11 Safe Zone

The baleful radiance of the silver sun began to disperse; in its place, a pair of twin moons slowly rose. One the color of blood, another the color of sapphire. To the astonishment of humanity, There were no recognizable constellations in the sky above as if the Earth's place in the universe shifted overnight.

Alex and Emily gazed at the unfamiliar heavens in fright. What exactly happened to the Earth? Maybe they would never know. Nonetheless, they had managed to survive the day through exceptional struggle. Yet they had no idea what monsters would appear now that the sun had set. They needed to find someplace to last the night and quickly.

As the two wandered down the street, they gazed upon a series of lights blazing in the distance. This was not the wrath of an uncontrolled fire but a sign of human settlement. Or so Alex believed. If he was not mistaken, there should be a police station in that direction.

This idea gave Alex hope; maybe they would survive the night after all. Still, it was best to be cautious, they had already witnessed the true nature of humanity earlier in the day, and Alex was not foolish enough to believe he would be welcomed with open arms by the survivors.

Alex gazed at the source of illumination and patted Emily's shoulder. "I think we should check it out. There might be survivors in that direction, and they may be friendly."

Emily nodded in agreement; even though it had only been a day, it felt like an eternity since she last rested. The duo had encountered countless dangers throughout the day, ones in which normal civilians like them would rarely encounter in the old world. At least in the developed world.

Alex and Emily cautiously approached the source of the light. As they appeared before them, Alex's estimation was correct. Some survivors occupied the police station; some appeared to be in uniform, which gave him hope.

The survivors with makeshift defenses had reinforced the police station; though they didn't look sturdy, Alex knew it was enough to deter low-level monsters. There were guards on watch at the edges of the fence. As Alex and Emily approached the entrance, they could hear the sound of a safety being clicked off.

"That's far enough! You two stay right there, or I'll blow your heads off!"

The voice came from a middle-aged man in ragged clothing. He had a grizzled appearance and held an AR-15 in his hands. The rifle had a low-power variable optic on it, as well as other attachments. However, Alex doubted whether or not they could function properly.

Alex and Emily raised their hands to show they were compliant

"We're University students; we're just looking for a safe place to hide for the night,"

Alex stated calmly and slowly

The middle-aged man scoffed as he spoke

"What level are you?"

Alex was stunned, though he had guessed; he wasn't sure until now whether others aside from him and Emily had the system. He decided to answer honestly; after all, he was confident he was higher than this sentry.

"Level 4"

Emily was frightened but managed to state her level as well

"Level 2"

the sentry was shocked, their group only had a single level 4, and that was the Captain. The number of monsters you needed to kill to get to level 4 was not insignificant. Upon further inspection, the state of attire in which the duo wore was worse than his own. Clearly, they had some dangerous encounters.

The sentry nodded his head and lowered his rifle. "Stay right there! I will get the Captain; he will determine whether or not you can stay for the night. Alex and Emily sighed in relief; it would be a good thing if they could sleep soundly tonight.

Another middle-aged man appeared at the entrance; he was a tall man with a refined appearance. He wore the uniform of a Police Captain with grace. Though he wasn't carrying a weapon, he was flanked by several heavily armed guards—some with rifles, others with weapons scavenged from the monsters.

The man stopped in front of Alex and carefully observed him. Was this youth before him really a level 4? If so, they could use his strength to advance their position. The girl was average, but that didn't matter. They would be willing to take in an extra mouth to feed if it meant they gained the combat power of a level 4.

The man reached out his hand and grasped Alex's firmly, Alex returned the gesture, and the two glared at each other. This wasn't just a friendly greeting but a contest of strength.

"Captain Hunter, and you are?"

Alex smirked and responded, "Alex Smith."

The two nodded without saying another word. Captain Hunter shifted his gaze towards the young woman next to Alex, "and you are?"

"Emily Williams"

The Captain nodded in approval. "You two are welcome to stay here for the night; it seems you have been through a lot. Get some rest; tomorrow, we will have a nice discussion."

A smile appeared on Alex and Emily's faces.

"Thank you"

they both replied at the same time.

Captain Hunter looked towards one of his men.

"Trevor, find our friends here some accommodations. "

The man named Trevor nodded

"Yes, sir!"

With that, Alex and Emily were escorted inside of the premises. Captain Hunter looked up into the sky at the two moons; his hand trembled as he thought to himself.

'That boy is strong; he will be useful in the coming days.'

Alex and Emily were escorted to the holding area of the precinct. It had become the designated resting place for personnel and refugees alike. A few dozen people were inside the room; some were injured, and others were huddling in fear. There were a few young men in uniform resting on the beds. Clearly, they had exerted themselves earlier in the day.

Trevor gave Alex and Emily their own cell; considering Alex's power was on par with the Captain, they treated him with special consideration.

Trevor spoke up, "You can rest here; if you need food or water, just ask; we don't have much in terms of supplies, but there is enough to go around for a few more days."

Alex shook his head. "We're good, thanks."

Trevor nodded. "If you need anything, holler at the guards" with that, he walked away.

Alex rummaged through the gym bag and grabbed a couple of bags of chips and a couple of beers, and handed a set to Emily.

"Dinner time"

he said with a charming smile.

Emily didn't hesitate and instantly devoured the snack. She was famished; after all, she hadn't all day. The two shared a small meal before going to bed. Though they found a safe place to rest for the night, Alex would sleep with one eye open. He couldn't bring himself to trust the people in this station fully.

'Tomorrow will be exciting.'

he thought to himself as he slowly drifted into sleep.