REBIRTH: SEVEN DAYS BEFORE DOOMSDAY

THE TRUTH

Kara’s POV:

The moment I saw Harris standing outside my hotel room, I knew I had been caught.

But even though I could tell by his gaze that he had discovered something, I wasn’t going to just admit it immediately. Initially, I had tried to brush off and convince him that I had no idea what he was talking about, but that quickly stopped when he showed me the video.

I stared at the screen for a long while and watched as the wine glass stopped mid-air, and then flew right through my hand.

There was no denying that. There was actually no way I would be able to manipulate him out of believing this. So, I closed my eyes and thought about how I was going to handle this.

Of course, I was shocked, but that quickly gave way to resignation. Now that he knew about my power, I had to think about what else I wanted to tell him.

Did I trust him enough to tell him about the apocalypse?

And even if I did tell him, was he going to believe me? Who would? I knew that I would not believe it if anyone came and told me that the world I knew was ending in less than a week.

It took a while, but I finally made a decision, and when I did. I opened my eyes.

I hadn’t admitted it to myself yet, but internally, I had already decided that I was going to tell Harris the truth. I just hadn’t expected that it was going to happen this soon.

I was tired of lying and pretending that the entire world was okay when I knew that it was not. So, I stretched out my hand, and the hotel door behind Harris clicked shut.

The sound of the lock sliding into place was loud enough that Harris flinched. I knew he was trying to be as composed as he could possibly be, but he was also clearly unnerved by all this.

He turned around, his eyes darting towards the door before moving back to my outstretched hand.

“Relax,” I whispered as I pointed towards a chair, “Please take a seat,” I flashed him a smile, “You wanted answers. I am going to give them to you. You just have to trust me.”

Harris stared at me for a long moment, and for a second, I saw indecision in his gaze. This was the billionaire who I had never once seen unnerved, but now, he looked as though he was debating if he should walk right into the room or charge straight at me.

Eventually, his gaze stilled, and he nodded before walking right to the chair and sitting down.

I took a deep breath, walked close to him, and took the seat right beside his.

“I have a lot to tell you.” I started, still thinking of what exactly I could tell him, “But I am going to start with one sentence, and I am going to assure you that this sentence is the whole truth, and nothing else.”

Harris leaned forward, and his eyebrows were raised in confusion. “Okay,” he answered, “What is it?”

“The world is going to end in six days.”

He blinked, his brows furrowed, and his mouth grew wide open with shock.

I continued before he could interrupt me,

“Six days from now, something will happen – I don’t’ know what exactly – but I do know the effects. It will begin suddenly, people will start getting sick, society will collapse, and the dead will rise.”

His expression remained skeptical. “Are you talking about a zombie apocalypse?” he asked, his tone filled with confusion and slight disbelief,

I nodded, “Yes, Zombies,”

His face went completely blank.

I sighed, “I know how it sounds, but that is the truth.”

“You're telling me zombies are going to appear in six days?” he stared at me as he asked the question,

“Yes.” I nodded,

He just kept on staring.

So, I took a deep breath and continued.

“The world will collapse faster than should be possible. The virus spreads from contact with tissues of infected individuals. So, if you get scratched, or bitten, then, you’ll turn. It would take days before entire governments collapse. No one would be prepared for it. Hospitals would be overwhelmed within hours, and they will all be filled with zombies before the end of the first day. It will take a week before the power grids go down, and the entire world goes silent.”

Harris didn't say anything. All he did was kept his gaze fixed on me, as though he was expecting me to smile and say I was joking. But I wasn’t, even though I really wished I was.

As I spoke, I watched his expression. Even though he had seen me use my powers earlier, I knew it would take more to convince him that the world was going to end.

So I lifted my hand and a pen lying on the table on the other side of the room rose into the air and floated right towards us. I moved it until I was right in front of Harris.

He stretched out his hand, his movements slow until he touched the pen. The moment he did, I let my grasp on the pen go, and it fell flat on his hand.

“This,” I said, “is real. My words are real. And even though I would like it to be false. The world is going to end, and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.”

He swallowed, and as I waited for him to come to terms with what I had told him. I lifted the glass of water on the table and brought it over to my lips, before taking a sip and sending it right back.

Harris leaned backward, and I watched as the doubt disappeared from his expression.

“How do you even know when the world is going to end, and how did you get your powers? Is everyone supposed to get powers when the apocalypse happens?”

I shook my head, “I can’t exactly tell you how I know, but I do know. And as for how I got my powers, all I can say is that some people are going to get powers on the day of the apocalypse. I just got mine a couple of days earlier.”

He was silent, and I could tell there were a couple of questions he had, but he pushed them down.

When I was done speaking, I realized that I felt lighter. I hadn't realized how much pressure I had been carrying. For days, I had been the only person who knew. Every conversation I had required me to lie, and be discreet, and now, I could finally let loose most of what I wanted.

Harris rubbed his face, before taking a deep breath. “How many people are going to die?”

I stared at him for a moment before shaking my head, “I don’t have the exact figures, but I am pretty certain that over 90% of humans are going to die over the next few months.”

His face hardened, and he looked out the window. “So that is why you want my summer home?”

I nodded. “Yes, it’s an easily defensible basis. The property is surrounded by water. There's only one main access point, and it’s isolated enough that I would be able to easily protect it.”

Harris listened carefully. “So you weren't trying to buy it because you suddenly wanted a vacation home.”

I almost laughed. “No.”

He nodded, then, crossed his arms, “Okay.”

I frowned. “After everything I told you. All you have to say is just okay?”

“Yes, I can’t dwell on what I can’t change. Instead, I am going to focus on what I can.” He took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes, “I am giving the home to you. In exchange, I want a deal.” He paused,