Upstairs in the shower, Winter thought about what Ava had said in the backyard.
After they had got done disposing of all the walkers, he decided on heading upstairs to take a cool shower. His thoughts were running amok and he needed to get them straight.
Winter entered his room, then headed into the bathroom and undressed before stepping into the shower. He turned the knob gently, allowing cold water to stream from the shower head.
A chain of questions began coursing through his head, trying to understand what happened. 'What'd she mean by that?'
'She was probably joking.'
'There's no way she meant that, right?'
Each thought, confused himself more and more, until eventually he refused to dwell on it.
After showering, Winter opened up the shower curtains and dried himself off with a towel. He exited the bathroom, applied lotion then got dressed.
When putting on his shirt, there was a knock on the door. Pulling his shirt down, he walked over to the door and opened it.
On the other side of the door stood Ava. She gazed into his eye, looking away about half a second later.
"I didn't mean what I said out there." She said in a hushed tone, clearly embarrassed by her actions.
Raising an eyebrow, Winter acted as if he hadn't heard what she said—though with his enhanced intelligence, it was heard as clear as day.
Slightly flustered, she repeated, this time a little louder. "Ugh, I said I didn't mean what I said in the backyard, okay? I don't know what came over me-"
"-it was probably just the heat of the moment..." She repeated the last part in her previous hushed tone, but Winter decided against taunting her again.
His head was now clear of any of its previous thoughts, he too thought it was a mistake in the heat of the moment. After all, she just lost her boyfriend. He doubted that she meant what she said.
Smiling, Winter replied. "I understand, it was me who initiated the kiss in the first place."
"But next time, I won't take it as a slip of the tongue." He added cheekily while mimicking a walker.
Laughing, Ava ran away down into the living room. Winter chased behind her, giving up when he reached the bottom of the staircase.
Simon was watching television when an emergency broadcast found its way on to the screen. Sage—who was in the kitchen—walked into the living room, confused on what the loud noise was.
*STATIC*
*BEEP... BEEP... BEE-*
"This is a national emergency. Please remain calm and listen carefully."
"Understanding from the voice in the sky, there has been a nationwide outbreak of multiple zombie like entities called 'walkers'. Residents are advised to stay indoors and avoid contact with them."
"We do not recommend engaging with walkers. But to those that are able, we have found that killing walkers grant you experience points—five to be exact. After reaching 100 experience points, you will automatically level up granting you five attribute points."
"To use said attribute points, all one has to do is call out status or think of the word. There are five main stats: Strength, Agility, Constitution, Intelligence and Magic Power. Adding points will increase certain attributes that align with said stat. The other two, Luck and Charisma are fixed stats that cannot be changed."
"If not able, do not engage and stay indoors. Military intervention is underway."
The message was looped three times before the TV started playing like usual.
Initially shocked, a moment later, the group resumed their activities. Winter had already explained it to Sage, and she in turn explained it to the siblings.
If anything caught their attention, it would have been the last statement.
'Military intervention is underway.'
Simon was the first one to voice out his opinion.
"Do you think they're gonna send supply drops or something?" He asked jokingly.
Winter replied chuckling. "I don't know maybe. I just hope we don't get sniped or something looting the supply box."
The two boys laughed.
"What was that about?" Sage questioned.
Winter replied teasingly. "You wouldn't get it."
Ava glanced at Simon, he put his index and thumb together before sliding them across his lips. 'My lips are sealed.'
Sage rolled her eyes, "If they actually do plan on sending supply drops. How long do you think it would take for them to do so?"
They pondered, thinking of possible scenarios but nothing came to mind. They too were also affected by the apocalypse. Giving out supplies seemed like nothing but a pipe dream.
"It would seem more likely for them to rescue survivors than to give out supplies. But then again, since most of the population turned; there should be a lot of resources remaining." Winter explained.
It made sense but only time can tell if they were right or not. All that matters now was that they live long enough to see that day.
As the sun started to set, Winter grew impatient. In a few more hours, the house upgrades would be ready. Not wanting to think on it any longer, Winter suggested an idea.
"Who's up for a game of monopoly?"
-------
The sky outside was now dark, almost representing the hearts of Ava, Simon and Winter.
From the moment they started playing the game, Sage has been the only one winning! Even after two rounds where the other three teamed together, she always seemed to luck her way out of things!
Winter sighed in despair. "Twenty point of luck was really something else."
After Sage won another round, the other three chose to give up. Playing another round would only raise the frustration in their hearts.
Simon got up off the floor and turned the TV on, an episode of 'The Rain' already playing.
Winter glanced up at him before shaking his head.
Simon seeing this pleaded his case. "It's best to enjoy it while it's here than being sad when there's no more internet."
"...Makes sense." Winter replied then turned to Ava. "When you plan on going to bed, you can crash with Sage in the guest bedroom.
"Simon, you can bunk with me until I clean out my parents room. Unless you fall asleep on the couch."
And a few minutes later, Simon fell asleep on the couch. Ava went into the guest bedroom with Sage while Winter went into his bedroom.
After putting a pair of pajama pants on, Winter took off his shirt and got into bed. Opening his system, he decided to do some scrolling before going to sleep.
[Suggestion Spray: When used on target, it temporarily weakens mental resistance and increases suggestibility for a short period of time.]
[Hint: Pushes target to do what they already wanted to.]
[Cost:100 Apocalust Points]
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[Golden Apple: When used, it grants the user a 50% increase to Charisma for 1 hour.]
[Hint: Helps when negotiating, seducing or commanding attention.]
[Cost: 200 Apocalust Points]
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[Sensual Candle: When lit, the flower like scent causes everyone who smells it to become slightly aroused.
[Hint: The smaller the area, the stronger the affect.]
[Cost: 300 Apocalust Points]
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[Vintage Record Player: Playing music from this player reduces stress and mental strain, filling the air with soothing melodies.]
[Hint: Loosen up and play some Jazz.]
[Cost:750 Apocalust Points]
'That's a pretty big jump in price.' he thought in surprise.
As he began to continue his scrolling, there were quiet knocks on the door before it creaked open.
'Hmm?'