Apocalypse Days: I Rule with Foresight and a Powerful Son
Chapter 127:

Chapter 127: 127:

Winter was still breathing heavily as he reached out, his fingers brushing against Zara’s arm. His heart slammed against his ribs, adrenaline still coursing through his veins like fire.

He forced himself to think logically, to push past the terror still tightening his throat. His eyes swept over her quickly, scanning for injuries, then flickered to Leo—small, trembling, clutching onto Zara like she was the only solid thing in a collapsing world.

Zara stood stiffly, her knife still raised, her knuckles white from the death grip she had on the handle.

Winter reached out again, steadying her before she could topple over. "Are you hurt?" His voice was quiet, strained with concern.

Zara shook her head but didn’t meet his eyes. Her entire attention was on the bundle pressed against her chest.

Leo’s small body shuddered against her. His little fingers had twisted into her jacket, locking in a white-knuckle grip. His breathing was shallow, even through the mask.

Winter exhaled sharply, pulling them both into a brief, tight embrace. He could still feel the tension in Zara’s muscles, but she didn’t pull away. He knew this wasn’t the time and that they weren’t exactly safe but he just had to assure himself that she was with him.

He found them.

His body shook—just for a second—before he pulled away. They didn’t have time to linger.

He stepped back. "We need to move."

Zara nodded, adjusting her hold on Leo as Winter took point. His rifle was raised, every nerve on high alert. The mist curled unnaturally around their feet, twisting through the ruined hallway like something alive. But for now, no more creatures emerged from its depths.

The building was in worse shape than before. Blood smeared the walls, mixing with deep gashes in the metal plating. The emergency lights flickered, painting the corridor in a broken, nightmarish glow. Debris was everywhere—collapsed sections of the ceiling, shattered glass, remnants of bodies that had been torn apart.

"Survivors, reach the designated safe rooms. Do not engage with unknown entities. Repeat...Do not engage with unknown entities."

Winter gritted his teeth and pushed forward. "There was a safe room two floors down. If we can make it there—"

They moved quickly, picking their way through the wreckage.

A deep groan reverberated through the halls, metal twisting, something shifting in the distance.

A crash.

Then everything went wrong.

A sudden force slammed into them—not an attack, but something else.

Winter barely had time to react before the entire corridor lurched. The walls groaned, metal screeched, and then—

A violent shift in the environment sent debris crashing down. Dust and mist surged like a living thing, swallowing everything in its path.

Winter spun, gun raised, heart hammering—too late.

A section of the ceiling gave way with a deafening roar, rubble crashing between them. When the dust settled, Zara and Leo were gone.

Trapped on the other side.

"Zara!"

Winter turned sharply, but the fog was thick—too thick. He could hear Leo whimper, could hear Zara’s sharp breaths as she tried to steady herself. His gut clenched.

"I’ve got him!" she called back. "We’re okay—"

Then her voice cut off.

Then, silence.

He swung his rifle around, taking a cautious step forward. "Zara?"

No response.

He strained to listen, and then—

A whisper.

Not Zara’s voice. Not Leo’s.

Winter’s blood ran cold as he turned toward the sound. And then, through the swirling mist, a shape emerged.

Not a zombie. Not human.

It was more similar to the thing that had attacked them outside the base.

What the fuck? The grip on his rifle tightened, was he the only one trapped with this thing? He hoped there was none on Zara’s side.

On the other side of the rubble...

Zara tried not to freak out as she looked at the rubble. Of all the things that could have happened, why did they have to get separated?

The concrete was too thick for her to hear if winter was ok or not.

Should she keep going or should she try to find a way to him?

Leo whimpered and she pressed him close. The masks made it impossible for her to kiss him properly. This whole ordeal was ironically worse than what they had experienced outside in the open.

Zara looked round, maybe she or winter would be able to climb around to the other side.

The sound of glass crunching beneath heavy feet caught her attention.

She spun around, knife held in front of her. The noise wasn’t the hurried panicked steps of a person.

True enough, something shambled into the hallway.

A figure peeled from the darkness, its movements slow, deliberate. It was humanoid but wrong. The proportions stretched in unnatural ways, like something trying to be human but failing. Its skin, gray and thin, clung too tightly to its form. Its mouth—too wide—curled into something resembling curiosity.

It sniffed the air.

Zara went rigid.

Then—it spoke.

The voice was distorted, broken, like shattered glass scraping against metal.

"You... breathe."

She clenched her knife.

"Lungs. Yours... work."

The thing tilted its head, eyes—black voids—focusing intently on her.

"Need them. I want... to breathe."

Zara’s grip on her blade tightened. Her pulse pounded in her ears.

Then—it moved.

Winter appeared in the same instant, gunfire exploding through the corridor. The creature recoiled, shrieking in a sound that made Zara’s skull ache. She barely registered Winter grabbing her arm, and pulling her away.

"Move, move!"

They ran, tearing through the halls, the creature’s presence lingering behind them like an echo.

Turning a corner, they weren’t alone.

Normal infected, twisted and rotten, staggered toward them. Their movements were slower but no less deadly.

Winter took down the first two with precise shots. Zara slashed at one that got too close, her blade sinking deep into its flesh. Leo whimpered against her, his tiny hands clutching her jacket.

Then a sound made them freeze.

A voice.

"Help! Please! Someone’s in here!"

A survivor?

They paused, unsure of what to do. Help or Ignore?

The radio crackled again. "Report has come in of strange voices in the mist. Do not be fooled! Only listen to the comms! Get to the safe rooms! Let that be your only objective!"

The voice repeated, but now it was coming from the end of the hallway, from an open doorway leading into a dark room.

Something was luring them in.

"Don’t listen," Winter muttered. "It’s not real."

But then—Leo looked towards the sound.

His small face scrunched in confusion, and before Zara could stop him, he peeked up and whispered, "Mommy?"

The thing reacted instantly.

Winter barely had time to shove Zara and Leo back before it lunged.

This one moved with intelligence. It didn’t groan—it spoke.

It was mimicking.

The mimic’s voice twisted, shifting from cries of help to a familiar tone. Zara’s own voice.

"Leo," it purred. "Come here, baby."

Leo whimpered. Zara gritted her teeth.

Winter fired, but the thing was fast. It scrambled sideways, avoiding the shot, before launching itself at him. He barely got his arm up in time, blocking its claws with his rifle. The force nearly knocked him off balance.

Zara moved. Her blade flashed, slicing deep into the creature’s side. It shrieked, voice warping between stolen phrases.

"Help—"

"Please don’t—"

"I’m scared—"

The words flickered, jumbling like a broken radio.

Winter forced the thing back, slamming it into the wall before emptying two rounds into its chest. It writhed, screeching, then finally went still.

Panting, he turned to Zara and Leo.

"We need to go. Now."

The comms crackled in his ear.

"All survivors, evacuate to the designated safe rooms. Lockdown is in effect."

Leo, exhausted and overwhelmed, was starting to panic. His breathing hitched, his little hands shaking.

"Leo, baby, stay with me, Look at mommy," Zara whispered.

But his eyes were unfocused, pinned on the creature in front of them.

Another loud bang echoed from somewhere around them. Leo flinched heavily.

Then—he disappeared.

Zara’s heart stopped.

No. No, no, no. Now was not the time!

"Leo?!"

Her voice cracked. When they last experimented, Leo couldn’t move in the space! If they left now, her baby would be alone.

Winter spun around, eyes wide. "What is it?" He asked. "Where did he go?"

A second later—Leo reappeared.

He shifted slightly, pale and trembling. He hadn’t gone far—just into his space. But the fear in his eyes was undeniable.

Zara scooped him up, holding him close. "Don’t do that. Don’t do that."

"I-I got scared," Leo mumbled.

She pressed her forehead against his forehead, voice tight. "It’s okay. You’re okay."

They pushed forward.

Winter checked their surroundings, jaw clenched. They were running out of time.

Finally—

He spotted a supply room. "In here!" He rushed over, shoved the door open, and ushering them inside.

They barricaded it, breathless and bloodied.

Zara sank to the floor, Leo still clutched against her.

Winter leaned back against the wall, chest heaving.

The radio crackled again.

"Survivors, reach the safe rooms. Do not engage with unknown entities."

Zara closed her eyes.

This wasn’t over.

Not even close.

But for now—they were alive.