Chapter 66: The Awakening Part III

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: The Awakening Part III

Silence.

The only sound left was the frightened breathing of a teen who still didn’t understand that his grandfather had died twice.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

The boy opened his eyes.

For a brief moment—

He looked relieved.

"Grandpa?"

His gaze shifted.

To the shattered wall.

To the blood.

To the old man lying motionless on the floor.

His expression froze.

"Grandpa?"

He scrambled backward, pressing himself against the coffee table.

"No."

The word came out as a whisper.

Then he looked up.

At Erik.

At Kai.

At the crackling remnants of lightning still dancing around Erik’s fingertips.

"You..."

His voice broke.

"You killed him."

Kai opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Because what could he possibly say?

That they had saved him?

That his grandfather had already died?

That the thing standing over him wasn’t family anymore?

The teen’s eyes filled with tears.

"He was trying to wake me up."

The apartment fell silent.

Even Hrimnir said nothing.

Erik looked at the old man.

At the blood.

At the torn flesh around his mouth.

Then back at the teenager.

"No."

His voice was quiet.

"He was trying to eat you."

The teenager shook his head.

"No."

He looked at his grandfather again.

"He would never..."

The sentence died in his throat.

Because for the first time—

He saw the bite marks.

The blood.

The empty white eye staring at nothing.

Reality settled over the room like a funeral shroud.

Kai slowly lowered his weapon.

How could he not understand? He knew very well what the world was becoming—

He understood.

Some things were worse than dying.

It was surviving long enough to watch someone you loved become a monster.

---

The stairwell was silent.

Not the comforting silence Penelope had grown accustomed to inside the Space.

This silence felt wrong.

Heavy.

As if the entire building was holding its breath.

Killian walked ahead.

Penelope walked beside him.

Neither spoke.

The growling echoed faintly through the floors below.

Sometimes close.

Sometimes distant.

Always there.

When they reached the fifteenth floor, Killian stopped.

Apartment 1501.

A scream echoed through the hallway.

A woman’s scream.

Followed by a crash.

Penelope’s heart dropped.

"Someone’s alive."

She immediately ran forward.

The apartment door stood partially open.

Blood stained the frame.

"Wait—"

Killian’s voice came a fraction too late.

Penelope reached for the door.

Then—

A hand wrapped around her wrist.

Hard.

She was violently pulled backward.

At the exact same moment—

A figure burst through the doorway.

A woman.

Or what used to be one.

Blood covered her face.

Chunks of flesh remained trapped between her teeth.

Her cloudy eyes locked onto Penelope and lunged.

At the exact same moment, Penelope saw a flash of silver.

The zombie’s head was separated from its body. The corpse collapsed at their feet.

Silence.

Penelope blinked.

The entire exchange had lasted less than a second.

Slowly, she turned.

Killian still held her wrist.

His expression remained calm.

Almost too calm.

In his other hand rested a thin silver blade.

No.

Not a blade.

A doorknob.

Or rather...

What had once been a doorknob.

Penelope stared.

The metal weapon shimmered before dissolving into countless metallic particles.

The particles floated through the air.

Then reattached themselves to the apartment door.

The doorknob reformed perfectly.

As if it had never moved at all.

"...You turned the doorknob into a dagger." Penelope stated.

Killian glanced at her.

"Yes."

"You can do that?" Penelope asked.

"Apparently."

Penelope stared at the door.

Then at Killian.

Then back at the door.

That was...Actually a very useful ability.

Her own abilities were impressive enough but atom manipulation?

That was cheating. Penelope felt an itch in her dantians. Everything in her was begging to copy it now.

She silently added it to the list of powers she intended to ’borrow’..

Preferably when Killian wasn’t looking.

"You should warn people before doing something cool," she muttered.

For the first time since entering the building, the corner of Killian’s mouth twitched.

"I’ll keep that in mind."

Only then did Penelope realize—

He was still holding her wrist.

Oddly enough...

Neither of them let go.

Together, they entered Apartment 1501.

The smell hit them immediately.

Blood.

Death.

The living room looked like a battlefield.

An elderly woman sat motionless on the sofa.

A man lay beside the dining table.

Another body rested near the kitchen entrance.

None of them were breathing.

Penelope’s expression darkened.

"They’ve already turned."

Killian nodded.

"Or they will."

Neither hesitated.

There was no anger.

No fear.

Only acceptance.

The blade reappeared in Killian’s hand.

Ice-cold determination settled into Penelope’s eyes.

The room remained silent.

When it was over—

Penelope stepped forward.

Fire bloomed in her palm.

The flames spread quickly.

Warm.

Bright.

Merciful.

She watched until the fire consumed everything.

Then she turned away. Killian raised an eyebrow at her, as if asking ’Why commit overkills?’

"cough... I read in some zombie apocalyptic novels that burning the body will help our chances at survival. We don’t need cockroaches eating infected flesh and transmitting the disease faster" Penelope offered an explanation.

Killian didn’t argue.

They moved toward Apartment 1502.

This time, Penelope noticed the sounds before they reached the door.

Voices.

Whispering.

Alive.

She knocked.

Silence.

Then—

"Who’s there?"

A man’s voice. He sounded younger than 30.

He sounded terrified.

"Neighbors," Killian answered.

The door opened only a crack.

A young man peeked through.

He couldn’t have been older than twenty-five.

Behind him stood a woman around the same age.

They both looked pale, confused and terrified.

Luckily, neither appeared injured.

The man’s eyes widened when he saw the blood on the hallway floor.

"What happened?"

Killian didn’t soften the truth.

"The dead are coming back to life."

The couple stared, finding his words baffling.

"What?"

"A zombie outbreak has begun," Penelope said.

The man turned to his wife, clearly saying ’I understand the words, but why are they not making sense when put together?’

His wife glared at her husband and turned to Penny. Being direct. "Do you mean zombies?" She read a few apocalyptic novels in her teens.

Killian nodded and said "You should be prepared. You are one of the few who have woken early, you should go gather food, water, medicine if possible. Anything that is useful."

Penelope couldn’t help but add "and stay away from anyone who’s been bitten, scratch, or simply injured."

The husband swallowed.

"Are you serious?"

Killian’s expression never changed.

"Very."

The wife slowly grabbed her husband’s hand. "What do we do?"

For a moment no one spoke. Then Killian said simply "Survive."

The husband understood Killian’s meaning. There was no going back to the world they knew before.

Slowl, very seriously, he nodded his head. "Thank you for helping us."

His wife was not muddleheaded, she understood her husband. Although this couple had not saved them directly, they had exterminated the problem living next door. She turned to them and bowed, "Thank you, we will forever remember this debt."

As Penelope turned to leave, she looked back one last time.

"Survive...That’s how you can repay us."

The apartment door slowly closed.

The hallway became silent once again.

Only after they had reached the stairwell did Penelope glance downward.

Killian was still holding her wrist.

She blinked.

He blinked.

Neither of them said anything.

And neither of them let go.