Into a Strange world of Anthros

Chapter 3: Diner

Tenn's POV:
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My legs were already getting tired from the constant running, but my stomach was basically begging for food at this point so I had no other choice but to keep pushing. 0I think Mariana is thinking the same way too.

Fortunately for us, just up ahead of us I could see a structure come into view, but the trees were blocking it. As we ran further in, I felt more and more anxious as we approached it. Me and Mari finally stopped at the edge of the tree line to see.. a Diner?

Across the road stood an old but well-maintained diner, painted in a mix of red, white, and gray. Despite being the only building along the seemingly endless road, the diner appeared to be thriving, as evidenced by the bustling parking lot filled with a variety of cars. For a moment, We just stood there, uncertain of our next move.

"So... what do we do now?" I asked, Breaking the tense silence between us, hoping for a good answer

"Well, Tenn... I- uh.. don't really know what to do now... Guess I hadn't really thought of anything yet... heh..." she admitted with a sheepish chuckle, and I couldn't help but put a hand on my forehead out of frustration.

What!? Seriously, we're out here running around like headless chickens in some fucked up version of our world and she's drawing a blank?!

"L-Look, time's running out... The sun is gonna set soon!" I pointed out, trying to make her see the urgency in this mess.

Mariana sighed, echoing my concern with a simple, "Crap. Maybe this was a bad idea."

"Maybe..." I muttered, feeling the weight of our questionable decisions. until a idea popped into my head

My face lit up a bit as I looked back at Mariana, "Wait— Hold up, Mariana. You still got those masks, right?" I asked,

"Yeah, but why—" she started, only to cut herself off mid-sentence, a lightbulb moment hitting her.

"Oh...! Now I get what you're saying! You want to sneak in, am I right?"

"Exactly," I nodded

We exchanged a knowing look as the "grand" plan started to form between us...

Without hesitation, Mariana quickly took off her backpack and placed it onto the grass, kneeling down in front and rummaging through her stuff before pulling out two back surgical masks. She quickly put hers on then handed me the other one. I gave her a quick nod as grabbed the mask and followed suit. The elastic bands provided a snug fit, a strange calm settled over me. I guess the anonymity that the mask provided gave me just a little bit of comfort,

With the mask in place, I turned my attention to the zipper of my hoodie, but my trembling hands made the simple task challenging. Frustration bubbled within me, mingling with the anxiety that gnawed at my nerves.

Cmon... Deep breaths tenn.. I can do this..!

Just gotta have faith that we'll make it through this...

I paused for a moment and took a deep breath. inhaling deeply to soothe my nerves, with each breath I felt the tension in my muscles ease. Now feeling a little more relaxed, I gave it another go, and luckily for me, I finally managed to get the hoodie to seal shut. I flipped the hood over my head, already covering half of my face.

"Oh that's Perfect!" Mariana exclaimed as she looked back at me, looking a bit surprised

"That hoodie already covers the majority of your face, and with a mask, it would be hard to identify you! Mine too because it's pretty baggy," she said as she reached back and pulled her hood up too.