15 April 2023
Ali came down from the stairs holding a bat in his hands. After walking down around three to four floors he finally found the source of the sound. He watched as he saw a man forcing himself on a girl. The girl was crying loudly and flailing her hands and feet while trying to back away. But she was no match for the man who towered over her and held her down.
'Guess stuff like this happens in every world.' Ali said as he looked at the scene unfolding in front of him.
"Let her go." Ali said, as he pressed his bat over the man's shoulder.
Don't misunderstand, he didn't want to play the hero, nor did he have that stupid complex. But he's also not heartless or coward enough to just turn his back and leave, cause he's afraid of trouble.
'Plus I also need information about this new world that he woke up in, and getting the right facts and not lies, is easy if I beat some sense into someone beforehand right.' Ali thought to himself.
He could just let the girl leave and then have a polite conversation with this man about everything. To see if this world is earth and something stupid happened which is unlikely, or did he really cross over to somewhere else - like those novels that idiot used to read all day, which is even more unlikely.
Well whatever it was this man in front of him would give him the answers soon enough.
"S save me. Please." The girl who heard someone's voice, finally saw some hope in her heart and pulled her head to the side and pleaded with teary eyes.
She had a sad look with hopeful eyes. A light makeup over her face, which was now ruined by mascara and tear stains. Yet surprisingly it didn't make her look ugly, it only added a certain charm to her personality. Her hopeful look with that pitiful appearance was like a lethal weapon for any men who looked at her. Her call for help tugging at the heartstrings of anyone who heard her sweet mellow voice.
'She's goood.' Ali thought as he looked at her face, yet other than that appreciation there was nothing. He didn't feel anything else.
Well, it was probably because he had really seen too many beauties around, or maybe because his heart only had Aarvi's image plastered over it. So no one else ever came close to enter it.
"Please, help me. He _ he's one of them." The girl said with fear in her voice, while trying to snuggle away from the man's grasp.
"Yeah, yeah got it." Ali said and bent down to push the man away since he still didn't even look at him. "Why're you so into it dude. Just get off." Ali said while pulling his collar and throwing him aside.
-gruegrrr-
Ali was saying something when the man looked at him and directly lunged at him, making Ali stumble and fall backward. Ali held that man's hands and kicked him in the stomach, while throwing him over his head.
-grukrrrgh-
Ali stood up and picked up his bat again, while taking a few steps away from the man. He looked at him for a long time staring at his appearance and behavior and couldn't help but mutter to himself - "Zombies seriously."
"What kinda planet is it? A moon that is within reach, and the first person I come across is a zombie. Did I really cross over? Or am I going insane after getting that shock."
Ignoring Ali's mumbling, the zombie man stood up and started running towards him, while flailing his hands forward.
'And even real zombies run in that pose.' Ali thought as he stepped aside and swung his bat at the zombie's head like he's hitting a six over the stadium. The man stumbled and flailed for a minute before getting knocked out and falling to the ground, lifeless.
Ali kept looking at the man, waiting for the zombie to stand up and attack him again, but seeing no reaction from the man he was surprised again. 'Do zombies of this world die so easily? I knew Hollywood exaggerated these things.' Ali thought but being cautious, he still kicked the man once, to see if he's really dead or just acting.
'Okay, so he's really gone.' Ali thought and turned around to look at the girl who was sitting in a corner with her head down and still sobbing slowly.
"Hey, you okay?" Ali asked as he went forward and extended his hand to help her stand up.
"Please don't hurt me. I won't say anything. I didn't see anything." The girl said in an even more scared tone as she held her knees and buried her face in it.
Ali who heard her lines of words had a black line over his forward 'say what. What didn't you see? I just saved you from a freaking zombie, is this a reaction you should give me.'
'Or is this world like one of those novels where local people are stupid and think the normal MC is an OP expert. Are those zombies something like super boss and she got scared seeing me kill one so easily.'
"You can take anything you want. I'll even give you all my money, just don't do anything to me." The girl said finally getting courage to look up, and started taking out money from her pockets.
'Dumb'
Ali thought as he looked at the actions of that girl. At first he thought this girl was probably scared of the zombie, but then seeing her cowering from him even more, he was surprised but he could still put the blame on her shock or some stupid isekai stuff. But then she started talking about giving him money, now that was surprising, but he still ignored it thinking maybe it's some kind of new currency system that works in apocalypse, but seeing that same old design and dumb smiling face on that cash note, he completely understood - the problem wasn't with this world or his lack of knowledge, but this bitch was just dumb.
I just saw a safe open with gold, jewelry and cash upstairs. If he needed that he could just go and grab that instead. But he didn't since it's common sense that money doesn't matter in an apocalypse.
'I wanted to ask some questions, but the man turned out to be a zombie who died, and the girl I saved is stupid. Let's just go and look for someone else.' Ali thought.
"You can keep your money, I don't need it. I'm leaving." He said and turned around to leave.
"Wh_where are you going?" The girl who was huddled down till this point stood up and asked him in a hurry.
"Nowhere. I'm just looking for someone." Ali said and started walking. But stopped when he heard the next words of that girl.
"You_you just woke up today right?"
Ali turned around feeling a little apprehensive and a little confused "What do you mean?" He asked her.
"You looked surprised and confused after you saw that man. And those of us who woke up earlier had seen these things a few days ago too." The girl said as she started walking towards the opposite apartment and entered it, so she didn't have to look at that zombie man anymore.
Hearing her words with a click sound, all the pieces of the puzzle started to fall in place, and he started to get an idea of what was happening, but to be sure, he still sat down on the table and asked "Tell me everything you know?"
"Well, a week ago something happened which destroyed everything on earth. People died and everything was ruined and changed forever. Everyone who survived went into a coma or a sleep after that wave of energy hit everyone. A few days later one by one we started to wake up, but noticed that it was like waking up in a new world. Just like you."
"But we've realized it's not different, but the same world. But it changed after that day. People who died that day started to wake up again as those things from earlier. And started hunting and killing everyone."
"So those who died became zombies. And those who didn't, woke up in different random places." Ali asked as he tried to understand as much as possible, while suppressing the shock that so much had happened after he fell unconscious that day.
"Yes. Many people lost their families and friends. We don't know where they are teleported, or sent to. Many people tried to look for them the last few days but found nothing." The girl said.
When Ali heard that, he thought of his family, about his parents and everyone else - the worry started to fill his head, but he decided to think about it clearly later and learn everything first. He kept asking his doubts about the changes that happened, or who woke up when, or what's the situation around them, and about zombies etc. About everything. After talking for a while he got a certain idea of what happened and the rest he could guess based on his own thoughts.
"I'm Kiara by the way." The girl said as she moved her hand for a handshake.
"Ali Parker." Ali said and shook her hand. Since he got his answers and a normal understanding of everything from this girl, he decided to go out and look for Aarvi, Emily and others first. Since some people woke up at their own places and nearby, Ali decided to check those places. ' If they woke up normally unlike me, then they should be at Sky Ultima Or at the mansions.' Ali said and planned to leave.
"Thanks for the information. You can stay here. The floors above had some food in them, so maybe choose one, gather everything and live there." Ali gave a suggestion seeing that she was quite dumb, and planned to leave.
"Wait, can I come with you? I'm scared here. I also need to look for my family and everyone else. Please." The girl pleaded as she came in front of Ali with her hands folded over her chest.
"Fine. But I won't take detours until I find my friends." Ali said and moved out. The girl nodded her head and followed behind him.
"Thanks for saving my life by the way." Kiara said as she excitedly caught up with him. "Didn't you feel scared when you saw him for the first time. I was too scared when I first saw them. It was actually a couple I think. After all, they were wearing matching clothes. And they were walking as the uncle kept dragging a dead dog tied to their hands behind them. It was so scary to look at." Kiara said, while moving her hands and acting like a zombie, trying to make Ali imagine everything. Ali could just smile at her antics while walking towards his building. He was in the residential area of the rich folk, so after seeing around the place he could get a general idea of where to go. His place was nearer than sky ultima so he decided to check there. He could also look for Emily there. And if not, then go to Aarvi's place directly and look for her.
While he was lost in thoughts, Kiara kept talking about whatever came to her mind "Also did I tell you I just finished my school, and was about to start my college this summer, but now all this happened. (Sigh) it could've happened during my exams right. So I wouldn't have to study all day. Well my results haven't come, so maybe it's for the best. I guess. My father would've kicked me out, if he saw my poor scores. Well that was just a joke, he loves me. I'm his only daughter of course."
Ali listened to her chatter here and there and couldn't help but think 'Is this how he felt when I used to talk too much? It really does get annoying listening to nonstop nonsense no matter how pretty the mouth is.'
But since he already agreed to let this girl come with him, he could just bear it. Maybe she'll find anyone else she knows and then he could just go alone and search for Emily and Aarvi.
'At Least Liv went back to her family. She should be safe.' Ali hoped as he remembered about his neighbor and childhood friend.
This is how Ali met his first companion in the apocalypse, which led to him also getting his first betrayal and setback pretty soon.