The mustachioed man smiled slightly and took off his hat.
"The landlady has gone to the storeroom; she'll be back soon."
"Yes, you can wait here with us. The shopkeeper has given her permission, so you have nothing to worry about." The assembled crowd stood discussing the incident.
Everyone was concerned, and some thought it was just a rare natural phenomenon that would erupt, now and then, hundreds of years later.
But the fog outside the window grew thicker and thicker. Already the bright red fog had turned into a dark maroon dense smog.
Strange cries echoed through the desolate street. The oppressive silence put even more pressure on the psyche of the people gathered there.
The atmosphere was very strange, and each person felt very uncomfortable, even though they were safe.
*Boom.*
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion somewhere in the distance.
At that moment, signs of panic began to build in this small crowd of people.
"Please don't panic and calm down. This is a rare natural phenomenon. It will soon be explained on television what to do in such a situation!" The young policeman tried to calm the excited crowd in the room. And at this moment his older partner was trying to bring to her senses, a girl who was clearly getting worse.
'Well, yes. It's such a rare natural phenomenon that the moment it appears, the world will be over…' Chuckling at the policeman's words, Grey suddenly remembered.
'That's right…the arrival of the Titans is imminent!' After listening to what the young policeman was saying, Gray walked over to the old TV hanging on the wall and turned it on.
All the channels were trumpeting the same thing, a red fog filled more than half the planet.
This fog was coming from nine points, in different places on the planet.
But looking at what the news was saying. Gray got a strange sense of discomfort.
'Strange… why did the red fog only envelop half the planet? And by this time, the nine titans should have arrived by now…something is wrong!'
Rubbing his temples, he stopped thinking about it. Just at that moment, at the policeman's shout, the shopkeeper came up with a rope in her hands.
"Here, take it."
"Thank you, here is the money."
When he handed her the money, he was slightly surprised, as the woman shook her head negatively and with a slight smile said to him: "No need, it's a gift from me personally."
Gray didn't object to anything, he just nodded slightly and hid the cash in his pockets.
Watching the shopkeeper carrying the first aid kit to the policemen, Grey suddenly grabbed her hand and told her in a half-whisper: "Be careful with the sick woman. Better just hand over the medicine cabinet and step aside, unless, of course, you want to die…"
The woman looked at him strangely. As if he was a maniac threatening her.
But Gray didn't care. He didn't like to stay in debt. And he preferred to return the favor in kind. It worked the same way in the opposite direction.
Watching the woman look doubtfully at the sick girl and take a few steps away, Gray only grinned.
'Perhaps she will live much longer than…'
Looking in the direction of the earnestly trying police officers, Rayne's chest suddenly tightened. 'Strange… I thought worry had no place in my heart anymore…'
Before he knew it, his feet were carrying him to the place where the injured girl lay. "Gentlemen of the police, if I were you, I would try not to approach her, much less make contact."
Kindly, Gray decided to caution a couple of policemen but got only a bunch of judgmental looks from the outside.
But Gray didn't care at all. If he was worried about what others thought of him. There's a good chance he wouldn't have lived to see the last days of the apocalypse.
His sensitivity had long ago been diminished by the pressure of death and the external dangers that beset his mind almost every day.
"What the hell are you talking about?! Bastard, say that to my face!"
The young policeman hastily restrained the enraged husband of the sick girl from the unfolding scuffle. "Calm down, please! All problems must be resolved peacefully!"
Having finally calmed the man down, the policeman turned toward Gray and furrowed his brow. "Citizen, what did you mean?! Depending on your answer, I have full authority to detain you right there!"
"I meant what I meant. But I'm not going to stop you. Just in good faith, I thought I'd warn you, that's all. "
"Thank you for your advice, but if you're not a doctor who can help her, then we'll deal with the problem ourselves."
In response, Gray merely smiled and raised both hands impotently in the air.
At that moment, the policeman noticed a pair of long knives concealed in a plastic holster and tied on the belt with an ordinary rope on the guy's waist.
His eyes became serious, and his hand unconsciously touched the holster of the gun.
A moment later, the policeman saw no evil intent on the part of the young man in the gray suit and sighed in relief.
Gray, on the other hand, watched as the news showed, with partial interruptions, a strange fog almost covering the entire sky of the globe.
Then the connection was cut off.
Gray sat and pondered what was now happening in the world. 'The Titans didn't show up… very strange. Maybe they will arrive a little later?'
His musings were interrupted by a slam on the front door.
New visitors had come to see them.
Looking at them, even Gray was slightly shocked.
Three guys and two girls, all soaked in some red substance that looked like blood. They got inside and locked the front door without looking back.
"Whew! We're saved!"
"Haa! Finally!"
"I hope those things don't follow us!"
Finally calming down, they noticed many pairs of eyes watching them fearfully.
"Um… Hello, everyone." A young girl in a tracksuit awkwardly greeted everyone present.
"What's out there? "
" Is this fog dangerous? Why are you all so wet? Is it raining out there?"
" Goddamn it, will you calm down already. Can't you see they can't talk? Everybody's shivering to the bone, they'd better…"
"Shut up and look at yourself, you're no different from them…"
At that moment there was silence. Strange shouts echoed down the street.
At that moment, Gray slowly stood up. His carefree face suddenly sharpened and took on a serious look.
He walked over and turned off the lights in the room, which caused a lot of resentment among the crowd.
But no one said anything, everyone just watched as the guy hurriedly closed all the windows with curtains and drapes.
"Here we go… If you don't want to get killed, try to stay as far away from the windows and doors as possible, and also…" He turned toward the sick girl, whose convulsions were growing stronger and stronger, and foam mixed with blood did not cease to pour from her mouth.
Only when they had calmed down did the crowd start humming again in panic.
"What was going on? Does this guy know something?"
"I don't know, but that girl obviously doesn't look healthy…"
"Do you think she's dangerous? Maybe we should trust this guy. Who knows what that weird fog is out there…"
"Is it… is it like an infestation? I read in comic books how it works. And what's happening to her right now… it's like an infection, and then…"
"Hey, fat man, don't make jokes like that!" The big guy slapped the fat guy with the glasses in a friendly way, but the anxiety on the big guy's face couldn't hide his bulging muscles.
"So what's after that?! Don't drag it out, what's after that?" The girl in the stylish street clothes bursting gum in her mouth looked at the squirming girl.
The cops struggled to keep her in place.
And the man who had come with them couldn't stop crying.
"…and then she would turn into a zombie?"
Everyone looked strangely at the fat man. But no one said anything in response, everyone had their own thoughts on the matter.
And only the big guy in his company couldn't stop laughing. "Haha, Bob, what are you talking about… It's hilarious, ha-ha, I can't take it anymore!"
Clutching his stomach, the big guy couldn't stop laughing.
"Fatty, you're right. She is infected and from the looks of it, she only has a few minutes left. "
Hearing this, the crowd turned toward the young guy.