Chapter 72: High Fever

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: High Fever

The hallway beyond their apartment was silent.

Too silent.

Together, they crossed the short distance to the neighboring penthouse.

Harold stared at the electronic lock.

"...Shouldn’t we knock?"

Vanya shook her head.

"Astrid."

A familiar presence stirred within her consciousness.

Online.

"Can you access the smart lock?"

A brief pause followed.

Accessing local network.

Vanya remained perfectly still.

A few seconds later, Astrid responded.

Access granted.

The access code is 0427.

Vanya entered the numbers.

The lock clicked.

Harold’s eyes widened.

"How did you do that?"

Vanya opened the door.

"The world ended," she replied calmly. "I don’t think passwords matter anymore."

Harold blinked.

That wasn’t an answer.

Not that he intended to argue.

The penthouse was quiet.

Unnaturally quiet.

"Hello?" Harold called out.

No one answered.

Vanya quickly checked the living room.

Empty.

The dining room.

Empty.

The kitchen.

Also empty.

Harold’s expression became increasingly pale.

"I really don’t like this."

Vanya didn’t disagree.

Instead, she walked toward the bedrooms.

The first bedroom was empty.

The master bedroom was empty.

That left only one room.

The third bedroom.

The door stood slightly ajar.

Vanya gently pushed it open.

Then stopped.

The woman was there.

Silver hair spilled across the pillow beneath her. Her cheeks were flushed a deep red, and her breathing was heavy and uneven, as though every breath required effort.

Harold stepped beside Vanya and stared.

"...She’s alive."

Vanya slowly released the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding.

Thank God.

She approached the bed quietly and pressed the back of her hand against the woman’s forehead.

Her eyes widened.

She was burning.

Far too hot.

"Astrid."

Online.

"Run a complete examination."

Several seconds passed.

Long enough for Vanya to feel her stomach tighten.

Then Astrid responded.

Analysis complete.

Vanya frowned.

"What is it?"

Another pause.

Longer this time.

Then—

Subject is not ill.

Vanya’s heart skipped a beat.

"What?"

Subject is undergoing a biological awakening event.

Estimated completion time: twelve to twenty-four hours.

Silence filled the room.

Harold stared at Vanya.

"...What’s wrong?"

Vanya didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she looked down at the silver-haired woman lying on the bed.

At the unnatural heat radiating from her body.

At the calm expression on her face despite the fever.

Then she quietly said:

"She’s not sick."

Harold blinked.

"Then what is she?"

Vanya didn’t answer.

Because, for the first time since arriving in this world, she was beginning to suspect that the zombies might not be the strangest thing waiting for them after all.

Vanya continued staring at the woman lying on the bed.

Silver hair spilled across the pillow. Her breathing remained heavy, but otherwise, she looked peaceful.

Too peaceful.

"Astrid," Vanya called once again.

Online.

She hesitated for a moment before asking,

"Can vampires... develop superpowers as well?"

For the first time since Astrid had awakened, the system remained silent for several seconds.

Then it replied.

Based on current observations, it appears to be possible.

Vanya held her breath.

A cold feeling spread through her chest.

She asked the next question anyway.

"Does this mean that the walking corpses outside could also evolve and develop abilities?"

This was what truly concerned her.

According to Astrid’s analysis, vampires lacked a heartbeat. They were, by all biological definitions, no longer entirely human.

If even a vampire could undergo a secondary evolution...

Then what about the zombies?

Another long silence followed.

Long enough for Harold to glance at her nervously.

Finally, Astrid responded.

Insufficient data.

However, the probability cannot be ruled out.

Vanya felt her stomach sink.

Because she already knew what that answer meant.

No.

The zombies outside weren’t necessarily the greatest threat humanity would face.

The real threat was what they might become.

"Let’s go." Vanya whispered as she grabbed Harolds hand and walked out of the room. Harold was baffled by Vanya’s urgent reaction.

They weren’t walking, they were practically fleeing.

"What’s going on?" Harold asked quietly. "Why are we running?"

"We have to leave," she replied. "It’s not safe." Even as she spoke, Vanya didn’t forget to place a sealed bag of RH-negative blood beside the bedroom door.

Then they left.

Once they made it back home, Harold turned around and grabbed Vanya’s shoulders.

"Nya, tell me, what’s going on? Why were you so scared just now?" He asked.

"Harry, She’s evolving." Vanya rambled. Her voice shaking as she continued. "Think about it. If even she can evolve and develope superpowers...Then what about the zombies?"

Harold had a blank look on his face. What did the neighbor’s evolution have to do with Zombies?

"Harry, let’s stay away from the nice lady for now. Let’s wait until she awakens to go check on her." She pleaded.

"Ok...but perhaps you should be telling yourself that." Harold grumbled. "After all, you’re the one who insisted on checking on her."

Vanya’s face tightened. He was right, she was meddling. It was not her place to meddle.

She would already have her hands full trying to keep Harold and herself alive. Could she really add another being in the mix? A vampire at that? She would need to hunt for more blood bags.

’Host?’ Astrid said. ’You’re doing it again.’

"Doing what?" Vanya asked confused.

’You’re behaving as Captain Dexter, captain of Black Legion Operations for the Interstellar Militia. and not Vanya Dexter from earth.’ Astrid answered.

Vanya understood what Astrid was insinuating.

But who was going to teach her how to stop taking responsibility for other living beings when taking responsibility for others was what she had been trained to do her entire life?

***

Persephone’s POV

She ran.

The sound of her heels echoed against polished marble floors.

No.

Not heels.

Bare feet.

Persephone frowned.

That wasn’t right.

She hated being barefoot.

Yet she continued running.

The corridor stretched endlessly before her, illuminated by chandeliers she didn’t recognize. Portraits lined the walls. Faces stared at her as she passed, but each one blurred before she could make out their features.

She was late.

She didn’t know for what.

She only knew that she had to hurry.

The faster she ran, the farther away her destination seemed to become.

"Excuse me!" she shouted.

No one answered.

She rounded the corner.

The hallway disappeared.

Now she was outside.

Wind whipped through her silver hair.

She stood atop a rooftop overlooking a city she had never seen before.

Fire consumed the horizon.

People were screaming.

Persephone stared.

"What the hell?"

She took a step forward.

The world shifted again.

Now she was running.

Again.

Only this time, she wasn’t wearing a dress.

She wore black.

Heavy boots struck the ground beneath her.

Someone was running beside her.

A man.

She couldn’t see his face.

He was laughing.

Not because anything was funny.

Because he was happy.

The sound made her chest hurt.

She turned to look at him.

The world shattered.

Images exploded around her.

A little girl with red hair.

A silver-haired man smoking in silence.

A beautiful woman laughing.

A young man with green eyes standing in the rain.

A black wolf with crimson eyes.

A city engulfed in darkness.

A hand reaching for hers.

A wedding dress.

A funeral.

Blood.

So much blood.

Persephone stopped running.

"Wait."

The images didn’t stop.

A young woman smiled at her.

She had never seen her before.

Yet somehow, Persephone wanted to cry.

A man screamed.

Another laughed.

Someone whispered her name.

Not Persephone.

Another name.

One she didn’t recognize.

"No."

She took a step backward.

"Who are you?"

No one answered.

The images continued.

Faster.

Faster.

Faster.

Until finally—

Everything stopped.

Silence.

She stood alone in darkness.

Then, somewhere behind her, a voice spoke.

Soft.

Familiar.

Gentle.

"You’ve finally arrived."

Persephone turned.

No one was there.

And for the first time in her life, Persephone Azar was afraid. "just who the hell was that?" She asked herself.