Armageddon

Four: Anthony

Mira woke up gasping for air while clutching her chest. She was profusely sweating as she looked around. It wasn't like anything in her dream. The screams of people being ripped apart by the lurkers haunted her.

"Mira? Are you alright?" Kimberly worriedly asked as she descended downstairs, seeing Mira staring at the wall in front of her while panting heavily.

"I'm fine, Kimmy; I just had a bad dream," Mira answered, forcing a smile. Last night, she slept on the couch next to her katana as she guarded the house against both lurkers and human intruders.

"Are you sure?" Kimberly asked, and I sat beside her.

"Sure," Mira replied.

"Okay, I'll prepare our breakfast first before going out," Kimberly said. Mira looked at her best friend walking inside the kitchen. It seemed that Kimberly now clearly understood what was happening around her.

Mira stood up and peeked through the window. Only the slow types of lurkers were seen mindlessly walking around the neighborhood. With a sense of relief, she made her way to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Mir. These were all I could manage to cook because I don't want to make a sound," Kimberly said. Mira sat and smiled at her.

"It was alright, Kimmy. It was enough," Mira replied. The two began eating their breakfast without talking to each other. Kimberly wanted to ask her best friend about so many things, but she was hesitant.

"Kimmy, after this, we have to travel to Zolis until Frenling City. You remember, right?" Mira spoke seriously. Kimberly nodded her head and gripped her spoon tightly.

"Yes," she answered.

"Promise me one thing," Mira muttered, touching her hand. "Promise me you'll do what I say and don't be reckless," she added. Kimberly was a pure-hearted and good-natured woman. Zolis and Frenling City, full of people, wanted to take advantage of each other's weaknesses. She cannot let Kimberly fall prey to them. She must protect herself at all costs.

"Okay," Kimberly replied.

After eating, the two started packing the essentials they needed for traveling. Mira was in charge of filling the food, while Kimberly was the one searching for medicines and other stuff. While checking upstairs for clothes, Kimberly found a gun underneath the pile of shirts in the closet. She gulped and slowly picked up the gun. Kimberly also has a box of bullets next to her. She put it in her bag, hastily folded everything, and went downstairs.

Mira unsheathed her katana and swung it in the air, causing it to produce a glorious sound. She uttered a short prayer while she put the handle on her forehead. It was a habit she developed when going to the frontlines in her past life. Mira opened her eyes and saw Kimberly intently looking at her. She picked up the bags, and her demeanour completely changed.

"Let's go," she said. Mira looked at the entrance through the peephole and motioned for Kimberly to follow. They carefully removed all the blockades they used yesterday and opened the door.

Mira was the first one to go out, securing the road. When she saw no lurkers outside, she called Kimberly. The two saw how much damage the lurkers had caused to the city. They saw an abandoned car lying on the road, but it was too risky to use now that the lurkers had already evolved in a drastic manner. They have to go to the forest side of the city, no matter what.

"Mir," Kimberly whispered. She gulped as her eyes searched for lurkers in her vicinity. Her heart was pounding loudly inside her chest, to the point that it was painful to breathe.

"It's okay; I won't let anyone hurt you," Mira whispered, seeing Kimberly was starting to panic.

"Hraaaar...Hraaaar…"

Kimberly's eyes widened in horror, seeing the lurker approaching Mira.

"Close your eyes!" Mira whispered and yelled, which she immediately followed. She unsheathed her katana and sliced the lurker's head off, and blood landed on her shirt.

"Not good. Not good; we need to hurry up," Mira said, pulling Kimberly by her arm. She ran and ran, taking the path that led to the forest.

"M-Mir... W-Wait!" Kimberly said. "I can't… I can't run anymore," she added. Mira looked at her and felt guilty.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and sighed. Mira helped Kimberly sit on the pavement.

"No, it was me. Sorry, my body was weak," Kimberly said. The breeze blew past them, and the paper containing the pieces of information about what was "happening" spread all over the place.

"Don't worry, we're near," Mira assured. It was the truth because, after running that far, they will mostly reach the forest in twenty minutes. The bone-chilling sound made Mira's hair stand on end. She felt the fear in her spine. Mira couldn't believe it. Has the monster appeared in a location where it shouldn't?

"Kimmy, let's go. A horde was about to occupy this area," Mira said. Mira just heard a sound that unmistakably belonged to a seymour, a monster they would later discover. They resumed walking at a fast pace and stopped when it was bathroom time or break time.

Mira and Kimberly arrived in the forest, where they would go to Zolis. It was a safe place to cross because no evolved lurkers were spotted nearby, and normal ones were dealt with.

"How many hours until we arrive, Mir?" Kimberly asked, repeatedly tapping her back in discomfort.

"Another hour and a half," Mira said. Kimberly groaned, but she had no other choice. Now that the lurkers have overrun the country, there is no place safe.

An hour and a half passed, and the two set foot on Zolis. Kimberly's knees were about to give up, but someone caught her attention. A child, seven years of age, roamed aimlessly while carrying a bag in his tiny arms.

"Don't!" Mira spoke, but Kimberly's kindness prevailed. She runs to where the boy was and kneels.

"Boy, are you alone?" Kimberly asked. The boy nodded, but Mira immediately pushed her best friend behind her.

"Kimmy! What the hell! You could've gotten bitten!" Mira yelled. "I could've lost you!" she added while gripping Kimberly's shoulder.

"But he wasn't infected," Kimberly said. She saw it earlier, and that was the reason why she didn't hesitate to approach him. Mira glared in front of her and sighed.

"You... What's your name?" Mira asked the boy, who seemed scared of the way she approached him.

"Anthony," the boy whispered, almost inaudible, which surprised Mira.