"Hey, Heather," Chelsea nodded her head in greeting to the woman.

Claire was partially amazed at how Chelsea seemed to know everyone they encountered—seeing how Chelsea was good with socializing made Claire think about improving her socialization skills. Though she wasn't terrible with talking with strangers, there were moments during school where she didn't try and reach out to fellow students.

"How's the training going?" Chelsea asked Heather.

Heather scowled at Chelsea's comment. "What do you think? I'm practicing my aim when the weapon I'm using likely won't even be effective against those things."

Claire looked at Heather. "Why do you need to practice?"

"Heather's part of the group that goes outside of the Fort to check on the status of those things," Chelsea explained.

"So that thing you talked to me about?" Claire asked.

The woman nodded. "I've already lost a lot of friends to those Modified Humans." With both hands, she ran them through her hair in frustration.

"Anything new?" Chelsea asked the woman.

"Just the same stuff. We have no idea what to think about the behavior of the Modified Humans. Though we've picked up some survivors in the forest if we encounter any."

Chelsea raised an eyebrow at the new information. "How many?"

As though understanding the question, Heather answered, "It's pretty desolate out there. Though it's impossible to see how the cities are affected and what state they're in."

"So, it's true about how the patrols aren't able to go too far from the Fort." Chelsea frowned and made a fist. "I was hoping that wasn't the case. I don't like the idea that the shelters are our only option if things go south."

"It's looking like that's going to be the case," Heather muttered.

"Has anyone tried to enter the shelters?" Claire asked, wondering what could be inside of what Star and Moon helped build.

Chelsea shook her head, "Not even the Military Police has the authority to enter the shelters without the higher-ups opening up the doors. I just know where the entrances are located, but not how to get into them."

"How do you know what the shelter looks like?" Claire hoped to gain more information.

Heather placed a hand on Claire's shoulder. "That's not something you need to worry about."

"Yeah. We have enough defenses set up to slow them down. I'll make sure to grab both you and Hannah when it happens. All you need to know that it's close to your house." Chelsea added.

"It's not like you'd be able to get in if you were to find them, so there's no point in knowing where they are," Heather noticed Claire pressing her lips together in frustration.

There was an awkward air around the three after both Chelsea and Heather refused to give Claire the information.

"What are you guys talking about?" Hannah's cheerful voice called out to them.

Relieved to see her friend, Claire just said, "Just talking about the shelters."

"Instead of talking about that, how about we eat something?" Hannah rubbed her stomach, looking a little pale. "I've been training all this time, and my stomach feels like it's complaining that I forgot about it."

Raising a hand to her mouth, Claire giggled at her friend. Though her own stomach was starting to growl in protest. Thinking about the food that she had picked up from the PX, "Why don't you just come over to my place, and we can fix something?"

Hannah's face brightened at Claire's suggestion.

Claire giggled at Hannah's expression.

"It makes sense that the two of you are getting hungry, considering how long we've been inside here for." Chelsea grinned. "Why don't I escort you two back to Claire's house before I report in with some people."

"I'll join you three since I'm guessing you're heading over to the office?" Heather looked at Chelsea.

Chelsea nodded.

The four of them began heading towards the entrance.

"I'm so full...," Hannah pushed the empty plate away from her, as though disgusted by the idea of having to eat any more.

Claire smiled, happy to see her friend's behavior. As they went through the process of making food, joking and goofing off, it felt like she had returned to a healthy life. "Hey. Why don't you sleep here?"

Hannah's eyes sparkled at hearing Claire's idea. "A sleepover?!" She squealed in delight.

"Yeah," Claire giggled at Hannah's reaction.

Rushing out of her chair, Hannah dashed towards Claire and embraced her friend. Hannah put so much force into the hug that they nearly toppled onto the ground. "It's been ages since we've had a sleepover!" Hannah began jumping up and down while still holding onto Claire.

"Ok. Ok." Claire laughed as she tried to calm her friend down.

Claire agreed with the sentiment, feeling happy about the idea of spending more girl-time with Hannah.

When Hannah let go of Claire, she paused for a second. "I probably should let my parents know that I won't be home." As she looked at the phone near the kitchen, Hannah sighed, "I don't know the number of where they work."

"It's the same with me. Though with how tired they are when getting home, I don't think they'd even notice I was gone since they go straight to sleep." Claire agreed with Hannah.

Usually, if she wasn't going to be home, she'd just write a note and leave it next to the phone. There was no way to just leave a message other than this method. Claire suggested, "Why don't we just walk over to your house and leave behind a message?"

Hannah groaned, "Walking home in the dark doesn't sound like a fun idea."

Smacking Hannah's stomach, Claire laughed, "It'll give you a chance to burn off that food baby you got going there."

Wrapping her arms around her stomach, Hannah turned her stomach away from Claire. "I worked hard to make this food baby," She stuck her tongue at Claire.

Claire giggled at Hannah's reaction.

Shoulders slumping as she accepted the reality, Hannah resigned herself to the idea. "I guess we'll have to go back to my place." Launching herself towards Claire to give another hug, "It's the least I can do for our chance to have a sleepover!"

Once Hannah let go of her, Claire got out of her seat and grabbed her plate and cup. Moving over to the sink, she placed them with the other dirty dishes made while they cooked.

Hannah followed Claire, bringing along her own dishes and setting them into the sink.

As Claire began washing the dishes, she thought back to what Chelsea and Heather talk about, the emergency shelters, and how neither of them was able to enter. Access to the shelters was only until after the Fort was overwhelmed by the Modified Humans.

"You'd think Star and Moon would've designed their shelter to allow people to store food and equipment into the shelter, to prepare for when things got dangerous for everyone inside of the Fort." Claire thought to herself.

"What are you thinking about?" Hannah asked as she took one of the cleaned dishes and began drying it.

Claire shook her head. "I'm just thinking about what Chelsea and Heather were talking about with the shelters."

"The ones created by Star and Moon and the military?" Hannah moved to one of the cupboards and put away the dish before returning to grab another clean plate to begin drying.

"Yeah," Claire answered.

"What were you thinking about?" Hannah raised an eyebrow, confused.

Putting her soapy hands onto the side of the sink, Claire looked at Hannah. "When we went to Star and Moon Studio, we saw the type of environment that the company operates in. So why would they make it so the shelters couldn't be accessed for the military to stock up supplies?"

Hannah looked up at the ceiling as she thought about the matter in question.

"Even the people who came to pick us up to take our families to the Fort were using equipment far more advanced than the military." Claire drove in her point even deeper.

Hannah directed her attention back to Claire, "What are you thinking?"

Looking away and staring at the dirty dishes in the sink, Claire said, "I don't know." Something in the back of her mind made her think there was something more to those emergency shelters.