Apocalypse - Fairy Tail

3

She awoke with a throbbing pain in her head. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw Natsu on the other side. The surroundings were strange to them, and there was no sign of the others. Panic overcame her as she jumped up and looked around frantically. A loud scream threatened to leave her lips, but she suppressed it so as not to attract the attention of the potentially dangerous surroundings. Instead, she went to Natsu, who lay motionless, and gently shook his shoulder.

"Natsu... Hey, Natsu... Get up... Please wake up..." she whispered worriedly. Finally, he opened his eyes, and confusion appeared in his gaze.

"Where are we?" he muttered as he slowly sat up.

"I don't know, but I can't see the others anywhere," she confessed. A somber thought crept into their minds as they pondered how they had ended up in the unfamiliar place.

"Probably we got separated from each other in the crash. Some parts are missing here. It looks like we were thrown in different directions," she surmised, her voice laced with concern.

She let her eyes wander over the surrounding area, noticing the eerie silence emanating from the surrounding trees and bushes. Her thoughts swirled wildly as she tried to form a clear plan. The zombies that were attracted to the impact made her flinch. Natsu grabbed his weapons and offered his hand to Lucy, but she shrugged it off.

"I can go on my own," she said, her voice a hint of defiance. Although she enjoyed feeling his hand in hers, she felt it was time to be more independent.

"All right, but stay close to me. We should leave here and find a safe place to rest," Natsu suggested. Together they ran into the nearby forest, and after a while the danger from the zombies seemed to diminish. The darkness increased as they ran deeper and deeper into the forest.

Suddenly, an unexpected sight appeared before them: a lonely house in the middle of the forest. A slight feeling of surprise ran through them as they looked closer at the building. Natsu took the lead and cautiously stepped onto the porch of the house. With rapt attention, he held his gun at the ready. Behind him, Lucy crept quietly, her eyes attentive to her surroundings.

Carefully, Natsu opened the door and entered the interior of the house. An air of dust and abandonment hung in the air. Lucy followed him and together they searched the rooms, which were surprisingly free of any traces of life or undead.

"How can we find the others?" asked Lucy finally, her thoughts once again on her friends.

"If we don't run into them by chance, we might run into them on the other side," Natsu opined, pricking up his ears as he suddenly heard noises on the porch. He raised his hand to signal Lucy to be quiet and pulled out his gun. The tension in the air was palpable as they both tracked the unfamiliar sound. Who or what could be out on the porch?

The countdown ended, and with a single breath, the door opened. Two people stood before them, their weapons pointed unerringly at each other. A moment of tension pervaded the air as the gazes of the four met in the small, gloomy hall.

"Lucy..." whispered Levy with a hint of disbelief. Her eyes widened in delight as she recognized the familiar figure.

"Levy! Oh my God, you're alive!" escaped Lucy in a mixture of relief and joy. Hastily, she moved toward Levy, and the two embraced tightly.

"Hello, Natsu," Levy greeted the other man, who was now also in her field of vision.

"Jo, Gajeel. Where are Gray and Erza?" inquired Natsu, his tone laced with concern. A barely perceptible shake of the head from Gajeel was the only response he received.

"Lev, are they dead?" asked Lucy with a tremor in her voice as she broke away from the hug and looked at Levy.

"I don't know. Just like I didn't know if you two were still alive. But thank God we found you," Levy replied with a slight tremor in her own voice. Her eyes shone with relief as she enjoyed the reunion.

"I fervently hope Gray and Erza are as alive as we are," Lucy added as her gaze dropped to the floor, drawn by the possibility of loss.

Gajeel couldn't help but make a mocking comment. "Well, Lucy, so you're the vice president's daughter," he remarked with a wry grin. A quick elbow nudge from Levy made it clear that he had hit a sensitive spot.

"Yes, I am, and I'm not proud of it," Lucy confessed with a touch of bitterness.

"And are you two soldiers?" asked Lucy, this time looking at Natsu and then Gajeel. Natsu took a step closer and handed each of them a blanket, as a sort of peaceful gesture in this chaotic situation.

The group had fled to the basement to hide from the danger of the night. Natsu had installed a sophisticated system with a vibrating alarm on the cellar door to know in time if someone or something was approaching. The darkness of the basement enveloped them, and a hint of dust and mustiness hung in the air. Natsu had spotted some candles and brought them into the basement, allowing a soft light to illuminate the room and make the outlines of their faces and bodies recognizable.

"Yes, we are specially trained agents. Highly trained, the best of the best," Gajeel announced with a proud chest. His face shone with dedication to his calling.

Levy's curiosity was piqued. "Where did you receive your training?" she asked, fixing her eyes on Natsu, who was busy inspecting his weapons and ammunition.

"In America," Natsu answered curtly. His hands moved deftly over the arsenal as he kept track.

Gajeel still had his weapons handy, including four grenades, two pistols and a lot of ammunition. His knife was also attached to his belt. Natsu checked his own equipment, relieved at the remaining supplies that would accompany them on their perilous journey.

"Tomorrow we will make an attempt and send a signal to our Blue Team, perhaps someone will come early to rescue us," Natsu expressed. His words were tinged with a hint of optimism, but it could hardly hide the tense situation.

Lost in thought, she whispered softly to herself, "How could this happen?" The frustration and despair were clear in her voice as she tried to process the shock of the past events.

Natsu sighed as he broke the exhausted silence to reveal the grim truth. "It was a failed attempt to cure cancer. The Magxit company developed a deadly virus even though they were warned of the dangers. A dead man rose from the grave and is now hunting the living. Magnolia Corp. is working on an antidote, but the road ahead is rocky and complicated."

Her eyes dropped to the floor as she heard the sad story of a lost opportunity. "I had a student who attacked you, and I shot her. Her father was part of that program, and I didn't know about it.... If I had known, she might still be alive," she confessed with tears in her eyes. The memory of that painful incident choked her throat.

Natsu gently placed a hand on her shoulder in an effort to offer comfort. "It's not your fault. You couldn't possibly have known everything. I understand what it's like to want to save someone but be powerless. That's why I made myself stronger. Don't give up. Live for the students, that's the best thing you can do for them," he whispered compassionately.

As she took refuge in his calming presence, she noticed how Levy had fallen asleep on Gajeel's lap and Gajeel himself had slumbered off sitting up. The darkness around her emphasized the gravity of the situation, and her thoughts began to circle in a whirlpool of uncertainty and fear.

Fighting the debilitating fatigue, she realized how much she owed to Natsu. "Natsu..." she whispered his name softly so only he could hear. His attention turned to her, and he replied with an absent "Hmm."

"Thank you... Thank you for saving my life," she confessed, her lips forming a gentle smile. Surprise could be read on Natsu's face before a warm smile stole onto his lips.

"It was my honor to save your life, just as you saved mine," he replied with a sincere look. His words made her fall silent as she returned the sincere smile that reached his eyes.

A sudden note of apology escaped his lips, and she remembered the painful incident when she had struck his face. "Oh, yes, I'm sorry for the . the slap. I wasn't with myself then," she confessed sheepishly, lowering her eyes.

"Well, try to get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow," he admonished her lovingly, helping her to lie down. As she closed her eyes, she noticed Natsu watching her, and the sense of security emanating from him helped her slip into a restless sleep.