C16 Longawaited Home

July 20th

Eight o'clock in the morning

Vage Village...

The weather today was overcast and foreboding, as if a change was imminent. Moorer and Ashes, armed with their spiked maces and machetes, combed through the ruins near Vage Village in search of something.

Just yesterday morning, Moorer and Ashes had set various traps among the debris to catch animals. Last time, when they raided the canning factory, they only grabbed a portion of the food to make a quick getaway. The truth was, the cans they took barely sufficed for their needs, and now with an additional person to feed, they were in dire need of finding a new food source. The mutated creatures scurrying around seemed like a viable option.

"I'm telling you... you really packed a punch! It's been nearly two days, and that woman still hasn't come to!" Moorer remarked while flipping aside debris with his spiked mace.

"I was aiming for a six-hour knockout, but I was so tense at the moment that I couldn't control it properly... I hit her too hard," Ashes admitted.

"Alright then..." Moorer said, having cleared the debris. He noticed the snare trap he had set the day before was undisturbed, the bait untouched.

He shook his head in frustration. They had checked five traps with not a single catch. Only three traps remained unchecked... If their luck didn't turn, they'd be facing hunger within the next couple of days.

At the sixth trap, they finally encountered a "catch." It was a beast trap with a clamping force comparable to a hunting dog, designed to easily secure a mutated rodent or any other gnawing creature. However, instead of a rodent, they found a massive mutated cockroach, a female, burst open with milky eggs and dark green blood and viscera strewn about, a nauseating sight.

"...Ugh!" Moorer nearly retched at the gruesome scene but managed to hold back. Vomiting now would mean a significant loss of precious energy.

"...We can't use this trap anymore..." Ashes commented, grimacing at the sight.

The seventh trap remained untriggered, leaving them even more despondent.

But the eighth... Ah! At last, the eighth one yielded results!

It was a hanging snare trap, and a pitiful grey mutated field mouse had its right hind leg tightly ensnared, suspended three meters off the ground.

The mouse had been hanging there all day and was now dead. Its expression betrayed a final mix of anger, fear, and confusion.

This field mouse was significantly smaller than the one they had previously killed, appearing to be not yet fully grown.

Joy spread across their faces as Ashes swiftly severed the rope, and Moorer hoisted the mouse to return to camp together.

Back at camp, Payson and Meow had grown impatient, with a fire lit and a pot waiting atop a makeshift tripod for their return with ingredients.

Bella had been moved out of the car on the evening of the 18th. Moorer laid her down by the wheel, binding her hands to it before leaving her unattended.

Now, her legs were spread and tied in a "big" shape, her head bowed in continued unconsciousness. Moorer, once a doctor, checked on Bella and confirmed she was still alive and emerging from her deep coma.

She should be waking up any moment now...

Moorer also inspected her clothing, finding it unchanged from when he had left.

"Hah..." Moorer let out a light chuckle, "I deliberately left that kid a chance, and he didn't take it. Could it be he's not interested in her after all?"

Meanwhile, Payson and Meow, knives in hand, circled the massive mouse carcass with urgency. Meow, in particular, salivated at the sight of the large rodent, a delicacy she loved despite never having caught one herself. But her claws and teeth were too dull to penetrate its fur.

Payson, knife in hand, could only stare at the rodent in frustration. Having grown up in the city, the middle schooler had never encountered a real wild animal, much less handled one's remains.

Ultimately, it was Ashes who resolved the dilemma. With the skill of a seasoned hunter, he wielded his machete to gut the dead mouse, extracting a large chunk of tender meat to chop and boil. The remaining flesh and viscera he sliced into strips, hanging them on a pole along the wall to cure in the breeze.

This mouse was so large that it could have fed them for days, just like a piglet.

The creek near Vage Village passed a paper test and was deemed potable. Now, this pot of mouse soup was being prepared with its water.

The aroma of cooking mouse meat quickly wafted through the air. Meow lay on the ground, salivating at the scent, and even Moorer couldn't resist coming over to snag a couple of pieces.

Once the meat was ready, Meow didn't hesitate despite the heat, grabbing a piece in his mouth and darting off.

Moorer and Payson began to eat as well. Moorer pulled out a small knife, speared a piece of meat, and started gnawing on it.

To be honest, once the mouse meat was thoroughly cooked, it tasted quite similar to pork, savory with just a slight gaminess... Other than that, it was quite good.

But there was one downside—it lacked any seasoning...

Meow dragged his piece of meat back, placed it on the ground, and complained, "This is terrible... It's completely flavorless!"

It wasn't until they began cooking that the three men slapped their foreheads, realizing what they had forgotten to scavenge.

Salt! Spices! How could they possibly cook without them?

To avoid wasting the food, Moorer reluctantly opened a can of meat. The three men and the cat managed to finish their meal, using the salty taste of the canned meat to compensate.

Bella had already emerged from her deep coma and was now in a light sleep. Having not eaten for two days, the scent of the cooked meat finally roused her.

"It smells so good..." Bella murmured, slowly opening her eyes. Moorer noticed and nudged Payson, signaling him to take some food to Bella.

"Why should I be the one to go? I don't want to be near her," Payson grumbled, clearly showing his lack of interest in Bella.

"Out of all four of us, only you and Meow can approach her without getting bitten. Are you suggesting we send a cat to deliver her meal?"

With a shrug, Payson used his knife to extract two large chunks of mouse meat from the pot, placed them in the leftover can, ladled some soup over them, and headed towards Bella.

Through her bleary eyes, Bella glimpsed a familiar silhouette approaching her with a box that wafted a tantalizing aroma.

"Oh... my little prince... have you finally come around to see me?" Bella mumbled, still not fully awake.

"Don't flatter yourself, woman!" Payson barked sharply. "I harbor no such thoughts about you! Your face just happens to remind me of someone else..."