Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Day 4836  

Hello. I made it to the next city today. Not sure what it was called before The Revelation, but that doesn’t really matter. No sign of survivors, only Gapers and crumbling buildings. Hopefully there will be enough supplies here for the next few weeks, food is running out and I don’t have enough to make it to the next city. I will search this place tomorrow since it is getting late. The weather is nice, lovely sunset from up here. I wish you were here, Jacob. You would have loved it.  

Eve closed her journal, sighing to herself. She gingerly placed the thick notebook into her over packed backpack and looked back up to the view ahead of her. She was sat on the top floor of a dilapidated office building, towering over the city. A hole in the wall allowed for a full view of the bright orange horizon, burning brightly with the setting sun. At least, she thought it was because of the sun, ever since The Revelation the world worked differently. Days could last mere hours or stretch on for weeks, mountains could slide across the landscape or sink back into the earth at a moment’s notice. The sky would burn or boil or fall in warped chunks, only to be sucked back up minutes later. Bizarre obelisks of black rock would stretch up from the ground, seemingly having no limit to their height. Heatwaves and blizzards coexisted simultaneously, and Eve had heard whispers from the few other humans she had met on her travels that magic was starting to appear. 

She was snapped out of this train of thought by a sudden chirp. She glanced over at the crow perched beside her. Franklin, her pet from before The Revelation, had become an invaluable companion in the current times, be that for looking for food or danger or just being something to talk to. Eve was aware prolonged isolation was damaging to a person’s mental state and she was starting to feel the effects, no matter how much she denied it. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it Frank?” She turned back to the glowing sky. “Almost makes you forget all this... this struggling. It also makes you forget you are talking to a bird, apparently.” She chuckled softly to herself, casting another glance at her loyal companion. He tilted his head, maybe he did understand her after all. 

The glow steadily faded as the common sounds of the night kicked in. Gapers wandering the mottled streets moaned incessantly, like zombies in those old films. Gapers were husks of what used to be humans, now reduced to warm, soft meat that lacked any definite bone structure. They were hairless and had gaping holes in place of their eyes and mouths, hence the name. While they were fairly weak when compared to some of the other monsters roaming the desolate wastelands, they made up for their lack of strength with their numbers. They would often swarm, congregating in groups that could reach the tens of thousands, especially in cities and towns. As Eve watched the small pink figures of the Gapers wander aimlessly far below, she began to wonder aloud once more. 

“Am I the only one left? The only human, I mean. I haven’t seen another person since we met that small group back in those mountains. The Lost and Forgotten, they called themselves. Pretty pessimistic if you ask me but whatever. Pessimism is probably the more realistic look on things anyway.” Eve sniffed. “Right, Frank! We got a big day tomorrow, scavenging and such. Best get some shut eye, eh?” 

Eve unrolled her sleeping bag and gently set it in the centre of the dusty floor. The night was just as warm as the day before, another quirk the world displayed. The only difference between night and day was the night sky, thick and black and devoid of stars. Franklin fluttered down beside Eve as she entered the bag. 

Eve reminisced on the world of before, back when things made sense. Before They showed up. She could remember watching the news with her family when They first appeared, each of Their twisted forms show the entire world moments before the end. They brought the world low instantly, the ground becoming infertile and the plagues with a fatality rate of 90%. Most of the survivors devolved into mindless violence, leaving almost no one behind. She was one of the lucky ones. Jacob, a childhood friend, was at her house when it all happened, and he was one of the billions who died the following day. So did everyone else she knew. They had taken everything from her, but she wasn’t unique. Everyone who still had a mind was suffering just as she was. But what happened to Them? 

“Do you think They still roam the world? Looking for people to slaughter? Or maybe They want to rule us? Rounding us up for some mockery of a kingdom? Thoughts? Frank?” Eve turned, only to see her loyal companion had fallen asleep. She decided it was best not to wake him. She drifted off to sleep herself just as the darkness outside swallowed the remnants of dusk. 

Eve awoke to Franklin pulling at her hair. She groggily got up and rolled up the sleeping bag as a pale glow started to fill the air. Eve glanced back at the hole in the wall to see the source. 

“White sunrise? Haven’t seen one of those in a while. Gonna have to look for supplies today, Frank. But first what should we have for breakfast?” Eve opened her backpack as Franklin landed on her shoulder. After a few moments, Franklin flew into the bag and landed on a bag of assorted nuts. Eve picked the packet up, opened it and peered at the various nuts within. She picked out a hazelnut and tossed it out the hole in the wall. Frank didn’t hesitate and flew straight after it. A few seconds later he flew back up with it held firmly in his beak. 

“Good boy...” Eve finished off the packet as Frank happily ate his snack. Eve pocketed a few extra of the nuts, intending to give them to Frank later. He got cranky when he was hungry, and cranky means loud, which Eve could not risk in a Gaper dense location such as this. 

Eve slung the backpack over her shoulder and Frank few over to her, perching on her shoulder once the backpack was on. Eve carefully made her way through the broken building, ducking under the sagging ceilings and cautiously balancing on exposed crossbeams. It was something she had gotten used to, every building in this godforsaken place was on the brink of collapse. But, alas, it was the only sufficient shelter from the warped creatures outside. 

Eve was about halfway down the skyscraper, passing through yet another empty office, when she paused. There was an odd, inhuman groaning sound. Before she could say anything though, the ground beneath let out a loud crack. Eve tried to move but the floor caved in, causing her to fall with the resulting debris. She saw the floor below rush up to meet her, slamming into it with a thud. A large piece of the floor above slammed into the ground next to her and caused a second crack. This floor broke apart also, causing Eve to tumble a few further metres.  

When the dust settled, Eve was dazed and pained. She was buried under a pile of debris, with a particularly heavy piece resting painfully on her left leg. She tried to shift the weight, but it was too much for her. She could taste blood and her head was throbbing, but she tried again. It didn’t even budge, and the rubble on her left leg was feeling heavier and heavier. 

Eve began to scream for help. It was daytime, so the Gapers were likely sleeping, leaving Eve alone. She yelled and pleaded for someone to help her, but no one responded. Even Franklin, who had dodged most of the rubble and was now perched beside Eve’s head, began to caw loudly. She pushed against the rubble once more and felt it shift. She had a sudden burst of strength thanks to a newfound determination and pushed once more. But just as she tried again, a piece of the floor above dislodged, and fell towards her.  

Eve only had time to glance up before the concrete chunk landed on her head, and everything went black.  

When Eve awoke, the pressure of the rubble was gone. Her entire body ached, particularly her head and left leg, but the crushing pressure of the debris was absent. She heard a quiet humming, and the crackle of a fire. 

Eve abruptly sat up and instantly regretted it. Her vision lagged as she moved, and it felt like her brain was sloshing around inside her head. It was only when she opened her eyes did she realise she could only see out of one of them. She reached up to feel a bandage tightly wrapped around the side of her face, the same side the slab hit her on. She turned to the source of the humming and saw a woman in a dark red raincoat. 

She had her back to Eve and was cooking something over the fire. She had shoulder length blonde hair tied with a large red bow. It was... oddly pristine for an apocalypse. Eve’s hair, despite her best efforts to maintain it, was messy and dirty, but that described everything about her and her surroundings. The stranger, though, seemed as if she was just plucked out of a regular life before The Revelation. Her coat was clean, and her hair was well groomed. 

Eve looked back at her own state and received quite a shock. She was not nearly as dirty as she was before, her clothes were cleaner and the dust that had clung to her was gone. Several parts of her were wrapped in bandages, and her left leg had a pair of wooden sticks on either side of it, tied together and wrapped in even more bandages. It was a makeshift splint. 

Eve turned to the strange woman, who was still unaware of Eve being awake. Eventually, Eve decided to speak. 

“W... What’s going on?” 

The woman jumped, almost knocking over the pot dangling over the fire. She turned to Eve, staring with wide eyes. She raised her hands in what must have been an attempt to not appear hostile and began to nervously speak. 

“Oh! You’re awake! Hi! I uhhh... I’m Magdalene, or Maggy for short. I wasn’t expecting you to wake so soon... This must be an interesting experience for you, waking up at a stranger’s camp after a nasty fall... Oh that doesn’t sound good, does it?” Eve at once decided the woman was not completely sane.  

“But anyway! You had quite the nasty fall, and had a lot of stuff on you, y’know? Of course, you know since you were the one trapped... But I found you! You were unconscious so I pulled you out of there and did my best to help you and that bird...” 

Maggy pointed to Franklin, who was sleeping on a nearby branch. A wave of relief washed over Eve when she realised that he was unharmed. 

“Most of the injuries you had weren’t that bad, y’know? Mostly cuts and bruises, superficial stuff... Even the uhhh... head wound... shouldn’t be that bad. I don’t know if there is any brain damage, but I am not quite qualified to determine that. Don’t worry, I’ve treated worse! There was this one guy who was severely burnt. Lost half of his face, including an eye! Will never see out of it again, heh... The leg though, is a bit worse. Broken, I’m afraid. No running for you, not for a few weeks anyway. But again, same guy with the face burn was worse. Lost his foot, has a metal one just above the ankle... But that shouldn’t be any worse than that, y’know? It shouldn’t hurt too bad, you have quite a few painkillers in your system now... Painkillers that you’ll probably need more of soon. Anyway, what's your name?” 

Eve just stared at Maggy as she rambled on with a weird excitement despite the injuries she was describing. Clearly insane. When Maggy’s tirade was over, Eve hesitated in responding. Partially through sheer shock, and partly because she didn’t want to talk about herself to a random stranger, especially one that had took her to their camp and filled her with meds. But then again, this stranger was the first person she had seen in a year. 

“I’m Eve” She responded. “Uh, thanks, I guess? Wh-” 

“Nice to meet you, Eve!” Maggy cut Eve off. “You are the second new person I’ve seen this month. If you want, we can go see the others! Like that guy I was talking about, with the eye and the foot... Wait... No. The guy without the eye and the foot. Cain. There are a few other people too. Isaac, Judas and Bethany. I don’t know if Laz is still there, but he should be. Can’t survive very long by himself, but then again death doesn’t really hold him down for long... heh.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Maggy paused, confused. “Huh? What do I mean about what?” 

“Laz? Death doesn’t hold him down?”  

“Oh... yeah... Lazarus doesn’t really stay dead. Magic is a thing now, y’know? I mean, look around, nothing is normal compared to the world before. Lazarus just kinda comes back to life each time he dies. Resurrective immortality is kinda useful here, eh? Not the only magical one either. Beth has this book. Virtues. Book of Virtues. Has some fun spells in it. Apparently, it is not the strongest form of magic out there, dark magic is stronger, naturally. But it doesn’t have the uhhh... wasting... effects of said dark magic. Risk free!” 

Eve, once again, waited for the woman to finish. “So, magic is real after all... I mean, I thought it was all bullshit. Fanatics spouting nonsense and all that. Do you know any magic?” 

Maggy scratched the back of her head. “Eh, kinda? Not something I can really control. Doesn’t mean I’m not magic, though.” 

“What do you mean?” Maggy pointed to Eve’s broken leg before responding. 

“That’ll heal much quicker than it should. Normally you should be like that for months, but thanks to me, it’ll be a matter of weeks, if that. The Revelation awaked something in everyone, I think. I certainly wasn’t magic before, nor Beth or Laz...” 

“I don’t feel magic, nor have I since everything fell apart.” Eve said. If Maggy was right, surely Eve should feel something, anything, that she didn’t before. Then again, Maggy might just be wrong. She didn’t seem to be in the best mental state. 

“Well... it might not be the same for everyone. Cain, for example. He doesn’t cast spells, or resurrect, or treat wounds much faster than normal. But I have never seen him lose any sort of game of chance. Maybe your thingy is more passive? Or maybe you haven’t uhhh... been in the right situation for it to appear?” Maggy paused. “Then again, maybe you might not want to find out. Could cause more harm than good, y’know?” 

Eve was about to question this, but before she could the smell of burning drifted over to her. Maggy noticed this too, suddenly spinning around. She quietly cursed to herself as she fumbled with the pot of beans, which was starting to burn. 

“Hungry?” Maggy called over, as she tried to get the pot away from the fire, burning her hand in the process. 

“Not really? Is it just... beans?” Eve knew better to refuse the offer of free food, since Maggy seemed trustworthy enough no matter how manic she was. She also knew that she couldn’t afford to be picky in this world, but beans? Seriously?  

“I... Yeah? You don’t like? Hmm... well you need to eat something...” Maggy turned to rummage around in one of her bags. “Aha! Peaches!” She pulled out a tin, as well as a can opener. “How about this?” 

“I mean, sure-” 

“Perfect! Here!” Maggy moved over to Eve and handed her the tin and can opener. She then slid back over and poured the beans into a bowl. 

“Okay, so, the plan for tomorrow...” Maggy passed Eve a spoon while the latter attempted to open the can, which was more difficult than it should have been thanks to her bandaged hands. “We can start the journey to meet with the others, but you’ll probably need some support... I could hack up a doorframe for you or something, a makeshift crutch or cane or whatever, y’know?” 

Eve swallowed her mouthful before objecting. “Wait, what? I never said I’d go with you.” Eve was thankful of the help of this odd woman, but trekking to a camp full of presumably equally crazy people didn’t seem to be that good of an idea. Besides, she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. What were the chances of her being found by someone else, specifically someone trained to help her situation? And how had Maggy lifted all the rubble? 

“Well, I suppose I can’t really force you... Well, I could, but that would be wrong. But you have a broken leg, Hun. You won’t really get all that far by yourself, so I think it would be wisest if you stuck with me, y’know?” 

“So... you are basically forcing me to stick with you?” Eve deadpanned. Stick with the crazy woman or die. Sounds like a wonderful choice. 

“Depends on how you look at it. Anyway, I’m sure the others would love to meet you! It’ll take a day or two to get there, especially with your leg. Gapers shouldn’t be too much of a problem if we move during the day, but then again...” 

“Knights?” Knights were a pain. A rare, mutated form of Gaper. Gapers were usually made of soft flesh with little bone structure. They were also nocturnal. Knights, however, were the opposite. Their skin had calcified into thick, bony plates. And although they had a soft, exposed brain at the back of their head, it was the only vulnerable part of them. They also didn’t mind wandering around during the daytime. There were several other Gaper mutants, but they were not common in cities. 

“Yup. But hey, they don’t fare well against groups. So, we should have that covered. But that’s then, now, you should get some rest.” Maggy finished the bowl, setting it aside. 

“...” Eve discarded the tin, before handing the spoon and can opener back to Maggy. “... Fine.” 

“Coolio. I’ll make sure everything is ready for tomorrow!” 

Eve laid back and did her best to sleep despite the pain and the unease she felt. However, it didn’t prove to be too difficult. She was worn out and thoroughly tired after the ordeal, and she eventually succumbed to sleep. 

Chapter Text

When she awoke, Eve tried to sit up. Everything hurt, more so than yesterday. It seemed like some of the painkillers had worn off. Maybe Maggy had more? Speaking of, where was she? 

“Maggy?” Eve called out, but there was silence. The fire was lit once more, and a large chunk of pink, doughy flesh was impaled on a large stake above it. It seemed to be fresh so Maggy couldn’t have been far. 

Eve was about to call out again, but Maggy rounded a corner. She was carrying a small axe in one hand and a wooden board in the other. 

“Ah! You’re awake! Good morning! I found this wood, could make a good crutch if I split it in half... God I wish Isaac was here, he is a miracle worker at this kind of stuff...” Maggy sat down next to the fire and turned the skewered meat over. She then gripped the axe and began to try to fashion a crutch from the plank of wood. It was crude and messy; she clearly was not used to it. 

“What’s on the fire?” 

“Uhh... don’t ask don’t tell, y’know?” Maggy didn’t even look up from her crude artisanry. 

“It’s Gaper, isn’t it?” Eve grimaced. They weren’t really humans anymore, but surely this still counted as cannibalism, right? 

Maggy sucked in air through her teeth before nodding. “I know it doesn’t look pleasant... And I guess it could count as cannibalism... But it isn’t really that bad! Kinda tastes like pork. Weird, doughy pork. Plus, I have yet to see any adverse health effects from eating it... Pretty easy to cook too, Judas and Lazarus showed me how. Can burn easily though...” 

Eve cut Maggy off this time, incredulous. “You do this regularly!?” 

The woman paused, looking up from her work. “You don’t? No wonder you look like you're wasting away.” Eve glanced down at her, admittedly somewhat gaunt, figure before retorting. 

“But they used to be human? Don’t you feel wrong doing it? How on Earth are you ok with that?” 

“Exactly. They used to be human. They aren’t any more. Now they are like animals, and I don’t feel any different eating them as I do pig or deer.” 

Eve couldn’t think of a response. The throbbing pain in her head and leg was getting worse. 

“Do... Do you have any more of those painkillers?” Eve asked reluctantly. Maggy responded with a thoughtful expression, before turning and rummage through her bag. She pulled out a little bottle of pills and tossed them over to Eve. 

“Take uhhh... four of them? Sure, why not. Take four of ‘em. May take a while for them to kick in. Until then, breakfast?” 

Eve did her best to dry swallow the pills. It was unpleasant but she got through it. She placed the bottle in her pocket for later. She turned to Maggy, who was taking the Gaper meat off the fire. “I... I guess? Not sure how I feel about it though...” 

“Quit worrying, Eve! We have eaten tons of Gapers, of all species. Well, most. Some species are not as healthy as regular ones, y’know? Lazarus comes in handy when testing new food. Let us find out that Rotting Gapers are highly toxic. Died of organ failure a few hours after eating it. Of course, he just came back afterwards, but he was not very happy.” 

“Well, I wouldn’t be happy if I died either.” Eve joked. 

“How do you like your Gaper? Well done? Rare? Rare-er?” 

“Well done. I want it to be as far from alive as possible, please.” 

“Good choice!” Maggy placed it back over the fire. She turned to the shoddy crutch and picked it up. Eve watched as Maggy approached, standing over her. “Right! Let’s see if we can get you up and walking!” 

Maggy did her best to help Eve up out of the makeshift bed she was in. Maggy propped Eve up with her shoulder, before slipping the crude crutch under Eve’s arm. She moved over to the other side, but Eve suddenly yelled in pain. 

“AHH FUCK!” Eve had put pressure on the leg by accident. 

“Woah! Watch it... This will take some getting used to, and maybe don’t put too much pressure on your broken leg, huh?” Maggy then was able to hand Eve the other splint. Franklin had awoken during Eve’s cries and had flown over to her, perching on a nearby tree branch. 

“Heya buddy...” Eve was able to greet Franklin despite the pain. Thank God he was still okay. 

“Okay this won’t be fun...” Maggy took a step back, wanting to see if Eve could at least support herself using the wooden canes Maggy had fashioned. She could. 

“I could try and make some better ones later, but we need to get going as quickly as possible, y’know? Don’t want to be found by Gapers, even if we are only on the edge of the city. Speaking of...” Maggy trailed off as she could smell the meat over the fire burning. 

“Not again...” Her voice was devoid of the panic she had exhibited last night, but instead just resigned annoyance. She tossed the black char aside. “Every. Single. Time.... No Gaper for us, it seems. Let's just set off now, huh?” 

And with that, Maggy slung bag after bag over her shoulder. She opted to carry Eve’s packs as well, as it was clear as day that Eve was in no position to carry her own stuff. Maggy kicked the fire over and stomped it out, before turning back to Eve. 

“So... We have a long walk ahead of us...” 

Eve and Maggy slowly made their way down the ruined highway. The wide road was completely empty, covered in a myriad of cracks and warped vegetation. The horizon was full of the greens and browns of a forested countryside, sharply contrasting the grey sky. Like usual, the dull pallet of the sky wasn’t because of a blanket of sagging clouds, but rather because it was just the colour the sky decided to be that day. The sun was shining brightly, but it was a cold sterile white.  

Maggy was annoyed at the sun’s position, a sentiment she made very clear to Eve. She pointed out that the sun had been directly above them three times in one day. It would get about two thirds across the sky, only to abruptly cut back to a third of its progress, like someone skipping back a video or loading a save in some game. 

As they walked, or in Eve’s case, tried to walk, Maggy told Eve about the people she had formed alliances with. They apparently all lived together in some sort of camp, where they would cover each other’s weaknesses and use their strengths to help the other members. She made it seem rather nice – something Eve could get behind. Then again, was this the truth? Or simply how Maggy viewed the camp, in some weird, rose-tinted way. 

“Ok let's start with Cain.” Maggy began. “The guy I was talking about yesterday. With the eyepatch and the prosthetic leg. Surprisingly spry for someone with a prosthesis. He is also very lucky. Any sort of chance game he can win with ease. Could correctly guess a hundred dice rolls back-to-back, or predict what playing card comes next, even when we have shuffled eight decks together. Suffice to say, we don’t play luck-based games with him anymore. Thank God he is bad at chess.” 

“Then, there’s Bethany. Quiet girl, brown hair, pigtails. She has a book that lets her do all kinds of light magic things. She can create these little blue fires, for example. Not the strongest magic user we have, but like I said, she doesn’t really suffer from any negative effects of the magic she uses.” 

“Speaking of magic users, we also have Judas.” Maggy paused when Eve held up a hand. 

“Judas? Sounds real trustworthy to me...” Eve’s voice was thick with sarcasm. Seriously? Judas? Was he trying to sound sketchy? 

“Yeah, I know. He doesn’t have the best name, but don’t say that to his face. I don’t really know how he would take it. Plus, if we are talking about biblical names, Eve isn’t all that trustworthy either.” 

Fair point. Eve didn’t really have a good response for this, so she stayed silent as Maggy continued her expositional rant. 

“Anyway! Judas. Magic user. He uses the dark magic. Also has a book, like Bethany. The Book of Belial. He is stronger than Beth, no doubt about that. I would say he is the strongest person at the camp if Lazarus wasn’t there. Flaunts quite a bit, sort of a showman. However, he doesn’t look all that great. Turns out constant use of dark magic does a number on one’s health. So, he is a glass cannon kinda guy, hits hard but can’t really take a hit himself. Oh, and between you and me, he is quite a dick.” 

“Then we have Laz, Beth’s older brother. Lazarus, as I am sure you will have guessed, has extra lives. A lot of extra lives. He can die, and then just respawns next to his corpse about five seconds later, no worse for wear. Extremely useful. A new food we aren’t sure is safe to eat? Give it to Laz. Cornered and need a distraction? Send out Laz. Need bait for a trap for some dangerous, mutated creature? Laz is your guy!” 

“Wouldn’t that... hurt? Also, I couldn’t image the stress you would have to go through being live bait every other day.” Eve glanced over to the side. They were on a bridge now, over a still river of brown water. Franklin was flying above them, scouting out ahead for potential threats like he usually did. 

“Oh, it does. He has become pretty desensitised to it all though. It’s weird. He is anxious and nervous most of the time but doesn’t flinch at gore or pain. Simultaneously the most paranoid and most relaxed person in this kind of world.” 

“Finally, Isaac. Extremely skilled at creating stuff. From art to literature to mechanical engineering, he can build all kinds of stuff. He’s rather smart. He has a bunch of journals containing all the weird things we have been able to record since The Revelation. Turns out that, before meeting, all of us had hugely different experiences in our travels. Some of us knew about creatures that the others didn’t so on so forth. Like, did you know that there is a type of Gaper that is completely blind?” 

“Uhh... You mean Globins?” Globins were a rare type of Gaper that had a high regeneration factor. They hunted based on sound, with relatively poor eyesight. But they weren’t completely blind, or at least didn’t seem to be. 

“Nope. Rotting Gapers. They are, well... rotting. Duh. They are completely blind but extremely sensitive to sound. Very quick, too! Their meat is highly toxic, Laz found out the hard way. Caused quite a lot of his internal organs to fail about an hour after eating some. Very unpleasant way to go...” 

Franklin suddenly let out a warning call. He had spotted a threat. Eve watched as he suddenly flew over part of the muddy embankment of the river, a few dozen yards from where the pair were at the end of the bridge. 

“Maggy, Frank’s spotted something. Probably a Gaper?” Eve translated Franklin’s warning, and Maggy reached for a baseball bat that was attached to one of the bags she was wearing. She gripped it, ready for a fight. 

The pair watched the embankment, but they couldn’t see anything of note. Just the thick sludge. Suddenly, the mud shifted. Maggy approached as a mud-covered hand erupted from the ground. A Drowned Gaper clawed its way out of the silt. Drowned Gapers were not too strong, weaker than regular Gapers, but they didn’t need to breathe or eat to survive. 

Maggy wasted no time, swinging forcefully at the Gaper before it was even halfway out of the ground. There was a wet thud as the bat connected to the side of the Gaper’s head. It reached out for her, but a second swing knocked its head backwards, a sickening squelch emanating from its neck, which would have broken if it had a single bone in it. Maggy swung a third time, landing a direct hit on the soft, exposed neck. 

The Gaper went limp, resting half submerged in the mud. It seemed to be dead, but Maggy swung at it once more to make sure. It didn’t react to the blow, satisfying Maggy, who then walked back over to Eve. 

“Usually it isn’t that easy, heh.” She said, resting the bat over her shoulder. It was covered in a mixture of mud and the dull red blood of the Drowned Gaper. “Then again, it was kinda stuck.” 

“Don’t jinx us, please...” Eve watched as Maggy re-attached the bat to her bag. “Are we almost at your camp thingy?” 

“Ehhhhh...” Maggy craned her neck to the side, as if trying to peer over the treeline in front of them. “A few miles out, I’d say. Don’t worry, we should make it there before nightfall.” 

Eve glanced up at the sky. The cold sun abruptly jumped back for the fourth time that day, undoing at least two hours of progress across the sky. Maggy let out a frustrated groan. “Ok we will definitely get there by then...” 

Maggy started walking again, straying from the road and heading into the dense forest. She had explained to Eve earlier that the group had decided to camp far away from the city, as the Gaper population was much larger in urban areas. The dense forest made it difficult for larger monsters to reach them, so the only real threat was the occasional stray Globin or Rotting Gaper, both of which were more common in countryside areas. 

Of course, as great as this was for their protection, it was extremely difficult to traverse with a broken leg, as Eve found out. All her brainpower went into not tripping over on some exposed tree root or getting tangled in the twisting vines that seemed to grow out of the ground, reaching up to the trees. She was fairly sure they grew the other way around before The Revelation, but she wasn’t a botanist. 

“So... what exactly are we looking for? Some secret entrance to an underground bunker? A treetop citadel? Some mud huts?” Eve questioned jokingly. 

“Well, it used to be a large market thingy, but we redid everything, so it looks much more homely, y’know? This area didn’t used to be forest, it just kinda grew abruptly. There is a pretty big clearing though, around the camp. Took a lot of effort to remove the sudden influx of trees... heh.” 

It took a couple more hours, and an extremely painful fall after tripping on a root, but Eve finally reached the clearing Maggy had described, thanks to the latter’s guidance. There was a large, circular clearing around what Eve assumed to be the camp. The dense trees suddenly gave way to ankle-high grass, giving about 300 yards of space in all directions. The camp was a large, rectangular building, surrounded by a high wooden fence. It looked surprisingly spacious, considering the fact that apparently only six people resided there. 

Maggy led the way, and the pair reached the wooden wall. Franklin landed on Eve’s shoulder as Maggy walked up the gate and pushed it open. 

“... It isn’t locked?” Eve questioned. 

“No, why would it be? Most Gapers aren’t all that active during the day. Pretty light sensitive.” Maggy spoke like this was common sense as Eve entered after her. Maggy then began to close the gate behind them. 

“Well, duh... but there is a huge fucking wall with some grandiose wooden gate on the front! It should be locked at the very least!” 

“We lock it by sundown, but it is more practical to leave it unlocked. There might not be anyone home right now. I left to go scavenging, everyone else could have too.” Maggy ran towards the front door the building, holding it open for Eve, who hobbled through into the camp. 

Inside was surprisingly well lit. There was a skylight, but more impressive was the artificial lighting. This place had power! Working electricity! This could mean heating, something that Eve could only use campfires for. 

“Wait we have power?” Eve was stunned. 

“Oh yeah! Like I said, Isaac is a real genius. Built a generator from scratch. Did you know, the bile from Gurgles can be used as a fuel when diluted? Once again, Isaac’s idea.” 

“I... did not know...” Gurgles were best avoided, as they constantly emitted a toxic, highly corrosive bile that could melt through almost anything. Thankfully, they were rather rare. Now that Eve thought about it, their bile could be explosive... When watered down it could be used in such a way. Wow. 

“Pretty great right? Now then, is anyone home?” Maggy placed her and Eve’s bags on the ground close to the door. She then jogged forward into the centre of the large lobby and called out. “Hellooooo! I’m back! I found something cool as well!” 

There was no response. 

“Well, I guess it is just us for now...” Maggy walked back over to Eve. 

“Hello, Magdalene!” A voice next to Eve suddenly exclaimed. 

With a yelp, Eve almost jumped out of her skin, letting go of both of her makeshift crutches. She almost fell, but Maggy caught her just in time. 

A man had suddenly burst out of the shadows next to Eve. He was wearing a fez and had thick black hair with a couple of grey streaks. He was pale and thin, with a pair of sunken eyes sporting heavy bags. He didn’t look all too old, but the greying hair and malnourished appearance made it hard to pinpoint an actual age. He had his hands clasped behind his back and was leaning forward towards Eve. 

“And who... is this?” He stared at Eve with a small smile on his face. Eve was too stunned to respond to this man, thankfully Maggy spoke up. 

“She is Eve, Judas. Please don’t scare her like that.” Oh, so this was Judas. Yup, just as sketchy as his name suggested. “Where is everyone else?” 

“They’re all out exploring or gathering, or both. Except for Cain. He’s out back.” Judas stood up straight, his gaze moving up to meet Maggy’s. Eve noticed something odd; Judas didn’t have a shadow. The wall behind him only had two shadows cast upon it – Eve's and Maggy’s. 

Maggy helped Eve stand up straight too, handing her the crutches she dropped. 

“Well, maybe you could go get him...?” Maggy suggested. 

“Already done.” Judas’ body didn’t move an inch. It was kind of disturbing. Probably what he was going for, come to think of it. “Honestly Magdalene, I don’t know where you find them...” Judas glanced back to Eve. “... No offence, Eve. Broken leg, hmm? What happened?” 

“Buidling collapsed, broke a leg and was knocked out. Maggy found me.” Eve explained. 

“Fascinating.” Judas turned to a nearby doorway as a black shape slinked across the wall. His shadow. It moved fluidly across the room, settling behind Judas. A few moments later, a new person entered the lobby. 

“You better not be scaring her, Judas...” A man wearing an eyepatch entered, a faint clinking with every other step. He was bald and half of his face was a sore red colour. If this was Cain, which Eve was fairly sure about, it was likely scar tissue left over from that burn Maggy mentioned. The clinking was a prosthetic foot, once again, something Maggy had mentioned. 

“Me? I’d never do such a thing.” Judas grinned. “Now, if you don’t mind me, I’ll set up a room for our... newest member...” Judas abruptly melted into his own shadow, which quickly glided across the wall and out of sight. 

Cain waited for a moment, before sighing. 

“Sorry about that. He does his best to be creepy. He can be rather good at it, but he won’t harm you, don’t worry. I’ll beat the shit out of him if he does. Anyway! I’m Cain.” Cain held out a hand to Eve, and Eve hesitantly shook it. 

“Eve.” 

“Nice to meet you, Eve! Couldn’t help noticing your leg there. Hope you get well soon. I know how it feels, ha-ha!” Cain stomped his left leg, which made a metallic thud. “Anyway, I get that this might be a lot to take in... are you used to being part of a group?” 

“Not really... just me and Frank.” 

“A lone wolf? Cool! Well, don't be too intimidated, most of us are really chill, you know? Aside from Judas. But he brings a lot to the table, so we put up with him.” Cain crossed his arms, his gaze drifting over to Franklin. “Heya, bud! Not many pets around here, glad to be havin’ you!” He spoke to Franklin like he was a person. This guy was a-okay in Eve’s books. 

“Judas said the others were out, do you know where?” Maggy inquired. 

“Well, Laz and Beth went over to the city to the east a couple of hours after you set off, so they shouldn’t be long. Gathering supplies, you know the drill. Isaac went out to search for Gurgles. Needs a little more fuel for his newest gizmo whatchamacallit.” 

“Coolio! Might all be present for Eve’s first day!” Maggy turned to Eve. “So, want a tour?” 

“Actually... I’m kinda tired...” Eve said. A day of walking left her exhausted, not that she wasn’t used to it, but trying to walk with the broken leg took up a surprising amount of energy. 

“Well, Judas is still setting up your room, so I guess you could sleep in the library? Isaac’s not in so he shouldn’t care, right?” Maggy glanced at Cain, who responded with a shrug. 

“... okay?” Eve just wanted to sleep at this point, the tiredness had hit her like a wave. 

“Great! Cain, you unpack my stuff, and move Eve’s bags to her room. Make sure Judas doesn’t go rummaging through them or anything...” Cain gave a thumbs up and walked over to the bags, as Maggy guided Eve towards the library. 

After a few turns down corridors that had been fashioned from planks of wood, they reached a door. Maggy opened it into a fairly large room with numerous shelves and file cabinets, all filled with books and notes. 

“Isaac’s library. Most of this is his work, various notes and accounts of things we have seen in the world, as well as blueprints of various things he has built. No beds, but we do have a few comfy chairs in here!” 

Eve noticed a large painting on the wall, hung over an unlit fireplace. It was signed by an ‘Isaac Moriah’ and contained six people stood side by side. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who they were. It looked... nice. They seemed happy in it, even Judas had a genuine smile on his face, despite standing about a foot away from the rest of the crowd. Maybe she could stay here, Eve thought to herself. 

Eve hobbled over to a large chair in a darkened corner of the library and sat down in it. Franklin perched on a nearby shelf, seemingly planning to fall asleep himself. 

“Dinner should be served in about six hours, I’ll let you sleep till then, ‘kay? Everyone should be back by then and we’ll introduce you to the rest of the gang!” Maggy called out from the doorway. After a moment, Eve heard the door close. 

Eve opened the bottle of painkillers and took a couple of the boring white pills. It was still so much. She hadn’t seen another face in well over a year but suddenly a madwoman came along, saved her life, and then introduced he to five more, presumably, equally manic individuals. How would they react to her? Happy to see another human, or annoyed at another mouth to feed? With her broken leg Eve couldn’t really contribute much, after all. Sure, Cain seemed to be happy to see her, and Maggy did, obviously. But Judas? He smiled, sure, but even she could tell it was cold and fake. These thoughts kept circling as Eve slowly drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

“Eve. Eve. Eeeeevvvveeee....” 

Eve could feel something poking her shoulder repeatedly. Judging by the voice in her ear, it was Maggy. Eve opened her eyes and jumped at the sight of Maggy stood directly over her. The sudden movement and sound from Eve jumping caused Maggy to startle too.  

“AH! Oh... huh... hi!” Maggy held up her hands and waved after a moment to let both of them catch their breath. “The others are back, and we are about to eat! Can’t wait to introduce you!” 

Eve was still processing everything when Maggy grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the chair, being careful not to cause Eve to put pressure on her leg. 

“I...” 

“C’mon! Follow me!” Before Eve could realise they were moving, Maggy led the two of them through the wooden corridors with the excitement of a child showing her parents her new friend. Well, that wasn’t too far from what was happening, Eve thought. 

The pair came to a stop at a door, presumably leading to the dining room or equivalent and there were the sounds of people talking on the other side. Suddenly, Maggy stepped forward and practically kicked down the door. 

“Helllooooooo all!” Maggy yelled out to the group, who were all sat around a fairly large table. They all fell silent and turned to see what just happened. Eve wanted to crawl out of her skin when she felt the five gazes fall on her. After an uncomfortable silence, Maggy continued. “This is Eve! Hopefully, our newest member!” 

Eve gave an awkward smile and wave to the crowd. She noticed Judas smirking, seemingly enjoying her soul crushing awkwardness. She also noticed Cain glancing around, hopefully looking for a way to save the situation. Eventually, he spoke up. 

“Hello Eve! Glad you could join us! We’re about to have dinner.” He turned to someone else at the table, a pale looking guy with a face dotted with freckles and messy ginger hair. “Laz? What’s on the menu for today?” 

“I... Uh... C-Clotty. Fried clotty.” He responded. At least Eve wasn’t the only one struggling with the weirdness of the situation. As he spoke, Maggy ushered Eve to her seat at the table. Eve took a seat and Maggy took hers on the right of Eve’s. To Eve’s left there was a girl with brown hair and a patient smile. Presumably Bethany. 

“Wonderful!” Cain watched as Lazarus stood up and walked out. Eve guessed that Lazarus was the resident cook. He then turned back to the man with short, blonde hair. 

“So, Isaac. Did you find any Gurgles...?” The conversation quickly became background noise when Bethany turned to Eve. 

“Hello. I’m Bethany. Nice to meet you!” 

“Nice to meet you too. Maggy told me about you. Apparently, you’re magic?” Bethany glanced over at Maggy when Eve said this, before smiling warmly. 

“Yep. Still learning how to use it properly, like Judas can, but I’m getting there! Want to see some?” 

Eve nodded. 

Bethany snapped her fingers, and a light blue flame burst into existence, hovering just above her hand. She snapped her fingers a couple more times and the flame switched from light blue to light purple, to white and back again. Eve watched in fascination as the small fire danced in the air in front of her. Bethany tossed it upwards where it exploded like a miniature firework. 

“I can make bigger ones, and even use them offensively, but not inside. Especially not at the dinner table.” It looked like Bethany was going to summon another one, or perhaps something else, when the doors opened. 

Lazarus entered, carrying a couple of plates. Eve watched in horror as he was followed out of the kitchen by a quartet of black figures. Eve looked around, but no one was reacting, so she swallowed her fear and watched. Each one of the figures had pitch black skin and a mouth full of sharp, bloodstained teeth. They were dressed like waiters, even wearing bowties, which admittedly made them less threatening. They all carried plates as well, bringing in the food that Lazarus couldn’t carry. Maggy seemed to notice Eve’s fear and leaned in to whisper to her. 

“Don’t worry, the Nulls are friendly. Judas summons them to help with various things. He even dresses them up in goofy outfits for fun. See?” 

Eve watched as they circled the table, placing a portion of the fried Clotty in front of each person. One stood beside her to serve her, and Eve cringed at the sound of its raspy breathing in her ear. Once all the dishes had been placed, Judas spoke up. 

“Thanks, friends!” He clapped his hands a couple of times as the Nulls bowed in unison. Upon Judas’ third clap, the quartet evaporated into black smoke which faded in a matter of seconds. “Tuck in, everyone!” 

And with that, everyone but Eve began to eat. She knew what Clotties were, weird lumps of sentient meat, quite literally living legs of ham. They were hostile, but there was little damage something the size of a football and the durability of raw chicken could do to hurt someone. Despite all this, Eve still felt weird about eating them. She poked at the chunks of dark red meat with her fork. There was a serving of vegetables on the side, she assumed they had been grown here, since last time she checked carrots that were grown before The Revelation weren’t lime green. 

Eventually, she decided to try it. She cut off a piece of clotty and took a bite. It was... nice. Very nice. Nicer than she thought it would be. This is what she was missing out on?  

Once dinner was over, everyone went their separate ways. Judas melted into his shadow and vanished while Cain and Maggy started talking amongst themselves. Lazarus and Bethany both got up and walked off together, and Isaac approached Eve. 

“Hi. I’m Isaac. But I guess you already figured that one out. Want a tour of this place?”  

“Sure... Maggy was going to show me around earlier but I-” 

“- fell asleep in my library. Yeah, I know. Let’s start there, eh?” Isaac then began to walk towards one of the doors, the same one Maggy had kicked open earlier. “So, what do you think of the others so far?” 

“They seem nice. Apart from Judas, that is.” The pair entered the same library that Eve was in earlier. 

Isaac chuckled. “Yeah, well, he can be rather odd. Everyone else here is, in their own ways. Maggy can be... excitable, as I’m sure you’ve realised. Cain is an adrenaline junkie. Judas is... well... Judas. Bethany is a little too naive and trusting if you ask me, and Lazarus is a nervous wreck.” 

Isaac paced over to a nearby bookshelf and pulled out a notebook. He handed it to Eve. “And me? I guess if there is something wrong with me, I haven’t noticed. Here. Take this, contains a bunch of our observations of the local area. Useful if you want to venture out.” 

“Thanks...” Eve took the book from him and flicked through it. She decided she’d read it later. When she glanced back up Isaac was already halfway out the door. She did her best to hobble after him. 

The pair walked past a door that was slightly ajar. Within was the sound of rushing water. Isaac parted the door slightly peering in. He flashed a smile and gave a small wave. Turning back to Eve, he closed the door quietly behind him. 

“This is the kitchen; Lazarus is just washing up. Like I said before, he isn’t all that good with people... at all. Maybe it is best for us to leave him alone, don’t want him dropping a plate from being startled by our presence. Despite him already knowing we’re outside. It doesn’t make much sense but neither does he, so whatever.” Eve decided to bite her tongue and hold back on pointing out that Isaac wasn’t making the most sense either. Isaac took off once more, Eve struggling to keep up. 

“Now... lobby... dining room... library... Ah! Bedrooms! Follow me, Eve.” Isaac suddenly turned down another corridor and came to a stairwell. Unlike the halls they had just walked down, the stairs were part of the market their base was built in. He hopped up four of the steps before stopping and slowly turning to Eve. 

“Ah...” He said, realising Eve was in no condition to walk up the steps. In fact, she wasn’t really in any condition to walk at all. 

“Ok so.” Isaac placed his hands together and took a deep breath. “So. Judas decided to set up your room... upstairs. Hmm. I’ll have to talk to him, and I’ll get someone else to set up one downstairs. Until then go look around. Get to know the others. Or, read that book!” 

And with that, Isaac turned around and bolted up the stairs, yelling for Judas. 

Eve was wandering through the corridors of the camp, doing her best to memorise the layout. She eventually stumbled upon a room with Bethany sat by herself at a table in the centre. She was engrossed in a book with a light blue cover. Eve decided to watch as Bethany muttered something to herself and summoned a light blue fire in her hands. She tossed it back and forth between her hands, and then grew it to the size of a basketball. However, after a few seconds, the blue fireball faltered and fizzled out. It looked as though she was going to try again, but before she could she noticed Eve in the doorway. 

“Oh! Hello again Eve!” Bethany waved. “How long were you there?” 

“Not that long. Pretty impressive stuff you got there.” Eve slowly made her way over to the table, sitting down opposite Beth. 

“Thanks! I’m trying to learn how to make them bigger. Judas is soooo good at magic! Soon I’ll be able to do the stuff he can. Well, sort of. I won’t be able to summon Nulls or make my shadow live or anything – that's dark magic stuff.” She reached over to her book and tapped it once. It vanished in a flash of blue light. 

“Can you do magic?” Beth asked. 

“Nope. Well, none that I know of. Didn’t even believe magic existed until I met Judas earlier. It was... jarring, to say the least.” 

“I could imagine.” 

“So, how did you figure out you could do... this?” Eve made a broad gesture with her hands in Bethany’s direction. Bethany, oddly enough, became much more sombre at this question. 

“Same time as Laz...” She answered in a low tone. “It was before we found Maggy and Isaac. We were scavenging, like usual but we were ambushed. A Flagellant came out of nowhere and got Lazarus. He was able to push me out of the way as it attacked. Ripped him to bloody shreds in seconds.”  

Eve winced. Flagellants were one of the most dangerous humanoid entities out there. Not a form of Gaper, in fact Eve wasn’t sure what they were, but they were extremely vicious and incredibly destructive. 

“I just... stood there. I felt... I...” Beth paused for a moment to maintain her composure. “I didn’t want to go on. He was all I had. I saw it lunge at me. I held my hands up and closed my eyes, waiting to die. But then, there was a bang. I summoned a flame and it hit the monster.” 

Beth snapped her fingers and a small blue flame appeared, hovering between Eve and Beth. 

“It didn’t hurt the Flagellant directly, but it did destroy its whip. But then... Laz came back. He just, respawned. We were able to kill the Flagellant. It took a while, but I finally found this...” 

Beth snapped once more, and the hovering flame exploded outwards into the same light blue book as before. Eve recalled Maggy referring to it as the Book of Virtues. 

“And since, I have been learning to use it more effectively. Judas sometimes helps me.” 

“I’m... sorry to hear that.” Eve said after a few seconds of silence.  

“Anyway. I’m going to find Laz. Bye, Eve.” Bethany said, hastily standing up. 

“Bye, Beth.” 

Eve could hear Bethany greet Maggy as she left. A few moments later, Maggy sat down where Beth just was. 

“Hi. So, Beth told you what happened?” Maggy asked, quietly. 

“Yeah...” The pair sat in silence for a short while, until a question crossed Eve’s mind. 

“You said that Lazarus dies frequently, right?” Maggy nodded in response. “What happens to the corpses? Do they just kinda disappear or...?” 

“No, they don’t. Ideally, we would burn them or throw them in some mass grave. But... Bethany insists on giving each and every one of them a proper burial. About a mile south of here is a huge area, dedicated to Lazarus. An entire graveyard dedicated to him. It isn’t efficient, but I think it’s part of Bethany’s way of coping with what she saw. It’s odd, Lazarus doesn’t seem to care for his well-being nearly as much as Bethany cares for it. Then again, if anything happens to her, Lazarus flips out. He is pretty spineless – that's no secret – but he suddenly grows one when Beth’s involved.” 

Maggy leant back in her chair. “In fact, Judas once made a... subtle threat... towards Beth in earshot of Laz. That fucker lunged at Judas immediately. It was surreal. Judas is powerful, but the man can’t take a hit very well. Laz broke Judas’ arm when he attacked.” Maggy smiled to herself. “He hasn’t really said anything like that to Beth since.” 

“Must be nice to have someone look out for you like that.” 

Maggy cocked her head and asked, “Do you have someone like that? Someone who looked out for you, I mean.” 

“I... No. Not really. I had a couple of friends, before The Revelation. Jacob and his brother, Esau. They died. They died when everything went to shit. The plague got them both. I was one of the few that was immune. I was a kid... only 12. The world fell apart, but I survived. In the early days, it was every man for himself, you know?” 

Maggy nodded silently. And while it looked like she had something to add, perhaps a personal admission, she gave simply remained quiet. It seemed to be something she was familiar with. Likely something everyone who survived was familiar with. 

“I did awful things. Lied, stole... killed... Anything to get by. Anything to let me see tomorrow. I never had anyone to help me, aside from Frank. We didn’t want to be alone. We tried to look for others after a while. After a few years, the world calmed into this... half dead state. Like now. People stopped backstabbing and stealing and killing and lying and fighting. We tried to make our way to The Oasis, about three years ago. But...” 

Eve didn’t need to finish. No matter how lonely a survivor was, the chances were they had heard about The Oasis. A gargantuan settlement, millions of survivors strong, and the safest place for someone to be. Order in the chaos. Calm in the storm. An Oasis in the dessert. But it wasn’t meant to be. Just like how every survivor worth their salt had heard of The Oasis, so did They. And once They arrived, the Oasis was obliterated, and the survivors could be counted on one hand. 

“... But They got there before you did.” Maggy continued. “How close were you to reaching it?” 

“Not that close, I suppose. But close enough to feel it. The ground trembling under Their weight. I’m lucky, I guess. As stupid as it is, I wish I got to see Them. I wish I was close enough to be able to see The Oasis.” Maggy opened her mouth to speak causing Eve to fall silent to let her do so. 

“Well, we have some pictures in Isaac’s library. Well, artistic recreations. Judas lived at The Oasis. Before it fell. Apparently, he was there when it fell. He was one of the few survivors. Getting information on it from him is like getting blood from a stone, but we have enough to piece together a story. It... wasn’t pretty. Go to Isaac’s library if you want to read about it.” 

“Will do.”  

“Anyway... Ah! Yes! Splint!” Maggy shot up from her seat. “Your splint. It wasn’t a permanent arrangement. For that we’ll need a cast. Uhh, I’ll go talk to Isaac to whip up some plaster for it. Meanwhile, go clean yourself up. We have a functioning shower here, ain’t that great? Come to me once you're done!” 

Maggy exited the room before Eve could even ask where Maggy or the shower would be. Oh well, problem for future Eve. Eve got up herself and hobbled back into the corridor. She wandered around, looking for her room. 

After a few minutes of searching, Eve bumped into Lazarus, who jumped in response. He spent a moment catching his breath while Eve looked on. Isaac was right – he really was a nervous wreck. Once he was done, he began to speak. 

“Oh... H-hello Eve! You startled me... I just finished your... uhh... room! Just finished your room. Wanna see it?” An awkward smile appeared on his face as he tried to gauge her reaction. 

“Great! I was just looking for it. Are my bags in there? I’d like a fresh set of clothes...” Eve could have sworn Lazarus exhaled at this response. 

“Yes, they are. If... If you’ll follow me, I can take you there. To your room. I can take you to your room. Uhh...” Lazarus turned and began to walk down the hall. Eve followed. “So, uhh... How are you settling in? Have you spoken to... anyone else?” 

“It is nice here. And yep, I’ve spoken to Maggy, obviously. Isaac, and Beth.” Lazarus seemed to perk up slightly at Beth’s mention. 

“Good... Good. Judas set up your room upstairs... a cruel joke, I think... So, Isaac told me to set one up here instead. What did you talk about? With Beth, I mean.” 

“Her magic. Also, we talked about how you found out you were immortal.” Lazarus came to a stop outside a doorway, presumably Eve’s room. 

“Oh... Well, I’m not immortal. I keep resurrecting, but I think I could still die from old... old age. And the whole discovery part... That... That’s a sensitive topic for her. She must trust you... More than she trusts people normally that is... She is quick to like people.” 

“Well, I’m honoured. Is this it?” Eve gestured to the closed door. 

“I- Yes. Yes, it is. G-Go ahead. Hope you like it... we didn’t have much stuff we’d think you liked. I-If you want, we can uhhh... find more stuff to decorate your room. I know... You have that bird... We have some stuff I think he would like... but I’m no bird person...” Lazarus stammered. 

“I don’t mind. Grateful to have a roof over my head at all if I’m being honest.” 

“Cool. Good. Yes...” Lazarus glanced around. “Well. I’ll be going now... I-I-If you need anything, ask me or whoever else is around... Bye.” 

Eve watched as Lazarus walked away, but he paused when she called out for him. 

“Oh, Laz! Do you know where the shower is?” Lazarus slowly turned around, thinking to himself. 

“Y-yeah. Down the hall behind you. Take a left at the end of the corridor...” 

Eve could even say thanks before he turned and rounded the corner quickly. She looked back at the door and slowly opened it. The room was empty but was also big. There was a large bed in the corner with a set of drawers next to it. Eve saw her bags in a pile in the corner. 

As she approached them, she noticed a stand in the opposite corner. It looked like a coat stand, but it had been changed slightly to more closely resemble a tree. That must have been what Lazarus had meant by the things Franklin would like. Speaking of Franklin, he was likely still asleep in Isaac’s library. Eve opened one of the bags and rummaged through it. She found some fresh clothes and went to take a shower. She was still amazed at the fact the camp had power. Isaac’s generator must have been efficient. 

Eve finished up, but it was much, much harder than she first thought. She had to take the splint off, and as a result couldn’t move an inch without burning pain shooting up her leg. Eve when doped up on those oddly strong painkillers, it was still excruciating. She did her best to get dressed, opting to just use a towel instead of trying to put her jeans on. She still couldn’t walk, however, so she was reduced to calling out, hoping someone would hear her and get Maggy. 

After several yells, she heard someone knock on the door. 

“Uhh... you good?” The voice on the other side asked. It sounded like Cain. 

“What the fuck do you think!?” Eve yelled in response. “My leg is broken, and I had to take off the fucking splint! Can you please get Maggy in here? She said she would make me a cast!” 

“Oh, okay. I’ll go get her for you?” Eve could hear the faint clinking of Cain’s prosthetic leg as he left her. A minute later she could hear a pair of footsteps approaching. 

“Maggy? You there?” Shouted Eve. 

“Yep! Sorry, I forgot you couldn’t walk.” Came her response. 

Eve just sat there for a moment, stunned. She... forgot? How the fuck could someone forget that someone couldn’t walk, while trying to help said person? 

“Okay Isaac has everything ready; I can apply your cast now!” Maggy then opened the door, to find Eve sat on the ground just beside the shower. She smiled warmly. Eve saw Cain about to come in as well, only to slowly back out once he saw the half-dressed woman on the floor.  

Maggy began to bandage Eve’s leg in preparation for the cast and shouted at Cain without turning to look at his silent attempt to leave. 

“Oi! Cain! Don’t go anywhere. Eve won’t be able to walk while the cast sets. I’ll need you to carry her to her room, or wherever she wants to go after this.” Both Cain and Eve paused for a moment after this. 

“What?” Both asked at the same time, but Maggy simply shrugged and responded with a matter of fact “You heard me.” 

“Do you have any... baggier clothes?” Maggy asked, while applying the light grey paste. 

“I... Yeah? Got some cargo pants, I think...” 

“Good. Even then they might not cover the cast... We have some shorts or skirts or whatever you’d prefer if they don’t fit. The cast will be pretty big. Also, you should probably take a couple more of those painkillers. Even just taking the splint off must’ve hurt a ton, right?” 

“Yeah...” 

After another couple of minutes, the job was done. Maggy stood up, satisfied with her work. “Cain! Come here!” 

A few seconds later the clinking of Cain’s leg could be heard. He walked into the room and looked at Eve. Maggy left the room as he asked. “Welp. Where do you want to go?” 

“Uh... Mind taking me to my room? I guess? But first can we swing by Isaac’s library? I want to see Frank.” Eve explained as Cain reached down and picked her up in a bridal carry. 

“Sure.” He didn’t seem to be too comfortable with this arrangement but began to walk anyway. “Anything for Frankie.” 

The pair entered Isaac’s library only to find Isaac hunched over a desk working on some mechanical contraption. He turned to see them in the doorway, prompting him stand and approach them. 

“Hey there! Maggy finished the cast, I see?” 

“Yep.” Cain answered. Eve could feel herself starting to turn red. She hated every second of her vulnerable and embarrassing position. She was about to tell Cain to hurry up when she noticed Franklin sleeping on a nearby shelf. 

“Frank!” She called out to her bird, and he woke instantly. He wasted no time in flying over to her, landing on her shoulder. “Heya buddy....” She whispered to him. 

“Oh, Eve! I’m going to be making a bird stand thing for your room later. I threw one together earlier, I’m sure you’ve seen it. I’ll make a better one soon.” Isaac began, before passing a dark green tarp to Cain. 

“To place under the cast, stop the bed from getting any plaster on it.” He explained. 

Eve gave Isaac her thanks as Cain left, this time heading back to her room. Eve saw a dark blur in the corner of her vision, but she couldn’t see anything when she glanced back. Cain entered her room and placed her on the bed. Franklin flew over to the stand in the corner, seemingly taking a liking to it. 

“Best get some rest, almost night, after all.” He began. “Also, I’ll ask Isaac to make you some proper crutches, so I won’t have to be your personal chauffeur. In the meantime, I’ll grab the shoddy ones from the shower.” 

Eve begrudgingly thanked him for his help as he left the room chuckling. She took one of the painkillers and pulled out her diary from one of the bags near her bed. She wrote her next entry before she went to sleep, like most days. 

Day 4838  

Hello again. Sorry about missing yesterday, but a lot happened, Jacob. I had this fall and broke my leg, but met a strange woman called Maggy. She treated my leg and brought me to a camp full of equally strange people. Most of them are nice, all except Judas. They seem to think it will be a permanent arrangement, and honestly? I think it could work. I know I have wandered these planes alone, for half of my life, no less. But these guys? I think I have found something special. Me and Frank could be safe here, I guess. Some people have strange powers, in fact all of them seem to. Makes me wonder if I have them too. Either way, it has been a long day and I need some rest as my cast sets. Bye, Jacob.  

Chapter Text

Eve woke up in the dark bedroom. Franklin was still sleeping on his perch, so she assumed it was early. There was no way to tell; her room lacked windows or just even a clock. It was quiet, perhaps everyone else was still asleep? No better time to have a wander around. 

It wasn’t easy, but Eve was able to get out of bed and swing her leg over the edge. There was the sound of the tarp coming with the cast, and she groaned in frustration as she pulled it from the cast. A small amount of the drying plaster had stuck to the sheet, but it came off easily. The cast had fully set, but Eve figured it would not be a clever idea to put direct pressure on it. 

After doing her best not to make too much noise, Eve was able to lean on the wall to shuffle towards her makeshift crutches. She propped herself up with them and hobbled her way down the hall. She found herself outside the dining room, where she could hear a faint humming. Eve hesitated for a moment, before entering. The room was empty. The humming was coming from the kitchen, which was through another set of doors to Eve’s left. 

She could hear the sound more clearly now; it was a woman humming a tune. Maggy. It had to be Maggy. She poked her head into the kitchen. Sure enough, Maggy was hunched over the stove, humming a jaunty tune to herself as she stirred a batter in a frying pan. It was an odd red colour. She glanced over and saw Eve in the doorway. 

“Hello Eve! What are you doing up at this hour?” Maggy gave a tired smile. Judging based on this, the slightly unkempt hair and lopsided red ribbon, Maggy hadn’t had much - if any - sleep.  

“The painkillers were starting to wear off. Leg’s hurting, you know? What are you doing up at this hour?” 

“I see. I uhh... have trouble sleeping. I have a slight regenerative ability. Makes people around me heal slightly faster, as well as myself, as you know. In fact, my regeneration factor is strong enough to counteract the long-term effects of uhhh... sleep deprivation.” Maggy said, turning her focus back to the batter in the pan. As she stirred it, the dark red faded into a pinkish hue. She reached over and picked up a bottle of syrup. She added a generous heap to the batter, stirring it in also. 

Eve wasn’t convinced. “Uh-huh? I don’t know, I think that not sleeping for extended periods might mess up your brain chemistry... are you sure you’re okay?” 

“Yeah.... I’m fiiiiiiiine. Don’t worry about me. I’ve been doing this for ages! Now... you want pancakes? I’m not the best chef, but my lack of talent is more than made up for with passion!” 

“That’s the problem. You’ve been doing this for ages.” Eve glanced at the batter once more. It seemed to be taking form into weird pink pancakes. A question crossed her mind. “Wait. How are you making pancakes without eggs or milk?” 

“Well, milk isn’t needed... I don’t think. Water can be used in place... but here I am also throwing in some syrup just in case...” Maggy turned one of the miniature pancakes over. It was somewhat burnt. Burning food seemed to be a trend with Maggy. She winced as she quickly turned the rest over, revealing similar black char on the undersides. 

“I... okay? Cool, I guess.” 

“I’d say I’m almost done, y’know? Go take a seat if you want! Everyone else should be up soon, then Laz can whip up a proper breakfast.” 

Eve hobbled her way back into the dining room, taking a seat near the door. After a minute of patiently waiting, she could smell the pancakes starting to burn. On cue, she heard Maggy curse before she entered the room too, with a pair of plates. She set one down in front of Eve, and the other in the seat next to her, which Maggy took. 

Eve inspected the pink pancakes. Well, they were supposed to be pink. They were more of a black colour, a thin layer of burn on both sides. Eve opted to carefully remove the burnt parts on her well-done pancakes. Maggy, seated next to her, didn’t seem to care. Eve finished, deeming the pancake fit for consumption, and no longer a major carcinogenic due to the amount of carbon on the surface. She took a bite. 

It was... weird. There was a flavour she couldn’t quite place. Perhaps it was a food colouring? There had to be a reason the pancakes were pink, after all. After a couple more bites, Eve voiced her question. 

“So... why are they pink?” Eve asked, taking another bite. 

“Well, eggs are in low supply, duh...” Maggy began. “Thankfully, blood can be used to supplement eggs in most recipes... including pancakes!” 

Eve abruptly stopped chewing. “... what?” 

“Yeah! Pretty cool, right?” Maggy seemed completely oblivious to how Eve felt about this. 

“What... Whose blood is this?” Eve asked. She forced herself to swallow the mouthful. 

“Dunno. Most likely Gaper or Clotty... but it could be Laz’s...” Maggy scratched her chin. 

“I... I think I’ve had enough...” Eve said, slowly pushing the plate away. Somehow it was worse when you didn’t know what you were eating when going into it. When she was served clotty a day or two ago, it was not unbearable since she was prepared for it. This time? Nope. She couldn’t. 

“Oh... really? Do you mind if I...” Maggy pointed at Eve’s plate. 

“Yeah... sure... go ahead...” Maggy took Eve’s plate and placed the pancake she hadn’t gotten to eat onto hers. 

“Thanks.” 

“I’m going to... take a look around...” Eve told Maggy as she got up and used her crude crutches to limp away from the table and out of the dining room. 

“Okay! See ya!” Maggy called out after her. 

Eve hobbled down the halls, passing by Isaacs library. She noticed a pair of crutches leaning against the wall, Isaac likely made them after she went to bed. She attempted to use them, and they were much better than the crude ones Maggy had fashioned a few days prior. She turned and left, but suddenly a man appeared out of thin air. Judas. 

“Hello, Eve. Eva? Evie? Evelyne? Evangeline?” Judas did a little bow, and his fez was tipped forwards by his independent shadow. “Do you have a proper name? Or is it just... Eve?” Judas’ voice had a hint of distain in it despite the small smile on his face. 

Eve hesitated. Eve was, in fact, short for something, but it would be a cold day in hell before she would tell Judas it. “... Just Eve.” 

“I see. How are you settling in?” Judas’ shadow slithered across the floor and scaled the wall behind Eve, sending a chill up her spine. 

“Alright, I suppose... Why do you care?” 

“Just being polite, nothing more.” Oh. So he didn’t. That made sense. “Have you spent long surviving in the less... urban areas?” 

“I guess not. I do my best to go city to city for supplies. More gapers, but pretty much only gapers, you know? Food, shelter, weaker creatures, it is easier to survive like that.” 

“Oh, you’re going to enjoy it out here then! Have you ever seen a Twitchy before?” Judas rocked back and forth on his heels as he spoke. 

“Nope. I hav-” Judas continued talking, not even waiting for an answer. 

“They are kind of like a Rotting Gaper, but they aren’t blind. They are also half spider – their heads have a bunch of long spider legs jutting out at all angles. They can use these to jump far. Good luck trying to hit them... they are very quick to dodge.” 

Judas took a step towards Eve. Eve instinctively took a step back, but she bumped into something. She glanced behind herself, seeing only empty air. Wait, no. Judas’ shadow was stood behind her, clearly seen on the wall next to her. It was stopping her from backing away from Judas. 

“And here is a fun fact; They could, in theory, make it over that big wall outside, so sleep easy knowing this place isn’t even all that safe.” 

“Well... the camp has been standing for how many years?” 

“Isaac and Maggy founded it nine years ago.” Judas informed her. At least he would answer some questions of hers. 

“And in those nine years, that hasn’t happened?” Judas’ eyes narrowed and Eve assumed he was thinking of a response. After a moment, he replied. 

“Doesn’t mean it won’t. And if it did, what would you do? I doubt you could do much with your leg like that.” Judas took another step forward as he gestured to Eve’s cast. 

“Isn’t that why you’re here? To protect the rest of us? Isn’t that the only reason why they keep you around?” 

“Well, I doubt they could get rid of me if they wanted to.” Judas stated. As much as she hated to admit it, Judas did seem to possess powerful magic abilities. Of course, the infinite lives Lazarus possessed were arguably stronger, but only defensively. 

“You look like a stiff breeze would kill you.” 

The smile returned to Judas’ gaunt face. “The cost of the power I wield. Bethany can do her pretty little lightshows, but ultimately her light magic is nothing but parlour tricks. True power leaves a mark on the one who uses it. A withering mortal form is worth every spell I can cast, every feat I can achieve. I am as strong as they get, despite all appearances.” 

“Well, I’ve heard that Lazarus broke your arm once. Sounds like you really are as strong as it gets.” 

Judas’ grin turned into a cold sneer. “Aren’t you a mouthy little bitch. You certainly have Lazarus’ level of self-preservation I’ll give you that.” Eve suddenly felt the crutches be pulled out from under her. Judas’ shadow had done it. It then gripped her by the elbows, propping her up but also restraining her. She struggled against it, but it was far stronger than she was. And it was definitely stronger than its master. 

Judas took another step forward. His face was mere inches from hers. His eyes flicked around, studying her face silently. Eve was full of a strange mixture of angry defiance and fear. The defiance was certainly the dominant one, however. If Judas did anything to her, everyone else would certainly take her side and punish Judas accordingly.  

A long moment passed before Judas finally spoke again. “Have anything smart to say now? Hmm?” 

Eve couldn’t take it anymore. Fuck this guy. Without another thought she swung her head forward into Judas’ face. There was a satisfying crunch as her forehead impacted the man’s nose. Before she could feel happy about this thought the shadow yanked her backwards and off her feet as its master staggered backward clutching his face. 

“Ah! Fuck!” Judas pulled his hands away from his face, blood streaming from his nose and covering his hands. He really was as brittle as he looked. He glared back up at Eve and muttered. “You little...” 

The shadow dropped Eve, causing her to fall into a wall, desperately clinging to it for support. The shadow slithered back over to Judas. He gave one last death glare to Eve, before he melted into his shadow and scurried away. 

Eve stood for a moment. She had reason to believe that Judas would eventually take revenge, but if he was going to, it couldn’t be now. Everyone would gang up on him for sure, so she should be safe for now. 

Most of the day was spent poking around the camp. It was much larger than Eve initially thought. After a long while, she came across a room that boasted a more light-hearted decor. A games room, no doubt. Within, Cain, Lazarus and Bethany were sat. The former two were engrossed in a game of poker, hunched over a small table. Behind them, Bethany was sat reading a book. Or at least, she was pretending to. Eve saw as she signalled the cards that Cain had to her brother. Cain was none the wiser. 

Funnily enough, this amounted to nothing. Every round Cain won, no matter how much help Bethany gave her brother. It was as if Fate itself refused to let Cain lose, the contents of the deck shuffling to match whichever cards would make him win. It was, in all honesty, thoroughly amusing. 

Eve didn’t see Judas again for the day, either. Even when everyone sat down for dinner that night, Judas was absent. A stew of sorts was on the menu, prepared by Lazarus, like usual. As they ate, Eve decided to talk to Bethany. 

“How did you find this place?” 

“Well...” Bethany began, “Maggy ran into me and Laz about four years ago. I had fallen ill. It was a sudden winter, Lazarus was fine. I wasn’t. He did everything he could to save me, but we didn’t have a clue what to do. Then Maggy showed up. Gave me some medicine she had with her. Normally Laz would be protective, you know? He would move the Earth to keep me safe. But we didn’t have a choice. We were desperate. He was desperate. Anyway, it worked like a charm. Despite her insisting that it was nothing, we kind of feel indebted to her. Laz definitely does. I think that is one of the reasons he is so willing to throw himself into the positions he does. For me and as a payment for Maggy saving me.” 

“Oh... Maggy saved me too, from the pile of rubble I was trapped under.” 

Bethany nodded. “She saved everyone here, aside from Judas. Cain was involved in a nasty explosion, almost lost half of his face and one of his legs. Maggy found and treated him. Maggy saved Laz by saving me... She saved Isaac when he was cornered by a Begotten. She has a habit of showing up exactly when someone needs help. Everyone except herself, of course.” Bethany cast a glance towards Maggy, who was chatting with Cain on the other side of the table. 

Lazarus, who was sat on Bethany’s other side, leaned forward and hesitantly chimed in. “Y-Yeah. Maggy didn’t find Judas. He just... He just showed up... one day. Knocking on the door. It was weird. He is weird. I... I...” Lazarus paused to look around. “Where... Where is he?” 

Eve wondered whether she should tell the others what had happened that morning. She eventually concluded that she should. 

“I encountered him this morning. He tried to threaten me, but I was able to headbutt him in the face. He got a huge nosebleed from it. I guess I really hurt his pride in doing so. Spent the day in hiding, it seems.” 

Lazarus smiled at this, while Beth seemed slightly concerned. 

“G-G-Good. He can be a real uhhh... dick. He can be a real dick. He used to insult Bethany... and her progress with her... her magic. Just show you won't take his... his... h-his mockery. He’ll back down.” 

“While I think he does overstep...” Bethany had a different sentiment to her brother. “...I don’t think hurting him like that is necessary. It does make him stop, but it also deepens his dislike for you and just alienates him more. Plus... some of his criticisms of my abilities are valid. I know I have a lot of room for improvement, that my magic is weak compared to his...” 

“Beth... don’t say that. His m-magic is a shortcut. A twisted thing that... that is killing him. What you can do... it’s impressive. V-Very impressive. You don’t suffer from... from your use of it, y’know?” 

Bethany smiled, somewhat sadly. “Yeah... I know.” 

There was a fluttering sound as Franklin flew into the room. It seemed like he had learnt the layout of the camp much faster than she did. He landed on the table beside her, and Eve reached over to pet her loyal companion on the head. She picked out a chunk of meat from the stew, before cutting it in half. She passed one half to Franklin. He happily ate it. 

Eve noticed Bethany staring at Franklin. “You have a bird?” She asked, seemingly in disbelief. 

“Yeah? His name is Frank. Wanna feed him?” 

Bethany fell silent as her eyes widened. She eventually recovered from this and replied with an enthusiastic yes. Eve handed the other half of the meat to Bethany. Franklin hopped over to her, and she cautiously reached out with the morsel in hand. Franklin examined it for a couple of seconds, before snatching it out of Bethany's hands, causing the girl to flinch slightly. 

Eve was about to hand Bethany a second chunk to feed Franklin, but Isaac abruptly stood up, causing everyone to fall silent. He stood motionless; his hand raised slightly as if he was about to address a crowd, which Eve supposed he was. 

“Do you hear that?” Isaac asked, after a pause. Eve strained to hear, but eventually she heard a single thud. It was faint, distant. But then there was a second. And a third. Before she heard a fourth, everyone got up from their seats and ran out of the room, aside from Maggy, who walked up to Eve. 

“Just uhh... stay here, please? You’re in no condition to fight.” 

“Fight? Wh-” Maggy didn’t let her finish. She was worried and clearly in a rush much like the others were.  

“No time to explain. Stay here. I’ll be right back.” And with that, Maggy was off too. 

Eve glanced at Franklin, who’s feathers were stood up on end. A sign of danger. Eve heard Cain yell something. It was muffled due to the numerous walls between her and wherever he was, but she could have sworn she heard the word ‘broke’ partway through. Eve had a pretty good idea on what happened.  

She grabbed her crutches as Franklin flew onto her shoulder. She limped her way through the halls towards the sounds of what she presumed to be a fight, the sounds of the residents of the camp and the groans and screams of various creatures blurring together. Eventually, Eve reached the lobby only to see the front door left open. Everyone else was outside. 

She made it to the doorway just as the sounds outside died down. The outer wall had a large gap in it, and her comrades were stood around catching their breaths. Each clutched a weapon, besides Bethany, who was stood beside a couple charred heaps of what used to be gapers. Maggy was stood the closest to the entrance, so Eve approached her. 

“What happened? We were attacked?” She asked, and Maggy turned around to respond. As she did, Eve caught a glimpse of the Globin that was in front of Maggy. It had been beaten into a messy pulp, oozing dark red blood. Maggy’s hands, also covered with the dark blood, gripped a crowbar. 

“I told you... I told you to wait...” Maggy said between breaths. The bottom of her red raincoat had smears of blood on it, but it was hard to tell in the darkness. “You’re lucky we dealt with them... You could have gotten hurt...” 

“It’s not that I can’t fight. Hand me a weapon next time and I’ll join in.” Eve insisted. She did know how to use a bat efficiently, surviving by oneself for years tends to do that to a person. She even had a spiked baseball bat in one of her bags, her pride and joy. 

“You can’t with your leg busted like that -” Maggy began, only to be interrupted by Isaac. 

“There won’t be a next time. They broke through the wall,” He gestured to the large hole in the barrier. “I’ll mend it soon, maybe try and construct a second wall. Once Judas shows that bony face of his for the easy labour...” 

Eve saw Lazarus run over to Bethany, presumably making sure she was okay. Funnily enough, Bethany was in the best state of anyone there, not a scratch or even a bloodstain. Lazarus seemed satisfied a few seconds after reaching her, only for her to start looking at a large wound on his arm. It looked like a bite. Nasty. 

At the same time, Isaac approached Cain, pointing at the lifeless shell of a Knight that Cain had just killed. Cain rolled his eye at whatever it was Isaac told him, before walking over to the Knight. He started dragging the heavy husk inside after him.  

Eve hobbled back inside, alongside Maggy. Eve sat down on the stairs as Maggy announced she was going to take a shower. Eve watched as she tracked dark blood into the lobby, leaving a set of crimson footprints on the tiled floor.  

A minute later, Isaac and Cain had lugged the Knight all the way back to the interior of the camp, with Lazarus and Bethany just behind them. Cain set the shell against the wall before collapsing against the wall next to it, exhausted. Eve examined the Knight, in how it was much bigger than everyone else. One could wear it like a suit of armour with plenty of room. Wait. Surely Isaac wasn’t planning on using it a such? 

Lazarus examined the bite on his arm, bleeding profusely. Bethany whispered to him, begging him not to do something that Eve couldn't properly hear. Lazarus responded, stating that he would die regardless. Rotting Gaper bites were not something you could recover from. She tried to voice her protest once more, but Lazarus simply hugged her and told her he would be fine. She gave in, sitting down on a chair as Isaac and Lazarus went back outside, the former carrying a machete. 

Bethany looked miserable, even when Lazarus re-entered the lobby looking good as new. The blood, the scratches and cuts, and most notably the bite wound, gone. Eve put the pieces together seeing this. Lazarus just died and came back. She watched as he went over to Bethany, presumably to comfort her. Her theory was proven to be correct when Isaac followed Lazarus, his machete covered in fresh blood.

Eve decided to get some rest, a sentiment everyone else seemed to share. She stood up and hobbled back to her room, Franklin still on her shoulder. He flew over to his perch, which had been improved slightly by Isaac earlier that day to better resemble a tree. She placed the crutches next to her bed and pulled out her diary once more. 

Day 4839  

Being hurt like this sucks. There was a Gaper attack today. They broke through the wall. Thankfully the others killed them before they became too much of a problem. But, because of my broken leg, no one let me join in. I also met Judas again this morning. I am pretty sure I broke the fucker’s nose. Trust me when I tell you he deserved it, Jacob. Hopefully he doesn’t try threatening me again. I’ll tell the others if he does. I doubt Cain or Maggy would tolerate it. Also, despite the broken leg, it doesn’t really hurt anymore. I guess it really is just healing quickly, or maybe I got used to the pain again. I don’t know. I’ll see you again tomorrow, Jacob.  

Chapter Text

Eve awoke the next morning. Her leg didn’t hurt anymore. Maybe Maggy’s healing effects were just that good? She still needed the crutches since walking in a cast was difficult, and too much pressure did cause a dull pain throughout her leg. She threw on a different jumper, switching her large black sweater for an equally large, equally black sweater.  

As she hobbled through the camp, she passed through the lobby and glanced out of the open front door. Isaac and Judas stood outside, Isaac with a large blue sheet, gesturing to it to point things out to Judas, who was controlling a large group of Nulls. Like before, the Nulls were dressed comically, each one wearing dark blue overalls and bright yellow hard hats. The black, empty eyed demons were lugging large planks of wood and buckets full of a grey substance back and forth, creating a second large wall, a few metres behind the first, outer wall. The breach from yesterday had already been patched, the planks were a different colour causing the repair to stick out like a sore thumb.  

Eve moved on, but she couldn’t find anyone else. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, she went outside to speak with Isaac and, unfortunately, Judas. Judas must have noticed her in the corner of his eye, as he excused himself and paced over to a Null which had dropped a bucket of the grey liquid, spilling some on the grass. As he began to scold the Null, which stared blankly back at him, Eve approached Isaac.  

“Hey Isaac... Where is everyone?” Isaac jumped slightly at this, spinning around and staring at Eve.  

“Oh! Hello... Didn’t see you there. Everyone? Well, they should be burying Lazarus right now. Bethany likes to hold a funeral each time he dies. It is a waste of time and resources, but we let it happen anyway since it is far less healthy for her to bottle the grief in. Honestly, he could die a million times and she would mourn each and every one of them.” Isaac didn’t speak about the topic as delicately as Maggy did, Eve noticed.  

“I see... Are attacks like this common?” Eve gestured to the recently fixed wall.  

“No, not really? A small horde show up on a bi-monthly basis, but they haven’t caused damage to the walls in ages. A Gurgle likely led the charge this time. Melted straight through the defences.”  

“But putting up a second wall will fix this?”  

“Obviously not, but it gives us more time to react, by either fighting or fleeing, you know?” Eve could see the logic in this argument. When everyone rushed to arms last night, the Gapers had already broken through the wall. A second wall could give more time to ready themselves.  

Eve limped her way over to Judas, who exhaled when she reached him. He turned to face her, naught but contempt in his eyes, betraying the smile on his face.  

“What is it?” He snapped. “I am extremely busy.”  

“Right, listen. I want to say that I am sorry for busting up your nose like that. But I would also like to inform you that pinning someone down to make a point is not a good idea.” Eve watched as Judas’ eyes narrowed at this, admittedly botched, attempt at being polite.  

“Well, maybe you, leech that you are, should find a different group to feed off. I mean, look at you; you’re basically useless. What did you do last night? When the Gapers tore down the wall? Did you grab a weapon and defend the only remotely safe place for miles and miles and miles?”  

“No... but you weren’t there either! You spent all day sulking because of your shattered pride. Do the people you try to intimidate fight back frequently?” Eve took a step closer to Judas as the latter swung out an arm to point to the Nulls repairing the walls.  

“No, I didn’t help then but I am doing so now. I don’t see you rebuilding. I don’t see you fortifying this place further.”  

Eve took another step towards Judas. Honestly, there was something about him that made her fill with rage.

“If my leg wasn’t broken, I’d kick the shit out of you.” Eve threatened as Judas glanced over her shoulder. Isaac was nowhere to be seen, likely having headed back inside.  

“Ah, but it is...” Eve felt a sudden tug from behind. Judas’ shadow once more, no doubt. The abrupt force caused her to lose balance, and as a result fall onto her back into the mud, staining her new sweater. “... and thus, you can’t. Not that it matters, I am still here because I want to be here. Not because they want me.”  

Eve looked back up at Judas after a brief inspection of her clothes and cast. Judas was now stood over her, leaning forwards.   

“Like I told you before, I am here to stay simply because they aren’t strong enough to get me to leave.”  

And with that, Judas abruptly melted away, leaving Eve alone. Even the Nulls had finished their tasks for the time being. She reached for the crutches and hauled herself to her feet. Eve looked at the mud on her clothes and cast, smothering them in an oddly thick brown sludge. She couldn’t see it, but she could definitely feel it clinging to her hair. She glanced up at the sky. The sun was much smaller than usual. It was merely a pinprick of cold white light, that despite the lack of size almost blinded her when she tried to look at it. The grey sky spiralled around it, the clouds being tugged and warped towards it like water swirling around and into a drain.  

With a sigh, Eve turned around and headed back inside. She needed new clothes and to clean herself up. As she limped through the halls, she could hear the sounds of a buzzsaw. It was coming from Isaac’s library-workshop. She assumed he was busy and so that left her by herself to explore. She decided to waste no time as she grabbed some new clothes. An oversized black shirt and a knee-length skirt of the same colour. She wasn’t all too fond of skirts, but the cast made it hard to wear anything else.  

Once Eve had washed the mud out her hair, a process that was comparatively easier than she was used to thanks to running hot water, she decided to go snooping around the storage areas. She hobbled through the halls until she found a set of double doors that were labelled ‘storeroom’. How convenient. The doors were unlocked and so she pushed her way through them, only to be met with a huge space, with many shelving units stacked high with various things. It was amazing. Quite a lot of stuff had been packed into crates, but most of the things closer to the doors were just organised not unlike items in a shop. Eve spotted dozens of tins and packets of dried food on the nearest shelf.  

She wandered through the labyrinth of items, coming to a stop next to an open crate. It was filled with empty bottles of liquor. Eve wasn’t a genius, but she was pretty sure getting drunk in a literal apocalypse was not a good idea. She wondered who had drunk them and decided to place her bets on Cain.   

After a little more inspection, she found an array of cosmetic items. Spare eyepatches and glass eyes, presumably Cain’s, a couple more large red ribbons, not unlike the one Maggy would sometimes rare, but what her eyes gravitated to was a couple of bottles of mascara. Bingo. She didn’t think anyone else would use it, Maggy and especially Bethany didn’t seem like the type to utilise it.  

“Well... maybe Judas would...” She glanced around to make sure he wasn’t lurking nearby. She reckoned the joke would annoy him. Hell, her snooping around their supplies would annoy him.  

She picked the small bottles up, deciding to take some black lipstick next to it. It may be the apocalypse, but if they had room for it, she would happily take pride in her appearance again. Before she could look any further, there were the sounds of conversation approaching. She exited the storeroom and made her way back to the lobby.   

Lazarus, Cain, Maggy and Bethany were stood around, having just returned from burying yet another Lazarus. The former three were having a conversation while Bethany looked thoroughly miserable. Maggy, Cain and Lazarus himself had come to terms with Lazarus’ constant deaths, Bethany had not.  

Eve hobbled over to her while the others went further inside the camp. As Bethany hung her coat up, Eve initiated the conversation.  

“You alright?” It was clunky, and perhaps she could have started off with a better question, but Bethany responded regardless.  

“Yeah... yeah. I’ll be fine.” Bethany avoided eye contact. “I’m like this every time, don’t pay any attention to me. I get over it. I always do.”  

“Well... I’m worried for you. Lazarus always comes back to life, I’m sure. But... I guess I would be devastated if someone I loved died.” Eve’s train of thought stopped when she said this. Jacob. Jacob died. “I... I was devastated when someone like that died.”  

“Thanks... but... what happens-” Bethany looked like she was about to start crying. “What happens if he doesn’t? What happens when he one day dies and doesn’t come back? What if, when he died, I just let it happen? If he died because I let him, I might as well have murdered him myself. I know it might not happen... but what if it does?”  

Eve wasn’t sure how to respond to this. Eve had experienced great loss at the start of this, she didn’t know of anyone who didn't, but she had been so lonely ever since and never had to worry about losing anyone else. Should she talk about Jacob? She doubted it would be the same. At least the pain of losing him had passed. Once he died, that was it, he was dead. But Bethany with Lazarus? She was likely living in constant anxiety, mourning a death that hasn’t happened yet. It seemed like an agonising and unique torture.  

“I... When Ja... What I mean to say is...” Eve wasn’t really sure she could put what she meant to say into words. She was in a limbo, understanding Bethany’s plight, but unable to grasp just how painful it could be. “Is... Is this something you think about often?” Eve already knew the answer.  

“Yeah... I do my best to forget. But each time he dies, it feels like I died as well, you know? We have some alcohol in the back, I used to have some on the nights where it got too hard but...” She gave a weak smile, “... I stopped once I almost burnt this place down...”  

Eve was about to talk about Jacob, mentally preparing for the emotional rant she knew was coming, but she was interrupted. Footsteps approached from behind her, and Bethany turned away, wiping the tears that were starting to gather in the corners of her eyes. Eve turned to see Lazarus approaching, clearly concerned.  

Bethany turned back, her eyes dried and a smile on her face. It didn’t fool Eve, and it was obvious it didn’t fool Lazarus. He pulled her into a hug, and after a moment she tightly hugged back. “I’ve said it before, Beth...” Lazarus began, “And I’ll say it again. I’m not going anywhere.” The pair separated, Lazarus moving his hands up and onto Bethany’s shoulders.  

“B-But...”  

“I’ll always be here for you, okay? I always have been, no matter what. Not even death can stop me from looking after you.” Eve noted the clarity of which he said this, no stuttering or stalling, it seemed as though he had no problems talking to Bethany in moments like these. Eve decided to leave the pair alone, turning and limping away.  

She made her way back into her room. She had gotten partially used to the schedule, and as a result she knew there were a few hours before lunch. Of course, the schedule didn’t mean all that much, since hardly anyone stuck to it. Maggy slept for a couple of hours every few days and so was doing stuff up and down the camp constantly. Eve had expressed concern multiple times at this, but Maggy would brush it off time and time again. Similarly, Judas was absent from most of the gatherings, but Eve had no qualms about this. The less she saw of that creep the better.  

Seeing nothing else to do, she retrieved the notebook Isaac had handed to her a couple of days prior. Isaac’s handwriting was rather neat. It felt like he was good at everything. Lucky him. She flicked through the pages, coming to a stop upon seeing detailed illustrations of various bipedal monsters. Each diagram had a small paragraph, detailing crucial information on each one.  

The page she ended up on read:  

“Gapers. By far the most common type of monster post-Revelation, they are the result of the extensive transformations that were applied to millions, if not billions, of unfortunate humans. There are many sub-species of Gaper, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and their own behaviours. They vary from easy to dispose of to highly dangerous. Below I have listed all the ones me and my compatriots have come across, with sufficient proof of their existence, of course.  

Gapers – By far the most common sub-species. Soft and weak, their strength lies in their high population density, especially in cities where they can form hordes that can reach millions strong. Mass migration has been witnessed multiple times, thankfully none of which has happened nearby. They are nocturnal and exhibit a low tolerance to bright light and extreme temperatures, high or low. They are edible and are fairly nutritious. 

Knights – Somewhat common sub-species. Their skin has calcified into thick, durable plating, hence the name. Their only weak spot is the exposed brain on the back of their head, even a light blow is enough to cripple them as a result. Unlike standard Gapers, Knights are much more active in the day, resting during the night. Their flesh is the same as Gapers, but due to their shell we have deemed it too much of a chore to extract. Further study of the bone plating could prove useful. Perhaps it could be fashioned into an armour of sorts? 

Globins – Exceedingly rare, Globins lack any and all skeletal structure, composed of red liquified tissue that has a high viscosity, akin to melted wax. Physical trauma has little effect on them due to a high regeneration factor, however extensive damage will kill them. They are deceivingly fast and exhibit above average hearing. Their heightened sense of hearing compensates for their poor eyesight, as they seem to rely more on detecting movement rather than focusing on images. Active during the day, however they are also frequently active during night. Their meat is completely indigestible, and while not inherently toxic, it is not fit for consumption. 

Gurgles – Rather rare, but extremely useful. They possess a light green hue and a definite bone structure. They are covered in a thin film of foul, green liquid. They constantly emit a corrosive and highly volatile bile which they can weaponize through long-range projectile vomit. The bile is highly flammable, and when diluted can be used as a fuel not unlike gasoline. They are astoundingly rare in cities, residing more in marshlands and wetter areas of the countryside. They are only active during the day, no one has reported one during the night thus far. Their flesh is mildly toxic and acts as an irritant, even when cooked. It causes nausea and vomiting when consumed, and according to Lazarus, has a distinctly foul taste. 

Rotting Gapers – Second most common sub-species, following the regular Gapers. As the name suggests, they have entered a sustained but late stage of decomposition, highly reminiscent of a zombie. Frequently exhibit peeling grey or green skin, exposing the tattered muscle tissue and fractured bones beneath. They lack pupils or irises, and tests have shown they are completely blind. Despite this, similar to Globins, they are very quick and highly sound sensitive. They swarm in large groups, not unlike regular gapers. This taken into account, our current theory states that this is a natural state in a Gaper’s life cycle, likely post-mortem. Yet to be seen in cities, but if the theory is true, there is no reason why this is the case. Perhaps a lack of data. Their flesh is highly toxic, and cooking has no effect. Lazarus has found it to be fatal, causing sudden and widespread organ failure 2-4 hours after consumption. DO NOT CONSUME. 

Drowned Gapers – Not too common, but still frequently encountered. They have very little to distinguish themselves from regular Gapers, aside from blue skin and the lack of needing to breathe. They frequently hibernate within mud and silt and are extremely common in wet areas or near bodies of water. They are extremely fast swimmers, and their bodies are slightly bloated with water. Interestingly, they are commonly found near Rotting Gapers; perhaps they undergo a faster rate of decomposition? Their flesh is not dissimilar to regular Gapers but is notably softer.”  

Eve paused her reading. None of these creatures documented so far were unfamiliar to her, she had been surviving just as long as Isaac had, obviously. But she was not aware of several facts and titbits, such as the indigestibility of Globin flesh. Not that she ever had planned to try it. On that note, why did every entry comment on the edibility of them? Eve could understand wanting to know more about them, and that food could be scarce at times, but seriously? Eve shook her head as she continued to read the journal.  

“Twitchies - Extremely rare. Not sure if this is a Gaper sub-species, as it also bears heavy resemblance to Trites (see page 58 for more information on Spider sub-species). Perhaps there was a genetic mix-up somewhere down the line. They heavily resemble Rotting Gapers but seem to have fully functional vision. It should be noted the four legs jutting out of their skulls are fully functional, and are frequently used for scaling surfaces, sprinting and leaping longer distances. Thanks to an unfortunate combination of their rarity and their dexterity, we have yet to successfully kill one. As a result, we know little of its internal anatomy and the composition of its flesh.  

Begottens – The rarest sub-species we can definitively say exists, with only myself, Maggy and Judas having borne witness to one. This may be in part to their ability to turn invisible for short periods of time. They have black skin and a pair of bull horns, giving it an overtly demonic appearance. Despite having no visible increase in muscle mass when compared to Gapers, they boast unnatural physical strength. Perhaps even stronger than Knights. Similar to Twitchies, mentioned above, we know almost nothing about internal anatomy and what allows them to gain invisibility. 

Flagellants – Rare. Interestingly, these are the only Gaper sub-species to exhibit higher intelligence. They utilise clothing and weaponry, and despite an insatiable bloodlust, they are capable of planning ahead. They are extensively mutilated, frequently missing body parts such as a forearm or jaw. Likely self-inflicted, as the wounds are different between specimens. This, along with their weapon of choice – a whip resembling a cat-o-nine-tails – is where they get their name. They are extremely violent and are best avoided. Their internal anatomy is like that of a Gaper, but they have a full skeleton also. 

Hushed Gaper – Going to be honest, we have no definitive proof of such a creature existing. Only Cain claims to have seen one, in any capacity. After a routine scavenging and looting run, Cain alleged he was stalked by a dark blue Gaper lacking in eyes or a mouth. Apparently, he was able to lose it. Personally, I believe it to be a wounded or deformed Drowned Gaper with an abnormal, darker blue skin tone. Either way, we do not possess enough information to write anything other than speculation.”  

Okay, these were fairly new to her. She had heard of some of them, mentioned by the other members of the camp, but she had yet to see any of them in person, thankfully. Eve flicked a few pages along, looking at the various sketches of monsters. Clotties, Swarm Flies, Spitties, Fatties, Cohorts, Bishops and Hosts. All twisted and vile creatures, some familiar and some new.  

Eve spent the next few hours reading from Isaac’s notes, it was mostly just monsters the group had observed, but there were also maps of the local area. There were two cities in the approximate vicinity of the camp, the closest was the one Maggy found Eve in. The other, while still close compared to other cities, was quite far. About 6 or 7 times further than the closest one, assuming the map was accurate.  

Eve continued with the journal. The penultimate chapter focused on Them. Eve remembered what They looked like, Their twisted forms had permanently burnt Themselves into her mind, into the minds of everyone. Seeing Them drawn in the notebook hurt her in a way she couldn’t describe, as if even looking at a depiction of Them caused her insides to churn with some primordial fear. It appeared to effect Isaac in a similar way, as the drawings were less detailed when compared to everything else in the journal. It was as if he drew them one quick, messy line at a time, likely unable to bear thinking about them in his mind’s eye while drawing them.  

Each boasted eyeless sockets and twisted teeth, Their deformities unique but equally grotesque. One was shrivelled and disembowelled, the other having a distended stomach, sagging down to its knees. Another was a bulging mass of crimson flesh, the bloated muscles attempting to rip their way out of the raw, red skin. The last was little more than a skeleton wrapped in tattered robes. Looking at them now, it was clear how they were able to decimate humanity the way they did.  

Each one of Them was a walking wasteland, destroying the world around Them passively. The ground shook with each step, Their presence could be felt tens of miles away, instilling that deep rooted fear the closer They got. She couldn’t imagine what those in The Oasis had felt, knowing that They were on their way, but not enough time to do anything.  

She turned the page, and on it was a depiction of The Oasis, as described by Judas. It was vast, a city that had been reinhabited and fortified. It boasted huge, effective walls and guard posts on the outside, shielding it from all kinds of monsters. Even Flagellants, Twitchies and Begottens had no chance of breaching it. Within, millions of people had found shelter, taking all kinds of roles to form a society of sorts. Eve read Isaac’s notes on the matter.  

“Before reading this entry, it should be known that most of this information has been given to us by Judas, and some of it is mere legend. I have no actual experience with this place, its life and its death. Regardless, I deem it necessary to keep records of it, even if it is just to preserve the memory of those who fell trying to defend it.  

The Oasis was a settlement of roughly 7 million people from all backgrounds. Founded mere months after The Revelation by a man known by the name Apollyon, it was the first and only one of its kind. The people were united, allowing for them to be safe from the dangers of the world. A huge variation in experience and knowledge allowed for it to become self-sustaining, containing acres of fertile land; a rare commodity after The Revelation. About a year after its founding, The Oasis suddenly grew in size, the sudden growth causing the population of 3000 to balloon into over a million. It continued to grow over the next 9 years, and every survivor across the wastelands knew of its existence. Many sought it out, and the population reached a staggering 7 million at the height of its success. 

The Oasis housed all kinds of people, and even had its own miniature army. It broke the confines of the city it was originally based in, spanning several cities as its reign continued. Monsters were a non-threat as a result. They welcomed any and all travellers for temporary or permanent residence, and it allowed for a new generation to begin in the world due to the relative safety of it. A new generation of survivors, who never knew what the world before was like. I can’t tell if such a thing is a blessing or a curse. They will never see a clear blue sky on a sunny day, nor experience a proper life in any regard. However, they will never know what they missed out upon, this struggle will be all they ever know. A twisted mercy, if you ask me. 

One would imagine the downfall of a titan like this to be slow. Perhaps a civil war, or too much strain on limited resources. However, neither of these was the case. The downfall of The Oasis was swift, the entire thing burned to the ground in a couple of hours. They had found out about The Oasis. And although tale of it had spread, many were careful of not revealing its exact location. Only vague hints. As a result, I never found it, although to be honest, I never really tried. It sounded nice on paper, but I had already met Maggy by then and I decided it best to not seek it out. I made the right decision. If we had been present for the downfall, I would not be writing this entry. 

They found out the location of The Oasis, and the moment They did, They attacked. The survivors there had very little time before Their arrival. Some stayed and fought, fully knowing the futility of it. Maybe they thought they could slow Them down, buy time for the friends and family retreating? Either way, it was in vain. They ripped through the army with no problems, and They moved on to flatten The Oasis beneath Their terrible weight. The four of Them then hunted down the millions that fled with brutal efficiently. Judas claims that the only people to escape the carnage and the death was those who could teleport away somehow. That was how he escaped, by fleeing just as They breached the wall. In total, it is believed there were four survivors of the massacre. 

Perhaps one day we could venture out, find the ruins of that legendary place. 2 years have passed at the writing of this entry, so the ruins could have been reinhabited by a skeleton crew, but it would take a lot of courage for someone to live there after what happened.”  

Judging by that last statement, the entry had been written almost a year ago. Eve wondered if Isaac had visited it since the entry’s creation. She didn’t think so, but it would’ve been nice to do so eventually. She wanted to see it too.  

However, the most interesting part was a chapter at the end. It detailed each other member in the camp. Their abilities, their tales, and their lives before The Revelation. She started reading about Maggy.  

“Magdalene. Prefers to be called Maggy. She has a mild regenerative factor, and this effect seems to extend to other nearby people. Wounds heal much faster than normally, between 5 and 10 times, depending on the severity of said wounds. More severe injuries tend to heal proportionally faster. However, there are limits, as proven with Cain. More specifically, her passive ability only works on wounds that can heal. Injuries that would not heal by itself – Cain's eye and foot – do not heal fully. The scar tissue will appear faster, however. The effect is amplified further for Maggy herself, counteracting her sleep deprivation and alcohol abuse.  

She is a heavy alcoholic. While I would not usually condone such a thing, especially in the midst of an apocalypse, it is the only sort of relaxation she gets, and so we tolerate it. Of course, this requires a reliable supply of alcohol, usually gained from scavenging runs from Cain. However, I have recently attempted to produce some myself, to mixed results. Lazarus’s testing has shown I have a long way to go for it to be safe to consume. 

As mentioned earlier, Maggy does not sleep or relax regularly. She sleeps a few hours a week and spends almost every waking hour working. She frequently leaves the camp for scavenging runs, clocking in the third most hours, behind Cain and Judas. She has a knack for finding new people on said runs, with every camp member, barring Judas, being introduced via her...”  

Eve noticed the next sentence was written in a slightly lighter colour of ink, suggesting a more recent addition.  

“... She brought in another potential member with a broken leg this week. The trend continues.  

She is medically trained, and according to her she has a medical background as a trainee paramedic before The Revelation. As all this suggests, she is vital to the survival of our group. She claims to be from abroad, being trapped here while on holiday when The Revelation occurred. She also claims to have no immediate family, even before The Revelation. Whether this is true or not, like with all the information she has given me, I cannot be sure. Perhaps it is just another one of her attempts to make people not worry about her. 

She founded the camp alongside me 9 years ago, after a close encounter with a Begotten. Similar situations have occurred with my compatriots, as stated above. This leaves an almost 2-year gap between the year following The Revelation to meeting with me. I have attempted to draw what happened out of her, both while sober and drunk, but she has given me nothing. All that I know is that she is not proud of that point in time, and so while I have my guesses, I have decided not to press any further.”  

Oh. So, the alcohol was Maggy’s. Eve was glad Isaac had the same stance on said alcoholism that she did. But she could understand that she likely had good enough reason, Isaac made it sound like Maggy was practically carrying them on her back. A sentiment Eve agreed with, on account of the cast on her leg.  

Next on the proverbial chopping block was Cain.  

“Cain. Possesses supernatural luck. Easiest to observe in games of chance. I have not once seen him lose a game where chance is the deciding factor, even when he is intentionally trying to lose. Of course, this is does not protect ludicrous, impossible claims, such as predicting a 7 on a 6-sided dice. However, on numerous occasions, the dice ended up landing on a corner or against a ledge, leaving an inconclusive outcome.   

This luck seems to extend to scavenging as well. Items Cain brings back are typically almost entirely functional or exhibiting minimal damage despite their age. As a result, Cain leaves for scavenging runs the most out of any of us at the camp. His strength and combat efficiency also contribute to this. 

Cain is an adrenaline junkie, suffice to say. He enjoys combat, rarely taking fights seriously unless he gets hurt. Despite this, he is our best melee fighter. He is also very talented at lockpicking and over all breaking and entering various places. Concerningly so. 

Similar to Maggy, Cain refuses to give me a full rundown of his past. Specifically, his pre-Revelation life. His skillset suggests a less than honest lifestyle, perhaps a thief or other form criminal. Due to his caginess, I know little about his life before The Revelation. However, I suppose that doesn’t really matter. One of the few good parts of the world ending is that our old lives ended with it. If he took the chance to start fresh, without the burden of past crimes, I can respect that. Of course, this led to distrust when he first joined the camp about 6, almost 7 years ago. But, regardless of the origins of his skill, it is skill nonetheless.  

Maggy brought him to our camp in critical condition. A close encounter with a group of Gurgles had caused an explosion, burning off half of his face and maiming one of his feet. While the face healed over with scar tissue, his eye was damaged beyond. Similarly, one of his feet were saved but the other was a lost cause. As a result, we amputated it, and I constructed a temporary prosthesis. Shortly after I created a permanent metal one, which is still in use today.  

Post-Revelation, Cain claims to have been a bounty-hunter of sorts. Calling it that is a stretch – he was more of a hired muscle – but in either case he didn’t have much of an allegiance to anyone. Like Maggy, he dropped whatever he was a few years later when the chaos finally died down. He claims to have travelled a bit more after that, not really having a goal or purpose. He is probably the most travelled of any of us. Apparently, he even passed by The Oasis once, years before it fell. He didn’t stay but seeing it at all is honestly impressive.”  

Below was a blueprint of Cain’s metal foot. Eve wasn’t an engineer, not by a long shot, but it looked fairly complicated. It had numerous joints, akin to a real foot, and not some rigid peg-leg style appendage like Eve was expecting. Especially with Cain’s mild pirate motif.  

Also, Eve didn’t know a single person who hadn’t broken the laws of the old world at some point since The Revelation. Granted, she didn’t know many people full stop, but her point still stood. Cain being a potential thief didn’t bother her as much as it seemingly did for Isaac, initially at least. Thankfully, he seemed to be firmly on their side now.  

“Bethany possesses the ability to utilise magic. Unlike our other resident magic user, she utilises a less potent, less dangerous arcane ability. While it manifests primarily as pyromancy, we suspect that her abilities could extend far beyond just that. She is in possession of a book, titled the Book of Virtues, which is written in an unknown script. Despite both my and Judas’s attempts to decode it, neither of us can successfully decipher a single word. Bethany, however, can decipher it, albeit with difficulty. As a result, the book remains in her possession. I would imagine it contains a great deal of useful spells, similar to Judas’s book, The Book of Belial. It should be noted Judas’s book is much easier to decipher.  

Lazarus has ressurective immortality. That is to say, he can respawn upon death. There seems to be no limit to the number of times he can do this, and each respawn heals any and all wounds he has at the time of death. As one would imagine, he is extremely useful to have around, from live bait to a test subject for new foods. His ability doesn’t need much further explaining, it is as simple as it is powerful. 

Lazarus is 6 years older than his sister, and according to them, looked after her when the world collapsed. Bethany is the youngest member of our camp, being 9 years old at the time of The Revelation. Due to surviving together for so long, they have developed an extreme co-dependency on one another, caring about one another more than themselves. This became more apparent when Maggy brought the pair of them in four years ago. Lazarus feels indebted to us, even now, simply because Maggy cured a potentially fatal ailment Bethany was struggling with. 

Bethany is rather naive and trusting, and Lazarus is almost completely spineless. A pair of complete pushovers. Of course, while this is true, Lazarus can stand up for himself (well, stand up for Bethany at least). As mentioned before, they are each other’s emotional crutches, always ready to help or comfort the other. They clock in the same number of hours of scavenging, as would be expected since they only ever go together. It should be noted Bethany despises Lazarus’s constant death. She fears his lives will be limited, and one day he will not come back. While I understand such a worry, I believe this fear to be unfounded; Lazarus has died hundreds, perhaps even thousands of times with no alteration to the process. We have dedicated an area off site to be a graveyard of sorts, allowing Bethany to bury every instance of Lazarus in one place. She mourns them all as if they were the last incarnations of him. 

One of Lazarus’s talents, which we came to learn shortly after his arrival at the camp, is his culinary ability. He is an exceptional cook, and thus quickly became the resident chef. He also frequently tests new foods, since any negative effects can be brushed off with yet another death. 

Before The Revelation, the two lived an unceremonious middle-class life. Bethany was a child and Lazarus was a teenager, and thus were both in education when the world fell apart. They were orphaned in the lead up to The Revelation, claimed by the plagues. They spent a large amount of time by themselves after, although they did sometimes group up with other survivors. Lazarus, of course, would frequently have his useful ability abused by whoever he was with. I cannot blame people for this; it is something we do also. Bethany would often convince him to leave said group once she couldn’t stand him dying so much at their hands. I am not completely sure as to why she hasn’t left us, but I have a strong suspicion it is due to Lazarus feeling indebted to us. 

I suppose I could blame their lack of social skill in general due to their slight isolation afterwards. They had very little interaction with others, aside from the groups I just mentioned. This is where they differ from Cain, Maggy, Judas and me; we frequently came across other people in the chaos that followed The Revelation. Regardless, we are lucky to have the both of them with us now.”  

Their story didn’t seem too different from Eve’s. Children in the apocalypse, spending years by themselves and having unpleasant experiences with the few people they did come across. At least they had each other. Eve flicked forwards a little. Judas was next. How fun. But before she could get into his entry, she heard footsteps approaching her door.  

Chapter Text

After a moment, the source of the footsteps came into view. It was Maggy, and although the two made eye contact as she stood in the open doorway, she still decided to knock upon the doorframe. Eve rolled her eyes and placed the book down on the bed next to her.

“What?”

“Lunch will be served soon. You hungry?”

“I mean, I gu-” Eve wasn’t allowed to finish.

“Also! How is your leg?”

“It doesn't hurt anymore, I suppose. Don’t know if that means it is healed or what.”

“Probably not. But it is a good sign. Anyway, yes, lunch! Lazarus cooking, you know the drill.” Maggy paused frowning.

“... what is it?” Eve was a little disturbed by Maggy’s abrupt pause. From what Eve knew about her, such an afterthought could be completely innocuous and innocent, or some Earth-shattering revelation which could prove vital.

“Technically it’s dinner.” Oh, it was the innocuous type. “The sun set half an hour ago. Quick day. You know where the uhhhh... eating place is. I’ll meet you there! I have to go get Isaac. He hasn’t left his workshop library thingy all day.”

Before Eve could say anything else, Maggy was gone. She grabbed her crutches and made her way into the hallway. There was a flutter as Franklin flew after her, landing on her shoulder. She hobbled down the hall, slowly making her way to the dining room. Although her leg no longer hurt, she still avoided walking on the cast just in case. Not like it would be easy to walk in either, since the cast kept her from bending her knee.

She made her way into the dining room where Cain, Judas and Bethany were already seated. Each had a spare seat on either side of them, so Eve took the closest, which was next to Cain.

“Hey Eve!” Cain turned to her as she took a seat. She sat to his left, the same side as his scars.

“Hello. I have a question, Cain.” She watched him raise the eyebrow of his good eye. He turned to face her fully; it was relatively hard to maintain eye contact with the position he was in prior.

“Ask away!”

“I noticed there were some glass eyes, do you use them?” Eve assumed someone wouldn’t need both a collection of eyepatches and glass eyes, but then again, she wasn’t in need of either.

“Yep! Using one right now actually.” Cain lifted his eyepatch, revealing an eye inside the socket. It sported a slightly different colouration in the iris, both were blue, but his real eye was darker. She doubted custom eyes could be fashioned in the apocalypse.

“Ok, but why use both? Surely, it must be uncomfortable.” Cain laughed in response, as if the answer was obvious.

“Because it looks fucking cool! Sure, I don’t need both, but eyepatches are sick! Right?” Eve didn’t know what else to expect. “Besides, I guess I got pretty lucky when I found one that mostly fits.”

Maggy and Isaac both entered the room, Maggy in lead. As she sat between Bethany and Judas, Isaac sat between Eve and Judas. He leaned over to look at Cain.

“Cain! I’ll need your help with something soon. There’s a new project I’m working on, and I’ll need you to model it for me.”

“Model?” Cain seemed curious as to what it was. And honestly, so was Eve.

“Model.” Isaac confirmed, still cryptic.

“Okay...? Sure thing.”

After a few seconds of silence, it was Bethany’s turn to speak up. Her tone was quiet and seemed almost nervous.

“It happened again... Last night, I mean.”

Eve watched as everyone else exchanged glances. Even Judas raised an eyebrow at Bethany. They seemed to know what she was talking about, but of course, Eve didn’t.

“What? What happened?” Asked Eve.

“Every so often... I hear something. Like some weird voice talking to me, usually when I am about to go to sleep. It is hard to make out what it is saying most of the time, so I can only figure out a few words.”

“What did it say?” Maggy asked Bethany. Bethany began to explain that it was something involving the word “Statue”, but Eve was distracted by Isaac leaning in to whisper to her.

“This has been happening for a couple of months now.” He said, too quiet for Bethany to hear. “Personally, I think that she has finally snapped, you know? Some sort of delusion caused by stress?”

Eve didn’t think the idea of some weird ghost or spirit trying to contact Bethany was too outlandish. It could just be a hallucination, but it wasn’t impossible to be some sort of entity. Isaac leant back in his chair as Bethany finished giving Maggy, Cain and Judas an account of what she heard.

Eventually, Lazarus entered the room from the kitchen. Judas snapped his fingers and a few seconds later a group of Nulls followed Lazarus. Eve still hadn’t gotten used to them, their empty gazes were unnerving, despite how silly they were dressed. Each carried a plate or two, totalling seven, one for each person sat around the table. Lazarus sat beside his sister, and she told him what she had just told the others.

Eve looked down at the meal placed in front of her. It was another stew of some description, this time a deep crimson. Despite its appearance, she assumed that it was not simply a bowl of blood. At least, she hoped it wasn’t. She was about to eat a spoonful of the red stew, but something landed next to her on the table. It was a transparent plastic bag, full of various seeds.

Franklin chirped happily as Eve glanced up, only to see Lazarus giving Eve a thumbs up. Looks like Franklin was getting his own meals now, too. Eve opened the bag and poured a small pile of seeds on the table beside her, and Franklin gladly tucked in.

Eve looked around as everyone else started to eat. Maggy and Cain were discussing something as they ate, as were Lazarus and Bethany. Eve noticed that Maggy was trembling slightly. Probably just the sleep deprivation, she concluded. No one else seemed to notice or care, so she left it alone also.

Once dinner was over, Eve went to bed. She wasn’t all that tired, but the sun had long since set at that point and Maggy did advise her to rest as much as possible, so she decided to give sleeping a shot. But, like usual, she grabbed her diary and jotted down another entry.

Day 4840

Jacob, I’ve been thinking. What keeps these other survivors together? They are all so different and yet the same. I suppose I fit that description too. All kinds of different people and backgrounds, yet they all work together so well. Aside from Judas, that is. I haven’t a clue as to what his problem is. Maybe they need each other? I understand strength in numbers, and the range of abilities they possess is impressive, but they seem to be more like a family? Weird. I have found myself feeling like I should join them. A more permanent arrangement, you know? Sorry, I’m rambling. See you tomorrow, Jacob.

Once more Eve awoke early. She hobbled down the stairs, leaving her sleeping pet in her room. She could hear movement in Isaac’s library-workshop as she passed by. Seems like she wasn’t the first one to wake up this time. She knocked on the door, and after a few seconds of waiting, the door opened a little and Isaac poked his head out.

“Oh! Hello Eve! You’re up early!”

“I mean, I am more of a morning person, I guess.”

“Cool. So am I. And Maggy technically is as well, as in she doesn’t sleep. She is awake right now, in fact. Although...” Isaac sucked in air between his teeth.

“Although what?”

Isaac chuckled. “You’ll see. She is in the games room, probably.”

And with a smile, Isaac ducked back into his room, closing the door. Eve wondered what he could have meant, but she did have an idea. She grabbed her crutches and made her way over to the room in question. The door was slightly ajar.

Eve opened it a little more and peeked inside. Maggy was slumped in a chair, staring at the wall blankly. There was a bottle on the ground beside her. Yep. Eve knew it. Suddenly, Maggy turned her head to look at Eve. Maggy’s face had more colour than it usually did, her cheeks slightly flushed.

“Oh... hi....” She said, attempting to get out of her chair. She stumbled forward slightly and staggered towards Eve.

“Hi. What are you doing?”

“Nothing much... Y’know, Eve... What... What are you doing?” Maggy came to a stop, leaning on a wall.

“You’re drunk.” Eve said matter-of-factly.

“Huh? I... I mean...” Maggy sighed. “...Yeah... It has been a while... So, I.... Uh....”

Eve wasn’t all that impressed as Maggy completely lost her train of thought. Maggy was only partially coherent when sober, Eve could only imagine how difficult it would be for her to get her ideas across when drunk. Eve wasn’t all too sure how to react to all this, eventually deciding to get Maggy sitting down again, seeing her slumped against the wall was mildly anxiety inducing since she could easily fall over.

“Ok Maggy, first off, would you mind sitting back down before you get hurt?” Eve did her best to lead Maggy back to the chair. A difficult task, given her leg and the fact Maggy was larger than her. Eventually, she got Maggy back in the chair, and Eve pulled up a new one and sat opposite her.

“I… Sorry you had to walk in on… on this. Not really a good experience, huh?”

“No, I knew you had a drinking problem. And it’s okay. I read Isaac’s notes, and is this really the only time you relax?”

“I guess…? It’s an old habit…”

“Old? Like pre-Revelation old?”

“No… I started when I… uh.. It started…” Maggy, intentionally or not, seemed to lose track of what she was saying. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she looked back up to Eve. “It was uhh….”

Eve remained quiet, patiently waiting for Maggy to continue.

“Not… the worst thing? There were more severe things… To get addicted to. I think - I hope - my liver heals enough to keep me going? Alcohol was also more than enough to… more common enough…”

Maggy let out a heavy sigh. Eve decided, after a bit, to try and push a little.

“So, when did it start? Was it-”

“After… After the Revelation. I was… young… stupid… desperate… everything was stressful. I… lived a not so good life? I guess? Alcohol was a nice way out… I stopped after…” Maggy interrupted.

“After what?”

“Lilly…”

Eve couldn’t recall a ‘Lilly’ in any of Isaac’s notes. “Who? Who’s Lilly?”

Maggy blinked slowly, slouching a little more. She seemed tired. She always looked tired, but being drunk looked like it made her give in to it. Eve watched Maggy yawn, before she tried to stand up.

“Maggy?”

“Hmm?” Maggy began to stagger to the door. “Tired…”

Eve watched as Maggy left, leaning on the walls as support. There was a muffled, slurred greeting from Maggy as she started to stumble upstairs. More footsteps approached, and Isaac peeked his head around the door.

“Lilly… I think she was a friend of hers?”

Eve blinked. “You were listening?”

Isaac walked into the room, shrugging with mock innocence. He took a seat in the chair Maggy was in earlier. “Eh, I listen to a lot of things.”

Eve was about to say something about how eavesdropping is kind of rude, but Isaac continued talking.

“Found an interesting thing a few days back. The Gaper raid. I think we have found a new mutation.” His last comment was delivered with a sing-song voice. He seemed way too excited about the idea of another monster that could kill them.

“Oh? What does it look like? What does it do?”

“I have been workshopping names… Flesh Maiden is my favourite so far. The specimen is not in good shape, I don’t know how it moves or attacks either. It was hit by a Gurgle and is kind of… melted. The individual body parts don’t belong to the same creatures, either. Looks stitched together. I’ll show everyone else later today. Doubt a scavenging run would be viable for a bit so they’ll all be in…”

“Huh? Why?” Eve had thoughts on everything else too, but that was what caught her attention. She wondered what it must look like for such a name. It sounded spiky but a little fleshy. Duh.

“East. Huge fucking cloud. Black as coal. Could be a nasty storm rolling in. Probably will hit us about midday if I’m correct.”

“But we will still be safe here, right?” Eve just wanted to clarify. Isaac scoffed.

“You act like you have never been in a storm before. It happens all the time. Worst case, An exterior wall or two gets blown down by the wind. Nothing we can’t fix.”

Eve thought about this. She had seen some awful storms, and she doubted that this would be the worst she had seen. But the weather was only part of the problem. Not being able to see or hear with howling winds and thick sleet made it way too dangerous to travel. Not to mention that it was hard to stay warm and dry if you were caught outside in one. Fires sometimes refused to start, even in dry weather. She fucking hated this world sometimes.

“Isaac…” Eve began, after a moment or two of thinking to herself, “I was reading your journal earlier.”

“Oh? I mean, one tends to do that. Not much else to do with a journal than to read it… Well. I mean, you could write in it. Or burn it. Or-” Isaac glanced at Eve, before nodding. “Forget it, continue.”

“There was no entry for you. I know some stuff about the others, save Judas and yourself. Mind filling in that blank for me?”

Isaac’s eyes lit up slightly. “Me? Right. It’s my journal so I never really wrote about… huh… Well… I was a mechanic before the Revelation. Cars and their engines aren’t really all that useful anymore, most fuels decay into varnish after a while… The generator outside is rigged to use Gurgle bile by design. I… wandered around for a bit, you know. Met some people. Good people, bad people. There isn’t too much of a difference. Just different levels of pragmatic-ness… pragmatism? Some people are willing to go to further lengths.”

Eve simply nodded. She was well aware of this concept. She doubted anyone wasn’t. She remained quiet as Isaac got off of this tangent.

“But I never really fully agreed with any of those groups. Peaceful groups would get themselves killed by violent groups. Violent groups would get themselves killed by other violent groups, and, in turn, they would get killed by monsters or their fellow man. I met Maggy while bouncing between groups. She had abandoned a way of life, or something to that effect. She never told me what, but I have an idea or two. Regardless, we decided to stick together. Then Cain, Lazarus, Bethany were dragged in by Maggy, and Judas just fucking showed up one day. Other people come and go, we have had a couple of people stop by for a week, only to then move on. Some people just prefer to be alone, I guess.”

Isaac paused once more, his eyes narrowing at Eve. “Eve… which type of person are you, huh?”

“I… don’t know. We’ll see, I guess. Once this cast is off, I mean.”

“Hmm… But yeah. This group is… odd. The people in it are odd. We all have reasons we are together, and we all have reasons why we continue on in a world as fucked as this one. You included, I’m sure. And for that, if you have no intention of stabbing us in the back, you’re welcome to join us. Consider this your formal invitation to join us, heh. Now… If you don’t mind me…” Isaac stood up and stretched. “I need to make sure that Maggy doesn’t choke on her own vomit, ha ha.”