Nothing says 'logistical nightmare' quite like 'apocalypse.’ Well, except for 'incompetence', of course.

There was so much shit to do, made worse by the fact that lives depended on it. The constant language barriers made things difficult, as did the fact that we couldn't just shove all the refugees into the tower due to the fact that it needs to be scouted out and 'defanged', lest somebody take a bath in the punji tub.

The foyer was completely safe, and the kitchen was deemed to be safe enough assuming you didn't try to open the microwave, so our native old cook was doing her job with enthusiasm and grit. Meanwhile, the various scouting parties I had sent off were coming back with people in droves, with more and more simply wandering into the area, following the sounds of engines and yelling.

The 'scouts' are reporting only a few leftover orcs and the occasional warg, nothing a few bullets cant handle. They've gone only a few blocks out though, so we'll see if we don't run into some kind of cosmic horror lurking in one of the buildings around here.

And, man...with the sun shining as it should, it cast the world in a...well, real light. Before it seemed ethereal, like a nightmare or a shitty horror movie. But now it seemed...grounded. The mismatched city was still broken, distorted, an unrecognizable skyline unbroken by miles and miles of concrete.

This was life, now. It was lucky that just about everybody was too busy working to let the existential dread kick in, but it would eventually. Hopefully, I could get this impromptu community functioning before the emotional breakdowns begin.

Well, there's been a whole lot of useless crying, so that was more referring to the people who mattered.

And speaking of people who mattered, it was time to talk strategy, which is why I gathered just about everybody I could think of in a very conveniently placed meeting room near the foyer. It took a bit to convince my guests to come, and even more to convince them that the path was safe. But here I was.

I stood at the front, near the blank board that I had no intention of using, wearing a crisp new black suit, perfect save for the missing leg. It had only been a few hours, and I was distinctly less pale, so I'd say I looked rather good. Goro was by my side, wearing a simple brown coat with also brown cargo pants, looking board, eyes practically glazed over. His sword was strapped to his side, blade bare due to the lack of sheath.

Sitting close to me were my V.I.P.S, who I've only spoken to in passing until now.

The old veteran was named Walther. He was German, but spoke several languages fluently, which was obviously a highly valued skill at the moment. I gather he's smart, collected, and has his head in the game. A true professional. He wore an old checkered shirt that was only slightly more lined than his face.

The army man's name is John, and he looked like one too, so aggressively caucasian that I won't bother to describe his face. He was still wearing his uniform, though it was covered in blood and dust from the last few hours of pulling corpses and casualties out of rubble. His helmet was placed on the table, and he clutched his rifle in his arms. When he insisted he bring it, I suspect he thought I'd argue. But I didn't.

The suit-wearing dipshit's name is Bradley. Apparently, he's a regional manager for some shitty fast-food chain. He wore his stereotype on his sleeve, and his face wasn't worth remembering. I didn't even invite him.

The rest of the chairs were staffed by random folks I haven't met or couldn't remember, mostly people who were bilingual, so they could share what we talked about with the people who needed it. There were a good few dozen people in here in total, which would have to do for now.

I clapped my hands together, silencing the murmuring. This was a definitive moment. I had to lead these people. I hadn't even considered an alternative. All I had to do was convince them of this inevitable truth.

"For those that don't know, my name is James, and my friend who saved us all is Goro."

Strong start. That got attention. The crowd was silent, staring more at Goro than I.

"Let me be clear. The world has effectively ended. This is an apocalypse. There will be no rescue nor support, as the entire world is suffering the same that we are."

Bradley slapped the table. "How do you know for sure?!" he yelled. A fair question.

I wiggled my fingers. “Magic.”

Bradley just gaped for a moment, trying to formulate a response, before I gestured towards Goro. "Do you mind?"

Goro nodded, turned around, and punched the wall behind me, hard. The solid brick exploded outwards, raining down on the adjacent room, scattering dust and fragments everywhere. A bit much, but I couldn't let them dwell on my vague answer.

That action was accompanied by shouts and screams of surprise and fear, and that was before they saw what was in the other room.

It was just a storage room. Empty and bland. Which was exactly why I had Goro chain an orc down in it. It squealed and struggled in fear and anger, to no avail.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

I held up my hands and yelled as loud as I could. "Everybody, calm down! For those that were there for the battle, you know what these are, you know what Goro can do. But for those that weren't, or those that don't quite understand or accept our new reality... I prepared a demonstration."

Goro marched over to the orc and dragged it to its feet with one hand, displaying it in all its glory to the visitors, who largely looked ready to bolt. Bradley was physically recoiling, John was leveling his gun, while Walther just looked on with interest.

I waved my hands in front of the orc, which was dragged to be only a foot away from me. "As you can see, this thing is not of this world. It is a monster, straight from fiction and fantasy. It kills for fun, and is smart enough to use weapons and rudimentary clothing."

I jabbed a finger towards its mouth, and it tried to bite me with its toothy snout. "This is the enemy. I suspect some of you have walked over the twisted corpses of these creatures' victims on the way here. They have killed an unknowable amount. True evil, wouldn't you say?"

I gestured, and Goro squeezed its head, popping open like a melon with his bare hands. The corpse collapsed to the ground. The murmurs fell silent.

I slammed my hands on the desk for emphasis. "But what we all have to understand, and accept, is that this is our new normal! These aren't the only creatures that now stalk this earth. This is just our area, the local variety. You all witnessed the moment that the sky turned back to normal, right?"

I didn't bother waiting for responses, as it wasn't a real question. "It's true that this area is free from the influence. But not the world. I couldn't tell you just how far these clear skies reach, but I can tell you that the entire world is facing the same predicament. Thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of more tears in reality are causing untold death and destruction as we speak."

I paused for a moment, letting the weight of the statement sink in. Some hung on to my every word. Others were frozen in shock. Most were still staring at the corpse. It didn't matter. They'd remember my words.

"But we can fight back, and we can win, as Goro so demonstrated. And that, people, is what we are here to discuss."

I gestured widely to the building as a whole. "This is a safe haven, or, well, as safe as it can get. We have food, water, weapons, and we have people. We have the opportunity- no, the responsibility to survive and thrive, and to do that we must come together. We must understand our new world, and ensure that our children can be born into peace and safety."

I leaned forward, and took a gentle tone. "I know many of you were separated from your families, and want to go out and look for them. If that is what you choose, I would have you sent on your way with food and water..."

Who's authority is it to make that decision? Good question.

"...but I would encourage you to stay. I'm not asking everybody to pick up arms by any means, but I ask that everybody do their part. This is the beginnings of a community, and I hope you all want to be a part of it, and of this scary new world."

And that was it. I was met by silence. But of the good kind, contemplative. It wasn't exactly a scenario for clapping.

"Now," I said. "I would appreciate it if you all could share the news with everybody you can. I will write up a more detailed explanation of what information I do have regarding our current predicament. In the meantime, if those confident in their administrative skills, or those that have any valuable talent or idea to put forward would stay, I'd appreciate it."

Most of the crowd shuffled out, leaving my original group and a few random folks still sitting in the back. Hopefully, I'd find some gems within them, but not everybody can have a core filled with potential.

"Alright," I said, getting everybody's attention. "It's time for the fun part. Administration and logistics. We've got a lot of people to feed and shelter, rescue operations to run, and monsters to gun down. This is going to require a lot of paperwork."

John spoke up, voice surprisingly soft. "Before that, sir...I've got a question."

"And so do I!" yelled Bradley, interrupting the poor man in a voice twice the volume.

I nodded towards John, but Bradley spoke anyway. "Who's going to be the leader?"

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, sighing. A bit slow on the draw, huh? "It's a democracy, kid."

Only technically.

He continued unabated. "Then we should draw a-"

I interrupted him, glaring him down. "I don't mind you sitting in on this meeting, despite the fact that you aren't making yourself useful, but if you interrupt again I'm going to have Goro throw you out of the premises. Violently."

He looked at Goro, and my dear pal looked right back, complete disinterest in his eyes.

Bradley shut the fuck up and sat back down.

"Now," I said, "What were you saying, John?"

The man stared at his helmet, cradling his gun. "Can we get superpowers like him?"

I smiled. That was the kind of attitude I was looking for. "I'm still trying to understand these things myself...but yes. I'm confident you can, and I even have a few ideas as to how."

John just nodded. "I hope to be the first to know."

"You will."

Walther cleared his throat. "I believe I've already got my job all lined up for me. I'll continue translating as much as I can."

I grabbed a marker off the whiteboard and began to write. First, I wrote 'Powers' and circled it three times. "Normally, this comes much further down the line in a survival situation, but a school would be high priority, at least one to teach English. The language barriers will only get worse the more people we get."

I wrote 'School' and circled it twice. "Can you handle arranging it?"

He smiled and nodded. "Never thought I'd be a principal."

I scoffed. "Lot's of firsts lately."

A young woman's voice spoke up from the back. "I've yet to get the full scope of the operations here, but I can tell you that we simply don't have enough housing for all the people. We've got well over 200 packed like sardines in the foyer and in the plaza, and we don't even have tents."

It was an inconspicuous blonde woman sitting in the back, staring at a notebook. She wore glasses, and looked every bit the stereotypical secretary.

"I've taken the liberty of looking around the building," she continued. "And found that the first floor is both dangerous and filled with utility rooms, supply rooms, and social rooms. There are little to no bedrooms, save for the barracks in the left wings, which only have a capacity of 80."

Bradley spoke up, sounding haughty as ever, but seemingly deciding to participate. "The floor plan already makes no logical sense, so it's not a stretch to think there could be more on the higher floors."

The secretary nodded. "Correct, but I was unable to access them. I seemed to be...well, unable to climb the stairs after a certain point."

I hummed. Goro and I reached it just fine. Maybe it requires cores of certain strength? "I've got some ideas in that regard. I might be able to clear the way. There's just one problem."

They all looked at me expectantly, and I scratched my chin, wondering how best to drop this revelation.

"The second floor is super haunted."