Prologue (Part - 1)

The world had crumbled, a desolate wasteland haunted by the echoes of a past civilization. The apocalypse had come swiftly, culling through humans like wheat in the harvest season. Zombies and mutants roamed the land, preying on the few surviving humans.

As the morning sun painted the sky with hues of orange and gold, two figures emerged from the remnants of what had once been a bustling city. Marcus, the seasoned survivor, bore the unmistakable scars of a world in turmoil. His piercing eyes, like steel in the morning light, scanned the corners with a mixture of vigilance and weariness. A grizzly machete, edges coated red rested in his palm, ready to sing the death kneel at any creature foolish enough to approach him.

His sturdy frame, draped in a worn leather jacket and tattered jeans, spoke of a man who had weathered the storm and emerged unbroken. Strapped across his back, the shotgun seemed like an extension of himself, a constant reminder of the dangers that lurked in the world outside.

By his side, a young girl named Lila covered his back, a crossbow resting comfortably in her grasp. Her petite form, though still maturing, carried an air of resilience that defied her years. Her raven-black hair cascaded in untamed waves down to her shoulders, a stark contrast to the world's chaos. Her almond-shaped eyes, a deep shade of brown, were framed by long lashes that blinked with a mixture of fierceness and determination.

The building they approached, a luxury condo that had long lost its luster, loomed before them, its grand entrance marred by time and neglect. The door hung loosely on its hinges, a gateway to forgotten opulence. 

Marcus paused by the entrance, his eyes locking onto Lila's. "Remember your promise," he cautioned.

Lila let out an audible breath through her nose and muttered, "Yeah, sure," as she moved toward the entrance.

But Marcus, his patience thin, grabbed her arm with a grip that felt like a vice. He turned her sharply to face him. "Stop treating this lightly. I won't tolerate any more of your antics."

Lila winced, trying to shake her arm free, but it felt trapped in a steel clasp. "You're hurting me," she protested.

Marcus's voice was firm as he reiterated, "Do you understand me?"

"Let me go." With a determined effort, Lila managed to free her arm from his grasp and shot him a defiant glare. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten."

Marcus huffed in frustration, and with cautious steps, they both crossed over the threshold, every rustle and creak in the oppressive silence setting their nerves on edge.

The lift doors stood ajar, the interior a tangled mass of cables and debris, its once sleek chrome surfaces now corroded and rusted. Marcus and Lila passed by it, avoiding the precarious path it offered. The elevator's roof had collapsed, like a wounded beast, incapable of carrying them to their destination.

"Stay close," Marcus murmured to Lila, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Nearby, the emergency stairwell beckoned, a daunting spiral of concrete and steel that seemed to ascend endlessly toward the heavens. Lila sighed, her breath escaping in a tired exhale.

In their previous raids, they had methodically cleared the lower floors, leaving the penthouse at the very top.

The weighty silence that enveloped them shattered with each echoing footfall on the cold marble. The early morning sun fought to cast a feeble glow through the shattered windows, its pale light struggling to penetrate the persistent darkness that clung to the stairwell. Overhead, the fluorescent lights flickered intermittently, casting eerie, unpredictable shadows that danced along the walls.

Upon reaching the thirtieth floor, Lila's labored breaths were evident, her chest heaving with each ragged inhale. Marcus squinted against the blinding sunlight that streamed into the luxuriant, untamed garden. Nature's relentless advance saw plants and vines creeping into the house, slowly but steadily reclaiming the once-human sanctuary as their own.

The penthouse, surprisingly, offered a modicum of safety compared to the lower floors. The roof had partially collapsed, creating a gaping hole through which sunlight streamed in, bathing the once-opulent space in a hazy, golden glow. The broken shards of glass from the skylight littered the floor like diamonds scattered upon a velvet carpet.

As they moved through the penthouse, their cautious steps were accompanied by the scrape of Marcus's machete against cobwebs that clung to corners like shrouds. The blade's edge severed the delicate strands, setting loose minuscule particles of dust that swirled in the air. Lila sneezed as the dust teased her throat.

Marcus tensed, one hand poised on the blade and the other inching towards the shotgun at his back. Lila crouched low, her fingers deftly aligning the crossbow's sights with the dark corners. For a suspended moment, their nerves stood on a precipice, ready to plunge into action at the slightest provocation, before finally easing into reluctant relaxation.

Lila's brow furrowed as she slowly lowered the bow. "I don't like this."

"Don't like what?"

"We have cleared 29 floors without encountering a single zombie," she said, her unease deepening. "How likely is that? Someone cleared all the zombies and saved the loot for us? Or those things just jumped out of the windows?"

"Might as well have," Marcus replied, his lips forming a thin line. "Their brains rotted along with the rest of them."

The sense of wrongness lingered but Lila didn't force the issue. 

With cautious steps, they began their search, scanning the derelict apartments for signs of life or anything of value. Dust lay thick on the marble floors, and cobwebs adorned the opulent chandeliers.

Wordlessly, they decided to split up, each venturing into different corners of the decaying penthouse. The tension hung in the air like a tangible presence, their senses heightened as they moved, uncertain of what awaited them in the shadows of this forgotten place.

Lila made her way to the bedroom, her eyes scanning for any sign of valuables amidst the decay. Goods like food, water, blankets, and clothes were always in demand, but she kept an eye out for items with trade value, like jewelry.

A quick glance at the blankets draped across the disheveled bed made her dismiss the idea of salvaging them. The once-silken fabric had long succumbed to mold, and a myriad of holes riddled its surface, rendering them useless. Most of the clothes tucked away in the dusty cupboard had suffered a similar fate, their fibers deteriorating with time. However, her heart leaped when she spotted a row of unopened perfume bottles on the shelf. She carefully placed her crossbow beside her and opened her backpack, starting to collect them.

Unbeknownst to her, lurking within the murky shadows and clinging to the ceiling, a grotesque mutant patiently awaited its moment, its limbs grasping onto the surface like a nightmarish insect. It observed the young woman with a twisted form of intelligence gleaming in its eyes.

The instant Lila placed her weapon aside, the mutant sprung into action. 

A surge of primal intuition raced through Lila's senses. She leaped to the side, snatching her crossbow and swiftly firing behind her.

Both their attacks missed each other by a hair's breadth.

The creature landed near the door, blocking her way out. Its nightmarish features peered menacingly at Lila, a screech escaping its grotesque maw, chilling her to the core. It lunged again, relentless in its pursuit. 

Lila reacted swiftly, firing her crossbow once more, the bolt embedding itself deeply into the mutant's shoulder. But to her shock, it seemed unaffected, driven by a malevolent determination to reach her.

The violent collision sent them hurtling toward the opposite wall, their impact shattering the wooden cupboard. Lila felt as though a sledgehammer had been driven into her back, and the taste of metallic blood filled her mouth. Dust and debris rained down upon them, momentarily blinding her. Her arms, however, never wavered, desperately fending off the mutant's gnashing teeth, its foul saliva dripping onto her skin. Cracks spidered along the crossbow under the mutant's teeth. Its jagged nails dug deep into her flesh, pulling her closer, and Lila screamed in agony. Panic surged through her veins as she struggled to keep the abomination at bay.

"Lila." Marcus rushed into the room with the shotgun at the ready. Without a clear shot, he discarded the shotgun and rushed to her aid with a war bellow. The deadly machete gleamed in the morning sun and sang like a bullet leaving a gun's chamber.

The mutant snarled, its leg twisting and turning like a contortionist's nightmare, bending at impossible angles and landed a heavy blow on Marcus. 

He sailed through the air and crashed heavily through the opposite wall.

"No!" Lila screamed as panic burned through her veins like acid, weakening her strength and resolve. Her arms trembled, unable to withstand the mutant's assault.

Then, in a moment that defied comprehension, the weight lifted off Lila. The mutant, with a speed that defied its grotesque form, was sent hurtling into the opposite wall. It crashed through the plaster, leaving a jagged hole in its wake, and disappeared into the adjacent room.

And there, before her, stood another figure—a figure that chilled her to the bone. It was a zombie, its rotten flesh clinging to skeletal bones, its vacant eyes staring into the abyss.