Chapter 151: Chapter 151 - Destroying Hope

Theo came to a halt, finding his best friend in front of him.

Owen had a wide grin on his face, though his eyes told a slightly different story.

Without another word, he took a step forward and wrapped an arm around Theo’s neck.

’’So, how is our little sleeping princess?’’ he asked, twisting his fist on his skull. ’’Had a nice rest, huh?’’

Theo couldn’t help but smile slightly.

He pushed away Owen’s fist and elbowed him in his side.

’’Nice to see you too, buddy,’’ he said, letting out a quiet chuckle.

For a moment, the two remained standing there in silence.

Then Owen spoke up again.

’’Seriously though,’’ he started, scratching his cheek. ’’How is everything now?’’

Theo pressed his lips together, tilting his head from left to right.

’’I’m feeling good... but still pretty exhausted.’’

Owen nodded slowly.

’’So good enough to leave this place, right?’’

Theo smiled slightly and nodded once.

Then he paused for a moment.

’’Where are we even?’’

Owen didn’t say anything.

The grin on his face only widened as he started walking forward.

Theo quickly followed behind him with his eyes narrowed slightly.

After only a minute, they reached a receptionist’s desk, which Owen quickly checked him out from.

Then, as the doors to the outside world finally opened in front of them, Theo’s eyes couldn’t help but widen slightly.

A busy city stretched out in front of him, countless cars drove by while dozens of civilians peacefully spoke with each other.

Even a group of young kids in school uniforms dashed through the mud, twirling around while laughing.

’This...’

Theo felt his heart pound slightly.

Even though this was how a normal city was supposed to be...

Images flashed in front of his eyes, where everything was on fire... with those same civilians buried under rubble.

’’Welcome to Los Angeles!’’

Owen’s voice rang out beside him.

Theo quickly shook his head, snapping out of his daze as everything returned back to normal.

’Los Angeles...?’ he thought, glancing around. ’Why are we in Los Angeles?’

Seeing the look on his face, Owen smiled.

’’Now I know what you’re thinking,’’ he said, raising his arm. ’’Why would we be in L.A., right?’’

Theo looked at him with a deadpanned expression.

’’Was it that obvious?’’

Owen nodded enthusiastically.

’’Yes, it was,’’ he said as he turned around.

For a moment, he remained silent. Then he cleared his throat and continued.

’’Basically, Oxnard also suffered damage from the tide,’’ he said, his voice changing slightly. ’’Which left just Los Angeles as the closest city.’’

Owen turned around to Theo, flashing a very forced smile.

’’And since it’s a much stronger city, they also provided us with free care and temporary shelter.’’

With that said, Owen immediately turned around again.

Theo remained silent for a moment.

’He’s forcing himself too,’ he thought, letting out a quiet sigh.

The information had long registered as it was something he’d have guessed anyway.

But to see Owen like this... it wasn’t something that’d ever happened before.

Without another word, he stepped forward and patted Owen on his back.

Owen paused slightly after feeling the pat on his back.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything at all.

Then he let out a quiet snort.

’’The hell was that for?’’ he muttered, though the forced grin started feeling lighter.

Theo shrugged lightly, letting out a soft chuckle.

’’I wouldn’t know either.’’

The two continued walking through the street.

Though everywhere they looked, reminders of what’d happened flashed through their minds.

Finally, after a short walk, Owen came to a halt in front of a luxurious hotel.

’’This’ll be our temporary residence,’’ he said, waving his hand to the building. ’’Iris personally got us placed in here.’’

Theo glanced up, a hint of surprise flashing through his face.

’’She did, huh?’’

But as he looked at the hotel, a pit formed inside his stomach.

The walls were pure white, ceilings and even floors seemed to be made from mostly white materials.

’It almost looks like that room...’ he thought, feeling a shiver run down his spine.

The room in which everything had started for him, from his breakthrough to the monster outbreak.

That’s when his eyes widened.

’’Right!’’ he nearly shouted as he spun to Owen. ’’Is there a list of survivors?’’

Owen blinked for a moment.

’’A list?’’ he repeated. ’’Yeah, obviously.’’

He raised an eyebrow at Theo.

’’You were out cold for three whole days, remember?’’

Theo’s chest tightened.

’David,’ he thought, clenching his fists. ’At least let his family be safe...’

He pressed his lips together tightly as he turned to Owen again.

’’Can I see it?’’ he asked quietly.

Owen’s expression shifted for a moment.

For the first time since leaving the facility, the grin on his face vanished completely.

’’Sure,’’ he muttered.

Without another word, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

After scrolling for several seconds, he handed it over silently.

Theo immediately grabbed it.

A massive document filled the screen, thousands of names displayed on it, each with only two markings behind it.

Missing or Alive.

Theo’s fingers tightened around the screen as he opened the search bar.

’’David... Hayes,’’ he typed in silently.

A single name popped up on the screen right away.

Theo closed his eyes for a moment as he saw it.

David, whom he’d seen die right in front of him, had still been counted as missing.

’Fuck,’ he thought, gritting his teeth. ’Please... his family!’

As he tapped on the family button, two new names popped up right away.

Emily Hayes ——— AliveDaniel Hayes ——— Alive

Theo’s eyes widened.

A wave of relief washed over him right away.

’’Yes!’’ he said, his hand trembling. ’’They made it...’’

Owen glanced over hesitantly.

’’Who did?’’ he finally asked.

Theo showed him the screen immediately.

’’Where can I find these people?’’

Owen glanced at the screen, his eyes narrowing.

Though he had no idea who they were, he grabbed the phone from Theo and pressed on a few buttons.

’’That should be it,’’ he said, handing the phone back right away.

Theo glanced down, finding a small address under their names now.

But it wasn’t some luxurious hotel.

’Of course...’ he thought, his heart tightening. ’There’s no way people from regular families can afford that easily.’

If anything, they’d probably be saving their money just to rent an apartment in the future.

Without another word, Theo turned on the navigation and began walking forward.

’’Oi, where are you going now?’’ Owen asked, blinking.

Theo raised the phone slightly.

’’I need to go see them.’’

Owen’s expression stiffened for a moment.

’’You sure you don’t want to rest up first?’’ he asked, his voice growing quieter each second.

Theo glanced back at him, his expression softening.

’’No, sorry,’’ he said firmly. ’’I really have to do this now.’’

For several seconds, Owen remained silent.

Then he quietly let out a breath and shoved both hands into his pockets.

’’...Yeah,’’ he muttered softly. ’’I figured.’’

Without another word, he followed after Theo while mumbling something under his breath.

The two quickly left the luxurious district behind.

But... the further they walked, the more the atmosphere began to change.

Entire parking lots had been converted into evacuation camps filled with tents and portable toilets.

Everywhere he looked, exhausted civilians sat wrapped in blankets.

Some just stared into the distance with blank expressions, others rocked around with red circles under their eyes.

Theo bit down on his lip, not daring to meet their eyes.

’Fuck...’

This... felt far closer to the reality he remembered.

’They have to be... better off than this, right?’

But the closer he got, the more he began slowing down.

Many different emotions began running rampant inside him.

’What am I even supposed to say?’ he thought, gritting his teeth.

The last thing they knew was that David was supposed to protect him.

Which he had.

Theo remembered vividly how he’d tried to warn him even while dying.

’Am I just supposed to tell them that?’

’How would they react if I did?’

Many more questions circled through his mind, his steps slowing down.

Finally, the navigation stopped in front of a worn apartment building surrounded by temporary fencing.

Theo glanced at it for a moment, a bitter and painful expression on his face.

’The worst of it all,’ he thought. ’Is that they still have hope right now...’

As long as David remained marked as missing... somewhere deep down, they could still believe he might come back.

That maybe he was injured somewhere, or just rescued late.

But the moment he’d open his mouth...

That hope would disappear completely.

Theo remained silent for a long time as he stood in front of the building.

His chest felt painfully heavy.

For the first time in a long while, he genuinely wanted to turn around and walk away.

The very last thing he wanted was to destroy a family’s last bit of hope.

Just like that, another minute passed in silence.

Then Owen’s quiet voice echoed out from behind him.

"...So," he asked softly. "Are you gonna go in?"