The night was pitch-black. Inside an apartment building on the outskirts of Lin City, a campfire crackled.
An aluminum pot sat over the fire, the meat broth inside bubbling as white steam rose in the firelight.
Several survivors sat around the fire, holding chopsticks whittled from branches and tossing handfuls of snapped chives into the pot.
"This life really isn't bad."
A stubbly middle-aged man picked up a piece of meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and sighed contentedly. "We've lived in Lin City for over a month now. No Weird chasing us, no Fierce Beasts running us down. We can even sleep soundly."
A young woman beside him nodded. "You can say that again. Back with our old convoy, we had to run every other day. We could change locations three times in one night. We finally got a chance to catch our breath here."
"It's mostly thanks to that one!"
Another man gestured toward the city center with his chin. "With her here, the Weird don't dare come near. That's why we can grow vegetables in peace."
"Exactly."
The middle-aged man picked up another piece of meat. "I used to go weak in the knees just hearing about the Weird Bride. Who would've thought she wouldn't bother with us at all? It's been over a month, and she hasn't even shown her face."
The young woman smiled. "It's better that she doesn't. We'd be scared if she did."
They all laughed.
"By the way, the chives in those plots we cleared are growing really fast."
A tall, thin man chimed in. "How long has it been since we planted them? We've harvested crop after crop, like they're free."
"They are free."
The middle-aged man laughed. "We just have to be careful not to wander into the city center.