Chapter 14 (Fourteen). Snow.
Reo and Emelia wandered around the area, mainly because Reo was stupefied and disgusted from how vile and dirty the street has become.
As someone who quickly got into the role of being a garbage collector and trying to make use of every possible corner as his home, Reo wanted to clean the surroundings.
Behind him, his spouse, Emelia followed him around while stiffly trying to catch a corner of his clothes.
Emelia was discontented when she had to heard such punishment. Her hands kept waving in the air and doing possible means to decrease their distance.
Although, that was quickly noticed and Emelia yet again failed and could only pitifully do her part as a promise of the punishment.
As they continued, a zombie popped up and grumbled in its awkward grunting language and told the couple of its discovery of human activity down the slope and into the city.
Reo hastily kept his items and walked to the direction pointed. And Emelia... She glared at the zombie with her furious red eyes as another chance to touch her husband has been wasted by the undead's interval.
"What a waste!", grumbled Emelia as she pointed at the zombie and rested her umbrella in her shoulder.
The zombie was then burned, both as a reward and punishment.
"Reo~ Wait for me!" Emelia dazzled as she skipped and hopped towards her husband.
...
Time flew by at a fast rate that the changes ignored at the beginning became more wider and clearer.
The Government issued a lockdown and went to ask the military for help after they got hold of the situation.
It was a prickle and many panicked, though many knew that this would happen soon in the future, facing the troubles now was far from beyond acception.
During the few months that flipped by, the world dramatically changed.
Cities became a ghost town with every buildings on ruin and glasses broken.
Blood even splattered everywhere and food was very scarce, what's more to say that the hygiene had dropped down and parasitic creatures began popping up.
Countries almost added up as wastelands.
Yuki was formerly a well - known daughter of a business magnate, but like how the apocalypse would be, money was no longer an important resource nor was reputation that came to be due to hard work from the past.
Everything restarted with an exemption for those who turned more powerful during the change. Yuki did not grasp a powerful opportunity so she was not included.
Few months since the apocalypse occurred, mankind began to integrate to the new world. Therefore, akin to some novels famous in the former non-apocalyptic era, humans evolved.
Yuki wasn't fortunate like the rest, she was hopeless in the apocalypse after being orphaned and was in the brink of trouble of being sent to become someone's slave.
She escaped, and that was both great and bad. The escape lead her to have fatal wounds and she was yet in another predicament of being eaten alive by the monsters.
And death in the apocalypse was prominent, but even if her life has been destroyed she could not succumb to such fate.
"Cough..." Yuki walked on the streets trying to suppress her cough. Her build was fragile as she slanted forward with her spine carved downwards.
She no longer had the bearing of a noble.
'I didn't expect to choke on the water I drank, not only am I having a bad cough, the water was spilled....' Yuki thought to herself with regret as she tried to minimize her voice as possible.
Zombies are creatures with sensitive hearing, she can't bring their attention to her, she shouldn't.
'Ow.. It hurts.' Yuki squinted her eyes and touched her stomach, she hasn't eaten anything fulfilling. And she had accidentally touched with stomach virus, her whole being aching as her stomach and back stung.
Yuki looked up and breathed heavily, the effort she had built up in her run wasn't little. She missed the former era, the yesterday of peace, and the tranquility and warm of the golden blazed sun.
She stopped walking and laid a flat paper box beneath her. It serves as her bed, a carpet and a protection towards things that may lay on the ground.
The red sun shone, not as beautiful as the one before. Her eyes was slapped with the blinding rays and Yuki bursted into tears, who's fault was it that turned everything to this?!
Suddenly, Yuki stood up and hurriedly ran and hid behind a lamppost. In her view, she saw two vague silhouettes coming her way.
...
"Reo-kun, isn't it tiring to walk on a sunny day like this?"
"Bearable."
"Reo-kun, please~"
"Reo-kun, it's too hot to be out on the sun just like this."
Emelia voiced again, her little movements twirling her umbrella.
Blinking her eyes innocently, Emelia urged the man.
"Its not too hot." Reo said without batting an eye.
He wiped his sweat dropping from his forehead to his cheeks with a towel and continued to do his job.
Emelia gaped and was saddened. "But look at your sweat. I propose for you to take a rest, like, how about under my umbrella's shade?"
Reo paused his movements and finally looked back at Emelia. "Not until you finish the conditions."
Emelia lowered her head. "Okay....but!"
"Isn't it brutal of you to leave your wife without any physical touch and mental solitude? Reo-kun, can you please spare even a hug~"
"Emelia, please calm down. And I believe I have a say to punish you for ruining Earth's nature." Reo quickly sidestepped and dodged Emelia's approach.
"It was bad already, why blame me for it." Emelia pouted as she saw her approach being denied. "Though I've worsen it, can't you forgive this little wife of yours?"
Reo wiped his sweat again.
How troublesome ah!
How can he say that he would have liked if they were a bit more intimate but he can't stay put upon seeing the world he was born into being destroyed like this.
Moreover...
[System out of maintenance. Will resume later in the future. (PS. After the apocalypse ends.)
System Notice: Everything proceeds to work like normal. However, System Spirit does not have any signal and wouldn't be able to answer anything. If any questions persist, please send a voice message.]
Reo got used to the system's nagging after it accompanied him on his lonely days. Even if it was very disturbing and annoying. But ever since Emelia appeared, it was very quiet and it seemed to be hiding from some...one?
Reo abruptly glanced at a broken pillar on the road upfront.
A slim shadow hurriedly his behind that pillar.
Emelia noticed the change on Reo's movements. She followed his line of sight and her grip on the umbrella handle became fierce.
"Reo, what are you looking at?" Emelia smiled. "I seemed to have seen a silhouette hide behind that corner, did you see her features, perhaps?" Emelia asked as she walked front.
Reo lowered his head. "I seem to. But I don't know what it is."
"Really?" Emelia was happy.
But her happiness didn't last long when the figure popped themselves out of their cover and sheepishly glanced at them.
"Um..." Yuki propped herself nervously as she twisted her fingers in anxiety.
A couple just arrived near the nest Yuki had made. Emelia subconsciously touched her nose and let out a sneeze, and that hurriedly took Yuki's attention.
A strange couple...no, it doesn't seem like it.
She happened to see that the two's attires were strangely not a like how everyone's else's were in the apocalypse, and this brought her into contemplation.
The person who lead the group of two was a young man, his ivory hair specifically eye-catching.
But he was holding garbage plastic in his hands and it was full, and moreover, his clothing seemed alike to those of homeless.
On the other hand, behind him was an astonishing beautiful woman. She had raven hair that was up to her hips, and her red eyes were dazzling.
She wore a black one-piece dress with the neckline surrounded with a white glossy see through scarf. Her bearing absolutely prestige without carrying the hardship of going through the current apocalypse.
Emelia felt the gaze from the girl and glanced at her through her eyes. She felt it shortly look at her man before staring at her with eyes examining her from head to toes.
Reo looked back in a hurry when he heard Emelia sneeze, when he found out she was doing alright, he turned to look straight ahead in fear of changing his mind.
But carrying on, the woman was certainly rich and powerful. Being as wound free as she was today, she should be correct.
So, there should be a higher probability that they have food. But, there was a low chance of getting one from them.
This disturbed the girl further. "Um.."
Emelia was about to turn around, ignore the girl and sheepishly hide her excitement from being cared from her beloved, but she decided to pause her movements and glance at the girl who started to speak.
"A...Are you two..." Yuki had trouble trying to relay her message and stuttered as she spoke. "I mean...Um...Er...Are you from the base at North?"
Emelia squinted her eyes and did not answer. Hidden at her side, her hands rolled into fists as she watched destiny following the young girl.
'Tsk.' She clicked her tongue and twirled her umbrella in ease. "Perhaps."
"I..I see.. Then, um..."
"You sound and behave like you have something you wish to tell, may you please stop stuttering and speak now." Emelia threw Yuki a nonchalant look, "I'm not scary." Emelia emphasized.
"Yes....um..."
"What?" Emelia showcased a lovely, innocent smile as she titled her head to question the poorly dressed young lady in front of her.
Reo looked at the girl as well but he refrained from staring to ensure Emelia wouldn't break down and be angered once again.
"I… um …" Yuki did not know how she can state her purpose of getting food from them so she panicked.
After looking around, she set her eyes upon the bag behind the man and stated simply, "It looks heavy, I...I can help."
If the man can, she can do too.
Yuki then expected at least a reaction similar to pity or either a surprised outlook, however, the expression the woman had on was simply too indescribable!
Emelia was frozen and her smile twitched.