Milo blinked awake slowly as the car rolled along the wet road. His curls were stuck to his forehead, and he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. Then he spotted something beside him.
His entire face lit up.
"Officah Cwunch!"
He practically threw himself onto the teddy bear, squeezing it like it was alive.
"I wiss you…" he mumbled into the fur.
Benny glanced back through the rearview mirror, smiling a little.
"So you're awake now, huh?"
Milo nodded but then… his face dropped. His shoulders drooped, and he stared down at the teddy bear like he suddenly did something wrong.
Benny caught the shift immediately.
"What's wrong, Milo?"
Milo's voice came out small.
"I-I sowwy foh wein'… wcared…"
Benny shook his head instantly.
"Hey, don't apologize. You're a kid. Kids—especially six-year-olds—get scared easily. That's normal. Honestly? I was scared too."
Milo's eyes widened.
"Weally?"
"Yeah," Benny said. "I was scared. Mostly for you. If those things got inside, I would've done anything to hide you, keep you safe. Even fight them off alone."
Milo stared at him like he'd just revealed a secret superpower.
"Wow… I… I widn't know you get wcared."
"Well," Benny said, "big people get scared. Even the tough ones. If someone didn't feel fear at all… I wouldn't call them human. Just another infected."
Milo clutched Officer Crunch tighter.
"S-so… it's OK to be wcared?"
"Yeah, Milo. It's called emotions."
Milo frowned a little.
"Fhat's… dhat?"
Benny exhaled slowly, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.
"Okay, uh… emotions. Right… I'm not the best at explaining stuff but… emotions are… how you feel. Like when you're mad, and you wanna hit something. You've felt that before, right?"
Milo nodded eagerly.
"Yeazh! I fanted to lunch Officah Cwunch!"
Benny froze.
"…No, not lunch. Punch."
"Lunch?"
"Punch. Say 'pu.'"
"Pu."
"Now say 'nch.'"
"Nch."
"Okay, now say it together. 'Punch.'"
Milo thought real hard. His brow scrunched, his lips puckered, his whole face twisted like he was doing math for the first time.
Then he proudly said:
"Lunch."
Benny dragged both hands down his face.
"Oh my god…"
Milo giggled at his frustration.
"Penny… you gwood teacheh."
"Yeah," Benny muttered, "world's greatest… totally."
The car kept rolling, rain tapping the windows, and for just a moment, Benny let himself breathe. Milo was safe, smiling, alive. That was enough.
Milo hopped up next to Benny with Officer Crunch tucked under his arm and said,
"Mhere are fe going?"
Benny kept his eyes on the road, knuckles pale against the steering wheel.
"I don't know," he muttered. "I truly have no idea. We'll just… keep driving. Forever and ever. Just me and you. Forever."
Milo blinked.
"Why?"
Benny breathed out through his nose, shoulders tightening.
"Because everyone's dangerous, Milo. I can't risk us— mostly you— getting hurt. I already risked bringing you into that gas station. I'll never do something that stupid again."
Milo hugged Officer Crunch tighter, the stuffed bear's button-eye glinting in the dim dashboard light.
"Why?"
Benny turned his head just slightly, a tired smile twitching at his mouth.
"Aw, Milo… you crack me up."
Milo tilted his head.
"How?"
Benny suddenly let out a sharp breath—and then lost it.
He started laughing, stumbling over the sound like he didn't even see it coming.
His whole body pitched forward as he doubled over in his seat, one hand still clamped to the wheel for dear life, the other pressed to his ribs.
"Oh, my—oh, man—ha—Milo, buddy—" Benny wheezed between fits, "you ask 'why' like it's the damn magic word to open the universe!"
Milo watched, wide-eyed.
"Is it funny?"
Benny couldn't stop. His eyes watered, tears slipping down his cheeks as he shook his head, breath hiccuping.
"Funny? Milo, it's—ha— it's the best thing about you. The world's a nightmare, and you still ask 'why' like it's supposed to make sense."
Milo's voice softened.
"Doesn't it?"
Benny finally wiped at his eyes, still catching his breath, the laughter fading into something sadder and more exhausted.
"No," he whispered, voice cracking. "Not anymore."
Milo shifted closer, nudging Benny's arm with Officer Crunch.
"Then I'll ask for both of us."
Benny swallowed hard, jaw tightening as he turned back onto the empty road stretching into darkness.
"Yeah… yeah, kid. You do that."
"Benny, you're sixteen?"
Benny kept his eyes on the road, slouched but alert.
"Yeah. Why?"
Milo beamed, bouncing a little in his seat.
"I'm six! We both got sixes!"
For the first time in a long time, Benny actually let himself smile. A small, tired, crooked thing.
"Yeah, kiddo. Guess we do."
Milo tilted his head with wonder.
"Does that mean we match?"
Benny gave a soft huff of a laugh.
"Yeah. We match."
They rode in silence after that—just the hum of tires and the faint rattle of something loose in the backseat.
A few minutes later, they rolled into a town.
It wasn't much—just a few scattered buildings, quiet streets, and air so still it felt like everything was holding its breath.
Benny's shoulders stiffened. The place felt wrong. Too empty. Too quiet. Bad vibes radiated off the pavement like heat.
He checked every angle—left, right, front, back, mirrors—eyes darting like a hunted animal.
Beside him, Milo clutched Officer Crunch as his stomach gave a loud growl.
He touched his belly with a tiny frown.
"Mm…"
Benny glanced over.
"Hungry?"
Milo nodded.
"Yez."
Benny nodded back and reached under his seat, pulling out a sad, crumpled bag of potato chips—the last of anything.
He handed it over.
Milo tore it open eagerly, eating with small, soft crunches. After a minute, he peeked up at Benny.
Benny's face was tight, jaw set, eyes scanning windows, rooftops, shadows.
The kid stopped chewing.
"Fant some?" Milo offered.
Benny blinked, like he hadn't realized he was staring.
"Huh?"
Milo held the bag toward him.
Benny shook his head.
"Oh—no thanks. I'm good."
Milo's shoulders sank.
"Oh… You took borried."
Benny sighed.
"Yeah. I wanna explore, see if there's anything useful… but my gut's telling me to keep driving."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"But we got no food. And that bag? That's it."
Milo stared down at the chips, guilt washing over him. Slowly, he set the bag in his lap, untouched now.
Benny noticed right away.
"Hey—Milo, buddy, no. You can eat your chips, it's fine. I'm just saying we're low on supplies. I'd rather you eat than me."
Milo picked up the bag again, but without any excitement.
"Okay…"
His voice was small. He still looked sad.
Benny exhaled hard, leaning closer to talk to him.
"Milo, loo—"
BANG!
A bullet tore straight through the middle of the windshield.
Glass exploded inward.
And everything stopped.