A cool morning breeze wafted through, carrying with it the pervasive scent of decay from our new Earth.

We gathered near the entrance of our shelter with backpacks and weapons at the ready. Today's mission was clear: to scavenge for resources in the heart of Cologne.

Whispering a Taylor Swift song, Mia appeared to be in a cheerful mood.

"I have a good feeling about today," she said with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "I think we'll find something special."

Lucas leaned against a broken wall and gave her a wry smile.

"Your optimism is good, Mia, but remember, it's not about finding things. It's about getting back here in one piece."

"If Mia doesn't stop singing that ear rape, she's the one who's not getting back in one piece," Erwin snarled between his teeth.

"Hey! Taylor Swift was the best singer in the world!"

My sister, always the practical one, stood in between them, "Lucas is right. We stick to the plan, no unnecessary risks..."

Her grave tone hushed everyone. She was trying to remind them of the dangers that lurked beyond our temporary haven. At times, it only took one quarrel to lead a whole group to doom.

"... and just so you know, I also don't like Taylor Swift."

Watching the smirk on Erwin's lips and Mia pouting at Zoe, I took back my words about her being practical. This time, I would be the one to shoulder the burden of responsibility.

"Let's stay sharp out there. We can't afford any mistakes."

We set off, the skeletal remains of the city looming over us. Our footsteps echoed through the empty streets, a haunting rhythm in the silence.

"So, Aiden," Mia started, breaking the quiet, "any place in particular you want to hit first?"

I felt everyone's eyes on me and pondered for a while.

"Let's head to the old EDEKA supermarket in Gondorf. It's been a while since we checked it, and we could use more food supplies."

"Good call," Lucas chimed in. "But let's be cautious. That area has been crawling with infected lately."

"Don't worry. If things go south, I am your get-out-of-jail free card."

Erwin kept giving my sister sidelong looks, and I couldn't help but laugh at his antics.

Boys will be boys, I guess.

As we walked, our conversations slowly drifted from practical matters to light chatter. Erwin brought up "funny" topics like what was our favorite Apocalypse game back when the Internet was a thing, and Lucas stared at him with the blank face of someone who had given up.

Well, at least he managed to lighten the heavy atmosphere...

Mia ended up telling us a humorous story from her childhood, bringing a rare chuckle from Lucas and a smile to my sister's face.

I let them have fun and paid attention to my surroundings, scouting for dangers hidden amidst the ruins.

Cologne was like a ghost of its former self, filled with crumbling buildings and overgrown streets.

Yet, I could still see some signs of life and beauty – a bird's nest in the crook of a streetlight, wildflowers pushing through cracks in the pavement.

"We're still here, despite everything," Mia said, her voice tinged with a mix of sadness and determination.

"Yeah," my sister replied. "We're survivors, that's what we do."

The supermarket came into view, its parking lot now a field of weeds and debris. We drew near with caution, watching for danger at every turn.

Animals and humans alike are naturally drawn to food; therefore, it's no surprise that places like supermarkets and food storage facilities have always had infected.

"Alright, team. Let's stick together and be quick about it. In and out."

They nodded in agreement as we readied ourselves to enter the building, each of us aware of the risks but driven by the necessity of survival.

Every scavenging trip was a gamble, but it was one we had to take. I tightened my grip on the shiv in my hand.

The supermarket's automatic doors were long gone, leaving a gaping maw that led into a dimly lit expanse.

We gathered our courage and stepped inside, our footsteps echoing off the empty shelves and scattered debris. The lights above us were now just broken fixtures in a ceiling overtaken by creeping vines.

The stench of spoiled food and rust assaulted my nostrils and clung to the back of my throat, giving me the urge to gag out of nowhere. From the corner of my eye, I glanced over at the others and noticed that Mia was throwing up all over the fruit section. Erwin also seemed to be a little paler than usual.

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How Lucas and Zoe managed to remain so calm while we were afflicted by the foul smell is beyond my comprehension.

"Looks like a graveyard for canned goods," Lucas muttered, his flashlight beam cutting through the darkness.

"Yeah, remember when coming here was just about grabbing snacks for movie night?"

No one answered Mia.

It was too painful to revisit some memories. Of course, there was always the possibility that her face was too unsightly with vomit all over it.

We moved forward slowly, our eyes adjusting to the dark interior. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the sound of our movement and the occasional distant drip of water.

I shivered when the warmth of the sun's rays hit my shoulders through the broken panes, a sharp difference to the chill within the shadowed corners of the supermarket.

Erwin grinned mischievously. "Bet I could make this place look like it did in the old days."

"Not now, Erwin," my sister warned. "We need to focus."

"Tch... killjoy."

Some people might take what he said as a joke, but we knew his words to be true. Erwin's gift for creating illusions had proven useful in the past.

Even though he had trouble telling reality from illusion at times, he was nonetheless one of our group's most powerful gift bearers. For the same reason, it was also a trick we used sparingly.

"It's like a scene from one of those old horror movies," Lucas whispered, his eyes scanning the shadows.

Zoe glared at him and Erwin, silently ordering them to shut up and pay attention.

"I didn't even say anything this time!"

"But you were going to."

I shook off my head with a smile. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Mia, Zoe and Erwin were still technically minors.

We split up, each taking a section of the store. After the constant swarms of people trying to steal food from supermarkets, the aisles were left a jumble of toppled products and shattered glass.

RAAAAUUUUGHHHH!

The high-pitched shriek pierced my ears, rendering me deaf for a couple seconds.

From the depths of the meat section, a pack of grotesquely mutated rabbits emerged, their features twisted into monstrous versions of their former selves.

Their eyes were fixed on us, glowing with a bloody light.

"Watch out!"

The creatures charged at us with unnatural speed for an infected, which startled me.

"Back off!" Mia shouted.

Her hands radiated an obnoxious, repulsive light that was completely at odds with her personality.

A rabbit lunged at her with its long claws, only to be thrust back against the shelves by the loud impact of her Vector Force gift.

The powerful blast of wind sent several of the creatures tumbling against the shelves. Cans and debris were lifted in the tumult, becoming unintentional projectiles against our foes.

Their snarls turned into confused whimpers.

"Mia, protect Zoe so that she can heal us!" I yelled over the screeches of the rabbit herd.

"Yes, sir."

I slashed the throat of a female mutated rabbit, spilling dark crimson blood all over my clothes. The supermarket itself seemed to conspire against us, the aisles too narrow, the debris on the floor a minefield of obstacles. Yet, it also served as a bottleneck, funneling our attackers into manageable numbers.

"Watch the sides and retreat to the counter!"

I found myself back-to-back with Lucas, the aisle restricting our movements.

He had joined me on the frontlines with a grim face, wielding a homemade spear. His curse allowed him a glimpse of potential futures—a split-second warning that gave him an edge.

I watched in admiration as Lucas moved with a precision that belied the chaos of the moment, striking at the rabbits with calculated efficiency. Crazy as it seems, he wasn't even operating at full capacity due to the inconvenient nature of using a long weapon in confined areas.

I was strong, but my knowledge of fighting and martial arts was far behind him.

"Listen, you plebians, let the main character start his show."

Smirking, Erwin focused his energy and the air shimmered with the illusions of flames engulfing the aisles.

The mutated rabbits hesitated, disoriented by the sudden inferno that seemed to erupt around them.

"Illusions have their teeth too, muahahaha!"

My sister stood behind us, armed with a salvaged crowbar. She knew her limits and refrained from engaging in combat. Since her healing ability could save us from common diseases and blood loss, it was crucial for her to survive in our situation.

Oh, I'm an exception.

Her gentle healing light that alleviated pain had no effect on me.

Nevertheless, I knew my role.

My gift of self-healing meant I could take risks others couldn't. My healing was not like my sister's. It hurt terribly, sometimes more than the wounds themselves.

But if I can protect them...

I dashed forward with murderous intent, drawing the attention of several rabbits. Their sharp teeth found my flesh, but the wounds closed almost as quickly as they were made.

...this pain is nothing!

Together, we fought back the horde in a chaotic symphony of growls, shouts, and the metallic clang of weapons.

"Behind the counter!" Mia's voice cut through the din.

A display rack became a barricade for us, and we used a spilled shelf of canned goods as a temporary fortification.

"This is nuts."

The rabbits were fierce—much stronger than the normal infected—but they were ultimately confused by Erwin's illusions and overwhelmed by our determined defense.

As quickly as it had begun, the skirmish ended.

The creatures, realizing their disadvantage, retreated into the darker parts of the supermarket, their eerie eyes vanishing into the shadows.

"Haa... haa... haa..."

We stood still for a while to collect ourselves, feeling the rush of adrenaline dwindling in our veins.

Erwin let out a triumphant whoop, breaking the tension.

"That was some quick thinking with the fire illusion," Lucas praised, clapping Erwin on the back.

"Just adding a little flare to our survival routine."

Despite the direness of the previous situation, the mood among us was surprisingly light.

"Pick up the food you want and let's get out of this hellhole."

"Maybe you should consider a quick change before you drop those pearls of wisdom, Aiden. You smell like shit." Erwin said while wrinkling his nose.

"Ah, my sincerest apologies. It's not like I was boxing a group of mutated rabbits to death, right?"

Even so, I swapped out my shirt because running on dried blood was a real pain. The others went straight to work, unwilling to hang around at the EDEKA store for another minute.

"I vote for these," Mia declared, holding up a can of peaches. "If we're going to survive the apocalypse, we might as well do it with some sweetness."

Erwin chuckled, rummaging through a nearby shelf.

"I'll raise your peaches with these cans of beans. They might not be sweet, but they'll keep us going."

"Great... more beans. Just what we need, Erwin," my sister rolled her eyes playfully.

"Mhmm... I guess we could take the peaches after all."

"Boot licker," Mia snorted.

"Excuse me, did my ears just hear you correctly, or is there a gremlin messing with the audio?"

"I'm not a gremlin!"

I smiled, finding comfort in their banter. It was moments like these that made the world feel a little less broken.

I turned to Lucas and saw him unusually quiet, his eyes scanning the labels of canned goods with an absent mind.

I approached him, a sense of concern creeping in.

"Everything okay, Lucas?"

"I'm not sure. I just got this... feeling."

A chill ran down my spine.

Lucas' premonitions were never to be taken lightly.

"What kind of feeling?"

"Like something bad is coming. Really bad," he murmured, his gaze distant.

Without another word, I sprinted towards the broken escalator, taking the steps two at a time. I needed a better view, a confirmation of Lucas' ominous feeling.

As I reached the rooftop, my pulse raced; for some reason, the open sky felt even more claustrophobic than the supermarket below.

The sight that greeted me stole the breath from my lungs.

Fuck.