Chapter 1: After the Apocalypse

There are many things one must do to prepare for an Apocalypse.

You need to find a strong and sturdy Shelter, maybe an underground bunker would do? But what if there’s a flood? Oh well.

Next, you need to stock up on food, The type that can last, not things that might expire next month.

Then check on family and friends, honestly you do not want to survive an apocalypse alone.

The finally, acquire weaponry, because even if no monsters arrive, the humans next to you might be worse...

Ideally, you would do all of this during the safe peaceful period just before the end starts, because once it begins, you will have a very hard time getting anything done.

It is a shame Gio was not born during that peace, he might’ve lived a different life.

Eighty-Seven years have passed since the apocalypse began. Now, the remnants of humanity live in enclosed cities called Sector Cities, scattered across the globe.

Eighty seven years ago, the collapse of civilization was both gradual and swift.

On the first day, a massive asteroid fell into the Pacific Ocean, causing catastrophic floods worldwide. It took months for the waters to calm before the next calamity struck: a virus. It spreaded fast and caused... well, you know it... zombies!.

This threw the world into peril. But it would have been manageable if it were the only issue. We have modern weaponry; a few zombies, even mutated ones with powers, could have been handled.

But then, other things began to happen. Mutated forestation, monstrous animals, more asteroids, toxic gas clouds, periods of extreme blizzards and heat.

Landscapes shifted, ecosystems mutated, and everything was evolving far beyond humanity’s ability to cope.

By the 10th year, the world government alliance unanimously decided they could no longer ’fight’ it. They couldn’t recover the lost lands. It was time to give up.

And so, they poured all their resources and manpower into developing the Sector Cities. Not all countries could participate in these mega-projects; in total, only around 200+ Sector Cities were reportedly completed across all seven continents by the 20th year.

Even then, they varied greatly in scale and capacity. The project’s purpose was to protect and preserve the remnants of humanity, hoping that someday, in the future, they would triumph over these hard times.

And so, while the Earth underwent catastrophic changes and its biosphere mutated, humanity locked itself away in these Sector Cities.

It was in one of these cities: Sector City 67, that Gio had spent all nineteen years of his life. He had never seen the sky without a filter of the city’s dome, never touched natural green grass of the natural earth. But he had heard stories of the world before him.

Then, six days before Gio’s twentieth birthday, he made a decision that changed not just the course of his life, but probably that of his whole Sector city.

"Ah, fuck! You stupid kid!" swore a fat man in an apron as a boy sank his teeth into his leg.

"You steal from me, and then you bite me!?" he yelled, grabbing the boy by the hair and wrenching him off his leg, revealing a bloody bite mark.

The boy spat the man’s blood back at him and still held a defiant look in his eyes.

"Heh. Your bread is disgusting and tasteless. Why are you so angry that I took some? I’m doing you a favour! It’s not like anybody actually enjoys buying it," the boy sneered.

The fat man’s face reddened with rage. They were standing in front of his bread stall on a busy market street, and a small crowd had gathered, several onlookers chuckling at the boy’s insult.

"Yeah, Fat Joe’s bread really is disgusting."

"What does he even put in it? Saw dust?"

"If this weren’t a poor district, who would buy his nonsense?"

The comments only made Fat Joe angrier. Unable to take any more and blinded by rage, he grabbed his bread knife from the stall table while still holding the boy by the hair.

"You little shit. I should’ve done this a long time ago," Fat Joe growled, raising the knife.

"Holy shit, he’s not gonna kill him in broad daylight, right?"

Just as Fat Joe was about to stab the boy, a loud voice rang across the market.

"HALT!"

Fat Joe faltered. Seizing the moment, the boy kicked him hard in the balls. "Ugh!" Fat Joe’s eyes bulged as he released his grip and collapsed to the ground in agony while clutching his groin.

"Hot damn!"

The small crowd parted, making way for the person who had shouted. It was a rough, skinny, tall man in a beat-up grey police-like uniform, accompanied by two shorter bulkier men in matching attire.

"Oof. Right in the Family jewels. Fucking hell," the tall man said. He straightened up and looked around. "Alright, break it up, folks. District Police are here to... save the day, I guess."

The crowd backed up slightly but still lingered to watch the conclusion, the entertainment wasn’t over yet.

"Boys, grab the kid," he ordered.

The two officers rushed forward and seized the boy, who was already trying to slip through the crowd.

"H-Hey! Let me go! I didn’t do anything!" the boy yelled. "I swear!"

"Hah! Gio, the day you don’t do anything is probably the day the world ends," the tall man said.

"Captain Ball’s sack! Come on!" Gio pleaded as the two officers held him firmly.

A vein throbbed on the captain’s forehead as he forced a strained smile. "You.. fucking.. little.. shit! I’ve told you before... it’s Balsack! Bal-sack! Not BALL’S SACK!"

"Take him away, boys! I’ll deal with him at the station!" Captain Balsack ordered.

"Fucking Ball’s sack! Fucking fat pig! Fucking short officers! Let me go! Let! Me! Go!" Gio struggled, but he couldn’t break free from the strong grip of the two officers.

Captain Balsack sighed heavily as he watched them drag Gio away. "If only his mother hadn’t died so early... maybe he would’ve turned out better." He muttered under his breath.

Ptoo! Fat Joe spat as he managed to get up, his legs still trembling from the pain of the kick. "There’s no way that little shit could’ve turned out better. I bet whoever gave birth to him was also a nasty a little bitc—"

THUNK!

Before Fat Joe could finish his sentence, Captain Balsack pulled out his baton and struck him hard across the head, knocking him out cold.