Surviving the Apocalypse With My Beloved | Pt.3

The world was ordinary, devoid of catastrophes, diseases, danger, and evil. It was boring and monotonous, lacking any form of life—a dead planet with nothing interesting. 

From a grain of sand, it died and was reborn as a solid rock. The cycle continued, being reborn repeatedly, leading to the first life force, a bacteria. 

The bacteria quickly spread, shedding itself every time it died. It influenced the surroundings in which life began to grow. Humans, plants, animals, and demonic beings grew from those bacteria it shredded. 

It constantly dies and reincarnates, living life through the eyes of different creatures. The being was revered and worshipped by all, thus gaining power and becoming what is known as the God of Creation. As a gift to its worshippers, it transformed the world with magic. 

Every millennium invokes an evolution, a price that needs to be paid for transforming the world. Chaos erupts and burns the peace away. Beings born during misfortunes continued to bring salvation. They were worshipped, died, and were reborn as a God. Seven-millennium has seen the birth of seven Gods. 

As the dawn of the eighth-millennium approaches, will we as humans survive the unavoidable catastrophe? 

—Robert Kilt. 

 So dramatic...

'Hmm, what interesting stuff you're reading.' 

Why are you back again? 

'Don't you miss me? I'm your only friend.' 

Friend, my ass.

'You have lackeys now.' 

Tora glanced at the six zombies she had brought from the fire station. Their movements were slow, causing her to feel frustrated at times. She opted to grab them by the collar and sprint to the nearest bookstore in a mall. 

After giving them orders to look for books from philosophers and historians, she went to kill off the other zombies shuffling around the area. She fed the crystals to them and watched as they evolved. 

"Lo....rd." The zombie adorned with the firefighter outfit approached her. He handed her a history book and gestured to the store entrance. "Da....n..ge...r." 

"Hide." Tora shoved the book into a backpack and gave it to him. She pointed towards the storage room for employees. "There." 

Awesome, I can speak one word at a time now...

Like hell it is! Asier! I request a duel, you coward! Fuck you. Not only am I incapable of speaking normally, I look like shit also. 

'I think you look like death. It's nice.' 

"Fuck," she cursed under her breath and hid behind a wall. 

She had noticed the uninvited guest minutes ago when they had just entered the mall. They were farther away, so she didn't bother with them until now.

The light sounds of footsteps echoed in the quiet mall. Inaudible whispers gave away their status as humans. 

"I'm sure of it! I saw someone enter here an hour ago." As they grew closer to the bookstore, their hushed voices grew louder. 

A waft of their scents dug into Tora's nostrils. She instantly became overwhelmed by the pleasant smell, making her dizzy. The sweet aroma engulfed the entire area, drowning her in it. 

Her hands shook, and her mouth watered. She felt hungry for the first time since turning into a zombie. 

Shit. I'm in trouble. 

"Look at all the headless corpses! It's definitely a person!" 

"Probably a strong one, too!" Another person chimed in. Her tone was filled with excitement. "They would definitely help us, right?" 

She could feel the black ski mask wetting her chin. Fuck...am I drooling right now? Tora pulled the ski mask down, revealing the lower half of her face. She dried her drool in disgust. What am I, a toddler? 

"Maybe they have some food to spare. I'm starving." Each step they took was filled with caution. Tora could feel them sticking closely to one another as they constantly looked around in fear. 

What was it again? Every millennium birth a being people revered as a God...

Should I play God? 

Although I feel hungry, it's not like I need or want to eat humans. 

Tora was startled awake from her thoughts when one of the people ran in to grab a book on the display. "OH MY GOD! I've been wanting to read this for ages now!"

Her hands unconsciously pulled at her sword. The blade clicked as it was drawn. The rustling sound of the blade brushing against the sheath wasn't loud, but it was just enough to spook the visitors. 

"Wha—what was that!?" The young girl scrambled back to the group. They huddled together, forming a circle. 

Sigh... Tora sighed and walked out from behind the wall. She appeared in front of them in an instant. Her face was painted with gloom as she struggled with the urge to consume the people in front of her. Her hands gripped the sword tightly. Her teeth ground against each other, instilling even more fear in the youngsters. 

The four youngsters hugged each other tightly. The two young boys stood protectively in front of the two girls. In their hand was a machete and a hatchet. Their bodies seemed feeble and bruised, and their skin hugged their bones. 

Dang it. 

"Tsk!" Tora clicked her tongue in annoyance at the appearance of these children. 

"E—excuse me! Please, spare some food if you have some." The boy spoke up in a shaky tone. 

"Alright," Tora nodded. "This...way." 

"Th—thank you." 

She guided them to the small grocery store in the mall. Her pace was fast, forcing the fearful kids to keep up with her. 

Tora pulled over a chair as she sat and watched the youngsters shove their faces into the canned goods. She sat with her legs hugging the seat back. Her hands still gripped the sword as she leaned lazily on the chair's rail. 

"Thank you...older sister," said the girl who wore a grey dress. "You are so strong! We were here a few weeks ago, but this place was swamped with zombies!" 

"That's right! I thought we would die, but the uncles and aunties saved us." The sporty outfit girl chimed in with a sigh. "I mean...I thought that we would all die. At least the four of us are still here."

 "Hmm." Tora hummed softly. Her acknowledgment of the conversation brightened up the gloomy mood instantly.

"R—right. You are much kinder than those Aunties and Uncles!" 

"Uncles?" 

"They wouldn't give us anything to eat or drink!" The young boy with the hatchet replied to Tora's question. "I meant that they would if we returned the favor! But who wants to be with old and ugly people!"

These kids are probably 13 at most. Disgusting bastards. 

"So we could only come out and scavenge for food!" They seemed to hold a lot of grief, venting their hearts out as they munched on their food.

"There's so much food here! Should we bring some back?" The dress girl asked as she cautiously glanced at Tora. "That—that's only if you agree, sister!" 

"No, I don't think we should. Those old fuckers would definitely take it all for themselves!" The boy with the machete, who had been silent the whole time, replied. 

 "Caleb! You shouldn't curse! There's an adult here." Caleb frowned after being scolded by the sporty girl. 

"What are you going to do about it, Sandy? The world is ending. I can curse all I want." He huffed and puffed, looking like an angry little puppy. "Besides, they deserve to be cursed. They said that they'd feed us to zombies!" 

Tora found it amusing to watch. It had been a while since she was around youngsters.

"Show..me," said Tora as she stood up. "The..uncles...aunties." 

They found it weird that Tora spoke slowly, but it wasn't enough to alarm them. "I don't think they would like you." 

"It's...fine." Tora kicked away the chair and beckoned the kids to get up and guide her. It was difficult for her to suppress her desire to bite fresh meat. These aunts and uncles had long captured her attention.

I'll just scare them a bit. 

"O—okay. They are just up ahead by the bakery at Morgan Street." Tora followed behind them as they chatted. As soon as they reached the entrance, their voices turned into whispers. "We have to be careful. A few zombies were walking around outside when we came."

Tora nodded. She didn't have to follow the kids and sneak around like rats. She could have just grabbed them by the collar and sprinted if she wanted to, but the excitement that decorated their faces was hard to ignore.

She followed behind them quietly, occasionally using her commander skill to chase away the wandering zombies. As for the six back at the bookstore, she made sure they continued their mission of finding more books related to this world. 

It took them half an hour to arrive at the bakery, which normally would take five minutes of walking straight. Tora would have felt annoyed by the pace if it weren't for the ridiculous rolling around and ducking behind stuff that the kids were doing. 

Tora didn't participate in the superhero play mode that was going on. She lazily leaned against the walls while she waited for them to finish in amusement. 

The kids lead her to the backdoor of the bakery. They cautiously lifted the stool near it and placed it gently below a window. "The door is locked, so we need to go through here." Caleb pushed the window up, opening it with familiarity. 

The room was clean and spacious. The door was chained up from the inside, with multiple marks showing it had been tampered with. There were boxes filled with canned goods stacked against the walls. 

Just as Tora was getting used to the dangerous scent of humans, it swarmed her like bees. Her reaction was quick, covering her mouth in an instant. 

The sounds of hurried footsteps were heard, but none paid attention to it. The teenagers stared at the older sister with concern. They saw her bent over, shaking while something dripped from the crack of her fingers. 

"A—are you okay?" Sandy approached her and patted her shoulder gently. "Does your stomach hurt?" 

"What's going on!?" A harsh voice attacked Tora's eardrums. "What are you good-for-nothings up to again!? And who's this!?" The loud screeching continued. 

"What are you all noisy for?" Just as the lady was about to touch Tora, someone else walked in. His pace slowed to a stop once he noticed them. "What's this? Where did you find this young lady?" 

"A young lady?" A few others followed in, staring openly at the newcomer. "What are you bent over for? Let me see those pretty looks." The rough hands reached for Tora, attempting to raise her.

"She's not feeling well!" Caleb swatted the hands away and stood between her and the adults. 

Dang it, how do I stop the drool? 

"Let me have a look then." His tone was light with a hint of playfulness.

"Her stomach hurts!" The little girl in grey spoke up. She handed Tora a handkerchief. 

"We can spare some food, but only if you have something to give in return." He seems to misunderstand it as her being hungry. "We're kind enough to help a lady in need, of course not for free." 

"Liar! You don't even give us enough food. Sister, it's just a trickery—Argh!" The force of the slap sent Caleb flying across the room. 

"You have to understand, dear. We adult men need all the strength to find more food for everyone." 

Tora wiped away the saliva and stood up. What bullshit. Anyone can see the cans of goods stacked by the wall. 

The eyes of those greedy men glistened in excitement when they saw her face. They chuckled amongst themselves and adjusted their voice to appear slightly sweeter. 

"Kids are good at babbling about. I promise you that life will be good here. All you need to do is indulge in us men sometimes."

In the room was a group of men and women, young and old, around 20-65 in age. The older ones looked well nourished, the opposite of the younger adults. 

Tora wasn't interested in playing games with these people. It was already bad enough when they starved the children, but to beat them is an entirely different issue. 

She flung the wet handkerchief away and beckoned the kids to get behind her. Her unnaturally paled skin made her face look lifeless. "If I didn't know better, I would've thought you were a zombie." This comment elicits laughter. 

"Heh." Tora cracked a crooked smile. Her hands reached straight for the older man's face, grabbing him by the head and pulling him in. Her teeth sank deep into the crook of his neck, tearing out a large chunk of meat. 

"UGHH!!" The man groaned and struggled in pain, trying his best to shake himself free.

Tora spat the meat out, biting into him again and tearing apart an artery. The nice and clean room was quickly covered in blood. Screams erupted from everyone inside as they watched the man's lifeless body dangle in her hands. 

[Lower-tier zombies detected: 37]

[Ability 'Commander 5' can be used on lower-tier zombies]

[Ability 'Commander 5' activated] 

The glow in her eyes was terrifying, scaring them silly. Their legs felt like jelly, barely able to stand and carry their weight. She threw the lifeless body at the ones who scrambled their way out of the room, knocking them on the floor. 

"You're...right. I'm...a...zombie." Loud bangs and glass breaking could be heard. A swarm of zombies had made their way in. 

Tora glanced at the kids that huddled together in a corner. Their tiny bodies quivered like wet little chicks. Their pitiful appearance was difficult to ignore.

She had done what she came here for. Her cravings for human flesh were satiated for the time being. There was no longer a reason to hang around the loud screeches and wails.

Within the carnage, three young adults were left untouched by the swarm. They sat there watching helplessly as the others were eaten alive. They were startled when they heard a loud boom behind them. 

 The backdoor was sent flying out onto the alleyway. They all watched as Tora casually walked out like nothing had happened. 

"L—let's go!" Caleb tugged the others to follow along. He knew they would be in danger if they stayed here. Having no other choice, he decided it was best to follow her. His tiny heart believed that she wouldn't hurt them at the very least. 

The three young adults who saw this also quickly scrambled to follow. A zombie that could speak and move quickly was scary, but they'd rather take a chance with something that could be reasoned with. 

Tora didn't bother looking behind her. She just leisurely walked along the streets and back into the mall without a care. Whether they chose to hang around in the mall or go somewhere else was none of Tora's concern. 

"Lo..rd..." The firefighter greeted her the moment she stepped foot in the store. He glanced behind her at the people who hid behind a pillar. "Gue...st?" 

Tora felt it amusing that this dumb zombie now had a consciousness. She could see his mouth watering at the scent of humans. His eyebrows furrowed as he struggled with his conscience. 

What a good firefighter. He must have noticed that they were just kids.

"Book." The firefighter snapped out of his thoughts and handed her a bag filled with books. 

"Blo..od." He noticed the blood that covered her. Fearing that the books would be stained in red, he yanked the bag back. 

"Right...Dirty." She nodded in agreement and burned the blood off her clothes. Tora felt that her firepower was extremely useful for such situations. 

Loud gasps could be heard from behind her. The kids watched in excitement as she played around with her abilities.

"You." Tora pointed to one of the young adults. Her finger curved as she gestured for him to come forward. "Come...here." 

"Ah! Y—yes!" His head was hung low, tugging as close to his shoulders as he could. 

"Read." Tora grabbed one of the books and threw it at him.

"Huh?" The young man adorned a confused look. His hands caught the book, examining it with curiosity. "A history book?" 

"Oh! Are you learning about history, Sister?" Tora found it funny that the girl in grey still dared to approach her. 

"Ruby, don't interrupt adults when they are talking!" Sandy scolded the little girl and tried to pull her back. 

"I was just curious..." A mumble escaped from her pouty lips. She cautiously glanced at Tora, watching for any signs of displeasure on her face. 

The young man nearly dropped the book when the other five zombies walked forward to greet Tora. In their hands were more books related to history. 

"T—that, I can tell you about history if you want." One of the young adults raised her hand and stepped forward. She had taken notice of the zombie's attitude towards Tora. "I majored in History." 

"Good." Tora grinned. Her sword had long been placed back into the scabbard. She handed her sword to one of the zombies and waved for the people to follow after her. Her hands picked up a pen, wrote down some words, and gave the paper to her. 

"As long as you tell me about history, you can eat, sleep, and stay here for as long as you'd like." The young lady was quick-witted. She read the words on the note to everyone immediately. "I think I can speak for all of us. If you don't mind, I'd love to help you with history."

"Good." 

"Thank you...for saving us." She sincerely bowed as she thanked Tora. Everyone else followed and thanked her. 

"No..need. Go...rest. We...will...start...tomorrow."