Common Sense Hijack System-Chapter 138: Lonely Curtis

In the lobby, Karl saw Evelyn, Emmet, and Curtis already waiting, dressed in thick winter clothing to withstand the cold outside. Each of them carried an empty backpack, ready to be filled with whatever supplies they could find. Behind them, parked near the entrance, was a snowmobile—but it looked far from ordinary. The vehicle had been modified with additional metal plating on the sides and a reinforced steel frame, seemingly designed for extra protection.

Karl raised an eyebrow as he approached the vehicle. "Since when do we have a snowmobile?"

Emmet patted the hood of the machine with a hint of pride. "I modified it myself."

Karl stepped closer, inspecting it carefully. The engine looked sturdier than a regular snowmobile, with reinforced shock absorbers beneath. The wheels had been replaced with wider tracks, making it better suited for navigating through deep snow and ice.

"You know how to modify vehicles?" Karl asked, still skeptical.

Emmet smirked. "Used to be a mechanic before all this happened. Figured we’d need something more reliable than our own feet if we want to make it to the supermarket and back in one piece."

Evelyn crossed her arms. "Are we done questioning his skills? We need to move before it gets too late."

Karl gave a small nod. "Fine. Let’s go."

With that, they climbed onto the snowmobile, Emmet taking the driver’s seat. The engine roared to life, breaking the eerie silence of the ruined city. As they took off, the icy wind lashed against their faces, and the world around them blurred into a frozen wasteland of abandoned buildings and buried streets.

---

Arriving at the Supermarket

The journey took longer than expected. The city had become an unforgiving labyrinth, with wrecked cars, collapsed buildings, and thick snow blocking many of the roads. They had to take detours, weaving through narrow alleys and frozen streets, all while keeping an eye out for anything—or anyone—that might be lurking in the shadows.

When they finally reached the supermarket, the place looked eerily untouched. The glass doors were still intact, though frosted over. There were no signs of forced entry—no shattered windows, no broken locks.

Curtis frowned. "This is weird... You’d think people would’ve raided this place first."

Karl narrowed his eyes. "Maybe no one made it this far."

Evelyn scoffed. "Or maybe something stopped them."

A heavy silence followed her words. No one wanted to acknowledge what she was implying.

Emmet killed the engine, and they dismounted. The supermarket loomed before them, silent and waiting.

"Alright," Karl said, adjusting the knife at his belt. "Stay sharp. We get in, grab what we can, and get out. No unnecessary risks."

The others nodded, and together, they stepped forward into the unknown.

Karl slowly exhaled, his muscles relaxing as the tension in his body eased. From behind the pharmacy counter, a dog emerged—a skinny, shivering mutt with matted fur and cautious eyes. The animal must have been trapped inside for days, maybe even weeks.

"Shit," Curtis muttered, lowering the metal pipe he had raised. "Thought we were about to get jumped."

Karl sighed, sliding his knife back into its sheath. "Same."

The dog whined, stepping forward hesitantly, sniffing the air.

"Guess we’re not the only ones starving," Curtis said, crouching slightly. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small piece of jerky, and tossed it toward the mutt. The dog sniffed it before cautiously taking a bite.

Karl turned back to the shelves, resuming the looting. "Let’s move. We’ve wasted enough time."

Curtis chuckled as he stuffed a bottle of antibiotics into his bag. "Damn, man. No wonder you get all the women—you’re cold as hell."

Karl frowned. "What?"

Curtis leaned against the counter, grinning. "C’mon, don’t play dumb. Everyone in the complex knows you’re holed up with Jane and Layla. That’s gotta be the dream in a situation like this."

Karl sighed, already regretting acknowledging the conversation. "I’m not entertaining this."

Curtis smirked. "Oh, I think you are." He tossed a bottle of painkillers into his bag. "So, tell me—are they, like, your women? Or just... casual survival buddies?"

Karl kept his focus on the medicine shelf, pretending to ignore him.

Curtis took that as a sign to push further. "Actually, now that I think about it... Layla’s what? Early twenties? And Jane’s gotta be pushing forty. Shit, dude... are they mother and daughter?"

Karl paused.

"No."

Curtis groaned, shaking his head dramatically. "Damn, man, that’s a letdown. That would’ve been peak forbidden survival romance right there. You’re really wasting potential."

Karl pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to suppress his irritation. He knew Curtis was younger—probably still in his mid-twenties—and he understood the type. The guy was just another horny survivor who needed a distraction from the nightmare they were living in.

Still, this wasn’t the time or place.

Karl shot him a look. "You done?"

Curtis shrugged. "I mean, unless you wanna give me details—"

"We’re leaving."

Karl didn’t wait for a response. He grabbed the last of the medical supplies and pushed past Curtis, heading for the exit.

Curtis followed, still smirking. "Man, I wish I had what you had. You think Evelyn would be down if I—"

Karl shot him a sharp glare.

Curtis put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. No need to get violent."

The dog followed them out, silently padding behind them as they made their way back to the others.

As they walked through the empty supermarket aisles, their backpacks now filled with medicine and supplies, Curtis let out a long sigh.

"Man, I gotta be honest with you, Karl."

Karl didn’t respond immediately, just kept walking toward the front of the store. He already had a bad feeling about where this conversation was going.

"I’m so damn lonely." Curtis groaned, rubbing his face. "I got no one, dude. No friends, no girls. Just me and my right hand."

Karl stopped mid-step. "I did not need to hear that."

"Nah, seriously, bro." Curtis continued like Karl hadn’t said anything. "I just keep thinking, man. Ever since the world went to shit, all I’ve been doing is surviving, looting, and... you know." He made a vague jerking motion with his hand.

Karl grimaced. "Jesus Christ."

"Dude, what else am I supposed to do?" Curtis whined. "It’s not like I got options. No girls wanna talk to me, no one really notices I exist, and the only social interaction I get is staring at Evelyn’s ass from a distance before she threatens to kill me."

Karl massaged his temple. "Sounds like a personal problem."

"It is, bro!" Curtis sighed dramatically. "And it’s not even just about the whole—uh, you know, lack of action. I just... don’t have anyone to talk to."

Karl side-eyed him. "You’re talking to me right now."

Curtis hesitated. "Yeah... but it’s kinda awkward, right?"

"You’re the one making it awkward."

Curtis groaned, kicking at a fallen can on the floor. "Dude, you don’t get it. I’ve wanted to talk to you since I moved into the complex, but I always felt weird about it."

Karl gave him a blank stare. "You felt weird about saying hello?"

"Bro, you have this... vibe. Like, the ’I-don’t-give-a-shit-about-anyone’ vibe." Curtis rubbed the back of his neck. "I’d see you around, and I’d think, ’Man, I should introduce myself,’ but then you’d just have this deadpan face like you were constantly two seconds away from stabbing someone."

Karl exhaled slowly, feeling secondhand embarrassment creeping in. "This is probably the cringiest thing I’ve ever heard."

"I know, right?" Curtis laughed nervously. "Like, here I am, surviving the apocalypse, and my biggest struggle is making friends. What the hell is wrong with me?"

Karl didn’t know whether to feel annoyed or sorry for him. The guy was younger, lonely, and clearly down bad. But at the same time... why the hell was he venting about this now?

"Look," Karl said flatly. "You’re overthinking this. You don’t need to be nervous about talking to people. Just... don’t be weird."

Curtis snorted. "Too late for that."

Karl shook his head and kept walking. "Let’s just get back to the others before you confess something even worse."

Curtis grinned. "What, like my hentai collection?"

Karl stopped. Slowly turned his head.

"Curtis."

"Yeah?"

"Shut the hell up."

Curtis smirked, clearly enjoying how uncomfortable Karl was. "What, man? You judging me?"

Karl sighed, rubbing his forehead as they kept walking through the supermarket aisles. Then, with a completely straight face, he said, "Nah. I’m just saying... my collection’s better."

Curtis stopped dead in his tracks. "...Huh?"