The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 36: Ch : The Vale Mansion- Part 3

Selene moved swiftly through the dimly lit corridors of the mansion, her senses on high alert as she guided Noah and Nora toward safety.

Her heartbeat was steady, her breathing controlled.

She had spent the past two months preparing for this, honing her skills to face the horrors of the apocalypse, and it was paying off.

Every shift in the air, every flicker of movement, she sensed it before it could become a threat.

The twins, however, were far from calm.

Noah and Nora stayed close to her, their once confident demeanors crumbling as they processed the situation.

Noah clenched his fists as he walked beside her, his steps sharp and tense, while Nora’s fingers trembled slightly as she held onto the hem of her own sleeve.

As they made their way through the winding halls, Noah finally broke the silence.

"Where have you been? For two months, you just disappeared! Why didn’t you ever visit? You didn’t even send a message!"

He asked, his voice sharp with frustration.

Selene didn’t stop walking.

"I was busy,"

She answered simply.

Noah scoffed.

"Busy? With what? "What could be so important that you couldn’t even check on us? We’re your family, Selene!"

His anger grew, his voice rising.

Selene felt her fingers twitch at his words but kept her emotions in check.

She had expected this. She had expected their anger, their confusion.

But she wasn’t going to explain herself.

Noah wasn’t satisfied with her lack of response. He suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

"Look at me when I’m talking to you. You think you can just abandon us and come back when it’s convenient? What was more important than us?"

He demanded, his voice filled with frustration.

Selene sighed, her patience thinning.

"Survival and freedom."

Noah’s expression darkened. His hands trembled before he clenched them into fists again. Without thinking, he swung at her.

Selene saw it coming a mile away.

She easily sidestepped, causing Noah to stumble forward.

His momentum nearly sent him crashing to the floor, but before he could fall, Selene reached out, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him upright.

For a moment, there was silence. Noah stood frozen, his face red with embarrassment and fury. He clenched his teeth, his pride clearly wounded.

Nora quickly stepped between them before Noah could lash out again.

"Selene. Why didn’t you tell our parents? They’ve been so worried about you."

She said, her voice softer than her brother’s but filled with just as much concern. This was why she was the future diplomat whom everyone trusted and let their guard down around.

Selene let out a humorless chuckle.

"Is that what they told you?"

Nora frowned.

"It’s true! They even sent people to look for you once they realized you were gone"

She insisted.

Selene rolled her eyes.

"They only noticed after a whole month. Do you really think they were worried? Or did they only start searching for me because they needed me to do something for them, and I wasn’t there to do it?"

She pointed out.

Nora opened her mouth as if to argue, but no words came. The realization settled in, making her falter.

Noah, however, wasn’t ready to accept it.

"You don’t know that."

He muttered, though his voice lacked the usual confidence he carried.

Selene didn’t argue further. It wasn’t worth it.

The conversation ended there, and the silence that followed was heavy.

But for Selene, it was almost peaceful.

For the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel the need to justify herself to them.

She led them further into the mansion, toward what she assumed was a safe zone.

She remembered that, in her past life, there had been a place fortified enough to last through the chaos of the first wave.

If she could get them there, they would at least have a chance to survive the night.

But just as they were nearing their destination, a cold shiver ran down her spine.

Something was following them.

Selene barely had time to react before a monstrous figure lunged from the darkness.

Its deformed body was covered in grotesque, pulsating veins, its limbs unnaturally elongated. Its eyes—if they could even be called that—were glowing slits of crimson, locked onto her with pure hunger.

Without hesitation, Selene moved.

Her long knife was in her hand in an instant, and as the monster’s claws came down, she parried with a swift motion.

Sparks flew as steel met bone, and the force of the impact sent a sharp vibration up her arm. But Selene held her ground, her stance unshaken.

Behind her, the twins were frozen in place.

They had never seen anything like this before.

Never seen someone fight a monster with such skill, such precision. The Selene they knew had never been like this.

The realization made their breath catch in their throats.

Selene didn’t have time to explain. The space was too tight, too narrow for a prolonged fight. If she killed this thing here, the sound would attract more.

They needed to move.

With a swift motion, she knocked the monster back with a well-placed kick. It stumbled, giving her just enough time to turn around and grab Noah and Nora by their arms.

"Move!"

She ordered.

She didn’t wait for them to respond. Dragging them forward, she ran.

They sprinted through the halls, their footsteps echoing against the marble floors.

Behind them, the monster let out an ear-piercing screech and gave chase, its grotesque limbs carrying it forward at an unnatural speed.

Selene cursed under her breath. They needed to reach the safe zone—now.

Pushing herself faster, she ignored the burning in her legs, the tightness in her chest. She could not let the twins die here.

The safe zone was just ahead.

Almost there.

With one final burst of speed, Selene yanked the twins through the threshold and slammed the heavy steel door shut behind them.

A deafening bang echoed as the monster crashed against the barrier, its enraged shrieks piercing through the thick walls. But the door held firm. They were safe—for now.

Selene exhaled deeply, her body still tense from the fight. She turned to look at Noah and Nora, who were both breathing heavily, their faces pale with shock.

"It’s fine now. We’ve survived the worst of it."