Bella ciao

[Laurels]

((Selene Flores continued from The Dream Machine Takes All of Us))

Selene's run came to a stop as she circled around the Compound. She tried to keep herself at a steady pace as she circled the building. She made sure to look back over her shoulders to see if the other two were coming, or if there were any insects on her she needed to swat away.

Once it looked clear, Selene slowed down and crouched to the ground, hiding in some brush, and dropping both bags to the ground.

"Jesus," she muttered to herself. "What a shitshow."

Selene opened her own bag to get some water. She had Claudia's bag, which meant extra water and goods to survive in this hellscape. Maybe it was wrong to rob Claudia, but it was clear people were going to die, and Selene didn't want to be one of them. After all, Selene's gift was useless against flares and insect swarms. She wasn't going to become a mobster and bury people out in this desert. Surviving was going to be exceptionally difficult for her, so she needed any advantages she could get, even if it meant being a selfish bitch.

Selene began to look through her bag and Claudia's. There wasn't much she could use as an improvised weapon. She could maybe do something with the first aid scissors or the flashlights. They were a start, so Selene took to taking the scissors out of both kits. One went into her waistband. The other went into one of her booties. After all, wasn't that where you were supposed to hide weapons? Not like she had many pockets, and it was still too hot to put her jacket back on. She could rearrange once the sun went down.

With that also in mind, the sun would be going down soon, and desert temperatures drop like testicles, so Selene knew she'd have to get inside soon. The compound was still in sight, and perhaps she could find a way in without seeing Insect Lady. But still, there was a need to do something about the goods.

Selene began to move everything important from Claudia's bag into her own. All the food and water, the extra flashlight, duplicates of some of the more important items in the first aid kit, mainly any bandages, pills, and items with alcohol. Then, it was time to cover her tracks.

Selene laid out everything else individually. This was going to be long and monotonous, but she had to move quickly.

One by one, Selene touched every item that was leftover from Claudia's bag. First she touched the sleeping bag, channeling her gift into it. She saw the items slowly sink into the ground. Once it was out of sight, she canceled the effect. Then she tapped the extra map. Then the extra compass. The anti-fungal cream. The tweezers. One by one they sank into the earth. Finally, she used it on the empty duffel bag, letting it disappear before she canceled.

Selene adjusted her now heavier bag and stood up. She had to get inside the compound, and now no one knew where the rest of Claudia's stuff was. She began to hum to herself as she walked over to the compound. If she saw Claudia again, she'd have to make up a lie, and she was sure she could find one on the way over.

((Selene Flores continued elsewhere))