Survival in the last days of America

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Brian, are you awake?"

Brian wasn't sure how long he'd been drifting in and out of sleep when the knocking at the door and a familiar voice finally pulled him back to consciousness.

"Just a sec!"

He sat up, checked the time—almost seven o'clock—muttered a reply, then grabbed a loose-fitting casual shirt hanging nearby and pulled it on. He walked to the door and slowly opened it.

Standing there was a beautiful young woman. Her long, golden hair fell down her back, and her white lab coat hung open, revealing the curves beneath.

When she saw Brian, her eyes lit up with joy. Without hesitation, she leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and locking her lips onto his in a passionate kiss.

Brian instinctively placed a hand on her backside, his expression a mix of amusement and mild resignation. Still, he returned the kiss with equal warmth.

After a long moment, he gently patted her back and lowered her to the ground.

"Alright, I've got a mission soon."

"You're kidding," she pouted, clearly annoyed. Her lips pressed together, cheeks puffed in mock anger. "You never come see me after your missions. If I hadn't come today, would you have forgotten about me completely?"

"Don't be silly. I've just been tied up with things. I was planning to visit you once I wrapped everything up, but then I got the new orders yesterday. Plus, you were studying for your intern exam, so I figured I'd wait until after this mission."

As he spoke, Brian's eyes scanned the woman in front of him, finally settling on the name tag pinned to her chest: Intern Doctor – Sarah .

He raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Guess I was overthinking it. Didn't expect you'd already passed and become an intern."

"Pfft, you've been gone so long, there's a lot you don't know."

Sarah rolled her eyes, annoyed by Brian's calm reaction, her lips still slightly pouted.

"But seriously, the quarantine government's getting worse. After you brought back such critical supplies, they only promoted you to sergeant and gave you command of a tiny squad? That's way too—"

"Shh!"

Brian's expression darkened instantly. He cut her off with a sharp whisper, then nervously glanced down the hallway in both directions.

He vividly remembered a soldier who'd been discharged and sent to factory labor just for openly complaining about military corruption and government exploitation.

Fortunately, most soldiers had already left for their posts. Only the two of them remained on this floor.

Sarah, realizing her mistake, quickly covered her mouth, her face flushing with regret.

"It's fine," Brian said, exhaling slowly as he saw no one was around. He gave her a light tap on the forehead and stepped aside. "Come in. I'll finish packing."

"Okay, sure."

They stepped into the room. Brian closed the door behind them, returned to the bedroom, and pulled out a backpack, stuffing it with essential supplies.

"You're an intern doctor now—why haven't you reported to the hospital yet?"

"I just got my certification yesterday," Sarah said, slowly walking around the small room. "I'm waiting for their official notice. But I heard that since the Resistance Army showed up, the number of injured soldiers has been rising nonstop. The hospital's short-staffed, so they'll probably call me within a day or two."

Her fingers brushed a thin string hanging from the ceiling. She tugged it gently.

With a soft whirr , a rolled-up blueprint descended, unfurling to reveal an incredibly detailed map of the entire quarantine zone.

"I've been meaning to ask," Sarah said, pointing at the map as Brian stepped out of the bedroom. "Why did you spend years making this map? What's it for?"

Brian paused mid-step. He stared at the map, his eyes reflecting something unreadable.

"Who knows?" he said quietly. "It'll come in handy someday."

He stepped forward, rolled the map back up, and tucked it away. Then he took Sarah's hand, guided her to a chair, and—somehow producing a hair tie from nowhere—gathered her long golden hair and tied it into a neat ponytail.

"I've told you a hundred times," he said, brushing a stray strand from her face. "You should cut your hair. Shorter is better. It's fine in the zone, but out there, long hair could get you killed."

"Ugh, not this again," Sarah groaned, rubbing her temples. "It'd look terrible. I'll cut it when I finally leave the zone."

Brian just shook his head, smiling faintly.

"It's getting late. I have to go. Walk with me?"

"Of course! I came here just to see you off."

Summer.

The sun blazed high in the sky, scorching the earth. The temperature climbed relentlessly. Waves of heat shimmered in the air, thick and suffocating.

The soldiers' dormitory building sat at the far right edge of the military base, a considerable distance from the main gate. As they walked through the base, Brian and Sarah exchanged greetings with familiar soldiers, heading straight for the entrance.

Along the way, Brian thought of the others.

"It's been so long since I've seen them. How are they doing?"

"Oh, I was wondering when you'd ask!" Sarah said, looping her arm through his. She paused, thinking.

"Amir's still the same—still patrolling in Zone A. But lately, his superior's been talking about promoting him. Might get a squad of his own soon."

"Dick got noticed by a professor who said he had talent. Now he's studying botany and works as a consultant at the crop factory in Zone B. He's buried in there all day—only see him on holidays."

"And Lulu? Didn't she study mechanical repair? Now she's working at the power station in Zone E. Always dirty, cut her hair short—looks like a tomboy. If she doesn't clean up, I might not even recognize her."

"Lucy and Daphne haven't changed. Still working at the factory every day. But with the supplies we send them, they're doing okay."

Sarah paused, then suddenly burst into laughter, tugging Brian's arm.

"You know, now Alan's the only one left at school. You wouldn't believe it—last time I visited, he was complaining about how boring it was being alone. Guess what he did?"

Brian raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"What?"

"He was so bored, he started picking fights with the delinquent gangs—beat up one after another. Eventually, they all got scared of him. But he didn't stop—he kept chasing them. Now everyone runs when they see him. They call him the 'school tyrant,' and he's so proud of the title!"

"…That kid."

Hearing about Alan's antics, Brian's lip twitched. Despite everything they'd been through, the fifteen-year-old still had his moments of teenage recklessness.

"What about Anna and Marlene?"

"Hmm…"

Sarah tilted her head, thoughtful.

"That's actually kind of strange. I've been studying at the hospital, so I didn't have time to visit. But now that I have free time, I go to see them, and even though they work there, I always have to wait hours just to see one of them. I don't know what they're up to…"

"Is that so?"

Brian's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked ahead, his mind turning over the information.

"When I get back, I'll pay them a visit…"

As they spoke, they reached the main gate of the military base. Two guards snapped to attention, saluting.

Brian and Sarah pulled out their identification cards and handed them over. After verifying their identities, the soldiers returned the cards and swung the heavy gate open, signaling them to pass.

The streets inside the quarantine zone hadn't changed much in five years—except for patches of moss creeping up damp walls, and more people wandering about.

As the quarantine government continued its oppressive policies and delayed supply distributions, more and more residents had stopped going to the factories.

In Brian's eyes, these people were caught between two extremes: unwilling to join the Resistance and risk death, yet refusing to return to the factories to be exploited. So they chose this passive resistance—this quiet defiance.

But when their food ran out, they'd come crawling back.

"Exploitation is wrong! Punish the corrupt officials of the quarantine zone!"

"Violent enforcement is a crime!"

"…!"

Just after Brian and Sarah left the military base, a loud commotion erupted ahead. A crowd of protesters, holding signs and chanting slogans, flooded the street—blocking their path.

Brian and Sarah exchanged a glance.

They could only offer each other a wry, resigned smile.