Apocalypse Days: I Rule with Foresight and a Powerful Son
Chapter 163

Chapter 163: 163

Winter gently pulled away from Leo’s small embrace, ruffling the boy’s dark curls before standing. He could still feel the warmth of those tiny arms around his neck, the brief moment of innocence grounding him, if only for a second. But then—reality.

He turned to Zara, immediately noticing the tightness in her posture. Arms crossed, jaw set, her usual steady calm was replaced by something else. Anxiety.

"Zara?" His voice was low, careful.

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she looked at Leo, who was still clinging to Winter’s sleeve, as if sensing the shift in the room. Winter sighed, crouching to the boy’s level.

"Hey, buddy. Why don’t you go play for a bit?"

Leo looked up at him with wide eyes, hesitant, but after a small nudge from Zara, he nodded and toddled toward the pile of makeshift toys in the corner.

Only when he was a safe distance away did Zara finally speak.

"I saw something while you were gone."

Winter felt a cold knot tighten in his chest. Zara’s visions were never meaningless.

"Tell me," he said.

She exhaled sharply, her fingers flexing like she wanted to grab onto something solid. "It started like the others. Dark. Shifting. I couldn’t see clearly at first, just shadows moving—figures blurred together."

Winter watched her closely.

"Then," she continued, her voice quieter now, "I saw you."

His breath hitched, but he didn’t react otherwise.

"Your back was to me at first," Zara said. "Your stance—rigid. You were facing something ahead, something I couldn’t see clearly. And then I saw your face."

She hesitated.

"Winter, you looked... tense. More than usual. Your expression was locked down, but I could feel it—something was wrong."

A flicker of unease skated down his spine. "What else?"

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. "Something green."

His brows furrowed. "Green?"

Zara nodded, her eyes dark with the memory. "Vibrant. Almost sickly. It pulsed, like it was alive. And then came the smell—metallic, sharp. And a sound—"

She stopped, pressing her fingers against her temple, like the memory itself hurt.

"Steel against stone," she murmured. "Scraping. Sharp, like a blade dragging over rock."

Winter’s hands curled into fists at his sides. He didn’t know why, but that description put him on edge. Something about it felt... wrong.

"And then?" he asked.

Zara’s fingers twitched.

"Pain."

Silence.

Winter felt the air in the room shift. He straightened. "You felt pain?"

Zara looked at him, her expression unreadable. "I’ve never felt pain in my visions before, Winter."

That was new.

That was bad.

"Did you—" He hesitated, searching her face. "Did something happen to you in the vision?"

She didn’t answer right away.

That was enough of an answer.

Winter inhaled slowly through his nose, forcing himself to stay calm. He didn’t believe in fate. He believed in action. And if Zara was seeing something like this, it meant something was coming.

Soon.

"Do you know when?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. But it’s close. I can feel it."

Winter exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "I’m glad you told me," he muttered. "We’ll be careful."

Zara gave a small nod, but she didn’t look reassured.

Winter didn’t blame her.

Winter leaned against the edge of the battered table, arms crossed. "While you were having visions, Richard was snooping around the outer base."

Zara’s eyes snapped to his. "What did he find?"

"Security’s doubled. Maybe tripled in some areas. More guards patrolling, especially near the lower levels. And it’s not just the usual officers—new ones are coming in, ones we don’t recognize."

Zara’s expression darkened. "That’s never a good sign."

"It gets worse," Winter said. "They’re moving people."

She stiffened. "Test subjects?"

"Possibly." He nodded. "Richard overheard some officers talking. The ones who are still in the main base are either being transferred or... taken care of."

Zara exhaled slowly, her hands curling into fists. "They’re cleaning up."

Winter met her gaze. "Yeah."

She ran a hand through her hair, pacing a short line across the small room. "Something’s about to happen. And they don’t want loose ends."

Winter watched her closely. "You think it’s connected to your vision?"

Zara stopped pacing and looked at him. "I don’t think. I know."

That sent a shiver down his spine. Zara’s visions weren’t guesses—they were glimpses of the inevitable.

"What else did Richard hear?" she pressed.

Winter glanced at Leo, who was still gripping his trousers. He softened his voice. "He said the officers kept mentioning a classified operation. No details, but whatever it is, it’s big enough that they’re being extra careful."

Zara clenched her jaw. "And extra ruthless."

Winter nodded grimly. "They don’t want anyone asking questions."

A beat of silence passed between them, Leo toddled off to play.

Then Zara inhaled sharply, like something had clicked. "Winter," she said slowly, "what if this isn’t just about covering their tracks?"

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What if they’re not just moving people to keep things quiet? What if they’re moving them because something’s coming?"

Winter felt his stomach turn. "Something... like what?"

She hesitated. "I don’t know yet. But my vision—it wasn’t just a warning. It was urgent."

Winter exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn’t the type to let fear settle in. But Zara was rarely wrong. And the pieces were adding up in a way he didn’t like.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath.

Zara didn’t disagree.

Winter’s gut twisted. That was exactly what he was thinking.

Leo, still playing in the corner, suddenly looked up at them. He didn’t understand much of what they were talking about as usual, but he understood fear.

He let go of his toy and walked back toward them, grabbing onto Winter’s pants again, his tiny fingers curling around the fabric like an anchor.

Winter rested a hand on his head, murmuring, "It’s okay, kid."

It wasn’t. But Leo didn’t need to know that.

Zara turned to him. "What do you think they’re hiding?"

Winter’s jaw tensed.

"Subject 17," he said, his voice quiet but firm.

Zara’s brows knitted together. "Subject 17? What is that now?"

Winter shifted his weight, glancing briefly at Leo, who was still clinging to his trousers. He hesitated, then crouched down beside the boy, voice soft but steady. "Leo, I need you to give me and Zara a minute, okay?"

Leo frowned, small fingers tightening on Winter’s sleeve. "Why?"

Winter mustered a reassuring smile. "Just something boring we need to talk about. It won’t take long."

The boy hesitated, clearly reluctant, but eventually, he nodded. He stepped back, picking up one of his makeshift toys and retreating toward the corner of the room.

Winter straightened, turning back to Zara. "Bale, a higher-ranking officer, told me something while I was out," he said. "Security’s been tightening because of an escaped subject. Subject 17."

Zara crossed her arms. "I don’t like where this is going."

"Neither do I."

"Tell me everything."

Winter exhaled. "Bale didn’t have all the details, and I didn’t get the chance to hear much because the soldiers were in a hurry."

Zara’s face remained neutral, but her fingers twitched slightly—a small tell. "So they weren’t just experimenting on ability users," she murmured.

"No," Winter said. His jaw tensed. "It’s worse than we thought."

Zara’s arms dropped to her sides. "How?"

Winter shook his head. "I don’t know yet. But it explains why they’re relocating test subjects, and why security is getting tighter. They’re covering up whatever went wrong."

Zara narrowed her eyes. "You said this Subject 17 escaped. Are they dead?"

"Not according to what I heard," Winter said. "If they were, security wouldn’t still be this high. They’re looking for something—or someone."

A sharp breath escaped her lips.

Zara dragged a hand through her dark hair, frustration seeping into her expression. "And you think whatever got out is what I saw in my vision."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Then—

"Winter," Zara said, her voice steady but cold, "what if Subject 17 isn’t just dangerous?"

He met her eyes.

"What if they’re uncontrollable?"

The words settled heavily in the air.

Winter thought about the green light she saw in her vision. The pulsing. The metallic scent. The scraping of steel.

Something twisted in his gut.

"Whatever got out," he murmured, "it’s what they’re afraid of."

Zara’s fingers curled into fists.

They had a short window. A chance to figure out what was really going on before the higher-ups either covered it up or made sure no one who knew about it lived long enough to talk.

They had to move.

"What’s the plan?" Zara asked.

Winter exhaled. "You focus on your visions. Try to remember more details. Anything that could give us an edge."

She nodded.

"Richard will keep snooping near the outer base," he continued. "If the officers are talking, he’ll hear something."

"And you?"

Winter’s expression hardened.

"I need to go to Bale again. If anyone has more information, it’s him."

Zara studied him for a long moment before nodding. "Just make sure to be careful."

"Always," Winter muttered.