The weather during this time was very hot; although the nights brought some relief from the heat, overall, it was excessively hot.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Inside the dark room, Dominic stirred as he heard a phone vibrating.
"What the hell happened?" Dominic, lying on the floor, muttered softly as he searched for the vibrating phone with his hand.
"Hmm? Why can't I move?" Dominic thought to himself, feeling a strong headache.
Dazed, Dominic opened his eyes. He couldn't remember what happened the previous day, but given how agitated he had been for a long time, it was normal for him to sleep for over ten hours.
Since it was early, the room remained dark. Dominic looked at Alicia, who was sleeping beside him, with traces of tears on her cheeks. His gaze lingered on Alicia's face, and after a few minutes, he sighed heavily.
"We should focus more on our future." Dominic had been trying hard not to dwell on his pain, but every lonely night, those memories returned to him.
He wasn't an inhuman robot; the painful memories of shooting Emma and killing her still haunted him. Every morning, he woke up sweating cold, as if he had just relived those memories.
When Alicia came to find him, he knew she was still sad. There was no way they could both overcome the death of a loved one overnight. On one hand, Alicia had to stay strong for her brother's addictions and detox process, keep calm in front of her stepfather's family, and not burden her mother with too many worries.
Dominic, starting to remember the previous night, knew that Alicia had told him she didn't know what was more painful, her life or his. Both of them, drowning their sorrows in alcohol, slowly forgot their troubles, and after that, there was nothing.
One night of mourners was led astray by alcohol; fortunately, they hadn't done anything inappropriate, or they would both regret it. At least for now, it wasn't time to pretend to forget memories that were still vividly in their minds.
"The plans are in motion." Gently moving Alicia's foot from his stomach, Dominic shifted his numb body and sat on the shorter couch.
There was no smile on his face. Instead, Dominic wore a serious expression. Like any person, he wasn't extremely intelligent; his whole facade could collapse if the people around him betrayed him.
If he had come this far, it was because he was lucky to meet the right people and because his father had warned him with real evidence about the virus. Not everything was a victory; he had lost Emma for aiming too high in this world.
The pressure from future organizations in this world, like the CRM or groups of cannibals that might exist in the apocalypse, added to the pressure in his mind to aspire to more. Besides, staying in a small group for years wasn't an option.
This led him to make a series of decisions that kept him and many others safe. To be honest, he didn't think he would come this far, but here he was, about to announce the craziest thing he had ever thought of in his life.
That idea of having control was becoming more of a desire; Dominic wanted to have control in the palm of his hand just to stay focused. If he stayed focused on a goal, his feelings wouldn't be an obstacle. If he wanted something, he would use all means to get it, and he knew there was no one who could stop him.
All of this reminded him of what his psychologist mentioned: that he had a narcissistic personality disorder with traits of manipulation and control. His lack of moral empathy made him focus only on his own goals and desires, regardless of the impact they might have on others.
His behavior could be cruel and manipulative, constantly seeking to increase his power and dominance over others. Furthermore, his ability to ignore his own pain suggested an extreme prioritization of his own interests over any emotional or moral consideration.
That person was the real Dominic, brought back to life in this new world, this second chance. If there was one thing he knew, it was that he was the person this world needed; he had a profile that was perfect for survival and ensuring others survived too.
What if he was a man no one wanted to associate with?
As long as his plans were still in motion, he wouldn't stop.
"I'm not going to stop..." Dominic thought as he glanced at the time and walked to the kitchen to make coffee.
Alicia, who was still asleep, woke up, sat on the couch, and began to straighten her clothes with a slight nervousness. "Everything is..."
"Don't worry, I might be the type of guy many wouldn't want to associate with, but I would never take advantage of my drunk friend. Besides, I was so drunk I couldn't even stay awake." Dominic walked over to Alicia and handed her a cup of hot coffee.
"My head hurts a lot." Alicia didn't immediately take the coffee or respond to Dominic's words; he had a higher tolerance for pain.
"It seems like you're not in the mood for some silly jokes, so should we not worry about Mrs. Madison? Your mother is scary when it comes to her daughters; I think she'll hit me this time if she finds out we spent the night together." Dominic showed no shame in saying these words.
At least that was a positive aspect of the Apocalypse; people tended to give less importance to morals or maintaining a presentable profile.