Apocalypse Days: I Rule with Foresight and a Powerful Son
Chapter 112:

Chapter 112: 112:

The evening air was thick with the scent of sweat and damp earth, and the settlement’s usual murmur of hushed voices and distant machinery humming like background noise. Winter stood near the edge of the waiting area, his casual smirk in place, arms loosely crossed as he observed the checkpoint ahead. He had grown used to the tension in the air—a quiet pressure that never truly disappeared in places like this.

Then—

"Winter?"

His body tensed. The sound of his name, spoken with unmistakable familiarity, surprised him. That voice.

His smirk vanished, replaced by rigid stillness, muscles coiled beneath his worn jacket. His heartbeat pounded against his ribs.

Beside him, Zara noticed immediately. Her sharp hazel eyes flicked to his face, reading the change in his posture. "What is it?"

He didn’t answer. His eyes were already scanning the crowd, searching, knowing what he had heard wasn’t a trick of the wind.

Then he saw them.

Across the terminal waiting area, beyond the checkpoint, a figure stood frozen in place. Wide-eyed. Unmoving.

Winter felt the breath punch out of his lungs, his chest tightening in a way that had nothing to do with the cold night air.

The settlement faded into static.

He took a step forward.

Zara followed his line of sight and saw a young woman also frozen in shock.

"Winter?" She grabbed his arm, shaking him slightly.

The woman took a step forward, relief on her face.

A commotion erupted near the checkpoint. Raised voices. A soldier shoving back a civilian, heated words escalating. Winter barely registered it—his focus locked on the person who had called his name.

Then—

A gunshot.

Sharp. Deafening. The sound shattered the uneasy calm, sending a shockwave through the crowd.

People screamed. Civilians scattered, ducking low, instinct taking over. Soldiers barked orders, pushing people back. Some raised their weapons, eyes darting for the source of the shot.

Zara moved in an instant, shielding Leo with her body. The child whimpered against her chest, his small hands gripping her tightly. Winter snapped out of his trance, shifting instinctively, placing himself in front of them both.

The checkpoint dissolved into chaos. Another scuffle. Someone running. The moment Winter turned back—searching, desperate—his stomach dropped.

The woman was gone.

The familiar face, the one he had spent years hoping to find—vanished, swallowed by the panicked flood of bodies.

"Shit." His hands clenched into fists.

Zara grabbed his arm. "Not now. We need to move."

For a split second, he fought against it. He wanted to push forward, break through the crowd, and hunt for the ghost that had resurfaced in the most unlikely of places. But logic cut through the haze of emotion. They were exposed. This wasn’t the time.

He gave one last look over his shoulder, frustration curdling in his gut, before nodding. Together, they melted into the dispersing crowd, slipping away before security turned its attention on them.

*****

Back at the housing sector, the door shut behind them with a dull click, sealing them inside their cramped, run-down quarters. The walls were thin, the air stale, but for now, they were safe.

Zara wasted no time, setting Leo down from the sling. The child stretched, rubbing his tired eyes but seemingly unfazed by the earlier chaos. "What happened?" he asked, his voice soft but curious.

Zara crouched to his level, smoothing down his tousled hair. "Nothing you need to worry about, little lion."

Leo frowned. "But there was a bad noise."

"A bad one, yes. But we’re okay."

Leo turns toward Winter. "Uncle?"

No response.

Zara looks up and sees him pacing near the window, shoulders hunched, his expression unreadable.

She exhales. "Winter."

Still, nothing.

Winter’s mind is somewhere else, caught in a loop of frustration and disbelief.

He barely registered their exchange. He paced the small room, jaw tight, hands raking through his hair. The image of that face—those eyes locked onto his—looped in his mind like a curse.

"I can’t believe it, she’s here?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"Winter, what’s going on? What was that about?" She asked, giving Leo a toy to keep him busy before stepping closer to winter.

"That was someone I knew."

Zara exhaled, folding her hands. "And that was a bullet. Why did you freeze up like that? Are they anyone dangerous? "

Another heavy beat of silence passed.

Neither of them wanted to admit how close they came to being caught in something much bigger than themselves.

Winter’s hands rake through his hair, tugging at the strands. "They knew me. I should’ve—"

"Should have what?" She grabbed his arm. "Dont you understand? We just nearly got swept up in a crowd. Won’t you talk to me?"

Winter finally looked at her. "I need to find her."

"You will," Zara interrupted, firm. "But running after them in the middle of a shootout? That’s how people end up dead."

He clenched his jaw, but he didn’t argue. He knew she was right. That didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

A tug at his sleeve makes him glance down.

Leo.

"Kiddo?"

The boy looked up at him with wide, expectant eyes. "Play?"

Winter stared for a moment, caught off guard.

Then, before he could answer, Leo grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the small pile of worn-out toys in the corner.

Zara sighed, shaking her head. "You don’t have a choice. He’s decided for you."

Winter exhaled through his nose, then finally crouched down. Leo’s hands are already busy, offering him a small, wooden figure—a crude carving of a soldier.

Winter took it. Turned it in his fingers.

Leo beamed. "You be him. And I be the hero!"

Winter huffs a quiet laugh. "The hero, huh?"

Leo nods fiercely, holding up his own figure—a superhero complete with a cape, slightly chipped, but still standing strong.

Zara sits beside them, stretching out on the floor. They still needed to talk.

Winter pushed a smushed thing over to her. "Looks like you’ll be the bad guy, then."

Leo gasps dramatically. "Nooo! Momy is not a bad guy!"

"It’s ok baby," she took the smushed figurine. "Let’s play."

As Leo rattled on about a surprisingly elaborate make-believe scenario for a three-year-old, Zara decided to ask.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Winter sighed deeply, half listening to Leo. "I wasn’t expecting to find someone this soon," he admits, voice quieter now.

Zara doesn’t respond immediately. She understands what it’s like to chase ghosts.

"Are you..." she hesitates, then continues, softer, "hoping to find someone in particular?"

"Let’s start!" Leo yelled excitedly as he held his toy up.

They both held up their toys and began to play along.

"Well?" she pressed gently, blocking the path of the hero with her smushy body.

Winter exhales, running a free hand over his face. When he finally speaks, it’s barely above a whisper.

"If she’s here... that means the others could be too. They made it. They survived."

His throat tightens on the last word.

Zara watches him, taking in the way his fingers twitch, the way his chest rises and falls in uneven breaths.

Then, she reaches out. A simple touch—her hand over his.

Grounding.

Winter stiffens at first, then slowly relaxes.

For the next hour, the three of them become lost in their world. Wooden figures clashing in pretend battles. Dramatic defeats and triumphant rescues. Zara making ridiculous villain voices while Leo cackles.

Winter doesn’t realize how much tension has left his shoulders until he finally stops.

Leo yawns, blinking drowsily.

"Look at the time," Zara mumbled. "Let’s get you something to eat."

The scent of cheap, processed food filled the small, dimly lit room. Winter barely tasted the first bite, his mind still tangled in the events of the day. Across from him, Zara ate in quiet efficiency, her sharp eyes flicking to him every so often. Leo, seated between them on the rickety wooden floor, was more focused on making a game out of his meal, scooping up pieces of food with his fingers before popping them into his mouth.

Zara was glad she had thought to clean his hands before seating him at the table.

Winter barely noticed the way Zara rolled her eyes at Leo’s antics. He was still too lost in thought.

Night falls over the settlement. The outside world is quiet now,

Then, the speakers crackled.

A moment later, a voice—grainy and cold—echoed throughout the settlement.

"Attention all residents. A reminder that curfew is now in effect as of 2100 hours. No unauthorized movement beyond designated sectors will be tolerated. Anyone found outside after curfew without proper clearance will be detained. Remain inside your assigned housing until further notice."

Winter barely blinked, but he could feel his pulse thudding just a little faster. He had expected this, after the attempted breach at the checkpoint...

Zara shifted, her fingers tightening subtly around her empty plate.

"Additional security measures have been enacted due to unauthorized activity near Checkpoint C. Any further attempts to enter restricted areas will result in immediate action."

A beat of silence followed. Then, with a sharp click, the announcement ended.

Leo, unaware of the weight pressing into the air, swung his legs beneath him, looking between them. "What did the loud person say?"

"They said its time for bed, come on baby," Zara scoops him up, settling him into the bed.

He looks at her. And for the first time tonight, some of the exhaustion eases from his face.

He doesn’t say thank you. But he doesn’t have to.

Instead, he lifts her hand to his lips, pressing a brief, wordless kiss against her knuckles.

The moment lingers, heavy with unspoken emotions.

Zara sighs, shaking her head with a small, amused smile. "I still think you’re an idiot."

Winter smirks, faint but real. "You’re not wrong."

Tomorrow, they would have to figure out their next move. But for now—

For now, they let the silence settle around them.

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