Apocalypse - Fairy Tail

11

Exhaustion had everyone firmly in its grip. No gas station in sight. The car was on the side of the road with an empty tank. That meant walking the entire way. The scorching sun burned down on the ground and left a painful mark on their skin. They had been grateful for the night in the abandoned house, where at least they had found new clothes. With each step, the branches crunched under their feet as the relentless heat beat down on them. The forest at least provided some shade, which they desperately needed. The city streets were littered with too many zombies, so they had opted for the protective forest.

"Jellal, how much longer to the tunnel?" gasped Levy, her voice tinged with exhaustion. The tunnel was Plan B, a possible refuge from danger. She paused, picked up her water bottle and brought it to her parched lips. Only five drops poured out of the bottle, then the last source of water also dried up. They had already been wandering through the forest for four hours.

"Are you sure we're on the right track?" asked Lucy as she handed Levy her water bottle. There was still plenty of water in her bottle. Levy handed the bottle back to her, and Lucy looked up at the clear blue sky. The tall trees provided shelter from the scorching sun, and Lucy was relieved that they were not on the hot roads.

"We still have 5 km to go," Jellal replied while keeping his eyes on the road ahead. Still a long way lay ahead of them.

"I think there's a house?" spoke Erza, looking strained into the distance. At last, a place to rest and recuperate seemed to be in sight. A place where they could rest, drink, and perhaps even find something to eat. The group longed for this much needed break, even though they knew that ample sleep was a luxury they could not afford in this threatening situation. Still, the sight of the house offered a glimmer of hope in these dark times.

Juvia retrieved her 9mm pistol from the pocket of her jacket, as did her fellow soldiers. They were all too aware that this house might be infested with zombies. Gray reached for the doorknob and slowly pushed it down. With a loud crunch, he carefully pushed the door open, allowing the bright light to stream into the dark, narrow hallway. The murals came into view - a family of four was depicted on them: a woman in her forties, a man in his fifties, a 16-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy. It was a sad sight, as the family was smiling in the photo. Hopefully, that was not the last smile they shared.

A squeaking sound was heard with each step. Silent entry seemed impossible. Everything was covered with dust and was in darkness. Black paint adorned the windows. A smell of blood hung in the air. How would one describe the smell of death? Unpleasant and pervasive, that would probably be the best way to describe it. Once you get it in your nostrils, you don't forget the smell. But strangely enough, rotting flesh had a sweetish undertone.

Natsu entered the house first, followed by the others. They had split up to be able to fight zombies in different rooms at the same time. As a weapon, Lucy pulled out her knife so as not to make any noise that might attract more zombies.

Slowly they climbed the stairs. The last room was their destination. Natsu turned the doorknob to the right and gently opened the door. A bedroom revealed itself before them. One wall was painted olive green, the other walls were white. A king-size bed stood against the green side of the wall. On the left side was a large mirrored closet. That was all that made up the room. The standing mirrors were covered with a blanket. A water glass, already covered in dust, was still right where the owner had left it months ago. The bedroom led to a bathroom. Plain white tiles covered the floor. A shower stall, toilet and sink filled the space. Fortunately, this room seemed to be free of zombies.

"Gajeel, do you think there is someone in the basement?" asked Levy after they had searched the living room.

"Quite possibly, we should check the basement. If we're going to stay here today, the house needs to be thoroughly searched," he replied thoughtfully.

He led the way and opened the basement door. A darkness greeted them. After he flipped the light switch, it became clear that the house was without power. Gajeel took his flashlight out of his pocket and turned it on. The light revealed a spider web in which a spider was in the process of weaving its web.

Suddenly, they heard noises. The lights focused on the sound, and a fleeting shadow flitted by.

"If there's anyone here who isn't a zombie, come out," he called loud and clear. The silhouette stopped unexpectedly. But before Gajeel could shine his flashlight on the figure, he felt a cut on his arm as he fought off the attack. The figure was wearing a dress and hurriedly fled up the stairs.

"Gajeel, are you all right?" asked Levy in a panic. He nodded, and together they ran after the fleeing person.

"Look out!" he shouted. The entire group was on heightened alert.

Outside, Gray and Juvia stood pointing their weapons at the door after hearing Gajeel's screams. Silence returned. Their eyes were fixed on the door. Suddenly they saw a woman rush out of the house, blinded by the bright light outside. She paused and looked aggressively at the people in front of her and the unknown people behind her. She held a knife tightly in her hand as she paused, breathing heavily.

"Calm down. Put down your weapon. We will not harm you," Juvia spoke in a calm tone. With her right hand, she signaled that everything was all right.

"Look...", she began and raised the gun, then slowly fixed it on her hip.... "I'm going to put the gun away. We're not going to hurt you. So please put your gun away as well," Juvia explained. The strange and completely confused woman looked around and finally threw her gun on the ground.

"I am Juvia. And who are you?" asked Juvia as she cautiously approached the stranger.

"Catherine," she said shyly.

"Do you know what happened here?" asked Juvia empathetically.

"Yes, our agents were attacked during the purge in the city. I was there as a collector and was the only one who survived," she reported calmly after she had calmed down a bit.

"How long have you been here? Where are your colleagues?" inquired Mira. The brunette woman winced slightly.

"Don't worry, you don't have to answer now," Juvia said gently.

"We need to figure out how to get to Zone 3," she heard Jellal and Laxus talking to each other.

"I know a place. Not a single zombie has set foot there yet. I'm from there!" she said suddenly and stood up hastily.

"And where exactly is this place?" asked Laxus skeptically, his right eyebrow raising slightly.

"About an hour east of here. The small town is called Megtri."

"The name sounds familiar somehow. Might it have something to do with Megxit Corp?" asked Erza.

"That's exactly what Zone Three is," confirmed Jellal.

"Could you take us there?" asked Erza with interest.

"We could leave right now," she explained. But as she was about to take a step, she lost her balance and fell to the ground. Obviously, she had overexerted herself.

"We should spend the night here," Laxus decided. "We found canned food in the basement. Not exactly gourmet food, but at least something to fill us up."