Dawn broke with an eerie stillness. The sun hadn't yet bled over the horizon, but a dim glow dusted the forest treetops, casting long skeletal shadows through the makeshift camp. Kaelyn sat cross-legged near a cold fire pit, arms folded tightly over her chest, visibly uncomfortable. Elira leaned against a tree, arms slack, golden eyes scanning their surroundings with tension, while Theron stood upright, ever the soldier, hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his stance rigid like he expected the forest to lunge at them.
"So... what should we do now?" Kaelyn finally muttered, her voice tight with exhaustion as she looked at the others.
Elira shifted, her tone flat. "We head to Sector A9, that hasn't changed."
"Yes, but at this rate, it could take a month just to get there. A month!" Kaelyn gestured wildly. "How are we supposed to survive till then?"
Theron exhaled through his nose. "We're running low on supplies, that's how. Water, food. We're barely scraping by. We can stretch it, but it's gonna get ugly."
Kaelyn groaned, pulling at her hair. "We're thirteen people now! Thirteen! This isn't a vacation, this is starvation!"
Elira turned her head toward the shy, brown-haired girl with glasses who was scribbling into a tattered notebook.
"How far can our food and water stretch if we ration it? Strictly."
The girl jumped a little at being addressed, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Uhm... Miss Elira, if we really cut down portions, maybe three days. Four tops, if we go full starvation mode."
That did it.
Murmurs rose from the crowd.
"Three days?! We're screwed."
"We'll starve before we even get close to Sector A9!"
"This is insane!"
Voices grew louder, more frantic, as blame and panic surged. Someone shouted, "Miss Elira, please do something!"
"Yes! She's a royal! She should know what to do!"
Elira's face darkened, her brows pinched together as a flicker of rage sparked in her eyes. Her lips pressed into a tight line. Inside, her thoughts were spiraling. Why are they looking at me like this? I don't know what to do. I'm just... I'm just a girl. I never even boiled my own water before the Collapse.
Theron clenched his fists, about to snap at the group when a crunching noise interrupted the chaos.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
All heads turned.
Osiris Velmora strolled into camp like a bored king surveying a land of ants. His dark hair tousled from sleep, a half-eaten apple in one hand, his expression completely devoid of interest.
No injuries. No grime. No indication he'd spent the night fighting god-knows-what in a death forest.
Kaelyn blinked. "Where did you go last night?"
Osiris didn't answer. Didn't even look her way. His pace didn't slow until he stood directly in front of Elira.
Elira straightened instinctively, unsure whether to take a step back or stand her ground. Her fingers twitched at her sides.
Theron bristled. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
No response. Not even eye contact. Osiris stepped around him like he was mist.
He's ignoring me? Theron fumed.
Osiris gave Elira a once-over. Not lecherous. Analytical. Measuring.
Beautiful. Blonde. Golden eyes. She looked like a highborn doll carved by angels.
But Osiris didn't flinch.
Del's image burned in his mind. Compared to her? Elira was a shadow. A candle beside a supernova. He wasn't here for aesthetics.
"You're having problems with food and water, right?" he asked bluntly.
Elira blinked. "Yes... We are."
He nodded slightly and turned to face the camp, eyes scanning. "Thirteen of you left. Tch. Not bad, considering."
Everyone held their breath.
Osiris continued, "I can help with that. Food, water. I can even get you to Sector A9."
Murmurs of surprise rippled.
"In return," he added, pausing for effect, "you owe me a small favor. When the time comes. Deal?"
Theron laughed, bitter and loud. "You think taking down that overgrown frog makes you some kind of messiah? You're not even worthy of talking to Elira, let alone negotiating terms."
Osiris slowly turned to him. His expression? Still blank. Still bored. "You're right. I'm not worthy. I don't care. I asked her, not you."
The tension was electric.
Kaelyn opened her mouth to jump in, but Elira raised a hand.
"Wait. What exactly is this favor you'll ask? I can't agree blindly."
Osiris smirked, a flicker of amusement in his otherwise dead eyes. "Don't worry, princess. It'll be well within your royal skill set. You'll manage."
"You can't be serious!" Theron exploded. "Owing a favor to this psycho?!"
Osiris ignored him again and took another bite from his apple, the crunch louder than the yelling.
Elira exhaled. "Fine. Deal."
Kaelyn turned to her. "Elira?!"
"We need him. And we don't have time to argue." Her tone was firm.
Osiris grinned. "Good choice."
He turned to the rest. "Alright. Show of hands. Who here can actually cook?"
Silence.
Then, after a beat, three girls and a lanky boy raised their hands.
"Perfect," Osiris said, tossing the apple core behind him.
"You four, follow me. The rest, stay put. Try not to die or piss yourselves."
The camp watched in stunned silence as Osiris led the four toward the edge of the trees.
Kaelyn whispered to Elira, "Do you really trust him?"
Elira answered with a quiet intensity. "No. But I trust what I saw. He walked in here alive, alone, with not a scratch. Whatever he did last night? It saved us time we don't have."
Theron scoffed. "He's not a leader. He's a monster."
"Maybe," Elira replied, "but in a world full of monsters, maybe we need one on our side."
---
Osiris led the mini group through thick brush, the air smelling faintly of rot and something metallic. They arrived at a clearing where a grotesque carcass lay: a massive fox—like creature peacock wings, eyes and black ichor leaking from its mouth.
The cooks recoiled.
"W-What is that?!"
"Breakfast," Osiris said simply.
"I don't think that's edible."
"Mutated, yeah. Poisonous? No. I burned the toxic bits off last night. The meat's clean. ." He made Del triple check it last night.
"How?"
"Not your concern. Now get to work."
The four hesitated, then moved closer.
"Chop what you can. Use the clean parts. Smoke it with whatever dry bark you can find. We need it preserved for at least a week. Don't mess this up."
He turned and started walking back, but paused.
"And don't waste the bones."
One of the girls squeaked, "W-why?"
"Because," he said without looking back, "I'm going to use them."
---
Back at camp, Osiris returned like nothing happened.
"In two hours, you'll have meat. After that, water. I'll teach two of you how to find it. And if any of you slack off, you're dead weight. Got it?"
Nobody argued.
Kaelyn muttered, "I still don't like him."
Elira said nothing. Her golden eyes tracked Osiris like a hawk.
Theron gritted his teeth. But even he couldn't deny one thing.
They had a chance now.
And that chance was wearing a half-smile and wiping blood off his boots.