I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 111: 111:I don’t like this place

Brian’s convoy slowed as they approached the outskirts of Detroin. The cracked highway gradually widened into what had once been a four-lane road.

Rusted traffic lights hung lifeless above the intersection while abandoned vehicles remained scattered along the streets, many covered in vines that had reclaimed them over the decades.

Yet despite its age, the town didn’t feel abandoned. It felt strangely occupied, by people. Temporary tents had been erected along the main boulevard. Portable generators hummed steadily, powering floodlights and charging stations.

Contractors moved back and forth carrying backpacks full of supplies, while merchants had somehow managed to establish makeshift stalls selling food, medicine, batteries, and ammunition. The entire place had the atmosphere of a gold rush.

Silver slowly drove through the entrance checkpoint established by the Contractors’ Association. Several guards inspected incoming vehicles before waving them toward designated parking areas.

One of the Association officers stepped toward Brian’s truck.

”First visit?”

Brian nodded.

”Anything new?”

The officer looked exhausted.

”The same advice.” He pointed toward the center of town. ”Search in groups, don’t stay out after dark and if you find anything unusual... report it immediately.”

Silver caught the brief pause before the officer said the last sentence. An oddly unusual broad choice of words. After parking their vehicles near an abandoned supermarket, everyone climbed out.

The weather was pleasant. A cool breeze drifted through the streets carrying the scent of damp concrete and growing vegetation.

Silver adjusted the strap of his rifle while looking around. People laughed nearby. Someone celebrated after finding an old toolbox full of spare vehicle parts. Another team wheeled out several industrial batteries on a cart. A merchant loudly offered to buy recovered electronics.

Everything appeared... Normal, almost disappointingly so.

Claire stretched her arms.

”I was expecting something creepier.”

Jonah laughed.

”You’ve been listening to too many rumors.”

She shrugged.

”They made it sound haunted.”

Brian nodded toward the center of town.

”Let’s register first, then we’ll split into search teams.”

The temporary Association office occupied what had once been the town’s municipal building. Inside, contractors queued before several desks where maps of Detroin had been pinned to the walls.

Silver quietly studied one while waiting. Different districts had already been marked; commercial, residential, industrial, school, and hospital. Most were stamped with green ink.

*SEARCHED*

Only a handful remained partially unexplored. One Association employee spoke loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear.

”If your team discovers sealed basements, intact vaults, or underground facilities... Report them before opening. Some structures remain unstable.”

Another contractor complained.

”So we do all the work and wait for inspectors?”

The employee simply shrugged.

”That’s the rule.”

Silver noticed something interesting, nobody argued further. Apparently, the Association’s rules carried considerable weight here. After registering, Brian gathered everyone together.

”We’re taking the northern residential blocks. No heroic acts. If you find something valuable... Call everyone.”

Claire raised her hand dramatically.

”And if I find treasure?”

Jonah answered before Brian could.

”You’ll complain about carrying it.”

She looked offended.

”...Fair.”

The lighthearted exchange earned a few laughs from nearby teams. Silver found himself relaxing slightly. Perhaps... He had simply been overthinking.

Before leaving, Ravenna quietly stepped beside him.

”What do you think?”

Silver looked around once more.

”...I still don’t know.”

She understood immediately.

”You feel it too.”

”I do.”

He couldn’t point to anything specific. Nothing appeared dangerous, everything just, fit together too well.

The group entered the residential district. Rows of modest two-story homes lined the streets, many with gardens that had long since become overgrown. Some front doors stood open while others remained locked.

Several houses had clearly already been searched. There were broken windows, empty cupboards, and discarded furniture, evidence that contractors had come before them.

Claire whistled softly.

”We’re late.”

Brian nodded.

”Looks that way.”

Still, the search continued.

Silver and Ravenna stayed close together while Brian’s group spread out enough to inspect neighboring houses without losing sight of one another.

The first hour passed uneventfully. One contractor found several unopened cans of preserved food while another recovered an antique toolbox.

Claire excitedly carried out an old radio before discovering it no longer worked. Jonah located spare vehicle tires stacked inside a garage. Nothing extraordinary, just useful.

Silver couldn’t shake the feeling that the town was encouraging people to lower their guard.

Around noon, they encountered another exploration team leaving one of the nearby streets. There were six of them. Dust covered their clothing.

One man proudly carried a large storage module over his shoulder. Another woman held what looked like an intact solar battery.

Brian greeted them politely.

”Find anything?”

The older man grinned broadly.

”Better than expected.” He lifted the storage module. ”Still works.”

Claire’s eyes widened.

”No way, you’re super lucky.”

The man laughed.

”Luck had nothing to do with it, we searched every basement.”

Silver listened quietly.

”Were there many beasts?”

The smile faded slightly.

”Not anymore.”

Brian tilted his head.

”What do you mean?”

The man shrugged.

”We killed most of them. Right there were also a few strange people wandering around too.”

Claire frowned.

”People?”

”Yeah.”

”They attacked anyone they saw.”

Silver’s attention sharpened.

”What were they like?”

The man scratched his beard.

”...Hard to explain, they didn’t talk much. They just...” He paused. ”...Kept walking toward us.”

Brian exchanged a glance with Silver.

”You think they were scavengers? Probably trying to steal your find?”

”Maybe.” The man shrugged again. ”Didn’t matter. They weren’t very strong, we easily put them down.”

One of his teammates laughed.

”Creepy bastards though, didn’t even scream.”

Silver felt something tighten in his chest.

”...Did they have any equipment?”

”A little, hunters probably.”

The conversation ended shortly afterward as both groups continued their respective searches.

Ravenna quietly walked beside Silver.

”...What do you think?”

”I don’t know but...” He looked back toward the departing team. ”...Something about that conversation bothered me. They sounded too casual.”

She nodded.

”They killed people, or thought they did.”

Silver nodded and took her hand into his. He leaned closer to her ear.

”How about we just leave when we finish our search, i really don’t like this place. It’s giving me goosebumps. ”

She nodded.

”We’ll tell Brian we’re leaving.”

Neither of them spoke after that but continued following the group, tenser than before.

Noon wore on. They crossed paths with more groups throughout the district. Each carried recovered supplies and seemed pleased with their discoveries. Unsurprisingly each had another story.

”We found an underground storeroom.”

”There wasn’t much resistance.”

”Only a few crazed survivors.”

”They attacked first.”

”We dealt with them.”

The stories varied slightly but one detail remained constant. They were attacked by people instead of beasts. Silver found that increasingly strange.

Then... he noticed flowers; tiny white flowers growing between cracks in the pavement. Nothing unusual or at least, not initially. Ravenna crouched beside one absentmindedly.

”They’re pretty.”

Silver looked down.

”...I’ve never seen this species.”

She smiled.

”Neither have I.”

Neither thought much of it. The flowers appeared harmless, small, and delicate. They were scattered throughout the streets, easy to overlook.

A faint breeze drifted through the neighborhood. The flowers swayed gently. For just an instant... Silver thought he saw tiny specks shimmer in the sunlight like dust.

He blinked and they disappeared.

’It’s just pollen. Probably nothing’

Later that afternoon they reached what had once been a neighborhood park. The grass had grown waist-high. Large trees shaded cracked walking paths while vines climbed over rusted playground equipment.

The place should have been filled with birds; instead, it was silent.

Claire noticed first.

”...Where are all the birds? Did they leave too?”

Nobody answered because, nobody knew.

Brian stopped walking.

”Break.”

Everyone gratefully sat down beneath the trees. Water bottles were passed around then packed lunches were opened. The conversation gradually resumed.

Despite all this, Silver remained standing. His eyes slowly wandered across the surrounding park. There was nothing unusual, the wind moved gently through the leaves and the white flowers nodded peacefully beneath the afternoon sun.

Then, somewhere nearby, something softly rustled but it was too quiet to identify. He turned toward the sound.

Nothing.

There were only empty streets stretching between abandoned houses. Then, he noticed it. Far down the road, a lone figure stood perfectly still, watching them.

Silver narrowed his eyes. The distance made details impossible to distinguish. He could only distinguish that it was just a person standing there.

Brian followed his gaze.

”Know him?”

Silver slowly shook his head.

”...No.”

The figure remained standing without approaching. It was simply watching them, then without warning... it slowly disappeared behind the corner of a nearby building.

Silver continued staring long after it was gone. Behind him, the breeze carried another wave of tiny white petals through the air. None of the contractors paid them any attention.