After that for a while, the only sound that I heard was the steady echo of my footsteps. The lights above flickered now and then, never fully going out, but never stable enough to feel reliable either.
I exhaled slowly and rubbed the back of my neck, trying to shake off the weight that had settled there.
That could have gone worse.
That thought ca naturally, almost out of habit, but it didn’t sit right. There was no version of what I had just seen that could be called "better." At best, I had arrived in ti. At worst...
I didn’t finish that thought.
Instead, I glanced around at the empty rows of cars.
"So this is a safe-zone."
The words left my mouth without much energy behind them. If anything, they felt more like a dry observation than a joke.
A place where people hid. A place where no one ca when soone scread. A place where the only difference between safety and danger was whether soone stronger happened to walk by.
"Yeah... makes sense,"
I kept walking, my pace steady, but my eyes didn’t stay still. They moved constantly, scanning corners, gaps between vehicles, the shadows that stretched a little too far under the weak lights.
There were too many signs that people had been here recently, but not enough actual people in sight.
That kind of imbalance always ant one thing.
Sothing was wrong.
It was the kind of wrong you couldn’t always see directly, but you could feel it sitting in the air, pressing down just enough to keep your guard up.
Still...
I let out a small breath and forced my shoulders to relax slightly. Staying tense all the ti would just wear down faster.
"Relax," I muttered to myself. "It’s just a parking lot. Not so horror movie."
I paused for half a second.
"...hopefully."
That last word slipped out before I could stop it. I clicked my tongue quietly and kept moving.
Then I heard it. A faint sound.
So faint that it almost blended into the background noise, but once I noticed it, I couldn’t ignore it anymore.
I stopped walking.
There it was again.
A soft scraping sound, uneven and weak, followed by sothing that sounded like breathing, but not the steady kind. This one was shallow and strained, like each breath took effort.
My gaze shifted toward a darker section between two rows of cars where the light barely reached.
I changed direction without hesitation and moved toward it, this ti more carefully. My steps slowed, my senses sharpening as I approached. After what had just happened, I wasn’t going to assu anything.
The sound grew slightly clearer the closer I got.
I rounded the side of a car and finally saw her.
A girl sat slumped against the wheel, her body curled inward like she was trying to hold herself together. She looked young, too young to be here alone, probably around thirteen years old. Her clothes were dirty, her hair tangled, and her face...
Her face looked wrong.
Pale skin, dry lips, and eyes that were barely open, like even that small effort was too much.
For a mont, I just looked at her.
Not because I was hesitating, but because I was confirming. No imdiate threats. No hidden movent nearby. No one else waiting to jump in.
The surroundings were clear. I stepped closer and crouched down in front of her.
"Hey."
There was no response. I leaned in slightly, watching her carefully.
"Hey. Can you hear ?"
Her eyelids twitched, struggling to lift. It took a few seconds before they opened just enough for her to look at , though it didn’t feel like she was really seeing yet.
"...food..."
The word ca out dry and faint, barely more than a whisper.
I reached into my bag and pulled out what I had left: a small ration pack and a half-full bottle of water. It wasn’t much. At max, enough for one person, maybe two if stretched carefully.
I looked at it for a second. Then I looked back at her. Yeah, there was no point in overthinking it.
I opened the bottle and moved it closer to her lips.
"Slowly," I said. "Don’t rush."
She tried to move, but her body barely responded. I adjusted slightly, supporting her just enough so she wouldn’t choke.
The mont the water touched her lips, she reacted. Weakly, but desperately.
"Easy, take small sips."
It took a bit of effort, but she managed. Her breathing steadied slightly after a few monts, though her hands were still shaking.
I opened the ration pack and broke off a small piece before holding it out to her.
"Eat this slowly."
She stared at it for a second, like she didn’t trust it, like it might disappear if she reached for it. Then she took it.
Her fingers trembled as she brought it to her mouth, and when she finally ate, it wasn’t fast or desperate like I expected. It was careful and controlled. Like she was trying to make it last as long as possible.
I sat down beside her, leaning back slightly against the car, keeping just enough distance so I wouldn’t overwhelm her.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
The silence this ti felt different from before. It wasn’t heavy or suffocating. It was just... quiet and simple.
I let my gaze drift upward toward the ceiling for a mont, watching the lights flicker again.
It was funny. A few minutes ago, I was dealing with people at their worst.
And now... I glanced at the girl beside as she carefully ate another small piece of food.
Now I was just sitting here, making sure soone didn’t starve.
The contrast felt strange. But not wrong.
"...you gave food..."
Her voice pulled out of my thoughts. I looked at her.
"Yeah."
"...why?"
"You needed it."
She blinked slowly, like she was trying to understand that answer, then looked down at the food in her hands again.
"...people don’t do that anymore," she said quietly.
I didn’t reply imdiately. Because she wasn’t wrong. After a mont, I spoke.
"So still do."
She held onto the food a little tighter after that, like it ant more now than just sothing to eat.
"...thank you..."
I waved it off slightly.
"Just eat."
She nodded and continued, a bit more confident this ti. A few minutes passed in silence before she spoke again.
"...big bro...
...can I call you that?"
I raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint hint of amusent slipping through despite everything.
"That was quick."
She looked down, a little embarrassed.
"...you helped ..."
"Do whatever you want."
Her lips curved into a small, fragile smile.
"...okay... big bro..."
"Finish eating," I said calmly. "We’ll move after that."
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