RED AND THE APOCALYPSE
Chapter 61 — Separated
Outside, rain hammered relentlessly against the reinforced windows of the underground compound.
Thunder rolled across the sky somewhere beyond the thick concrete walls, deep and resonant enough to make the floorboards vibrate beneath their feet. The storm had arrived in full force, wild and unforgiving.
Every few seconds, a flash of lightning flickered through the high, narrow windows lining the upper sections of the complex, briefly illuminating the endless concrete corridors before plunging them back into murky dimness. The air inside smelled strongly of wet concrete, stagnant rainwater, and an underlying, metallic scent that seemed to linger throughout every corner of the facility.
Nezuko walked silently down the hallway.
Aoi walked beside her, her head held up, but her posture stiff.
Mira followed a few paces behind.
They were flanked by four armed women, each carrying a heavy rifle slung across her chest, their eyes constantly scanning the captives. Nobody spoke. The steady, rhythmic crunch of heavy boots on concrete echoed off the walls as they were led deeper into the belly of the compound.
Despite the dim lighting, the corridor was surprisingly active.
Women moved purposefully between heavy metal doors carrying plastic crates, stacks of folded blankets, medical kits, and crates of canned rations. Some appeared to be trained members of the central militia, while others looked like ordinary civilians who had simply sought refuge beneath the earth.
This place wasn't just a hideout.
It was a self-sustaining apartment complex.
The occupants had been here long enough to establish daily routines, chore rotations, and guard shifts. That realization—that an entire organized society was flourishing right beneath the ruins of the apocalypse—made their capture feel even more surreal.
Nezuko barely absorbed any of it. Her mind was entirely consumed by a single, terrifying loop of memories.
Natsuki.
She could still see him collapsing. The deafening roar of the gunshot. The sudden burst of crimson tearing through his clothes. The agonized scream that had ripped from his throat.
Her brother had been dragged away, bleeding heavily, and she had no idea where they were taking him—or if he was even still breathing.
Her hands clenched into tight, trembling fists at her sides.
Aoi noticed. So did Mira. Neither said a word out loud. They couldn't—not surrounded by guards.
They continued down the winding hallway until the woman leading the group abruptly raised her gloved hand.
"Stop."
The procession ground to a halt.
The head guard turned, pointing toward a heavy, reinforced steel door set into the right side of the wall.
"This is where you'll be staying."
She pulled a ring of brass keys from her tactical vest and held them out. Nezuko reached forward and took them, her fingers cold against the metal.
Aoi shifted her stance, staying glued to Nezuko's side, vigilant and silent.
Nezuko inserted the key into the tumbler. With a loud, heavy click, the lock gave way, and she pushed the door inward.
She stepped over the threshold and paused, genuinely caught off guard.
The room was... surprisingly clean.
Three military-style cots were arranged neatly against the bare concrete walls, each made with clean wool blankets. A simple wooden table sat in the center with three mismatched chairs tucked beneath it. In the far corner stood a small porcelain sink, a metal supply cabinet, and a single high window reinforced with thick iron bars.
Compared to the blood-stained streets and toxic ruins outside, it looked almost comfortable.
Almost.
Nezuko slowly walked further into the room. Aoi followed right behind her.
Mira stepped forward to join them—
CLANG!
The heavy barrel of a rifle snapped across the threshold, blocking the doorway inches from Mira's chest.
Nezuko spun around immediately. Aoi's eyes narrowed into sharp slits.
"What are you doing?" Aoi demanded.
The female guard holding the rifle didn't flinch. "Mira stays outside."
Nezuko took a step forward, her brow furrowing. "Why? We're supposed to be kept together."
"Because we need her," the guard replied coldly.
Aoi moved to the edge of the doorway. "She's with us."
"I know she is," the woman said, lowering the rifle slightly, though her arm remained locked in place. "That's exactly why I'm telling you."
Mira remained remarkably composed, showing no sign of panic.
The guard locked eyes with the doctor. "You didn't seriously think the clean sheets, hot water, and fresh food were free, did you?"
Mira offered no answer, her gaze steady.
"Everyone in this compound earns their keep," the woman explained, her tone hard and non-negotiable. "And you're a doctor." She raised a finger, pointing further down the dark, branching corridor. "We have men wounded from the outer perimeter raids. We have people suffering from infections. You're going to put your skills to use."
Nezuko's expression tightened with anxiety. "Then bring her back here when she's done treating them!"
"Maybe," the guard replied bluntly. "But right now, she's needed in the lower ward."
Aoi looked at Mira. For a heavy, silent moment, the three women simply exchanged glances.
Mira finally let out a long, quiet sigh. "Where are you taking me?"
The guard gestured down the hall with her chin. "Medical ward. Moving."
Mira looked past the guard's shoulder at Nezuko and Aoi. She could see the sheer panic and helplessness swelling in Nezuko's eyes.
Offering a gentle, reassuring smile, Mira spoke softly. "Don't worry about me."
Nezuko made a move toward the door. "Mira, wait—"
Mira raised a hand, stopping her in her tracks. "I'll be back. Just rest."
She turned around and looked at the guards. "Lead the way."
The head guard nodded, turning on her heel, and Mira fell into step behind her. Nezuko stood near the doorway, watching helplessly as Mira's figure receded into the shadows of the corridor.
Before turning the corner, the remaining guard paused and glanced over her shoulder at the two girls inside the room.
"Oh. One more thing."
Nezuko snapped her head up.
"Curfew is at eight sharp."
Aoi's eyebrows knit together. "Curfew?"
"Everyone stays inside their designated quarters after eight," the guard warned coldly. "The main hall doors lock automatically. Armed sentries patrol every floor. No one walks around this compound after dark."
The guard leaned in slightly, her voice dropping an octave. "And if you break that rule?" She let the silence hang in the air. "You get dealt with."
Nezuko gripped the brass key until it dug painfully into her palm. "What kind of punishment?"
The guard offered a bitter, humorless smirk as she turned away. "Don't break the rule, and you won't have to find out."
With that, she walked off, her heavy boots fading into the distance.
Nezuko and Aoi stood frozen in the doorway.
Farther down the hall, just before the corridor curved out of sight, Mira paused for a fraction of a second. She turned her head, catching Nezuko's eyes one last time, and gave a tiny, subtle nod of encouragement before disappearing into the gloom.
Nezuko watched the empty hallway until the shadows swallowed everything.
"There's no way they're just going to let her walk around freely," Nezuko whispered softly.
Aoi didn't answer right away.
Nezuko turned back into the room. "We don't even know where we are, Aoi. We're trapped in these fucking apartment complex, it's like a maze in here."
Aoi finally broke her silence. "Mira will be fine."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because they need her," Aoi replied, stepping further into the room. "They have wounded people dying in their medical bay. They need a real doctor who actually knows what she's doing."
Her voice sounded calm and calculated, but underneath the surface, there was a noticeable strain—a tremor she couldn't completely hide.
"They won't kill the only person keeping their supply of fighters alive."
Nezuko lowered her head, looking at the stone floor. "I hope you're right..."
Aoi didn't respond.
Nezuko slowly reached for the heavy metal handle and pulled the door shut.
Click.
She turned the key, locking the heavy deadbolt from the inside.
For several long seconds, absolute silence descended upon the room, broken only by the muffled, distant roar of thunder echoing through the concrete ceiling.
Nezuko turned around to face her companion.
Aoi was standing rigid in the center of the room. Her back was turned, her shoulders pulled tight, and her hands clenched so hard her knuckles were bone-white.
And for the very first time since Nezuko had met her, Aoi didn't look like the fearless, unstoppable leader who always had a plan mapped out three steps ahead.
She looked utterly shattered.
Nezuko noticed it instantly. The confident facade had completely crumbled.
"Aoi...?"
"I'm fine," Aoi snapped out instantly. The answer came too fast, too defensively.
Nezuko took two quiet steps closer. "You don't have to pretend."
Aoi turned her head slightly, her gaze fixed on the blank wall.
"It's okay to be worried," Nezuko added, her voice dropping into a gentle, compassionate tone.
Aoi's expression cracked. A sudden, violent tremor ran through her lower lip. She quickly turned her face away, attempting to blink back the moisture swelling in her eyes, but it was already too late.
The tears spilled over, tracing hot lines down her dust-stained cheeks.
"I'm sorry..." Aoi choked out.
Nezuko's heart sank. "Aoi..."
"I'm so sorry," Aoi repeated, her voice breaking completely as she wiped frantically at her eyes. "This is my fault. All of it."
"No, it isn't—"
"If I had just handled things differently in the stairwell!" Aoi cried softly, her breath catching in her chest. "If I had just let Natsuki fight them immediately instead of trying to surrender... none of this would have happened! We wouldn't be locked in a cage!"
Nezuko shook her head firmly. "Aoi, you couldn't possibly have known—"
"I should have known!" Aoi interrupted, looking down at her trembling, empty hands. "I was the leader. I was the one making the calls."
Her chest heaved as panic bled into her words. "When we first spotted their scouts, we had a window. We had a chance to cut our way back to the jeeps and smash through their barricades. We could have escaped."
She let out a bitter, heartbroken laugh that sounded almost painful.
"But I hesitated. I waited. I thought... I thought holding back was the smarter move. I thought saving our energy for whatever was ahead was the right call."
She gestured wildly around the small, windowless concrete cell.
"And look where my 'smart call' got us!" she sobbed, her composure fully unraveling. "We're trapped in a fortress. We don't know where we are. We don't know how many guards are out there. We don't know what they're planning to do with us!"
Her voice shrank into a desperate whisper. "And I don't even know where they took Mira."
Nezuko stood completely still, watching the terrifying weight crushing the girl in front of her.
Aoi stared at the floor, tears dripping off her chin. "Kaito is locked up somewhere in this hellhole... Natsuki has been shot in the leg..." She choked on her own breath. "He was bleeding so much... he might be dying right now..."
Her eyes darted up, filled with a raw, primal terror. "And Tokita..." She stopped, the name hanging in the air like a ghost. "We don't even know where they took him. What if they try to execute him?!"
Nezuko closed the distance between them.
Aoi leaned back against the edge of the wooden table, her strength vanishing. "I was supposed to keep everyone safe," she whispered hoarsely. "That was my responsibility. And I failed every single one of you."
Nezuko gently reached out, placing a firm, warm hand on Aoi's trembling shoulder.
"You didn't fail," Nezuko said softly, but with unwavering absolute certainty.
Aoi looked up, her tear-streaked face searching Nezuko's eyes for any sign of lie or deceit.
"You brought us through the ruined city," Nezuko reminded her gently. "You made every single decision based on keeping us alive. And you did."
She squeezed Aoi's shoulder. "Nobody could have predicted that a fully armed, military-grade syndicate was hiding inside this specific building. Not you. Not Kaito. Nobody."
Aoi looked away, her jaw tight. "I still should have—"
"You are not supposed to carry the weight of the entire world on your shoulders by yourself, Aoi," Nezuko interrupted softly. "You care about everyone so much that it hurts. That's why you're a great leader."
A faint, sad smile touched Nezuko's lips. "That doesn't mean every bad thing that happens in an apocalypse is your fault."
Aoi fell silent, her ragged breathing slowly beginning to steady.
"We are going to find a way out of here," Nezuko stated.
Aoi's tear-filled eyes flickered with doubt. "We don't even have our weapons, Nezuko. We don't even know the layout."
"We'll adapt. We'll figure it out."
"And what if we can't?"
"We will," Nezuko insisted, her tone carrying a sudden, fierce strength that surprised even herself. She turned her eyes toward the locked steel door. "As long as Tokita, Kaito, and Natsuki are still breathing, this fight isn't over."
She looked back at Aoi, her expression softening into deep empathy. "And don't give up on Natsuki. He's tough as nails. He's with Kaito and Tokita. They won't let anything happen to him."
She paused, offering a logical comfort. "Besides, these people need Mira. They know if they let Natsuki die, Mira won't help them. They're going to patch him up."
Aoi wiped her face with the back of her sleeve, taking a deep, shaky breath. "You're... you're right."
"They might keep him weakened so he doesn't fight back," Nezuko added thoughtfully, "but they won't let him die. We just need to stay focused, keep our heads clear, and figure out a way to make contact with the others."
Aoi stared at Nezuko for several quiet seconds, the panic slowly draining from her face, replaced by profound gratitude.
Without saying another word, Aoi stepped forward and threw her arms around Nezuko, pulling her into a tight, desperate embrace.
Nezuko stiffened in surprise for a split second, then relaxed, wrapping her arms securely around Aoi's back.
Aoi buried her face into Nezuko's shoulder, her voice muffled and trembling. "Thank you..."
"Always," Nezuko whispered back softly.
They stood together in the center of the locked room as the storm outside raged on.
Heavy thunder continued to shake the concrete foundations of the complex. Rain violently lashed the iron-barred window. The corridors outside remained patrolled by armed guards. Mira was being escorted deeper into the unknown. Natsuki was wounded and unconscious. Kaito and Tokita were isolated in the dark.
And neither girl knew what horrors would unleash when the clock finally struck eight.
But inside that small, locked cell, surrounded by enemy territory, Aoi was no longer carrying the crushing weight of leadership alone.
And in a world that had completely fallen apart, having someone to share the dark with was sometimes the only thing that kept a person standing.
Far down the corridor, an old mechanical clock clicked forward.
Eight o'clock was drawing dangerously near.