CHAPTER 58: 58: THE WORLD AFTER THE STORM

Zara pressed her palm against her throbbing temple, her vision blurring as she tried to focus on Leo’s tiny voice. The cold rain pattered relentlessly against the roof of the car, masking the distant groans of the undead.

Despite her splitting migraine, she kept her attention on Leo, holding him close as he sniffled and clung to her.

"Leo," she whispered, her voice hoarse and raw from her earlier cries. She shifted him slightly so she could look into his tear-streaked face. "What did you mean by hiding in your happy place? Can you tell me, baby?"

Leo squirmed in her lap, his small fingers gripping her shirt as he buried his face against her chest. "It’s bigger now, Mummy," he mumbled, barely audible over the storm. "I told you before, remember? But you were busy, so I didn’t say more..." He trailed off, his words breaking into quiet hiccups.

Zara blinked through the haze in her head, trying to recall. Had he mentioned something like that? A vague memory surfaced—Leo mentioning something about his "space getting bigger" weeks ago. But between his constant illness, scavenging, and looking after the other kids, it had slipped through the cracks.

She gently cupped his cheek, tilting his face toward her. "Tell me, baby. How did you get there? What happened?"

Leo sniffled, his tiny hands clutching at her shirt like a lifeline. His lower lip trembled as he nuzzled closer to her palm, his voice muffled. "I was really scared, Mama... the dark was so big, and there were noises outside. And... and the monsters..." His voice broke, and Zara’s heart clenched painfully.

She patted his back softly, coaxing him to continue. "It’s okay, baby. I’m here now. Just tell me."

"You said not to leave," he continued shakily. "So I stayed, but I was scared... I closed my eyes really, really tight and then... when I opened them, I was in the happy place."

Zara froze, her mind struggling to latch onto his words through the fog of exhaustion and pain. "Your happy place..." she repeated, more to herself than to him.

Leo nodded slowly, his cheek rubbing against her shoulder. "It was warm there, Mama. All my toys were there... and the things we took too. I didn’t mean to go. I just wanted to hide..."

Zara stared at him, stunned. The words didn’t fully sink in, her headache scrambling her thoughts, but the enormity of what he’d just said wasn’t lost on her. He had actually hidden himself in his space dimension. Not just objects—but himself.

Zara stared at him in awe, her fingers gently combing through his damp curls. How was this possible? Could he control it? What did it mean for him—and for their survival?

If her migraine weren’t so fierce, muddling her thoughts, she would have marveled at the implications—what they could do with an ability like this—but the pain in her head was like a vise, squeezing her brain tighter with each passing second.

For now, though, all she could feel was a mixture of shock and a deep, gnawing gratitude that it had saved him.

"That’s amazing, baby," she murmured, her voice thick with exhaustion as she kissed his temple. "You’re so brave. So smart."

Leo sniffled again, his small hands gripping her shirt as he nuzzled into her. "I was really scared, Mummy... I don’t wanna do it again."

"You don’t have to, sweetheart," she assured him, pulling him closer as her body sagged, legs folding beneath her as she slid to the floor of the back seat. "Mummy’s here now. I’m not going anywhere."

Her limbs felt heavy, her body shutting down from the combination of stress, exhaustion, and the pounding migraine. The rain outside grew heavier, a cold wind slipping through the cracks of the car’s frame. She had no idea how long they’d been trapped here—minutes? hours?

Her head throbbed sharply, dragging her back to reality. She groaned softly, clutching Leo closer with one arm while she fumbled for their backpack with the other. Her vision blurred at the edges as she yanked it toward her.

"I need to... just a second, baby," she rasped.

She unzipped the bag and began rummaging through it. Her trembling hands dug into the bag, brushing against cans and crinkling packets. Finally, her fingers closed around something small and solid. She pulled it out and squinted at the blister pack of painkillers in her hand.

Zara let out a shaky laugh, part relief and part disbelief. She hadn’t even looked at what she’d been grabbing in the cache earlier, just snatching whatever she could. But somehow, she’d managed to grab this.

"Thank you," she murmured under her breath, not sure if she was talking to fate, God, or sheer dumb luck.

She popped two pills out of the blister and grabbed a bottle of water from the bag. With some difficulty, she unscrewed the cap and took a long, desperate swig, the cold liquid soothing her parched throat.

Once she’d swallowed the pills, she turned her attention to Leo, who was still clinging to her like a lifeline. "Here, baby. Drink some water for me, okay?"

Leo sniffled but obeyed, taking the bottle in his little hands and sipping slowly. She watched him, her heart aching at how small and vulnerable he looked.

When he’d had enough, she set the bottle aside and reached back into the bag.

With one arm wrapped securely around Leo, she fished out a ratty blanket and her late husband’s coat from the bag. The coat was worn, the seams frayed and patched in places, but it still carried the faintest memory of warmth. She draped it over herself and Leo, covering them and the supplies beside her as best she could.

The locks on the car didn’t work, the battery was long dead, and the windows were fogged with moisture. Anyone—or anything—could stumble upon them. But fumbling around in the pitch-black night with zombies prowling was a death sentence.

Leo whimpered softly, his small hands gripping her shirt. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, murmuring soothing words.

"Shhh, baby," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Mama’s here. Nothing’s gonna happen to us. Just... just sleep, okay?"

Leo nodded weakly, his eyes drooping as he nestled closer. Zara leaned her head back against the seat, her fingers still rubbing circles on his back.

Her eyelids grew heavier, the storm outside muffling the sounds of the undead. Her last coherent thought as she drifted into unconsciousness was a desperate prayer.

Please... just let us survive the night.

*****

The first thing Zara noticed as she blinked her eyes open was the sunlight. It poured through the broken window.

For a moment, she simply sat there, letting the light touch her face. After days of relentless rain, the sudden warmth felt almost alien.

The rain had stopped, and with it, the dark ominous clouds had dispersed into clear skies. She inhaled deeply, then proceeded to fall into a coughing fit. The air was thick with a metallic layer that she had come to associate with the rains of the apocalypse.

She grimaced and reached for the canteen, swishing a sip of water to ease the sting.

Pushing herself up, Zara glanced out the window. The highway stretched ahead, the same mix of snow, broken down cars, puddles of water and now—bones that had been washed out from the storm .

Her gaze shifted downward to Leo, curled up beneath the blanket she’d draped over him. His small chest rose and fell in steady rhythm, his tiny hand clutching the edge of the fabric.

Quietly, she reached over and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. His warmth reassured her, he was really here, with her. Thank God she had found him yesterday. Her chest still ached from the fear that took hold last night.

"Sleep a little longer," she murmured, gently placing him on the back seat.

Zara moved quietly, gathering their meager belongings. She packed the blanket and coat, checked for her pipe which was outside the car, and secured the strap of her pack over her shoulder.

She felt relieved once again that they won’t have to worry about supplies for a while now.

For a second, Zara considered asking Leo to put the whole backpack in his space so it would be faster for her to move, then she remembered what he had told her.

She crouched and gently scooped Leo into her arms. He stirred briefly, nuzzling against her neck, before settling again. Zara held him close as she stepped outside, squinting against the glare of the sun.

She retrieved her pipe, tucked it into the loop of her backpack, and scanned their surroundings.

The sound of melting snow dripping onto metal and asphalt was the only noise, save for the wind howling though the ruins.

She kept her eyes forward, scanning the horizon for threats, she tried to remember what City H had looked like before the apocalypse and wondered what it would look like now.

"Only one way to find out," she mumbled.

Zara adjusted Leo’s weight in her arms and began walking.