Just as Robert finished introducing himself, a faint sound drifted through the air.
It was soft, carrying the unmistakable nasal tone of a baby.
The kind of sleepy complaint an infant made after being woken from a nap.
It wasn't loud.
But Robert froze where he stood.
He knew that sound.
He knew it all too well.
Even after all these years, he recognized it instantly.
His mouth parted slightly.
Every word he had been about to say vanished.
Nora heard it too.
She immediately turned around and hurried toward the nearby table.
Then she carefully picked up the baby.
Max had only just woken up.
His little face was scrunched into a frown.
He continued making unhappy noises while waving both tiny hands through the air, as if protesting that the world had interrupted his sleep.
With practiced ease, Nora gently patted him before carrying him back.
She stopped in front of Robert.
Sunlight fell across the baby's soft, light-colored hair.
His green eyes opened, curiously studying the unfamiliar man before him.
In a natural tone, Nora introduced him.
“This is Max.”
She glanced down at the child in her arms, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
“My son.”
Beside them, Sam's ears immediately perked up.
Her tail began wagging furiously.
She stretched up on her toes, trying to get a better look at the little newcomer.
Then she cautiously leaned forward and sniffed, letting out a curious little huff.
Nora smiled at the sight.
She crouched down, allowing Max and Sam to get a little closer.
Sam immediately leaned in.
She sniffed carefully first.
Then tilted her head as she looked at the baby.
Max, his round eyes wide open, reached out with one tiny hand.
Pat.
His palm landed squarely on Sam's nose.
The touch was as light as a feather.
Sam, however, was absolutely delighted.
Her tail wagged even faster.
She looked as though she might start spinning in circles at any moment.
Watching the scene unfold, Nora couldn't help laughing.
Standing before them, Robert couldn't say a single word.
He looked at the girl.
Then at the baby in her arms.
Then at Sam, so excited she looked ready to take flight.
Then he looked at the sunlight.
The waterfront.
Everything before him.
Suddenly, his throat tightened.
His eyes burned once more.
He felt like he was about to cry again.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIq5FfFyWmF
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWK7tpsRGsD
They quickly decided to visit a baby supply store first.
Robert had stockpiled an enormous amount of supplies over the years.
Food.
Medicine.
Tools.
Fuel.
He even had backup generators.
But there was one thing he had never prepared.
Baby supplies.
After all, during all those years, he had never imagined that a real baby would one day appear before him.
So when the SUV pulled up in front of a large baby supply store, Robert couldn't help feeling as though he had stepped into another lifetime.
The glass entrance doors had long since shattered.
Dust covered the shelves.
Sunlight streamed through the broken skylights overhead.
Like the rest of the city, the store had been abandoned for years.
Yet most of the merchandise remained intact.
The two of them pushed a shopping cart through the aisles.
Diapers.
Baby bottles.
Baby wipes.
Pacifiers.
Baby blankets.
A crib.
Changing pads.
Everything new parents might need.
Robert had taken care of a newborn before.
Nora had taken care of a lifelike baby simulator.
The source of her experience was admittedly a little unusual, but at least both of them knew which items were important.
So they discussed things as they loaded supplies into the vehicle.
Occasionally, they came across an item whose purpose neither of them was entirely sure about.
They would stop and examine it for quite a while before deciding whether to take it.
The formula aisle made both of them tense.
Nora crouched in front of the shelves, checking expiration dates.
Meanwhile, Robert used a flashlight to inspect each can one by one.
Fortunately,
they eventually found several cans of formula that were still within their expiration dates.
They would expire before long,
but they were safe to use for now.
When they found them, both of them let out a sigh of relief at the same time.
The most important purchase, however, was the infant car seat.
Robert studied the installation instructions for a while before securely fastening it into the back seat.
Only after confirming that it didn't move at all did he nod in satisfaction.
By the time they left,
the SUV was packed to the brim.
The trunk was full.
The back seat was full.
Even the footwells were stacked with boxes.
Yet as Robert looked at all those supplies,
he still felt it wasn't enough.
Not nearly enough.
He had already begun thinking about making another trip tomorrow.
Because things were different now.
Before, it had only been him and Sam.
Now there was a baby.
And a young mother.
When they returned home,
Robert sat quietly in the living room, watching the scene before him.
Nora was sitting on the sofa, holding Max in her arms as she skillfully fed him with a bottle.
The baby held the bottle with both hands, making steady sucking noises.
Every now and then, he let out a tiny sound of contentment.
Nearby, Sam lay on the floor.
Her tail swayed gently.
Her eyes never left the baby.
The entire scene was so warm that it hardly seemed possible in a world like this.
For a moment, Robert felt dazed.
As though everything before him were nothing more than a dream.
When he had woken up that morning,
this city had still belonged to him alone.
And now—
there was a young woman in his living room.
A baby.
Voices.
Laughter.
Signs that life still existed.
They had talked a great deal on the way home.
Nora had been careful in describing her past.
As she spoke, she had to blend together experiences from her previous life and this one.
Yet when it came to surviving in an apocalypse, they had unexpectedly found a great deal of common ground.
At the very least,
when it came to loneliness.
To loss.
To what it meant to survive.
They both had plenty to say.
Robert leaned back in his chair and thought for a while.
In the end, he asked the question that had been on his mind all along.
“So...”
“You're saying the child's father is missing?”
Nora's hand paused briefly as she fed Max.
Then she nodded.
“Yes.”
There was no way she could explain Max's true origin.
She couldn't exactly tell someone that he had originally been a baby simulator from a university early childhood education program who had somehow become real.
So she could only push Tim into the story.
In a way, it wasn't entirely inaccurate.
After all, Tim really was the one who had started this whole chain of events.
If it hadn't been for him,
Max would never have existed.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWncrAF4WNE
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbSfmrPffe
Robert was crouched on the floor, assembling a crib.
Around him lay scattered wooden parts, screws, and the instruction manual.
For years, these hands had held rifles, pistols, and surgical instruments.
They had even dissected countless infected.
Now, they carefully held a wooden frame, assembling the crib one piece at a time.
After securing the final support, he picked up the small animal mobile included in the box.
Several soft fabric animals hung from the circular frame, gently swaying with the slightest touch.
Robert paused for a moment.
His rough fingers lightly brushed against the soft fabric.
It felt nothing like a weapon.
It was unbelievably soft.
As though applying even a little too much force would damage it.
As though he were touching the most delicate thing in the world.
Nearby, Sam lay quietly on the floor.
She wasn't asleep.
She simply watched her owner work, her tail occasionally thumping softly against the floor, as if keeping him company.
Robert spent the entire afternoon preparing the room.
He cleared out the guest room that had been preserved in the best condition for Nora and the baby.
First, he cleaned away every trace of dust.
Then he laid down a thick carpet.
Next, he fetched his tools and reinforced the windows, securing them firmly in place before strengthening the soundproofing panels.
The house was already very safe.
Even so, he couldn't help wanting to make it just a little more secure.
After all, a baby was different from an adult.
Max might cry during the night.
He might wake up because of noises outside.
Or lose sleep over the smallest disturbance.
Finally, Robert brought out a set of bedsheets he had carefully kept all these years.
They were clean.
Soft.
Still carrying the scent of sunshine.
He neatly spread them across the bed, hoping Nora would sleep well tonight.
While preparing the room, he had also asked Nora about the child's father.
The expression on her face at the time had been very strange.
It wasn't sadness.
Nor was it anger.
It was more like she simply didn't know where to begin explaining.
Robert had noticed.
But before he could ask another question,
Nora immediately said,
“Don't worry about him.”
“He'll come.”
When she said those words, there was no doubt in her eyes.
No anxiety.
Only a quiet certainty.
As though she had never once questioned whether he would be able to find her.
So Robert quietly set aside all the darker possibilities that had crossed his mind.
At the very least,
there was still someone in this world worthy of that kind of trust.
Before long, footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Robert looked up.
The bedroom door opened.
Nora walked in carrying Max.
He had just finished his bath.
His hair was still slightly damp, and he carried the fresh, clean scent of soap.
In the apocalypse, many things had to be compromised.
An adult could go several days without bathing, and it wouldn't be much of a problem.
A baby was different.
Their skin was far too delicate.
The slightest neglect could lead to problems.
So Nora had spent quite a while bathing him.
Then she noticed the crib.
Already assembled.
She froze for a moment.
Her green eyes slowly widened as her gaze settled on the little fabric animals gently swaying overhead.
A smile spread across her face.
She glanced down at Max in her arms.
Then, without any warning, she held him out to Robert.
Startled, Robert instinctively raised both hands.
Even so, he caught the baby securely.
Even after all these years,
his body still remembered how to hold an infant.
His arms naturally formed a cradle.
One hand securely supported Max's back and head.
It was a motion his wife had taught him over and over again many years ago.
The real Max was remarkably well-behaved.
Honestly,
almost unbelievably so.
Sometimes Nora couldn't help wondering whether, deep down, Tim subconsciously wished for a well-behaved child in the future.
After all, Damian—the younger brother he had only recently gotten to know—seemed to have absolutely nothing to do with the word well-behaved.
Or perhaps...
it was simply because the baby simulator version of Max had cried so much.
Compared to that,
this version seemed like a perfect little angel.
Max gazed up with wide eyes.
A tiny spit bubble formed at his lips.
He curiously studied the unfamiliar man before him.
Robert looked down at the baby in his arms.
At the tiny hands.
The tiny nose.
The tiny ears.
And the way he depended entirely on the adults around him.
A gentle smile slowly spread across Robert's face.
He had almost forgotten what it felt like to hold a baby.
So this was it.
Unbelievably light.
Yet heavy enough to feel as though he were holding the entire world.
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZSUGcdtsZ
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXSQLMY7LE
Nora had originally thought Tim would appear soon.
After all, their previous dreams had rarely lasted this long.
But time inside a dream was unreliable.
Normally, once the problem was resolved, the dream would begin to collapse, and everyone would return to reality.
But this time, it didn't.
One day passed.
Then a week.
Then half a month.
Tim still hadn't appeared.
So Nora ended up staying at Robert's house.
And before she knew it, an entire month had passed.
In a way, she had settled into an unexpectedly ordinary life raising a child.
Every morning she fed Max.
Played with him.
Prepared baby food.
Did the laundry.
Hung blankets out to dry.
Every now and then, she even had to stop Sam from secretly hiding Max's toys.
Life was unbelievably peaceful.
And Robert had everything so well organized that Nora often found herself wondering if she had somehow come here on vacation.
Food was never a concern.
Safety was never a concern.
Shelter was never a concern.
Even daily necessities were never a concern.
The man who had survived alone through the apocalypse for so many years seemed to have rediscovered every instinct for taking care of other people.
Over the course of that month, Robert gradually changed as well.
He talked to himself less and less.
When he had lived alone, he had constantly talked to the air.
To the television.
To the mannequins.
Even to the walls.
After spending so long without another person, the silence had become unbearable.
But now things were different.
Someone answered his questions at the dinner table.
Someone shared their thoughts halfway through a movie.
Whenever he walked into the living room, he could hear a baby's laughter.
Little by little, the habit of talking to himself disappeared.
It was replaced by more and more real conversations.
And he smiled far more often.
Wanting Nora to eat better, he even caught several wild chickens and began raising them.
Every day he collected fresh eggs.
He even took the time to figure out how to build a proper chicken coop.
Then, when Max was ready to start eating solid food, Robert searched the surrounding area for usable fruit.
Eventually, he discovered several apple trees that were somehow still alive.
The day he drove home with an entire vehicle full of apples, he looked as though he had discovered buried treasure.
The scientist who had once devoted himself to saving humanity now seemed to have redirected all of his research toward infant nutrition.
During that month, they also watched nearly every classic film Robert had collected.
Many of them were movies Nora had never seen.
After all, she had grown up with far more modern forms of entertainment.
But once she actually sat down to watch them, she realized why those classics had earned their reputation.
Many of their stories still held up decades later.
Many of their characters remained just as moving.
That evening, they were watching The Princess Bride.
The living room was illuminated only by the glow of the television.
Max had fallen asleep long ago.
His tiny body rested on the rug.
Beside him, Sam had also fallen asleep.
The large dog and the little baby lay side by side.
Halfway through the movie, Robert suddenly spoke.
“Nora... are you worried?”
Nora turned toward him, looking slightly puzzled.
Robert was silent for a moment, as though searching for the right words.
Finally, he asked carefully,
“I mean... aren't you worried that your husband might never come looking for you?”
The question had been on his mind for a long time.
He simply hadn't been able to bring himself to ask.
Because he knew what it felt like to wait.
He knew what it felt like to watch hope slowly disappear.
And he knew what loneliness could do to a person.
What if something had happened to Nora's husband?
What if he simply couldn't come?
What if she kept waiting...
only to wait forever?
Then what would become of her?
What would become of the child?
Robert was more than willing to help.
He was even willing to take care of them for as long as they needed.
But waiting...
That was a burden no one else could carry for another person.
As the thought crossed his mind, his expression gradually grew heavy.
Nora looked at him, a little surprised.
After living together for the past month, she had come to understand the man sitting beside her very well.
Gentle.
Dependable.
Kind.
But also carrying an overwhelming loneliness.
It had become a part of who he was.
That was why he always found himself imagining the worst possible outcome for others.
Nora watched him quietly for a few seconds.
Then she reached out with her left hand and gently placed it over his scarred, calloused one.
The scars were left by years of holding a rifle.
They were also proof that he had survived the apocalypse alone.
Nora smiled at him.
As relaxed as always.
As certain as always.
“Don't worry.”
“He's Tim Drake.”
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApRoNfRq20
42Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnozuGJWB7p
Robert froze.
Instead of answering immediately, he wore the expression of someone struggling to remember.
His eyes hesitated.
His head tilted slightly to one side.
As though he were searching the depths of his memory for a name long buried.
Several seconds passed.
Then, in an uncertain voice, he slowly spoke.
“Tim...”
“Timothy... Jackson... Drake?”
Nora froze.
Her green eyes widened instantly.
“Uh... yes.”
She nodded instinctively before asking in surprise,
“You know him?”
Robert didn't answer right away.
A face he hadn't thought about in years surfaced in his mind.
Short black hair.
Blue eyes.
A lean build.
Always wearing a lab coat.
Quietly standing beside the laboratory bench.
He looked back at Nora and cautiously asked,
“Black hair? Blue eyes?”
“From Gotham?”
Nora nodded again.
But inwardly, she couldn't help thinking.
So this is where the story changed.
Just what kind of identity did Tim give himself?
She had assumed he was simply another survivor of the apocalypse.
Now it seemed that wasn't the case at all.
Robert soon gave her the answer.
Looking at Nora, he spoke with a voice filled with nostalgia.
“Tim...”
“He served under me in the Army Chemical Corps.”
“After the outbreak, he went back to Gotham.”
Robert paused and let out a quiet breath.
“After that... I never heard from him again.”
“I always thought... he was gone.”
He lowered his head with a faint smile.
It was a smile filled with relief.
And with bittersweet nostalgia.
The kind of relief that came from unexpectedly learning that a younger colleague, whom he had believed dead for years, was not only alive, but had built a family of his own.
“I never imagined he was still alive.”
“And now...”
“And now he even has a child...”
Sitting beside him, Nora's smile slowly faded.
All at once, she had the uneasy feeling that things were probably far more complicated than she had originally thought.
ns216.73.216.95da2
and then Add to home screen.