Kale quickly gathered food and placed it in the bag that Alya was holding.
At first, Kale wanted Alya to just stay there while he got the supplies, but she refused.
The area under the building was gradually getting noisier, with some people crying. Many others were also grabbing food like them.
There were at least 200 people who thought of hiding here before the asteroids struck.
Kale looked at Alya and saw that she was calm, just like him. He thought she was putting on a brave face, hiding her true feelings inside.
And he admired her for being a strong girl. He didn't know if her parents or siblings had survived, but there was nothing they could do—they had to survive here first before they could search for them.
After collecting some food, they returned to their spot from earlier. They ate a little and drank some water.
Reality…
"Ring… Ring… Ring…"
Kale immediately got up and drank some water.
He looked at the time—it was 6:31 AM.
That meant it was 6:31 PM in his dream.
He quickly got ready and went to school. Throughout the day, he was lost in thought, reflecting on the events in his dream.
9:16 PM
Now, he was at his part-time job. He wasn't in the mood tonight and just wanted to go home and return to his dream.
Most of the customers at this fast-food place were travelers from or going to the Capital City, stopping by to rest and eat.
It was late at night, and suddenly, it started raining heavily outside.
Kale grabbed a plastic cup and got some hot chocolate from the machine.
After that, another customer came in. He was preparing the food while his coworker served it, so he didn't have to go outside.
Kale heard the customer talking after she placed her order. It was an older woman asking her granddaughter if they should eat there or in the car.
"Just in the car, grandmother. I'm really sleepy, and I want to sleep."
Kale froze.
That voice.
That cold, calm, plainly beautiful voice.
He stood up and quickly went outside. But he saw that they were already getting into the car, and it was a bit dark, so he couldn't see clearly.
He walked outside and saw the car already on the road, heading toward the Capital City.
He also noticed that it was a luxury car.
"Hah... hahaha," Kale laughed to himself.
"I really need to sleep to see her. Maybe it's just because I've been thinking about this too much."
He quietly walked back inside.
He thought maybe those customers were part of a wealthy family from the Capital City.
After work, he quickly went back to his apartment and fell asleep right away.
Dream…
"Brother, you're awake."
Kale immediately smelled Alya's fragrance—so intoxicating.
There were no lights around, but Kale knew he was lying on Alya's lap.
"Even in this situation, you still wake up at 11 AM?" Alya said.
Kale smiled, though Alya couldn't see it in the dark.
"Brother, there are… things called Parasites outside. Earlier, one of our fellow refugees managed to contact the government, and they shared some information... It's hard to believe."
"Parasites? What kind of parasites?"
"They came from the fallen asteroids. They seize the bodies of dead people and attack and eat those who are alive," Alya explained.
'Damn, this dream has gone crazy!' Kale cursed to himself.
Alya went on to tell him about what happened while he was asleep.
Many people here panicked when they learned about it, and some tried to leave. The building hadn't collapsed, so they weren't trapped inside.
They could freely go out, and that's what some did. When they went outside, they saw the destroyed city. But there were no corpses lying around. All the bodies were standing, slowly walking.
The people who went out were attacked and eaten.
So, those left decided to barricade the entrance with wood.
The government also mentioned in the call that the only way to kill a Parasite is to destroy the brain of the body it's controlling.
Kale took a deep breath and slowly hugged Alya.
"Don't worry. I'm here."
"Mm," she nodded.
A few seconds later, Kale heard someone shouting—a man calling everyone for a meeting to discuss and organize their next steps.
"Alya, hide some extra food here. They might try to gather everyone's supplies to manage them..."
"Always remember, you shouldn't show compassion in this situation. Let's be practical—everyone wants to survive, and they'll do anything to make it. This is human nature in an apocalypse... Morality and goodness are only for normal times," Kale said.
If it weren't for the Parasites, Kale would cooperate since they'd only have to wait for rescue if they were trapped.
But this situation was different...
"Okay," Alya replied softly.
Kale slowly got up and stood. He just needed to collect food for Alya. He wasn't going to eat anything from now on.
Honestly, he wouldn't feel hungry even if he didn't eat since it was just his dream.
After a while, their meeting started, with everyone's cellphones lighting up the room.
Kale held Alya's hand.
He whispered to her,
"Turn off your phone's light. We need to save battery."
Alya quickly followed his instruction.