Chapter 38: Miserable

"Is that all the people you have?" Amy asked as she walked next to the guard, her eyes scanning the houses in sight. Emma was walking slowly in the back, taking in the surroundings with a more discerning gaze.

"Of course not. We have a lot of people, it's just, umm... not that civilized yet," the guard answered nervously, glancing around as if trying to figure out how to present the base in the best possible light. His mission was to take these two on a tour, so he naturally wanted to show them the good side of the base.

Emma studied the surrounding houses. She knew they were in the middle part of Aries Base, the safest part. "Can we still visit them?" Amy continued asking.

The guard nodded. "Of course." As they walked and got nearer to the outer parts of Aries Base, the environment began to change. The houses here were more unstable, with tarps and tents standing next to the buildings that were being built. The air was filled with a mixture of conversations, yelling, and the occasional crying, creating a vibrant atmosphere compared to the inner circle.

Emma's attention was caught by a familiar voice among the loud chatter around them. "What do I need you guys for!" The voice was sharp and filled with anger. Under the dim lights scattered around, Emma squinted and focused on the source of the voice. In a faraway tiny tent, she saw a man standing over a woman who was on the ground. Emma raised her eyebrows, her curiosity high. She quietly moved away from the guard and Amy, getting closer to the scene. She positioned herself where she could see them clearly, but they couldn't see her.

It was Liam, his face twisted with frustration. The woman before him was Lily, her expression full of fear and desperation. Ryan was kneeling next to Lily, his hands trembling. Emma's eyebrows raised even higher. Aha, her family. Luckily, they survived the first round of the apocalypse, but Emma noticed no sign of Vivian. Their condition was much worse than what she had given them in her past life. All three's clothing had holes in them, looking ragged. Their hair hung in long, unwashed strands. Their bodies looked like skin just covering bones, so skinny. She listened as the conversation continued.

Lily, on the floor, stammered, "Don't be so mad, son," she said, trying to back away. Liam kicked her in the arm, his boot connecting with a sickening thud. "Useless old bitch," he snarled. He turned his attention to Ryan, who flinched under his gaze. "And why didn't you go to work today?"

"I…" Ryan tried to find an excuse, nervous sweat running down his head. His voice shook as he spoke. "I didn't feel well today. I'm old and hungry," he said as tears ran down his face, carving clean lines through the dirt on his cheeks.

"WHO ISN'T!" Liam yelled back. The work was building houses because they didn't have supernatural powers to go out and find food, nor did they have anything special about them, so they could only do the hard labor.

The two trembled in front of Liam, their fear visible. When the apocalypse started, they were at home. Suddenly, Liam burst through the door, trembling and slamming it shut behind him. He had been at the hospital with Vivian, desperately begging her not to go through with the abortion. Then chaos erupted. A man collapsed and died in the hospital lobby, only to stand up moments later and begin biting everyone around him. At first, Liam tried to protect Vivian, dragging her and her pregnant body along as they fled. But when a zombie charged at them, his survival instinct took over—he shoved her towards the danger and ran away by himself.

After he returned home after dodging zombies on the way, too shaken to speak, they huddled together, living off their dwindling food supplies for weeks. Eventually, they heard the government's call, promising safety at the bases. But fear took over them, keeping them trapped in their home. When their food finally ran out, desperation forced them to leave. Through sheer luck, they reached Aries' base, but arriving late meant they were put in tents instead of proper housing.

"You guys are staying out here tonight," Liam spat, pushing the tent flaps open and zipping himself inside, shutting them out. Lily and Ryan clung to each other, their tears blended as they sobbed. "You know, if Emma was here…" Lily's voice trembled as she spoke through her tears. "Emma would never let us be like this," Ryan joined.

As she listened to the two's longing for her, Emma felt a cold smile tug at her lips. The very family that had always taken her for granted now longed for her protection. In her past life, she would have rushed to their aid, unable to bear their suffering. But this was not her past life. The world had changed, and so had she. There was no room for the weakness that had once led to her death.

"Amy!" Amy yelled as she ran towards Emma, her voice still loud through all the surrounding noises. Emma quickly turned around, not wanting to expose her spot. Ryan and Lily turned in the direction of the shout, even Liam, who was in the tent, unzipped it a bit to look. They all stared at the figure in the distance, their eyes straining to see through the dim light.

Emma quickened her pace, pulling Amy along with her. "Let's go," she whispered, not wanting to draw any more attention. They hurried through the rows of tents, Emma glancing over her shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed.

Back where they had been standing, Lily's eyes were wide with a mix of hope and disbelief. "Do you think that is our Emma?" she asked Ryan, her voice trembling.

Ryan shook his head, his expression somber. "No, it can't be. The girl had on a suit and looked clean and healthy. Our Emma... she couldn't live that well in this world." He sighed deeply. "She's probably just someone who looks like her."

Liam scoffed from his position on the tent flap, his face twisted in bitterness. "Stop dreaming. Our Emma would never come back to us like this. She's either dead or just as miserable as we are."

Lily's tears flowed once again, her hope smashed by Ryan and Liam's words.

—————

"Did you know those people?" Amy asked as she walked with Emma. She had noticed Emma observing them closely from a distance. Emma shook her head, "No."

"There you are!" Xyla came running toward them, slightly out of breath. "The guard said you guys wanted a tour of this area." She looked over at Emma with a hopeful expression, "So... you wanna come to our base?"

"No," Emma answered without hesitation. The conditions at Aries's base were significantly worse than at her base. The tents, the ragged clothing, and the overall vibe of despair were obvious. Her base, Autumn, was much more organized and better resourced.

Xyla sighed, clearly disappointed but not surprised. She had predicted Emma's response, but it didn't hurt to try. Amy put her arm over Xyla's shoulder, "Give up. I won't come either."

Xyla gave a little laugh, "That's too sad Amy. Let's go eat dinner."