Prologue: The red siren

-Edited-

Ava's POV

I am living at the end of the world. What is it like living in that kind of world? Well... Not too bad may I say...

Perhaps too dreary for me...

As usual, I watch the scientists engrossed in their works inside one of the lab houses, sometimes I will appoint their work when things get a little bit improper. If you ask me why am I doing this kind of job... let's just say I don't have anything better to do...

The world outside the underground base is in complete turmoil. Only a few troops of soldiers has the authority to face the upper ground. Others are prohibited to even step above the measurement given based on the best defence to avoid the forces flying aircraft.

This base is called The Red Leaf. It is a modern base with complete necessities for the people living here. The buildings here are mostly stacked white boxes to represents the house.

If you walk around the roofs, you can probably see the red lines forming little boxes in the air. These were the newest version of internet connections to replace the satellite. They are harmless so you don't need to worry if they go through you.

Scientists and special attack forces are the most respected in the whole base as they are the world's only hope to be revived. Therefore, two skyscrapers are made especially for these categories of people...

The scientists are the world's main saviour and the attack force is known as the exclusive protection for humanity.

And that is how the world around the Red Leaf base's works...

I sigh, drowsy in this boring ass lab. My black eyes constantly examining the small scientists. They are always nervous whenever I am with them. It's not that I am trying to be mean?... I am being mean.

A female scientist shakes vigorously and accidentally breaks a jar of chemicals that puts her in a scream. Damn, she almost busts my ears!

All of the scientists abruptly stop their works and hurriedly flocks to the girl. They were asking for her well-being when a man brought her out of the lab.

I stare with a weird look. 'This kind of thing happens every day since they are working in a lab. why are they so surprised?'  I thought, rolling my eyes at the injured girl.

Tying up my brown locks with a black cotton band, my hands brushed across my pale white cheeks. I stroll out of the lab and roam around the base... Ahh, such a nice “no fresh air” base...

Everyday breath in man-made oxygen.

I smile in pleasure. Cage up in the rusty old lab is not a good thing for an 18 years old young girl...

"Mom...look that's the beauty genius!" A little boy exclaimed to his mother in a joyful voice admiring the well-known girl. The mother pulls her son's hand and drags him with her. The middle-aged woman shakes her head in sign to not provoke me...the said 'genius'...

I am not surprised by that, I do have quite a bad reputation in the base.

True...I am a genius and an expert in many different ways, but I am also a mischief little brat.

I don't have the ambition to revive the world like my dear mother.

Who is my mother? Well, she is the most psychopathic scientist I have ever met. All she does is work, work and work. Due to my father's death which she killed with her hands...

Her heart and soul is corrupted in creating an antidote for the zombie virus.

She is pregnant for two months with me when the world collapse in the apocalypse. They only survive one month together when my father saves her from a raging zombie.

As a result, my father was bitten by the zombie and urged my mother to kill him before he turns into one. My mother complied and force herself to push the rail and watch him die in terror...

Trrriittt

The sound revived me up from the stupor of the moment. Red lights wash the whites of the base. Sirens utter loudly as if it is screaming to me to save myself. I finally realised that people are running and crying out for help...

"What...what happens!" My questions are ignored as people are running for their life. My head shook in blemish! I have never been so scared and panic in my life! I walk through the crowd of people conversely to see the source of danger and my eyes almost bulges out.

Zombies swarm across the hole from above the leaking ceiling of the base. Endlessly falling and tumbling to the ground chasing and biting people with their disgustingly sharp teeth..!

Blood saturating the ground with rotten smells and tiny worms splattered around the base.

"This is the apocalypse?!" I have never seen one before. This is the first.

"Help..! Aaaaahh!" A rotting zombie takes hold of a child and is about to bite her. My hand trembles but I pick up my courage and...

"Let go of her!" I hit his head with my elbow, hard creating a clean-cut as I watch his raw flesh brain falls to the ground with a splat.

I grasp the child securely "Where are your parents...?" I questioned while patting her head. She is still shaking in fear which led to me hugging her small body. But then, My eyes stoned at the splattered brain.

That thing is alive!?

The unmoved brain is now full of tentacles and obtained a small mouth fills with sharp teeth. I grimaced and look around to spot a gun. Without pausing, I shot that disgusting tentacled brain as I ogle at the splattered blood...

Carrying the girl in my arms, I quickly hurry back to where people are fleeing...

"The airships!" I shout seeing the attack force guiding the uninfected people into the airships.

“Move!...move!”

Forces shouting at the people attempting to protect every last of them...but whoever is infected...they drained their life to hell on the spot!

'Fortunately, this girl is saved on time...'

"Jacob!" Jacob is one of my mother's colleagues and he is married to my aunt Marissa. Jacob looks at me...he comes off muddled and unsteady from the pressure of the circumstance.

"Ava! ... Thank god!" He runs to aiming to take me to the airship.

At the moment, I recall that my mother might still be in the lab...experimenting and doing her “important research”.

"Shit... That old woman must be doing her useless research!" I cursed in tension. Hastily, I put the girl in his arms and drags my feet back to hell.

"Where are you going!... Come back!"

Jacob's yells at me but I ignore the need to save myself. Mother is still in there! How could I leave her like this?

I am dripping with sweats once arrives at the main lab. My lips tremble at the sight of my mother lying on the floor while cupping her bloody stomach...

"Woman!" She looks at me in a daze from losing too much blood...

"Wh...what are you doing. Go. Save your life and bring back peace for humanity..."

I shook my head hard trying to deny her nonsense. She palms my cheek and with another hand entrust a bottle of red liquid. She puts it right into my grip and clasps it.

"Woman!...we have no time to do scientist stuff...we need to get out of here..."

I try to carry her on my back but she pushes me away with a frown on her face..."Drink it...now!" My mother said weakly...

"This foolish thing!... You are going to die like this, woman!" But she stubbornly pushes me for the second time...

"DRINK IT, AVA!" She sternly orders whilst forcing the liquid in my throat. Her hands still clutching her bleeding stomach...

"Now...go!" This woman! I swear...

I choke on the red thick liquid but it finally dissolves into my stomach...

"What are you doing!!...we need to go together!... Now!" I try to pick her up for the second time but she pushes me away harder...

"I told you to...go...go!" She angrily yells at me making me stunt. After a while, rage built up and I mishap a sentence that I never reckoned to say...

"Why the hell do you want to die so much! Isn't it enough father died in your hands!? Now you-" I wince at what I just said to her. I know she is mad whenever we talk about this but this time, I don't know... It feels

Different?

She calmly listens but unlike her eyes. There are painful thoughts in those eyes. I noticed the tears that are falling at the creases of her eyes. I have never noticed those little creases beside her eyes...

Since when did she get those creases? A sudden thought crossed my mind.

"No...that's! I... I didn't mean it that way...-"

I bite my lips in guilt but receive no response from her. I look over the woman and discern the unconsenting scene. I would have never thought it is finally happening. My biggest nightmare.

Mother is dying...?

My feet start to work towards her. My hands grab that old and wrinkly scientists I called 'woman' in my arms.

"Mother, mother..." I called over and over again. Tears start to form in my eyes. And that is when I realised something that I have long forgotten...

"Mother?"

What is that phrase?

How come I forget it?

Am I always this forgetful?

The word 'mother' that had long gone... I would have never thought to say those words once again. I bet that I would've never even cared if she is desperately dying in front of me... But now-

What am I doing?

I touch her lifeless face. I have no idea why her expression was fulfilled even after I said those cruel and heartless words. Her face says victory but I don't know why? Are you that desperate to die, mother?

"Mother? ... Mother!" I forgot! I-

Please don't leave me! Mother! My... My only mother...

I burst into tears. In the middle of the chaos shrouded by hallowing zombies. I cry out my heart that has been kept for a long time. Those rage, madness, guilt and love. All of those feelings burn like fireworks displays for that woman.

I don't hate you anymore... In fact, I never did... It's my ego that kept me going and telling me how much of a horrible mother were you...

"Why!...why..why" my face contorted from the bursts but time doesn't allow me to stay.

The sound of the portal base-closing enters my ears making my head twist towards the noise.

"God damn it!" I stare at the lifeless woman in my arms.

"Mother...we are leaving...so hang on to me..." Even if her life ends here, I would not let the lab becomes her grave. She should have a peaceful death as a normal person, not as a crazy scientist...

I latch my mother on my back to supports her weight. Making sure that holding her thighs securely.

My feet struggling to balance us from falling.  Just as I step outside of the lab, zombies hordes the area making me flinch in alarm. Nevertheless, I  automatically avoid them by kicking and slipping through those disgusting rotten-smelled zombies...

Blood adheres on my white jacket imitating “The heart queen's painted roses”.

I can't believe that millions of Zombies are chasing after me from behind!

'God help me!'

As they are shrieking growls and hungry noises, my steps went faster and faster.

I promise myself that we will not die here, promise myself that mother will have an honoured ceremony where no one can insults her any longer!

But...it seems like god hates me for my sins...

BOOOOOMMM!!!!

END OF POV

_________________________________________

The base is destroyed...the attack forces have planted bombs to prevent zombies from leaking out of the base.

A few hundred remain saved in the airships but the world ended with a massive amount of disaster from losing all the scientists that were locked in the labs. Only normal citizens are safe from the zombie's onslaught.

Humans vanished from the earth...leaving merely rotten corps and the undead to fill the void...

Now...is it the end of the world? Or is the world only missing the return of a fated saviour...

___________________________________________

A girl's soul is flying in the air... Heaven rejected to take it but hell doesn't deserve a pure essence... The girl's soul is odd from the others...

There is only blacks and whites to ensure their destiny.  It's a different case for the girl. Her soul is soaked with reds?

[—Z system Activate —Space—]

An electrical door unfolds in front of the girl. It pulls the red soul deep into the darkness that resides within...

TBC

___