In the middle of all this post-apocalyptic mess, survivors deal with something pretty dull – boredom. Right now, Winter is the target of Karina's boredom and curiosity.

"Why are your eyes all black? Can you see like that?" Karina asked, lifting Winter's eyelids to check her all-black eyeballs.

Winter just sat there, letting Karina inspect her. Karina asked permission first, even though Winter couldn't answer. It's better than not asking.

They're stuck in a pharmacy for a bit. One reason is that Karina is still hurt, and she doesn't want to risk going out with a storm going on.

"Do you have fangs? Let me see." Karina pulls Winter's lips up and down, checking for fangs and looking at the rest of her teeth. No fangs, and Karina is amazed at how Winter's teeth are still perfect. Maybe it's because she's a wraith or maybe she just became one recently. Winter's clothes and body are not too dirty.

After that, Karina squishes Winter's cheeks. They're cold, and her skin is paler than a human's. Karina, joking around, giggles at Winter's squished face and pulls her cheeks next.

"Heh...."

Winter seems to trust Karina fully to let her inspect her like that.

Karina lies down again on their makeshift bed, made of towels and newspapers. Her wound still hurts, but she figured out it's not too deep. Karina thinks she'll get better soon.

"I hope my friends are okay. I haven't seen them since the chaos started..." Karina shares her thoughts with Winter. Winter stays silent, maybe listening, maybe not. Karina doesn't mind. It's good to have someone to talk to. She thinks loneliness might be one reason survivors die.

She's glad she has Winter.

"When the storm stops, let's go to a shopping mall. We need new clothes. Especially you, you stinky wraith." Karina jokes and pokes Winter's cheeks. Then she gasps, sits up fast, hits her head on the counter, and hurts her injury.

"Did you just pout?!" Karina shouts. Winter turns away, continuing to eat her chocolate, undisturbed by Karina's antics.

Maybe Karina's seeing things, maybe it's loneliness and stress making her delusional. It's dark too. Maybe that's the case, maybe not. But Karina is sure of what she saw, and it makes her burst into a full-blown laugh.

"You're one weird wraith."

Karina lets Winter enjoy her chocolate and decides to read medicine pamphlets to learn a bit in case she gets sick or hurt. She puts a few medicine and pamphlets in her bag, confident she got the right ones, along with a small first aid kit.

Her bag is ready with supplies. She managed to sew up the rip in her bag too. Winter has her stash of sweets. They just have to wait out the storm, and then they can hit the road again.

---

Shopping malls are risky places with wraiths roaming and survivors searching for supplies, making it challenging for Karina and Winter to sneak in.

Despite the danger, Karina takes a gamble to grab clothes and, more importantly, a radio or walkie-talkie. Choosing a familiar mall, she relies on her knowledge of every nook and cranny to ease their navigation.

Starting with the priority of a radio, Karina heads to the first floor shops. Above, on the second floor, lies the clothing department. She secures a tie connecting Winter's wrist to her own, a precaution against Winter's occasional wandering.

"Alright, Winter, stick with me, okay? I need to distract them," Karina says, tugging Winter's wrist. Picking up a stone, Karina, drawing on her high school baseball experience, throws it far in the opposite direction. Two wraiths took the bait, allowing Karina to quietly usher Winter inside and hide behind the escalator, checking for potential threats.

The su