Zoe feels the first pangs of hunger—deep in her stomach, buried in bile. Hot, sticky saliva coats the roof of her mouth, and she's pretty sure she's going to throw up. Her eyes glaze over the landscape before her. Dirt, cracked pavement, blood, and dead bodies. The foul stench of rotting flesh lingers in the air like a fog. Zoe recoils, shading her sensitive nose from the awful smell.

They'd been here, alright.

"Hardly anything left," she hears Russell say, and he sounds so, so far away. A breeze rustles her fur, and she feels something icy pound against her chest. She grips her own arms, hugging herself for warmth.

"What did you find?" she says, turning on her heel; ever so slowly.

Pepper approaches her, a granola bar held tightly in one grey paw. "Not nearly enough. There was some leftovers in the convenience store, but it's obviously been looted before. Probably more than once. Least, that's what Russell thinks." A heavy, distinct pause, and Pepper looked from the granola bar to Zoe. She grips the other side of it, bending the bar slightly. "Here, we can split this…"

Zoe holds a paw out in protest. It lands on the granola bar, gingerly brushing the sides of Pepper's paws. "No. Pep… you need it more than I do." It's a lie, and Zoe will have to pray that her stomach doesn't make any ravenous growling sounds tonight.

Pepper frowns, arching her eyebrows. "Babe…"

"I'll be fine." She really won't be, but she'd rather Pepper live than split the rations and risk both of their lives. After all, this is Pepper we're talking about—she's done everything for Zoe and asked for nothing in return. She owes her. Just this once.

Pepper's eyes narrow. "But will you really be? Fine, I mean."

Zoe hesitates—it'll be days until they find food again, maybe even a week. This town has clearly been run dry. So Zoe hesitates, but then she nods, because she values Pepper more than herself. And if she does die, she knows Pepper will miss her. Pepper will miss a lot of things. Like late-night kisses, lullabies, and watching Zoe ram her blade into zombies' necks—a clean swipe, and they're gone. But Pepper has mourned before. She can handle this.

And maybe, if they're lucky, Zoe can handle a week without food. But then again, who can really say?