CHAPTER 6 — Shelter and Shadows
ELION – POV
The world outside the gas station was dead quiet.
Not peaceful quiet.Not normal quiet.The kind that felt like the sky was holding its breath, waiting for something horrible to break it.
Alexiy didn't move from where she'd collapsed earlier.She was still sitting on the floor, back against the counter, injured leg stretched out carefully in front of her. Her pink hair fell over her shoulder in tangled strands, her breaths small and uneven.
She lifted her eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Two small words. Fragile as glass.Shouldn't hit hard.But they did.
I didn't answer.Didn't trust myself to.
"Food. Then rest," I muttered instead, crouching beside the counter.
I pulled food of the shelves—drinks, stale chips, and two blessed boxes of mac and cheese. Something normal. Something stupidly human.
She blinked slowly like she couldn't quite believe I was cooking in the middle of the apocalypse.
I set the hotplate on the counter and poured water into a small metal pot. When it began heating, the faint bubbling filled the room, soft and steady.
She watched the rising steam like it was magic.
"Is it really okay?" she asked, voice barely there. "Staying here… with you?"
"It's fine," I said. "You can sleep in the back office."
Her pink eyes widened.
"…W-wait. You're not sleeping in there with me?"
I stopped stirring and looked back at her.
"I'll be out here. On the counter. I want to be able react fast if something broke in."
Her cheeks exploded red."Oh—r-right. I wasn't—I didn't mean— I just thought—"
She hid behind her hair like she wished she could sink into the floor.
God help me.
This girl is more dangerous than the monsters outside.
The mac and cheese softened. I sliced the hotdogs with a plastic knife that bent alarmingly with every cut. The smell drifted through the station—cheap, salty comfort.
"You cook?" she asked softly.
"'Cook' is generous," I said. "I just manage not to burn things... Sometimes."
We ate in silence. The good kind. The kind that felt like a small, fragile shield between us and everything outside.
When she finished, I stood.
"Okay... the back office," I said. "Time to get you off that leg."
She didn't try to stand. She just waited—eyes lowered, trusting in a way that made something shift in my chest.
I stepped closer and held out my arm.
"Here... Lean on me," I said quietly.
Her fingers curled around my sleeve—light, gentle. She pulled herself up slowly, breath catching sharply as her injured leg took weight.
I stepped closer automatically, bracing her.
Every step toward the office was careful, slow, like guiding something fragile.
At the door, I pulled the string light. The bulb flickered to life—dim, yellow, buzzing faintly.
"The door locks from the inside," I said. "To unlock, just turn the knob."
She tested the lock with her good hand. Then looked at me again.
"I… can I say something before I sleep?"
My chest tightened. "Sure."
She held my gaze, sudden and intense.
"I meant it earlier," she whispered. "All of it. Even if you don't answer yet."
"Alexiy—"
"You don't need to say anything," she interrupted. "I know you're cautious. You should be. This world is broken."
Her voice softened.
"But… even if you don't trust me yet… I trust you."
Something cracked quietly under my ribs. Something I didn't want to acknowledge.
"Get some sleep," I said turning around to walk back to the from of the store.
She stepped inside. Paused. Looked back.
"…Goodnight, Elion."
"…Night." I wave without looking back.
The door closed softly.
Click.
And only then did I finally exhale.
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ALEXIY — POV
I didn't move at first.
I sank down onto the blanket he'd set on the floor—my injured leg extended exactly the same way it had been outside. The office smelled like dust, paper, and faintly like him.
Safe. I felt safe.
I closed my eyes, just for a moment, letting myself feel something that wasn't fear.
"System Status," I whispered.
And it appeared again—floating softly in my vision.
[STATISTICS — ALEXIY]
Name: AlexiyLevel: 1
Physique: 6 (10)
Mind: 9 (10)
Spirit: 14 (10)
Will: 15 (10)
Perception: 5 (10)
Free Points: 0
[SKILLS]
Lightning Bolt (Active)
Launch a concentrated bolt of electrical energy at a target.
Range: 12 meters
Cooldown: 5 seconds
Cost: 4 mana
Damage scales with Spirit
I stared at the screen, breath trembling.
Lightning Bolt. Actually magic. The skills, stats, zombies. all the chaos that the world now turned into.
Elion had been right. All of it was real. All of it was terrifying.
I pulled my knees slightly closer, careful not to jolt my splinted arm. A low ache throbbed through my thigh, spreading into my hip. Tears pricked behind my eyes.
Mom. Lily. Aaron.
Were they alive? Had they run? Were they hiding? Did they scream for help like I had?
I covered my face, fingers trembling.
I had never been so scared. Never felt so useless. Never felt so lost and far from everything I loved.
But then I thought of him—the way he stood between me and danger, the way he steadied me without judgment, the quiet strength in his voice, the way he cooked for me, the way he didn't throw me out.
I looked at my bandaged arm and leg. The bandages looking professional — neat lines that were tight but manageable. He said he learned from watching T.V. shows? Yeah right.
I wonder who Elion really was. For all his cool guy, calming act — I could see through it. he was anxious. No maybe not anxious but excited. Yes he seemed excited talking about the system and skills. That was the first time I saw him smile.
Plus what he said about this being the end of the world — about how society has collapsed and it's "Every man for himself." I swallowed. It's true. While I may not know much anything about this 'system' or 'skills', I felt it. Deep in my bones. What he said is the truth.
I could already picture it. Me a young innocent girl, weak helpless. vulnerable to zombies and humans alike. Part of her wondered if Elion really would sleep out there or if he would force his way it. But he didn't seem like the type. From the moment I locked eyes with him — I just felt something. Call it 'woman's intuition' or whatever you want. But I knew I could trust him.
"I trust you," I whispered. It was true.
And for a moment—just a moment—I felt safe enough to let sleep pull me under.
*****************************************
ELION — POV (CONTINUED)
I didn't sleep.
Not because I couldn't—but because I didn't need to.
I'd pulled seventy-three hours straight before, back during a bad week. And I'd slept earlier today before my shift. So no—sleep wasn't happening. There were more important things.
Instead, I pulled the orbs from my pocket and sat behind the counter.
The orange orb first. It felt warm, steady. almost alive, it was different from the reds and white one.
I crushed it.
Ding.
A wave of energy surged through me—like my mind grew an invisible hand.
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED]
Telekinesis (Active)
Exert force on objects through mental focus.
Move, lift, shove, or pull targets based on Spirit stat.
Range: 6 meters
Cooldown: none
Cost: 3 mana
Potency scales with Spirit and Will
A smile crept up my face.
That's useful.
I sat back, letting the power settle into place like a new limb I hadn't learned to control yet.
Then my eyes drifted to the red orbs.
I had 2 red ones. While I wanted to sue both I also had a feeling it could be dangerous. No no dangerous, just... unpredictable. After all I don't know how many skills I can have, and if I get a trash skill... that would be a waste, luckily my current skills are all useful. but the idea of more skills... that seems deliciously tempting.
I hesitated.
What if it was a bad skill? Useless? Worse—something with a drawback?
But…
My fingers tightened.
I crushed one.
Heat exploded across my palm. A surge of power ripped through my chest like a shockwave.
A soft, low laugh spilled out before I could stop it.
"Heh… eheheh… hah…"
I didn't check the skill.
Not yet.
Let tomorrow worry about that.
Tonight…power hummed in my veins.
And for the first time since the world ended—
I felt ready.