plain.
Old. Wooden. A roof that had caved in on one side. A barn in the back, barely standing.
And inside, a blue glow.
Alex studied it through binoculars. "Four survivors," he said. "Two in the house. Two in the barn."
"Armed?" Sarah asked.
"Hard to tell. No visible weapons."
"That doesn't mean they're not armed."
"Agreed."
He lowered the binoculars. "Same play. I approach alone. Sarah, you cover from the RV. Jade, the roof. Maya, the barn entrance."
"And if they're hostile?" Cole asked.
"Then we deal with it."
---
Alex walked toward the farmhouse.
Tire iron in hand. Visible but not raised.
The front door was open.
He stepped inside.
The living room was empty. Dusty furniture. A fireplace with cold ash. And in the corner, the blue crate.
A woman stood beside it. Middle-aged. Gray hair. Kind eyes.
"You're Alex Chen," she said.
"I am."
"Your mother told me you'd come."
Alex's heart stopped. "You knew my mother?"
"Everyone knew Elena." The woman smiled. "My name's Margaret. I was part of her crew. Before Vera. Before all of this."
"Then you know about Zero Mile."
"I know it's the end. I know she's there. And I know you're the only one who can save her."
"Why me?"
"Because you're her son. Because you have her blood. Because the system recognizes you." Margaret gestured to the crate. "This is for you. Open it."
Alex crouched beside the crate.
Eight seconds.
The lock clicked.
```
[System: Rare Supply Crate (Blue) opened.]
Rewards:
– Medical Kit (Advanced) x3
– Fuel Canister x6 (+60% fuel)
– Skill Book: "Adrenaline Rush" (Temporary speed/strength boost when health drops below 25%)
– RV Module: "Energy Shield" (Requires Level 25)
– Credit: 300
```
Alex grabbed everything. The skill book was small.
He opened it.
```
[System: Skill learned – Adrenaline Rush (Level 1)]
Effect: When health drops below 25%, speed and strength increase by 50% for 30 seconds.
Cooldown: 24 hours.
```
"Useful," he muttered.
He looked at his system.
```
[User: Alex Chen]
Level: 8
Credits: 375/900 to next level
```
Five hundred twenty-five to Level 9.
Getting there, he thought. Slowly.
---
Margaret joined them.
She was a cook—had been, before the Transfer. Now she was just a survivor.
"I can help with supplies," she said. "Stretch your food. Make it last."
"We need more than food," Alex said. "We need credits. Levels."
"Then you need to fight."
"We've been fighting."
"Then fight more."
Alex looked at the horizon. The glow of Zero Mile.
"We're almost there," he said.
"Almost isn't there."
---
The barn was empty.
The other two survivors had left—gone north, Margaret said. Looking for safer ground.
Alex walked through the dusty space. Old hay. Rusted tools. And on the wall, a map.
Hand-drawn. Detailed.
Zero Mile marked at the center.
"This is Elena's," Margaret said. "She drew it before she went through the door."
Alex traced the route. The road they'd been following. The pass. The tunnel. The Oasis.
"You knew about all of this?"
"We all knew. We just couldn't follow." Margaret's voice was quiet. "The system wouldn't let us. Only Elena could open the door. Only her bloodline."
"That's why Vera wants me."
"That's why Vera wants you."
---
Sarah found him in the barn.
"You've been quiet," she said.
"Thinking."
"Dangerous habit."
Alex almost smiled. "Margaret said only my bloodline can open Zero Mile. That's why Vera wants me alive."
"Then we keep you alive."
"She has an army."
"We have a family."
Alex looked at her. The light through the barn doors caught her face.
"Sarah," he said.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For staying."
She was quiet for a moment. Then: "Where else would I go?"
---
They left the farmhouse at noon.
Margaret rode in the RV, showing James her cooking supplies. Danny and Riley played cards. Jade cleaned her rifle.
Alex sat in the passenger seat, watching the glow.
Zero Mile, he thought. My mother. The door.
Almost there.
His system pinged.
```
[System: Common Supply Crate (White) detected]
Location: Shoulder, 0.2 miles ahead.
Survivors in area: 2.
```
Two survivors. One white crate.
"Pull over," Alex said.
Sarah stopped the RV.
Two figures stood by the crate. A man and a woman. Young. Armed with makeshift spears.
"That's close enough," the man said.
"I'm not here to fight," Alex said.
"Then why are you here?"
"The crate. Same as you."
"There's two of us and one of you."
"Ten of us." Alex gestured to the RV. "But I'm the only one who walked over. That should tell you something."
The man exchanged a glance with the woman.
"Sixty-forty," the woman said. "Us sixty. You forty."
"Fifty-fifty."
"Fifty-five forty-five."
"Deal."
---
The crate opened.
```
[System: Common Supply Crate (White) opened.]
Rewards:
– MRE x2
– Water Bottle x2
– Credit: 50
```
Alex split the loot. The survivors took their share and left.
He looked at his system.
```
[User: Alex Chen]
Level: 8
Credits: 425/900 to next level
```
Four hundred seventy-five to Level 9.
Every credit counts, he thought.
---
They drove until sunset.
The glow of Zero Mile was brighter now. Closer.
Alex sat on the roof, watching it.
Kira climbed up beside him.
"Nervous?" she asked.
"Terrified."
"Good. That means you're paying attention."
Alex looked at her. "What was Mom like? At the end. Before she went through the door."
Kira was quiet for a long moment. Then: "She was sad."
"Sad?"
"She knew she might not see us again. You, me, Marcus. She said goodbye to all of us, even though we didn't know it."
"How did she say goodbye to me? I wasn't here."
"She wrote you a letter. Hundreds of letters. I found them once, hidden in the RV."
"Where?"
"I don't remember. But they're there. Somewhere."
Alex's heart raced. Letters. From his mother.
"I'll find them," he said.
"I know you will."
---
Sarah called up from below.
"Alex. We've got company."
He climbed down.
A vehicle was approaching from the east. Small. Fast.
"One person," Jade said. "On a motorcycle."
The motorcycle skidded to a stop.
The rider pulled off their helmet.
Red hair. Green eyes.
Alex's breath caught.
Not his mother. Not Kira.
Someone else.
"You're Alex Chen," the woman said.
"I am."
"My name is Elena."
Alex's world stopped.
"That's not possible," he said. "My mother is at Zero Mile."
"I was." The woman dismounted. "Now I'm here."
---
The crew gathered around.
Elena—if it was really her—looked like the photograph. Red hair. Green eyes. Sharp features.
But older. Tired.
"Prove it," Alex said.
"Your middle name is James. After your grandfather. You broke your arm when you were seven, falling out of a tree. You used to be afraid of the dark."
Alex's hands shook.
"Mom?"
She walked toward him. Put her hand on his cheek.
"I'm here," she said. "I'm sorry I took so long."