Chapter3

In the final 24 hours before the end of the world, the air throughout the city was filled with an unsettling smell of rust.

I stood behind the double-glazed bulletproof window, coldly watching the street below. Order was teetering on the brink of collapse. Two men in suits were fighting on the street over the last case of bottled water in their trunk; a long line had formed outside the chain pharmacy across the street, with shouts of smashing glass and curses echoing through the air. On the television news, the anchor was still mechanically announcing that "the unknown flu has been brought under control," but everyone instinctively sensed the approaching death.

Ignoring the noise outside, I turned around and completed the final piece of the shelter.

At five o'clock in the evening, my phone screen lit up. It was a message from Maya.

“There are robberies going on outside, it’s terrifying. I think it’s safer to leave my valuables with you.”

Immediately after, Ryan called, his voice laced with Deckard's profanities. "The plan's changed, bro," Ryan said, his tone still commanding. "Going back to our own places is too dangerous. We'll stay here tonight, stick together. Have Deck get the access card ready; we need to be able to come and go as we please."

Listening to the voice on the receiver, I didn't feel the anger of being exploited that I had in my past life. Instead, I felt a kind of almost pleasurable coldness.

The trap has been set, and the prey is jumping into it.

“No problem,” I said into the phone, making my voice sound a little flustered, as I threw out the bait I had prepared. “I heard that if the situation worsens, the building might be locked down tomorrow. You’d better bring all your cash, emergency medication, and food. It’s better to leave it with me than to have it robbed on your own.” To completely put them at ease, I even added, “I’ll make a ‘deposit list,’ so everyone can register what they bring to avoid confusion later.”

Greed is the most perfect catalyst in the world. Hearing this, they abandoned even their last shred of hesitation.

Less than an hour later, three people appeared at my door with bags and packages.

Ryan slammed his heavy travel bag onto the floor as soon as he walked in, glanced around at the living room I had deliberately made a bit cramped, and then pointed to the master bedroom, which usually had the most sunlight and the largest space, and said, "I'll sleep in that one. Listen, the coming days might be a little tough, and for everyone's survival, someone has to make the decisions here. From now on, I'm in charge."

“I want the radiant spot by the window,” Maya said, pressing close to Ryan and glancing disdainfully at the sofa. “You men have to prioritize my safety and supplies. I’d throw up if it’s just cheap canned food.”

Deck didn't waste any words. He approached me directly, extending his thick, tattooed arm: "Stop dawdling. Give me the master card and the security door code. Also, there's a patrol area in this house. Don't wander around without my permission."

I looked at them, nodded, and lowered my stance to the lowest possible level.

“Okay, Ryan, the master bedroom is yours. Maya, the best mattress is yours.” I reluctantly pulled two white plastic cards from my pocket and handed them to Deck. “These are your supplementary cards, only for entering and exiting the building. The current security code is 4829.”

A triumphant smile immediately spread across their faces. Ryan patted me on the shoulder as a perfunctory reward, while Deckard shoved me aside and began marking out his "territory"; Maya lay comfortably on the bed I had just made the sheets on.

The two rooms I gave up were located at the outermost edge of the corridor in the apartment building—a blind spot right next to the stairwell and fire door. If I cut the partition door from the inside, it would become an isolated, helpless iron cage. Their prized secondary key card was completely ineffective in activating the building's impending emergency lockdown; and the so-called password only connected to a cheap wooden door on the outermost layer of the building.

The true core living area, the hidden mezzanine filled with food and antibiotics, and the access control terminal that controls the life and death of the entire floor are still protected by thick solid walls and modified titanium alloy lock cylinders, firmly held in my hand.

Late that night, I turned off all unnecessary lights in the core area, leaving only the dim blue light of a monitor.

I crouched behind the door, carefully sealing the last soundproofing strip, and silently pushed the three steel bolts into the lock slot. Finally, I took out two solid brass wedges and firmly wedged them into the bottom of the door seam.

After doing all that, I pressed my face against the cold door, held my breath, and listened to the sounds outside.

From the far end of the living room, Ryan's unrestrained snoring could be faintly heard. They were sleeping soundly, believing they had found a safe, free hotel and a cowardly scapegoat.

The hour hand points to zero.

Without warning, all the electrical appliances in the entire building suddenly went out with a humming sound. The world fell into absolute silence and darkness.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

"Bang!" The first scream of the night erupted from the distant street. It wasn't the sound of a fight; it was a desperate wail, as if lungs were being torn apart.

The backup power supply activated at that moment, and the dim emergency lights flickered in the corridor. Immediately afterwards, a chilling, frantic slamming sound came from the heavy glass doors of the lobby downstairs.

"Open the door! Please open the door! They're biting people! Oh my God—!"

The woman's screams were instantly drowned out. Amidst the chaotic sounds of impacts and tearing flesh, I finally heard that long-lost sound.

It was a deep, bloody, terrifying growl that was completely inhuman.

The apocalypse has begun.