Spending a night in a city is suicide.

You shake your head. “Too dangerous,” you say. “The city is a jungle. Everyone who turned into cavies are all still here. Best thing to do is move on; get out before dark and find somewhere quieter to hunker down.”

Carmen frowns and looks forlornly at the apparent safety of the clothing store but nods. “Ok.”

You tilt your head at her. “You don’t agree?”

She looks at you with dark eyes. “You’re the expert. If you say we shouldn’t stay the night, then we should move.”

She sits and starts making sure her shoes are secure, and you feel a pang of disappointment that you shoo away quickly. Survival was paramount.

Both of you make sure you’re ready before you open the door, rifle at the ready. Bright sunlight streams in, harsh even through your goggles, and making Carmen hiss and cover her face. Without another word, the both of you begin walking away toward the edge of the city.

The walk is silent and uneventful, like so many before it. Returning to your familiar rhythm, you almost forget you’re not alone anymore, and Carmen’s voice almost makes you jump when she suddenly speaks.

“So… what’s your name?” she asks. “I don’t think I asked.”

You glance back at her and hesitate. “...John,” you say finally.

“John,” she said with a nod. You try to shake off the weird feeling of hearing another person using your name.

“You have a surname?” she asks.

“Does it matter?” you reply.

She frowns. “No, I… I guess not.” Slowly, she walks a little faster so that she’s in step next to you, arms crossed, but without the complete fear that she had just an hour ago.

“Why are you heading to Trafalgar?” Carmen inquires. “You have people there?”

The old man’s face flashes in your mind and you shake your head. “I don’t have people. Heard a rumor Trafalgar is safe - desert, clear, nothing around for miles. Could use a place like that.”

“And… you’ve been travelling alone this whole time?”

You shrug. “The past year or so.”

The younger girl’s eyes widen. “You’ve been alone that long?” She takes a shaky breath. “I… wow.”

You regard her awed look. “It’s not as hard as you might think,” you assure her. “You don’t have to rely on anyone. Move at your own pace. No bullshit but your own. It’s pretty freeing after a while.”

“I guess, but it sounds… lonely. I don’t think I could do that. I’d go nuts.” her eyes widen and she whips her head to you. “Not that I’m saying you’re–!”

“It’s ok,” you chuckle. “Sometimes I feel a little crazy.”

Her shoulders drop in relief and she smiles a little, the second one you’ve seen. After a while she becomes a little more confident, walking ahead of you a few steps.

Your head tilts as you watch her hips. Those cargo pants really were a little too tight, and they hugged her large backside nicely. It was almost hypnotic, the way her hips swing as she took each new ste–

“Ga-Hooooo-ga!!!” a shout echoes across the street.

You widen your eyes and reach out for her. “Carmen!” you yell.

She turns around suddenly to you, eyes wide and fearful. You grab her arm and wrench her left with you, quickly hiding behind a large car.

“Cavemen?” she whispers.

You peek over the car with your rifle ready. “Yeah,” you mutter. “Small pack.” You curse inwardly to yourself. The cavemen are exploring near Carmen's upturned van, where you had killed the bandits. Right in the middle of your shortest route out of the city.

“Can we wait for them to go away?” she whispers.

You watch the cavies walk around with spears of bone and chipped rock, sniffing and running around on all fours as they explored. The big bastards had devolved into something only vaguely human; each of them well over 6 feet tall, covered in hair and bulging with muscle and fat.

“They’re not leaving anytime soon,” you murmur. “They’re hunting.”

“We could go around them?” she suggests, hushed.

You glance down at her. You knew the cavies’ ways - they always killed men they came across. But the women they encountered weren’t killed if they could help it - they were always taken back to their little smelly settlements - whether to breed, eat or keep as trophies, it varied. One look at Carmen told you she didn’t know that.

You could move around them, risking wasting time and being trapped in the city for the night… or you could start picking them off before they noticed anything.