will go crazy with joy. - Yumiko assured him, putting the bow back into the box and closing it.

 - She will definitely need more training now from someone experienced. - Bernie said, taking the box from the table.

 - Yeah, I can say goodbye to my free time. - Yumiko laughed. - How did you know Kai's middle name?

 - Magna told me, but I didn't tell her what I was planning.

 - Good, she'll have a surprise too. - Yumiko smiled, taking another blood-covered arrow into her hand.

When Kai and Magna returned from training, they found Yumiko at home, still sitting at the table and cleaning her arrows.
Kai ran into the house and rushed towards her older mother, who welcomed her with open arms.

 - Hey, how was practice? - Yumiko asked, hugging Kai tightly.

 - Awesome! - Kai replied, moving away from her mother. Yumiko noticed the bloodstain on Kai's cheek and touched it with her fingertips.

 - It's not hers, we fought with some sickos. - Magna reassured her as she closed the door and approached her little family.

 - Lucky you, go to the bathroom and wash it off, okay? - Miko ordered her, and Kai immediately obeyed her command and, leaving her backpack on the ground, ran to the bathroom.

 - Are you still cleaning arrows? - Magna was surprised, coming closer to Yumiko.

 - There are a lot of them, I found a few more in the trees after the last scouting. Maybe you want me to clean your knives? - suggested Yumiko, pointing to Magna's bag, where she kept all her treasures.

  - Oh no, - Magna refused, moving the bag away from Yumiko. - Sorry, babe, but when it comes to my knives, I prefer to clean them myself.

 - I think you love them more than me. - Yumiko said with a laugh, and Magna quickly caught on to her girlfriend's joke.

 - No comparison. If I had a choice between you and them, I'd have to say goodbye to you. - Magna said with a poker face, but when the women looked at each other, they both laughed.

 - I hate you, Magna Manson. - Yumiko joked again, causing another girlish laugh from her girlfriend.

 - I love you, Yumiko Okumura. - the women smiled at each other for a moment until the silence between them was broken by Kai running into the living room with a now clean face.

 - Okay, sit down, Kai Kai. - Magna said, getting up from the table and walking closer to the kitchen area. Kai did what her mother told her to do, and Magna herself took a rag from one of the cabinets and dipped it in water.

 - What are we going to do? - the girl asked while watching both mothers work. Magna sat back down at her table with a now-dampened rag.

 - I'll show you how to clean the knives, take them out.

 - Hey! She can touch your knives, but I can't? - Yumiko was outraged, putting another clean arrow into her quiver.

 - That's different. Kai is my daughter and you are just my girlfriend. - Magna joked, taking one of the knives in her hand.

 - Someone's in a joking mood today, huh? - Yumiko asked, looking at Magna and Kai, who were looking at each other and laughing.
Before Magna could clean a single knife, Bernie entered the house.

 - Oh! It's good that you are here! I have something for donut. - Bernie said excitedly and went to his room. After a while, he returned with the box he had previously shown to Yumiko and sat down at the table, handing the box to the girl.

 - What's that? - Kai asked in surprise, moving the box closer to herself.

 - A gift for you. - Bernie replied, watching Kai's reaction.

 - Thank you, can I open it?

 - It's yours, you can do whatever you want with it, even throw it out the window, but I suggest checking what it is first. - Bernie joked, drawing an amused expression from Magna, who was also looking at the box.
Kai, unable to wait any longer, opened the box and placed the lid on the table. When she noticed what was in the box, she immediately reached into it with her hands and took out her gift.

 - A bow! - Kai shouted excitedly, looking at the gift.

 - Whoa. - Magna was also admiring the bow, touching the wooden handle with her fingertips.

 - Thank you! - Kai shouted again, getting up from her seat and running to Bernie, hugging him tightly by the neck. Bernie picked Kai up and sat her on his lap, still hugging the girl.

 - You gotta have a weapon, donut. - he said, moving the bow towards himself and giving it to her. - I guess your mom will have to go to training with you.

 - Yeah! - Kai shouted happily, looking at Magna. - Sorry, mom, but now I'm going to practice archery.

 - You can't rely on one weapon, I get that. - Magna said, smiling at the girl.

 - Mom says the same. - Kai laughed, looking at Yumiko.

 - Then we agree. - Magna said smiling at Yumiko, her hand went under the table and grabbed the other woman's hand.

 - Look. - Bernie turned to Kai, pointing with his finger in the place he had previously shown to Yumiko, Kai's engraved initials.

 - Whoa. - the girl was happy, examining the engraving carefully. - You made it yourself?

 - All by myself. Do you like it?

 - Very much! Thank you! - the girl screamed, hugging her uncle tighter again.

 - Can I see it again, Kai Kai? - Magna asked, Kai nodded and gave her mother the bow. - Is that why you asked about Kai's middle name? - Magna asked, looking at the engraving.

 - Yes, but I didn't want you to find me out.

 - I knew you were up to something, but I had no idea it was something like this.

 - Mom, when are we'll go to practice? - Kai asked, looking at Yumiko with a smile and excitement.

 - Perhaps tomorrow? - Yumiko suggested, which made Kai smile even more.

 - Okay! - Kai shouted, hugging Bernie again. - Thanks.

 - You're welcome, donut.

Kai, Alyssa and Auden

Alyssa and Kai were sitting on the couch at home when Auden, who had just returned from a hunting trip, walked through the door.

 - Hey. - he greeted Alyssa and Kai, closing the door behind him. - Where's the rest?

 - Gate duty, reconnaissance. We are alone, right? - Alyssa said as Auden sat down on the couch next to them and turned to Kaia, who nodded with a smile. - How was the hunting trip?

 - Well, we caught some animals for dinner. - Auden said proudly, then Alyssa looked from his eyes to the bloodstained shirt.

 - Oh, it must be a deer's, we had a problem with it. - he reassured her as he followed her gaze and touched his bloody shirt.

 - Maybe I could wash it? - Alyssa suggested, looking into Auden's eyes again.

 - Well, if you want, I wouldn't mind. - Auden replied, also staring at Alyssa. They sat in silence for a moment, just smiling at each other.

 - You two have chemistry. - Kai said with a laugh, staring at them.

 - What? - Alyssa asked, turning her head towards Kai.

 - You really can't see? You fit together. - the girl added, looking at Alyssa.

 - And how do you know that? - Auden asked, looking at Kai with surprise.

 - Because you look at each other the way my moms do, and they love each other.

 - Kai, there are different types of love, friendship love for example. 

 - Yes, but you have the other one.

 - So small, yet so stubborn?

 - Okay, end of discussion, Kai. Me and Auden are friends, that's it. - Alyssa said, getting up from the couch. - Come on, I'll wash that shirt.

 - Okay, thanks. - Auden said, taking off his shirt, leaving only his undershirt on. Alyssa took it and left the living room, disappearing into the bathroom.

Auden leaned back on the pillows, and Kai looked at him with the same look she gave him and Alyssa moments ago.

 - What? - Auden asked as he turned his attention to her and noticed her look.

 - Couple in love. - Kai laughed.

In the evening, when everyone finished their duties, they went to the common building to eat something.

Kai sat opposite Alyssa and Auden, staring at them from time to time.

 - Can you pass me a napkin? - Alyssa asked Auden, who was sitting next to her.

 - Yeah, sure. - Auden did as he was asked and handed Alyssa a napkin, and Kai looked at them with a smile.

 - Kai, don't start. - said Alyssa, who noticed Kai's gaze.

 - I'm not saying anything. - Kai said, looking away.

 - What's going on? - Yumiko wondered, looking at her daughter and friends.

 - Your daughter insisted we love each other. - Alyssa said, pointing to herself and Auden.

 - She said we have chemistry. - Auden added, laughing.

 - And she doesn't want to let go. - Alyssa said, and Yumiko looked at her daughter with pity.

 - I'm not surprised at all, these are my brother's genes. - Yumiko said, staring at her daughter who was looking away from her mother's gaze.

 - Oh, can't you see that they really fit together? - Kai asked when she dared to meet the older mother's serious look.

 - We'll talk at home. - Yumiko said and these were her last words before she went back to eating.

Just like Yumiko said, it happened. The Asian woman was known for always sticking to it when she said something, so when she put Kai to bed, she decided to have a conversation with her.

 - Mama, they really look like a pretty couple. - said the girl, she hugged her bunny and Yumiko straightened her blanket. 

 - Kai, if they say no, then it means no. You cannot force others to love.

 - But...

 - No buts.

 - I'm not forcing them, I just want them to know it. - the girl tried to defend herself.

 - You're not doing it right, honey. - Yumiko tried to make her realize. - If they'll be together, it will be their decision, not yours.

 - What if they won't?

 - This will also be their decision and it should be respected. - Yumiko said, before Kai could protest, Yumiko placed a strong and long kiss on her cheek and then her forehead. - Understand?

 - Yeah. - Kai replied, nodding her head.

 - Good, sleep well. - Yumiko extinguished the candle and moved towards the door, went out through it and headed to her bedroom, finding Magna sitting on the bed in an oversize T-shirt serving as pajamas, folding her clothes into a perfect cube.

 - I can't believe it, she's even worse than Tomi. - Yumiko said, sitting next to her partner.

 - I remember when you told how stubborn he was as a kid. - Magna laughed. - But not as stubborn as you.

 -Me? Stubborn? Excuse me? - Yumiko protested, getting up from the bed and taking off her flannel shirt, leaving her in only her bra. - I just want people not to waste the chances they get, I try to help them at all costs.

 -Miko, you just described being stubborn.

 - No, not at all, I just... Okay, the guilty person explains himself. - Yumiko said, now taking off her pants and leaving herself in her underwear. - Back to Kai, she looks like Tomi and she acts like Tomi.

 - Miko, Kai is your copy. - Magna said, looking at Yumiko.

 - You haven't seen Tomi at her age. - Yumiko laughed when she heard another identical comment from Magna about their child.

 - Well, it's your fault, you didn't show me your family albums, I only saw you as a child. - Magna accused her. Yumiko threw her pants next to her shirt and threw herself on the bed next to Magna.

 - Can't you really fold your clothes? - Magna asked, looking at Miko's wardrobe lying on the floor.

 - Oh, I'm sorry, perfect housewife.

 - Don't call me that, I just don't like mess. - Magna wanted to get out of bed and pick up the clothes Yumiko had thrown, but the woman successfully stopped her.

 - Do you really want to worry about clothes right now? - Yumiko asked, placing her hand on Magna's stomach and running her hand over it through her shirt.

 - You know what? I guess I've changed my mind.

The next morning, when everyone was getting ready for their duties, Kai came to the living room already dressed and, seeing Alyssa and Auden on the sofa preparing their weapons for this morning's reconnaissance, she approached them with a smile.

 - Aly, Audie. - Kai asked them.

 - Yes, Kai? - Alyssa asked, expecting what question Kai would ask next.

 - I'm sorry I bothered you. I should have given you time. - Kai apologized, causing Alyssa to soften and look at Auden, who took Kai into his lap.

 - Look, if we ever decide to get together, you'll be the first to know, okay? - Alyssa assured her, Kai nodded, hugging Auden.

 - You'll be throwing flowers at our wedding, sister. - Auden added, and Alyssa obviously didn't really like his words, because she lightly punched him in the arm, but you could see a smile at the corner of her mouth.

 - I will be the biggest support for your relationship. - Kai assured them, smiling at them.

 - Thanks, Kai. - Alyssa said as she ran it over the girl's head.

 - And we will for yours, in the future, of course. - Auden added, hugging Kai tightly.

Kai and Luke

Luke was sleeping peacefully in the room he shared with Auden and Bernie when he suddenly felt someone touching his shoulder and shaking him. When he woke up he saw a blurry figure standing next to his bed, he rubbed his eyes and saw Kai standing over him hugging her bunny.

 - Kai, what are you doing here? - Luke asked, changing his position from lying to sitting.

 - I can't sleep, I want our song. - said the girl, hugging her mascot tighter.

 - Now? We sang it before going to sleep.

 - Please, then I'll go to sleep. - Kai promised, looking at him with innocent eyes. Luke sighed, got out of bed, and he and Kai went to her room.

Kai and Luke sat down on the girl's bed, Kai lay down and Luke covered her with the covers.

 - Okay, but just once, deal? - Luke said, extending his hand to Kai, the girl took it as a confirmation of the agreement. - And not the whole thing, a few lines, you have school tomorrow.

Luke took a deep breath and, to Kai's delight, began to sing.

Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning

Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile

I watch her go with a surge of that well known sadness

And I have to sit down for a while

The feeling that I'm losing her forever

And without really entering her world

I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter

That funny little girl

After a while, Kai also joined Luke singing.

Slipping through my fingers all the time

I try to capture every minute

The feeling in it

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Do I really see what's in her mind

Each time I think I'm close to knowing

She keeps on growing

Slipping through my fingers all the time

 

Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture

And save it from the funny tricks of time

 

Slipping through my fingers...

 

 - Okay, that's enough. - Luke said, straightening Kai's blanket. - Sleep, you have to get up tomorrow.

 - Okay. - Kai replied, hugging her bunny. Luke placed his hand on the girl's forehead and stroked it gently, then stood up and walked out the door, almost closing it.

 - Uncle Luke. - Kai said to him, stopping him in the doorway, the man turned around and his eyes saw Kai's happy and grateful face. - Thank you.

 - You're welcome, little one. Goodnight. - Luke smiled, closing the door behind him and heading to the room.

He quietly entered his bedroom so as not to wake up his roommates, sat back on his bed, but his attempts to be quiet ended in failure because Bernie, lying in the bed next to him, got up and turned on the lamp.

 - Man, where have you been? - Bernie asked sleepily, looking at Luke with sleep-glued eyes. Luke lay down, covered himself with the duvet and looked at the ceiling.

 - I had to take care of something, someone needed me. - Luke said smiling to himself, happy that he could help Kai at least a little.

Chapter Text

Weeks later

Magna and Carmen were walking past the back gate where Magna had finished her watch some time ago, the older woman wanted to talk to Magna about beefing up security at Jones Springs.

 - You know, maybe the guards could also stand in front of the gate, so that sickos won't hit it and destroy it. - Magna suggested.

 - You know what, I think it's a great idea. - Carmen said with a smile, her hand resting calmly on Magna's shoulder.

 - Great, by the way, Kai wanted to talk to you.

 - How can I help her?

 - Miko said it was something about school.

 - Then I will be happy to listen to her suggestions, her grandma will always support her ideas. - Carmen said, smiling at Magna, but after a while she realized what she had said and the smile disappeared from her face. - I'm sorry, I shouldn't...

 - Hey, it's okay. Kai needs a grandma. - Magna reassured her, stopping herself and her.

 - Rosie is her grandma, Magna. 

 - Mom's not here, you are. - Magna said, turning towards Carmen and looking at her.

 - Fine, but she must always remember Rosalie.

 - Don't worry about it, I'll always tell her about her.

 - I'm glad, she deserves it. - Carmen said, smiling at Magna, and she nodded.

 - Why don't you come to us in the evening? You will speak to Kai. - Magna suggested, causing Carmen's face to smile even wider.

 - Sure, I'd love to. - Carmen said, looking at Magna, their eye contact was interrupted by a scream coming from nearby.

 - Carmen! - the man to whom the earlier scream belonged was running towards them.

 - Daniel, what's wrong? - the woman asked, moving away from Magna and coming closer to the man.

 - There are new ones at the front gate, I was running to your house, but since you're here you can take a look at them. - Daniel said, Carmen nodded and turned to Magna again, walking towards her.

 - I'll see you in the evening. - she said, giving the blonde a gentle but warm hug, which the younger woman returned.

 - We'll be waiting, go and check them out. - Magna said once she moved away from Carmen. The woman gave her one last look and a smile before walking with Daniel towards the front gate and Magna started towards her house.

When Magna entered the house, she found Yumiko lying on the couch.

The woman was lying under a blanket and didn't seem to notice her girlfriend, but when Magna came closer she finally noticed her.

 - Hey, where have you been? - Miko asked, rising gently from her lying position.

 - Carmen stopped me when I was finishing my watch, she wanted to talk about strengthening security. - Magna replied, sitting next to her girlfriend and placing her hand on her waist.

 - I guess your opinion is important to her, right?

 - Yeah, I guess. I'm so lucky I have her, Miko.

 - You deserve it, after everything you went through with your mom. Or rather without her. - Miko said, placing her hand on Magna's hand still resting on her waist.

Magna leaned down and placed a soft, tender and sweet kiss on Yumiko's lips.

 - What's that for? - Yumiko asked with a smile as Magna removed her lips from Miko's.

 - I can't just kiss you?

 - Of course you can. - Yumiko laughed, and Magna placed another tender kiss on her lips, then on her cheek, ending with her jawline.

 - I just love you. - Magna said, smiling at Yumiko, who pulled her girlfriend to the couch and hugged her once she was lying down.

 - Long day? - Magna asked, looking into Yumiko's eyes and touching every inch of her face with her fingertips.

 - A long and tiring day. - Yumiko replied, taking one of Magna's hands in hers and placing a gentle kiss on it. - But now I'm exactly here, somewhere I'd like to be.

 - Good. - Magna said, reaching out with her free hand and touching Yumiko's hair.

 - I don't like it. - Yumiko laughed, grabbing Magna's hand and pulling it out of her hair.

 - I know. - Magna replied, smiling broadly at Miko.

 - Nasty. - Yumiko said, but that didn't stop Magna from placing another sweet kiss on her girlfriend's lips.

 - Listen, I invited Carmen to the evening, I told her that Kai Kai had something to say to her and she really wanted to hear about it. - Magna said once she forced herself to remove her mouth from Yumiko's.

 - Sure, Kai will be happy. - Yumiko replied, hugging Magna even tighter.

In the evening at the appointed time there was a knock on the door. Magna got up from her seat and walked to the exit door, and when she opened it, Carmen appeared.

 - It's great you came. - Magna said, letting Carmen inside.

 - I'm glad you invited me. - Carmen replied as she entered the house.

Magna closed the door and led her to the table.

When both women sat down, Kai ran in from their room, heading towards her mother and Carmen, followed by Yumiko with a smile on her face.

 - Carmen! - the excited girl shouted, hugging the woman.

 - Hey, your mom said you had some ideas about school, right? - the woman asked, hugging Kai tightly.

 - Yes! - Kai shouted again and when she moved away from Carmen's hug, she sat down on the chair next to her.

Yumiko walked up to Carmen and gave her a gentle hug as well.

 - It's nice to see you. - Miko said, moving away from Carmen and sitting on the chair next to Magna.

 - And you too, Yumiko. - Carmen replied with a smile. - Where's the rest of you?

 - Kelly and Bernie are resting from their hunt, Connie is on gate watch, Alyssa and Auden are still back from their evening training, and Luke is helping with the crops. - Yumiko replied, her hand went under the table and grabbed Magna's hand.

 - Duties, I understand. So, Kai, what did you want to suggest?

 - School is boring. - Kai said, looking at Carmen with pity.

 - Kai, please. - Yumiko admonished her.

 - It's okay, Yumiko, she has to express her opinion. Go on. - Carmen reassured her, allowing Kaia to continue talking.

 - They teach us unnecessary things, I want to be able to fight, not count. - Kai said.

 - You know, counting skills are still very much needed.

 - But I know how to count. I was thinking about teaching us sign language, Auntie Connie and Kelly could teach us.

 - You know, I think this might be a good idea. I'd just have to talk to Connie and Kelly about it.

 - You know, this'll be useful for us. - Kai said with a smile.

 - I'll see what I can do, but I think it's a very good idea. - said Carmen, placing her hand on Kai's. The girl smiled at her and threw herself at her in a tight hug, which Carmen returned.

 - Speaking of school, have you done your homework? - Yumiko asked, looking at her daughter, who was looking away from her mother as much as possible. - Kai.

 - Oh, okay, no. - replied the girl.

 - Then this has to be done, come on, I'll help you. - Yumiko said, getting up from the chair, the woman approached Kai and grabbed her hand, the girl smiled at Carmen one last time and, together with her mother, moved towards her room, leaving Magna and Carmen in the living room.

 - She's gorgeous. - Carmen laughed, looking after the girl.

 - Oh, she is. - replied dreamy Magna, whose eyes focused on Yumiko instead of her daughter. 

 - If she already has such ideas, what will happen when she grows up? - Carmen laughed again, this time looking at Magna.

 - She'll be a wonderful leader. - said Magna, gushing about imagining her daughter as the leader of the group.

 - Jones Springs's. - Carmen added, Magna looked at her confused.

 - I meant the group leader. - Magna laughed, Carmen smiled at her and stretched out her hands to take Magna's hands in them.

 - And I meant exactly what I said. Jones Springs is going to need a leader, first you, then your daughter.

 - Carmen, you don't know what'll happen in a few years, you don't know what'll happen tomorrow. Don't say you want me to be a leader.

 - But I want you to be a leader.

 - Carmen.

 - Magna.

 - Please, don't force us to have this talk.

 - All right, but we'll come back to it. - said Carmen. There was silence between the women for a moment, which was broken by Carmen. - These new ones are kind of weird.

 - What does that mean? Are they dangerous? - Magna asked, looking at Carmen, looking for any answer in her eyes.

 - I have no idea, they were really nice.

 - So what's the problem?

 - They're behaving strangely, I have a bad feeling.

 - Then why are they still here? - Magna asked surprised, has Carmen stopped trusting her intuition?

 - I locked them in the house, a few guards are watching them.

 - Hey, what if they hurt someone?

 - Magna, statistically no murderer kills on the first night, they first explore the area.

 - Do you want to wait until they explore the area and kill us on the second night?

 - Listen, I wanted you to take a look at them.

 - Me? - Magna asked surprised, at first she thought it was a joke, but Carmen, instead of laughing, nodded affirmatively. - Why me? You're psychologist. 

 - Sometimes a psychologist cannot see everything, sometimes you need the perspective of someone with experience.

 - Am I such a person? - Magna asked again.

 - You have already lived in the community, you are the leader of the group, you know people.

 - Okay, fine. But if they do anything suspicious, - Magna started to say, but Carmen didn't let her finish, finishing the sentence for her.

 - I'll beat them to the punch. - Carmen finished. Magna looked at the woman in silence for a moment until Carmen smiled and burst into laughter, which Magna immediately returned.

  - I wonder if you could actually do it. - Magna said when she finished laughing.

  - No, but you could.

Carmen left the group home and Magna still couldn't stop thinking about the new ones. The woman was lying in bed in her bedroom, facing the window, the view from the window always calmed her. Animals passing by, cars passing by, people passing by, sometimes laughed, sometimes cried, sometimes argued. Now all she had left was the view of the house next to theirs, but she still couldn't stop looking out the window.

Suddenly the bedroom door opened and Yumiko walked in, tired from the whole day, she let out a groan and sat down on the bed next to Magna, who was lying with her back to her.

 - She was so tired that she almost fell asleep in the bath. - Yumiko laughed as she took off her shoes.

 - Who? - Magna asked, still staring at the landscape outside the window.

 - Kai, our daughter. She was practice with me, she was very tired, remember?

 - Oh, yes. - Magna replied to the detached comment. Yumiko took off her shirt and threw it on the floor as usual.

 - And do you remember Miko? Your girl? - Yumiko asked laughing, but she didn't hear Magna's laughter, which confused her a bit. - Hey, are you okay?

 - Hm? Oh, yes, sure. - Magna laughed gently, Yumiko took off her pants and was left in only her underwear, she threw the lower part of her clothes next to her T-shirt and shoes, and walked up to Magna so she could see her face. She felt something was wrong.

 - Okay, what's wrong? - Yumiko asked, crouching by the bed and looking into Magna's eyes.

 - Nothing, nothing's wrong, I'm just very tired. - Magna replied, wishing Yumiko would just leave her alone.

 - Even a extremely tired Magna Manson wouldn't be able to ignore the way I left my clothes. - Yumiko laughed, looking at the items of her clothing lying on the ground.

Magna looked away from Yumiko and changed her position, from her side to her back, now looking at the ceiling, but that didn't stop Miko from asking more.

The older woman sat on the bed and slung one leg over Magna now sitting on top of her.

 - Magna, I've known you for over seven years, I can see that something is happening, and it's not tiredness. - Yumiko said, placing her hands on either side of her girlfriend's waist.

Magna grabbed Yumiko's waist tightly with her hands, holding her so she wouldn't fall off her lap, and sat up, leaning against the bed frame.

 - New ones have arrived. - Magna said, running her hands along her girlfriend's slim waist.

 - Yes, I know, you said. - Yumiko replied, removing her hands from Magna's waist and moving them to her hands still resting on her own waist, she took them and put her hands in them, playing with them. - Does that worry you?

 - No, not really, but Carmen says they're weird.

 - Weird? What do you mean? - Yumiko asked, still playing with Magna's hands.

 - I don't know exactly, but Carmen wants me to take a look at them tomorrow.

 - Then you take a look at them and tell her what you think.

 - I know.

 - So what's bothering you? - Yumiko asked, still not understanding why her girlfriend was so upset about this.

 - Carmen trusts my eye too much, you know well that I'm terribly suspicious, what if I judge them wrong and Carmen throws out good people?

 - Hey, hey, you're suspicious, I know that, but on the one hand it's very good. - Yumiko tried to calm her down. - I think when you see them you'll know what to do. Trust your intuition, babe.

 - Do you trust my intuition? - Magna asked, smiling gently at Yumiko. The older woman leaned towards Magna and placed a kiss on her lips.

 - You can't imagine how much. - Yumiko replied once she removed her mouth from Magna's. - Wow, my girl is the Oracle of Jones Springs.

 - And mine is the best archer in the entire community. - Magna replied, pulling Yumiko towards her and kissing her passionately on the lips, the women didn't stop kissing for some time until things started to get hot, then Yumiko slipped her hands under her girlfriend's shirt and started running them over her stomach.

 - Wait, wait, - Magna stopped her, pulling Yumiko's hands out from under her shirt. - First, you'll get up and clean up these clothes.

 - Oh, I thought you forgot. - Yumiko said, trying to distract Magna from the clothes lying on the ground, she started kissing her again, this time they were gentle but passionate kisses on the neck.

 - Hey, - Magna moved Yumiko's head away from her neck. - First, Miko will get up, fold her clothes into a perfect cube and put them on the dresser.

 - Oh my, you're so stubborn. - Yumiko replied, getting off Magna's lap and walking over to the clothes that had previously been thrown on the ground.

 - I don't like mess. - Magna said, carefully watching Yumiko try to fold her clothes into cubes.

 - There must be cubes, can't I just put them on the dresser? - Yumiko asked, giving up and not waiting for Magna's answer went to the dresser.

 - Hmm, no. - Magna replied, sitting up more upright, watching Yumiko become more and more nervous.

 - Mags, - Yumiko moaned, Magna got up from the bed and went to her, took her clothes and started folding them.

 - And I'm the childish one? I have to clean up for you and fold your clothes. - Magna complained as she folded Yumiko's pants and grabbed her shirt.

 - You don't have to, you just doing it.

 - Do you really want to upset me now? - Magna asked once she had finished assembling each item of Yumiko's clothing.

 - I don't know, maybe. - Yumiko replied, walking as close to Magna as she could and placing her hands on her waist. 

Magna wrapped her arms around Yumiko's neck and brought her lips closer to hers.

Yumiko took the initiative and pulled Magna onto the bed, now lying on her back with Magna on her lap.

 - Tell me, why does it always involve folding my clothes when we want to have sex? - Yumiko joked, breathing heavily as Magna placed another quick kiss on her lips.

 - Because you can't fold them, baby. 

The next morning, Magna showed up at Carmen's house as promised.

Magna knocked on the door and when it opened, Carmen appeared and smiled at the sight of the younger woman.

 - I'm glad you're here. - Carmen said, letting Magna inside and closing the door behind her.

 - I didn't really have a choice. - Magna replied, stopping in the middle of the living room.

 - You always have a choice, that's why you're here. - Carmen said, walking up to Magna and placing her hand on her shoulder.

 - Maybe, okay, where are the new guys? - Magna asked, looking around the room.

 - With Fred and Ross in my office, we'll join them in a moment. - Carmen said and then disappeared down the hall.

Magna followed her to her office to look at the new ones. She poked her head out from behind the door and took a closer look at the people waiting in the office. Fred and Ross were standing guard, apart from them Magna saw two women, one was sitting on the sofa, the other in the armchair, she also noticed three men, one was sitting on the sofa, the other in a chair, and the third was looking at the shelves with books that Carmen kept in the office .

Suddenly, another man emerged from behind one of the shelves. Magna looked at him closely, she had to be sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks on her.

Tall, muscular, brown hair, tied in a ponytail, the only difference was numerous scars on his face and hands.

Magna quickly moved away from the door and looked at the wall in front of her, taking a deep breath, no, it couldn't be true, it couldn't be him, after all, everyone who escaped by water had died, or maybe...

Magna hid her face in her hands and tried to calm down, suddenly she was approached by Carmen, who, seeing Magna's reaction, walked up to her and put her hands on her shoulders.

 - Magna, are you okay? - she asked worriedly.

 - Yes, I just, - Magna began to say when she finally regained her breath. - I felt bad.

 - I can make you some herbs. 

 - No, no. Look, can we postpone it? - Magna asked, grabbing Carmen's both hands. - I can't do it now.

 - Yeah, sure, go back home. - Carmen replied, still looking at Magna with worried eyes. Magna moved towards the door and opened it, sticking most of her body out. - I'll drop by later to see how you're feeling!

Magna nodded with a soft smile and left the house completely, closing the door behind her.

Magna ran into the house as if she had been burned, she didn't even notice Yumiko and Connie sitting in the living room.

She completely ignored her girlfriend's greeting and rushed to the bedroom.

Yumiko left Connie in the living room and followed Magna, finding her throwing clothes out of the dresser and into a bag on the bed.

 - Magna, what happened? - Yumiko asked, increasingly terrified of Magna's condition.

 - Go to Kai's room, pack her things and tell the others to do it. - Magna replied, irritated and shaken.

 - Wh-What? What are you talking about, Magna?

 - Miko, do what I say!

 - Magna, did something happen at Carmen's?

 - There's no time to explain, pack Kai's things, let everyone go home and we'll leave here as soon as possible.

 - Magna, tell me what happened! - Yumiko shouted, Magna threw her clothes on the floor, and after a while she fell on the floor, clutching her head and breathing heavily.

Yumiko didn't wait a moment, she immediately rushed to her girlfriend, sitting down next to her, wrapping her arms around her.

 - Magna, baby, what's going on? - Yumiko asked, trying to calm Magna down by running her hands up and down her arms.

Magna was so shaken that she had a hard time catching her breath, let alone saying anything, Yumiko wanted to go get Connie, but she had no intention of leaving her girlfriend alone.

Suddenly, as if her prayers had been answered, Connie entered the room and, seeing the scene before her, sat down next to her friends.

 - What happened? - Connie asked looking at Yumiko.

 - I don't know, she told us all to pack up and run, and now she seems to be having a panic attack.

 - I'll get her a glass of water. - Connie got up and ran to the kitchen to get Magna something to drink.

 - Mags, I'm here, Miko's here. - Yumiko tried her best to calm her down, placing gentle kisses on the top of Magna's head.

At the same moment, Connie returned with a glass of water, handed it to Yumiko, who put it to Magna's mouth, the younger woman drank the entire glass at once, and then collapsed, sinking into Miko's arms.

Magna woke up in her bedroom, she didn't quite know what happened, she had a headache, she gently got up using her hands and looked around the room, suddenly she remembered everything, the bag with clothes was lying on the ground, the chest of drawers was open and the clothes thrown away.

Yumiko entered the room, when she saw Magna conscious she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled to herself.

 - Mags, how are you? - Yumiko asked as she approached the bed, the woman sat on it and gently took Magna's hand.

 - Miko, we have to escape. - Magna said in a whisper, looking into Yumiko's eyes, when tears began to appear in her own eyes, Yumiko noticed this and took Magna into her arms, trying to calm her down.

 - Magna, what's wrong with you? I'm worried about you.

 - Miko, call Connie, please. - Magna begged, hugging Yumiko. The woman got up from the bed and left, leaving Magna alone in the bedroom, but not for long, because after a while she returned with Connie.

The dark-skinned woman sat on the bed and grabbed Magna's hand, smiling at her.

 - Miko, can you leave us? - Magna asked her, Yumiko nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.

 - Magna, what happened?

 - He's back, Connie.

 - Who's back?

 - Gavin. Gavin's here

 - What? Have you seen him?

 - Yes, he is in that new group that arrived yesterday.

 - Magna, are you absolutely sure it's him?

 - Of course, I'd recognize him anywhere. Connie, we have to run.

 - Mag, just tell Carmen what happened then, I'm sure she'll throw them out then.

 - No, they know the location of Jones Springs, if I throw them out they will come back here and kill us.

 - Magna, calm down. - Connie placed her hands on Magna's shoulders.

 - He'll want revenge.

 - Did he saw you?

 - I don't think so.

 - Okay, we'll invite Carmen, we'll tell her what happened and we'll figure something out together.

Magna nodded and Connie hugged her.

 - Magna, Miko doesn't know anything.

 - I don't want her to know.

 - But she's afraid, she doesn't understand what's happening, she's the only one who doesn't know what happened then.

 - Let's talk to Carmen first, I can't tell her now.

 - Okay, take it easy, call Miko?

 - Yeah.

Connie got up from the bed and left the room, after a while Yumiko came back from the bedroom, the woman sat on the bed and took Magna's hand.

 - How do you feel? - she asked, playing with Magna's delicate hand. Instead of answering, she leaned over and fell into Miko's arms, the Asian hugged her and stroked her back.

 - Terrible.

Some time later, Carmen, invited by Connie, appeared at the group's house.

 - Are you okay? You weren't feeling well when we were at my place. - Carmen asked as she sat down at the table, Magna sat on the other side.

 - The man who is in this group is a murderer. - Magna said in a whisper so that Yumiko wouldn't hear her words.

 - What?

 - Terrible things happened in the first community we were in. There was a man who wanted to do me harm, and he was his right hand man, they wanted to throw me out, sickos got in, everything burned down, and he and a few people escaped by water.

 - Why didn't you tell me before? - Carmen asked, moving a little closer to Magna and grabbing her hands.

 - I didn't know how, I panicked, I wanted to go back home, pack us up and run away.

 - Magna, if that's true, there's no place for them here. I'll go tell the guards that they should go away. - Carmen said, she tried to get up from the chair, but Magna stopped her by grabbing her arm.

 - No, if you throw them out, they will come back and take revenge.

 - Then what do you propose?

 - I don't know, no idea. - Magna said, hiding her face in her hands. - I wanted to escape, but,

 - No, this is your house, you won't run away from here.

 - What else are we supposed to do?

 - I don't know yet, but I'll figure something out.

Kai stood outside the school building waiting for Luke to finish his weekly music lesson with the younger children, they were supposed to go home together, but the girl had to wait a while for him.

The girl was sitting on the stairs and playing with the sand when the sun shining on her was covered by the shadow of someone's silhouette.
Kai looked up and saw a tall man with brown hair and a thick beard, the girl slowly stood up and wanted to enter the school, but the man suddenly spoke, stopping her on the stairs.

 - Hey, easy, - said the man, crouching down in front of Kai. - Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you.

 - Who are you?

 - My name's Gavin. I'm new here. - he said and offered his hand to the girl, but she had no intention of giving him hers. - Sorry, I'm being too direct.

 - I can't talk to strangers.

 - But I'm your mom's friend.

 - But I do not know you.

 - Can we get to know each other, I remember when you were very small, I forgot your name, Kaylee?

 - Kai.

 - Kai, yes. Listen, why don't you show me around and then take me to your mommy? - Gavin suggested, getting closer to Kai.

 - No, my uncle will come soon, he'll take me home and,

 - Maybe I'll go with you? - he asked, being too close to the girl, who shook her head in fear.

Gavin stood up and looked at Kai, this time with a not as pleasant expression as before, just as he was about to grab her arm a scream came from them, they both turned towards the sound and saw Bernie.
At first his face showed rage, he thought it was some pervert who wanted to hurt Kai, but when he looked at his face, he turned pale.

 - Hey! - he shouted to one of the guards who was walking along the road, the man noticed them and approached them. - He's bothering her.

 - What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be staying at home? - asked the guard who grabbed Gavin's arm.

 - I wanted to get some air.

 - You should have opened the window, let's go, you can tell Emil how you managed to sneak out. - said the guard. The man grabbed Gavin's arm and walked away from the school building, leaving Kai and Bernie alone.

As soon as they left, the girl threw herself at Bernie's feet, who crouched down to her height and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

 - He didn't do anything to you? - he asked, looking at Kai's hands to make sure he hadn't bruised her.

 - No, but he wanted me to go somewhere with him.

 - Okay, you won't stay here alone, I'll take you home. - Bernie said. The man stood up and grabbed Kai's hand before they left Bernie informed Luke that he was taking Kai home and not to wait for her and they started towards the house.

 - Okay, so we tell them that if they want to stay here, Gavin can't be with them. - Carmen said once she and Magna had figured out what to do.

 - It might work. - Magna said. - But Carmen, if he resists, if he is aggressive, I won't hesitate for a moment.

 - I know, Magna. - Carmen replied, moving to Magna and touching her delicate hands.

At the same moment, Kai and Bernie entered the house, the man closed the door, and Kai rushed towards Magna.

 - Mom! - the girl screamed in fear, running to Magna and hugging her legs.

 - Kai, what happened? - Magna asked, taking Kai in her arms and placing him on her lap.

 - Some man was bothering me and wanted to take me somewhere.

 - What?

 - Magna, Gavin was bothering her, Gavin's here. - Bernie said, approaching the women and the girl.

 - Gavin was picking on her? Kai, did he do something to you?

 - No, he was just picking on me.

 - Okay, go to mom, just don't tell her what happened. - Magna said, putting Kai back on the ground.

 - Why not?

 - She's not feeling well, and when you tell her she'll be nervous, okay? - Magna asked, the girl just nodded gently and ran to Yumiko and Magna's bedroom.

 - Magna, Gavin's here. - Bernie said, pulling a chair closer to Magna and Carmen and sitting on it.

 - I know, I saw him.

 - He's going to kill us, we have to throw him out.

 - No, me and Carmen already figured out what to do.

 - We'll give them a choice, either stay without Gavin or send them to their deaths.

 - Does he have people?

 - Yes, five.

 - What if they're just like him?

 - Then we'll do what we need to do. - said Carmen.

 - What if they don't be like him and take the deal and go out with Gavin and come back and kill us?

 - No human will choose to return to this hell when they have the choice of a safe community.

 - Now we'll go to them, and you'll make sure the rest are safe here. - said Magna, together with Carmen, getting up from the table and going to the door.

 - Wait, - Bernie said, stopping them in the door, the man went to his room, and after a while he came back with a gun in his hand and handed it to Magna. - I found it on one of the scouts, you'll need it.

 - Thanks. - said Magna, putting the knife into her belt. The women walked out the door, but before they could close it, Bernie stopped them with one last sentence.

 - Mags, - he said to her, stopping her in the doorway. - Be careful.

 - You too. - Magna smiled, closed the door, and she and Carmen headed towards the house where Gavin's group was locked up.

Magna and Carmen reached the house, they didn't even have time to enter before they saw one of the guards lying on the porch, they came closer and then noticed that the man was lying in a pool of blood.

Carmen ran to him and knelt down next to him, checking his pulse.

 - Dave. - Carmen whispered, not feeling the man's pulse. - He's dead.

Magna instinctively took the knife from her belt and went inside, she saw the second guard lying on the floor, also in a pool of blood, next to him was the dead body of a woman.

Magna moved forward into the corridor, always with a knife in her hand, ready to fight. The woman opened the door to one of the rooms, and when she did so, another woman attacked her, waving a knife. Magna did not have time to react, she screamed in pain when a cut appeared on her forearm, from which blood soon began to flow.

This time, Magna reacted quickly and attacked the woman, stabbing her in the stomach and, when she was already lying on the ground, in her skull.

 - What the hell happened? - Carmen asked, entering the room where Magna was.

 - They killed the guards and escaped. - Magna said, using her hand to wash away the blood that had splashed on her face during the fight with the woman.

 - God, let me see. - Carmen said, walking up to Magna when she saw her cut forearm.

 - It's nothing, now we need to find them. - Magna replied, covering the wound with her shirt sleeve before Carmen could take a closer look.

 - What if they escaped from Jones Springs?

 - Then everyone would know about it.

 - God, it's my fault, I could have put them in a house in plain sight instead of in the gray end of the community.

 - Hey, don't blame yourself, it already happened, now we need to find them, see what they are planning.

 - You're right, but we can't do it together, we need people.

- Right. - Magna said, then turned her back to Carmen and started thinking about what they should do. - Go to my house, tell them what happen, let them run away and I will gather the people.

 - No, Magna,

 - Carmen, do what I say! - Magna shouted, Carmen just sighed, moved closer to Magna and wrapped her in a gentle hug.

The women looked at each other one last time, and then Carmen left the house to get to Magna's house.

The younger woman looked at the corpses lying on the floor and left the room, soon leaving the house in search of people to help.

Magna lied. She didn't go looking for people, she wanted to deal with Gavin herself, so instead of calling for help, she was ready to kill Gavin's entire group. By herself.

She looked for them everywhere, Gavin wouldn't be stupid enough to be left in plain sight, and certainly not all together, they were definitely separated, so Magna searched in every closed room, shrine, pantry, meeting building.

The one building she didn't check was the school, so that's where she went.

The door was closed, but not locked, so Magna easily got inside, what she saw there made her stop dead in her tracks.

Luke sat in a chair, tied with thick rope, his mouth gagged.

 - Luke. - said Magna, when the shock finally passed and she managed to move from the spot, she ran to her friend who was still trying to speak through his taped mouth, Magna decided to let him do it and ripped the tape off his mouth.

  - M-Magna, I, - Luke started to say, but his panic prevented him from saying anything without stuttering.

  - Don't worry, I'll untie you in a moment, we have to run. - Magna said, she didn't even get close to the nodes when she heard Luke scream.

  - Mag! - the man shouted, Magna turned around, but only for a second, because as soon as she looked back, someone hit her hard on the head and she fell to the floor, hearing Luke's hazy scream calling her name.

Chapter Text

Magna woke up with a headache and blurred vision as stimuli finally began to enter her head, she heard Luke whispering, she looked towards the sound and saw Luke sitting in the chair next to her, the man looking at her with fear in his eyes.

 - Luke, - Magna whispered, then hissed in pain, feeling another attack of headache, she gently raised her head and looked around the room, she didn't see anyone, which calmed her down a bit. - W-What happened?

 - I was finishing classes, the children left, I stayed for a while to clean up, he came in here, tied me up and gagged me. You came, you wanted to help me, and he came and hit you.

 - How long was I unconscious?

 - About fifteen minutes, he left some time ago.

 - G-Gavin?

 - Yeah, what's he doing here?

 - It's all my fault, I could have told you right away.

 - Don't blame yourself, but how did he get here?

 - Carmen took them in, wanted me to evaluate them, but when I saw Gavin I started to panic.

 - Have you told Carmen about this?

 - Yes, we went to their house to throw them out, but all we found were dead guards.

 -How many of them are there?

 - Six, along with Gavin. I mean, there were five of them, two women lying dead in the house.

 - So there are four left.

 - Four men, we have to work hard to kill them.

 -Where's Carmen?

 - In our house, I told her to tell the others to run away.

 - You don't think they'll escape without us.

 - I hope it will convince them. - Magna said, starting to struggle in her knots, managing to loosen her hands enough to reach her belt to retrieve her knife.

 - Don't count on it, honey. - said a male voice coming from the exit door. They both looked ahead and saw Gavin holding Magna's knife in his hand.

There was chaos in Magna's house. Everyone was running around like crazy, packing things into bags, Carmen was walking around the living room nervously, Magna didn't come back for a long time, too long.

 - Can someone explain to me what's going on? - Yumiko asked nervously, entering the living room with Kelly.

However, her question was completely ignored by everyone.

 - No time, pack up. - Carmen replied without even looking at the Asian.

 - Where's Magna? - she asked, approaching Carmen again.

 - She's taking care of something. 

 - Something?! 

 - Don't scream, she told me to come here and tell you to run away, that's what I'm doing, so go to your room, take your bag and start packing instead of asking questions! - Carmen shouted, which effectively scared Yumiko away, the woman went to the bedroom and threw her shirt against the wall, then sat on the bed, hiding her face in her hands.

 - Mom. - Kai, who was standing in the doorway looking at her mother, said to her.

 - Come here. - Yumiko said, trying to calm her nerves a little and stretched out her arms to receive Kai.

The girl, although hesitantly, accepted the invitation, entering the room and running to Yumiko.

The woman picked up her daughter and took her on her lap, wrapping her in her arms.

 - What's happening? - the girl asked, looking at Yumiko.

 - Nothing, don't worry. - Yumiko tried to calm her down, although she knew it wouldn't help, Kai wasn't stupid, she saw that something was happening, so instead of continuing to tell her empty words, she decided to place a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

 - Is it because of this man? - Kai asked, her question immediately catching Miko's attention, who looked at her daughter.

 - What?

 - Oops, I wasn't supposed to tell you. - Kai said to herself, Yumiko grabbed her chin and tried to turn her head towards her, knowing that when Yumiko looked at her daughter, Kai couldn't lie.

 - Kai, tell me what happened right away. - Yumiko ordered when she finally managed to look into Kai's eyes, and the girl could no longer hide the secret.

 - Today I was waiting for Uncle Luke outside the school, a man came up to me and harassed me, Uncle Bernie came and took me away, but when we came back he was very angry, I think he knew this man.

 -Kai, why am I just finding out about this now? And completely by accident? - Yumiko tried to look the girl in the eyes again, but she didn't want to betray Magna, so she tried to look away, but Yumiko's nerves couldn't stand it. - Kai!

 - Well, I told mom about it, but she told you not to say anything. - Kai said, frightened by her mother's screams. Yumiko took Kai off her lap, set her on the ground, took her bow with her and left the room, heading towards the living room.

The woman walked quickly to the door, but before she could grab the handle, Carmen stood in her way.

 - Move. - Yumiko said, looking into Carmen's eyes.

 - You're not going anywhere. Not alone.

 - I'm giving you good advice, move, now.

 - No. - said Carmen. Yumiko trained her bow and aimed a cocked arrow at the older woman's face. - Are you going to kill me?

 - I don't want to, so move away from the door.

 - Then kill me. - Carmen said with complete seriousness. Yumiko still didn't lower her bow until she finally fired.

Carmen looked at the wooden door where Yumiko's arrow was stuck.

The Asian dropped her bow on the ground and sat on the couch, covering her face with her hands.

Carmen took an arrow from the door, picked up Yumiko's bow, placed it on the table, and sat down next to Miko.

 - Hey, - she said to her, gently placing her hand on her back. - Look, I know it's frustrating not knowing what's going on, but I'm asking you, I'm begging you, do what I say, trust me, please.

 - What about Magna?

 -Magna will be back, I promise. - Carmen said, brushing the dark hair from Yumiko's face. - It's Magna.

 - Okay, fine. - Yumiko replied, getting up from the couch and taking her bow from the table. - I'll go pack.

Gavin sat down in the chair across from Magna and Luke. He looked at them with piercing, murderous eyes, playing with Magna's knife, which he had taken from her, while Magna watched closely the whole time.

 - What's wrong, blondie? - Gavin asked mockingly, switching the gun from one hand to the other. - You don't like this, do you?

 - What are you gonna do? - Magna asked, looking at Gavin as he looked at her.

 - My boys take care of everything. They kill one by one.

 - Do you think no one will notice that so many people have disappeared from such a large community?

 - Of course they will notice, but it will be too late.

 - What are you going to do with us?

 - Oh no, nothing happen with you, blonde, - Gavin started to say, getting up from the chair and walking over to Luke. - But your friends won't have so much luck.

 - What?

 - Don't you understand? Should I show you? - Gavin didn't wait for an answer, he swung and punched Luke in the face.

 - Stop it! It's about me! Leave him alone! - Magna shouted, trying to pull Gavin away from Luke for a moment, and she succeeded. - Take me, you want me.

 - Oh no, I know you're ready to die, I've gotten to know you a little, you know? I want you to suffer, so when the boys are done with the job, I will lure your entire family here, kill them, they will scream and faint from the pain, and when they wake up, I will torture them again until they die in agony. - he said with a terrifying smile, looking alternately at Magna and Luke. - I'll start with him and end with your dear Yumiko. I almost killed her once.

 - You son of a bitch, don't you dare touch Yumiko or anyone from my family, if you do, I'll throw you to the dead, you'll die like you deserve, asshole! - Magna screamed, struggling in her knots, Gavin only mocked her reaction.

 - Why don't we start now? - Gavin asked, without waiting for an answer he punched Luke again, this time in the stomach.

 -Stop it! Take me!

 - I already told you, it won't satisfy me, but fine, let's wait until everyone is here, they will die one by one, in front of you. - Gavin said with a wide smile, turning around and sitting back in the chair, while Magna worriedly began to check Luke's condition.

When the group was packed, everyone lined up at the door, Carmen stood in front of it, holding the doorknob so that when it was time to let everyone out.

 - Okay, we go to the secret passage, we go out, we hide in the forest. - Carmen said, and Kai walked up to her, looking at her worriedly.

 - What about mom? - the girl asked, and Carmen crouched down in front of her and put a hand on her shoulder.

 - Your mother has some business to take care of, she'll join us. - she said and smiled at the girl, trying to calm her down a little. The woman stood up and grabbed the doorknob again, she was about to open it when she heard someone knocking on the door.

 - Magna? - Yumiko asked in a whisper, Carmen opened the door, and when she did so, the corpse outside pushed the door open and got into the house.

Carmen pushed Kai back and took the dead on top of her, he grabbed her stomach and tried to bite her, but the woman quickly took a knife from her belt and stabbed it into his head.

After a few seconds he fell to the ground.

 - Are you okay? - Alyssa asked, looking at Carmen and the dead.

 - Yeah, let's go now. - Carmen replied, leaving first, when she signaled to the others, they also left and went to Carmen's secret passage.

Gavin sat in a chair looking at Magna's knife. The woman was watching him closely and, noticing that the man was starting to fall asleep, wanted to get Luke's attention, but then Gavin looked at them again, this time putting Magna's knife in his belt.

 - It takes a long time for the boys, I guess a little nap won't be bad. - Gavin said, settling more comfortably in the chair. - Be good, little bears.

It didn't take Gavin even five minutes to fall into a deep sleep, Magna nudged Luke and ordered me to watch her hands tied behind the back of the chair.

The woman untied them enough to be able to move them gently, so she began to spell.

 - I have a gun in my pocket.

 - What? He didn't take it from you?

 - No, I guess he didn't notice. Bernie gave it to me.

 - Now we have a chance, try to untie the cord.

 - I'm trying, but he has tied us up very tightly.

 - Maybe rub it against a chair?

 - I'll try.

 - Hey, Mag?

 - Yeah?

 - Everything's going to be fine.

 - I don't know, I don't want to lie to you.

 - I'm not asking, I'm stating facts.

The group safely exited the community and hid in the forest. Magna still hadn't come back and everyone was starting to worry, especially since Luke hadn't come back either, everyone thought he must be with Magna.

 - Maybe we should check on Magna and Luke? - Kelly suggested, sitting on the grass in the bushes with guns at the ready, while Auden and Bernie were killing dead bodies in the area.

 - They've been gone for a long time. - Connie spelled.

 - All right, I'll go check on them. - Carmen got up from the grass and took a few steps away from the group.

 -I'm coming with you. - Yumiko put her bag on the ground and approached Carmen.

 - No, you stay here and look after the rest, and I,

 - No, don't argue with me, Magna and Luke are my family, I won't leave them, I know Magna, she hasn't shown any sign of life for too long, I have a bad feeling.

 - Fine. - Carmen said after a long thought, it wasn't worth arguing with Yumiko.

 - Kai. - Yumiko left Carmen and approached her daughter, kneeling in front of her face. - Hey, be careful, I'll be back soon.

 - You be careful too. - Kai grabbed Yumiko's hand and squeezed it gently for support, and Yumiko took her hand from her daughter's and moved it to her cheek. - I love you.

Yumiko just smiled at her daughter and stood up again, walking towards Carmen. Connie placed a hand on Kai's shoulder and the women started back towards Jones Springs.

Magna managed to break the rope that tied her, and reached into her pocket with one hand, all the while looking at Gavin, who was still fast asleep.

The woman pulled out a gun and pointed it at Gavin.

 - Mag, untie yourself first. - Luke whispered.

Magna, still holding the gun, untied her other hand and quietly got up from the chair, walking over to Luke, placed the gun on the floor and began to untie the knots that held it.

Once Luke was free, they both stood up to run away, but as they were about to get to the door, they heard voices behind it, male voices, so they both sat back in the chairs with their hands behind them, pretending they were still tied up.

The door opened and three men entered the building, laughing at each other and wiping knife blades on their shirts.

 - Did you see the blood flowing? It was fucking amazing. - one of the men said to the other as he closed the door behind him.

 - Yeah, or when he ran away and broke his leg, these people can't fight for themselves at all. - replied the second one.

 - Look. - the third man said, looking at Gavin sleeping.

 - Sleeping prince, but okay, let him sleep.

 - It's true, he didn't sleep at nights, planning how to take revenge.

 - But someone else is awake. - one of the men turned his attention to Magna and Luke, walked up to them with a disgusting smile and looked closely at Magna. After a while, his friends joined him.

 - Pretty blondie. - the second man stroked her cheek, Magna moved her head away, but that didn't stop the man, he reached out and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her head.

 - Fuck off, I noticed her first. - the man who approached them first nudged the one who touched Magna.

 - But I touched her first.

 - Shut up, you both can fuck her. - The third man said, looked from Magna to Luke and laughed. - Does anyone prefer handsome fat guys?

 - Nah, man, I prefer this pretty thing. - saying this, he placed his hand on her chin and lifted her head, leaned down to kiss her, but Magna was faster, spitting in his face.

The man pulled away abruptly and wiped his saliva-covered face.

 - You're fierce, aren't you? - at the same time, everyone heard groans behind them, they looked behind them and saw Gavin stretching out in the chair, he opened his eyes, rubbed them and smiled when he saw his companions.

 - Everything's ready? - he asked, getting up from his chair and walking towards them all.

 - Yeah, but we left a few.

 - We thought you might want to recruit them.

 - After Virginia and Alexa died.

 - Alexa's dead?

 - She was dead when we entered the house.

 - This must be your doing, huh? - Magny asked, walking closer to her. - Have you met my friends yet? - he asked again, but neither Magna nor Luke even looked at them. - Guys, where are your manners? It's Tim, Jacob and Elvis. Guys, meet Magna and Luke.

 - Gav, she's a nice chick, can I fuck her? - asked the man introduced as Jacob.

 - Horny, huh? Okay, but watch out, she's into women. - Saying this, Gavin spat on the ground, the sight reminded Magna of only one man. Her father.

 - Oh, I'll make her straight.

 - Okay, let's go, show me the candidates. - Gavin said, pulling Elvis and Tim behind him. - Have fun, buddy.

 - Just don't tire her too much, I want to have fun too. - Tim said and together with Gavin and Elvis they left the building, leaving Magna and Luke with Jacob.

 - Here we go, baby, - Jacob approached Magna from behind, she quickly managed to throw the gun on the ground and move it towards the wall before Jacob noticed. He went behind the chair and was about to untie Magna when he saw the broken rope. - Someone tried to escape here, we came just in time, naughty girl. I hope you enjoy watching, fatty, it's going to be a wild ride. - Jacob took two ends of the rope and tied them around Magna's arms so she couldn't escape, and then he tied her legs again. 

The man moved his mouth to Magna's and started kissing her, Magna didn't even thought about opening her mouth, she felt like vomiting when that filthy guy played with his tongue on her lips, he got up to take off his pants, he unbuckled his belt when blood splattered all over her face, a hole appeared in his skull, and after a few seconds he fell to the ground, landing in front of Magna's legs.

The woman looked ahead and saw Luke holding a gun in his hand, the man dropped it on the ground and quickly ran towards her.

 - Mag, are you okay? - he asked, untying her legs and then moving to her hands.

 - Yes, I guess so, how come he didn't notice you?

 - He was too busy with you, he didn't even notice that I was also untied, I saw where you threw the gun.

 - Thanks.

 - Stop it, anyone would do it. - Luke ran to the gun that had previously been thrown on the ground, picked it up and handed it to Magna. - Hurry, they'll be back soon, the gunshot was loud.

Magna and Luke didn't have time to get to the door because it opened, Magna pointed her gun at it, ready to shoot at the attacker, but when it opened wider, she saw Yumiko and Carmen entering the building, both with weapons ready for battle.

 - Miko, - whispered Magna, noticing her girlfriend, even though she knew that Miko exposed herself to great danger by coming back here for her, she felt an unimaginable comfort seeing her safe and sound.

 - Mags, Luke, I was so worried, what happened? - Yumiko asked, walking closer to her girl and friend, placed her hand on Magna's shoulder, and then noticed the plum tree under Luke's eye.

 - There's no time, they'll be back soon and, - Magna didn't even have time to finish her sentence when they heard a conversation behind the door, Luke and Yumiko stood on one side of the door, and Magna and Carmen on the other, when Elvis and Tim entered the building both Yumiko, and Magna fired at them from both sides, skillfully hitting their heads and soon both men fell to the floor.

Magna and Yumiko looked at each other smiling, we fightin' together again.

Only Gavin remained.

The four of them left the school building and started walking towards Gavin's house.

 - We heard shots, they definitely need help. - Alyssa was pacing between the trees biting her nails, Auden was trying to calm her down to no avail, Connie was sitting on the ground with Kai on her lap, the girl was hugging her aunt, Kelly was sitting next to them, and Bernie was standing by one of the trees not saying a word.

 - Maybe we should go to them. - Kelly suggested, getting up from the ground.

 - No, you stay.

 - Con, come on.

 - I said no.

 - Con, I'm not a little kid anymore.

 - You'll always a kid for me.

 - We'll go. - Alyssa said, taking out a gun from her bag.

 - I'm coming with you. - Bernie added. - I gave Mags the gun, but I won't forgive myself if something happened to her and I could have prevented it.

Connie and Kelly stayed with Kai, and Alyssa, Auden, and Bernie moved away from their safe place and headed back to Jones Springs.

The four of them were walking forward with weapons ready to fight and eyes in the back of their heads, Yumiko stopped them all when she saw someone entering one of the houses, they all headed in that direction, Magna walked up to the man and turned him towards her, she shot at his head when she saw that it was not a man, but the dead.

 - Damn, they let them turn, they want this place gone, just like Coalport. - Magna said.

 - We have to do something, let's split up. - Yumiko said. - Luke and I to the right, you to the left.

 - What about Gavin?

 - We'll find him by the way, now we have to save this place.

 - Yumiko, Jones Springs is gone. - Carmen said sadly. - We won't save it.

 - Carmen's right, now we need to find Gavin so that, - Magna didn't have time to finish her sentence, she saw Alysse, Auden and Bernie entering through the secret passage. - What the hell?

 - You were supposed to stay. - Yumiko said as soon as they approached the rest of the group.

 - We heard shots, we couldn't leave you. - Auden explained.

 - We need to find Gavin, Jones Springs is gone. - said Magna, looking at the disappointed faces of her friends, although deep down each of them knew what would happen. - Bernie, Luke, go to our house, he might look for you there, Miko, Carmen and Auden, go to school, and Alyssa and I will go to his house.

 - Okay, scream if something happens. - said Miko, putting an arrow into her bow.

 - Hey, - Magna turned to them before they could go in different directions. - I want him alive, I want to kill that son of a bitch myself. - After these words, everyone nodded and went their separate ways.

Magna and Alyssa entered Gavin's house to find the bodies of two men lying on the floor, both bleeding, but Gavin didn't bother to prevent the transformation, so Magna and Alyssa approached them and plunged their blades into their skulls before they could join their dead friends.

 - Mag, you think he's planning revenge on me and Auden too? - Alyssa asked as they both stood up.

 - He said he wanted to take revenge on me by killing all of you. If it wasn't revenge on you, you would have experienced it anyway.

 - Mag? 

 - What's up?

 - We can do it, right? - Alyssa looked at her hands, and Magna walked up to her and looked into her eyes.

 - Aly, we always manage, don't we?

 - I guess so.

 - It'll be fine. Come on, we have to end this. - Magna and Alyssa left Gavin's house, heading towards downtown Jones Springs, they saw Bernie, Yumiko, and Carmen approaching the same point.

 - And? - Magna asked when they got close enough not to shout at each other.

 - He's not at school. - Yumiko informed.

 - Shit! - Magna shouted, the woman stared at the group for a moment before turning away and looking towards the secret passage. - Okay, go back to the others.

 - No, Mags, we won't leave you. - Bernie said. Magna walked up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

 - Listen, it's all because of me, run away, I'll come back, I promise.

 - I'll find Auden. Only then will I go. - Alyssa said and Magna nodded.

 - Okay. Let's go. - Magna checked if the gun had ammunition and wanted to leave with Alyssa. Bernie and Carmen moved a few feet away from the rest, but Yumiko still stood in the same place, never taking her eyes off her girlfriend.

 - Mags. - Yumiko walked up to her girlfriend, placed her hands on her cheeks and connected their lips in a sweet and tender kiss. - Be careful.

 - I will. I'll be back, I promise.

 - Damn right. - Yumiko stroked Magna's shoulder and walked away, approaching Carmen and Bernie.

The three soon disappeared from Magna's sight, and she joined Alyssa to find Auden and Luke.

Magna and Alyssa entered their old house looking for Auden and Luke, they found them in the bedroom, on either side of the entrance ready to fight, before they could attack them Magna jumped away, dragging Alyssa away as well.

 - What the hell, Luke, Auden?! - Magna shouted.

 - You can't blame us! We were about to leave when we heard footsteps.

 - We thought it was Gavin.

 - You found him? - Magna shook her head, Luke exhaled, and Auden hit his head against the wall.

 - But you have to run away, I can do it myself, I can't put you at risk like this.

 - Magna, you're crazy.

 - No. Alyssa, Auden, get out first. - Alyssa grabbed Auden's hand and pulled him towards her. Alyssa looked at Magna one last time and she and Auden, who also gave the blonde a look, left the bedroom.

 - Did you hear that? - Alyssa stopped Auden when they were halfway to the crossing.

 - Alyssa, come on. - Auden said, grabbing her arm, but Alyssa did not listen and went to the bush from which she heard rustling.

 - We can help Magna. - Alyssa pulled out a knife and revealed a fragment of a bush, from which Gavin suddenly jumped out, knocking her to the ground.

 - Aly! - Auden shouted, pulling out a knife and pulling Gavin away from the girl.

Gavin jumped away from Alyssa and lunged at Auden, stabbing him in the chest several times.

Alyssa swung and kicked him in the head, knocking him to the ground, and then stabbed the knife into his thigh.

Gavin lay on the ground howling in pain, holding both hands to the wound, Alyssa ran to Auden and knelt down next to him.

 - Auden, God, it's my fault. - Alyssa released a few tears that fell on Auden.

 - A-Aly, - Auden tried to speak, but the blood gathering in his mouth prevented him from doing so.

 - Shhh, everything'll be fine. - Auden shook his head and his hand went to Alyssa's knife.

 - Aly, e-end this, p-please.

 - No, Auden. - Alyssa's eyes released another cascade of tears, she tried to convince herself of the impossible, that Auden would be fine, but his eyes began to close and his breathing became less and less noticeable.

Alyssa closed her own eyes and plunged the knife straight into Auden's skull, began to cry, and hugged Auden's already dead body.

 - Mag, what if something happened to them?

 - I don't know, Luke. Listen, - Magna moved closer to Luke and placed her hands on his shoulders. - You stay here, I'll leave, find him and kill him.

 - Magna, you're going to need help.

 - No, it's my fault and I'll kill him myself. - Magna didn't even listen to Luke's further words, she left the house, closing the door behind her.

Magna stopped near the school and uncocked her gun, ready to fight Gavin.

 - I knew you'd show up eventually. - suddenly a voice from behind her made her turn around, she aimed her gun at the figure now standing in front of her. Gavin.

 - What happened to you? - Magna asked, looking at Gavin's bleeding thigh.

 - Our dear Alyssa. You trained her well, but Auden...

 - Where are they? - Gavin walked closer to Magna, limping on one leg.

 - Alyssa ran away, and Auden. Well, I guess he's walking on the rainbow bridge now.

 - You killed him, you son of a bitch.

 - It's called a rematch, blondie. - Gavin swung and punched Magna in the face, the woman fell to the ground and aimed her gun at Gavin's leg, she shot him and he screamed as he fell to the ground, Magna tried to get up and run away, but Gavin apparently ignored the pain and grabbed her leg, knocking her down again her to the ground, the man sat on her and started hitting Magna on the face and stomach, trowing the gun of her hand, Magna did not remain obedient, she swung and hit Gavin in the eye, Gavin screamed and put his hand on his eye, with his other hand he took out Magna's knife, stabbing it into her side.

Magna screamed in pain, but her scream was soon silenced by Gavin, who placed his strong hands around Magna's neck, choking her.

 - You bitch, you know what happened after Coalport? Everyone died, everyone except me. Sammy died, my brother, you killed him! - shouted Gavin, whose hands were rubbing Magna's neck harder and harder, leaving purple marks on it. - That's why I will change the order, first I will kill you, and then I will find all the rest and kill them, they will die in agony, especially your wife and daughter. - With the last of her strength, Magna reached for the gun that was lying on the ground, Magna grabbed it and hit Gavin in the head with all her strength, the man fell to the ground and Magna sat on him and now she was hitting him in the face, Gavin grabbed the gun, he aimed at Magna's thigh and pulled the trigger, the bullet fired and Magna screamed in pain, but she didn't get off of Gavin, instead she aimed the gun at his chest and fired.

Gavin stopped moving but he was breathing, she didn't kill him, Magna fell next to him, moved to the man and took her knife from his belt.

 - And give me back my knife, you son of a bitch. - Magna put her knife back in her belt and her hand went to the trigger, pointing the gun at Gavin's head.

 - L-little bitch. - Magna pulled the trigger and the bullet fired into his head, silencing him forever.

Magna fell to the ground and started breathing heavily, she closed her eyes and just wanted to drift off and not feel the pain. At least she killed that son of a bitch.

Chapter Text

The only slow words that reached Magna were "stay awake" over and over again, Magna wasn't sure who the voice belonged to, or maybe it was several voices?

Magna couldn't identify any of them, only the words "stay awake, Magna, stay awake."

Magna was still lying on the ground in the middle of Jones Springs, Gavin's dead body was lying next to her, luckily she managed to kill him.

Magna closed her brown eyes and from then on she could only hear sounds, she heard quick footsteps coming towards her and a scream, a man's scream, Luke. 

Magna didn't understand what Luke was saying to her, or if he was even talking to her, but she heard him tear some cloth and then felt him wrap it tightly around her wound, Magna moaned in pain, and after a moment strong arms lifted her from the ground and they started running with her, trying not to shake her body.

She heard his cries for help and his whispers as he told her that everything would be okay.

 - Hey, help me! - shouted Luke, who decided not to go through the secret passage, the main gate was not far from where they were hiding, so for Magna's comfort, decided not to throw her too much.

After a while, Bernie ran up to the man, who was terrified when he saw Magna and helped Luke carry the woman.

 - What the hell happened?

 - She fought with him, but I don't know what happened, we separated.

 - Is he... 

 - He's dead, she killed him.

 - Okay, let's go, we have to help her. - Bernie and Luke carried Magna to the hideout, when Yumiko saw her injured girlfriend, she almost fainted from fear, she looked terrible, purple marks on her neck, an open gunshot wound on her thigh, a stab in the side with blood seeping out of it.

 - What happened? - Yumiko asked, looking at Magna as Luke and Bernie placed her on the ground. At this time, Connie, with the help of her younger sister, covered little Kai's eyes so that the girl would not see how brutally her mother was treated.

 - She was fighting with Gavin, I don't know what exactly happened.

 -You don't know? Why the hell weren't you there with her?! - Yumiko shouted, straightening up and looking at Luke with furious eyes.

 - Miko, she told me to stay, we separated and...

 -We never separate! Why the hell did I leave her anyway?! - Yumiko fell to her knees next to Magna, stretched out a trembling hand and stroked her girlfriend's forehead, brushing away her blonde curls.

 - Yumiko, it's not Luke's fault, and she's alive, everything will be fine. - Carmen sat down next to Yumiko and put her hand on her shoulder trying to calm her down, Miko looked at Luke, she saw that he was scared too, her reaction was definitely exaggerated.

 - I'm sorry, Luke, I just...

 - I know, Miko, everything will be fine, we just need to stitch the wound up.

 - How are we going to do it? We have nothing. - Yumiko grabbed Magna's hand, running her thumb over it, and a few salty tears began to drip from her eyes and fell straight onto her girlfriend's chest.

 - Actually, I know where Magna took the supplies. Maybe she also had thread or a needle there, it wouldn't hurt to check. - said Carmen. Yumiko couldn't even be mad at Magna, not at this point, she nodded and got to her feet, walked over to Connie and Kelly who were taking care of Kai and crouched down looking at the girl.

 -Kai, baby, listen to me. - Yumiko stretched her still trembling hand towards her daughter, she wanted to calm her down a little, so she stroked her cheek and then her beautiful hair. - Mom's hurt, but everything will be fine.

 - But you're crying... Is mommy going to die? - the little girl was hugging her bunny and hugging her aunt.

 - No, Kai, don't say that. - Yumiko wiped her tearful eyes, moved closer to her daughter and placed a gentle but tender kiss on Kai's forehead.

Luke and Bernie picked up Magna, the rest of them got up from their seats and after a while everyone came out of their hiding place.

Connie was carrying Kai, Kelly was defending the back, Alyssa and Carmen were in the front, Bernie and Luke were carrying Magna, and Yumiko was with her the whole time, holding her hand, Magna wasn't unconscious, she didn't have the strength to open her eyes or speak, Yumiko kept repeating one thing over and over the phrase "Stay awake"

The group reached the wagon with the supplies Magna had hidden months ago, Carmen began searching for thread and a needle, and Connie placed Kai on the ground and, with the help of Kelly and Alyssa, began to set up the tents she had in her backpack.

 - Hey, will you go with me to collect some branches for the fire? - Kelly approached Kai, once she had set up one of the tents, the girl nodded and smiled slightly at her sister, Kelly wanted to take her away from what was going on, at least a little, she went to the bags and took out her slingshot and Kai's bow. The little girl left her bunny in the bag and went deep into the forest with Kelly, taking one last look at her bleeding mother.

Carmen finally found thread and needle, Luke and Bernie carried Magna into the largest tent and set her on the ground. Carmen knelt down next to Magna and turned her over to check if the bullet went through, fortunately it did.

 - Where's Kai? - Yumiko asked Connie as she spread out around the tent, she hadn't been paying attention to her for the last few moments.

 - With Kelly, they're collecting branches for a fire, don't worry. - Connie calmed her down by placing a hand on her shoulder, Yumiko returned the gesture.

 - Okay, just stitch her up, she didn't lose much blood, she's better than she looks. - Carmen disinfected the needle, threaded it and moved closer to Magna's thigh. - Luke, Bernie, hold her.

Barnie and Luke quickly obeyed Carmen's command, Bernie grabbed Magna's legs and Luke grabbed her hands, Yumiko, who was holding Magna's hand all the time, wanted to leave the tent, she couldn't and didn't want to listen to her suffering, but she was stopped by the same hand with which she held it.

 - Miko... - Magna spoke with the last strength she had left, she held Yumiko's hand tightly, opening her eyes slightly.

 - Mags... - Yumiko returned to her place at Magna's side, took her hand in both of hers, brought it to her lips and placed a gentle kiss on it.

 - Miko, stay here, p-please.

 - I'm not going anywhere, Magna. - Yumiko nodded, giving Carmen a sign that she could start stitching the wound. - Stay awake, baby. 

Carmen did what was necessary and started stitching the wound, Magna didn't scream, but moaned and tightly squeezed Yumiko's hand, who was by her side all the time and whispered soothing words in her ear, took care of the curls that stuck to her sweaty face and kissed her forehead.

 - Will mom be okay? - Little Kai asked as she used her bow to knock down one of the sickos.

 - Hey, of course. - Kelly walked up to her and crouched down to lower herself to her height. - We've been in worse situations before and we've always managed.

 - But she looks very bad and mama's crying.

 - Hey, ladybug, come here. - Kelly dropped the branches to the ground and opened her arms to accept Kai. Without a second thought, the girl threw herself into her older sister's arms. - Your mother is one of the strongest women I know and she can't handle it? Things will get better soon, you'll see.

 - You think so?

 - I know that. Your mom is crying because she's worried about Magna. Like we all. 

- Are you sure everything will be fine?

 - Of course, before you know it. Come on, let's look for some stones and make a fire. - Kelly stood up and placed her hand on Kai's little head, stroking it gently.

 - And alarm. - Kai raised her bow and gently smiled at Kelly, grabbing her hand.

 - Yes, Aly will help us, come on.

 - Kell. - Kai said to her as the sisters set out to find stones for the fire.

 - Hm?

 - I'll miss Audie.

 - We all will. 

After the surgery, Magna lay in a sleeping bag that they managed to set up. Yumiko sat next to her, watching her every move, listening to her every breath, holding her hand and brushing the hair from her wet face while Carmen finished dressing the place where Gavin had stabbed her.

 - Like I said, it's better than it looks. - Carmen smiled slightly at Yumiko, placing her hand on her shoulder, and Yumiko returned the gesture and also gave Carmen a smile. - Tough girl.

 - Thank you. - Yumiko placed her free hand on Carmen's and squeezed it.

 -You don't have anything to thank me for. She is like a daughter to me.

 - Could you sit with her for a moment? I haven't seen Kai in a long time.

 - Sure, go tell her her mom is fine. - Yumiko gave Magna one last look and left the tent in search of her daughter.

Yumiko found Kai with Kelly and Alyssa, together they were setting up cans on strings as protection for their camp, Yumiko walked up to the girl and put her hand on her shoulder.

 - Hey, - Yumiko pulled the girl aside and bent down to her height, grabbed her hands gently and ran her thumbs over them. - You good?

 - Yeah, Kelly took care of me.

 - I'm glad, I'm sorry for leaving you for so long.

 - Never mind, mommy needed your attention. - Yumiko smiled at the girl, stroked the side of her head, and after a while she pulled her into a strong and tender hug.

 - My sweet little girl. - Yumiko stroked Kai on the back of her head, combing her fingers through her dark hair.

 - Is mommy okay? - Little Kai asked, slipping away from Yumiko's hug.

 - It's definitely better. - Yumiko smiled at the girl, trying to calm her down.

 - When can I see her?

 - She needs to rest a bit, she's been through a lot, but I think you'll be able to see each other soon.

- Okay. - Yumiko pulled Kai into a hug again, placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, and then pulled away again.

 - Would you mind if I spent more time with mommy now?

 - Sure, not. Take care of her. - Kai smiled at Yumiko and placed her little hand on her cheek, Yumiko grabbed it and put it to her lips, giving them a gentle kiss.

 - Are you securing the camp?

 - Yes, I'm helping Kelly and Aly. Am I doing this right?

 - Perfect, darling. - Yumiko placed one last kiss on Kai's hand and rose to her feet, heading back towards the tent, leaving Kai with Kelly and Alyssa.

Yumiko entered the tent and was surprised to see Magna talking to Carmen.

 - Look who's awake. - Carmen said with a smile, looking at Yumiko.

 - Magna, - Yumiko approached her girlfriend, Magna was smiling at Miko all the time, and when she approached her, she gave her her hand, which the former lawyer immediately grabbed tightly. - How are you feeling?

 - Like shit. But at least you're here.

 - I'll leave you two. - Carmen stroked Magna's hair one last time and stood up, leaving the tent, giving Magna and Yumiko some privacy.

 - I need a kiss. - said Magna, Yumiko didn't wait even a moment, she leaned over Magna and placed a gentle kiss on her lips placing her free hand on her lover's cheek.

Magna and Yumiko spent a few moments alone, Magna told Yumiko as much as she remembered.

After some time, Carmen entered the tent again, drawing the attention of both women.

 - Sorry, but I need to talk to Magna. - Yumiko nodded and let go of Magna's hand. The woman left the tent giving Carmen one last look, and Carmen walked over to Magna and sat down next to her.

 - Are you okay? - Magna asked.

 - I should be the one asking about that. Are you feeling any better?

 - A little, at least I'm alive.

 - It's not that bad, kiddo.

 - Maybe Jones Springs too. We'll kill the sickos, you can be the leader again.

 - Magna, I don't think it's possible. - Magna didn't understand what Carmen was talking about for a moment, she was too tired from today, but after a while all the information started to come to her. Carmen lifted her shirt, revealing a rather fresh scratch on the right side of her stomach.

 - When? - Magna brought her hand closer to the bite, but she didn't do anything else, she didn't touch it, she couldn't.

 - When we escaped from Jones Springs. - Carmen grabbed her T-shirt and pulled it back over the exposed part of her body. - I opened the door to your house and he jumped at me, tried to bite me, I stabbed him in the head...

 - But he scratched you... - Carmen nodded, after a while she looked at Magna with her eyes red from crying.

 - It was my fault. That dead. It was Dave, I should have stabbed him in the head when I saw him dead.

 - You were stressed, don't worry about it. - Magna tried to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes, and the question she was about to ask wasn't doing anything to keep them in place. - But how much time do you have left?

 - I don't know. Maybe until sunset. This happened at midday.

- I-I have to talk to Yumiko. Please call her. - Magna tried to hold back her tears, which became more and more difficult with each word she spoke.

 - Yeah, sure. Think it all over. - Carmen got up from her seat, before gently shaking Magna's hand, she left the tent, and after a while Yumiko appeared again.

 - Hey. - Yumiko sat down next to Magna, and the younger woman couldn't hold back her tears any longer, one of them rolled down her cheek, drawing Yumiko's attention, who grabbed her chin and lifted her head so she could look at her. Magna, unable to contain her emotions any longer, leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Yumiko's waist, burying her face in the crook of her neck and sinking into her embrace, which Miko immediately reciprocated.

 - Miko, she... She's going to die. - Magna mumbled, Yumiko immediately understood what Magna meant, she placed her hand on the back of her head, gently stroking her hair.

 - Does she have a bite?

 - No. Scratch. On the stomach.

 - I'm so sorry, Magna. - Yumiko placed a gentle, sweet and soothing kiss on the top of Magna's head.

When Yumiko managed to calm Magna down a bit, the blonde asked her if she could take little Kai to her.

Yumiko did what Magna wanted and after a while she entered the tent with Kai.

 - Mom! - Kai almost threw herself at Magna, hugging her neck.

 - Hey, my little Miko. - Magna laughed, using one of Kai's nicknames that she had been given at birth, she didn't use it often, like Kai Kai or Ladybug, but Magna loved them and even though Yumiko rolled her eyes whenever she used it, it didn't stop Magna.

 - Be careful, Kai. - Yumiko admonished her, sitting down next to the girl and her daughter, placing her hand on the girl's back.

 - Relax, I'm still alive. - Magna calmed her down, stroking Kai's hair.

 - Mom, are you feeling better? - Kai asked worriedly as she pulled away from Magna to look at her face.

 - Much better. How about you?

 - Fine, I was helping Kell and Aly make food.

 - Since I took their helper, maybe I'll help them. - Yumiko said, placing her hand on Kai's head. - Kai, don't bother your mom too much, okay?

 - Okay, mama. - Kai smiled at her mother, and Yumiko left the tent, leaving Magna and Kai alone.

 - Mom. - Kai said to her as Magna placed her hand on her daughter's cheek.

 - Yes, honey?

 - Sorry. I told mama about this man from school.

 - It doesn't matter anymore.

 - What did this man want from me? You know him?

 - I knew him.

 - You don't know anymore?

 - He won't bother you or any of us again.

 - Is he dead?

 - Yeah.

 - But why did he want to hurt us? We're not bad. - little Kai hesitated for a moment and hugged her bunny tightly. - Right?

 - Of course not. But something happened a long time ago. You were little, you can't remember, we lived in a community where there were some bad people, the community fell apart, supposedly because of us. This man was one of those who accused us, we thought he was dead, but he showed up in Jones Springs and wanted to take revenge.

 - And everything will be fine now? - Magna looked at her daughter, trying to give her the most reassuring smile she could muster, but still remembering Carmen's confession.

How could it be good, she thought.

 - Of course it will.

After some time the food was ready. The entire group ate outside, while Yumiko sat in the tent with a portion of food, trying to convince Magna to take even a bite of the prepared food.

 - Mags, please. - Miko had a full bowl of food in her hand, her other hand was holding a spoon and she was swinging it at Magna's mouth.

 - I don't want to, I'm not hungry. - Magna once again took the spoon away from her face with her hand.

 - Magna, you have to eat, otherwise it won't get better.

 - How can it get better if we live in tents and I can't even walk?

 - For now. Magna, things will get better soon. Your wound will heal. - Yumiko put the spoon back into the bowl and stroked Magna's cheek with her free hand. - Listen. Why did Gavin want revenge?

 - You know. He thinks the fall of Coalport is our fault.

 - But why does he think so?

 - He's a psycho. - Magna tried to lie down on the sleeping bag and turn her back to Yumiko, but the Asian, as soon as she put the bowl of food on the ground, came from the other side so she could look at Magna again.

 - Magna, that's bullshit. What happened?

 - Miko, I'm tired. Do you have to bother me?

 - Yes I have to. You know I get nervous when I don't know anything. - Magna rolled her eyes, but after some thought, she decided to tell Yumiko the whole story of Coalport.

 - All right. Chris tried to rape me. He almost succeeded, but I killed him, Gavin and Sammy locked me up for the night, then decided we had to leave, no one was guarding the gate, sickos came in, something caught fire and you know the rest.

 - What? Magna, why didn't you tell me about Chris?

 - What would that do for me? What would you do? - Magna took a breath and looked at her hands. - He abused me, wanted me only for himself, even tried to kill you.

 - Kill me? But...

 - Not him. Gavin. Chris ordered him to do it. You didn't hit your head, he hit you, he tried to kill you but he failed.

 - Magna, why didn't you tell me?

 - You just woke up from a coma, you were stressed, you were scared, Kai was tiny. I didn't want to worry you even more.

 - Magna, didn't I tell you about being honest? Why I'm finding out about this after six years?!

 - Miko... - Magna tried to grab Yumiko's hand, but she was too nervous, she got up and walked to the exit of the tent.

 - No. - Yumiko grabbed the lock and opened the entrance a little. - When I get back here, I want to see an empty bowl.

 - Yes, ma'am. - Magna whispered to herself as Yumiko left her alone in the tent.

Magna was left alone in the tent, and Yumiko decided to join the rest of the group eating the prepared meal.

 - Something happened? - Kelly asked as a visibly nervous Yumiko sat down on one of the chairs they had set up.

 - Magna.

 - She doesn't want to eat?

 - It's not about food. She told me something.

 - Did she finally tell you about Coalport? - Kelly said, but was almost immediately silenced by Connie who read her lips, Kelly realized what she said and lowered her head, looking back at the bowl of food.

 - Wait. Did you all know about this? - Yumiko stood up and looked at each of her group in turn. - Why didn't anyone tell me!?

 - We wanted to, Miko, but it was Magna's decision. It happened to her, not us. - Connie also stood up from her seat and tried to calm Yumiko by placing a hand on her shoulder, but the woman almost immediately pushed her away.

 - We're a group, why the hell none of you told me? Nothing excuses you!

 -Don't scream. You will attract everyone from the area. - Kelly admonished her, but when Miko was upset, she could be uncontrollable.

 - Kelly, I don't give a fuck! - Yumiko turned and walked a few feet towards the largest tent. - Just leave me alone.

Yumiko disappeared into the tent, but she wasn't alone for long, because a moment later Carmen joined her.

 - I said I wanted to be alone. - Yumiko stood facing away from the entrance to the tent and the person who was in it with her.

 - Listen, I know it's none of my business, but,

 - You're right. It's none of your business, you weren't there with us.

 - But even so, I know Magna only wanted to protect you.

 - By lying to me?

 - Sometimes there's no other option, Yumiko. - Carmen walked up to her and stood face to face with her. She gently took her hands and tried to calm down the situation. - All I know is that Magna loves you very much. She didn't want you to know.

 - I'd prefer she be honest with me. Isn't that what a relationship is all about?

 - Of course it's about that. But a relationship is also about protecting each other, taking care of each other. - Yumiko turned her head and wiped away a few stray tears that appeared on her cheek with her shirt sleeve.

 - Maybe you're right. I overreacted.

 - It's hard to be surprised. But don't let something like this ruin your relationship. It's stupid to argue in the middle of the apocalypse.

 - You're right.

 - Now go to her and, - Carmen didn't have time to finish the sentence, she grabbed her head, and after a while she fell to the ground, Yumiko didn't know what to do, so she just knelt down next to her.

 - Carmen, what's happening?

 - Magna told you, huh? - Yumiko immediately understood what Carmen was talking about, nodded and put her hand to her mouth.

 - O-Okay, stay here, I'll get Magna and I'll be right back. - Yumiko ran out of the tent, not even paying attention to the rest of the group still sitting by the fire.

When Yumiko ran into the tent, she found Magna digging into the bowl of food with a spoon.

 - I can't eat that fast, give me more time. - Magna tried to explain herself as soon as she saw Miko enter the tent.

 - Magna, it doesn't matter. - Yumiko walked up to her girlfriend and put the bowl aside. - Magna, there's Carmen, she's...

 - Hey! I think there's something wrong with Carmen. - said Luke, who looked into their tent. Magna tried to get up, but she couldn't do it on her own, so Yumiko picked her up and took her by the arm, Luke wasted no time and also ran to Magna, taking her by the other arm and together with Yumiko, they led Magna to the tent where Carmen was lying.

The three of them entered the tent, where Connie and Bernie were sitting next to the sleeping bag they had placed Carmen on, and a moment later Kelly appeared with a canteen of water.

Yumiko and Luke led Magna closer, and Connie and Bernie moved aside to make room for their injured friend.

Magna looked at the woman who was still smiling.

 - Will you give us a minute? - Magna asked, Bernie, Luke, Connie and Kelly looked at Yumiko who nodded gently and after a while everyone except Magna and Carmen left the tent.

 - They already know, don't worry. The fever is impossible to hide. - Carmen laughed, gently touching her hot forehead.

 - You don't have much time left. - Magna informed her, although Carmen knew it perfectly well.

 - I know. When I die, you'll have to end this. - Magna didn't say a word, she wasn't able to, she didn't even know if she would be able to do what he asked her to do. Carmen reached into her pocket, took out an old piece of paper and handed it to Magna. - I want you to have this.

 - Carmen... - Magna looked at the photo. The same one she saw a few years ago outside the infirmary, Carmen and Magna's mother, Rosalie, posing for a photo against the background of Dortmund, Rosalie's hometown.

 - It won't be useful to me anymore, and you deserve to remember what she looks like. I always carry this photo with me. You can even cut me out of it. 

 - No, don't say that. Thanks. - Magna grabbed Carmen's hand and touched it, Carmen returned the gesture. - I guess you should say goodbye. There's no telling how much time you have.

 - Yeah. I should.

 Magna called everyone to the tent so that each of them had a chance to say goodbye to the former leader of Jones Springs.

When everyone said goodbye to Carmen, they left the tent, leaving Magna and Carmen alone again.

After some time, Carmen fell asleep. Magna was sitting against the wall of the tent playing with one of her knives that she had at hand, suddenly the tent entrance opened, Magna looked towards it expecting to see Yumiko, but it wasn't her, it was Kai.

 - Kai, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. - Kai approached Magna out of the corner of her eye, looking at the sleeping Carmen, she wrapped her arms around Magna's neck, the woman put down the knife and also hugged Kai, stroking her back.

 - Is she dead? - the girl asked, looking at the woman.

 - No. She sleeps. - Magna released Kai, wanting to look at her. - Did mama let you come here?

 - Mama doesn't know. She didn't see me coming.

 - Kai, she'll be worried, you should go back to her. - Kai nodded and looked at Carmen again, and after a while she hugged Magna again, this time a little tighter, as if she wanted to calm her down and comfort her, as if she wanted to tell her through the hug that everything would be fine.

 - All right. - Kai moved away from Magna's hug and headed for the exit. - Why do good people die?

 - I can't answer that. - Magna looked at Carmen so as not to look at Kai, this was a question that probably no one knew the answer to.

Kai left the tent, closing the entrance behind her, and Magna was left alone with Carmen again.

After a while, Carmen began to fidget. Magna moved towards her with her knife drawn, ready to see Carmen's faded eyes, or rather the corpse she had turned into, but the woman opened her eyes and smiled at Magna, placing her hand on her cheek.

 - Rosalie. - Carmen whispered. Magna knew Carmen was talking nonsense, she had obviously confused her with Rosalie, but she couldn't be surprised, Magna was actually a walking copy of her mother.

 - Yes, it's me. - Magna took the woman's hand and stroked it with her other hand, she did not intend to make Carmen realize her mistake.

 - Rosie, I saw Magna, you know?

 - Yeah?

 - Yeah. You haven't seen her?

 - No, not yet. - Magna tried to hold the tears that were gathering in her eyes at bay, but it became more and more difficult with each sentence she spoke.

 - She looks like you. She has a baby girl, you know?

 - Really?

 - Yes, she's a great mom, just like you.

 - I'm so happy. - Magna couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and Carmen immediately noticed them flowing down the younger girl's cheeks.

 - Rosie, why are you crying?

 - Because I missed you.

 - I love you, Rosie, you know?

 - I know, I love you too. - Magna let out another cascade of tears from her eyes, which fell straight on Carmen, the woman closed her eyes and began to breathe more and more weakly.

 -Good night, Rosie.

 - Good night, Carmen. Sleep well. - Magna stroked Carmen's head without taking her eyes off her, and after a while she leaned over her, putting her ear to her nose, looking at her chest. She didn't feel any breathing and her chest wasn't moving. 

Magna buried her face in her hands, but she had to calm down, she had to prevent the transformation. The woman grabbed her knife, turned Carmen's head towards the tent wall so as not to have to look at her, swung her knife and plunged the knife into the woman's skull.

Magna took out her blade and threw it on the ground next to her, she stepped back, put her face in her hands and let the tears fall.

After a while, Yumiko appeared in the tent, wanting to check what was happening. As soon as she noticed Magna crying and heard her sobbing, she approached her without thinking, sat down next to her and took her in her arms, looking at Carmen's now dead body.

 - Hey, it's okay now. - Yumiko placed her hand on the back of Magna's head, trying to distract her from what had just happened, Magna wrapped her arms tightly around her waist and buried her face in the crook of her neck.

 - Miko... - Magna tried to say a word, but she couldn't, she was too shaken and crying, and Yumiko assured her that she didn't have to say anything.

 - Shh, calm down. - Yumiko placed a gentle kiss on the top of Magna's head and started stroking the back of her head, combing her wild, beautiful curls with her fingers. - I'm very sorry.

Chapter Text

Magna and Yumiko were still sitting together in the tent, Yumiko still hugging her girlfriend, kissing the top of her head, rubbing her back and whispering soothing words in her ear.

Magna hadn't changed her position for some time, she was leaning against Miko, burying her face in the crook of her neck and hugging her waist, she wasn't moving at all, if it weren't for her hiccups caused by crying, Yumiko would have thought that Magna had fallen asleep.

 - Magna, I'm terribly sorry. - Yumiko buried her face in Magna's curls, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

 - Me too, Miko. - Magna finally dared to break away from Yumiko's safe and comforting arms, looked at Carmen and then at Yumiko. - We have to bury her.

 - We'll take care of it, don't worry. - Yumiko stretched one of her hands out and placed it on Magna's cheek.

 - No, Miko, I owe it to her.

 - You've done enough, Magna. We'll take care of it. We'll be gentle, I promise. - Yumiko moved her hand from Magna's cheek to the side of her head, the blonde looked at Carmen, then at her girlfriend, and nodded, letting her pull her back into her arms.

Luke and Bernie dug a hole in the ground to serve as Carmen's grave, and once it was ready, Yumiko and Connie placed a blanket around Carmen's body. While Luke and Bernie carried the body to the pit, Yumiko led Magna out of the tent and to the fire, helping her to sit across from Kelly and Alyssa, who were trying to distract Kai from what was going on by playing cards with her.

 - I'll go check how they're doing. - Yumiko placed her hand on Magna's shoulder and placed a quick kiss on the top of her head, then walked away, leaving Magna with Alyssa, Kelly and Kai, the blonde reached into her pocket and took out the photo that Carmen had given her.

 - Is everything okay? - Kelly asked.

 - I think so. - Magna replied. Kai put her cards down and walked over to her mother.

 - Mom, what's this? - the girl asked, finding her place at her side, looking at the photo Magna held in her hand.

 - A picture. I got them from Carmen. - Magna looked at Kai, smiled at her and placed her hand on her head. - It's Carmen and my mom, Rosalie.

 - Did they know each other? - Kai asked, looking at the photo.

 - Yeah. A long time ago. Before all this.

 - Your mom looks like you. - Kai noticed, now focusing her eyes on Magna's mother.

 - That's true. Carmen said that too. - Magna hugged her daughter and kissed the side of her head.

A moment later, Luke, Bernie, Miko and Connie joined them and took them to their seats.

 - We've done everything. - Bernie informed, sitting next to Alyssa.

 - We were very gentle, Magna. - Connie sat down next to Magna and placed a hand on her shoulder.

 - Thank you. - Magna said, gesturing with her hand towards Connie. - I'm sorry we couldn't do this for Auden.

 - I left him like a coward. I stuck a knife into his head and ran away. - Alyssa said, putting the cards on the ground.

 - Don't blame yourself, Aly. People react differently. - Bernie said, placing his hand on her shoulder to calm her down a little.

 - You know, before the fall, Auden was my boyfriend's brother. The three of us fled the city, and Brandon died soon after, but before he did, made Auden swear to protect me. For all costs.

 - And he kept his word. - Magna said. Alyssa nodded.

 - I'll go check the area. Donut, why don't you come with me? What do you think, Miko? - Bernie asked, looking at Yumiko's reaction. She looked at her daughter and then at Bernie.

 - Well, If she wants to, but don't splitting up. 

 - What do you say? - Bernie asked looking at Kai. - You'll show me how you shoot your bow.

 -Okay! - Kai stood up and moved towards the tent where her bow was, and Bernie followed her.

 - Careful, baby. - Yumiko said as Kai passed her. Bernie and Kai went deeper into the forest, leaving the rest of the group at the camp.

When it got dark everyone went to their tents, Kai had returned from scouting with Bernie and was now hanging out with Connie and Kelly in their tent, which gave Yumiko and Magna a moment to talk.

Yumiko took some time to check Magna's wound. The stitches didn't come loose, there was no blood flowing, everything looked fine. Thank God.

 - Looks fine. - Yumiko ran her fingertips over Magna's wound one last time before her hands went to her shirt to check the stab wound. - I'll check this one out.

 - Nice way to undress me, first my pants, then my shirt. - Magna joked as Yumiko lifted her shirt, revealing her entire belly.

 - Just shut up. - Yumiko replied, laughing at her girlfriend's comment, she was glad that she could joke after all. The Asian woman carefully examined and gently touched the bandaged area. - I think I need to change your bandage.

Yumiko reached for the first aid kit and took out a bandage and scissors, unwrapped some, placed it on the ground and took off Magna's shirt, leaving it in her bra, and unwrapped the dressing, grabbed a canteen of water and a tissue, wet it and as gently as she could, she began to wash Magna's wound.

 - Miko. - Magna suddenly said, Yumiko looked at her over the wound.

 - Too hard? - Yumiko was worried that she wasn't as gentle as she thought, but Magna's smile washed away all her doubts.

 - Thank you.

 - Stop it. - Yumiko finished cleaning Magna's wound, reached for a bandage and started wrapping the area. - It's normal for me to help you.

 - I'm sorry I lied to you. - Magna looked at her thumbs and started playing with them, she wasn't very good with words, why when she started talking, something that required her to release her emotions, she preferred not to look at her interlocutor, and Yumiko knew it very well.

 - It's okay. - Yumiko finished changing the dressing, put the rest of the bandage back in the first aid kit, closed it and put it back. - I understand you to some extent.

 - It wasn't fair of me. I'm sorry.

 - It was a long time ago. But I'd like you to be honest with me from now on, okay?

 - Okay, ma'am. - Yumiko smiled at the nickname, took Magna's hands gently and stroked them with her thumbs.

 - Did Chris hurt you?

 - No. I killed him when he tried to rape me. But he touched me and kissed me many times.

 - Mags, we don't have to talk about this if you don't want to.

 - No, no. You deserve the truth. - Magna looked at Yumiko to make sure the other woman was telling the truth and continued her story. - He had Bernie spying on us, then I found out he raped Alyssa and several young girls in Coalport. He ordered Gavin to kill his wife. He was a psycho, Miko. The bucket overflowed when he tried to kill you. He tried to rape me, but I was faster, I killed him, and earlier I told you the rest.

 - Magna, - Yumiko couldn't say anything more, instead she leaned over Magna and embraced her, being careful of her wound, after a moment she pulled away and put her lips to Magna's, placing her hands on both of Magna's cheeks.

 - You should have known earlier, I'm sorry. - Magna said as Yumiko removed her mouth from hers.

 - I'm not going to argue with you in the middle of the apocalypse. Maybe I'll die tomorrow, - that thought gave Magna chills. - Maybe in a year. I don't wanna waste this time.

 - Me neither, Miko. - Yumiko leaned over Magna again and kissed her again, this time her lips lingered on her a little longer.

 - You know, you can put your shirt on now. - Miko said, handing her the clothes, Magna took them in her hand and put them on the ground.

 - What if I don't want to? It's a bit hot in here. - Magna laughed, looking at Yumiko with a sneer. - Besides, we're going to sleep soon anyway.

 - Right. But I'll stay dressed. - Yumiko lay down next to Magna very carefully, remembering about her lover's injured side. Magna wrapped her arm around her and placed a quick kiss on her head as she stroked her hair with her free hand.

 - I'll let you do it today. - Yumiko laughed feeling this gesture.

 - Of course you will. I almost died. - Magna laughed, but Yumiko wasn't amused, she swung slightly and gently hit Magna on the shoulder.

 - Shut up, you're stupid.

 - You love me anyway. - Magna didn't hear the answer, but she knew it perfectly well. - Hey, Miko?

 - Hm?

 - Will you do something for me? - Yumiko stood up and supported herself with her hands on the tent floor, ready to fulfill Magna's request. - Will you get up and fold my clothes?

 - Asshole. - Yumiko stood up and grabbed Magna's pants, folded them into cubes, and then took up her shirt, which she folded in the same way. She placed both items of clothing on top of the bag and returned to Magna as quickly as she could.

 - Are you going to sleep with your clothes on? - Magna asked as soon as Yumiko was back at her side.

 - Can you just shut up and enjoy the silence? - Magna decided to listen to her girlfriend, she fell silent for a moment, but not for a long time.

 - I guess we'll have to look for a water source tomorrow. We'll need water to drink and bathe...

 - Hey, leader. Easy. Leave everything to me, I will take over your duties for a while.

 - Miko, I don't want you to do this, I can do it.

 - Magna, rest for once in your life, please. - Magna was silent for a moment, but after some thought, she decided to put Yumiko in charge, at least for a while.

 - Okay. But I want a report.

 - Bright. You know I'm great with reports.

 - I know.

Magna and Yumiko lay together for some time. Magna stretched out slightly to pull the blanket over them, and it wasn't long before Yumiko fell asleep cuddled up to Magna.

After some time, Kai also joined her mothers in the tent, lay down in her sleeping bag and after a while she also fell asleep hugging her bunny. 

Magna tried to keep an eye on her girls, even considered not sleeping tonight, but Bernie talked her out of it.

Don't worry, Jo. I have everything under control.

Magna didn't know why, but those words calmed her down and she soon joined her little family, falling asleep as well.

For the next few days, the group did not leave the camp. Magna's wound began to look better, and Yumiko noticed that Magna felt much more alive as well.

They all agreed that they would set off only when Magna regained full fitness, for now she needed help moving, she always had Yumiko or another person from their group by her side.

Yumiko kept her word and took over as leader to relieve Magna until she felt able to take up the position again, and although Magna insisted that she was feeling better and could resume her duties, Yumiko knew that was not true.

Magna was resting in her tent

Yumiko told her to rest as much as she could, although Magna didn't like the idea, but Magna herself should have known that Miko had more influence on her than anyone.

Magna was sharpening one of her knives on a rock when she heard someone opening the tent's lock, she expected to see Yumiko or Kai, but instead Bernie appeared in the tent.

 - What's up? - Magna asked looking at her friend.

 - Miko told me to check if everything was alright. - he explained, approaching Magna. - You good?

 - As much as it can be. Where's Miko?

 - She went to practice with donut. - Magna laughed and looked at him, putting the stone and knife on the ground.

 - Don't you think she's not chubby enough to be called donut anymore?

 - She'll always be donut. I'll call her that until I die.

 - Bright.

 - Do you need anything?

 - You won't wash my wounds for that matter.

- You're hurting my feelings. You don't trust me enough. - he said and dramatically placed the back of his hand to his forehead, causing Magna to laugh. - Do you want something to eat or drink?

 - I would appreciate it if you gave me a sweater. I'm a bit cold. - asked the blonde. Bernie did exactly as Magna asked him, went to her bag and pulled out a black sweater with a zipper.

 - Yeah! Exactly this one! - Magna confirmed, Bernie rolled his eyes and laughed, looking at the sweater, the same one he gave her years ago, or rather borrowed, as it turned out, with no possibility of returning it.

 - My sweater? - Bernie asked, Magna reached out, grabbing the clothes.

 - You gave it to me. - Magna pulled on the sweater and wrapped it around herself.

 - I lent it to you, - Bernie corrected, but Magna did nothing but shrug.

 - You should be aware of who you lend it to.

 - Yeah? Or maybe it smells like me, that's why you like it? - Bernie joked, Magna quickly picked up on it.

 - Oh, don't say that, someone might hear, besides, I'm taken. - Magna replied, moving her hand to her chest.

 - Miko doesn't have to know. - Bernie approached Magna, smiling.

 - That's enough. - Magna laughed, pushing Bernie away from her. He just laughed and got to his feet.

 - At least you like the sweater. - Bernie moved towards the exit of the tent and grabbed the zipper. - Shout if you need anything.

 - Bernie. - Magna said to him, the man turned to look at her. She smiled at him with gratitude on her face. - Thanks.

 - Hey, stop. We're friends

 - Yeah, but. You know, Carmen was right. - Magna said. Bernie wasn't quite sure what his friend meant, but he was interested in what she said.

 - Right with what?

 - You do not remember? When we arrived at Jones Springs, she asked if you were my right hand, then we said no.

 - Something has changed? - Bernie asked, sitting down opposite Magna.

 - Actually, no. She was always right.

 - I'm your right hand? - he asked surprised, thinking Magna was joking, but she just stared at him with a smile.

 - Yes. - she replied calmly.

 - Not Yumiko?

 - Yumiko is something else. She's my girlfriend, sometimes she agrees with me even if she thinks differently, I can see it. You're different.

 - What do you mean?

 - At first we didn't like each other, then we started talking and our friendship evolved. I'm glad I have you, Billy. - Magna's smile only infected Bernie, who smiled at her too.

 - I'm glad I have you too, Jo. - Bernie said, looking at Magna over his hands. - I'm sorry about Carmen.

 - Me too.

 - Would you like a hug? - he asked, opening his arms.

 - Nope. - Magna replied, smiling at him. Bernie dropped his arms and buried his face in his hands, imitating crying.

 - You're breaking my heart. - Bernie stood up and gently touched Magna's shoulder before heading towards the exit. - Call me if you need anything.

 - Okay, thanks. - Magna said. Bernie opened the entrance and walked out, closing it behind him, leaving Magna alone with her knife and her thoughts.

Later, when Yumiko and Kai returned from training, the girl, as usual for the past few days, spent the evening in the company of her older sisters, Kelly and Alyssa, and Magna and Yumiko had these evenings to themselves.

After checking Magna's wounds and bandages, Yumiko began helping her change her clothes.

The woman grabbed Magna's belt and started undoing it so she could pull down her pants, and Magna, being Magna, watched it all with a stupid smile on her face.

 - If you make even one dirty comment, I swear you'll take your clothes off yourself. - Yumiko warned her, once she had folded Magna's pants into a cube.

 - Me and dirty comments? - Magna joked, amused by the fact that Miko knew her much better than she knew herself. - But fine, I won't risk it.

 - Good choice. Hands up. - Yumiko grabbed Magna's sweater and pulled it over her head, did the same with her shirt, and then folded both items into cubes next to her previously folded pants. Yumiko placed her cold hands on Magna's bare thighs and gently ran her hands over them. - How do you feel?

 - Better. Miko, I really can take over the duties. - Magna placed her hands on her girlfriend's hands, stroking them.

 - We both know that's not true. - Miko turned her hands so that their fingers were now interlocked.

 - Miko, I'm going crazy in this tent. I need to do something.

 - Magna, - Yumiko took Magna's oversized T-shirt that she used for sleeping from the bag lying nearby, placed it on the woman's thighs and put her hands behind her, tightening and removing her bra. - Listen, I know a lot has happened, you're angry, you're sad. But you need to rest. Carmen would want that.

 - You don't know that. - Yumiko pulled the shirt over Magna's body. - And I can't lie down forever.

 - And you won't. You'll get better, you'll see. - Yumiko tried to comfort her, placing her hand in her wild curls. Magna looked away.

 - I hope so. - Magna said in a whisper. Before she stood up Yumiko moved closer to her girlfriend and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek and stroked the side of her head.

She started taking off her clothes, starting with her shirt, then taking off her tank top, then her pants, and finally her bra. She reached into her bag and pulled out an oversized t-shirt and put it on, folding her clothes and placing them on the bag.

 - Miko. - Magna said to her, Yumiko turned to her with a smile, and the blonde patted the space next to her, signaling that I wanted Miko to lie down next to her. Yumiko gladly accepted the invitation and walked over to Magna, laying down next to her, cuddling up to her with her hand on her flat stomach covered by her T-shirt.

 - I was thinking about a certain place. - Magna suddenly said, her hand resting on Yumiko's back. Yumiko raised her head and looked at her girlfriend. - When I get better. We can't stay here forever.

 - Well, yes. What kind of place is this? - Miko asked, still stroking Magna's belly. The blonde looked at her, hoping the older woman would guess. This happened because Yumiko changed her expression from curious to surprised.

 - Are we thinking about the same thing now? - Magna asked, Yumiko nodded. Richmond. 

 - I think so. But, Magna, I don't know if it's safe. It's a big city.

 -It's been almost seven years. Most of sickos dispersed into the forests and meadows.

 - Mags, we'll talk about this in the morning, okay? - Yumiko's eyes began to close, and after a while she yawned, removing her hand from Magna's stomach, covering her mouth.

 - Fine. We need to discuss this, and you'll fall asleep soon. - Magna put her index finger to Yumiko's nose and tickled it gently. Yumiko laughed and looked at Magna with sleepy eyes, she loved that sweet side of Magna, when they where alone. The blonde wrapped her arms around her girl. - You know, there's some good that comes from being injured and you changing me.

 - Hm?

 - You finally learned how to fold clothes. - Magna laughed, Yumiko opened her eyes and smiled at Magna, lightly hitting her on the shoulder.

 - Idiot. - she said, closing her eyes again, and Magna placed a tender kiss on the top of her head

 - Your idiot.

Chapter Text

It's been some time. After much persuasion, Magna's idea was accepted by the group, so when Magna recovered, they decided to pack up and go.

When everyone was folding the tents and the bags were already packed, Magna, who was not allowed to spend too much time with the tents, found her place next to one of the trees that she had not dared to approach for the past days, or maybe weeks. Carmen's grave.

A carefully dug hole, covered with earth. There was a stick stuck inside, which, together with another one tied horizontally with a rope, imitated a cross. On a horizontal board there was an inscription: Carmen.

Magna stared at him for a moment until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Yumiko.

The woman stroked Magna's shoulder, looking in the same direction.

 - Connie did it. - Yumiko said, moving closer to her girlfriend. - We didn't know her last name or when she was born.

 - Me neither. - Magna replied sadly. Yumiko stretched out her arm, wrapping it around Magna, and the blonde, feeling this gesture, allowed her head to fall on the older woman's shoulder.

 - You have to be strong, Mags. - Yumiko put her face to Magna's head and placed a gentle kiss on its tip.

 - I am. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. - Magna turned her head now looking at Yumiko, the women smiled slightly at each other and after a moment moved away.

 - Come on. Everybody's waiting. - Yumiko grabbed Magna's bag that was hanging on her shoulder and put it over her shoulder.

 - Miko, I could carry it.

 - You need to rest. - Yumiko grabbed Magna's hand and pulled her towards the group. - If you get tired, tell me.

 - Why? Will you take me in your arms? - Magna asked Yumiko jokingly. she huffed and punched Magna in the arm.

 - Nope. Bernie will. - Yumiko replied.

 - Then I'll never get tired. - Magna laughed, infecting Yumiko.

The group moved forward. Magna walked alone, though with Yumiko's help from time to time.

The leader of the group held a map of Virginia in her hand, leading the rest.

 - Hey. How are you? - Yumiko asked, walking up to Kai. She hasn't had enough time for her in recent weeks, Magna's injury, Carmen's death. She hoped Kai would understand.

 - Good, I guess. - replied the girl, running her finger up and down her bow.

 - I guess? - Yumiko asked again, but Kai's answer was only a shrug. - Are you hungry?

 - No, thanks.

 - Thirsty?

 - Neither.

 - Well, maybe we'll go do a quick recon, what do you say? Just you and me, Kai and Mama. - Yumiko suggested, placing one hand on Kai's shoulder.

 - I don't feel like it. Maybe another time. - Kai quickened her pace, moving away from Yumiko, the Asian kept looking at her daughter until Magna approached her.

 - What's up? - she asked, but Yumiko just cleared her throat, looking at her bow. - Is everything okay?

 - I'm worried about her. - Miko finally confessed. 

 - Why?

 - I don't spend much time on her. She may feel rejected.

 - She's a big girl now. I'm sure she understands it.

 - Magna, sometimes I feel like we forget something. - Yumiko grabbed Magna's arm and stopped them both in the middle of the road. - She's a child, not an adult. Children shouldn't live like this, she should sit at the desk now, do her homework, then go out into the yard with her friends, she should know the taste of sweets and... - Yumiko put her hand to her face, trying to calm down. At that moment she felt like the worst mother in the world. Magna didn't waste any time and immediately hugged Yumiko.

 - Hey, Miko. - Magna stroked Yumiko's back, trying to show her support. After all, they were in this together, Kai was their daughter.

 - It's just... Sometimes we forget that she's a child who needs her parents. I feel so terrible, Magna.

 - Hey, everything's fine. Miko, you are a wonderful mom, Kai loves you.

 - Yes, I know and I love her too, but, - Yumiko tugged on Magna's arm and they both started walking towards the group, not wanting to be left behind. - I want her to feel that I love her very much and want to protect her.

 - I'm sure she feels it, she's a bit angry now, but she'll get over it, you'll see.

 - I hope you're right.

After some time, the group came to a river that ran alongside the road they were walking on.

Luke and Bernie went to look around to see if there was another road or a bridge, but alas, there wasn't.

The group, having no other choice, decided to cross the river, Magna and Yumiko went first, followed by Kelly and Alyssa.

 - Kell, will you take Kai? - Yumiko asked her, Kelly nodded, but before she could take the girl in her arms, she spoke.

 - No, I can do it myself. - she said, looking at Kelly and Yumiko.

 - Kai, this river is deep, it would be better if Kelly helped you.

 - You've gone through, it's not deep.

 - It will be for you, you are several times smaller.

 - Miko, I'll be right behind her. - Kelly said. Yumiko still was skeptical about the idea, but she trusted Kelly, she knew she had always protected Kai, since she was born. In fact, Kell was the first person to hold Kai in her arms, so she agreed.

 - Fine. - Yumiko said. Kai handed her bow and quiver to Kelly and began to cross the river.

Everything was going perfectly until she stood on one of the slippery stones, after a while everyone heard a growl, Kai lost her balance and fell into the water, from which one of the sickos emerged and grabbed her dark hair.

Kelly and Yumiko immediately ran to the screaming girl, Kelly plunged her knife into the undead's skull, and Yumiko grabbed Kai and hugged her.

 - Kai, darling, are you okay? - Yumiko asked her terrified. Her voice broke with every word and it seemed like she was going to cry, her daughter, her little girl could have died. At that moment, Yumiko didn't care that she was wet, the only thing that mattered to her was that her baby was okay.

 - Yeah. - Kai replied, coughing and spitting out the remnants of water from her mouth. Yumiko stroked her head, combing her wet hair.

 - God, I shouldn't have let that happen. - Yumiko didn't think much, she quickly took off her shirt and wrapped it around Kai, although the shirt itself was also wet because Yumiko jumped into the water to save Kai.

 - It's not your fault. - the girl coughed, hugging her mother's neck. Yumiko grabbed Kai and carried her across the rest of the river, hugging her tightly.

When she reached Magna, she took off her shirt and wrapped it around Kai before taking off Yumiko's shirt.

 - Yours is a bit wet. - she said, handing the shirt back to Yumiko. She looked at Kai, touching her hand. - How do you feel?

 - I'm cold.

 - Don't you have a bite or a scratch?

 - No, he just pulled my hair. - Kai buried her head in Yumiko's neck and Yumiko hugged her as tight as she could.

 - You'd better take a look at her. She might not have felt it. - Bernie said, and Yumiko felt a shiver.

The woman took Kai to a secluded place and examined her carefully.

The girl, thank God, had no scratches or bites.

- She's fine. - Miko informed when she and Kai returned to the others.

 - Luckily. - Magna said, gently brushing Kai's wet hair from her forehead.

 - You said you were right behind her! - Yumiko shouted, looking furiously at Kelly.

 - And I was! It happened so fast, I didn't have time... - Kelly tried to explain, but Miko didn't give her a chance.

 - If you were, this wouldn't have happened! - Yumiko shouted again, Kelly was about to respond, but Connie silenced her with a wave of her hand.

 - Mama, it's not Kell's fault. - Kai said, grabbing Yumiko's hand.

 - Kai, darling, please don't interfere. - Yumiko was about to shout out to Kelly again, but Connie's hand on her shoulder distracted her.

 - Hey, calm down. Nobody knew this would happen. Let's stop arguing.

 - Do you think I'll just leave it like that?

 - No. Sure not, but when Kai fell into the water, Kelly jumped in to save her, that's what matters. What also matters is that Kai is okay. Do not argue. - she spelled the last sentence while also looking at Kelly.

 - Sorry. - Yumiko said, still upset with Kelly.

 - Me too. I should have kept an eye on her. - Kelly replied once she and Alyssa reached the other side of the river. Kelly placed her hand on Kai's head. - I'm sorry, ladybug.

 - It's not your fault. It was me who was stubborn. - replied little Kai, smiling slightly at Kelly. Connie took a blanket out of her backpack and wrapped it around Kai.

 - Let's go before it gets dark. - Magna said.

The group continued walking for some time until it finally became dark. It was known that they would have to sleep somewhere during the trip, the journey to Richmond was approximately over two days.

They found an abandoned warehouse where they could spend the night.

Connie and Luke took first watch so Magna could rest.

The blonde was setting up a sleeping bag for herself and Yumiko, while the Asian was walking around the warehouse, from time to time approaching the already sleeping Kai, checking her breathing.

 - Miko, calm down. Everything is fine with her. - Magna tried to calm her down. Yumiko didn't want to listen to her. She continued to pace around the part of the warehouse she and Magna had occupied, biting her nails.

 - She choked on water. Did you know there is such a thing as secondary drowning? This is when water reaches the lungs, then fluid accumulates and...

 - Hey, the water didn't reach her lungs.

 - You don't know that, and neither do I. There is also dry drowning, in which the water did not have to reach the lungs. These phenomena most often affect children and...

 - Hey, hey, hey. Miko. - Magna stood up and walked towards her, finally stopping her in her tracks. - Everything's fine for now.

 - For now. What if something else happens later? What if she doesn't wake up? No, I definitely won't sleep tonight.

 - Miko, she fell into the water for a few seconds, there will definitely be no consequences.

 - You think so?

 - I'm sure. Come here. - Magna held out her arms so that Yumiko could hide in them. Magna wrapped her arms around Yumiko, trying to calm her down by rubbing her back.

 - Maybe we can take her in our sleeping bag? Please, only for tonight. - Yumiko asked, Magna looked at her sleeping daughter from afar and nodded.
Yumiko walked up to Kai and gently picked her up in her arms, carrying her to their sleeping bag.
Unfortunately for Miko, Kai woke up.

 - Mama? - Kai rubbed her eyes with her hand and looked at Yumiko.

 - It's okay, sweetie. Sleep. - Yumiko reassured her, stroking her head and kissing her on the tip of her nose.
Yumiko placed Kai in the sleeping bag and lay down next to her. After a while, Magna lay down on the other side.
Yumiko stroked Kai's head, putting her face to her nose from time to time to feel her breathing, and Magna hugged her daughter from behind while holding one of Yumiko's hands.
They lay there until each of them fell asleep, first Miko, then Magna.

In the morning, the whole group set off again. They had plus or minus a day's journey left.
Kai walked alone, away from the others, although everyone kept an eye on her anyway.
Yumiko took advantage of this moment and ran to her daughter, placing her hand on her head.

 - Hey baby. How do you feel? - Yumiko asked now placing her hand on Kai's back.

 - Good. - she replied with a gentle smile.

 - Okay. - Yumiko just stared at the girl for a moment, but after a while she decided to ask her one more question. - Can we talk?

 - About what?

 - Look, the thing is, I wasn't paying attention to you. - Yumiko waited for Kai's reaction, but she just looked ahead, brushing her dark hair blown by the wind from her face. - A lot happened, mom is injured, Carmen is dead. But that doesn't excuse me. Sometimes I forget that you are still a child, that you still need me. You know, it's hard for me, you don't do things like I did at your age, you don't play on the playground, you don't have toys, you don't go to school. I wish you had it all, but it's impossible. I'm sorry. I should have remembered that you were still a child, but I want to fix it and I hope you will forgive me. - Yumiko finished speaking, waiting for Kai's reaction. The girl stopped and Yumiko stopped with her.
Kai hugged her mother, hugging her hips, Yumiko didn't wait a moment and lowered herself to her daughter's height, hugging her as well.

 - Thank you. - Kai said, now hugging Miko's neck.

 - You don't have anything to be thankful for, I'm the one who thanks you.

 - What for?

 - For coming into my life. - Yumiko pointed her index finger at Kai's stomach and stuck it into it, causing the girl to laugh.

 - I'm sorry I wasn't careful around the river.

 - Hey, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have let it happen. - Yumiko grabbed Kai's hands and kissed both of them.

 - Don't be mad at Kell. Please, mama.

 - Everything's fine, don't worry. I was stressed, it was temporary, everything is fine between me and Kelly.

 - Okay. So what about this recon? Can we go?

 - If you want to. Come on. - Yumiko stood up and offered Kai her hand, she grabbed it and after informing the rest, they went for a short reconnaissance.

In the evening, the group stopped to get some sleep. It was the last night before reaching Richmond.

Magna and Yumiko were supposed to be on watch, so they prepared their weapons.

The house they stayed in was small, everyone slept in one room.

As Yumiko was finishing checking to make sure her arrows were operational and ready, she noticed little Kai walking towards her.

In her hand was her bunny, Sparkly, and she was wearing her pajamas. Yumiko put everything on the ground and looked at the girl, smiled at her, and Kai did the same.

 - What's up? - Yumiko asked, taking Kai's hands in hers, the girl freed her arms and wrapped them around Yumiko's neck, hugging her. - Is everything okay?

 - I wanted to cuddle before bed. - the girl replied, playing with a strand of Yumiko's hair.

 - Oh, sleep well, sweetie. - Yumiko said, placing a kiss on Kai's cheek.

 - You too, mama. And be careful on the watch.

 - I will. - Yumiko pulled Kai in for one last hug. When they pulled away, Yumiko placed a few kisses on Kai's face, making the girl laugh. The Asian put her hand on Kai's bunny's head and stroked it as well.

Kai smiled and returned to her sleeping bag.

After a while, Magna approached Yumiko with a bag of knives.

 - I guess she forgave you, huh? - Magna asked, crouching down next to her girlfriend.

 - Luckily. I love her more than anything in the world. - Miko replied, still looking at Kai.

 - I know. Me too.

Chapter Text

WARNING: MENTION OF PAST VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILD

After more than two days of walking, the group finally reached Richmond.

At first glance, the city was in ruins. Broken windows, overturned trash cans with stray cats eating trash, and doors ripped off their hinges. And that was just the beginning.

The "Richmond" sign was scratched and rusty, and the sign was almost sliding off its metal pole.

Magna didn't take her eyes off it until they were deeper into the city.

Their footsteps scared off the cats that were eating trash from the cans, so far there was no horde in sight, only the dead ones appearing one by one, which Yumiko, Kelly, and Connie took turns shooting at.

Little Kai approached one of the cats, who surprisingly didn't get scared. Kai crouched down and took a piece of bread from her bag. The kitten wouldn't come to her, so she left the food on the ground, and the cat went to get it himself. While he was eating, she gently stroked his head.

Suddenly, the girl felt a hand on her shoulder, turned around and saw Alyssa crouching down next to her.

"Don't feed them, they'll follow us." said the woman, stroking Kai's shoulder. The girl nodded and stood up.

"Sorry, I wanted to help, they look very hungry. " said Kai. Alyssa also stood up and together with Kai began to catch up with the group.

"I know, honey. You have a big heart. " Alyssa hugged Kai to her, and the girl put her arms around her hips.

When the group entered the city, they decided to split up. Yumiko and Magna were to go together, and the rest in the opposite direction.

The larger group headed more towards the center, and the smaller, towards the suburbs.

Yumiko shot every single dead person that appeared on the road. They walked until Magna stopped, causing Miko to stop.

The blonde was looking into the distance, into one of the streets. Yumiko didn't know why Magna had stopped there, she looked at Magna with a question, but she entered the street without a word.

"Where are you going?" asked Miko, following Magna. After a moment, the women found themselves in a housing estate full of houses.

"I thought about this place the whole way." answered Magna, looking around the housing estate, looking at the houses.

"What kind of housing estate is this?"

"You've never been here." answered Magna. At that moment, Yumiko began to guess why Magna had dragged them here. "This is my neighborhood."

"I could have guessed. But why are we going here?" asked Miko. Magna stopped by one of the houses and stood there for a moment, staring at it. It was a one-story house with a small, empty driveway for cars. The house was beige with a brown roof, brown doors and window frames in the same color.

"Welcome to little Magna's house." Magna walked forward, and Yumiko right behind her, before knocking down one of the dead. Magna grabbed the handle and turned it, and the door immediately jumped open, revealing the interior. Everything looked the same as when she left it, the same furniture, colors, smells, although everything was overturned. Magna and Yumiko went inside, and from the corridor that led to the rest of the rooms came the dead man, to whom Miko immediately aimed, and when the arrow pierced his head, he fell to the floor.

Magna went to the cabinet where the TV used to stand. She tried at all costs not to look at the couch, on which her father had sat as if nothing had happened right after he killed Rosalie. Magna opened the drawer and took out a framed photo of her father standing at attention with the look of a shitting cat, her mother sitting on a chair with a slight smile, and in her arms holding little Magna, who was clearly not happy with the photo.

Magna felt hands on her shoulders and from the corner of her eye she saw Miko crouching down next to her and looking at the same photo.

"We looked like a normal family only in photos. There was terror at home." Magna said without taking her eyes off the photo, running her thumb over Rosalie's face.

"You really do look like her." Miko said, placing her hand on Magna's hand, which was still placed in the photo. "And you have just as big a heart."

"I don't think so." Magna finally tore her eyes away from the photo and looked at her girlfriend, turned the frame and took out the photo, putting it in her pocket. Yumiko didn't want to continue this topic, so she let Magna get up and go down the corridor.

Miko followed her, she saw Magna knocking down one of the dead who was hiding in one of the rooms she entered, Yumiko did the same. It was a bedroom with a double bed, two nightstands, a wardrobe and a standing mirror.

Magna went to the dirty bed and bent down, put her hand under it and started looking for something.

After a while she took out something that looked like a book, but when Miko got closer to Magna, who had moved from the floor to the bed, she saw that it was an album.

"Father didn't like such things. He would yell at mom when he saw her spending money on such stupid things." Magna said, opening the album and showing the first few photos. They mainly showed little Magna with her mother.

"Family keepsakes aren't stupid." Miko said, placing her hand on Magna's shoulder. Her girlfriend smiled, pointing to one of the photos.

"Look. Me and mom at the playground."

"You look so happy." Miko said, looking at the photo of Rosalie holding little Magna, laughing like she was about 3 years old, in her arms.

"We were like that when he wasn't around."

"Who took this photo?"

"Aunt Marie. I moved in with her when he went to prison."

"Lily's mom?" Miko asked. Magna sighed and nodded, and Yumiko immediately regretted asking, because it clearly brought back horrible memories of Magna's little cousin. Yumiko moved closer to Magna and hugged her, but she didn't expect the reaction Magna gave her, because she moved away abruptly, looking around.

"I'm sorry." Magna said as soon as she made sure they were alone. "This house brings back memories. When my father caught me kissing my then-girlfriend, he kicked her out of the house and beat the crap out of me."

"He had no right to touch you!" Yumiko shouted. She had heard a lot of stories about what Magna's father was like, but none of them made her want to kill him, like she did now. How dare he touch her beautiful Magna?

"He did it when I was a child too. Not as much as when I was a teenager, becouse then my mom was around, but he would come back drunk, rip me out of bed, throw me on the floor and..." Magna didn't have the strength to continue. Miko noticed this and grabbed Magna's hand, which this time didn't back down. "Mom used to hide me in the closet, he never looked there, but sometimes she didn't have time. She cried, begged him to leave me and beat her instead."

"Magna, your mom is a real hero." Yumiko said, barely holding back the tears that gathered in her eyes after hearing Magna's story. Magna just nodded with a gentle smile.

"Okay, I have everything I wanted." Magna took off her backpack, opened it and put the album in it. "We can go."

"We can sit together for a while. You can relax." Yumiko watched as Magna zipped up her backpack and put it on her back, then grabbed her hand, still sitting on the bed.

"No, we have to go back. I'll cool down on the way." Magna replied, gently pulling Miko. She stood up and together with Magna they left the bedroom, and then the house.

Magna and Yumiko made their way to the center of town to meet up with the others. As they neared the stores, Magna nudged Miko as she heard sounds coming from one of the toy stores. The pair stopped, looked at each other, and headed toward the sound. Yumiko readied her bow in case she was shot, while Magna pulled out two knives and grabbed them in both hands.

The women entered the store finding Luke, Bernie, and Kai emerging from one of the aisles, they lowered their weapons and sighed in relief at the familiar faces.

Little Kai ran up to her mothers and hugged them both, Magna bent down and hugged her daughter.

"We thought they were sickos," Magna said straightening up, leaving Kai to Yumiko who bent down to her as well and hugged her with a smile.

"No, we haven't changed yet," Bernie joked. Luke nudged him in the shoulder, and Magna laughed.

"What are you doing in a toy store?" Miko asked, standing up, still holding Kai's small hands in hers.

"We found something cool." Luke said, reaching into his backpack. After a moment, a box appeared in his hands, he handed it to Magna, and when she looked at it, she discovered that it was a package containing three walkie-talkies.

"Good job, guys." Magna praised them, handing the box back to Luke. He put it in his backpack and put it on his back.

"Uncle Bernie found me a beautiful dolly!" Kai said excitedly, playing with Miko's hands.

"Really?" Miko asked, smiling at her daughter when she nodded.

"I have her in my bag." Kai started to open her bag, but Magna put her hand on Kai's and stopped her.

"You'll show us when we're in a safe place." Magna said. Everyone headed for the door, wanting to find Connie, Kelly, and Alysse as soon as possible.

"I wanted to make her feel better after all this." Bernie whispered as he approached Magna.

"It'll definitely help. Thanks." Magna smiled at him and together they caught up with Miko, Kai and Luke.

After a long search the group couldn't find Connie, Kelly and Alyssa so they decided to split up again. Luke, Magna and Kai and Yumiko and Bernie, Luke unpacked the walkie talkies, gave one to Miko and Bernie and kept one for himself, Magna and Kai while the last one was in the package waiting for Connie, Kelly and Alyssa.

Yumiko and Magna thought that it was because of them that their friends got lost, they didn't know the city and they had no way of contacting each other, so this time, since they both knew the city well, they decided to split up, not leaving Bernie and Luke alone anymore.

Magna, Luke and Kai walked down the street looking for their friends. They went into each room, checking them out carefully.

Magna and Kai were walking on one side of the street, and Luke was walking on the other, when suddenly she heard someone calling her name, she turned to the source of the sound and in one of the buildings she saw Kelly, sticking her head out the door. Magna turned to Luke, called him and together they went to Kelly, who opened the door wider to let them in. Magna looked at the sign "CVS/pharmacy".

Kelly led them between the aisles and stopped in one of them. Only then did the rest of them notice Connie and Alyssa as well. Alyssa was sitting leaning against one of the shelves, and Connie was sitting in front of her, doing something at her shoulder. Magna noticed a canteen of water and a few bloody tissues on the floor, she went closer, crouched down next to her friends and only then did she notice what Connie was washing. There was a bite on Alyssa's shoulder. A red, bleeding bite. Magna looked at Alyssa, but she only smiled softly at her. Connie put her hand on Magna's shoulder and stood up, wanting to leave Magna with Alyssa, taking her sister with her. Luke put his hands on little Kai's shoulders and also took her out of the alley.

Magna sat down on the cold floor and pulled out her walkie-talkie, wanting to inform Miko and Bernie that the rest had been found.

"It's Magna. Are you there?" Magna said as the device made a rustling sound.

"Hey, I'm here. And?" Yumiko's voice said.

"CVS, W Board Street. Over and out." Magna replied shortly. She turned the device off and put it back on her belt. She didn't take her eyes off Alyssa the entire conversation. "How did that happen?"

"Not a very interesting story." Alyssa replied, laughing. She looked at Magna and began to tell the story. "We came in here, split up to look for some medicine. I was in this alley when I saw a dead man lying on the ground, I wanted to finish him off, just in case, I crouched down next to him and stuck the knife in his skull, but there was another one under the boxes, right next to him. I didn't have time to react, he grabbed me and..."

"When was that?" Magna asked when Alyssa finished telling the story. After a long thought, Alyssa answered.

"About 10 minutes after we split up. I think I have time until sunset." Alyssa said, visible tears starting to gather in her eyes. Magna grabbed her hand and together they waited for Miko and Bernie to came.

Everyone else waited outside the pharmacy. Connie tried to comfort Kelly, and Luke tried to cheer up Kai. Auden had just died, then Carmen, and now Alyssa was going to die? This is definitely too much excitement for a little kid like Kai.

"Uncle Luke, what's wrong with Aly?" asked the little girl looking down at Luke.

"Don't you worry about it." Luke replied, trying to calm her down a bit, but she wasn't naive, she knew what was happening.

"She's going to die, right?" she asked again. Luke wanted to avoid answering this question, although he knew Kai knew the answer.

At that moment, Miko and Bernie started approaching the group, who could already see from a distance that something had happened. Something bad.

Magna was still sitting with Alyssa in the same alley, not talking to each other, just sitting in silence from time to time looking at each other. Suddenly, they both heard footsteps and both looked in their direction. They saw Yumiko and Bernie walking towards them and the rest of the group standing further away. Yumiko and Bernie crouched down next to Magna and both of them couldn't tear their eyes away from Alyssa's arm, or rather what was on it.

"Alyssa..." Yumiko whispered, it was all she could muster. Alyssa reached out and grabbed Miko's hand.

"You don't have to, Miko." Alyssa reassured her. She tore her eyes away from Yumiko and looked at Bernie. "Just enjoy me until the sun goes down."

They did as Alyssa said. The whole group sat down in the alley, forming a circle. They tried to laugh, tell stories, although it was hard for them, but this was exactly what Alyssa wanted, to spend the last day with her friends, her family.

As it started to get dark, Alyssa started to feel worse, so it was time to say goodbye. As Magna watched Luke hug Alyssa, Miko approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder, pulling her away from the others a bit.

"Hey, this isn't the best place to sleep, too much has happened here." Miko said. Magna looked at Alyssa, then back at Miko.

"What do you propose?"

"My apartment is close, it's big. I'll grab my photo albums while I'm at it."

"Okay." Magna replied shortly, placing her hand on Miko's hand, which was still resting on her shoulder. Magna turned her head, watching Bernie walk away from Alyssa, trying to hide the tears gathering in his eyes at all costs, after all, he had known Alyssa the longest out of everyone.

Yumiko grabbed Kai's hand and together with Magna they walked over to say goodbye to Alyssa.

Kai sat down on the floor, and Alyssa she gave her a beautiful smile, grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes.

"My dear little sister. You are the strongest child I know, you are beautiful, you are charming, you are fearless. You will cope in this world, I am sure of it. I'm glad I could call you my little sister." Kai did not say anything, she just released her hands and wrapped them around Alyssa's neck. The girl hugged Kai and kissed her cheek, breathing in the scent of her hair.

"I love you, Aly." Kai said through tears that she could no longer hold back.

"I love you too." Alyssa let go of Kai's hand and let her go. Miko grabbed her hand and led her to the rest of the group, and after a moment she returned to say goodbye to her friend herself. She crouched down next to her and grabbed her hand.

"I don't know what to say." Yumiko confessed honestly. "The only thing I can think of is to thank you for finding us, you and Auden. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be here today. Thank you for everything, for being a sister to Kai and our friend."

"It was a pleasure." Alyssa replied. Yumiko moved closer to her and hugged her warmly, only to move away and return to the rest of the group after a moment, leaving Magna with Alyssa.

"I guess it's time, huh?" Alyssa said, finding it increasingly difficult to speak. Magna walked up to her and grabbed her hand, as everyone had done before her. "I know you don't like this kind of stuff. I just want to thank you for accepting me into your group. But most of all, for coming to Coalport. If you hadn't killed Chris, maybe I'd still be there, raising his kids."

"I did what had to be done."

"Thank you. For everything." Alyssa began to close her eyes. Magna didn't take her eyes off her, still holding her hand. When Alyssa's head fell to her shoulder, Magna let go of her hand, turning her head like she had done with Carmen, she didn't want to look into her eyes, she couldn't. Magna pulled out a knife and stabbed Alyssa in the head, preventing the transformation, she decided that they would only bury her body when they left Richmond, so before she stood up she covered her with a white blanket and laid her on the ground. The woman went outside the pharmacy, to her group. She found her friends standing outside, talking to each other and Yumiko sitting on a bench, hugging a crying Kai who was sitting on her lap and Connie sitting next to her, hugging her. Magna walked up to them, put one hand on Miko's knee, and with the other she brushed Kai's dark hair away, revealing her tear-soaked face, she wiped the tears running down one of her cheeks with her thumb, and when she felt Connie's hand on hers, she took her hand from her daughter's cheek and placed it on Connie's.

"We should go. It's about to rain." Yumiko said, stroking Kai's hand. Magna nodded and straightened up, and Connie and Miko did the same with her, who put Kai on the ground and grabbed her hand.

"Where are we going?" Kelly asked.

"My old apartment is the closest." Miko replied, the woman followed Magna, who had already gone towards Yumiko's old apartment. Yumiko gently pulled her daughter's hand, but she didn't want to go, all you could hear was her sobbing, and when Miko looked at her, her little hand was at her eyes, wiping them. Yumiko crouched down next to her and put her hands on her shoulders. "Honey, we have to go."

"No..." Kai mumbled, still rubbing her eyes.

"Baby, let's go, it's going to rain soon. When we get to the apartment, you can lie down and rest." Yumiko tried to encourage her, but Kai just shook her head. Yumiko decided to straighten up and take Kai in her arms, hugging her and placing a kiss on her cheek, stroking the back of her head with her hand and playing with a strand of her hair so similar to her own.

"Miko." Bernie said to her, walking up to her. "I can take her, rest."

"Are you sure?" Miko asked, and when Bernie confirmed with a nod, she handed her daughter over to him, kissing her head.

Miko took out her bow and put one arrow in it, just in case, and began leading the rest of the group to her apartment.