Who's There?

Despite all their ambitions to build the base to its previous glory, the couple did not start recruiting the people amongst the traffic jam and mayhem before them.

People that were foolishly rushing to and fro with no care for others were not worth saving. They did not have a clear destination in mind, except just being "out of crowded areas" where zombies were currently more prominent. This one-track mentality would soon doom them as the cities quickly emptied out within hours due to panic and mania of the appearance of zombies. No matter how much the government and military persuaded the public to stay inside while they attempt to contain the zombies within hospitals to search for a cure, much of the urban population migrated to less populated areas. However, the suburban and countryside areas would become a zombie paradise within days as people brought along the infected and lured quite a few of the flesh seeking monsters out of the city.

If those people had stayed put in their homes for a few weeks and kept a clear mind, perhaps the military would have been able to control the rampant zombies temporarily. Of course, this was all in theory. Nevertheless, there was no medicine for regret.

Either way, even if Oliver and Aiden had acted and warned everyone of the up and coming zombie apocalypse, it would turn into either a bigger uncontrollable mess or a joke.

Oliver licked his dry lips when thinking of the past. Although he had also left his apartment to go to the country, at least he had a clear plan of how he was going to live the rest of his life... though the plan had fallen through the moment he met Aiden.

The zombies first appeared at midnight, the infection coming in the form of high fevers and intense hunger. People would find their loved ones with high temperatures and digging through the fridge for food in the middle of the night. Once the food ran out, they would turn on those same loved ones. If Oliver remembered correctly from the accounts of previous base members, the first zombies retained a bit of their sanity while madly eating. They were described as being filled with confusion and fear at their own actions, their faces red and bloated as every morsel of food was shoveled into their mouths.

It was seen as comedic for a few minutes, a few had laughed and taken pictures of the scene, thinking it would become black history for the other in the future. However, that humor did not last long as many had laid either dead on the floor and being eaten by their loved one or locked within their room, crying in the horror of almost being killed.

The police were dispatched to find these "cannibals" that already lost out into the world, catching any unfortunate early birds that came out of their nests to check the mail or gone out for a quick jog. Those that were newly infected were unaware that they had between a few hours to half a day left to their lives. Once people finally woke up to the news of "Maniac People Eating Others in the City," they bolted out of their houses, unknowing that what they were seeing were the first markings of zombies. It wasn't until in the extremely near future that people realized that these "Maniac Cannibals" could turn others into their own flesh-eating kind.

Bringing these unknowledgeable people into the base would only cause Oliver and Aiden trouble. What if their family members were bitten or scratched? Wouldn't that just cause more mayhem as they try to eliminate the infected?

Thus, the result was Oliver and Aiden waiting for the nonsensical people to leave and the more sensible ones to arrive.

For now, the riot that was happening beyond their stone walls was none of their business.

Oliver sighed and no longer paid mind to the people beyond the window. With Aiden now clinging to his waist from behind, Oliver left the room with an aura of both happiness and a bit of shyness. As if that love confession and tofu eating from Aiden had not happened at all. He just felt that they moved so quickly and it seemed more of a dream than anything. However, the arms around his body proved it to be a reality.

Before the duo could even leave the hallway, a series of knocks echoed within the house. Aiden instantly turned gloomy, he wanted to keep his two-person world a bit longer before building a base. He may have a strong sense of justice (which had worn down as the years passed by), but his love life came first for him! He had a sour expression on, which Oliver caught, causing him to laugh and flick his forehead harshly for being moody.

Aiden rubbed his forehead and gave a flattering smile to his lover, which only caused Oliver to smile wider and wicked. So foolish and so easy to tease!

Oliver tapped on Aiden's arms, which were reluctantly retracted to allow the other to head towards the front door. He then headed to the front door with Aiden following behind him like a little tail, which he graciously allowed, plus he might be useful in threatening the visitors into leaving if they acted out of line. Well, he would have to see. In the last life, Oliver had no visitors, other than Aiden, in his home.

No one knocked on their doors due to the rush to get out of the city. So, who was it outside? He wasn't stupid. If he and Aiden could travel back into the past, it wasn't impossible that others also found themselves on the day before the apocalypse. Or maybe it was a butterfly effect caused by Oliver's and Aiden's actions. Oliver narrowed his eyes dangerously, if these visitors dared to ruin his time here, even just a little bit, they wouldn't get their happy ending in this lifetime. Although his thoughts were turning dark, his face put on an amiable smile and prepared himself to open the door.