As the fire crackled in the middle of the clearing, the group began to relax, the weight of the day's events still hanging over them. They sat in a loose circle around the fire, their faces illuminated by the dancing flames. I stood off to the side, watching them but not really a part of their conversation. My mind was elsewhere, always calculating, but I could hear their voices, the tension still thick in the air.
Chris, ever the leader, broke the silence. "This… whole situation. It's beyond anything we've faced before. The world's gone to hell, and I can't shake the feeling it's worse than any of us realize."
Jill, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, nodded. "Umbrella… all of this, it's always been about control. But now? It's like everything is spiraling. I don't know if we can get a handle on it this time."
Leon, who had been quiet up until now, chimed in with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes. "We've been through our share of apocalyptic scenarios, but yeah, this… this feels different. More final." He glanced at me briefly, as if considering whether to mention what they had just witnessed from me, but decided against it.
Claire, sitting closest to the fire, hugged her knees to her chest. "I don't know if there's anything left to save. Everywhere we've been—cities, towns, all gone. People, too. Maybe we're just delaying the inevitable."
Chris shook his head firmly. "No. We've survived worse, and we'll survive this. We just need to keep moving forward. There's always a way."
Leon laughed dryly. "Optimism, huh? Haven't seen much of that lately."
Their words drifted around me, but I didn't engage. To me, their discussions about hope, survival, or the state of the world felt distant—irrelevant. Survival was the only real priority. The rest was just noise. I continued to stand at the edge of the clearing, listening but detached, ready to act when necessary.
