A Moment of Normalcy

Time: 6:19 PM. Location: Fourth Floor, Lecture Room 412.

The sun had already set. I stood by the window with Nadia, Rick, and Sarah, looking outside. "Night really makes everything outside the campus even creepier," I muttered. The streets were dark, and we could see zombies banging on doors while others ran wildly, roaring into the night. The sight alone made the atmosphere even more dangerous and unsettling.

"Yeah... I wonder if we can survive for long with all those zombies down there," Nadia said, her voice filled with worry.

"I always thought that if a zombie apocalypse ever happened, it would be like 'The Walking Dead,' but this... this is way worse," Rick added, his expression turning serious. His girlfriend, Sarah, remained silent.

I exhaled loudly. "We'll just have to do our best to survive and hope that the scientists out there can find a cure soon."

"I-I wonder if my... no, our families are still alive out there," Sarah whispered, her voice shaking as tears slowly streamed down her face. Rick immediately wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. The mood became even more somber. Nadia turned away and sat in the corner, clearly trying to hide her own tears. I felt lost, unsure of what to do. I glanced at Rick, silently asking for help.

Rick noticed my plea and gave me a small smile before nodding towards Nadia, using his eyes to tell me to go to her. Taking the hint, I nodded back and walked over. I stood awkwardly beside her, hesitating before finally speaking. "Uh... do you want to go to Lecture Room 413? You know, so you can have some space to let it all out?"

Nadia nodded. "Yeah... that sounds good." She was clearly trying hard not to cry right here.

"Rick, Nadia and I are going to check Room 413. We'll clear it out and be back in time to eat," I informed him.

Rick simply gave me an 'OK' sign with his fingers and smirked before turning his attention back to Sarah. Shaking my head, I grabbed Nadia's hand and led her to the door. I opened it cautiously, peering into the hallway to check for any wandering zombies. Thankfully, it was clear. I led Nadia to Room 413 and knocked quietly to check if anyone was inside. After waiting for a minute and hearing nothing, I carefully turned the knob. It was unlocked. Slowly, I pushed the door open just enough to peek inside. Seeing no movement, I opened it wider and stepped in with Nadia.

The room was cool. Since the apocalypse had just started, the electricity was still running. As soon as I closed the door behind us, Nadia broke down sobbing.

Sniffle... "W-why did this have to happen? I miss my parents..." she cried, her voice trembling. "Wahh~"

Not knowing what to say, I simply reached out and patted her head, staying silent as she wept.

Sniffle...

"A-Amon, tell me... do you think we can even survive this...?" Nadia asked, looking up at me with tears streaming down her cheeks. 'No makeup stains... her beauty is natural, huh?' That was the only thought that crossed my mind before I answered.

"I honestly don't know," I admitted. "But I'll try my best... No, I will do my best to make sure we survive. While we're fighting to stay alive, we'll look for your parents and try to find a safe place where we can have a stable food and water supply."

Nadia just stared at me for a moment before wiping her tears away with the sleeve of my flannel. Then, she chuckled softly. "That's so like you, Amon."

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You always act all gloomy and nonchalant, but you're actually really good at saying the right things. You think things through so carefully. I've noticed it every time there was a problem during school events," she said with a small smile.

I stayed quiet and just listened.

"Thank you, Amon... for staying with me. For saving me. And for giving me the courage to keep going," Nadia said, smiling sweetly.

I let out a small laugh. "No, I should be the one thanking you, Nadia. And if I had to go back to the start of all this, I'd save you again and again."

Nadia looked confused by my words, but she didn't press for an explanation. Instead, she simply accepted them. Maybe she'd ask me about it in the future, but for now, she kept it to herself.

"Can I hug you for a while, Amon?" she suddenly asked.

My heart started racing, but I nodded. Without hesitation, Nadia wrapped her arms around me, making herself comfortable. We stayed like that for a while, just embracing each other in silence. Then, she pulled away and smiled cheerfully.

"Let's go back. They might start worrying about us," she said.

To be honest, I just felt relieved that she was back to her usual self. 'She smells nice...' I thought absentmindedly before shaking the thought away. I returned her smile and stood up. Together, we headed back to Room 412.

When we entered, Rick and Sarah were both smiling at us. Rick's grin, in particular, made me want to punch him in the face. I glanced at Nadia and noticed her cheeks were bright red.

We sat down as Sarah placed food on our makeshift plates, which were just wooden boards from the chairs we had dismantled.

As we ate, Rick smirked and spoke up. "So, Prez Nadia, how was it staying with your—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Nadia threw my book at his face.

Curious, I turned to her. "Why did you cut him off? What was he going to say?"

Nadia, still blushing, quickly responded, "He's just talking nonsense, Amon. You know how Rick is."

Rick just laughed while Sarah shook her head, smiling. "Clueless much, Amon?"

I frowned in confusion but let it go. Despite everything happening outside, a small smile formed on my lips. It almost felt like the apocalypse hadn't happened—like we were just a group of friends hanging out. But I knew this was only a brief moment of peace before we had to face the horrors waiting for us outside again.