Armageddon

Five: Doctor

Anthony…Anthony...

Where did Mira hear it? An image flashed through her mind. It was a man with a lab coat and a gentle smile. He was the doctor who worked on the cure, but Anthony, right in front of him, was a child and not a man.

"You're not involved in a gang, are you?" Mira coldly asked. In her previous life, gangs were running rampant. They used women and children to pillage survivors. They were the worst of the worst. That was the reason she couldn't trust such a young child—she had lost comrades to such scum. Anthony shook his head and tightened his hold on the bag even more.

"We can't stay here any longer," Mira said as the sounds of the lurkers neared. It appeared as though the area had already become infested. "Let's go," she added. Kimber pulled the little boy, and Mira was up front, protecting the two of them.

"T-There is...There is a house ahead," Anthony muttered, stuttering. Mira and Kimberly looked into each other's eyes and nodded their heads. They followed Anthony while he was giving directions, and they found a house. Mira quickly inspected the house, and when she saw everything was safe, she blocked the door.

"Why did you do that!? That was reckless, Kimberly Jones!" Mira angrily whispered. Anthony flinched and hugged Kimberly's waist. Mira massaged the bridge of her nose and heaved a sigh.

"Mir, you're scaring him," Kimberly said. She knows it's her fault, but she couldn't leave the kid on the road.

"Hah, this is tiring me out," Mira said. "It seems like this kid knows everything in here, so you can follow him," she added, eyeing the child. Kimberly smiled and leaned forward as she patted Anthony's head.

"You heard the boss. Let's go," she warmly said. Anthony nodded and grabbed Kimberly's hand while still holding the bag on his arm. Mira watched as the two went to one of the rooms. She plopped down on the couch and leaned on the headrest.

Kimberly smiled at the boy while helping him clean the bathroom. Good thing there were clothes for kids in the house, and they fitted Anthony's build. After taking a bath, she watched the child sleep soundly. It felt like she was reminded of the past of seeing the boy, where there was only Mirabella by her side. Kimberly brushed his hair and went out of the room.

Anthony's brows furrowed, and he groaned, seeing the doctor's face vividly. Is this another dream? If it was, he hoped it would never end.

He was the real Anthony, and not him, but the boy took his name and things as per his order. He was an orphan when the Apocalypse began, but the doctor saved him, trapping them inside his house.

"Kid, my time's running out," Anthony said. "I haven't named you yet, have I?" he added and ruffled the kid's hair.

"You'll be Anthony. Like me," he said.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" The kid couldn't help but ask. While looking at the picture, Anthony smiled and fixed his glasses.

"I've done things I shouldn't have and disrupted the time," he said. The kid looked at him, confused by his words. This was the last conversation they had, and the horde took over the doctor's house.

"Remember Anthony. You have to survive no matter what!" the doctor said as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead. He immediately snuck all the important things inside the small bag and handed them to the young child.

"D-Doctor, let's go together," Anthony said, tugging on the doctor's shirt. The doctor, sadly, smiled and patted his head.

"You're a good boy, right?" he asked. The kid nodded his head. "Then you'll be alright," he added.

"If I'm able to get out here alive, don't worry. I will find you," the doctor said. He squatted and put his hands on the kid's shoulders.

"From now on, you're Anthony," he said.

"You will meet 'her' soon. You must do everything, Anthony," he said. "Survive!" he yelled, pushing the kid to safety as the lurkers invaded their home. Anthony cried while holding the bag in his hands.

Kimberly sat next to Mira and hugged her. She knows Mira's upset with her. Growing up together in an orphanage, Mira was her sister, even if they weren't blood-related.

"I'm sorry," Kimberly said, but Mira remained silent. "Sorry, Mir. I won't do it again. That child...He was pitiful earlier," she added. Mira sighed and hugged Kimberly back. She couldn't get angry with her for a long time.

"Please, promise me. I don't want you to be in danger," Mira said. She doesn't want to recall that time when Kimberly turned into one of the lurkers. For five years, she suffered the nightmares of losing Kimberly, and now that she is back, she will protect her because she couldn't do it in her past life.

"This time, I promise," she said. "So, what should we do next?" she added.

"Go to Frenling City, of course," Mira said. She needs to meet her team as soon as possible.

"It would at least take one to two days to travel on foot," Kimberly said.

"We can't use cars. Gangs may spot us. It will be troublesome once it happens," she replied. Mira remembered that in her past life, nothing happened in Zolis. Although the child shouldn't have appeared either, the timeline underwent yet another alteration. Yes, the place was overrun, but most of the lurkers controlled by Seymour were in the city, finding their territory. It will be hard for Mira to travel with a kid and an inexperienced Kimberly, but it already happened, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Anthony went down and saw the two talking. He felt like intruding, so he went back to the room upstairs and opened the bag. The bag was filled with paper and a wooden box, but he couldn't truly comprehend the contents. Anthony put it all back inside the bag and hugged it around his chest.

"D-Doctor…D-Doctor," Anthony muttered while sobbing. He was all alone again.