The beginning of the end [3]Eli and Belamir walked through the corridors of the mansion, various people walked past them, each of them trying to fulfill the tasks that had been assigned to them.Things have been like this ever since they arrived. Now that the apocalypse was merely hours away, they had to focus more on building a stronghold and organizing as much as possible.Most still don't know what was coming next, except Johanne. They all knew that the apocalypse was coming but no one knew how it would look when it finally arrived.They also didn't know when it would arrive. They knew the date but the time seemed to elude them all.‘He never told me about it either.’ Eli noted inwardly. He wanted to ask but Johanne had been so busy ever since he woke up.Even now, he wasn't back from gathering the materials. Eli was worried but he also knew,‘There's no need to worry about him. If anything, I worry for whatever trouble might come his way.’“This man, Jason?” Belamir began,“...”

The beginning of the end [4]“Issue a state wide emergency, the governor and his daughter have been abducted!”The governor's officials began to panic, some went in to frantically check the balcony and corners of the from like it would do anything to change the situation.Just as they were about to leave the room, the deputy governor walked in.“Hold on…” he said as he walked around the room, checking every citner kike the officials gad previously done.“Thus is quite the predicament…” he muttered.“I know, we have to go something urgently!”“What are we even still doing here? We should be issuing an emergency before the abductor gets too far!”The officials began go complain, their gaze anything but friendly as they stared at the deputy governor.Although to the governor, this man who was his deputy governor was a loyal man, they the government officials knew otherwise.Deputy governor Richard was a cunning man and they knew he would try to make the best of this situation.“We can't

The beginning of the end [7]“A plague?” Jason asked. He wasn't the only one that was shocked, they all were.The atmosphere within the meeting room immediately became solemn, everyone was quiet, lost in their own thoughts. They could tell from how I spoke that the matter was very serious.I couldn't blame them though, it was a matter that made even me unsure. The plague was no small issue.“Yes, a plague.” I confirmed.“Seventy percent…” Laramie muttered a bit absentmindedly. I could understand what she was thinking.Seventy percent of humanity was a lot, no one even knows who will survive on our end. We have many who were sick too.“This plague is deadly, extremely contagious and most of all, incurable.”“What?!” This time, more than one person voiced out their opinion. I remained silent, allowing them to process their thoughts.“Then what is the point of all we've done so far? We aren't even sure we would survive the plague.”“That's true.” I confirmed Belamir's question. I could t

Scouting and New AlliesThe morning sun broke through the thick clouds, casting a pale, washed-out light across the desolate landscape. There was a strange calm about it, the sort of silence that stretched on for miles in every direction, broken only by the wind carrying dust and whispers of the devastation that had come before.I adjusted the strap on my pack, scanning the broken skyline of what was once the town of Fairbank. Abandoned buildings stood like grave markers, silent and still, each one holding its own story of whatever last stand, last struggle, or final failure had taken place. Now, they were nothing but remnants, waiting for someone—or something—to reclaim them.Eli was a few paces behind me, eyes sharp and alert. His movements were quieter now, more controlled than they had been even a few days ago. Out here, you either learned fast, or you didn’t last long. Hana, our head of reconnaissance, scouted ahead, her figure small against the empty streets but every step delib

Reinforcing Morale and PurposeThe camp was quiet—too quiet. The kind of silence that settled in after a close call, when adrenaline faded and left behind only exhaustion. Yesterday’s attack had taken its toll on everyone, from the veterans to the rookies. I could see it in their slumped shoulders, the heavy footsteps, the way they barely spoke, each one wrapped in thoughts of what lay ahead.As I moved through the camp, I felt the weight of each gaze that avoided mine, each nod that barely mustered a trace of energy. We couldn’t go on like this, not if we wanted to survive. It wasn’t just our defenses that needed fortifying—it was us.“Everyone,” I called out, my voice cutting through the silence. Faces turned toward me, wary but attentive. “Meet at the center of camp tonight. We’re going to take a breather.” There was a murmur, but I saw the flicker of curiosity spark in a few eyes. Good—that was something.When evening came, I set up a small gathering space in the center of camp, a