Chapter 73: The One-Week Sleep

Darkness slowly faded.

Zarek opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. For a while, he didn’t move. His thoughts were sluggish, and his body felt strangely heavy.

Then the memories came back. The fortieth floor. The monster. The old man. The bodies rising around him.

He remembered reaching the apartment, seeing Elsa, Ayesha, and Mara waiting for him, and then losing the strength to remain standing. He tried to sit up.

His muscles protested, but he managed it. His body felt drained, though the pain was nowhere near as bad as he had expected. Someone had changed his clothes, and a glass of water sat on the table beside the bed.

Ayesha was sitting nearby. The moment she noticed him moving, she quickly got up. "You’re awake."

Her voice carried a relief she couldn’t quite hide. Zarek looked at her. "How long?"

"Seven days."

He stared at her for a moment. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "You haven’t woken up once. We were starting to wonder when you would."

Elsa appeared at the doorway, apparently having heard their voices. She stopped when she saw him sitting upright.

Zarek gave her a faint smile. "Missed me?"

"Not particularly. You were much easier to deal with while you were unconscious."

Ayesha let out a quiet breath, almost a laugh. The tension in her shoulders had eased now that he was awake.

Zarek reached for the glass. Ayesha handed it to him, and he drank the water before placing it back on the table.

"Seven days," he muttered. "That’s quite a nap."

"That’s one way to describe it," Elsa said. "You were covered in blood when we brought you back. You barely looked alive."

"Yet here I am."

"Unfortunately."

He chuckled and shifted his legs over the edge of the bed. His body still felt weak, so he decided not to rush.

While he had been gone, the building hadn’t stopped changing. There was no telling what had happened during an entire week.

"What’s the situation outside?"

Elsa pulled a chair closer. "Mara has been keeping things under control."

Zarek looked at her. "She has?"

"More than that, actually. She’s practically running the place now."

Ayesha joined in as she sat beside Elsa. "There weren’t many people left after everything that happened. Most of them were frightened, and nobody wanted to take responsibility. Mara started gathering them again. She’s been organizing the food, assigning people to watch the entrances, and making sure the supplies don’t disappear."

"She hasn’t been sitting around waiting for someone else to do it," Elsa added. "She’s been busy every day."

Zarek leaned back against the headboard. That sounded like Mara. Even when her previous group had been falling apart, she had tried to keep everyone together.

Now that there were fewer people to manage, she had apparently found a way to establish control again. "How did the survivors take it?"

"Some complained at first," Elsa said. "They weren’t happy about being told what to do. But that didn’t last long."

Ayesha glanced at her. "Especially after they realized we were supporting her."

Elsa nodded. "Most of them know what we’re capable of by now. They saw us fighting those things. Nobody was particularly interested in finding out what would happen if they tried to challenge us."

Zarek grinned. "So you two became the muscle behind her little operation?"

"That’s not how I’d put it," Elsa replied. "We weren’t going around threatening people. Mara handled the arrangements. We only stepped in when someone tried to cause trouble."

"Which didn’t happen often," Ayesha said. "Once people saw that things were actually being organized, most of them were willing to cooperate."

Zarek looked at them with amusement. It was a rather convenient arrangement. Mara had the experience to manage people, while Elsa and Ayesha had enough strength to discourage anyone from making stupid decisions.

They didn’t need to control every survivor personally. Their presence was enough.

"Looks like I left you three alone for a week and you managed to take over the building."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Don’t make it sound like we were planning some grand takeover. Someone had to do something."

"Of course. And Mara just happened to be the one who did it."

"She was the most suitable person," Ayesha said. "She already knew how to organize people. It would have been much harder if someone else had tried."

Zarek nodded slowly. He had never considered Mara particularly powerful, but he had always recognized that she was useful. She understood people, knew how to negotiate, and could make decisions when everyone around her was panicking.

Apparently, she hadn’t lost those abilities. "What about the number of survivors?"

"Very few," Elsa answered. "There are still people scattered around, but compared to before, the building is almost empty. Some are injured, and others don’t want to leave their rooms. Mara is trying to get everyone who can help involved."

Ayesha’s expression became a little more serious. "She hasn’t had an easy time. There isn’t enough food to make everyone comfortable, and some people can’t contribute much. She’s been trying to divide what remains without letting things turn into another fight."

Zarek shrugged. "She’ll figure it out. That’s what she’s there for."

Elsa gave him a sideways look. "You really don’t care as long as someone else handles it, do you?"

"Why should I? If she’s capable of doing the work, there’s no reason for me to waste my time."

"That’s probably what she thinks too," Ayesha said.

Zarek laughed.

He wasn’t particularly interested in the difficulties of managing a handful of frightened survivors. If Mara could keep them organized, that was one less problem for him to deal with.

Besides, having a functioning group around them could prove useful later.

He pushed himself forward and placed his feet on the floor. Elsa immediately noticed. "Don’t tell me you’re getting up already."

"I’ve been lying here for a week."

"That doesn’t mean you’ve recovered completely."

"I’ll survive."

He stood. His legs felt a little unsteady at first, but he managed to straighten himself. Elsa watched him carefully, though she didn’t interfere.

Zarek took a few steps across the room. "See? Perfectly fine."

"You’re still moving like an old man," Elsa remarked.

"Maybe I should ask you to carry me around."

"Try it and see what happens."

He laughed, clearly entertained by her response.

Ayesha picked up the glass and moved it out of the way. "At least sit down for a little while before going outside."

Zarek looked at her, then back toward the doorway. "I want to see what our little leader has been doing."

As if the conversation had reached her, Mara appeared in the doorway. She was carrying a small bundle of supplies, but stopped when she saw him standing.

For a moment, she simply looked at him. "You’re finally awake."

"Seems like everyone has been waiting for me."

"Some of us had more important things to worry about."

Zarek grinned. "And here I thought you’d be happy to see me."

Mara placed the supplies on the table. "I’ll be happy when you stop collapsing in the middle of the apartment. Elsa and Ayesha had enough trouble getting you into bed."

"Sounds like I caused quite a bit of work."

"You did."

He chuckled.

Mara looked him over, apparently checking whether he was actually able to stand. Once satisfied, she relaxed a little.

"You look better."

"I feel better. Sounds like you’ve been keeping yourself busy."

"Someone had to. The place wasn’t going to manage itself."

"Any trouble?"

"Some. Nothing we couldn’t handle."

She said it plainly, without trying to make her efforts sound more impressive than they were.

"You’re getting comfortable in your new position."

Mara frowned slightly. "I wouldn’t call it comfortable. Someone has to keep the place running, and I’m the one doing it."

"Then keep doing it."

"I intend to," she replied, picking up the supplies she’d brought in. "Just don’t expect me to make miracles out of what little we have left."