Zane
"What was that scream?" I asked, staring at the door.
Mine and Vien's eyes met—we both had the same expression on our faces.
Don't tell me one of those infected people came to our door. But why ours? It's not like they can smell us... or did they hear us talking?
While I was thinking, I noticed Black standing in front of the door, his hand gripping the handle, ready to open it. As soon as Vien and I realized it, I quickly put Nico down beside Viktor and ran toward the door.
But before I could reach him, Black had already opened it.
Oh man, this idiot really wants to kill us all.
"You son of a fish! What the soup are you doing?!" I shouted.
But instead of some infected creature, it was Adam and Rio standing there together. My eyes widened. They actually came here.
Not that I'm complaining, but what Black just did scared the hell out of me. I stepped forward and smacked his shoulder.
"Don't ever do that again, or I'll kill you."
Adam and Rio stepped inside, and Black locked the door behind them.
"Zane, what was that? I heard you say 'son of fish' and 'what the soup'? What even are those?" Adam asked, clearly amused.
"I can't swear in front of my kids, so I have to say things like that," I replied seriously.
Instead of cursing, I use other words in their place. I don't want my kids to see me behaving badly—their dad has to be a hero to them.
While thinking that, I noticed Rio standing beside Adam, smiling at me like an idiot.
"Rio, don't smile like an idiot, please."
Oh crap. Why did I say that out loud? Damn it, my bad habit of blurting out thoughts is back again.
"Oops, sorry, Rio. I was just kidding. Why don't we sit down first?" I quickly said, trying to fix the situation.
Adam sat down, and beside him sat Viktor. Adam's eyes, however, stayed on Rio, who hadn't sat down—he was standing near Nilo and Nico.
I went over to stand there too.
"So, now that everyone's here, Mr. Adam, tell us what you saw outside. Maybe then we'll know whether this is all just some prank."
Of course, there's still a part of me that doesn't believe all this nonsense. Not until I see it with my own eyes or someone shows me real proof.
"Actually, when we were coming here…" Adam began, and what he said next shocked me.
On their way back, the roads were completely empty—deserted cars everywhere—but the sound of people screaming echoed through the streets. Soldiers were moving around in buses, but since it was Adam, they didn't stop him. That's how they made it here safely.
So, the news was really true.
I sighed and sat down on a chair. "Damn, why did this have to happen all of a sudden?" I muttered.
"Dad, are we gonna die?" Nico and Nilo asked, their little faces full of fear.
I looked at them—my kids, scared out of their minds—and my heart sank. They're just children; of course they'd be afraid.
"It's nothing like that. Why would we die?" I said firmly, trying to sound confident. Nothing bad would happen to us. I wouldn't let it.
Then Rio knelt down, taking both Nico's and Nilo's hands in his.
"You two are the main leads who will save the world from all this," he said softly.
Their eyes lit up, pride shining in their faces. They straightened up and crossed their hands over their chests like little heroes.
I chuckled.
"Should we go play inside?" Rio asked, and the kids eagerly led him to their room.
As they left, I turned to Viktor. "What now?" I asked.
"What? Nothing. We can't go against the government, can we? We'll have to stay inside for a week because of the lockdown," he said.
He was right, but how could I just sit here when there was barely anything left to eat—and others might need help too?
"Zane, sit down and calm yourself. It's not a big deal," Viktor said.
I gave him a strange look. How could he say this wasn't a big deal when chaos was happening outside? Was he an idiot—or did he know something I didn't?
Because honestly, I had a feeling—Viktor knew something none of us did.
"Viktor, don't even try to act smart. Spill the tea—what are you hiding?" I demanded, my eyes narrowing.
Vien stepped up beside me. "Yeah, I've got the same hunch. That dog Viktor definitely knows something," he said, his voice low and serious.
Viktor glanced at Adam but just smiled, saying nothing.
"Zane, I'm really upset that you don't even believe me—and now you're acting like I've done something wrong. For real," he said, his voice tight with frustration.
Suddenly, he stood up.
"Adam, Black, let's go. I don't want to stay here a moment longer when no one believes me," Viktor added, his tone sharp.
And suddenly, Viktor and Adam stood up and left with Black. I couldn't stop them—they weren't ready to listen to a word I had to say, which only made me more upset. Once they were gone, I locked the door behind them.
"Zane, don't worry. Let them go. I'm here with you," Vien said, standing by my side.
I nodded at him. "But don't you find it a little strange? Viktor refused to leave at first, but as soon as Adam showed up and we asked, he left—like he really knew something."
"I don't think so," Vien replied. "He probably just left because he knew a safer place than your apartment."
Even though Vien said that, I was getting a different vibe. As Viktor left, he kept looking straight ahead, never once glancing back.
It was like he didn't want to make eye contact with me at all.
As we were talking, I suddenly heard crying coming from the bedroom where the kids and Rio were.