CHAPTER 5

Chapter 5

Anna lay in the small, makeshift bedroom, curled up in one of the few blankets they had managed to scavenge. The two children, Leo and Margaret, slept soundly beside her, their slow, even breaths the only sound in the darkened room. But sleep did not come easily for Anna. Instead, her thoughts wandered back to the day everything changed.

Before the world collapsed into chaos, she had been just another student making her way home from university. The day had started normally; she had finished her last class, packed up her books, and set off toward her apartment. The streets were calm, the usual buzz of city life humming in the background. Then, without warning, an explosion rocked the air. The shockwave had knocked her off balance, and she barely had time to register the screams before she saw them—people, if they could even be called that anymore, attacking others with rabid desperation, tearing flesh from bone.

Her breath hitched at the memory. She had frozen in place, her mind unable to comprehend the horror unfolding before her. Someone had roughly grabbed her arm, shaking her out of her daze. "Run! What are you standing there for? Run!"

And so she ran. She ran through the streets, dodging the terrified masses, following the flow of people who had all turned toward the same destination—the evacuation center. The sight of heavily armed soldiers standing guard at the perimeter had given her a fleeting sense of hope. The barricades, the organized lines of people being ushered inside, the military presence—it had seemed like safety. Like salvation.

But safety was an illusion.

The infection spread within the center like wildfire. It had started with a single scream. A single body convulsing in pain before turning on the nearest person. Then another. And another. Chaos erupted. Gunshots rang out. The soldiers tried to maintain order, but it was futile. The infected were too fast, too relentless, and as they tore through the panicked crowd, Anna had made a choice.

She grabbed the two terrified children she had found crying near the edge of the chaos and ran. She didn't think. She didn't stop. She just ran, dragging them along with her, slipping through the cracks of the crumbling city until they found shelter in that small convenience store.

That had been their reality for days. Hiding. Starving. Waiting for death to find them.

Until John appeared.

The image of him stepping into the store, gun drawn, his presence commanding yet oddly reassuring, was burned into her mind. He had been their salvation when she thought they had none. A soldier—a real one—someone who knew how to fight, how to survive. And now, they were here, alive, safe… for now.

Anna let out a quiet breath and curled in on herself, whispering to no one in particular, "Why did this happen?"

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to sleep.

John sat on the rooftop, cigarette between his fingers, the glow of the ember barely visible in the darkness. The night was eerily still, the distant moans of the infected the only sound breaking the silence. He lifted his binoculars, scanning the area, checking for any movement. The streets below were littered with bodies—some moving, some not. The infection had spread far, and from what he had seen in the past week, it wasn't slowing down.

He exhaled slowly, watching the thin trail of smoke disappear into the night sky. His mind was running through a hundred different possibilities, calculations of survival, and worst-case scenarios.

"How the hell do we survive this?" he muttered to himself.

The base was secure, for now. He had been meticulous in fortifying it. Supplies were stocked—food, water, medical essentials, ammunition. He had been smart in gathering everything he could from the abandoned military base and the surrounding pharmacies. If they rationed carefully, they could last two years, maybe more.

But supplies weren't his biggest concern. It was time.

He didn't know how this infection worked on a large scale. Would these things eventually die off if they starved? Or would they keep roaming, driven by an endless hunger? The thought unsettled him. They couldn't stay hidden forever. Eventually, something would force them to move.

He flexed his fingers, glancing down at his body. This new body—the one he had been reborn into—was stronger than his original. Faster. More durable. He had already noticed it during his fights. His stamina was off the charts. His reflexes sharper. He had been a soldier before, but even at his peak, he had never been like this.

It was almost unnatural.

He smirked slightly, shaking his head. "Not complaining," he muttered, flicking the cigarette away.

Rolling his shoulders, he dropped down to do a few sets of push-ups, followed by crunches, keeping his muscles active. It wasn't just about fitness—it was about discipline. Routine. In a world that had fallen into madness, keeping his mind sharp was just as important as keeping his body ready.

After finishing, he sat back up and grabbed his rifle, propping it against his knee as he continued his watch. The night was long, and danger was always lurking. But for now, they were safe. And that was enough.

For now..... 

Chapter end