Chapter 28: Carla’s Allure
As the sun rose from the east, its golden rays spilled gently through the broken windows of the decrepit school, casting long slashes of light across the scuffed linoleum floors and cracked walls. Warmth trickled in at last, brushing over the cold concrete like a forgotten memory. For a brief moment, it made the place feel almost human again.
But the illusion never lasted.
Zombies still roamed the outer perimeter—distant groans and shuffling feet served as the haunting morning chorus. This once-ordinary cafeteria had become their shelter. Or perhaps, their prison.
Inside, the surviving students began to stir.
Some awoke slowly, clutching half-eaten biscuits or scraps of the food they were given before they slept.
Others blinked up at the ceiling, silently mourning the world that had vanished. The moment of waking—the fragile in-between—was always the hardest. For just a heartbeat, it felt like they were back in the normal world. Then reality returned like a slap to the face.
Today marked the eleventh day since the apocalypse began. And still, many hadn’t truly adjusted.
Felicity raised her head from a desk she’d fallen asleep on, strands of her blonde hair tumbling over one eye in soft, messy waves. For a moment, the tousled look lent her a striking, almost disarmingly cute presence. But it disappeared the instant she reached for her baseball cap, slid it firmly into place, and pulled her familiar mask of cold indifference over her face.
Emotion, unshielded, was too dangerous these days.
Across the room, Nero stood leaning against the graffiti-tagged wall, arms crossed. He’d taken over the watch from her sometime in the dead hours, standing silent in the half-light while the others slept. When she looked up, his lips curled into a warm, lopsided smile.
"Morning," he said, voice low, friendly.