You'd just let me die back there—why didn't you run? That mutated Persian cat could tear you to shreds with one paw!
Elara Voss stared cold-eyed at the beast, her voice flat as ice. Though her gaze stayed fixed on the snarling feline, her peripheral vision never left the young man she'd just saved.
She tracked every flicker of terror in his eyes, every twist of hesitation, and finally, the hardening resolve. He was scared—shit, who wouldn't be? But he'd still stepped up.
Even knowing he might be useless. Even knowing he could die.
Fighting side by side. It was a feeling Elara had never known.
The Persian cat ignored Jaxon entirely, its glowing green eyes locked only on Elara. This ordinary human was beneath its notice.
Jaxon's chapped lips trembled as he found his voice. "You saved me. I can't just leave you. And… my parents are gone. I've got nowhere else to go. I want to follow you."
Elara raised an eyebrow. No beating around the bush—she respected that. It made him marginally more tolerable.
"I don't want dead weight. Especially not from a man." Her words were sharp, no sugarcoating, just the harsh truth of Apocalypse.
Jaxon's throat bobbed. He nodded, hoarse and firm. "I get it."
Elara knew he did. Weakness meant death now. Either he got strong, or he became Mutated Beast chow.
"Elara Voss."
"Jaxon Hale."
They exchanged names, bodies tensing as they faced the Persian cat.
"Aim for its belly, neck, eyes—avoid its claws and jaws." Elara's voice dropped, crisp and urgent.
Before Jaxon could respond, she lunged forward.
Jaxon cursed under his breath, gripping his kitchen knife tight, and charged after her!
"Meow!"
The Persian cat bared its sharp teeth, leaping straight for Elara—ignoring Jaxon entirely. Its claws glinted like shards of ice in the sun!
Elara twisted backward, bringing her knife up in a brutal arc toward the cat's neck!
"Meow!"
The beast screeched, sent flying by the momentum, and crashed straight toward Jaxon!
Jaxon's hands shook, but he didn't flinch. He roared, swinging his knife at the cat's face!
Thud!
The Persian cat hit the ground, twitching once before going still. No more sound.
Jaxon stared, dumbfounded. It took him a beat to process—he'd actually hit something.
When he looked up, Elara was already knelt beside the body.
"Dead? It's really dead?"
Elara hummed, flipping the cat to expose its mangled neck. She didn't mention she'd slit its throat first—let him have his small win.
Jaxon's shoulders sagged, half-relieved, half-disappointed. He hadn't landed the killing blow.
"Decent aim. Decent strength." Elara nodded toward the cat's bleeding eyes—his handiwork.
Jaxon perked up. Thank gods—he hadn't been completely useless.
"Check that house." Elara nodded toward a nearby villa.
She didn't trust Jaxon enough to let him see the Beast Core. Not yet.
Jaxon didn't question it, slipping into the villa with his knife.
As soon as he was out of sight, Elara knelt, prying the glowing Beast Core from the cat's skull.
When she stepped into the villa, the stench hit her first—blood and rot.
Jaxon stood frozen in the middle of the room, staring at the carnage: blood-soaked floors, tattered clothes, broken bones. No signs of life.
"See this?" Elara's voice was cold, flat. "This is Apocalypse."
Jaxon trembled, muttering like a lost soul. "Apocalypse… gods, this is Apocalypse…"
Elara left him to it. Grief and shock would either harden him or break him.
If it was the latter, she'd leave him behind. No room for weaklings.
She rummaged through the rooms, finding two backpacks. One she stuffed with vacuum-sealed food; the other with gold bars and jewelry—currency that still mattered now.
When she returned to the living room, Jaxon took the heavier backpack without a word, slinging it over his shoulder.
Elara said nothing, just nodded, and led the way out of the villa.
They looted every house they passed—food, water, valuables, anything useful. When the car was full, Jaxon found a Land Rover key, and they loaded the rest there.
They encountered more Mutated Beasts along the way—cats, dogs, even a giant hamster. Once beloved pets, now killers who'd devoured their owners.
Elara took them down one by one.
Jaxon charged in anyway, swinging his knife at the weak points she'd taught him, then darted off to loot while she retrieved the Beast Cores.
By the time they reached the main road, Jaxon's face had lost its hollow look. He drove, Elara in the passenger seat, as they headed for the hardware mall a few blocks away.
Cars littered the street, crumpled and abandoned. Bloodstains darkened the pavement. The city felt like a graveyard.
Jaxon glanced at Elara, her face calm as if she'd seen this a hundred times.
Maybe she had.
When they pulled up to the five-story hardware mall, Elara finally spoke. "Grab food and water—lock the rest in the car."
She stared up at the building, frowning. No sounds, no movement. Just silence.
"Fifth floor. I need steel nails."
Jaxon nodded, shouldering his backpack. "No pets here—should be safe. I'll grab canvas to wrap them."
Elara side-eyed him. "No pets, but mice? Cockroaches? Spiders? Mutated bugs are worse than any cat or dog."
Jaxon stiffened, gripping his Swiss army knife tighter. Right. No such thing as safe anymore.
The mall's glass doors were wide open. Inside, it was eerily empty.
Jaxon rubbed his arms, the hair on his neck standing up. This place felt wrong.
Elara stepped onto the disabled elevator, Jaxon following close behind. The air grew colder, heavier.
"Elara Voss?" Jaxon whispered. "I feel like something's watching us."
Elara didn't answer. She let a handful of tiny air bubbles drift from her fingertips, silently scanning the floors.
Something was off. The night watchman should be here—unless he'd met the same fate as the villa owners.
They reached the third floor without incident. The silence was suffocating.
Suddenly, a crash echoed from ahead—something falling.
Jaxon jumped, yelling, "Who's there?!"
Elara's eyes narrowed, locking on the back of an Apple store counter. Her voice turned deadly. "Come out. Now. Or I won't be nice."
Next Chapter Teaser
Mutated rats swarm the mall—hundreds of them! Elara's gold Superpower faces its first big test, while Jaxon's loyalty gets put on the line. And the "someone" hiding behind the counter? It's a blast from Elara's past—one she'd rather bury. Will they team up… or tear each other apart for the Beast Cores?