Chapter 175 - Latif City (2)

<Author's note: The things (racism, s.e.xism, political views, etc.) depicted or mentioned in this story do not reflect the real world and are purely coincidences. If they do, please keep in mind that they are simply for world-building and are only work of fiction. Thank you for your understanding.>

"Don't worry. It's okay, it's okay. You have nothing to apologize for. Rest here for a while. You don't have to force yourself. But first, you have to change. Your clothes are wet," said Nathan.

Although Zita didn't say anything but based on her expression, he could clearly see that she was depressed about what had happened.

In her mind, ever since she started traveling with Nathan, she kept on struggling to keep up. And just when she thought she was finally able to, she collapsed, destroying the confidence she built.

Nathan scratched his nose and then said, "I'm going to check around the house to see if there's anything dangerous. In the meantime, you change clothes. You do still have clothes with you, right?"

"I have a pair of u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r and sports bra left inside my spatial bag…"

"I see. Here," Nathan said and summoned some of her clothes from his [Artifact] Gold Spatial Finger.

Because the space inside the [Grade D] Spatial Bag was only 30" x 50", Nathan had to carry some of her things for her.

"Also," he summoned a face towel and alcohol, "wipe yourself with alcohol using this face towel. You can do that, right?"

"Yes."

"And make sure not to wipe or wash your face with alcohol. It's bad for the skin. You're growing a lady. Just use water."

"Okay."

"Good. I'll go check around. Remember, if someone else comes, whoever it is, as long as it's not me or I'm not with them, even if he/she says claims that they know me, don't you dare trust them and hit them right away like you're going to kill them. If they're still alive after you hit them, good, you can ask them questions. If they're dead, well, then they can only curse their own luck for being so weak. Do you understand me?"

"Yes."

"Make sure to always put around some Bolts lying near you."

"Yes, I will."

"Now."

Zita summoned some Normal Bolts from her spatial bag.

"Don't put them together. Spread them all over."

She used [Lift] and scattered them around the living room.

Call Nathan paranoid, but to him, it was always better to be prepared than sorry.

And given the performance she has shown him so far, he wasn't taking any chances.

***

Nathan decided to check the rooms first and was headed to his room.

Aside from the living room, a bathroom, and the kitchen and dining room which were merged together, the house had 3 other rooms -- his parents' room, his room and the storage room.

He sniffed.

The smell that he grew up with was still there and it reminded him of many memories.

'Even after 3 years, the smell hasn't changed…'

He arrived in front of his room and the door was closed.

Ku-chud!

It was locked.

Kraaag!

When the door opened, the first thing that greeted him was the smell.

It smelled of a woman's perfume.

It was a bit too sweet for his nose that he rubbed his nose to stop himself from sneezing.

He squinted his eyes before entering.

Upon entering, he was surprised to see that it didn't look anything like his room.

On the side where his bed used to be, there was a double-deck bed.

And based on the blankets, bedsheets and pillowcases, they were that of a female's taste.

He looked at the desk.

There were also some books and papers suggesting that whoever lived here is or are college students.

He then recalled the signboard he saw earlier posted outside the gate: Accepting Female Tenants Only. Please Inquire Inside.

'This is no longer my room. No point in staying any longer…'

He left the room and proceeded to check his parents' room.

Unlike his former room, his parents' room wasn't locked and the door was left opened so he entered.

Ka-cha!

Upon entering, he was greeted with a nostalgic scent and it made him feel a little uneasy, causing him to smile.

Although he grew up inside this house, his parents' room was a part of the house he rarely went inside to because of his father.

His father didn't want him to come and play inside here because this is where he keeps his handgun whenever he was off-duty.

And of course, he wasn't allowed to play with the rifle as well.

If he was ever caught playing with it, even just with the box, he would get a slap in the head from his father.

He swept his gaze around the room.

Some of the drawers were pulled open and there were clothes and bags of different sizes lying on the floor and on the bed.

'Looks like they were in a rush when they left…'

'This doesn't look like a robbery. If it was, my former room wouldn't be locked and it would've been left like this as well. And I also don't see any blood stains or destruction…'

'At least I know they were still alive when they left…'

'The question now is where did they go…'

'I still have to check the storage room though. Maybe I can find clues there or something…'

Ka-cha!

He opened the door and entered.

There were many cardboard boxes filled with memories of this house.

He also saw the steel case where his father used to keep the rifle was open.

And its locked was opened using a key.

'My parents were definitely alive when they left…'

'Again, the question is where did they go…'

'I don't even know if we have a Government Shelter like in Womania…'

'My best bet, for now, is the public schools and the sports center stadiums. There's the public college, Latif State University's Campus 1, and the high school I went to, Latif High School, both of which are nearby...'

'And there's the sports center stadium, Brown Sports Complex, next to Latif High School…'

'If I can't find anyone there, I hope I can encounter someone to ask for information…'

He left the storage room and returned to the living room where Zita was.

***

Zita was already done wiping herself and changing her clothes.

She was currently looking at the pictures posted on the wall.

There was a picture of Nathan when he graduated kindergarten, a picture of when he graduated elementary, a picture when he graduated high school, and lastly, a picture of him graduating from college.

'I didn't know mister used to have long hair.'

In the photo where Nathan graduated from college, he had long hair and it was tied in a knot.

As for Zita's hair, it's icy blonde and the length was right below her shoulders but she tied it in a ponytail so that it doesn't bother her when she's fighting.

Zita noticed that there were also pictures of two other people, a man and a woman.

The man was in a police uniform while the woman was in civilian clothing.

She concluded that they were Nathan's parents because there was a picture of the 3 of them together and in that photo they looked old enough to be his parents.

"Kid."

She turned to him.

"I'm going out to check if there's a Government Shelter nearby. You stay here in the meantime to recover. You still have some food with you and also Healing Potions and an Antidote, right?"

Zita's faced immediately became worried and she said, "Mister, please don't leave me. I'm okay already. I can go with you."

"No, you can't."

She ran to him, grabbed his hand and begged, "Please, mister, I promise I'm okay. Please don't leave me."

Nathan let out a sigh inside his head before putting on a very kind and warm expression and kneeling down.

He softly c.a.r.e.s.sed the side of her head and said, "Zita, you don't have anything to worry about. I'm not going to abandon you or anything. I promise you that."

Poke.

He poked her nose with his finger and continued, "It's just that you really need to rest."

"But --"

"No buts. You know what, I don't mean to scold you or anything but do you realize how know how lucky we were? This may sound cold but I'm so thankful that you didn't collapse during a fight. Just imagine how dangerous it would've been if we encountered a group of enemies and in the middle of the battle you collapsed?"

Zita held her head down in silence and her expression told him everything she was thinking.

"Look, I mentioned to you before that you and I are partners and that there will be times that I won't be able to shoulder all of the responsibilities so I'm going to need you to learn how to pull your own weight, right?"

"..."

He raised her chin and said, "Right?"

She looked into his eyes and replied, "Yes…"

"However, I think you didn't fully understand what I meant when I said those things."

"..."

"You see, being partners, we should communicate, we should be aware of each other's health, feelings, etc. What happened today can't happen again. If one of us isn't feeling well, we should talk about it or else it would affect our performance, or worse, even cost us our lives. I really just can't stress how lucky we were today. I mean, yes, it was unfortunate that you collapsed and I feel so bad about it that my heart aches every time I think about it but we were so lucky you didn't collapse while we were fighting."

"..."

"Keep in mind we are in a zombie apocalypse and everywhere we go is filled with dangers so it's very important to keep ourselves in our best condition at all times. And the best way to do that is we communicate with each other, be honest with each other. So if you're not feeling well, like you have a headache, stomachache or whatever ache-ache that is -- even if you're infected with the zombie virus, tell me, because I will help you. And if I'm not feeling well, I will also tell you. "

"..."

"So please, don't be afraid to tell me if you're not feeling well."

"Mister, you can also help someone who is infected with the zombie virus?"

"Ah..." he said thought, 'Dammit. I slipped there. This is why I hate talking too much. Shit, how am I supposed to escape from this? Shit, shit, shit! F.u.c.k me sideways!' and continued, "Um… I… Just know that I can help you in case you get infected with the zombie virus. However, the price isn't cheap because it will cost me my life and I will become very weak and I can only do it once. So it's kinda like a last resort thing. So if possible please be careful not to be infected."

"So Chosen Ones can cure people infected with the zombie virus?" she said and then thought her smommyk who turned into a zombie.

'Why do I feel like I'm only digging a deeper hole here?' he thought. "No, it's not like that. It's just that I have a special power that only I can do."

"Can you cure my smommyk who turned into a zombie?"

"Sorry no. It only works on people who have yet to transform into a zombie. Once they become a zombie, I can't do anything with that anymore."

Hearing what Nathan said, she felt heartbroken and then said, "Okay…"

'I think that went well,' he thought and then stood up.

He patted her head and said, "So now that you understand things, I have to go now check if there's a Government Shelter nearby. I'll be back right away. About an hour. I promise. You stay here in the meantime to recover."

"Okay, I will wait for you to come back, mister."

"Good girl."

"..."

"And given that the front door is broken, once I leave, be sure to close it and block it with something. Like this sofa," he pointed at one of the sofas in the living room. "I will lock the gate once I leave."

"Okay."

"And also, remember what I said earlier: if someone else comes, whoever it is, as long as it's not me or I'm not with them, even if he/she says claims that they know me, don't you dare trust them and hit them right away like you're going to kill them. If they're still alive after you hit them, good, you can ask them questions. If they're dead, well, then they can only curse their own luck for being so weak. And don't forget to scatter Bolts or anything that you can use to kill around the house in case someone else besides me comes."

"Mister, what if it's your parents?"

"My parents?" Nathan said and raised an eyebrow.

"These people on the picture. They are your parents, right?" Zita said and pointed at one of the pictures hanging on the wall.

Nathan turned to the wall where the pictures were hanged.

"Ah right," he said and then thought, 'I didn't notice those pictures when I came here. I totally forgot about that those are plastered there.'

He turned back to her and said, "Of course. If it's them, don't hurt them."

Zita smiled sweetly, knowing that she was able to "contribute" to the discussion.

"However, if you notice something odd about them or they're with someone suspicious, just hide, don't reveal yourself to them. But if they already noticed you and things get nasty, always prioritize your safety, kid."

Zita knitted her brows and said, "Mister, I don't understand."

"Just know that sometimes things can get… a little complicated. And if you find yourself in such situation, it's best to prioritize your own safety. No one can blame you. Even I won't blame you. Just know that we only have one life and you're a Chosen One. If I were you, I'd rather be the aggressor than the victim. Think about that while I'm gone."

Zita was still wearing a confused expression and answered, "Okay."

"By the way, you still have some food with you, right? Don't eat too much and take it easy with the candies and junk food. Once I come back I'm going to cook you something, okay?"

"Okay."

"Also, don't forget to lock the back door."

"Okay."

When Nathan exited the house, Zita closed the front door and blocked it with a sofa.

Nathan locked the gate from inside and activated [Coward's Way] before climbing over outside the wall.

*********************************************

Author's thoughts:

Hello, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading!

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