Apocalypse Days: I Rule with Foresight and a Powerful Son
Chapter 78: The World With More People

Chapter 78: 78: The World With More People

The days bled into weeks and the chill of an impending storm hung in the air, forcing the group to wear extra clothing.

Hadn’t the heat been sweltering just a few days ago?

Zara adjusted her scarf, feeling the fabric brush against her skin as she stepped closer to the makeshift campfire. The warmth from the crackling flames did little to alleviate the tension gnawing at the back of her mind.

She cast a glance at Winter, who stood leaning against a nearby tree, arms crossed over his chest. They hadn’t spoken much today, the silence hanging between them like a thick fog.

It had been weeks since they had left the ruins of the river. Weeks since things have been a bit awkward between them.

Leo sat beside her, holding his hand out to the flames. "Be careful baby, you don’t want to hurt yourself," she warned gently.

Leo hummed, nodding his head as he kicked his feet.

Her heart fluttered as a sound reached her ears—a faint hum, the distant rumble of a motor.

Wait, a motor? Her brows furrowed in confusion.

She looked at winter, wondering if she was hallucinating. But sure enough, he had straightened, eyes narrowed as he tried to find where the sound was coming from.

His eyes finally settled over her shoulder and she tensed as he grabbed his rifle.

She turned, and sure enough, there it was.

A large tinted sedan made its way over to them slowly. She picked Leo up and stepped closer to Winter who had raised the rifle straight at the driver’s window.

The sedan stopped a few feet away and the doors swung open. Zara tensed, wondering what or who would step out. Most people haven’t been exactly welcoming or friendly to them.

"Don’t shoot! We are coming down, we have no weapons!" A voice called oit from the car.

Zara’s frown deepened, the voice sounded familiar. Was it someone she had heard while scavenging in City B?

No, that didn’t seem right. This was a more recent one. She waited for them to come out but no one made a move. How would she know who they were if she couldn’t see their faces? What was taking them so long?

She looked at winter, who still had his rifle trained in the car. "Well get on with it then!"

There was silence for a while, then the people in the sedan slowly got out, hands up.

Zara’s eyes widened in recognition. It was the people from that day!

Zara hadn’t expected to see them again so soon.

She had thought they were long gone, off to do whatever they needed to survive, just as they all were. But there they were, pulling into the clearing with what seemed to be a modified car.

"I thought it was you guys," the doctor said with a gentle smile. "Nice to see y’all alive and well."

Zara stuttered, not sure how to respond. She had spent most of her time either arguing and bantering with winter or babying Leo that her social cues might have been becoming stunted.

"It’s you guys," winter said simply, rifle still raised. "Are you following us?"

"What?" The doctor’s smile faltered.

"Are you following us?" Winters repeated. "Somehow you end up where we are, this has hapended twice now. It can’t be a coincidence."

Zara’s eyes widened. Why hadn’t she thought of that?

"Maybe because we are headed in the same direction and there aren’t exactly numerous paths to take?" The teen snarled, clearly not in a good mood.

Winter’s eyes narrowed at his tone and he took a step closer.

The eldest in the group took a step forward, hands still raised and smiled at winter. "Sorry about that, we had a disagreement in the car and he’s still sulking about it."

He inclined his head at Zara politely, smile still in place. "I’m glad to see you all made it over here. Things have gone to a worser hell back there. Crazy creatures asides the zombies and stuff. How’s the kid doing?"

"He’s fine," Zara shifted Leo in her arms still not knowing what to do in this situation.

The man and the doctor seemed overly chill for people staring down a barrel of a rifle.

Zara’s eyes narrowed slightly as she observed them. She remembered how they had helped them before, how they’d left without trouble. But now, seeing them again, she couldn’t quite shake the wariness in her chest.

She wanted to trust them, especially after they’d saved Leo, but she couldn’t ignore the lingering doubt. People had betrayed her too many times for her to trust easily, and she knew Winter felt the same way. They had to be careful.

"How does it run?" Winter asked, his voice low and measured, as though he were trying to conceal the caution in his tone.

The old man puffed up with pride, clearly pleased by the question. "It’s a mix of solar, water, and gas. That boy," he nodded toward the engineer, "rigged it up to run on whatever we can get our hands on. Solar panels on the roof, filters for rain and melted snow, and a bit of old fuel in the back." He shrugged, as if that was the simplest thing in the world. "Been running fine for months now."

Zara raised an eyebrow. "Solar and water?" she repeated skeptically, her tone betraying the doubt she tried to mask. "That’s... impressive."

"It’s better than nothing," the engineer chimed in from the back of the car, glancing over at them. "It works better than you’d think. Haven’t had to stop for fuel in ages, and we’ve been all over."

Winter’s gaze flickered from the engineer to the modified car. He wasn’t the type to take risks lightly, but he couldn’t deny that it was a rare opportunity—if the car worked as well as they said, it could mean the difference between life and death for them.

They could get to city H in a matter of hours with this and avoid physical altercations.

Zara caught his eye, and she could see the hesitation, the same wariness she felt. The idea of trusting strangers—people they barely knew, who could be just as dangerous as anyone else—was a hard pill to swallow.

But at the same time, the offer to join them in their journey to City H was an undeniable lifeline.

"Come over for a sec," winter murmured, motioning to the side.

Zara followed after him, casting a glance back at the trio.

"What do you think?" She asked as soon as they were a fee feet away.

"Seems too good to be true," winter hummed, keeping an eye on them.

"Exactly! Like how is it that they have been able to find us?"

"It might be some sort of navigational ability or something."

"Hmm, I see the advantage of going with them but I worry about trusting them. I mean, I know they saved Leo back then but..."

Zara bit her lip. This was a hard one. These people were a little weird but they hadn’t given reasons not to be trusted yet.

"Mommy," Leo’s voice caught their attention. They both looked down at him. "Are we going to ride in the funny car?" He asked, peering at the sedan curiously.

"We aren’t sure yet sweetie," she answered him.

"But I wanna, it’s big like my truck!"

"I know sweetie but hold on, let us think," Zara sighed, bouncing him lightly on her hip.

Leo looked at both of them and tried to copy their thinking expressions, only to end up with a cute pout and very confused expression.

Zara couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped her. What had she done to deserve such an angel like him?

Winter’s jaw tightened as he looked away from Zara, clearly lost in thought. He was weighing the risks in his mind—just as Zara was.

She watched him, and saw the moment something shifted. He exhaled sharply and nodded, his decision made.

"We’ll go with them," he said, his voice firm.

Zara’s stomach fluttered in surprise, but she kept her expression neutral. She hadn’t expected him to agree so easily. But then again, it wasn’t easy to turn down an offer like this—especially when they were running out of options.

"Are you sure?" Zara still asked, her voice steady despite the uncertainty swirling inside her.

Winter glanced at her, his eyes softening for a brief moment, before he nodded again. "We have no choice but to trust them. They helped us before. We need all the help we can get."

Zara didn’t respond immediately, her mind racing. She wanted to insist they stay cautious, but a small part of her recognized the truth in Winter’s words.

"Alright," she said finally, her voice quiet but resolute. "Let’s go."

The decision was made.

As they moved toward the vehicle, Zara couldn’t help but glance at Winter again. He was already ahead of her, his posture straight, his eyes focused on the task at hand.

"Ah, you’re back!" The older man smiled, "so what will it be?"

"We will join you," winter said calmly.

"Great! We were just checking to make sure everything was intact and are ready to go. You can drop your stuff in the boot and-"

"No." Winter cut him off. "Our supplies stay with us."

"Fair enough," the man nodded. "We estimate getting to city H in two days if we keep our usual pace. Hope that’s fine by you?"

"Very," winter nodded as Zara reached his side.

"Welcome to the group then, I’m Richard," the old man introduced holding out his hand.

"Winter," winter shook his hand.

"Zara and Leo," Zara said, nudging Leo slightly. Though he shyly hid his face.

"Nice to meet you, I’m Sam," the doctor smiled from the driver’s seat. "And that’s Mike in the back."

The teen let out a mumbled noise as he plugged something in the back and slammed the boot shut. "Nice traveling with you, I guess," he said, smearing grease on his face as he tried to wipe the sweat that formed from the engine heat.

"Likewise," the group nodded.

Zara had to resist the urge to wipe his face clean.

"Let’s all go in quick! We’ve got a schedule to beat!"

Winter climbed into the back of the car first, then Zara followed with Leo in her arms, settling into a seat beside him.

"Wow," Leo called out as he stared at the space with awe and curiosity.

Wow indeed. Zara thought. The interior was surprisingly spacious—larger than it appeared from the outside, filled with supplies and a few makeshift cushions for comfort. It still had enough to fit in their supplies and stretch their legs with ease.

Zara couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief as she sank into the seat, the hum of the engine a comforting presence beneath them.

The old man and the engineer took their places in the front, the web at the back with Zara and the rest and the car rumbled to life, slowly rolling away from the clearing.

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