I didn’t think she was going to go.


    I know I didn’t want to go. The zombies weren’t going to go anywhere. The longer we waited to start searching, the harder it would be. Cleaning zombies was the last thing that I wanted to do, and I couldn’t see how it would help.


    Darren acted like the matter was settled and turned his back to us. I was about to tell him that I wasn’t leaving when Val stood up. She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and turned towards the stairs.


    “You’re leaving?” I asked, “Shouldn’t we stay and do something?”


    “Darren’s right.” Val her back to us, “Once the guard gets here, this place will be swimming with soldiers. We won’t be able to do anything for a few hours until they get done recording everything.”


    That made sense. I wanted to do something, but for now, all I was going to do was get in the way. I might as well do my job while I couldn’t do anything here.


    “How many zombies?” I asked.


    “Two.” Val started walking down the stairs.


    Two zombies wouldn’t take very long to clean. We’d be back well before the soldiers got done. I stole one last glance at the room. Darren was rubbing his temples as he looked at the bed. I decided to let him handle things here and I’d be back soon.


    I dashed down the stairs to catch up to Val at the door. She set off at a brisk pace down the street.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The city was alive with more people than I expected at such an hour. Workers were pushing their way toward the factories. Shop owners were setting out their wares. Young children were laughing as they skipped school. The smell of fresh bread filled the air. My stomach growled to remind me that I hadn’t eaten yet.


    Val stopped at one of the shops, giving me time to catch up. I watched her hand the shop owner two coins and then take two pastries from the window. She eyed me.


    “Are you hungry?” She asked.


    “A little.” The pastry smelled of sweet berries. My stomach growled again, asserting that I was more than just a little hungry.


    “Do you want to eat?”


    At first, I thought her question had a sinister undertone. I began to think of what she was going to try to barter for the pastry, but the look on her face held no ulterior motive. The only emotion was a concern, she knew what I was about to do and was wanting to know if I wanted something on my stomach.


    “I’ve got a strong stomach,” I said.


    She held out the pastry, “Most Bokor don’t eat first.”


    “Thanks,” I took the pastry and bit into it. It was warm and flaky. And filled with berry jelly. “Most Bokor have never had this.”


    She smiled. There was a hint of her sister on her face. I began to wonder why she had chosen to be a wrangler. Max had said that she had a reason to hate the Bokor, and I began to wonder what her story was.


    She noticed my staring and brushed her hair back, “What?”


    “Nothing,” I replied, “I was just wondering how someone so kind became a wrangler.”


    She bristled. “We do what we have to to survive.” She turned away, “We should get going. I want to be back as soon as you finish.”


    There was more to the story, but now wasn’t the time to push. I realized that I was thinking that there would be time later. I shook my head. I was on a mission, and as curious as I might be, I was already behind schedule and I had already promised to help find Sera. I pushed my questions about Val from my mind. Maybe in a year or two I’d be back and could ask more questions. For now, I had too much to do.