On the way up they fought a few thenebres. 

They didn’t need to. It was possible to climb unnoticed. But Navie said she wanted to practice. It was likely just an excuse. Nikeila suspected she just wanted to help the people trapped in their apartments. When they heard the sound of the fight outside, some people yelled for help and others even helped them. 

It turned out pretty well.

“Pon is awesome.” Navie admired the small drone.

{He’s okay.} 

Nikeila wanted to upgrade it as soon as possible. She felt too vulnerable now that she understood her situation. She made a mental list of things she had to find soon to safeguard her useless body.

She couldn't fight directly, so she assisted Navie. Despite using Pon sparingly, she had already consumed three flasks of mana potion. 

This time she didn't share her vision with it. The first-person perspective of it ramming itself into the thenebre's head was very fresh in her mind.

Navie proved herself very efficient with the meat hammer. They did help some people who were afraid of getting out. Some self-serving ones followed Navie, giving suggestions and making unreasonable requests. They probably hoped she'd protect them.

They heard about what happened after the fog. How some people woke up as monsters and attacked their friends and families. Those who were bitten turned into monsters too.

Nikeila told Navie not to mention the name thenebre. It'd be troublesome or even dangerous if they showed they knew too much.

Hearing the neighbors' experiences, Navie and Nikeila realized how lucky they were that none of the four became thenebres inside the car.

For now, the thenebres had no intelligence and were very awkward in their movements. Even climbing the stairs was very slow. They stumbled often. So they only had to deal with the ones in the hallway on each floor. There weren’t many. Most were still locked up in their apartments.

Nikeila took every opportunity to get the crystals inside the corpses' heads. Navie was horrified by her actions. After listening to her explanations, she tried to help her. But it was still impossible for her to overcome her disgust in such a short time. 

Nikeila mercifully told her to take her time. 

{You have time to get used to it in the future.}

Navie smiled, choosing silence.

Pon was all bloody by the time they got to their destination.

They reached the third floor, where Navie’s friend's family was. The five people behind them were against her opening the apartment door. What if there was more than one zombie inside? 

Nikeila wanted to tell them to scram. She wouldn't be irritated if their protest was out of concern for the girl. But it wasn't. She hated those types. If they didn't want to get involved and face danger, they should leave without bothering them. No one was holding them back. 

Navie was more patient. She told them to stay hidden on the stairs. 

Now with experience, Navia was more confident in her abilities to fight thenebres. The pair found an efficient way of dealing with them. Their understanding of each other also improved, and they could react timely. 

Tati’s husband, Stevan, held the baby. He looked at the disturbing sight in his living room. "We should leave here. This place isn't suitable for Vivi."

“You’re so brave, Navie.” Tati hugged her. “I feel so proud of you. And grateful too. Thank you. Are you hurt anywhere?” She checked the girl and found her left wrist bandaged. “What happened?”

“I hit my wrist earlier and it’s a little painful. But it’s okay,” she shook her hand in the air. “Don’t worry.” 

They joined the rest of the residents. They all exchanged stories.

"We shouldn't have opened the door for him. He was covered in blood. He knocked, asking for help, saying his sister went crazy when she woke up. I shouldn't have trusted him. I tried to help and look where it got me. Locked up in my bedroom."

"Someone knocked on my door too. I didn't open it."

"Thank goodness I live alone."

"Are the phones working? I lost mine while hiding."

"They are. But it is strange. When they connect, it's silent. I'm not sure the other side can hear anything."

"Text messages work just fine."

"Did you see the meteors?"

"Of course. Who didn't? It was so damn loud and bright."

"The fog scared me more. I don't even know how I fell asleep."

{We should hurry.}

Nikeila told Navie. She wanted to leave quickly.

Navie turned to the people inside the living room. “I’ll be going to my apartment on the upper floor.”

None of the people present volunteered to help. 

But that was better. Fewer burdens.

Their short trip was quick and smooth. The apartment was the same as when they left. Navie put everything she came for in her backpack. She had been quiet for a long time.

{Navie, what’s wrong?}

Was there something she didn’t find or was too big to bring?

“Master…” She sobbed. 

She couldn’t say anymore and just showed the bite mark on her wrist.

{You were bitten?}

Nikeila didn’t expect this bombshell. This complicated things.

Didn't she decide to live quietly? Just worrying about herself. Free of big problems and heavy responsibilities.

What was she doing here?

Should she leave?

Zombies were fantasy creatures. Thenebres were very real. From what Nikeila heard from the girls there were many similarities between zombies and thenebre. One of the differences was that thenebres weren’t walking dead bodies. If they died before the transformation was complete, they were nothing more than a corpse. 

When the person was infected, the body's defenses would fight the void parasites. They could delay the turning by keeping the body healthy. Drinking health recovery potions was a viable option. But that was a temporary fix. The potions would lose their effectiveness, healing less and less. And the body's condition would degrade eventually.

When the person reached a critical point, their Health bar getting close to zero, they turned.

Stage 0 thenebre. Feral mind stage.

They had no rationality. Only instinct and hunger. Their bodies weren't in good shape, still fighting the parasite. Their healing was slow and their movements were limited.

Things became trickier as they upgraded. They gained abilities and everything improved. They healed insanely fast. They were strong and fast, made to hunt. Natural predators.

And at stage 3, they could slowly recover their rationality. They'd be smarter and, in consequence, more dangerous. But that also meant they were capable of communication and reasoning. 

In Jix Von, Nikeila knew of cases of thenebres recalling their memories and reuniting with their families. They were few, but those examples made many hopeful of a peaceful future.

Nikeila looked at the sobbing girl sitting on the floor. She jumped on the sofa and patted Navie’s head.

{Don’t cry. We’ll find a way.}

“So I won’t transform into a monster?”

{You most certainly will.}

There was a way to prevent turning.

Navie cried loudly.

{Even if you turn into a thenebre, I won’t abandon you. We'll find a way for you to upgrade and recover your memories. There is still some time until you turn completely. Probably a day. Before that let’s get out of here, find a safe place and lock you up so you won’t hurt anybody. Okay?}

“Okay.” She obediently nodded.

Now she had found a use for all the crystals they collected.

When they got back, everybody discussed what to do next. The building was surrounded by thenebres. Should they stay and wait for the authorities to send help? Or would it be better to leave and find a better place?

“Until now there hasn’t been any official announcement. We don’t know when help will come.”

“She’s right. We don’t have enough food. And we don’t know how long the water will last.”

“We can fill our bathtubs, bottles, and buckets with water now. And make a list of anything useful we have available.”

“I agree. It’s safer to stay here. There are no zombies on the four lower floors anymore. We can go out to get some supplies as we need them.”

“There are, but they’re locked in the apartments.”

“You’re assuming zombies won’t change.”

“What do you mean?”

“Now their reaction is slow and their movements are clumsy. But what if they learn to open doors? Or get strong enough to break them? We don’t know how long this situation will last.”

“Even if we want to get out, how can we pass through all those zombies?”

“We should fight our way through.”

“We can’t! That’s too dangerous. What if we get bitten?”

“I’m leaving," Navie declared.

They started talking over each other, arguing. Some asked her to stay. Others asked her to take them with her. They pushed and stepped into Navie's personal space. She was overwhelmed. She couldn't say anything as they pressured her to help them. 

Her phone text rang. 

She got away from the crowd. That was scary.

It was Shandra. They found a van with keys in the ignition not far from the apartment building. They could draw the thenebres and Navie could guide the people to the van and escape together.

Navie talked with the survivors and most agreed with that plan. They grabbed whatever could be used as weapons. They filled their backpacks and suitcases. 

They moved to the lower floors and watched through the window, waiting for the signal. 

A small car honked loudly and drove away. 

Most thenebres were attracted to the noise and followed away.