“And so the prodigal son returns!” James called out the moment he spotted Isaac.

  Next to him, Marie sighed. “Do you even know what that means?”

  The other man shrugged. “No! But it sure does sound cool. How did it go? I got my notification and even a level. Gotta say, pretty, pretty nice.”

  Isaac chuckled quietly as he dropped next to the duo. Without even asking for it, Marie shifted closer, activating Healing Touch on his injured leg. A wave of cold swept over the wound, dulling the pain and leaving behind a strange numbness.

  He glanced at the woman and offered her a nod. “Thanks.”

  She smiled, sitting down next to him. “Don’t mention it… boss.”

  Isaac rolled his eyes while James barked out a laugh. “Ha! And she tells me to stop with the nicknames,” the older man said. “You can’t complain now, girl. But hey, fair deal. I will come up with a few options for you, and you get to pick. What do you say?”

  Marie’s shoulders slumped. “Mistakes were made.”

  That only earned another laugh from James.

  “All right, enough banter,” Isaac said, reaching into his pockets. “I got something for you. The Interface left us a nice gift for clearing out the Quarantine.”

  With that said, he pulled out the four Virality Gems and the skill blueprint.

  “Holy…” James muttered, his gaze not leaving the items. “You sure you wanna share all this? I mean, I get the gems, but this is a brand-new skill we are talking about.”

  Isaac shrugged. “Already have it thanks to the Pioneer Trial. Got a feeling those are quite common. So… feel free.”

  Marie, however, shook her head. “I can’t take any of this. I didn’t do anything to earn it. You two should just share.”

  James scoffed. “Don’t be stupid, Ari. Maybe you didn’t kill anything here, but you definitely took down more Wretched than me on the way to the camp. Besides, you’re the only one among us that can heal.”

  Silence fell upon them once he finished speaking. It lasted so long that the man even glanced between his two teammates, frowning. “What?”

  “Nothing. Absolutely nothing,” Marie said. “Just a bit surprised… Didn’t expect this from you. But fine!” she added before James could say anything. She also grabbed one of the Virality Gems. “That’s all I’m taking.”

  “Sounds good,” the older man grinned. “What do you think, boss?”

  Isaac eyed the remaining items. He could admit he was kind of selfish—everyone was, really—but here, James also deserved his fair share. He had been there with him for most of the fighting.

  As such, he just grabbed two of the gems and pushed the other items toward the man.

  “Huh,” James’ eyebrows shot up. “You sure? I’m good with just the blueprint. It’s more valuable than the gems anyway.”

  Isaac gave him a firm look. “Take it before I change my mind. Besides, weren’t you the one complaining about not getting enough gems?”

  Next to them, Marie nodded. “He’s right. Take it and stop being noble. I’m getting a whiplash…”

  James snorted. “Fine, fine! If that’s what the council decrees, I gotta obey. Thank you for your generous gifts, my Lord, my Lady.”

  “And he’s back,” Marie groaned. “Thank god.”

  Isaac chuckled as he took his first gem and allowed his Viron to consume it. Like always, it turned into liquid and sunk into his skin. Yet, before he could do the same to the second item, he felt something shift inside him—a sudden heat that erupted all over his body.

  It didn’t hurt, though, and thankfully, the Interface was quick to explain what was happening.

  Congratulations, Host! Your Virus has reached the peak of its current stage and is ready to advance. Do you wish to begin the process now? In the meantime, you will still be able to use your abilities, but Viron production will become slower until completion.

  Yes, go on, Isaac answered without a shred of hesitance. He saw no point in delaying this if it didn’t harm him. With Marie and James next to him, they should be able to handle any Wretched coming their way.

  Beginning Virus advancement. Time to completion: 2 hours.

  The flow of Viron in his body instantly slowed, becoming almost sluggish. Isaac nudged it to move faster, and it did, not fighting him even a bit.

  Huh…

  Shrugging, he dismissed the Interface messages and pocketed the other gem. He could try using it now but didn’t want to waste it. A shame he didn’t have any inferior gem on him. That he wouldn’t mind losing.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Maybe we can get one on the way back, he thought and refocused on the duo before him. “Did you contact Daryl or Tyler?”

  Marie perked up, nodding. “Daryl. Told us to wait for you to return and then call him back.”

  “Old man sounded surprised when we told him over sixty percent of the Quarantine was already cleared out,” James added. “Took him a good minute to figure out what to say next.”

  Isaac hummed. “Give me the radio, please.”

  Marie moved at that, unhooking the device from her waist and handing it over. “Just turn it on. We switched it to a different channel so only Daryl can hear us.”

  “Got it,” he muttered, flipping the switch and putting the radio closer to his mouth. “Daryl, you hear me?”

  A moment later, a familiar voice came out of the device. “Loud and clear, kid. I hear you three have made some progress on clearing the Quarantine Site. You have no idea how glad I am.”

  “About that,” Isaac said. “We’re done. The elementary school is cleared. The Quarantine should disappear soon, too.”

  “What? You’re kidding, right? That’s…”

  No more words came from the radio.

  He frowned. “Daryl?”

  “…Sorry, kid,” the man muttered, his voice heavy even with the consonant static. “Had to tell Mia. It’s just… I didn’t expect this to happen so fast… I admit, when your team called, I didn’t believe it, but now… Are you sure, Isaac? One hundred percent sure?”

  Isaac smiled. “Make it two hundred. The school is empty. The Interface confirmed it.”

  “I..” Daryl began only to trail off. After a loud cough, he started anew. “You three… In the name of all the parents who lost their everything yesterday, I thank you. This won’t bring their children back, but…. it’s a far better fate than letting them walk those halls forever.”

  The trio looked between each other, all sharing the same genuine but sad smile.

  “We are happy to help,” Isaac said. “Once we recover, we will take care of the middle school, too.”

  A weak chuckle echoed from the device. “So be it. Stay safe out there. Talk more once you return. For now, switch to the old channel.”

  “Got it. We will be at the camp in ten or so minutes.”

  Just like that, Isaac disabled the device and handed it back to Marie. Together, they hauled James to his feet and started toward the camp. It wasn’t until they were halfway there that someone spoke up.

  “James,” Marie called out. “I know that clearing the school was the right choice, but… why were you so set on it?”

  James’ usual grin faded. “You noticed, huh? Well… neither of you probably know this, but I’m not from here. I came to Galt a few days ago to visit Tyler and help him with some stuff. The rest of my family is in LA... including my two much younger sisters. ”

  “Oh…” Marie muttered. “I’m so sorry.”

  James shrugged weakly, clenching his fists. “Not your fault, Ari. I don’t even know if LA was hit by the Second Phase. But if it was… I just hope someone out there is willing to make the hard call like we did here.”

  “They could be fine,” Isaac offered, feeling like he had to say something.

  “They could,” James agreed. “And I hope they are. But if they aren’t? I want to be ready for the worst… No, I have to be ready for the worst. What’s happening now? I bet that’s just the beginning, and it will only get worse. The odds just aren’t in our favor.”

  Isaac looked down, keeping his eyes on his feet. What the older man said was true. The ongoing apocalypse would probably only get worse. And yet… he still didn’t mind it, still didn’t really care. The fact that it made him feel alive didn’t change. Hell, for him, every single moment spent fighting only affirmed that this was what he was missing from his life.

  Still…

  He couldn’t deny that people were suffering. Millions—probably more—had lost their families. Their lives had been uprooted without a warning. And unlike Isaac, who had needed something like this to happen, most people had been happy. Content.

  And now?

  Now, everything they had built was gone. Turned to ashes.

  You can’t have everything. Life ain’t fair, kid. Sometimes you need to let go to finally see what mattered all along.

  More words from the old man, his final caretaker, flooded his mind. But how did they apply to this? To this messed up new era?

  He had no idea. But he would figure it out. Sooner or later.

  Isaac exhaled. “Once the barrier falls,” he said, quiet at first. “And if we all are still alive. I can help you get to LA.”

  James’ head snapped to him. “You would do that? Really?”

  Isaac shrugged. “I don’t see why not. I have nothing holding me here anyway. Besides, I can always return if Daryl or someone else needs me.”

  A slow, grateful smile spread across James’ face. “Thanks, man. Really. I will keep that in mind.”

  “You know, I was wrong about you two,” Marie said out of nowhere. “Serves me right for judging people off the bat. Grandma would be so proud…”

  That earned a laugh from James as he threw an arm over the woman’s shoulder. “See? I told ya? My charm works. You just gotta give it time.”

  Marie pushed him away. “Never mind. Forget I ever said anything.”

  “Too late now, my lovely Ari! Now that I know you love me, you ain’t getting away from me.”

  The woman scoffed, effortlessly fighting off James, who was trying to hug her. “Get away from me, you oaf. I swear, I should have never opened my mouth. Isaac? A little help?”

  But Isaac just shrugged. “Don’t involve me in this. Your mess, not mine.”

  “I hate you both.”

  “Not a lot of people left, huh?” James muttered as they neared the camp. There were still plenty of survivors walking around, but nowhere near as many as before.

  “With how many groups we passed on the way, are you really surprised?” Marie asked.

  “No, I guess not.”

  Isaac, who had mostly tuned them out for the trip back, spoke up. “You two want to come with me to talk to Daryl, or…”

  “We will leave you to it, man,” James answered, looking down at his blood-covered arms. “I gotta find a place to clean up. Oh, and maybe grab a bite.”

  “Same,” Marie chimed in. “If you need us, tell Daryl to contact us through the radio.”

  Isaac sighed. “Will do.”

  James shot him a quick salute. “Have fun, man. We will find you something to eat, too.”

  And just like that, they separated the moment they reached the camp’s barricade. Most people on the way to Daryl’s house ignored him, but there were some who offered him a nod and a grateful smile. He did his best to return them before stepping into a familiar corridor.

  He headed straight for the living room, where—thankfully—only Daryl was present. He was hunched over Galt’s map, the portable radio in hand, its speaker crackling with some indistinct chatter.

  Isaac cleared his throat, and Daryl looked up.

  “Kid! You’re back!”

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