"Are you sure you're going with us?"

"Yes. You're not the only one with memories in the orphanage."

"What about your parents?"

"They'll stay here. We already have the cables set up here, so if we set them up in the orphanage, we should be able to communicate, right?"

Cain walked out the door.

"Everyone, we'll be leaving in two hours! Prepare masks and disinfect yourself if you got contaminated. If you want to stay and have some expertise in chemistry engineering or maintenance, meet up with Professor Faisal. He'll need two people to monitor the reactors."

Five people walked to the front, and Faisal reckoned them into another room. By the time the sun high, two of them had mastered the basics. Faisal hugged his parents one last time and joined Cain and Juan.

"Uncle, where are you going?"

"We're just going to be gone for a while. Stay with the others, ok?"

"No! I want to go, too!"

The students scratched their heads.

"Hey, you can't go-"

"Let her join us."

Everyone looked at Cain.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'll take care of her."

"Alright, please do, ok? We promised Dominic we would but none of us knew how to take care of toddlers..."

Cain nodded, carrying Camilla on his back.

"Are you sure dude?"

"Yes, let's go."

The group walked out, starting their journey further down the road.

"I didn't get to introduce myself properly the last time, but I'm Faisal!"

"Oh, I knew you from the news! I'm Juan – just a priest."

"Just a priest? It is a tough time to be one!"

"Nah, this guy Cain here did it all. Were you both from the orphanage?"

"Uh-huh. I met them when I was 10 and got adopted when I was 13. Oh- by them, I mean Cain and his brother Abel."

Juan tilted his head. Right, Cain did mention his brother sometimes.

"How was your brother doing, by the way? Have you heard about him?"

Cain slashed a zombie.

"No. But I'm pretty sure he's well."

"Yeah, actually, never mind. He survived anything smiling."

"Not university, though."

"Come to think of it, you guys really have the same calling. When did you become a priest?"

"I-" Cain froze, his face tensed. "INTO THE BUILDING!!"

Faisal looked around in panic. How did Cain sense them coming – was it from the mirrors? A horde was zooming down a street, another down the alley on the left, and another down the right.

Cain boarded the door and looked around.

"Up the stairs!"

They scrambled up the stairs, one floor to the other, desperate to get to the next one before the zombies on the corridors started racing to them.

"Cain, it's going to be a stampede!"

"Camilla, can you join Father Juan for a bit?"

"W-wait, where are you going?"

"Giving us more time. Take care of Camilla, ok?"

"O-ok."

Cain leaped down the railing of the stairs to the next and slammed kicked the zombies. He helped a kid up.

"Hey, a kid here!"

"Hans!"

"Mom!"

The boy raced upstairs to his mom. Cain leapt again to the next floor then the other, making sure that no one was stuck behind.

"HEY! Stop pushing and just climb up slowly!"

Cain locked the door. People fainted on the floor, catching their breath. They were now in the apartment's rooftop.

"That was some insane shit you pulled, mate."

"Uncle Cain!"

Faisal glanced at the creaking door.

"Say, how long do you reckon we can stay here?"

"5 minutes."

He looked around and started dragging some stuff.

"Can you lend me the hammer, Juan?"

"What are you-"

His jaw dropped. Did he jinx Cain's insanity too early? Cain gave him the hammer back.

"Everyone! We're going to rapple to the next roof with this stair. At most three people at a time but be sure to be careful and quick. If you can, carry the unconscious people with you."

"Hold on," Faisal stood up, "How do you know if we will be safe in the next rooftop?"

"The zombies can't jump rooftops, and they doesn't seem to know that the needed to climb stairs to reach us too. I've cushioned the bottom, so we'd make minimal noise while rappling, so we'll last for a few days before we have to move the next rooftop."

People looked at each other skeptically. Who'd go first?

Camilla raised her hand.

"Can I go first? Can I go first?"

"You want to?"

"Yes!!"

"Then hold my hand."

Cain carried an unconscious man on his back and with Camilla, walked through the makeshift bridge safely to the other side.

"So?"

The survivors looked at the roof, then back to the creaking and banging door.

"W-well, we don't have a choice."

At first, people were really careful. They'd hesitate, stop in the middle, freeze, or trip on their own foot that Cain felt like yanking them straight across. But he didn't need to remind them – when the first zombie hand popped through the door, people started sprinting and leaping over the bridge, doing anything they could to get across.

Cain was the last one to cross, having gone back and forth at least five times carrying kids and the elderly. He pulled the rapple right on time as the door broke. The zombies jumped down the building, falling to their deaths.

Rain drizzled down.

Cain sighed, gazing at the distance. The streets are jam-packed with lurkers – they'd have no choice but to rapple through rooftops until they found a secure place to go into.

***

Abel released his arrow.

"Like..that?"

"Yes, exactly!"

The bush rustled, followed by a thud. A deer fell to the ground.

"Woah, did I just catch a deer?"

"Father Abel's a natural at this!"

"Father, didn't your potato also grow first?"

Abel posed.

"That's why you pray a lot, kid."

They cheered and dragged the deer back to the camp. The villagers applauded. They have lit up a campfire and cooked some potatoes.

"Where are the kids?"

"They're hunting a raccoon or something – Amelia and Theo are with them. Do you want to eat first, Father?"

"Hmm I think I'll join them first. I'll take this potato though."

Abel walked through the tall grass.

A fat raccoon approached him.

Hmm, is this the raccoon they are chasing? This fattie?

He bent down.

"Psst psst psst, Louise."

The raccoon sniffed him and climbed onto him. Abel patted him.

Suddenly, the children jumped out of the bushes, with Amelia and Theo behind them, out of breath.

"FATHER! DON'T LET THAT RACCOON GO!"

The raccoon hissed, but before it could lunge towards the kids, Abel plugged the potato into its mouth. The raccoon munched the potato, quickly forgetting about the kids. He slowly set the raccoon down for them to pet.

"Why were you chasing this raccoon?"

"It looks so chonky, Father. We want to have it for a pet."

"It also stole a potato."

"Do you have a name for it?"

"Ooh, we forgot."

"How about Louise?"

"Isn't that the name of the seminarian?"

Abel grinned. He waved a chocolate.

"Louise!"

The raccoon turned to him excitedly.

"See?"

"Wow yeah, it liked the name Louise!!"

"Let's name it Louise, then! Louise, come here!"

Abel laughed. Poor brother Louis protested to no avail.

"I never expected you to get intimidated by a fat raccoon, Brother."

"Not that Father, you named it my name!"

"No, you're Louis, she's LouisE, with an 'e'."

"Pst pst Louise, come here! We have meat for you!"

"AAAGHH! STOP CALLING THE RACCOON THAT!"

Louise ran to the meat excitedly.