CHAPTER 54: 54: A WORLD OF DOUBTS

The icy wind howled across the ruins of City B, tearing at Winter’s coat as he approached the cache site.

What had once been an abandoned bunker had transformed into a battleground—a swirling storm of fists, powers, and greed. Winter stood on the edge of the scene, cloaked in his thick, dark coat, his piercing green eyes scanning the melee below.

He let out a breath, his lips curling into a thin, humorless smile. Perfect. The chaos below was exactly what he had hoped for. Fewer eyes would be on him as he slipped in and took what he needed. With luck, there would still be enough left for him and his squad to survive the bitter winter ahead.

Without hesitation, Winter dropped into the bunker. His boots hit the ground with a soft thud, barely audible over the cacophony of shouts and the clash of improvised weapons. He moved quickly, weaving through the fray with ease.

If above ground was chaos, the bunker itself was bedlam. Near a toppled shelf of supplies, two men grappled for control of a single duffel bag. One had a knife, its serrated blade gleaming in the flickering light, while the other wielded a broken pipe.

They snarled like wild animals, their faces twisted in desperation.

"This shit is mine bastard! Get lost!"

"There’s fucking so many things around! Get your own elsewhere!"

The man with the knife lunged, but the other caught his arm and slammed the pipe into his ribs with a sickening crunch.

Winter didn’t stop to watch the fight’s conclusion. He darted past, snatching a half-filled bag of rations and a box of ammunition from the ground.

With his super human strength, carrying a full bag and moving around wouldn’t be an issue.

He was halfway to the exit when a figure loomed in front of him—a hulking man with scars crisscrossing his bald head. The man grinned, his teeth yellowed and uneven, as he hefted a makeshift mace.

"You think you can just waltz in and take what’s mine?" the man growled.

’What’s yours?’

Winter’s brows shot up but he didn’t reply. He sidestepped the first swing, the mace whistling past his head.

He drew his knife and slashed at the man’s arm. The blade bit deep, and the man roared in pain, dropping his weapon. Winter spun, delivering a swift kick to the man’s knee, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Don’t be fucking stupid," he sighed, walking over the squiring man. "It’s a free for all, why can’t you take what you want and leave?"

The floor was littered with supplies and bodies. Winter shook his head, the fighting made no sense to him. The cache literally stretched for as far as the eye could see. Whoever this rich guy that hoarded all this has to be some kind of crazy hoarding addict because it made no sense. But it worked in his Favour now so he wasn’t complaining.

Further in, Winter saw a woman unleashing her fury on a group of scavengers. Flames erupted from her hands, licking at the walls and forcing her opponents to scatter. One man screamed as the fire caught his coat, frantically trying to extinguish the flames.

Winter ducked behind a crumbling pillar, shielding himself from the heat as he grabbed a medical kit from a nearby crate.

As Winter rose, a wiry teenager lunged at him, a jagged shard of metal clutched in his hand. The boy’s face was a mask of fear and determination.

Winter caught the boy’s wrist mid-swing, twisting it until the makeshift weapon clattered to the ground. "Don’t," Winter said coldly, shoving the boy away.

He didn’t waste energy on those who weren’t real threats. He should see the boy had some sort of crude symbol on his jacket.

’One of those gangs,’ he thought with a frown.

"Get out of where with what you can while you have the chance kid," he said before leaving him in the crowd.

He continued to scour the space, thinking of what his squad members might need.

Ahead, a man with glowing eyes was surrounded by three attackers. The air around him shimmered as he projected a protective barrier, but cracks were already forming.

One attacker struck with a crowbar, and the barrier shattered like glass. The glowing-eyed man roared and lashed out with a burst of energy, sending two of his attackers flying.

Winter ducked as they flew past. His eyes caught some children clothes in the corner and he frowned. Why did the billionaire store children’s clothing in his safe?

Rich people were always suspicious.

He grabbed what his hands could, thinking of Felix’s kids. The boy should be around this size right?

Winter reached for a crate of canned goods when someone grabbed him from behind, yanking him back with surprising strength. He twisted, coming face-to-face with a woman armed with a sharpened metal rod.

Her swing was wild but powerful. Winter dodged, the rod grazing his coat, and retaliated with a quick jab to her stomach. She staggered, but her grip on the weapon didn’t falter.

"Not bad," Winter muttered, almost impressed.

She came at him again, but he sidestepped and swept her legs out from under her. As she hit the ground, Winter disarmed her and pinned her with a knee to her chest.

"Stay down," he warned before taking the crate and disappearing into the chaos.

Why the fuck were people after him? He dodged some bullet sprays, crawling on the ground to get past to the other side of the mayhem.

"Now how do I get out of here?" He mumbled under his breath, hefting up his bags. He seemed to have made a sizable haul and anything else would just be greed and slow him down.

A part of the roof suddenly collapsed under the strain of numerous bodies climbing it, raining dust, bodies, snow and concrete into the bunker.

"I guess that answers my question," a smile tugged at his lips as he made his way towards the opening.

Winter was nearly at the exit, his arms full of supplies, when he heard it—a voice that cut through the din like a blade.

"Mia!"

His heart stuttered. He froze, his silver eyes wide as he scanned the crowd.

Zara.

Her voice was unmistakable, even in this chaos. A jolt of something—relief? Panic?—shot through him. He turned, his gaze searching frantically for her face in the sea of writhing bodies.

"Zara!" he called, his voice sharp and clear.

No response.

He waited, his supplies digging into his arms, but the only answer was the echo of the battle around him.

What is she doing here? In her condition? The thought of her, pregnant and vulnerable, in this nightmare of a place made his chest tighten.

But another explosion rocked the bunker, and the walls groaned ominously. Winter cursed under his breath. He couldn’t stay.

He looked around again, but didn’t see anything that looked like the crazy woman.

’Fuck,’ he thought, fist clenching against his bag strap as a wave of people rushed in, pushing him away from where he heard the voice.

Meanwhile, in the other side of the bunker. Zara stumbled through the snow, clutching Leo to her chest as the icy wind bit at her skin. Her backpack dug into her shoulders, its weight sinking her further into the snow as she struggled to leave.

Around her, people rushed toward the cache, their faces twisted with greed and desperation.

Her tears blurred her vision, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop.

Mia and Kit... I left them.

The thought was a knife to her heart. She had promised herself she would never abandon someone who needed her, and now, she had done exactly that.

Those poor children.

The fear in Kit’s eyes and the resignation on Mia’s dug deeper into her chest as she stumbled ahead. She left those poor babies in the hands of that monster.

"You’re weak," she muttered bitterly to herself, her voice trembling. "You’re a coward."

Her foot caught on a hidden rock, and she nearly fell, the rough edge of a broken off concrete wall cushioning her stumble. She forced herself to stop crying, wiping her tears with a trembling hand.

"Mama?" Leo’s small voice broke through her spiraling thoughts.

She looked down at him, her heart breaking all over again. "Yes, baby?"

"Why aren’t Kit and Mia with us?"

Her throat closed up. She searched for an answer, but the words wouldn’t come. Finally, she stuttered, "W-we’ll meet them again, in the new place we’re going."

Leo sniffled, his big eyes full of fear. "I’m scared."

Zara’s heart shattered. She kissed his forehead, her lips trembling against his cold skin. "Don’t be, baby. Everything will be okay," she whispered, even as doubt gnawed at her.

Leo wiped at her cheek with his tiny hand, his touch gentle. "Don’t cry, Mama."

Her tears fell anyway. "Thank you for being such a good boy," she said softly, hugging him tighter.

She forced herself to look forward. Staying in City B wasn’t an option anymore. The cache had been found, and it would take days for the supplies to be emptied.

Days of fighting and bloodshed.

And Raphael... He would never stop. Not until he had her and Leo. Why? She had no idea, but she wasn’t sticking around to find out.

Her gaze drifted back to the cache, now a distant mass of writhing bodies. Then she turned toward the horizon, where the snowy plains stretched endlessly toward City H.

She had heard rumors of a base there, run by ex-government forces. It wasn’t much, but it was a chance—a slim, fleeting chance for safety.

Adjusting her grip on Leo and her supplies, she began to run.