Burning Autumn

Answers

"Alina. Stop. I need to rest, please?" Persefoni's face is flushed when Alina looks back. Alina hurries back and helps her to sit down.
"Are you okay?" Alina digs through her bag for water. She finds it and hands it to Persefoni.
"Yeah," Persefoni's face falls, "I have to tell you something."
"Go ahead," Alina takes the water back and puts in her bag.
"I'm five months pregnant," Persefoni looks Alina in the eye, tears building in her eyes.
"Okay, we will rest here. Don't worry about it too much," Alina starts to move what she can by herself, "wait, that means."
"Yes Alina, you had sex with a pregnant woman," Persefoni pats the spot next to her, "I want you to explain to me how this whole world came to be."
"Right now? I mean, a lot is going through my mind. Like how a pregnant woman had such great-" Alina gets cut off by a kiss.
"Just tell me. I know the eruption happened. But what caused the rest," Persefoni smiles at Alina.
"A nuclear reactor leaked into the supervolcano which erupted causing hell. Those who survived the eruption, but where on range of the eruption, turned into the Ashrages. Some states human, but everyone calls them Human Ash, they are kind of psycho," Alina smiles at Persefoni.
"And what about our mutations?" Persefoni looks at her legs. Several scars cover her legs from her getting cut and not knowing she got hurt. She frowns and looks at Alina.
"Our mutations came from some gamma radiation that spread through the world. Nowhere is safe from the radiation. We just live with it. It doesn't kill anyone anymore. Unless..." Alina trails off as she thinks about what she was about to say. Alina looks worriedly at Persefoni.
"Unless what?" Persefoni looks at Alina.
"It isn't important. It is just nonsense," Alina digs in her bag for granola bars. She grabs two and hands one to Persefoni.
"Thanks. I want to know. Please?" Persefoni looks at Alina with puppy dog eyes.
"You really don't," Alina looks at the ground.
"Yes, I really do," Persefoni pouts her lip.
"Fine. I was going to say that there are areas of radiation called Exposure Zones. In those zones, humans turn to Ashrage and Ashrage turn into something more dangerous. Some turn into a Goliath while others turn into a Banshee. Very rarely, some turn into a Wraith. The screeches of a Wraith mean they are on the hunt and they can be heard for-" Alina explains before getting cut off by an earpeircing screech. Alina's face flushes and she points at the nearest semi trailer, "we need to get in there. Now."
"Okay," Persefoni says as she looks back. She sees a strange creature in the air and she runs to the trailer with Alina. Alina opens the trailer and with one last look at the Wraith in the air, she plunges into the dark trailer.