Chapter 84: The Price of Cooperation

"Looks like we’ve got a lot to catch up on."

Annie didn’t seem particularly interested in the suggestion. She rubbed her wrist and kept her eyes on him. The distance between them wasn’t much, but she clearly wanted to maintain it.

"There’s nothing to catch up on," she said. "You killed my father. I know who you are. That’s all."

Zarek smiled. "Then we can start with something else."

"Like what?"

"Like how you’ve managed to stay alive."

Her expression didn’t change. "Same way everyone else does. I find food, avoid monsters, and take what I need."

"From people who can’t stop you?"

"Usually."

He glanced toward the group near the shop. A few of them were still sitting against the wall. One man held his injured arm while another watched Annie with open resentment. "They don’t look particularly happy with you."

"They’ll get over it."

"Or they’ll try to get even."

"Let them."

Annie picked up the bag she’d left near the doorway and checked its contents. She seemed more concerned about what she’d managed to collect than the people she’d taken it from.

Zarek watched her for a moment, amused by how easily she dismissed the people she’d robbed.

"You’ve changed quite a bit," he said.

"People change."

"Not all of them."

"Then those people are probably dead."

Zarek laughed.

Annie looked at him, apparently unsure what was so amusing. He didn’t bother explaining. He liked her answer.

She pulled the bag over her shoulder and started walking away from the shop.

"Leaving already?" he asked.

"I’ve got somewhere to be."

"That’s unfortunate. I was hoping we could spend a little more time together."

"Find someone else."

She didn’t even look back.

Zarek followed her.

Annie noticed after a few steps. "I didn’t ask you to come."

"And I didn’t ask for permission."

"Then don’t complain when I leave you behind."

"Go ahead."

She continued down the street, though her pace slowed slightly. Zarek walked behind her without making any effort to hide himself.

The street was in terrible condition. Thick roots had broken through the road, forcing them to move around patches of raised asphalt.

Annie seemed familiar with the area. She avoided the more exposed sections and chose narrow passages between damaged buildings.

Zarek let her choose the route. He had no particular reason to hurry. More importantly, he wanted to see how she behaved when she wasn’t being threatened.

After a while, Annie stopped beside a small building with a collapsed entrance. She looked through the opening before stepping inside.

Zarek followed.

It appeared to have been a storage room for a nearby shop. Empty shelves stood against the walls, and several boxes had been scattered across the floor. Annie moved toward a corner where a backpack and a few plastic containers had been placed.

She set down her bag and began sorting through the items.

"You keep your supplies here?" Zarek asked.

"Some of them."

"Not a bad place."

"It’s not supposed to be comfortable."

She checked a container, found it empty, and tossed it aside.

Zarek looked around. There wasn’t much worth taking. A few cans, some bottled water, and a small collection of tools. It was enough to keep one person going for a little while, but not much more.

Annie noticed him looking. "Don’t touch anything."

"I wasn’t planning to."

"Good."

She returned to her supplies.

Zarek smiled. "You’re rather protective of your little collection."

"Because I collected it."

"Fair enough."

He opened System Space and retrieved a sealed package of food.

The sudden appearance of the package made Annie turn toward him. Her eyes moved from his hand to the food, then back to his face. "Where did that come from?"

"Somewhere useful."

He placed the package on a nearby shelf.

Annie stared at it. She hadn’t eaten well in some time, and the sight of properly packaged food was enough to make her attention linger.

"Take it," Zarek said.

She didn’t move. "What’s the catch?"

"Must there always be one?"

"With someone like you? Yes."

He chuckled. "You’re learning."

"I don’t need lessons from you."

"Then consider it a gift."

Annie looked at the package again. "Nobody gives away food for free anymore."

"Perhaps I’m feeling generous."

"That’s even less convincing."

Zarek took out another package and placed it beside the first.

Her eyes narrowed.

He found her reaction amusing. Most people would have grabbed the food before asking another question. Annie was hungry, but she wasn’t willing to accept something without understanding what might follow.

"I’m going outside the city," he said. "I don’t have a fixed destination yet. There are plenty of places worth exploring, and plenty of things worth taking."

Annie remained silent.

"Travelling alone can be inconvenient. Someone who knows how to survive is useful."

"So that’s what you want."

"That’s part of it."

"And the other part?"

"You might find the journey more profitable than staying here."

She gave a short laugh. "You expect me to travel with the man who killed my father?"

"I expect you to make your own decision."

"You’re not worried I’ll stab you in your sleep?"

Zarek looked at her for a moment before smiling. "If you think you can, you’re welcome to try."

Annie’s expression hardened. She didn’t appreciate the way he said it, but she understood the difference between confidence and an empty threat. She had already experienced that difference once.

He picked up one of the food packages and tossed it toward her. She caught it.

"Eat. You look like you need it."

"I can feed myself."

"Then you won’t mind having extra."

Annie examined the package before putting it into her bag. She didn’t thank him. Zarek wasn’t expecting her to.

He retrieved a bottle of water and placed it beside the remaining food. "You can keep those too."

"I’m not agreeing to anything."

"I didn’t say you were."

She watched him for another moment, then sat against the wall and opened the package. Her hunger eventually won over her suspicion. She ate without rushing, though she kept glancing at him between bites.

Zarek leaned against a shelf.

He could have forced her to follow. It would have been simple. But he had no interest in dragging someone around who would constantly look for an opportunity to escape. It was far more convenient to make her see the advantages herself.

Annie finished eating and wiped her hands. "I’ll travel with you for now," she said. "That doesn’t mean I’m joining you."

"Call it whatever you like."

"And I don’t take orders."

"Then don’t expect me to follow yours."

She gave him an irritated look.

Zarek smiled. "We understand each other."

He pushed away from the shelf and headed toward the entrance. Annie collected her belongings and followed after a short pause.

Outside, the light had begun to fade. The damaged buildings cast long shadows across the street, and the wind carried the smell of damp soil and something rotten.

Annie adjusted the strap of her bag. "There’s a road farther east," she said. "It leads toward a residential district. There were several groups staying there when I last passed through."

"Any reason to go there?"

"Some buildings still have supplies. Others have people who think they own everything inside."

"Sounds promising."

"It’s dangerous."

"That’s usually where the interesting things are."

She glanced at him. "You really don’t care, do you?"

"About what?"

"Whether something out there can kill you."

Zarek looked down the street. "Wouldn’t that make things more exciting?"

Annie shook her head and started walking.

He followed, enjoying the strange company. She was still wary of him, and he could tell she hadn’t forgotten what had happened at the shop. But she hadn’t run away either.

For now, that was enough.

They passed two abandoned vehicles before Annie slowed near an intersection. She looked toward the road ahead, then stepped closer to the wall.

Zarek followed her gaze.

Something had happened there recently.

The asphalt was covered in deep grooves, and one of the parked cars had been pushed sideways into a storefront. Broken glass and chunks of concrete littered the road. A dark stain stretched from the middle of the street toward the entrance of a building.

Annie crouched and examined the marks. "Something large came through here."

Zarek looked at the damaged car. "Recently?"

"Not sure."

She stood and moved closer to the storefront, keeping her eyes on the dark entrance.

There was a faint scraping sound from somewhere inside.

Annie stopped.

Zarek’s smile slowly returned.

It seemed their journey had found something worth investigating.