Apocalypse Fighter

Chapter 46: The Apocalypse Begins

It was 13 kilometers to the Southern Village where Lily and Wayne lived, and there was a park there. Along the way, there were three outdoor markets and a private zoo. Supposed, where they lived, Lily and Wayne were safe from all mutant creatures. That being said, they were in danger from countless robbers and villains of all types. Thus, it was inevitable that they would eventually die. Therefore, they decided to stay with Richard.

       The next day when Anthony heard about their decision, once he and Lily were alone outside, he said, “Hey, why aren’t you leaving? I thought you were leaving yesterday?”

       “Leave ‘em alone!” Captain Zoe shouted from a window.

       Anthony looked up at the Captain with a defiant look on his face. Lily saw this and thought - It is no wonder that Zoe bullied Anthony with a large number of policemen a couple of hours ago. But now the situation has reversed, and Anthony wants to bully Zoe. And since Richard is the one to decide everything, Anthony might just get his wish...

       “Ignore Zoe,” Lily said. “He’s just trying to get under your skin. Don’t let him. Anyway, let me answer your question: I've changed my mind. I'm staying put and waiting for help.”

***

       Zoe was calmly focused on the cup of tea in front of him, but he was still listening to everything that was being said outside.

       Richard turned to him and asked if he had any updates about his family.

       Zoe: “Last night I contacted the headquarters. They told me that my wife and daughter were picked by a colleague and brought to a safe place. I also got the news that at noon yesterday, a meteor suddenly appeared over the Earth. According to the reports, the meteor’s diameter is about one to the power of fifteen times larger than the Earth. No one knows where it came from or why it stopped so close to Earth. But one thing is certain: Since noon yesterday, the number of animal attacks have increased exponentially. Many countries have declared a state of martial law.”

       “What do the animals have to do with the meteor?” asked Richard.

       Zoe's voice was hoarse, so he took another sip of his tea. Then he gave Richard a funny look and continued: “Everyone thinks that this mysterious meteor is the cause of the animals' frenzy, but no one has been able to explain it. I suppose you knew it from the beginning, Richard. Can you explain what's going on here?”

       Richard: “I don't know more than you do, and even if I did, I am under no obligation to explain anything to you. You can stay as long as you obey my orders. So, if you do decide that you’re going to stay, I demand that you tell me how you contacted police headquarters. As far as I knew, all wireless communications were down. Don't tell me that you used a carrier pigeon!”

Although Zoe had been sincere and friendly sounding, Richard did not believe what he said. This was due to a bitter experience between them in his last life. Richard did not trust anyone except his wife and son.

       Zoe: “Don't look down on me. I am the captain of SWAT. It is easy for me to work the wires. The network in your home is not complicated.”

       Up until then, Janet had been in a trance, so everyone jumped when she shouted, “Oh god, why didn’t you tell me earlier. I thought that all of the telephones in the world were disconnected. Can you help me call my parents? They are not local.”

       Zoe: “Hey, gorgeous. I like your t**s, but you are out of luck. Only the local line works. I tried several long-distance calls, but none of them went through.”

       Everyone’s hopes were crushed in a second, and depression settled over them. It seemed that the apocalypse had arrived, and their lines of communication had practically reverted back to what they had been in the days of cave men.

***

       Three days later, Richard led everyone outside of the Villa Zone, and what they saw was unrecognizable to them. “My god!” Janet exclaimed. The old-growth forest had caught her by surprise. “Is this the world we used to know or have we time-traveled to another world?”

       The walkways were covered with calf-high weeds. Ornamental flowers, plants, brushes, and all manner of trees had grown to the size of houses, and in some cases, they overshadowed the local villas.

       Richard looked back to their hiding place. The windows were all covered over by enormous leaves, and the walls were overgrown with complicated root systems. “Nature is taking everything back,” he muttered absently.

       The recessive genes the plants that had laid dormant in plants for hundreds of millions of years had been activated.  Welcome to Triassic Park – thought Richard. “Don't touch these plants,” he said. “In accordance with my plan, we are looking for goods and bio-energy cores separately. We don’t want to become plant food.

       Janey and Marry gasped when they heard this, but everyone ignored them.

“This is the staging ground,” Richard continued. “Janet, Anthony, and Zoe; you three will walk along the fences that surround the Villa Zone. You’ll be outside the safety area, so remember not to go in places where the vegetation is thick.”

“Where should we start?” asked Anthony.

       Richard: “Use your head. Search supermarkets, pharmacies, and water stations. Hopefully, you will find some supplies. Remember that the world is in a degradation cycle, and so are the bacteria and other microorganisms. All unprocessed food will be rotten by the end of the week. Furthermore, water, electricity, and gas will be cut off. So, gather and bring back as many supplies as you can!”

       Janet looked at Richard hopefully and said, “Let me go with you, okay. Look at those two men, they've been looking at each other like fighting bulls. I'm afraid they'll start a fight and won’t be able to stop them.”

       “Let them fight if they want to,” Richard said. “If they do, though, they will not be welcome in my home.” Then, without saying another word, he disappeared behind an emerald willow tree.

Janet scowled as she turned to follow Anthony and Zoe in the other direction.

***

The Villa Zone stood on a stone bench, and it looked up to the central island across the broad, man-made river. In the middle of the island, there were two beautifully decorated villas. The island was surrounded by all kinds of trees and flowers.

       The long oval lake was several hundred meters in circumference, but it was less than two meters deep. On the surface of the water, there were some giant pink lotus flowers, and several mutants could be seen standing hesitantly near the edges of the water.

       Richard shaded his eyes to get a better look. He noticed that the mutants couldn’t swim, and he thought - This island could be the perfect place to hide. The lake provided a natural barrier. As for the small bridges that connected the villas to the outside world, they could easily be blocked by cars.

       It didn’t take long for him to decide that he would bring Marry and his son to the island, and if the current residents resisted him, he would convince them with the help of his submachine gun.