Hannah looked unsure and took a small breath before speaking.
"We… why don't we just come with you?" she asked. " Wouldn't it be better if we all stuck together?" Her voice trembled a little, and she tightened her grip on Haris' arm.
Jaxon met her eyes and slowly shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but we can't travel together," he said without hesitation. "I still have my sister and my mom back home."
He paused for a moment, choosing his words. It wasn't that he didn't want to help them. They seemed like good people. But he couldn't risk bringing strangers back to his family.
"It's safer if we live separately," he continued. "Some of the infected are acting strange. They can track living people. If too many of us stay together, the risk of them finding us goes up."
Natasha nodded beside him.
"We've run into those kinds before," she added. "This is better. Don't worry too much. We're still in the same neighborhood. If something happens, you can always contact us."
Hannah opened her mouth to speak again, still wanting to follow them. But Haris gently squeezed her hand and stepped forward.
"Thank you for saving us back there, Jaxon," he said, his voice steady. "And you too, Natasha. We really mean it. We're grateful you found this house for us."
He glanced at Hannah, then back at them.
"We'll stay here, just like you said."
Hannah nodded slowly, even if her worry had not fully faded.
Jaxon nodded when he saw the sincerity on Haris' face. He had been ready to stand his ground if they kept pushing, but things had worked out better than he expected.
"By the way," Jaxon said, turning slightly, "this is Burgors. I know him. He can be trusted. He lives in the neighborhood too."
He looked back at the siblings. "Maybe the three of you can talk and decide if you want to stay together."
Then he turned to Burgors.
"Sorry, man. I can't take you home with us either. There's another decent house nearby. You can stay there if you want."
"Uh… yeah. Thanks," Burgors replied, scratching the back of his head. He wanted to go with Jaxon. Anyone could see he knew what he was doing. But since Jaxon did not invite him, Burgors did not push the issue.
A few minutes later, they exchanged contact information. Jaxon and Natasha shared everything they knew about the infected. They talked about the alpha zombie, the smarter ones, and the sadistic infected.
After that, Burgors spoke with Haris and Hannah. The three of them talked quietly for a while, keeping their voices low. In the end, both sides agreed it would be safer to stay together.
"The food here should last you for weeks," Natasha said. "If you need more, just contact us. We'll help you look for supplies nearby."
"And if you see any zombies around here, let us know," Jaxon added. "We'll handle it. We'll still be moving through this area, so we'll see each other again soon."
The three of them nodded, looking a little more at ease than before.
"Thanks, man," Burgors said with a small smile as he bumped his fist against Jaxon's. "Thanks for worrying about us. I think we'll be fine. We'll call you if we run into zombies again."
Jaxon bumped his fist back.
"You two were amazing," Hannah said as she stepped forward. "You weren't afraid of them."
'If I didn't need them for coins and improvements, I'd probably be afraid too,' Jaxon thought, giving her a wry smile.
"It should be safer on the streets for now," he said. "The zombies might not come back soon. Still, you should reinforce the windows and doors here, just in case."
"Mm, we'll do that," Hannah replied with a nod.
"Alright then. We'll get going. Remember to contact us if anything happens."
Jaxon and Natasha turned and headed out, carrying the guns they had looted.
The two siblings bowed lightly as they watched them leave, and Burgors lifted a hand and waved.
After they had walked some distance away, Jaxon glanced back at the house.
"They're pretty good people," he said quietly. "It's a good thing we found them."
"Mm," Natasha nodded. "They can act as extra lookouts. That gives us more eyes in this area."
Jaxon smiled faintly.
"Hopefully, they'll survive too."
.....
Before it got dark, Jaxon and Natasha made it back home.
"Jaxon, Natasha," Isabel said the moment she saw them. "We heard gunshots and growls earlier. We got terrified and hid. Are you two okay?" Her voice was full of worry as she looked them over.
"We're okay, Mom," Jaxon replied with a small smile. "We ran into some infected, but we took care of them."
He did not say more. It had been a long day, from facing that sadistic infected to saving Burgors, and he did not want to worry her any further.
Isabel let out a breath she had been holding. It had been a long, tense wait.
"It's good that both of you are safe," she said softly. "You must be hungry. I prepared some food."
"Thanks, Mom," Jaxon and Natasha said together, smiling.
Before eating, they headed to the bathroom. The smell of blood and rotting flesh still clung to them, a reminder of the day they had just survived.
.....
At the dining table, the family of four ate together, enjoying the warm food Isabel had prepared.
"By the way," Natasha said after a moment, "we met some other survivors in the neighborhood earlier."
She glanced at Isabel and Cindy. "Jaxon and I fought zombies with them. That's why you heard the gunshots."
Isabel and Cindy paused, their spoons stopping midair as they looked at her in surprise.
"There are survivors here?" Cindy asked, her eyes lighting up.
Natasha nodded. "We were surprised too. Two of them are siblings, Hannah and Haris. The other one is Burgors from our neighborhood."
Isabel and Cindy exchanged a look, both clearly shocked. Hearing a familiar name made it feel more real.
"So Burgors is alive," Isabel said with relief. "That's good to hear. His parents were our neighbors."