"We can't kill it."

Adam's voice held a pang of regret in it. He stared at the terrified monster, looking at the words hovering above its head.

[Hobratlin | HP: 14%]

The creature was barely alive—no. The creature was kept alive.

"If we kill it and destroy the crystal, the smugglers will also be thrown out of the Leak with us. We should just call the authorities as soon as we're out."

The woman who had screamed for the smugglers' deaths earlier clenched her fists. "So they just... get away?"

"They won't," Adam said firmly. "They'll be out cold for a few more hours. As for the Hero… she won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

The women didn't really have time to contemplate his words as Adam walked away. He gently adjusted the girl on his back as he made his way to the large door, hopefully leading outside.

"Follow me," he said quietly, adjusting his grip again on the sleeping girl.

The women's heads started to shake as they approached the door, their lips trembling. Some bit down hard enough to draw blood. After all, they were so close to freedom, to true freedom.

But they pushed forward, not letting themselves celebrate fully just yet.

"This is…"

When they stepped outside, they were greeted by what looked like a yard… or perhaps it was a garden; it was hard to tell.

Every plant was withered, twisted into grotesque shapes. Dead vines hung like nooses from skeletal trees. Multiple vehicles were scattered across the yard—several cars, and a large truck similar to the ones transporting the verdlecks.

"Where… where even are we?" one of the women whispered. Adam glanced at her and then looked up at the sky.

It was completely dark, but at the same time, it wasn't?

It felt like daytime since they could see the garden in front of them clearly, but the sky was dark—no. Not dark, but… empty?

The horizon was the same. Anything beyond the estate's fence was simply… blank. There was absolutely nothing beyond the fence, as if the world just stopped existing past it. It was weird.

"L-look there!"

The only thing that had any color or substance was the area beyond the estate's gate—a brilliant white portal.

"It's… It's the exit!" The women gasped and smiled when they saw the portal, but none of them celebrated. They all glanced at Adam instead, waiting for his signal.

Adam nodded at them. The women were about to walk forward, but then stopped when Adam didn't.

"Does anyone know how to drive?" he asked instead.

The woman who had screamed for the smugglers' deaths stepped forward. "I… I can?"

Adam reached into his pocket and threw something at her. She fumbled but caught it, her face brightening when she realized what it was.

A key. And from the logo on its chain, it was clearly the key to the large truck.

She didn't waste any time, immediately rushing to the vehicle and starting the engine. The truck roared to life, cutting through the eerie silence.

"L-let's go!"

"Yes… yes… Thank you. Thank you!"

The other women quickly followed her inside. Fortunately, the cab was large enough for all of them. The driver put the truck in gear as soon as everyone was seated.

And then, it was quiet again as they paused their celebration.

None of them spoke as they drove toward the portal. Even when they passed through the exit and were blasted by the harsh light of the outside world, no one made a sound.

"Where… even are we?"

They found themselves in an empty field—farmland stretching in every direction. The driver looked around for a moment and then followed the tracks of the tires.

They drove for several minutes until they reached the main road, merging onto what appeared to be an empty freeway.

Well, not exactly empty since someone blasted a horn at them when they tried to enter the road. The driver looked at Adam and then nodded as they drove forward.

And that was when it happened.

Not even a mile down the road, the driver suddenly stopped and parked on the shoulder. She hugged the steering wheel… and then her shoulders just started trembling as she cried loudly.

"T-thank you," she whimpered, her voice breaking. "Thank you, thank you..."

"Oh my god… oh my god…" It wasn't only her. The rest of the women all started crying, their sobs filling the truck cab as they wiped their tears and covered their faces.

"Thank you. Thank you."

"We thought… we thought we were going to die there. I… I wanted to die there."

"You have… have…"

The ones seated next to Adam embraced him, bawling their eyes out. They tried to speak, but their breaths soon became too stuttered, and their words slurred.

Adam sat there with his eyes closed. He didn't speak or move at all, just waited for them to release what they needed to release.

But he did subtly place his hand on the pouch over his chest.

I... did good, right? Grace… I really wish I could've saved you and Samantha like this, too.

Almost half an hour passed before the women were ready to continue. Most of them had fallen asleep from exhaustion, and only the driver and the oldest woman remained awake.

With a final sniffle, the driver nodded and continued to drive.

"The… police should be on their way there," the older woman spoke, holding a phone in her hand that she found in the glove compartment. "They told us to stay and just park to the side, but I… told them we'd like to travel to the nearest large city."

"Which is…?" Adam asked.

"Uh… Tulsa."

"Hm…"

The cab turned quiet again after that, and it wasn't until they reached an overpass close to the exit that the older woman started speaking again.

"I… I'd like to introduce you to my family," she muttered. "I want them to know who saved their mother. I'll… I'll cook you my lasagna."

"Oh. That… would be nice."

"You'll come, right?"

A warm meal, all of them could use that right about now. When was the last time Adam had actually eaten a home-cooked meal?

Oh… never.

He would like that. He would like that very much.

Adam…

But he looked ahead, but then closed his eyes and sighed.

"Pull over to the side."

The driver and the oldest woman both looked at him with confusion.

"I… can't go to the city with you."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.