Apocalypse Days: I Rule with Foresight and a Powerful Son
Chapter 140

Chapter 140: 140

The apartment was small—cramped, really. A single dim light flickered above them, casting harsh shadows on the cold metal walls. The air smelled stale, with the faint scent of disinfectant barely masking something more chemical underneath.

Winter knelt by the edge of the room, fingers carefully running along the seams of the walls. His sharp eyes scanned the corners, searching for anything out of place. Zara, crouched by the single table, did the same.

They couldn’t take any chances.

Not with Leo.

The three-year-old giggled softly, playing with a small wooden block on the mattress in the corner. His dark curls bounced as he stacked another piece

Zara’s heart ached watching him.

She wanted to keep it that way.

"Find anything?" she muttered under her breath, voice just loud enough for Winter to hear.

Winter exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his dark brown hair.

"Not a damn thing." He straightened up, rolling his shoulders. "Which means they either don’t think we’re a threat..." His silver eyes flicked to hers. "Or they’ve hidden their shit better."

Neither option comforted Zara. "I don’t trust it."

Winter smirked slightly. "Paranoid much?"

"Tell me I’m wrong."

He didn’t. Instead, he grabbed a chair and stood on it, running a hand along the overhead light fixture. Zara continued her search near the cabinet, pressing her ear against it. Nothing but silence.

Still, the unease didn’t fade.

After another ten minutes, they had found nothing. No cameras, no wires, no strange modifications in the walls.

That should have reassured Zara. It didn’t.

She clenched her fists, feeling the sharp edges of her nails bite into her palms. Just as she opened her mouth to respond—

A siren blared.

A sharp, piercing wail that rattled the walls and made the floor vibrate beneath them.

Leo screamed.

Zara spun around, rushing to him. He clutched at her shirt, little body trembling. "Shh, baby, it’s okay," she murmured, rubbing his back, swaying slightly. His tiny hands fisted into her collar, face buried against her neck as he sobbed.

Winter was already moving, grabbing the knife he kept under his cot. His entire posture shifted—body coiled, muscles taut, eyes darting toward the door. His fingers flexed around the hilt.

"Are we being attacked?" Zara whispered, still rocking Leo.

Winter’s jaw tightened. "I don’t know."

The siren cut off abruptly, leaving behind an eerie silence.

Then—

A knock.

Zara and Winter both turned sharply.

A second later, the door opened.

Without permission.

Zara’s blood boiled. Again?!

Winter stepped forward immediately, blocking the doorway before the soldier on the other side could get a look inside. Zara quickly tucked Leo closer, shifting so his toys and their food wrappers were out of view.

The soldier—broad, armoured, face partially hidden behind a visor—stared at them impassively.

Winter didn’t flinch. "What’s going on?"

The soldier didn’t seem bothered by his tone. "Food distribution. You need to report to the station to receive your rations."

Winter didn’t move. "That’s it?"

"That’s it."

A beat of silence. The soldier stared. Winter stared back.

Then, with a sharp nod, Winter stepped back just enough to let the man walk away. The door shut behind him, locking automatically.

Zara exhaled sharply, shifting Leo higher on her hip. He was still sniffling softly, rubbing his face against her shoulder. "This is getting old."

Winter smirked. "You mean you don’t love the idea of a surprise house call?"

She smacked his arm. Not hard, but enough.

He chuckled.

Still holding Leo, Zara sighed. "I hate that they can just come in whenever they want." She met Winter’s gaze. "There’s no real privacy here."

"Nope." Winter rolled his shoulders. "But at least we know that siren wasn’t for us."

This time.

Neither of them said it, but they both thought it.

"Come on," Zara muttered. "Let’s clean up before we go."

Leo had calmed, but he still sniffled against her shoulder. She kissed his forehead before gently setting him down. "Can you help, baby?" she asked, giving him a small smile. "Put your toys away?"

Leo nodded, rubbing his sleepy eyes. He reached toward his pocket space, a tiny flicker of ability glinting in his fingers before his toys vanished into thin air.

Zara and Winter worked quickly, shoving wrappers into the waste chute. Once the room looked clean enough, they left.

*****

The walk to the supply station was unnervingly quiet.

Not the peaceful kind of quiet. The wrong kind.

Soldiers patrolled constantly, their sharp gazes flicking over the civilians like herding dogs watching sheep. The streets were too clean, too organized—a stark contrast to the chaos of their old base.

This wasn’t a sanctuary.

It was a system.

Zara held Leo close to her chest, her arms wrapped securely around him. Winter walked beside her, his body just slightly angled toward hers, an almost protective stance as his gaze flickered across the people around them.

No one spoke loudly.

No one loitered.

No one dared step out of line.

The supply station was already packed. A long, slow-moving line stretched across the open space, filled with hungry civilians—some well-fed and clean, others thin and hollow-eyed.

That was the first red flag.

Zara kept her voice low as she whispered, "See the difference?"

Winter nodded slightly. "Yeah."

"They’re clearly favouring some people over others."

"The question is: why?"

"Beats me," Zara watched Winter as he eyed the guards.

They whispered among themselves, trying to figure it out, but the answer wasn’t clear.

When they finally reached the front, the ration clerk barely looked at them. He snatched their cards, ran them through the scanner, and then shoved pre-packed meals across the counter.

Winter held back a sigh. He could feel Zara’s frustration radiating off her, but they couldn’t afford to start trouble.

Zara clenched her jaw but bit her tongue.

Winter, for once, did the same.

So they took their food and moved on.

As they turned to leave, they spotted them.

Sam. Mike. Richard.

A familiar rush of relief flooded Zara’s chest. They made it.

"Holy shit," Zara breathed. "They made it."

Winter was already striding forward.

Richard saw them first, his weathered face breaking into something like a smile. "Well, look who survived the apocalypse again."

They met in the middle, clasping arms, pulling each other into quick, tight embraces.

Zara shifted Leo on her hip as he wiggled excitedly. "Look, baby. Uncle Richard, Uncle Mike, and Uncle Sam."

Leo giggled, reaching for them.

Mike, the youngest of the three, ruffled Leo’s hair. "You got big, little guy."

Leo, peeking curiously from Zara’s arms, reached a tiny hand toward Richard. "Uncle," he beamed excitedly.

Richard visibly softened. "Hey, little guy."

"So what happened?" Winter asked, eyes scanning them. "Where were you when the breach happened?"

Richard was the first to answer. "You know I was outside." His expression darkened. "I was leading a group of survivors near the outer perimeter. When the breach started, we were cut off from the base completely. Had to fight our way back, but by the time we reached the gates, the soldiers were already rounding people up. I got lucky. Ended up with a group of civilians, tried to protect them until things calmed down. Then they shipped us here."

Mike rubbed the back of his neck. "I was near one of the safe rooms when it all went to hell. Locked myself in. Stayed put until the battle was over."

Sam adjusted his glasses. "I was taken to safety immediately. Doctors were top priority."

Then, the moment passed.

Zara felt it.

Well, more like she saw it in the way Mike’s shoulders tensed, the way Richard’s gaze darted around, the way Sam—usually calm—spoke in a lower, careful tone. "You guys haven’t gotten into any trouble right?

Something was wrong.

Zara narrowed her eyes. "What aren’t you saying?"

The three men exchanged glances.

Sam sighed. "We might be in a lot of trouble here."

Winter’s expression darkened. "Define ’a lot.’"

A chill crawled up Zara’s spine. "What do you mean?"

Richard leaned in, voice barely above a whisper. "Not here. We can’t talk here."

That only made her unease worse.

Zara’s stomach twisted.

They had survived the monsters, the battles, the bloodshed.

Now?

They had to survive in Sector 2.

And from what she was hearing, that might be even harder.

****

They pretended to walk towards one of the "parks" on the side to sit and eat.

Away from prying eyes, the truth spilt out in low, urgent voices.

Mike didn’t waste time. "People disappear."

Zara frowned. "What?"

Richard nodded grimly. "We’ve seen soldiers escorting civilians away in the middle of the night. They don’t come back."

"The sick," Sam added. "They say there’s a medical ward around the research area, but no one leaves it."

A heavy silence settled.

"I heard in the barracks that ability users were worse off than before. Those who didn’t comply? They were taken."

And the worst part?

Corruption was everywhere.

The officers lived in comfort, while the rest of them struggled for scraps.

Sector 2 isn’t a safe haven. It’s a trap.

A sudden commotion made them all turn.

A desperate shout—then the harsh, unmistakable sound of fists meeting flesh.

A civilian was on the ground, blood dripping from his nose. Soldiers stood over him, boots planted firm.

Zara clutched Leo tighter.

The man gasped out, "Please—"

A soldier silenced him with another brutal kick.

And then, instead of dragging him toward a containment cell likely to be found in the barracks—

They started pulling him toward the research sector.

Zara’s throat went dry.

Richard exhaled shakily. "That’s what happens when you break the rules here."

Sam didn’t look away. "You don’t get locked up. You get taken."

Zara’s brows furrowed. This was all the more reason for her to protect Leo and get out of this place.

Winter reached for Zara’s hand, squeezing it tight.