[A/N: Hello everyone.
Chaos begins, but does the apocalypse begin?
Comment and support with power stones.]
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On a street near the city's main square, an unusual conversation was taking place.
"What was this communications problem you mentioned?", he asked in a serious tone, while I remained lost in thought about the thoughtful gesture Bryan had made to my family. Guilt filled me for not having warned him about what I knew, so he could prepare and protect his loved ones. I assumed he already had some crucial information, but unlike me, who hesitated to alert those around me, he had acted early, determined to keep everyone he loved safe.
"I feel horrible now", I mused aloud. "I need some portable radios so I can monitor their movements and know in advance when the curfews are implemented", I replied somberly, after processing his question, tormented by the guilt I felt.
"Do you have confidential information?", he asked, somewhat surprised.
"Believe me, with the current events in the city, everyone already assumes that some things are about to happen", I replied with a touch of sarcasm.
"I see", he said, seeming to find my reasoning credible.
"I called First Lieutenant Adams to see how I could get those radios, but it seems he's under surveillance, so he gave me his number so he could help me", I explained respectfully.
"No problem. You'll have five radios with access to all emergency frequencies, including those of the command center and the scout team; however, you'll only be receiving, since we'll be blocking the PTT, so they'll only function as signal receivers", he assured me, explaining the radios' conditions.
"Okay", I replied, satisfied with the help I could get from him.
"The radios will be ready on Monday, and the delivery will be made in the same manner as our meeting today. If there's nothing further to discuss, I'll be leaving. I must return to my post", he declared as he stood up from the bench.
"Thank you very much for everything", I said, extending my hand in farewell.
"It's my duty", he replied, accepting my shake.
"That hurts", I thought as I felt my hand clench beneath his firm grip. "By the way, I won't be home next week", I hinted before he left.
"I'll notify the First Lieutenant of your absence", he said after looking at me intently. He understood that I wouldn't be leaving with them when the time came for my relocation.
"Now back to the preparations", I murmured as I headed toward the parking spot.
That night, as I sank into bed, I remarked in a tired voice, "I used to wake up exhausted, and now I go to bed exhausted."
This excessive fatigue was due to David's decision to implement the modifications to the houses' escape routes well ahead of schedule. This forced us to travel endlessly between the eight house locations.
"At least it was worth it", I thought, recalling how secure the houses looked with all those safety measures and the modifications we had requested from the builders. "When they're stocked with supplies, they'll look like an oasis in the middle of the desert", I reflected before drifting off to sleep.
Sunday, November 15, 2026, Day 0.
Ring, ring, ring... Ring, ring... Ring, ring, ring.
"What's going on?!", I exclaimed, startled, as I heard the alarm sound.
"Did it all start ahead of schedule?", I wondered uneasily, trying to keep my voice above a whisper. I looked at my phone, and suddenly, everything made sense.
"Right, I set this alarm when I found out the date it all started", I commented, with a wry tone and a hint of annoyance. "I don't understand what went through my head setting the alarm so early", I thought as I saw the time on the screen: 5:02 a.m.
I sat down, leaning my back against the bed, still wrapped in the lethargy of sleep, but I couldn't allow myself to close my eyes again; I had been looking forward to this day.
"Today everything begins just as my future self-had anticipated", I reflected as I opened the notebook in which I had recorded my visions.
Each entry was filled with conjectures about the origin of the crisis, whether it was a virus, a bacterium, or a fungus. On one page, there was a description of the zombies, noting their uncanny resemblance to those in The Walking Dead. However, I wondered if I had made a mistake or if my mind had filled in the information with what I already knew. "If they're like the zombies on TWD, that means people who die today could start turning into them", I murmured, my voice shaking with panic.
My heart was pounding, as if it might burst out of my chest at any moment. Despite the dreams that told me I could survive and the fact that I'd prepared as much as possible, the loss of those dreams had left me feeling vulnerable.
"What did my future self do? Did he spend this day like any other Sunday? Or maybe he already knew everything was going to happen and tried to find zombies to confirm that my dreams were real?", I pondered.
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[A/N: Alex, you're wondering what to do these days again. Should you continue with your day just as you would have if you didn't know the future? Or should you just fearlessly prepare for a different future?]
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I didn't want to dwell on those worries too much and decided to spend the morning quietly; in the afternoon, I would focus on finding places where I could find zombies.
A few hours later.
"We can still acquire a lot of things", I reflected after exchanging messages with David about our budget. The initial plan was to rest in the morning, but instead, we dedicated ourselves almost entirely to strategizing. We created lists of essential items for survival at each of the bases. We also began to consider future projections, escape routes, supply points, and places where we could find supplies, among other aspects. We also reviewed alternative energy systems again and delved deeper into how the water and gas distribution networks worked.
"Maybe I should just stay home and rest… I doubt everything will go to hell before its time", I thought, a little wearily.
It seems like the stress had been affecting me for quite some time, but the fear of not being prepared made me overlook it. Although, as much as I want to rest, the desire to discover that I was right all along makes my mind focus only on going out and encountering one of the first zombies.
"The countdown begins for everyone", I reflected as I began to prepare some things that could be useful in case I encountered a real zombie.
Ring, ring… Ring.
"Is it David again?", I thought before picking up my cell phone.
"Dad?", I said onto the phone worriedly.
"Fu… Alex… Fu", he said, calming his breathing. "Are you okay?", he asked worriedly.
"Yes", I answered quickly. "What's wrong? Are you and Mom, okay?", I asked, alarmed.
"Everything's fine", he replied with a relieved tone. "It's just that Mr. Ruiz attacked a neighbor", she said in a panic.
"What?!", I asked in surprise. "I hope he hasn't turned into a zombie", I thought, frightened.
"Well… He had a fever for a few days from a dog bite. He said he'd already been to the doctor for a vaccination, but apparently, he didn't. Yesterday he stayed in bed because he felt so sick, and neighbor Lucy went to visit him in the morning while your mother and I went to find a doctor", my father recounted in a serious tone. "Then when we returned with the doctor, we almost ran over neighbor Lucy. She was hurt; she had a bite on her shoulder and hand, and she was bleeding all over her body. She was crying inconsolably, looking scared, as if she were afraid something was going to get her", he added in a panicked tone.
"Did he tell you what happened to him?", I asked, even though I already knew what had happened.
"After the doctor performed emergency cleaning and dressings on his wounds, and after your mother was able to calm him down a bit, she told us what had happened", he replied. "Apparently, neighbor Lucy came to see him at his house, and since we all know his back door is always open, she only entered through there so as not to wake him up or make him get up. When she arrived at his room, she found him sweating profusely, his breathing was labored, and there were signs that he had recently vomited. Panicking, she quickly called 911 and then put some warm clothes on him to try to lower his temperature", he explained with a trembling voice. I could feel the fear in my father's voice as he explained everything.
"What happened next?", I asked.
"Neighbor Lucy said he suddenly stopped breathing. Frightened, she began trying to wake him up, but she didn't know how to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After a few minutes, seeing that she couldn't get him to react, she called 911 again and the police, who told her they were about to arrive", my father recounted with a serious tone. "And after waiting a minute at the entrance of the house, she felt movement inside, and went back inside, thinking Mr. Ruiz had managed to save himself. When she got to the bedroom, he was there, standing as if nothing had happened. Lucy, her neighbor, quickly went to ask her to go back to bed and rest, but when she approached, Mr. Ruiz bit her on the shoulder. She pushed him away with her hand, trying to push him away, but he bit her hand too", he said, panicking.
"Then she ran out of the house, leaving Mr. Ruiz inside, unable to get out. After that, we found her like I told you before", he said.
"Dad, did you approach him?", I asked, worried.
"No, I couldn't", he denied. "Just as I was about to go in and reason with Mr. Ruiz, the police arrived, along with a group of military doctors from the nearby regiment. They wouldn't let us get close to the area, then they brought Mr. Ruiz out in handcuffs, with a gag in his mouth, while he struggled. They also took Lucy, our neighbor. They asked us if we'd been in contact with the neighbor's blood or if we'd been attacked by Mr. Ruiz, but none of us had been in contact with any of that, except for the doctor who had come with us, whom they took", he explained, sounding frustrated and scared at the same time.
"It's good that nothing happened to you. I hope Mr. Ruiz and Lucy get better", I commented sincerely, but I knew he was just pretending so as not to worry my parents.
"Son, do you still talk to your military friend?", he asked suddenly. "Bryan? ... Yes, I'm still talking to him. Why?", I asked.
"Before they left, they didn't say where they were taking them and only told us that it was very likely Mr. Ruiz had contracted rabies, and that neighbor Lucy would receive treatment immediately. However, we've tried calling neighbor Lucy, but we haven't been able to reach her", he explained. "Can you talk to him and ask how neighbor Lucy and Mr. Ruiz are doing?", he asked.
"I'll ask him, but you should know that he's not in charge of the army's medical department, and it may take him a while to find out information about our neighbors", I said, not giving him any hope.
"Thanks, Alex. Call me when you know something", he told me.
"I'll call you as soon as I have some information", I agreed without hesitation, even though I knew Bryan wouldn't be able to tell me anything. "By the way, how is my mother? How did she take all of this?", I asked worriedly.
"She's fine. She's still a little shaken up from the state we found neighbor Lucy in, but she's calming down now", he replied.
"That's great", I said calmly. "At least they weren't bitten, but I need to call Bryan for more information", I thought, a little alarmed.
"I must hang up, Alex. Your mom's calling me. Remember to let me know if you hear anything… We love you so much", my father said warmly.
"Okay, give my regards to my mom, tell her everything will be okay… I'll let you know soon about what happened to our neighbors. Bye, Dad, take care", I said and hung up.
After hanging up, I collapsed, lifeless, onto the couch. Throughout the call, my heart rate reached unimaginable speeds; the fear of losing my parents gnawed at me and fueled a terror I hadn't felt since I confirmed the apocalypse was approaching.
"If I had kept my parents safe, they wouldn't have gone through this dangerous situation", I thought, furious with myself.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Thanks everyone for reading.
Let's say goodbye to the days of tranquility.
This short arc will cover the days before the actual day of the apocalypse.
If you've read and watched the details, or even read the comments, you'll know that I've separated the apocalypse into two parts: the pre-chaos, and the actual day zero.
Read my other novel called Vinland Kingdom: Race Against Time.
You can find it on my profile.]