Chapter 95: Home Sweet Home II

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Home Sweet Home II

Edward noticed the now-empty truck parked outside.

Whatever they had gone to retrieve...

They had succeeded.

He also remembered the strange warmth that had spread through his own body while fighting earlier.

It hadn’t been adrenaline.

It felt...different.

He’d read enough apocalypse novels to recognize the possibility.

He just never imagined fiction would become reality.

Questions crowded his mind.

He kept them to himself.

"It’s almost dawn," Erik said. "We should head upstairs."

"The elevator still works," Kai pointed out hopefully.

"Death trap," Killian answered without hesitation.

Kai groaned dramatically.

"But the stairs are a death trap too."

He looked down at his legs.

"Mostly for my thighs."

Ben snorted.

"That’s what happens when you skip leg day."

For the first time that night—

Edward and William stared at them.

In disbelief.

The world had ended.

They had all nearly died.

Yet somehow...

These people still found the strength to laugh.

Edward couldn’t decide if it was admirable...

Or insane.

Kai looked at the worn metal doors as they slowly slid open.

"...The elevator’s faster."

Erik glanced at the exhausted faces around him before giving a single nod. "I guess...we’ll risk it."

The group stepped inside.

Killian entered first.

Penelope followed behind him.

As more people filed into the elevator, the already cramped space became even tighter.

Without a word, Killian shifted slightly.

His hand brushed lightly against Penelope’s back.

A subtle nudge.

She naturally took another step deeper into the elevator without giving it a second thought.

Kai stepped in beside her.

Ben guided Jason in with a gentle hand on his shoulder before taking the opposite side.

Ethan found himself standing next to Kai.

William and Edward remained near the doors.

The elevator suddenly felt very small.

Erik’s gaze swept across everyone.

Killian.

Penelope.

Kai.

Ben.

One eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly.

Interesting.

The doors slid shut.

The elevator continued its slow ascent.

No one spoke.

Edward stared at his hands.

William shifted his shoulders uncomfortably.

Finally...

"...Can I ask something?"

Erik looked over.

"Go ahead."

Edward hesitated.

"Something happened to my body."

"I know that sounds strange..."

"But I don’t think it’s adrenaline."

William nodded immediately.

"I thought so too."

Edward slowly flexed his fingers.

"I’ve never moved that fast before."

"I shouldn’t have been able to."

William looked just as unsettled.

"The police officer..."

His voice caught.

"I picked him up."

"He shouldn’t have been that light."

Silence.

Ethan finally spoke.

"My eyes..."

Everyone looked toward him.

"My hearing."

He looked genuinely confused.

"I could hear them..."

"...before they turned the corner."

"And my eyes..."

He frowned.

"I could see them."

William looked confused.

"See who?"

Ethan swallowed.

"The zombies."

"Through the storefront windows."

"It was too dark..."

"...but I could still see them."

Jason’s breathing suddenly became uneven.

Edward immediately looked toward him.

"Jason?"

The boy lowered his head.

"I..."

His hands clenched together.

"I didn’t want to say anything."

His voice trembled.

"I thought..."

"...I thought something was wrong with me."

Penelope knelt slightly so she could meet his eyes.

"What happened?"

Jason swallowed.

"I keep..."

"...seeing dots."

The elevator became silent.

"Dots?" Ben asked gently.

Jason nodded quickly.

"They’re everywhere."

"I close my eyes..."

"They’re still there."

"I open them..."

"...they don’t go away."

His breathing became faster.

"I think..."

"...I think I’m sick."

Edward immediately rested a hand on his shoulder.

"No."

"We’ll figure it out."

Jason shook his head.

"You don’t understand."

"I’ve been seeing them..."

"...since yesterday."

Killian’s eyes shifted toward him.

"...Yesterday?"

Jason nodded.

"The black dots."

"I saw hundreds of them."

"I thought..."

"...I thought my eyes were broken."

He looked close to tears.

"They kept moving."

"I didn’t know what they were."

"I didn’t tell anyone because..."

His voice cracked.

"...because I thought people would think I was crazy."

Nobody interrupted him.

Jason took a shaky breath.

"They started coming closer."

"And then..."

"...everyone started screaming."

The elevator suddenly felt much smaller.

Erik spoke quietly.

"Can you still see them?"

Jason slowly nodded.

"I always can."

"What do they look like?"

Jason closed his eyes.

"It’s like..." he said silently "...a map."

Everyone waited.

"I don’t see people."

"I just..." he licked his lips as he said "...see dots."

He frowned.

"Right now..."

"...there are nine."

His finger pointed downward as though tracing something invisible.

"Nine dots."

Edward looked around the elevator.

"There are nine of us."

Jason blinked.

"I know."

"But..."

"I’m not looking at you."

"I’m looking at the map."

Silence.

"Do these dots have color? If they do, what color are they?" Erik asked.

Jason frowned.

"The ones outside..."

"They’re black."

Killian’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

"The black dots..."

"They’re the monsters."

Jason nodded quickly.

"I didn’t know that before."

"I only figured it out after they attacked."

He slowly looked around the elevator.

"You and Uncle William..."

"...you’re white."

He looked toward Ethan.

"So are you."

Then...

"Brother Ben...you’re brown."

"Brother Kai...you’re red."

He turned toward Erik.

"...You’re light blue..."

He squinted.

"...and..."

"...gold?"

"I don’t know."

His gaze shifted again.

Then stopped.

"...Mr. Killian..."

Jason frowned deeply.

"I don’t know."

Everyone looked toward Killian.

Jason squinted as though trying to understand what he was seeing.

"I can see your dot..."

"...but it doesn’t have a color."

"It’s..."

He shook his head.

"I can almost see through it."

"It has..." He closed his eyes, trying to see the color better "...a glow around it."

Nobody spoke.

Then Jason looked toward Penelope.

He blinked.

Once.

Twice.

His entire face scrunched in confusion.

"...Yours keeps changing."

Penelope tilted her head.

"What do you mean?"

"I don’t know."

Jason sounded genuinely frustrated.

"It won’t stay one color."

"It keeps..."

He made a small circle with his finger.

"...spinning."

"Every time I look..."

"...it’s different."

"I don’t understand."

The elevator fell silent once more.

No one laughed.

No one dismissed him.

Because everyone inside that elevator had just admitted...

Something impossible was happening to them too.

Erik looked toward Killian.

For a brief moment...

Neither man spoke.

But both reached the same conclusion.

The changes weren’t limited to their group.