Elena’s eyes swept over Elaine and the students, who stood quietly in the corner, feeling out of place. The students shifted nervously. Almost everyone else here was armed, which made them feel even more nervous, despite being fellow survivors.
"This is Na-rin, Hae-in, Claire, and Bong-gu, they are students from Hudson Heights Senior High," Jaxon introduced, gesturing towards each of them in turn.
Hannah, Isabel, and the twins smiled warmly at them as they introduced themselves as well, trying to ease the tension.
"Burgors, I think you’ll get along with Bong-gu. Take care of him, he’s going to be like your junior," Jaxon said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Burgors puffed out his chest, looking down at Bong-gu like a gangster sizing up his new recruit. "Yo, make sure to always follow my words, kid. What I say goes, got it?"
Bong-gu turned to the hulking man who was significantly larger than him and nodded nervously, swallowing hard.
Haris smiled, shaking his head at Burgors’ antics as he gave the kid a friendly pat on the shoulder. "He’s just joking, don’t worry. We’ll look out for you. Don’t let him scare you."
Jaxon then turned toward the long-haired blonde woman standing quietly, giving her a slight smile. "And this is Elaine, their homeroom teacher. She’s been looking after them."
Elaine returned a polite bow, her eyes curiously scanning Jaxon’s family. She couldn’t help but notice Cindy and Natasha still clinging to his side, their possessiveness evident, and she wondered what kind of bond they shared.
"Hmmm... I wonder why most of them are women," Elena said, a teasing grin spreading across her face as she looked at Jaxon. Natasha and Cindy, realizing the implication of her words, raised an eyebrow at him, silent judgment in their expressions.
Jaxon gave a calm shrug. "There were originally more of us, but one didn’t make it, and another went his own way." He began recounting the events from the moment he met Elaine and the students, through their journey together, and finally to this reunion.
He paused briefly, glancing at each of them. "And I promised them I’d help them until we reach the safe zone."
Elena patted his shoulder as if saying he’d been through a lot and good job for saving people, her eyes conveying a mixture of sympathy and admiration. Cindy and Natasha clutched him tighter, their expressions heavy with guilt, as if it were their fault he had to go through all of this.
Then Isabel spoke, her voice warm and inviting. "Why don’t you all rest first? You must be exhausted. I’ll prepare some food. A good meal will make you feel better." She motioned, and Hannah and the twins followed, guiding Elaine and the students towards the living quarters, showing them to their rooms.
As the group left, Burgors suddenly tugged Jaxon aside, whispering to him conspiratorially. "Hey man, introduce me to the girls later, alright? Especially that blonde teacher... She’s hot!" He said, winking suggestively at him.
Jaxon chuckled, shaking his head at Burgors’ antics as he turned to Natasha and Elena, his expression turning serious once more. "We need to discuss our next step. We can’t stay here forever."
.....
In another, more private room, Jaxon, Natasha, and Elena stood together. A fourth person joined them, Na-rin, who Jaxon had pulled aside from Elaine’s group.
"Why is she here?" Natasha asked, raising an eyebrow as her sharp gaze studied Na-rin.
"She’s here because I think she could help us with our plans. She’s smart, observant, and she’s got a good head on her shoulders," Jaxon replied, his voice firm but gentle as he turned and smiled reassuringly at Na-rin.
"Na-rin, this is my sister, Natasha. She’s the one who mostly plans our next moves," he said, and Natasha’s lips curved into a small, satisfied smile at the acknowledgment.
"Wait... come to think of it, you two might actually get along," Jaxon added, looking from Natasha to Na-rin.
Na-rin shifted uneasily. "I... don’t think that’s the case," she murmured, her eyes flicking nervously to Natasha, who was studying her like she was trying to read every thought.
Elena spread a large map across the table, showing the layout of their country. "Since Jaxon said you can help, maybe you can help us figure this out," she said, gesturing to Na-rin.
She pointed at a spot on the map. "We’re here, in Hudson City, near the border between this city and Dunlow City, where we originally came from."
"To reach the Blackridge Facility, the original plan we had was to head north, passing through this city, and arriving at Milton City. Then after that, there will be another town ahead, which is Ashwood Town. Beyond that is the safe zone. That’s the shortest route," Elena explained carefully. Na-rin listened, nodding as she absorbed the information.
"But we have decided not to pass through this city because the infected here are too weird, too unpredictable. So we either go east or west to get around it. West leads to Westfall City, east to Metrovale City. Are you familiar with either of them?" Elena asked Na-rin, her eyes searching for any sign of recognition.
"Mm, I know Metrovale City. I have relatives who live there," Na-rin replied, her voice confident.
Elena and Na-rin bent over the map, discussing possible routes. Na-rin’s knowledge of the surrounding roads and hidden paths proved invaluable, her fingers tracing safe passages and shortcuts while she explained potential risks.
"So if we take this route..." Elena said, pointing east toward Metrovale, "it’ll take longer. We’ll really need to find a vehicle, or we could be walking for days."
Elena and Na-rin continued to pore over the map, their heads bent together in concentration as they debated the best route to take.
Suddenly, Natasha spoke, her voice cutting through the discussion. "There’s another path we could take. A path that doesn’t require us to find a car and we wouldn’t have to go through the infected zones. This path... it can take us straight to our destination. We just need to wait for it."
Everyone turned to her as she pulled out her phone, showing them a government notice.
"There’s an ongoing evacuation being organized by the government," Natasha said, her voice flat and emotionless.
Jaxon frowned, leaning closer. "It’s not those choppers again, is it?"
"No," Natasha shook her head. "Evacuating every survivor by helicopter would cost them a lot of resources. The ones that passed by this city? I’m sure they only took important people, government officials, and the wealthy elite."
She swiped through the notice. "But there’s another method, for ordinary people like us. It’s scheduled to pass through this city and several others before reaching the safe zone. It’s just... it depends on us if we should take it or not. There are risks involved," Natasha said, her voice laced with a hint of warning.
Jaxon’s eyes narrowed. "What is it?"
(Suspense music starts playing in the background)
"Train to Mongoloid"