A sudden calamity struck the country without warning. Athena, feeling a deep sense of unease, imdiately contacted the orphanage.
She was relieved to hear that they were safe for now, but the static-filled call gave her the impression that sothing was terribly wrong.
Before she could dwell on it further, a sharp pain seared through her neck. Her hand flew up to the spot, but there was nothing there.
No attacker, no wound, just an intense burning sensation. Her vision blurred, and a heavy weakness spread through her body like poison.
She staggered back into her villa, her instincts screaming that sothing was terribly wrong.
She made sure the security system was functioning, checking all the caras and locks before collapsing onto the couch.
Her body felt as if it were sinking into an abyss, and before she could fight the exhaustion, everything went black.
When Athena's eyes fluttered open, she was t with a suffocating silence. She jolted upright, her body stiff from lying motionless for so long.
Panic clawed at her throat as she grabbed her phone, only to find the battery completely drained.
She rushed to check the ti, the date, anything that would tell her how long she had been unconscious. The realization hit her like a truck.
Three months.
Three entire months had passed since that night.
She scrambled to her feet, heart hamring wildly as she called the orphanage. The line didn't even connect.
Her stomach twisted in dread as she tried again and again, but there was no response. The call wouldn't even go through.
Sothing was wrong.
Without wasting another second, she grabbed her jacket, strapped a weapon to her thigh, and rushed outside.
The roads were eerily silent. Not a single car in sight. The air felt heavy, thick with the scent of decay and sothing unnatural.
When she reached the orphanage, her worst fears were confird. It was abandoned.
The front gates hung loosely, swaying in the wind, and the once lively grounds were eerily empty.
Signs of recent activity were everywhere, discarded shoes, broken toys, and a few torn bags left behind.
She pushed open the doors and stepped inside, her footsteps echoing in the void. Dust had begun to settle, but the imprints of hurried movents were still visible.
Judging by the state of the place, it had been abandoned for at least a month.
Where had they gone?
Why did they leave?
Before she could think further, a sound reached her ears, a low, guttural growl. She turned sharply, just in ti to see a person rushing toward her with unnatural speed.
Their skin was pale, veins dark and bulging, and their eyes were a sickly shade of yellow.
A zombie?
Her instincts kicked in. The sword appeared out of thin air, its blade humming with dark energy.
Without hesitation, she swung, severing the head of the infected creature in one clean strike.
The body collapsed instantly, unmoving. Blood pooled around the corpse, thick and black like tar.
Athena took a step back, gripping her sword tightly. Had the apocalypse happened while she was unconscious?
The thought sent a shiver down her spine. She moved through the streets, her eyes scanning every shadow.
The city that was once bustling with life was now a ghost town. Cars were abandoned in the middle of the roads, their windows shattered.
Stores had been ransacked, their shelves stripped bare. Blood splattered the sidewalks, sared across walls, telling stories of struggle and terror.
The further she walked, the more horrors she witnessed. Rotting corpses lay in the gutters, so half-eaten, others burned beyond recognition.
The air was filled with the rancid stench of decay.
So of the buildings bore the marks of desperate battles, bullet holes riddled the walls, makeshift barricades blocked entrances, and hastily scrawled ssages were left behind.
"Help us."
"Survivors headed north."
"Don't go to the city center."
The ssages were chilling, painted in blood or scratched into the walls with trembling hands.
Athena clenched her jaw, moving forward with steady steps. She didn't et a single living soul, only the wandering infected, their lifeless eyes staring hungrily at anything that moved.
She dispatched them quickly, her sword cutting through their flesh like butter. Luckily, they weren't too strong yet.
If she had woken up later, would they have evolved into sothing more terrifying?
After making her way through the devastated streets, she returned to her villa. The world had turned into a nightmare, but she wasn't going to let herself fall into despair.
Survival ca first. She packed up everything she could. Bags of supplies, weapons, first-aid kits, everything went into her soul space.
She didn't know how long this situation would last, but she wasn't going to take any chances.
Sitting down at her desk, she unfolded a large map of the country. Her finger traced over the locations she had marked before, places that would have food, water, dicine.
But more than that, she needed information. What had happened while she was asleep? Where were the remaining survivors?
And most importantly, where were the people from the orphanage? She took a deep breath, staring at the map with determination.
She wasn't going to let this world swallow her whole. She was going to fight back.
Athena's grip on the map tightened. Her eyes traced every possible route, calculating her next move.
She needed a vehicle, one that could endure rough terrain and long travel. More importantly, she needed information.
The world had changed while she was unconscious, and she was walking blindly into an apocalypse.
With swift movents, she gathered more essentials, gas masks, survival gear, extra clothing.
Every single item was carefully stored in her soul space. If anything went wrong, she needed to be prepared.
The villa, once her safe haven, now felt suffocating. The walls closed in around her, filled with echoes of the past. It was dangerous to stay in one place for too long. She needed to move.
Stepping outside, she felt the wind against her face, carrying the stench of rot and destruction.
In the distance, she could hear faint screams and guttural growls. The city was a battlefield, and she was just one survivor among many.
She exhaled, adjusting the straps of her backpack.
First, she would check out a nearby military outpost. If it still stood, it might hold valuable supplies.
And if not…
She would find another way to survive.
No matter what.
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