The dog ended up tagging along. He followed them at a cautious distance, as if unsure whether these two-legged creatures were worthy of his trust. But he stayed close. Maybe hoping they’d eventually share some food.


They wound their way through the streets, and after everything they’d been through, the afternoon felt suspiciously peaceful.


Then they reached a place that made Civilian stop.


“I know this place,” he said quietly, tilting his head back to take in the grand façade of the city museum.


The columns, once bright white, were now veined with cracks and strangled by creeping vines making their own slow journey upward. Above the entrance, several letters were missing, but it was still clear that this was once a house of history.


“We were supposed to come here on a school trip,” he said after a pause, voice distant.

“But we never made it…”


There was something in his voice... nostalgia, yes, but tinged with bitterness.Like he’d just realized how many years had passed since this place had meant something other than just another ruin.


Soldier glanced at him, but said nothing. His mind did the math. How long ago must it have been? Ten years? No… fifteen. Civilian couldn’t have been more than eight at the time.


He imagined the kid. Excited to see dinosaurs, old maps, suits of armor. And instead, he’d watched the world fall apart.


Maybe he’d dreamed of coming back someday. And now, here he was. Older. And instead of classmates, he had a Soldier beside him. And a stray dog they’d just met on the street.


“Maybe it’s time to explore another piece of uncharted territory,” Soldier said, surprising even himself, nodding toward the museum entrance to make his meaning clear.


Civilian turned toward him, eyes wide, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

“Seriously?”


Soldier just shrugged. “We’re not going to make it much further today anyway,” he said, with no regret, just plain fact.


Civilian didn’t wait. He stepped forward, like that motion might somehow make up for the fifteen years of distance between him and this place.

The dog stayed behind for a moment, nose twitching. He hesitated, staring off toward the city. Was it worth following?


“Come on, mutt, you coming?” Civilian called over his shoulder.


The animal wavered, then perked his ears and trotted after his strange human pack, into the museum no one had entered for a very long time.