Second Chance: Surviving the Apocalypse with a System!

Chapter 4 : Noisy Street

"DAMN IT!" A scream cut through the early afternoon, a young woman with long light blue hair in her 20s sat up frazzled and disoriented on the bed in the middle of the cozy blue room.

She scrambled off the bed into the bathroom as the world felt like it was turning upside, she threw up as the dizziness of being transported hammered down onto her head, ringing sounded into her ears as she emptied out everything she had ate the previous night before sitting on the floor of the bathroom as she tried to shake off the feeling of nausea.

The young woman stood up with a groan as she went over to the sink, gripping onto the edge to steady herself before turning on the tap as she hissed when she tried to regain some bearings through splashing her face with the cold running water, it helped her slowly sober up as the ringing in her ear subsided

The sound of cars driving entered into the young women's ears aswell as the sound of the hustle bustle of the city caused her to pause, raising her eyes to look at the mirror that was mounted onto the wall above the sink.

The reflection showed a familiar sight that welcomed her...but it was different now it felt unfamiliar as if seeing a person you knew very well become a stranger again. The woman staring back at her was younger, unlike the usual worn out and aged appearance that Ophelia was used to seeing after every mission. Light colored skin with rosy cheeks, eyes a dark blue that used to resemble a calm sea but now tainted with the pain and resentment that the soul harbored into a raging ocean that would swallow anyone daring enough to sink further into it's depths.

A hand appeared into the reflection as the woman traced over the skin of her face, feeling smooth skin and not the feeling of sunken or bumps that scars left finally letting reality sink down into her mind.

The reflection of the woman smiled a bright smile full of happiness, a smile that Ophelia forgot how to smile so long ago as a feeling of hope and excitement covered the pain in her eyes. Excitedly Ophelia went outside of the bathroom as she hurriedly went to her closet, quickly grabbing clothes as well as putting them on that she cursed when she almost stumbled putting on her pants, as her body wasn't as well coordinated after 5 years of fighting and experience in the apocalypse.

When she was about to leave she stopped infront of the mirror beside her door, staring slightly at her current appearance. A lack for a better word it was... messy, a bright red long sleeve turtle neck, yellow pants and unbrushed hair on such a delicate looking body was a bit funny.

Ophelia couldn't help but laugh as the her 5 years ago would've died in embarrassment seeing herself like this, but it only brought her a sense of peace. She got too used to putting on whatever that could cover up her skin when you could get attack at anytime, so people could care less for their appearance. But now, the horrors that plagued her dreams didn't exist yet, she could relax for now and right now she had to fix her appearance instead of relaxing as she wanted to see Eve as soon as possible or she wont be able to keep her calm as she was now.

She went back to her closet flipping through the hanged and folded clothes to change into, noting that she had to get rid of the cumbersome dresses and skirts in her closet as she took out black cargo pants and a white long sleeved shirt. Putting them on as she brushed her hair, tying it up into a ponytail, finding her long hair cumbersome but she put cutting it off for another day.

Finally putting on a pair of black sport shoes before grabbing her bag and keys, practically running down the stairs to go outside, locking up the apartment before standing infront of her car.

It made her pause before deciding to take a cab instead, she couldn't trust herself with the wheel right now, especially since she probably forgot every law that should be followed while driving or cause an accident.

Once sitting inside the backseat of the cab that stopped infront of her, Ophelia couldn't help but feel her anxiety and apprehension rise, as she could hear all of the noise outside from the honking of impatient drivers or the hustle bustle of the city. Everything stimulated her nerves as the first day of the apocalypse was exactly like this, so normal. She was supposed to surprise Eve at the end of her class, bring her out to eat at the famous hot pot place near their school after they made up, that Eve wanted to go to a year before the apocalypse when they just opened.

Things didn't go as planned(Of course it didn't), first the sound of cars crashing was the first thing she heard that day and hell followed. Running and fighting through everything, carving a bloody path to Thelea Highschool where she knew her sister was last, as every moral she had learnt was thrown out the window the first week of the apocalypse came.

Ophelia closed her eyes as she clenched her fists, starting to distract herself as the unpleasant memories flood in.

"miss?.." a voice called out but Ophelia only clenched her fists harder, her thoughts overriding her other senses as the sound of car horns morphed into distorted screams that she heard every single day for the past 5 years.

"Miss?...Miss!" The driver's voice called out to her when he saw through the rearview mirror that she was becoming pale, Ophelia snapped out from her racing mind. She unclenched her fists, not noticing the nail marks left on her palms as her attention was thankfully diverted to the driver.

"Yes?" Her voice was steady unlike her trembling hands that she hid on her lap. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?" The driver sounded worried, she didn't know if it was out of kindness or that it would be troublesome to him that she might pass out.

"I'm fine, just ignore me" Ophelia tried to calm down or at least hide her feelings, she felt disgusted at how weak she was acting. As a person that seen and lived in the apocalypse, she was used to hiding her emotions, pushing them down to keep a cool head while fighting and to not show weakness...even when you have to stay indifferent as you lose everything, she found it funny that she was reacting at the simple noise of car horns when she had been through worst.

'I've gotten weaker...how sickening' Ophelia sneered in her mind, she hated this feeling the most but before she could spiral back into the depths of her mind an all to familiar and gloomy form came into her eyes as the cab stopped infront of a pristine white school that overlapped over the memory of a zombie nest in her mind.

Shaking off the image out of her mind as she paid the driver more than enough in her haste as he stared at her in surprise about to say something before she slammed the cab's door close, once out the cab as she ran to the young woman she could never mistake for another. Wrapping her arms around the tall form of her little sister that bend slightly to accommodate to her as a look of surprise and confusion covered her face.

"Sister!? what are you doi-..." Eve wanted to snap at Ophelia as the situation was embarrassing but her words got cut off as her eyes widened, feeling Ophelia's arms holding her tighter as Ophelia raised her head to smile at her which caused her to stiffen.

"Hey Eve...Let's go to that new hotpot place you mentioned, mkay?" Ophelia patted Eve's head, voice unconciously softening as she stared at her sweet and surprised little sister.

Eve's body stiffened, not due to the embarrassment of her peers whispering and watching her being treated like a child by her sister. But it was because it had been years, years since she felt the warmth of her older sister after they fought 4 years ago...The only person that had ever shown her affection in her 18 years of living.

She felt herself relax into the hug before nodding her head, "Alright, sister" Eve smiled brightly that it warmed her gloomy appearance, that she no longer look so unapproachable(Villainous) as before, Ophelia pulled along Eve with her to leave the crowded gates of Eve's high school.

Silence befalled the place as Eve's classmates and peers stared surprised at the miraculous image of the infamously hot tempered goddess of their school smiling so softly when she left.

A shutter of a camera and the absence of Eve and Ophelia woke everyone up, as whispering and squealing ensued.

"Did you see that!?" A girl held her best friend's hand as she shook them excitedly.

"Did anyone get a picture!?" Another voice chimed into the whispers of the students. "I did!"

...

"Huh did something happen?" Ophelia turned her head to glance at where they just came from as the noise coming from the gates of the school after they left.

"Don't worry about it sister" Eve smiled as she followed Ophelia, hands on Ophelia's back to stop her from investigating.

"Fine, lets go have hotpot!" Ophelia shook her head in amusement at Eve's attempt on distracting her, she happily played along as they walked together, leaving the noisy street they stood at.

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"Tsk...." Meanwhile a shadowy form stood at the corner of an alley and watched the two sister's leave, turning around to leave under the setting sun, their long pink hair peeking underneath the sunlight before they disappeared into the shadowy darkness of the alleyway.