Chapter 71: The First Day

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: The First Day

The apartment was quiet.

Not because there was peace.

But because nobody knew what to say.

Penelope and Aunt Mary stepped out of the bedroom together. Behind them, Aurora remained asleep on Penelope’s bed, oblivious to the fact that the world had ended less than a day ago.

For a brief moment, Penelope simply stood there.

The living room looked the same.

The sofa.

The television.

The dining table.

The warm lights overhead.

Everything looked normal.

Everything except the people sitting inside it.

Kai sat on the arm of the couch, elbows resting on his knees. There was no grin on his face.

Ben sat beside Aunt Lucy.

He hadn’t spoken since they returned from the eleventh floor.

Erik stood by the window.

Killian stood beside him.

Both men stared out at the city.

No one acknowledged Penelope and Aunt Mary’s arrival.

Because at that exact moment—

A scream echoed from outside.

A woman’s scream.

Long.

Desperate.

Then another.

Then another.

The apartment fell even quieter.

Penelope slowly walked toward the window.

The city below had become a nightmare.

People ran through the streets.

Some screamed.

Some begged.

Some simply ran.

Behind them—

The dead followed.

The crimson sunlight cast the entire city in shades of red and gold.

A beautiful sky.

A horrifying world.

The sound of glass shattering echoed from somewhere below.

Then came the gunshots.

One.

Two.

Three.

Then silence.

Penelope’s fingers tightened against the windowsill.

"We can’t go out there."

It wasn’t a question.

Killian didn’t look at her.

"No."

The answer was immediate.

The red sun still hung high in the sky.

No one knew exactly what it did.

But they knew enough.

Everyone who had gone outside during the first wave had changed.

No one was willing to risk it.

Another scream echoed through the city.

This one was closer.

Kai closed his eyes.

"There are kids out there."

No one responded.

Because everyone had heard them too.

A car horn blared continuously somewhere in the distance.

Someone screamed for help.

Another voice screamed back.

Then came the growling.

Ben lowered his head.

Penelope felt truly powerless.

Not because she lacked strength.

Not because she lacked preparation.

But because there were simply too many people.

And not enough time.

Eventually, Killian stepped away from the window.

"We move tonight."

The words broke the silence.

Everyone looked at him.

"The moment the red sun sets," he continued. "We clear the surrounding area."

Erik nodded.

"We start with this building."

"The lower floors?" Ben asked quietly.

Erik nodded.

"We eliminate every infected person inside."

The sentence sounded cruel.

But no one disagreed.

Kai leaned back against the couch.

"And after that?"

Killian folded his arms.

"We search for supplies. Penelope, your space...does it freeze time?" Killian asked.

"Freeze time?" Penelope asked. She wasn’t sure if he was implying what she thought.

"Does time stand still once an item enters your space?" He asked once again.

"Yes. Yes it does." Penelope answered. She was a bit confused by his choice of words but who was she to correct him at a time like this.

"Good. So, we should go look for the necessary supplies. Food. Medicine. Weapons. Those are our primary items." Killian said.

His voice remained steady and calm. As if discussing a business meeting rather than the end of civilization.

Penelope looked at him.

Erik nodded and said "We should also head towards the jewelry district." Killian raised an eyebrow. He didn’t bother asking for a reason. If Erik wanted to head that way, then that way they would head. They were a team after all.

"What about the people outside?" Penelope couldn’t help but ask.

Killian hesitated...just for a second.

"We can’t save them all." He replied. "We should make one thing very clear. We are not saviors. We are survivors."

No one argued.

Because they all knew he was right.

That didn’t make it hurt any less.

Outside, another explosion echoed through the city.

The windows rattled.

Somewhere in the distance, a child cried.

Kai looked away.

Ben remained silent.

Even Erik’s expression darkened.

The world was ending.

And they were trapped behind glass.

A soft sound broke the silence.

Everyone turned.

Aunt Lucy stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

No one had noticed when she had left.

Or when she had returned.

In her hands were bowls of hot soup.

One by one, she placed them on the table.

No one reached for them.

For a moment, she simply looked at them.

At Kai.

At Ben.

At Erik.

At Penelope.

At Killian.

At Aunt Mary.

Then she smiled.

At least, she tried to.

A tear slipped silently down her cheek.

"If you’re going out tonight..." she said quietly.

No one spoke.

"You should do it with a full stomach."

Then she smiled. "And come back."

Silence.

No grand speeches.

No promises.

Just those sincere words.

’Come back.’

Because she knew.

They all knew.

They couldn’t save everyone.

They could only try to save each other.

Outside, the city screamed.

Inside Apartment 2502, everyone quietly took their seats at the dining table.Because sometimes, when the world was ending, the only thing left to do was eat together.

And in Penelope’s bedroom, Aurora slept peacefully through her first apocalypse.

***

The curtains remained tightly shut.

Not a single ray of crimson sunlight entered the apartment. Yet despite the blackout curtains, the sounds of the city still found their way inside.

Screams.

Car horns.

The occasional gunshot.

And, beneath it all, the distant growling that Harold now knew he would never forget.

He paced back and forth across the living room for what had to be the hundredth time. Every few seconds, he would pause to listen, only to resume walking moments later.

"I don’t like this," he finally admitted.

Vanya remained seated on the couch, her eyes fixed on the closed curtains. She hadn’t moved in nearly twenty minutes.

"Nobody likes this," she replied quietly.

Harold stopped pacing and turned to look at her.

"No. You don’t understand."

His voice lowered.

"I saw it."

Vanya slowly looked up.

"The man in the lobby."

The color had long since drained from Harold’s face.

"I watched him become that thing."

Silence settled over the apartment.

Harold swallowed hard.

"It wasn’t human."

No.

It wasn’t.

Vanya understood that better than anyone.

She had spent years fighting monsters. Creatures capable of destroying cities. Entire species that had consumed planets and driven civilizations to extinction.

And somehow, the zombies frightened her more than any of them ever had.

Not because they were stronger.

Quite the opposite.

They were slow.

Mindless.

Weak.

And that was precisely what terrified her.

Because all it took was a single bite.

A single scratch.

A single mistake.

Then everything changed.

The zombies themselves weren’t the problem.

It was what they represented.

A war of attrition.

A war that humanity could lose.

Another scream echoed somewhere outside.

Harold visibly flinched.

"We should stay here," he said.

Vanya stood.

"I’m going to check on the woman next door."

Harold stared at her as though she had lost her mind.

"What?"

"The woman in the penthouse."

"The vampire?" he asked incredulously.

Vanya chose not to acknowledge that statement.

"We haven’t heard anything from her."

Harold immediately moved in front of the apartment door.

"No."

Vanya raised an eyebrow.

"No?"

"No," he repeated, shaking his head. "Absolutely not."

His voice cracked.

"You saw what happened downstairs."

He paused.

"I almost died."

For a moment, Vanya simply looked at him.

Not with annoyance.

Not with anger.

Understanding.

Harold was terrified.

He had every right to be.

Unfortunately, she was afraid too.

Not of the zombies.

But of what they meant.

"I’m going," she said.

Harold opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Then sighed.

"Then I’m coming with you."

A faint smile appeared on Vanya’s face.

"Fine."