Apocalypse Days: I Rule with Foresight and a Powerful Son
Chapter 113:

Chapter 113: 113:

Winter awoke with a start, the cold air of the settlement biting at his skin despite the thin blanket draped over him. His pulse thrummed beneath his ribs, and for a moment, the echoes of last night’s events replayed in his mind—the checkpoint, the announcement, the feeling of something closing in around them. He exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his face before pushing himself up.

"You ok?"

Across the room, Zara was already awake, sitting on a crate near the narrow window, her hands wrapped around a tin mug of weak coffee. She turned away from the window to stare at him gently.

The dim, early morning light cast sharp lines over her face, accentuating the tension in her jaw.

Winter ran a hand through his dishevelled hair, then stretched out his arms before pulling on his boots. Leo stirred nearby, mumbling in his sleep. Both of them glanced in his direction, a silent reminder that their risks had to be calculated.

Winter patted his back gently as he lulled him back to sleep. Once Leo settled, he stood up.

"You ok?" she asked again, brows furrowed worriedly.

"Yeah," he grunted, sitting beside her. "just a lot on my mind."

"I can imagine," she shook her head. "coffee?" she asked, holding up her mug.

He took it quietly and tipped the cup back. "Fuck, that’s hot." He hissed.

Zara’s lip twitched. "You dont expect me to drink cold coffee to wake up right?"

Winter coughed slightly and Zara reached for a bottle of water on the table side and held it out to him. He drank it, chasing the soothing feeling in his throat.

"Are you awake now?" Zara couldn’t help but tease when she realised he was ok.

He glared half-heartedly at her. "Yeah, thanks to you."

The sarcasm wasn’t lost on her and she pat his arm gently with a smirk. "Great, we have a lot to talk about."

Winter leaned against the rickety table, running a hand through his hair. "Tell me about it."

"We can’t keep sitting on this," Zara continued with a small sigh. She tilted her head slightly, indicating the settlement beyond their small quarters. "You saw what happened last night—someone else was trying to get into the restricted zone."

Winter nodded, his thoughts already racing. If there was another player in this game, it meant they weren’t the only ones searching for answers. That was either an advantage or a serious problem.

"We need to know who," he said. "And why."

Zara took a slow sip of her coffee, eyes narrowing. "And we need to figure out what the hell is actually in that lab."

Winter sighed, rubbing at the stiffness in his neck. The warning from last night still echoed in his head—getting in would be even harder now, but he wasn’t about to let that stop him.

"I want to go back to where I last saw that woman," he admitted. "See if anyone knows who she is, where to find her..."

Zara’s gaze flickered, but she masked whatever thought had crossed her mind with a slow nod. "Fine. But we need a real plan. Rushing in blind won’t do us any favours."

She set her mug down and crossed her arms. "We split roles. I’ll keep a low profile and talk to the workers near the fences. Maybe someone’s heard something about the breach or what’s going on inside the labs."

Winter leaned forward, considering. "I’ll observe the guards. Their shifts, their patterns. There are always weak spots. We just need to find them."

Zara smirked. "That’s the military thinking I was waiting for."

*****

The morning air carried the scent of damp earth and faint woodsmoke, mixing with the stale rations being handed out at the food distribution point. Extra guards stood with rigid postures, their eyes scanning the crowd, making the usual murmur of conversation feel heavier. People kept their voices low, but the unease was unmistakable.

Zara kept her movements natural, drifting between workers with Leo toddling beside her, listening. The chaos and curfew had rattled people.

Her head remained down as she weaved through the crowd, her ear tuned to the murmurs around her. Everybody was talking about something that happened yesterday. It didn’t take long for her to catch snippets of hushed conversation.

"Were you near the lab when that happened?"

"I heard someone nearly got caught sneaking in yesterday evening."

"They dragged ’em off before anyone saw their face."

"They was shooting everywhere, nearly got me but I dodged that shit." Zara rolled her eyes at that one.

"They’re tightening security at the research lab. Must be hiding something."

"Something’s going on in that lab, I’m telling you. They don’t lock down an entire sector just for storage."

"Whatever it is, it’s dangerous. I heard someone say it was a testing lab for zombies. Can you imagine?"

Her stomach twisted. The vision she had—was that what she saw? Not just experiments, but test subjects breaking out? The thought of sentient zombies made her shudder.

She pulled her coat tighter around her and approached a cluster of workers standing near the ration line, their backs hunched against the cold. Most of them looked exhausted, some impatient, others suspicious. She kept her expression neutral.

"Any of you see a woman come through here yesterday?" she asked, her voice carrying just enough casual indifference to not raise suspicion. "Dark hair. Scar on her chin."

One of the older men narrowed his eyes at her.

His fingers gripping a tin cup filled with the weak excuse for broth they were handing out today. "Why you askin’?"

Zara forced a smile. "She owes me something but the commotion from yesterday stopped me from knowing her housing area."

Zara forced a small, easy smile. "She owes me something. The curfew cut things short before I could find out where she’s staying."

The man grunted, shifting his weight. The others exchanged glances.

"Ain’t seen nobody like that," another worker muttered, rubbing his hands together for warmth. "You sure she’s one of us?"

Zara nodded, keeping her disappointment to herself. Either they didn’t know or they didn’t trust her enough to say.

A woman beside them shook her head. "If she was around yesterday, she probably ain’t anymore. The guards swept through the sector after the breach. Took a handful of people in for ’questioning.’" She made air quotes, voice laced with bitterness. "Doubt they’re coming back."

That wasn’t reassuring.

Leo, oblivious to the tension, had been quietly watching the steam rise from the old man’s tin cup, his chubby fingers reaching for the warmth. Before Zara could stop him, he stuck his hand out.

The old man startled and instinctively pulled the cup away, but not before Leo’s fingertips grazed the heated metal. His reaction was immediate—his face scrunched up, and a tiny, pitiful wail escaped him.

Zara sighed. "Leo—"

The old man’s expression softened. "Ah, he’s just a curious one." He crouched, the harsh lines of his face easing as he extended a wrinkled hand toward Leo. "Here, kid. Not so close this time."

Leo sniffled but stepped forward, peering at the cup warily before looking back at Zara as if seeking permission.

She gave him a nod.

Slowly, Leo reached out again, this time feeling the warmth hover over his fingers rather than grabbing at it. His lips pursed in concentration.

"There you go, little one," the man murmured. "Smart boy."

Leo grinned, his earlier distress forgotten, and clapped his hands. The old man chuckled.

Zara shook her head with amusement. "You always gotta touch everything, huh?"

Leo turned his wide, innocent eyes to her. "Warm," he announced solemnly, like it was a great revelation.

The workers chuckled, and for a brief moment, the tension in the air loosened.

"Keep an eye on him," the old man said as he straightened. "A kid like that don’t belong in a place like this."

Zara’s stomach twisted at the truth of it. She gave a short nod and took Leo’s hand.

As she started to turn away, she heard another murmur behind her.

"Whatever’s happening in that lab, we ain’t meant to know. If you’re smart, you’ll leave it alone."

Zara didn’t stop walking, but her jaw clenched. Too late for that.

Her steps quickened when she heard the man ask about the water bottle that had appeared beside them. Her grip on leo’s hand tightened.

They needed to revisit his ability.

*****

Meanwhile, Winter had stationed himself near the western fence, concealed by the skeletal remains of an old cargo truck. From here, he had a clear view of the guards’ movements—how they paced, how they rotated, the moments they got lazy.

He noted two crucial things:

There were overlap points in the shifts where gaps formed. Perfect blind spots.Security wasn’t just on edge—they were waiting for something.

Then, movement caught his eye.

A man, speaking to a guard near the eastern perimeter.

Winter’s stomach dropped. He recognized him immediately—from Zara’s description.

The farm stalker.

His stance was too casual, his conversation too rehearsed. And the way he subtly pointed toward the market, toward where Zara had gone—

Winter clenched his fists. She was being watched.

He quickly snuck out of the truck and rushed to the market area.

He had to get to her before the guards did.

Winter found Zara just as she was slipping away from the food station. He caught her arm, startling her.

She tensed for a second before realizing it was him. "What?"

"Your stalker," he said grimly. "He’s talking to the guards."

Her expression didn’t change, but he felt the way her muscles tightened beneath his grip. "Shit."

They hurried back toward their quarters, keeping to the less-crowded paths. The tension between them was unspoken but thick, layered with worry, urgency, and something unnameable.

"I overheard something," she muttered. "The lab’s delaying something because of the lockdown. And officials are coming in later. Whatever’s happening in there, they don’t want it interrupted."

Winter absorbed the information, his mind already shifting strategies. "That could be our opening."

Zara hesitated before adding, "And I asked about your woman."

Winter stopped walking. "She’s not—"

Zara held up a hand. "I’m not asking for explanations. Just thought you’d want to know someone saw her near the supply storage yesterday."

Winter exhaled through his nose. "Thanks."

They continued on, nearly reaching their building when—

"Hold it."

Two guards stepped into their path. Armed.