Chapter : The Watch and the Revelation

A.D. and Peter gathered some food, then sat on the floor, eating in the dim quiet of the store. As they ate, A.D. looked at Peter. "Are you a player?"

"What player?" Peter responded, confused.

"Don't you know? Huh! Shit!" A.D. muttered, almost to himself.

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked, bewildered.

"No, nothing," A.D. dismissed quickly. "Why were you in the bus?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Peter exclaimed. "A virus spread everywhere! We took this bus to go to a safe place, and you were in the bus to go there too!"

"Okay," A.D. conceded. He then activated something, a faint light appearing on his hand. A.D. stood, walked to a corner of the store, and tapped his right hand on the upper side of the wall. A digital screen shimmered into existence, displaying: "LEVEL ONE: FIND THE CURE AND LIVE AT THE END."

"Ha!" A.D. breathed.

Alice appeared behind him. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, it's just... Ha!" A.D. quickly closed the screen and turned back to Peter.

Mia moaned softly. "Mom, can I sleep?"

"The sun has gone," Peter announced to the group. "We're safe here for now, so you can all sleep. A.D. and I will guard you all night. I'll take the first four hours, and A.D. will guard the other four. A.D., are you okay with this?"

"Oook!" A.D. affirmed.

The others lay down, exhaustion claiming them. After some hours, Peter gently roused A.D. "Get up. It's your turn now."

"Ha!" A.D. stretched, then stood and began to check their surroundings.

Alice, seemingly awake, quietly got up and followed him to the farthest corner of the store. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice soft.

"Oh!" A.D. turned, surprised. "Why are you still up?"

She moved closer to A.D. "Nothing. I just thought you and I could do something... a little lonely." She closed the distance between them and kissed A.D., then tried to harass him.

A.D. pushed her away forcefully. "What are you doing?"

"Are you shy?" Alice purred, undeterred. "We're both adults, and we can do something."

"No, you are wrong," A.D. said firmly, stepping back. "I hate these things."

Alice's expression hardened. She snatched a knife from a nearby stall, pressing it against A.D.'s neck. "Stop doing this and cooperate with me. I want some fun."

Peter, hearing muffled voices, woke up. Realizing Alice wasn't in her spot, he got up to find her. From a distance, he spotted A.D. and Alice. "What are you both doing?" he called out.

A.D. immediately turned to Peter, his face unreadable. "Nothing, we're just talking about our lives."

"Alice, you wouldn't sleep," Peter said, looking at her suspiciously. Alice, with a swift, subtle motion, secretly put the knife into her pocket. "Go to sleep," Peter told her.

The morning came. A.D. was slumped in a chair, half-asleep. He slowly woke up and glanced at Alice, a strange expression on his face. "You are all up," he said, his gaze fixed on her.

Peter, observing the quiet tension between them, asked, "Anything happen between the two of you last night?"

Chapter :The Walls and the Request

A. D iam okay. But you looked tanse. 

"Peter, is everything okay?" A.D. asked, sensing the tension.

"Yes," Peter replied, though his gaze was troubled. "Let's eat something, then we need to make some decisions."

"Yeah," A.D. agreed. "I've already gathered some food for breakfast." They ate in silence, punctuated only by the sounds of their hurried chewing.

"A.D., eat quickly," Peter urged, his voice low. "Then we have to talk about something important."

"Huh?" A.D. looked up.

After they finished, Peter stood. "A.D., are you done?"

"Yes, I'm coming," A.D. replied, rising.

Peter led him to the rooftop of the grocery store. "A.D., see," he said, gesturing outwards.

A.D. looked. The entire vast area was a landscape of destruction, teeming with zombies. But what truly caught his eye were the massive walls surrounding the entire village. "What is this? Why is this place locked?" A.D. demanded, a cold dread creeping in. "You said we were rushing to a safe place, but there's no way out."

"Yes, that's why I wanted to talk to you," Peter confirmed, his voice grave. "I think we came here because someone intentionally did this. Look, there are a lot of other buses too. Before us, other people were brought here. Someone is doing this on purpose. It's like an experiment, conducted very smartly."

"What?" A.D. whispered.

"That's not the main matter right now," Peter continued, his eyes fixed on A.D. "I brought you here because I want a favor. If I become a zombie, you have to kill me and save my family, especially my daughter."

"Why are you talking like this?" A.D. countered. "I could also become a zombie before you."

"Yeah, I know it's possible," Peter conceded. "But I think you'll live longer than us."

"But that's not what I want," A.D. insisted, a flicker of defiance in his eyes.

Just then, Giana's voice drifted up from below. "Peter, come here! Mia is asking for you."

"Yeah, I'm coming," Peter called back. He and A.D. descended into the store.

"We have to leave," Peter announced to the group. "We need to prepare thoroughly to avoid being bitten."

"But why, Dad?" Mia asked, her small voice trembling.

"Yes, I also want to know," Alice added.

"Because this place isn't safe," Peter explained. "There's a wall all around, and it will be full of zombies after some time if it goes like that."

"What do you mean by that?" A.D. interrupted, stepping forward. "That's not important. We're rushing to a safe place. Peter knows." He then turned to the entire group. "All of you, go around the store, take anything that can protect you from being bitten. We have to go!".

Chapter:Arming Up

"Alice, come here! I found something!" Alice's excited voice cut through the tension.

"What?" Peter called back.

Alice pointed towards a small room. "There's a security guard room, and inside it, there are some security guard guns!" They quickly moved in and took the firearms.

"Everyone, come here!" A.D. called from the back of the store. He stood by the stationary aisle, which was surprisingly well-stocked with tools that were far from stationery: hard safety jackets, axes, hammers, screw drills, and even hand-held wood cutters.

"Wow!" Mia exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder. "I love that! I saw these tools in movies but never in real life!"

Peter started distributing the items. He handed a screw drill to Mia. "Mia, listen to me. You're big now. You'll have to hold this."

Mia, her small hand closing around the tool, nodded. "Okay, Dad."

"You only have to tap the button," Peter instructed, his gaze serious.

They've found some serious gear! This changes the dynamic of their survival.