Chapter 124 Tales of the past V

Chapter 124: Chapter 124 Tales of the past V

Minutes later, Ava finally showed up. She walked toward the door and looked through the peephole.

Luna could see her as well. The moment she saw Ava, hope rushed through her despite everything that had happened. "Please let me in," Luna begged. "I have food with me. It can go a long way for all of us."

It was a lie. The only things Luna had were the rotten bread and milk she had scavenged from the trash. But she had no choice. This was the only strategy she could use if she wanted to enter the safe zone.

Ava stared at her through the peephole. Her eyes slowly moved over Luna’s torn and shaggy clothes, her bruised face, and the blood covering her body. Instead of sympathy, something malicious flashed in her eyes. "I don’t want to open the door, Luna."

Luna’s heart sank.

"Stay out there. I’m sure it’s your new home." Ava’s lips curled into a mocking smile. "And how did you even survive out there? How am I supposed to know that you haven’t been bitten by those zombies?"

Luna’s face paled. Ava narrowed her eyes. "Maybe you’re trying to use this as a way to infect me and my family as revenge. Isn’t that just a perfect plan?"

"No!" Luna immediately shook her head. "I’m not infected."

Ava ignored her. She was already turning away from the door.

"Wait!" Luna slammed her hand against the door. "Please!"

Ava didn’t turn around. But before she could walk away completely, the door suddenly moved. It opened.

Luna’s eyes widened.

Standing behind Ava was James. Her father. He looked at Luna for a moment before glancing toward Ava. "Let’s see what she brought with her." His voice was calm. "Maybe it will be something useful."

Luna almost cried from relief. She quickly stepped inside. But she knew she couldn’t let them see how badly injured she was. She tried to act normal, covering her wounds with the torn parts of her clothes. Her body screamed with every step. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep moving.

Just act normal. Don’t let them know. Don’t let them see.

But the moment she took another step—Drip. A dark drop of blood fell onto the floor.

Luna froze. Another drop followed. Then another. A bloody footprint stained the ground beneath her.

James immediately turned. His eyes narrowed as he followed the trail of blood. "What’s that?"

Luna instinctively looked down. Shit.

Before James could pinpoint exactly where the blood was coming from, Madison and Thomas appeared. Their faces immediately twisted with anger when they saw Luna.

Madison stared at her in disbelief. "So, look who survived." She crossed her arms. "I’m shocked that you’re not dead."

Ava laughed from behind her. "Maybe she isn’t completely useless after all."

Madison laughed along with her. The sound was humiliating. Cruel.

Luna’s face burned. She couldn’t take it anymore. She tried to walk farther inside, hoping she could at least get somewhere safe. But Thomas suddenly grabbed her. "And where do you think you’re going with that disgusting body, you pig?"

He shoved her backward. Luna didn’t even have time to react. Her head slammed against the wall. Bang! The impact cracked the wall behind her.

"Ah!" Luna groaned. Fresh blood began trickling down the side of her head. She touched it with trembling fingers. "This is my family." Her voice shook. "And this is my home." She looked at them. "I deserve to stay here."

Before Thomas could respond, Ava stepped forward. "That time is in the past."

Luna stared at her.

"The same way Simon is mine now is the same way this house is mine." Ava’s eyes were filled with pride. "When you were completely useless, I was the one who got this place fortified. I built a secure ground for everyone here." She pointed toward the door. "And I won’t let a useless person like you stain it."

Luna’s lips trembled.

"So get lost." Ava reached toward her.

But before she could throw Luna out herself, Simon appeared.

Luna’s entire body froze.

Simon didn’t even look at her. He walked straight toward Ava. Then he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. Their lips met. He kissed Ava right in front of Luna. It was passionate. Almost deliberately so.

Luna’s teeth clenched. Her heart shattered all over again. No matter what she told herself, she still hadn’t gotten over what he had done. Simon had stolen her happiness. Her inheritance. Her future. Everything that had made her Luna had been ripped away from her.

And this man—the man she once wanted to spend the rest of her life with—was now kissing another woman right in front of her. How was she supposed to forgive that? How was she supposed to forget?

Luna’s eyes filled with tears. "Oh God..." Her voice cracked. "I wish you could make me go back." She looked upward. "I really need to fix my mistakes." She sobbed. "There are so many things I need to correct."

James suddenly noticed the pool of blood gathering beneath Luna’s feet. His expression changed. "What’s that?"

Luna looked down.

James’s face twisted with anger. "You dare stain this place?" He pointed at the floor. "Do you know how much this thing cost us?!"

Luna covered her ears. She couldn’t take the shouting anymore. "Stop..." Her voice was weak. "Please."

Thomas smiled. "Leave it to me, sister." He walked toward her. "Let me show her that she isn’t part of this squad anymore." His smile became cruel. "She’s just a useless, discarded thing that isn’t of any use to us."

Thomas grabbed Luna’s hand.

"Wait!" Luna tried to pull away. But he dragged her across the floor. Her feet scraped against the ground. Her injured leg screamed in pain.

"Stop!" Luna tried to fight him. But she was too weak. Thomas didn’t care. He continued dragging her toward the door. Luna’s body dangled helplessly from his grip. His fingers were digging painfully into her wrist.

"Please!" She begged. But nobody helped. Nobody even looked concerned.

Then Thomas threw her. Luna’s body flew through the doorway. She landed hard on the ground outside. Pain exploded through her already injured body. She tried to push herself up. But her strength was gone.

Ava stood at the doorway. She looked down at Luna with a cold smile. "Tell Granny I said hi." She waved casually. "That’s when you meet her in hell."

Luna stared at her. Ava’s smile widened. "Goodbye, sister." She tilted her head. "It was nice knowing you." Then she added coldly, "Though I wish I never had."

Bang! The door slammed directly in Luna’s face. Ava disappeared inside.

Luna remained on the ground. Alone. Again.

At that moment, the world outside was already in complete turmoil. Everything had become more unstable than ever.

Luna gasped for breath. Her body trembled as she looked at her injuries. The place where the zombie had bitten her had changed. The flesh had turned dark. Veins spread across the wound like black roots. The skin was beginning to decay. Luna could feel the infection moving through her body.

"No..." She touched it. Pain shot through her.

Her previous wound had also become infected, making every step feel like she was lifting a heavy weight with a leg that didn’t even want to move. She tried to stand. Her leg refused. Luna grabbed it with both hands and forced it forward.

"Move..." She gritted her teeth. "Come on."

But the pain became unbearable. Zombies were already rushing toward her. And among them were gigantic mutated snakes slithering across the ground.

Luna’s eyes widened. She had to move. She had to hide. Maybe she could make it back to the sewer.

She regretted coming here. She regretted believing her family would save her. And suddenly, the truth became painfully clear. Her love for her family was going to be the death of her. Family could be someone’s greatest downfall.

If someone had told Luna before the apocalypse that the people she loved would treat her this way, she would have thrown that person in jail for lying. She would never have believed it. Never.

And Simon... Her own husband. The man she wanted to spend her entire life with. He had orchestrated her downfall. He had destroyed her future. He had taken everything.

Luna closed her eyes. "I can’t..." She couldn’t take it anymore. Her body was too weak. Her infection was spreading. Her leg was nearly useless. And the monsters were coming.

Then—a powerful explosion echoed in the distance. Luna opened her eyes. Her gaze shifted toward the battlefield.

Four magnificent men were fighting only a short distance away. She stared. They were surrounded by chaos—monsters, zombies, mutated creatures, survivors. Everything was happening at once. Yet the four men continued fighting. It looked like they weren’t simply fighting to survive. They were fighting for the fate of the entire world.

Luna’s eyes widened. One of the men was carrying something enormous—a gigantic golden egg. He used it to block something from reaching the side where human survivors were gathered.

Luna’s brows furrowed. Alice had said something about them. SS... Something. She couldn’t remember. "Was it them?" Could these be the four powerful men Alice had mentioned?

Before Luna could think any further, something caught her attention. The sky. She slowly looked upward. Her eyes widened.

A massive solar flare was moving toward Earth. It was enormous. The entire sky seemed to be burning.

Luna’s breath caught in her throat. "No..."

The Earth was about to be fried. She needed to run. She needed to hide. But before she could move—a zombie jumped onto her.

Luna screamed. Another one attacked. Then another. They swarmed her body. She tried to fight. She remembered Alice. She tried to use the techniques. But her infected body was too weak. Her strength was gone. She couldn’t even lift her leg properly.

"Get off me!" She punched one. Another tore into her shoulder. Luna screamed.

The four men continued fighting in the distance, unaware that she was there. Luna struggled desperately. She tried to crawl away. But more zombies came. Then the mutated snakes. One wrapped itself around her leg. Another tore into her side. Luna screamed as pain ripped through her body. She was being torn apart.

And still, the four men fought. They were trying to save the world. While Luna was fighting simply to survive another second.

Her vision blurred. She could hear screams everywhere. People were running. Monsters were attacking. The sky was burning.

Then the solar flare finally reached the Earth. Luna’s eyes widened. For one final moment, she looked at the battlefield. She saw the four men still fighting. She saw the golden egg. She saw survivors screaming.

Then the entire world turned into fire. The solar flare swept across the Earth. Everything burned—buildings, forests, people, monsters. Everything.

Luna felt the heat consume her body. Her vision faded. Her life flashed before her eyes—her family, Simon, Alice, the sewer, the supermarket, the wedding, the betrayal, the pain. Everything.

And then—nothing.

Luna’s lips slowly curled into a strange smile. A broken, almost mad smile. At least there was one thing that made her happy. She wasn’t the only one who had to die. If she had to die... then everyone else could die with her.

The world she had loved had abandoned her. So perhaps it deserved to burn too.

And with that thought, Luna’s consciousness finally disappeared.

The apocalypse had won.

Or at least... that was what Luna believed.

Until fate gave her another chance.