New Home?

Oliver scratched his cheek at his own oversight and simply sighed.

"Fine, fine, you caught me." He outwardly raised his hands in defeat, while inwardly, he was thinking deeply of Hillary's statement. She wasn't wrong in any way. The base will be built, it will have a good reputation as in the past, and prostitution will be banned.

He just never thought he would meet another "reborn" person so soon. Oliver had a sneaking suspicion that although he had never seen her before, she might have seen him before. Maybe from a distance during trading with their base, perhaps?

No matter how much he evaluated her, he couldn't figure out as to why she was so... trusting to him? In a sense?

If she wanted total security in the apocalypse, Hillary should have taken Shilah to the city, where the military was concentrated at and where most people have left the city behind in favor of living in an "unpopulated area."

It was better in terms of resources also as many supermarkets were abandoned rather than collected by the survivors as most were too scared to leave their homes. There was no trouble in living life there... theoretically at least.

Squinting his eyes, Oliver stared down the two people in front of him.

Both women, fairly average looking and kinda young.

He was not sure how women lived in the military bases, Oliver only saw how the men lived.

Well, he could always ask Hillary.

How she lived and how she died. A touchy subject for her, perhaps. But, it was best to gather as much information as possible.

"Since I've already been exposed. Come in," Olived opened the door wider, pushing Aiden aside to give way, "let's discuss a little cooperation."

His wicked smile already wiped away back to the amicable smile he revealed before.

Hillary giggled in excitement and was about to charge right in before Oliver could take his words back until Shilah tugged on her sleeve.

"Sorry, Mr..." Shilah paused in apprehension.

Oliver smacked his forehead. Ah, he forgot to introduce himself. "Just call me Oliver."

"Then, Oliver, can I talk to Hillary really quick? Alone?" Although her words were polite, her eyes glinted in wariness, silently hinting that the man before them should give them some privacy.

He simply shrugged and headed back in, giving the two ladies some privacy, "Well, come inside if you want. Just tell me so I'm not kept waiting for nothing."

Oliver gently closed the door, though keeping it unlocked to allow them in if they so wish. Immediately after closing it, Oliver pressed his ear against the door.

He left them alone, definitely. So, he was honoring that unspoken promise. He just wanted to hear a bit of what either of them had to say. Just a curiosity.

Before he could even hear the slightest bit of their conversation, the forgotten Aiden who was shoved aside dragged a pouting Oliver away into the living room couch. Partly to give the two women some time to talk and partly out of irritation of being ignored for a while.

Shilah also had her ear stuck to the door, only when she heard the footsteps fade away to silence did she straighten her back and turn towards Hillary.

"Hillary, are you out of your damn mind?!" Shilah quietly hissed out with a grim face.

Hillary didn't take her companion's words seriously, knowing that she was just freaked out and panicking at the moment. This was, after all, the normal reaction to the apocalypse.

She herself was keeping her cool since this wasn't her first time.

When Hillary woke up in the previous morning, she was absolutely starstruck. She was back to a day before the apocalypse! Wow!

As for why she was back? Who knows, who cares! Hillary had the chance of a literal lifetime and she would be an idiot to let it pass.

The first thing she did? Drag her friend Shilah to do some spree shopping for all essentials and try their best to shove it into two hiking bags and a pickup truck that they had rented (and never intended to return)! They both maxed out their credit cards and spent every single cent they had on them.

As for how Hillary managed to convince her skeptical blonde friend? Of course, it was hard, but after a detailed account of the future (which included Shilah's rotten relative trying rob her of her money on that same day) and most of it happening, Shilah was convinced. Since Hillary wouldn't spend their money for nothing unless she was certain of the worst, Shilah could only go along with it. And when she witnessed the undead wandering the streets, she was completely convinced and left the city with Hillary to find the "incredible" base she kept blabbering about.

The supplies they grabbed were surely not enough to live leisurely in the apocalypse, but it was enough to convince a base to let them in.

As for the true reason Hillary chose the place they were currently standing on?

"Simply a gut feeling" was what Hillary told Shilah, making her smack her head onto the dashboard of the truck as they pulled up to the gates.

The blonde had seen Hillary pass by the military base, multiple large farms with strong walls, and even a strong prison, all of which could house many people in the apocalyptic world. While this "incredible" base only had an average-sized farm with walls measuring a few meters tall, it was outshined by all the other places she saw.

Shilah could only assume her friend was truly out of her mind for forsaking all those safe areas.

Hillary grasped Shilah's hands in reassurance, "Just trust me on this one. Women like us need somewhere safe to be-"

"Oh, he seemed really nice when he suggested we'd have to sell our bodies!" Shilah snapped at her brunette friend.

Not minding the harshness, she continued on, "He's just like that. It's his personality. This base is one of the few that women managed thrived in, despite the number of men there! We could be safe."

She knew this because Shilah, the ever-cautious friend she was, investigated the best and safest place to live, from finding rumors to going with a patrol to trade items with this base. Shilah truly believed they would be finally safe. Hillary felt like a burden, being dragged around as the other worked so hard. However, Shilah had expressed that she wanted to live a better life with her. And they were so close to living it. Just a literal step away. During that time, Hillary had already survived in the apocalypse for two years, she and Shilah had both scarred their own faces to avoid being the targets of "righteous" men who proclaimed that the women must help repopulate the earth, fleeing to the base they were standing on right now. Their new home.

There was much gossip of the stronghold, which was a haven for all genders due to the strong, justice-filled leader. However, they were both killed in what seemed to be a dispute outside the walls.

The last thing Hillary saw was a large fireball heading in both her and Shilah's direction, the distinct sounds of arguing between a group of extremely beautiful, haughty people. Their clothes were clean and crisp, Hillary assumed that they might have been kept during the last days. They were arguing amongst themselves. She couldn't care to listen, but she was extremely resentful of those people killing Shilah and her when they were just so close to a new life.

However, she could fulfill the dreams of their past lives. Even if Shilah doesn't remember, Hillary remembers every moment. And that's enough.