Beyond What We Know [COMPLETED]

CHAPTER 6 - A Rare Encounter

[[A/N: Yesterday my friend warned me about a few mistakes in the last chapter (chapter 5), which I corrected last night. So, if you read chapter 5 when I posted it, you might wanna quickly re-read it before you move onto this one. I'll be deleting this small side note in a few days. That's all! Hae fun and thank you for reading <33]]

I left the twins to their shenanigans and stepped inside the house, which I had left just an hour and a half ago. I heard the sounds of various metal utensils being taken out of shelves and put down on the counter, then the sound of something chopping on wood, all coming from our small kitchen on the right side of the first floor, which clearly told me someone was there.

"I see you're feeling better", I smiled at the ginger before me. "But isn't it too early to be making lunch? I mean, we have all the time in the world, you don't need to force yourself."

Without taking one single look at me, she retorted sharply, "There's an order to things, Ella. If the order gets messed with, everything gets messed with. 'S that what ye want?"

Erica Gallagher. An absolutely amazing chef who can make delicious meals out of the minimal resources. Also a technology genius who usually works on and/or repairs things with Rico.

I held both hands up in response, "No, no. Not at all."

We met Erica when Diego and Rico brought her with them to the farm when coming back from an errand to a market a little more than 3 miles away from home. In one of our scavenging trips, CK and I stumbled upon a small community, much like ours, that specialized in trading of all sorts. Need anything? Reach out to them; as long as you have something to give them in return, of course. The twins volunteered themselves for the task, and after looking around for a bit, I found a Swiss army knife in the drawer of my uncle's bedside table; it was ridiculously old and rusty – well, at least when compared to the shiny one I found in the kitchen downstairs –, but hey, it could still come in handy if they spent a while bringing it back to its former glory. "This should do. See if you can trade it for whatever spare meds they have, better safe than sorry", I handed the knife to Diego, who smiled, nodded and replied with a "yes, ma'am".

This happened 3 months after they joined us. They took the truck in case they found something along the way or got miraculously lucky with the trading, so in less than an hour they were back in Eaglecreek.

"Hey, Ella?" I heard Diego looking for me, so we met halfway between the house and the truck.

"I'm here, what's going on?"

"There's someone who wants to talk to you", he stepped aside to reveal Erica, a girl with wavy ginger hair, faint freckles all over and teal eyes, safe behind a pair of round glasses. Honestly, she looked like a damn doll.

She approached me and stuck out her hand for me to shake. "How's it going there? Ella, is it?"

I shook her hand, but was unable to finish replying, "Good. Yeah, that's me—"

"Now that's just great! My name's Erica, it's a pleasure to meet ye", she let go of my hand and I couldn't help but feel nothing but confused. "Okay, listen, here's the deal: I've been alone for a while, but I'm just barely managing. Supplies have run dry and I don't exactly have the body of an athlete to escape those things forever, nor to keep fighting them."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that—"

"So, since these two told me you were the leader", she pointed to the twins standing beside her and slowed down, "I... I would be forever thankful if you were to accept me."

Erica immediately showed herself to be direct but polite, albeit loquacious, and genuine. She tells things like they are and isn't afraid to speak up. Also weirdly proficient in bending words in her favor... And, despite the immensely different personalities, Rico and her seemed to have already formed a bond. I didn't have the heart to kick her back out into our ruined world like that, so I tended to her request.

"We'd be happy to have you", I smiled at her, and she smiled back with a sparkle in her eyes. "Anything you're specifically good at?"

She nodded, "I'm a chef who pours her heart into every meal. Whatever food you give me, be it merely a tray or a whole pantry, I'll present to you most delicious meal you've ever tasted."

Well, that sounded promising. Everyone was already full up to their throats with canned tuna, beans, and the likes. Surprisingly – and unfortunately – enough, none of us knew how to cook more than the simplest meals, so we had a bunch of crops still stored. Was... Was she some kind of godsend? Or proof that fate is real?

"Oh, wow, that's fantast—"

"She's also, like, really fucking awesome with technology!"

Ah. Best friends those two, I see.

"But... The world is becoming a wasteland! When exactly are you planning on properly using those skills?"

"Silly! When our society is rebuilt, of course."

Well, she's... Not wrong.

"Sounds about right", I chuckled. All of a sudden, the other three appeared in the scene, just as confused as I was when Diego called me.

"And... You are...?" CK addressed Erica directly, who answered by repeating her speech from earlier. Next, she greeted all three of them individually.

"Is something wrong with your right arm? I haven't seen you move it", Locke must've noticed something was up with Erica's arm, because her expression changed immediately. I suppose it's his "Nurse's calling".

Erica hesitated, "It's... been hurting since last week. I was caught off guard by a madman..."

"Come inside with me, then." Erica nodded and Locke led the way after catching a medkit that came flying from Rico's hands.

CK turned to me and asked in a low voice, "Do you really think rebuilding is possible?"

I looked around, then at the ground beneath me, then at him. "I... I don't know. I really don't."