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*I'm still alive. Life is just full, and I'm lacking energy. I did manage to write a little something*

Acheron kept her eyes moving, looking around every corner, studying the places that most wouldn't even consider dangerous. There was a chill in the air, rippling along with news of deaths unfolding who knew where. So long as death kept away from them with its touch, she was ok with it. 

Steel by her side seemed to just linger like a memory none wanted to have but still wished to be known. He was there, looking, studying, and despite the uninterested look in his eyes, she could faintly notice how he stole glances at her from time to time, quick to react if she as much as stopped for a heartbeat. His weaponry was decent, yet she found it lacking. Her own rifle was possibly the best addition thanks to what it could do against the worst enemies: humans. 

"Halt," mumbled Steel, pointing forward to a point far in the distance. 

"Movement," she nodded, dropping down low. Steel did the same, snatching his backpack off, pulling out a pair of binoculars. With a quick movement, he glanced back at her, passing the equipment over. 

"People, plenty." 

She took them with practiced ease, looking over the group while taking notes. 

"It looks like a caravan. Multiple vehicles, and they seem to be armed decently. We're better off avoiding them." 

She handed the binoculars back, and Steel was quick to tuck them away. The pair remained prone, mindful of both surroundings and the caravan in the distance. It lingered for a while, handling whatever tasks it had to before setting off anew. 

Acheron looked over to Steel, seeing the way his tired eyes moved over the group lazily. His lips twitched slightly, tensing a bit before loosening again. 

'Is he recalling something?' 

"Something wrong?" he whispered, finally noticing her. She didn't answer outright, instead taking a moment before speaking. 

"You seemed... distracted." 

"I was... thinking. I don't recall much, but there are some shadows roaming in my mind, figures I should know, and yet... I recall them being dear to me, but I can't make out their faces." 

"I see." 

She looked over to his backpack again, mulling over some ideas. 

"Do you perhaps have your phone on your person?" 

Steel shook his head, looking at the ground as he answered. 

"No. If I had, most probably I'd have found a way to power it and check for photos." 

Their voices faded as the caravan finally moved away in the distance, making no sounds they could hear from afar. 

"Electric engines," she noted, to which Steel found himself showing a tiny trace of a smile. 

"Heh... to think those cans became useful now thanks to making almost no noise." 

For a moment, she just eyed him like he had said something insane, but then she found herself smiling just a tiny bit. Steel was quick to catch it, turning her attempts at scolding her features back to the serious front useless. 

"Was that a smile I saw?" he asked, just a tiny bit more animated. 

"No." 

"Come on, no use lying. That was a smile." 

"You should rest properly. The fatigue makes you see things." 

She stood up, ignoring him despite how much he wanted to get through to her. Steel was right by her side; the smile now faded into obscurity as both continued wandering. 

"I guess we should change directions, since the caravan came from there and left. They probably checked for whatever resources were left in the area." 

Steel simply fell in step with her, the lighthearted moment lost to both of them, but it didn't mean that it didn't happen. 

'I guess both of us can still enjoy banter, even if we're...' 

Thus, they both continued roaming, moving away from the possible group of undead the caravan might've startled. They weren't going to take chances with it. 

"So," hummed Steel, fiddling with the fingers of his right hand. "Where to now?" 

Acheron shrugged, shaking her head slightly. 

"We'll see. For now, it's safer to stay away from places others have explored. Some might leave traps behind, checking the area regularly. We have no way of knowing, so our best bet is to play it safe." 

Steel nodded, sighing softly. 

"I find it funny how humans are worse than the undead." 

She gave a light nod, a flicker of guilt shimmering in her eyes. She didn't bother hiding it. 

"Not all humans, just some... there's victims, and there's aggressors." 

Steel nodded, crossing his arms as he whispered. 

"Still, God keeps redemption for all. Maybe there's hope, even for me..." 

She glanced at him, speaking with a touch more harshness than intended. 

"Didn't God punish all of humanity by releasing these monsters and doing nothing?" 

Steel shook his head slightly, gazing upwards. 

"Humans always shift blame to someone else. I'm sure, deep to my core, that this outbreak is something caused by humans. People love playing God, but none understand things as deeply as God does." 

Acheron said nothing more, instead looking away, a flicker of shame in her eyes that quickly sobered away as she clenched her jaw, pushing aside any emotion that dared come to light. 

"Whatever. That doesn't change that we're in hell." 

Steel followed, letting out a low, bitter laugh. 

"Heh. Hell has no exit. Here, at least, we can die." 

.................................................................. 

The duo wandered off for hours, walking away from the forest and closer to the more vivid traces of civilization. Roads with their unkempt signs still led travelers from one town to another, doing their menial task until the bitter day when rust will eat them away. 

A certain feeling kept nagging at the back of Acheron's mind whenever she looked over to Steel. The man didn't change much, yet he had moments of clarity that rattled her to the core in their intensity. Behind those tired eyes, she could find traces of the man he was, the man now lost in the fog of forgetfulness. 

'Focus, Acheron.' 

Her eyes turned back to the road, staring at the town that grew closer right before their eyes. It wasn't anything huge, just a bunch of neighborhoods with average homes. Still, she did hope that some resources would be left around, maybe enough for them to stockpile to the point a good couple of days could go by before they needed more. 

Steel stopped, lifting an arm in front of her. He said nothing and simply listened. 

"You hear it? Shouting..." 

It was muffled but audible enough for their ears, especially in the stillness of the approaching evening. 

"Keep your guard up, and don't-" 

She didn't get to finish as Steel left her in the dust, moving like his own life was on the line. He bolted along the street, moving in a way that belied his usual tired looks. 

"That idiot," she growled, watching him go, probably to his death. 

'It must be a trap. No one would shout like that with the undead ready to prey on whatever moves.' 

Acheron stood there, watching Steel's frame diminish the further away he got. 

> 

The muffled sound got a touch louder before nearly fading, but it gave Steel more than a general idea of where it came from. The undead moving that way was another dead giveaway. The horde moved in sync towards a solitary building, with some zombies sprinting while others checked the surroundings, having some semblance of awareness. 

'Shit. Too many kinds. Got to distract them.' 

His eyes darted around, looking for something to aid his plight, but nothing came even remotely close. Instead, he pulled out a can of precious food, hurling it with everything that his muscles could muster, tossing it across the street and right into a window on the opposite side of the road, breaking it with a loud sound. 

The undead, guided in their mindless quest, made haste for the shattered piece of glass, flooding the building. Steel pressed his lips together as some of them still lingered around, looking left and right. 

'Watchers. Fucking hell.' 

In a quick motion, he placed the backpack down on the ground, trying to hide it low against the building, thinking he'll come snatch it later. The axe seemed to stare at him, calling him, but the memories of what he had used it against made his legs weak. 

He should've died that day, and yet there he was, alive. 

Pipe held close, Steel silently dashed across the street, hiding behind buildings in his attempt at infiltration. The game was dangerously balanced, with a single mistake able to cost him his life. The gun at his hip was perhaps the last hope at buying time before even more mindless husks would close in, following the gunshot like a beacon of light for humans. 

Steel kept moving, looking, scanning, trying to listen to the height of his abilities. The backdoor to the house the scream came from was open, perhaps a bad omen. Silence against humans didn't work the same way. Some noise was still eager to reach someone's ears, enough to raise the alarm. None could be perfectly soundless, so he had no choice but to be hyperaware. 

Pipe held by the middle, he swept the ground level, finding no one. Thus, the only thing remaining was what he dreaded most: going upstairs. One step at a time, he crept up, feeling the beat of his own heart trying to crush his ribs and escape. 

'Whatever happens, happens. I must find whoever is here. I can't... not anymore.'