“I see lights, there may be people there. I hope they are friendly.”
“Ow, ow, Hamu, you hurting me,” I complained. Hamu loosened his grip but I can tell he still doesn’t like the idea of us being around strangers. To think of it, doesn’t the typical post-apocalypse scenario have a lot of bandits and unsavory people? And if they somehow had guns, they could shot me dead before I was even able to say hi. Well, this is not America, most citizens are not allowed to have firearms, there are no gun shops and even the police rarely reveal their handguns. Instead, I think most bad guys will have machetes and such with them, those are sold freely.
“Levi, could you sneak there and see if the people are friendly?”
“There are no other nearby pet shops that we haven’t checked and maybe they are the ones that looted the cat foods. Maybe we can trade with them,” I persuade, although my main intention is to be able to trade for my food and drink. I have been holding my hunger to delay the idea of eating dog food. I had tasted cat foods before, some brands taste okay for my palate, but I would rather not eat a full meal of pet food.
“We will wait inside that building,” I pointed to the nearby ruined pet shop. “Oh wait, let me remove that,” I add as I realize I forgot to remove my cat collars. Both collars have bells, creating noises when the cats run or jump. It wasn’t a big deal with zombies as they are slow, but I prefer bad people don’t catch Levi and turn him into a meal. I removed Levi’s collar and he left afterward making no noises. I also removed Hamu’s collar before we hid in the pet shop.
As we were waiting, I am considering to remove the bells from the collars. The cats can wear the collars again that way. Hamu noticed me and protested,
Right! If it is up to their choices, my cats didn’t want accessories or fabrics stuck to their fluffy bodies. I nodded and put the collars in the backpack. Having time to spare, I decided to pull up a wand toy and play with Hamu. He enjoyed seeking and capturing the toy that hid and skitters among the ruins. Fifteen minutes later, Levi slid into the pet shop and sat near me, head proud of a job done.
“Alright. You did a great job,” I praise Levi and give him some scritches behind his ear. I stand up and start walking toward the library.
From where we are, a small concrete bridge separates our area from the library. Below the bridge are two man-made rivers, one goes to the east while another goes to a reservoir in the west. My part of the city was flooded every few years until they fixed the barrier between the two rivers. The year after that, the flood went to the other district over the bridge for the first time and some of the rich people over there got so angry they sold their houses and moved away.
Arriving at the gate, I understand this library is an ideal place to defend. The courtyard is secured by iron fences with a heavy iron door. The building consists of three levels of medium-sized concrete offices with a five-level tower. In the middle front of the tower, there is a vertical slit from the first to the fourth floor, and the top ends with a big diamond-shaped window. The tower seems a good place for observation and defense. Meanwhile, the main office space has a weakness of big windows on the south side, but they can barricade those.
The two guards were surprised to see me and my two cats. I decided to stop in my tracks and hold my hands up, as they whisper among themselves. They wear security uniforms and have batons as their weapons of choice. One of them turns on their flashlight and inspects what I brought.
“Are you walking alone at night, Lady? Nighttime is especially dangerous.”
“I wouldn’t know that, I just woke up and realized the world changed today.”
“Where do you come from?”
“The other district, just a few blocks away. What about you guys?”
The guy with the flashlight turns it off while the other guy continues the conversation, they seem more relaxed now.
“We worked at the library when it happened. The librarians quickly turned the place into a refugee center after seeing all the buildings in the area ruined. We got people from your district and this district. If you are friendly, you are welcome to join us.”
“I mainly just want to trade,” I answered. I don’t do well among a group of people and I will have to discuss it with my cats.
“Well, we advise you to stay for the night, it is dangerous out there. Then talk to Conrad in the morning, maybe he can sort you out,” he pushed the gate so I may enter.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
I looked at my cats. Hamu has been whipping his tail, he is full of energy and ready to rampage. Levi’s bunny-like tail is too small for whipping but I felt his sharp gaze say that he is also rearing for hunts. Today was the first day they went out without a leash and I bet it was fun to hunt those zombies. I look back towards the guard.
“Can I just talk to him now?” I urged him, but I had no excuse I could use. I don’t think he will understand if I say my cats don’t want us to stay here.
“Eh, I guess we can check if he is awake. Come.”
I followed the guard inside and the other guard quickly closed the gate. I think they are just anxious with the idea of continuing the conversation outside.
“Have you met anyone else?”
“No, I just go check that road for pet shops and minimarkets then I arrived here.”
“I see. It is dangerous out there and we heard faster and more deadly creatures roam the night. Also, don’t go near the malls, those places are even more dangerous.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
We climbed three stairs and entered the main building. Empty bookcases were stacked on the windows on my left, which is not the kind of barricade I imagined. The guard guides me to the receptionist’s table, there is a lit candle on it and a lady brings a pot to a portable stove.
“Beatrice, is Conrad still awake?”
“No, he already told us he is going to sleep early. I think that news made him exhausted. So, who is the new lady?”
“Oh… I haven’t asked her name…”
“Hi! My name is Tamita,” I smiled.
“I am Dirk, and the other guard is Dean.”
“I am Beatrice, I take care of the food here. Would you like a bowl of soup?”
“That would be amazing!”
“Dirk, you should go back to your duty, I will make sure Tamita is comfortable here until she meets Conrad tomorrow,” Beatrice ordered Dirk while turning on the portable stove to warm up the soup.
“Yes ma’am. See you tomorrow, Tamita!”
“Your cat is hungry too? I don’t think they should eat this soup… maybe Conrad can check if we got cat food tomorrow.”
“Oh, no, no. They just got bored.”
“Alright. Could you two circle and hunt around the area first?” I asked and Beatrice got confused witnessing me talking nonsense to my cats.
Talk to the mind? How? Then I look at Hamu, focusing on his cute little fuzzy face, and ask again, <….. > How?
The cats do not respond so I realize I must be doing it wrong. I tried again and again, my face turned into a frustrated frown as the cats didn’t respond.
“I can’t do it,” I say, exasperated.
“Please stay safe and come back when the sun starts peeking,” I answered and petted them both. The cats purr before turning and leaving. They leap and sneak past Dirk when he opens the front door for himself. In just a few seconds, Levi and Hamu squeeze off the main gate and disappear.
“Your cats ran away, I’m sorry,” Beatrice commented, ignoring my side of the conversation with the cats for her sanity. A hot bowl of soup in her hand but she is unsure if I will be eating or chase my pets.
“It’s okay, they will be back tomorrow morning,” I smiled and accepted the bowl. The soup in question is mostly seasoned water with a few strands of noodles and sad wrinkly spring onions. I think this is better than kibbles but I bet the canned dog food would taste better with more seasoning and some warming up. I am not going to pull that up now though, I may need them for bargaining. In any case, it is nice to have a proper human food.
“Appreciated. I am glad I don’t have to eat kibbles.”
Beatrice made a sad laugh. “Well, enjoy while it lasts. We only have a few days’ worth of those before we have to open up the stuff we found from the pet shops.”
“Oooh, you got the food from the nearby pet shops?”
“Yes, but don’t get your hopes high yet. We only got leftover kibbles and did not even check what animal they were for. You seem to care more about your cats than yourself eh?”
“Hehe, you got me. Those two kept me going,” I didn’t even lie, Levi and Hamu saved me today. They also repeatedly saved my sanity back before, as I was struggling with my mind and being unemployed. I will get them their favorite foods even before I trade something for my food. I finished my soup while appreciating my fluffy family.
“Well, let’s go upstairs and let me show you where you can sleep,” Beatrice stops me from further daydreaming about cat appreciation. I awkwardly smile and give the bowl back, then follow her upstairs. Part of me wants to ask about the books instead if I can read them while waiting for daylight so I can adjust my sleep cycle to my cats’ but I withhold because they will have to light a candle for me.
The second-floor hallway branched to my front and into the left. Up front is where the adult and teenager section of the library. The cabinets with the books have been pushed to the wall and people sleep wherever there is a spot, from carpets, sofas, and blankets. There are probably around ten people there.
I look to the left. If I remember correctly, there was an office room, a cafeteria, then a podcast room, and a meeting room in that direction.
“Conrad slept in that office room,” Beatrice pointed as she saw where I was looking at. “The rest of those rooms are storages. More sleeping on the third floor. Come, the second floor is less crowded than the third.”
Beatrice silently opened the door to the library and then ushered me inside. She closed the door, smiled at me, and waved goodbye before going back to the first floor. I figured she is probably part of the night shift and needs to make sure the guards aren’t left clueless.
I decided to go to a corner where I could lie down or gaze at the books. At first, I just lay down and let my mind wander. Wander it is, my mind barrages me with so many questions… Like what happened in my city? How big is this catastrophe? When will we get rescued? What if more dangerous monsters hurt Levi and Hamu? Quickly, I started getting frustrated with my thoughts.
I sat down and impulsively grabbed a random book from the cabinet. Before I could regret how foolish that was, I opened the book and was surprised I could read it. Then I remembered Levi told me that I also got a new power. Could it be this is my new power? Ability to see in the dark? I feel embarrassed that I didn’t notice it sooner. It is not a big superpower, unlike what Levi and Hamu have, but I don’t have to worry about exploring at night with them. Feeling satisfied, I lay back down and started reading the book I had taken. It is a fantasy fiction about a guy who got transported into a fantasy world and has an online supermarket as his super skill, so he can summon things he enjoyed from his previous life.