Karin didn't talk much for the walk back so Maris was left with her thoughts and dead bodies. It was rather miserable to say the least.

After four short stops for Maris to catch her breath (despite the fact that Karin held the tote bag), they arrived back to the central area of the cafe and office building.

"Finally!" Karin threw her free hand up and picked up her pace, bounding through the glass and debris of cars and walls.

"Wait!" Maris wheezed and ran to the office door, almost tripping over a bumper from a car. Maris hadn't accounted just how much damage lie around her until she had to jump and run through it all. She caught up to the walking Karin and glared at her, annoyed at her fit state.

"Okay, where to from here? Quite a bit of bodies in here, wow." Karin looked around, taking in what Maris was surrounded by when she awoke from her blackout.

It was still as depressing as the first time, as Maris looked again. Everyone slumped over desks and the floor, office utensils knocked aside, bumps and rashes galore. There wasn't any blood around, Maris was rather happy that wasn't a side effect or something of the disease. But how happy can one get when they're surrounded by dead loved ones?

"Yeah. Each person in here was deserving of a much longer life...my mom is over there." Karin suddenly gasped and leaped over every person and pen lying on the floor, eyes focused on one goal. Maris didn't even have time to point in the right direction before Karin met the water jug, putting her head directly under the faucet.

"Man. At least this chick died hydrated, am I right?" Karin talked through the water in her mouth and stood up, wiping off her mouth, readjusting the tote bag. Maris didn't even have to go over there to know who she was talking about. "Water cup in her hand. Sha-"

"If you could stop. That's my best friend. Just go to the desk over there, my mother is slightly separated from the rest. Soft cashmere clothes." Maris was done with Karin's smart mouth for now and she looked her in the eyes directly, trying to return the hard glare she had been receiving for hours.

Karin shut her mouth and followed Maris' hand, stopping not too long after. "She looks just like you. Besides the rashes and stuff..." Maris didn't even respond, she would have to get used to Karin's filterless talk sooner or later. She tried to ignore everyone around her and tentatively walked to her mother. Karin rested the tote bag on the ground and pushed it slightly with her foot to be closer to Maris. "Need anything?"

"No. You can go to cafe and eat or whatever." Karin didn't hesitate before leaving the office building, dodging every grey column and dead body. "Okay mom, it's all you."

Maris entered this zen like state and emptied the tote bag on the ground. She tentatively placed candles around her mother, shakingly lighting every wick, bringing to life a dancing orange flame.  Maris lit every candle in the bag, resulting in twenty beautiful flickering lights and a light lemon aroma slightly distracted her from the rotting skin scent she had become familiar with.

Scrambling through other small objects, Maris then grabbed her mother's sweaters and other shirts. She pulled them close to her and sat still, unsure of what to do with them. Maris looked at her mother's still body, she had on a lovely cashmere sweater so no point in changing that...Maris gripped onto the sweaters and covered her mother's body in them. Not too much as to suffocate her, just a light overlay to keep her warm and protect her from any outside disturbance, as if someone would come alive and try to mess with her.

Maris grabbed her mother's journals next. They were all beautiful leather bound, each one engraved with a different initial for her children. Maris grabbed hers first and put it center to her feet, then the rest in a straight line around hers. Maris took her still shaking hand and grabbed the other items; pens, paper, notecards, and bottles of ink to lay them around her.

The whole setup was rather lame, but Maris had to work with what she had. She pushed up, taking in the burning candles, clothing blanket, journals, and scattered miscellaneous items. She scuffled around to her mother's face, bending down to kiss her destroyed face and saying a final goodbye. "I will see you soon, mother. I hope by then I will have gotten answers for you and everyone else. I love you."
    Maris stood up when she saw a crystal tear hit her mother's face, refusing to break down yet again. She walked one foot in front of the other, promising to make each step worth it. Maris had her eyes focused on the door and everything around her was a blur. Maris wasn't sure if she was lost in her thoughts or too focused on the door, but nothing else in the world was relevant right then.

Maris got to the door and blinked a few times, turning around one last time. "No more silly mistakes. I did all that I can do here, and everything else will be for you all. I will the most out of every breath, every step, every thought I make. I love all of you and I am sorry..." 

Maris closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, pushing open the door with slight deja vu as the bright light blinded her and she stepped into the rogue streets.

"There you are. I looked through your bags and let me say, you didn't pack nearly enough food. You had enough for like, half of our journey. If that." Maris had walked in the cafe, a sullen look on her face.

She pushed her fallen hair out her face, undoubtedly brushing her dirty face - she hadn't even realised how oily her skin had gotten. She hadn't washed in a couple of days, but at least no one was there to notice anything. Maris wiped her arm across her face and met Karin's eyes.

"I found the staff locker rooms and got backpacks. Each one is stuffed with food and water...nothing substantial like meat but hopefully Four will be better like Jake said." Karin lowered her voice and looked down, probably meeting Jake's still face. "Well nothing here anymore. Let's go."

Karin hopped the counter and chucked a backpack at Maris, it dropped to her feet and left small scratches on her arm from the failed sudden attempt to catch it. Maris quickly grabbed it and jogged to Karin's swift figure - weakly jumping over the broken window frame.

There wasn't much on Maris' mind, in fact, it was too much on her mind that she didn't even know where to begin. The past couple of days felt as though she had been in a continuous school test for hours with no preparation.
All the random thoughts and stress that occupied Maris from the streets, and she walked through them blindly better than consciously. 

"Hey! Wait!" Ok - maybe not that well. Maris blinked a few times and stumbled over a body, thrown off by Karin's sudden scream. Maris hadn't noticed she stopped walking and scrambled back to Karin. "You kept walking but I think if we just turn here we can reach the border, yes?"

"Oh I uh...I am not sure. I've never been to the border." Maris' cheeks turned rosy and she was flushed with embarrassment. Karin talked about the border as though it was where she lived.

"Oh that's right. Your whole only babies travel thing." Maris nodded shyly and shifted on her feet, surrounded by awkward silence. "Ok well let me figure it out. Your house is that way?"
"Yeah. It's a straight road to there."

"Ok, well the border is to the west of your house, so do you at least know if there is an alleyway or store we can cut through?" Karin crossed her arms and continued looking around her, trying to find short cuts.

"Uhm. I have never thought about locations like this. I am not sure, I'm sorry." Maris' mind was on overload and she just drew blanks.

"Goodness. You live here for like sixteen years and you don't even know side streets and store exits? I swear you Threes are like remote controlled squirrels."

"Can we just walk? Weren't you in a rush not too long ago?" Maris said it rather abruptly, but she was slightly annoyed. "Sorry, that was rude. Let's just go." Karin scoffed and rolled her eyes at the apology and began walking down the street again. She took a turn and Maris quickly realized she was making her own shortcut.

"Wait!" Maris huffed the phrase out and ran to Karin, her backpack bouncing on and off her back.

"There! A convenience store. We need to pick up a few essentials then I guess keep walking straight from there, unless you finally picked something up from your simple mind regarding directions?" Karin waited a minute but Maris just looked elsewhere and she walked towards the store.

Maris walked behind Karin and the cool air from the store swept her stress away for a millisecond. She had been in the heat for so long she forgot what a chill felt like. She also hadn't realized how much she stunk and how wet she was from sweat and grime. And looking at Karin, she didn't look that hot either. Her slick ponytail was getting slightly oily from not having been washed and though she came in the hour slightly rough, she just looked a tad dirty now.

"There is a bathroom in the back and we can get some face wipes or something. They have dry shampoo and other stuff here."

"Ah so she does know something!" Karin smirked towards Maris and lifted her head up, looking up at signs hanging from the ceiling, walking into the beauty and wellness aisle. "Clean up on aisle three."

Maris walked over, shocked that she forgot it wasn't just a normal day and everyone she knew was dead. "Oh, these were my neighbors."

"Don't. Cry."

Maris glared at Karin and her face turned hard, "I'm not. Let's just get what we need." Maris stepped over their tattered bodies and opened her bag, throwing in bandages, a brush, elastics, dry shampoo, deodorant, and face wipes. She reserved a couple things to be used then and walked around Karin to the next aisle.

"Mary? What is this?"

"It's Maris."

"How would you know it's Maris? You aren't even over here." Even with the distance Maris could hear the agitation in her voice.

"No. My name. My name is Maris." Maris left her aisle and went back to the beauty one, but Karin wasn't there. "Wait, where ar-" Maris stopped and noticed the black ponytail at the freezers. Maris walked over and saw Karin carrying a container of ice cream, she couldn't help but bust out a laugh.

"Why are you laughing at me?" Karin looked so confused, it made Maris laugh more.
"I-it-it's ice c-cream. Oh my Time Keepers." Maris had to compose herself, but she couldn't help but keep smiling, "Do you really not know ice cream?" Maris walked over and grabbed a mini container of her favorite snack.  She popped open the lid, breaking off the spoon provided and dug into the creamy, frozen mixture. The bites of chocolate chip and vanilla had never tasted so heavenly. Karin looked at her and back at her container, turning it over to the nutrition facts.

"Oh. That is why. Look at all the fat and sugar in it. This would destroy our diets."

"Try it, though. Nothing to lose here." Karin stared at her a moment before slowly shrugging and tugging open the lid. She broke off the spoon just as Maris had and took a bite.

"Oh my." Karin mumbled through bits of brownie and fudge, experiencing the heavenly dessert for the first time. "How is this so good to eat but so bad for you? No wonder you Threes stink at exercise." Maris didn't even take offense to that because she was simply too happy. "It's so soft but bold with flavor. I love this-" Karin paused for a second, looking at the container label, "Ben and Jerry. What excellent men." Karin ravaged through that container and grabbed another before walking to the food aisle. Maris finished her container and hurried behind her.

Karin grabbed whatever food she saw and stuffed it in her bag, of course taking breaks so she could eat her ice cream.

"Show me the bathroom? I feel disgusting." Maris nodded in agreement, to both statements, and walked to the bathroom. She pushed open the cool metal door and was rushed with a different breeze of cool air. She threw her bag on the tiled floor, ruffling through her bag for the face wipes, deodorant, and shampoo.

Karin did the same with her stuff and undid her hair. "Oh, did you grab a brush?" Maris dove back into her bag and grabbed the brush. She handed it to Karin and she swiftly stroked her black hair, occasionally spraying in the shampoo. Her eyes moved up every time the brush stroked her head, and Maris couldn't help but feel jealous of her high cheekbones and thin frame. Everything about Karin was well defined and strong. Maris tore her gaze and sprayed her hair, using her fingers to comb through the tangled mess.

She wiped her underarms with deodorant, knowing it wouldn't help the scent, but it made her feel a tad cleaner. She opened the face wipes and cleaned her face, turning almost a shade lighter which wasn't even that light from all the sun. Maris wasn't Karin tan, but she definitely wasn't as pale as normal. Shs grabbed an elastic from her bag and threw her hair up, frowning at her dimples. She longed for strong cheekbones.

"Alright, ready to jump time?" Karin looked much more clean and focused, taking the last bite of her ice cream before Maris nodded.