As the crimson sky faded into a deep violet, Eric led his small group through the deserted streets. Emily walked at his side, her sharp senses alert to every noise, while Lara followed closely behind, her mind still spinning from the events of the day. The air had turned cold, carrying with it a foreboding sense of dread that always seemed to settle with the coming night.
Eric's thoughts were on the villa he had spotted earlier—a large, abandoned estate on the outskirts of the city. It had been a luxurious property once, but now it was a fortress, empty and forgotten. The thick walls and locked gates made it a safe haven, at least for the night.
As they approached the massive iron gates of the villa, Eric paused, signaling for the others to stay back. His hand tightened around his pipe as he carefully pushed the gates open with a low creak. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and the once-beautiful fountain in the center was cracked and dry. The windows of the house were shattered, but the front door was intact, still bolted from the inside. No signs of movement.
"Stay here," Eric whispered to Emily and Lara. "I'll check it out first."
Emily nodded, her grip on her blade tightening. Lara, though visibly exhausted, kept her composure. Eric slipped inside, moving quietly through the shadows. The house was eerily silent, the air thick with dust and decay. Room by room, he searched, making sure there were no surprises lurking in the corners. After what felt like hours, he returned to the others.
"It's clear," he said, nodding toward the door. "We'll stay here tonight."
Once inside, Eric bolted the front door and checked the windows, making sure everything was secure. They couldn't afford any mistakes. He led them to the main living room, where a grand fireplace stood cold and unused. It wasn't much, but it would do.
Emily and Lara both stared at Eric, their eyes filled with an unspoken question. The tension in the room was palpable, but Eric wasn't about to entertain any ideas of what they might be thinking. Not here. Not now.
"We're not safe enough to relax," he said firmly, locking eyes with both of them. "No matter what you're thinking, nothing happens in this environment."
Both women blinked, caught off guard by his bluntness. Lara, who was used to men falling for her charms, seemed particularly surprised. Emily, on the other hand, simply nodded, as if she understood without needing to be told.
Eric turned to Lara, his gaze hard. "Why were you here, anyway? Alone, without bodyguards? Seems like a reckless move for someone in your position."
Lara sighed, running a hand through her tangled hair. "I was supposed to be here for a spokesperson event. One of those 'save the planet' charity gigs." She let out a bitter laugh. "Funny, right? The planet didn't need saving—it was us who did."
She continued, her voice softer now. "My bodyguards got me out of the traffic when everything went south. There were too many people, too much chaos. They made sure I escaped, but I got separated from them." Her eyes flickered with a hint of guilt. "They... didn't make it."
Eric nodded, understanding the gravity of her loss. "You're safe with me now. If you follow me and stick to the rules, you'll get stronger. The system will help."
Lara glanced at him, her expression uncertain. "And if I don't?"
"You won't survive long out there alone." His words were blunt, but true.
Eric settled down by the old fireplace, his back against the cold stone as he pulled out his half-dead mobile phone. The battery was nearly drained, but it still had enough power to access the internet—if only for a short while. He opened a news app, though most of the connections were spotty, and only fragments of headlines loaded on the screen.
"Looks like the media is still running, barely," Eric muttered to himself, scanning the newsfeed.
One headline caught his eye: "Chaos Erupts as World Leaders Evacuate to Underground Bunkers." He clicked on it, skimming through the article. Apparently, many of the world's political elites had been holed up in secret bunkers since the first signs of the outbreak. Some governments had collapsed entirely, while others were clinging to whatever power they had left. The news painted a grim picture of the outside world—cities overrun, military units overwhelmed, and mass evacuations leading to more chaos than control.
Another headline read: "Mystery Surrounds the Sudden Disappearance of Entire Towns." There were rumors of entire populations vanishing without a trace, no bodies, no signs of struggle—just gone. Some people were speculating that something far worse than zombies was at play. It was hard to tell what was real and what was fear-mongering.
Eric sighed and put the phone down, feeling the weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders. He glanced at Emily and Lara, both of whom were watching him with curiosity, perhaps hoping for some good news. But there was none.
"Just more bad news," he said. "The world's falling apart faster than I thought."
Emily sat by his side, her eyes on the darkening sky outside the window. "What do we do now?"
"We survive," Eric replied simply. "And we get stronger."
As the night deepened, Eric checked the villa's doors and windows one last time. Everything was locked, the perimeter secure. The darkness outside felt oppressive, but the villa provided a sense of relative safety, at least for the time being.
Satisfied, Eric returned to the living room, where Emily and Lara were already resting on the worn-out couches. He didn't trust the situation fully, but they needed rest. Tomorrow would bring more challenges, more fights, and more decisions.
Eric settled down near the door, his back against the wall, his pipe resting across his lap. The fire they had lit crackled softly, casting flickering shadows across the room. Emily had already dozed off, her face peaceful in sleep, while Lara watched Eric, her expression unreadable.
"You really think we'll make it?" she asked quietly.
Eric's eyes didn't leave the fire. "If we're smart, yes. But I can't promise it'll be easy."
Lara nodded, her gaze softening as she finally allowed herself to close her eyes. Eric's mind raced with thoughts of the days to come, the survival points he would need, and the battles that lay ahead.
But for now, he let himself rest. His eyes grew heavy, and as he drifted into sleep, the villa's silence wrapped around him like a protective shield, keeping the horrors of the world at bay—if only for a little while.