Pause System: Harem In The Apocalypse
chapter-14

Inside of a dark, hollow and empty space, Gray could be seen chasing after a silhouette. It was the only figure of light in this abyss in which he found himself.

The voice called out to him, "Brother...".

While trying to catch up with her, he found that no matter how hard he cried out her name, the voice would not escape his mouth.

'Ria…! Ria!'

"RIA!" Gray sprung up, yelling out as he did so.

In that moment, a jolt of pain ripped through his body, causing him to wince as an unpleasant groan escaped his throat. "Argh…"

The bright blue sky and fresh breeze welcomed him as his whole body ached and his eyes opened wide. Although his feet were cold and he was sitting on hard, cold ground, he felt better than he ever had before.

As he had yet to receive any treatment, it was unexpected, but how was he feeling so well? Upon looking down, he found the answer to his question.

His top was off, and he had bandages covering the cuts and wounds on his back, ribs, and arms. It appeared that all of Gray's wounds had closed up as his itching and stinging had ceased.

Even his fever had gone. He felt a lot better than he did before.

With himself in this position, he could only come to one conclusion.

Beside him was the girl, tucked into a ball and fast asleep. Her beauty captivated him for a few moments.

A strand of pink hair glistens over her smooth, clear lips. The sun shone down on her as if it were providing warmth for its child.

Gray couldn't help but face palm himself, for he had thought she looked like an angel.

'Angel? She tried killing me.'

Gray let her off before because he did not have the energy to fight her, but he still did not trust her. In an effort to see whether they were at a truce, he offered her a fizzy cola. He paid her no attention because her reactions showed that she was no longer hostile.

It was as simple as that. Or so he convinced himself.

He had actually found himself in her. He had been shaken to his core by the look in her eyes. For the first time in his life, he had actually thought. 'This person might be able to understand me.'

Although he had a blanket covering him, she hadn't covered herself, this is, of course, because there was only one blanket. As he pulled the blanket down and placed it over her, he sighed.

It was probably due to the cold that her arms were trembling, so she had also tucked herself into a ball to get warm.

While gritting his teeth, Gray stood up, ignoring the pain as he pushed himself up with his legs. This wasn't the time to be lost in thought.

Taking a quick glance around, he spotted two cups, each containing a toothbrush, some tooth paste, and some water which was still emitting a transparent vapor.

Alongside his food and clothes, which were neatly arranged next to one another, was his hiking bag, which was empty.

'Did she organize it because she thought we'd be staying here?'

When Gray looked for his phone, he found it connected to his solar charger next to the rest of his items. It appeared that she had also charged it for him.

At this point, there was no complaining, since his whole body was bandaged. She probably stripped him too, since his legs were bandaged. Why go through all that effort to help a stranger?

Although he asked, he really wasn't one to ask because he had done the same for her.

Gray tapped on the power button on the side of his phone, praying it would work.

It was as if it had been a miracle, the phone turned on, the phone manufacturer's logo appeared, and shortly after, he was in the main menu. It was surprising to find that the phone had a signal. It was something he had not expected.

The more his heart pounded, the more nervous he became as he checked the calls and voice mails. The most recent was a missed call from his sister, who left a voice mail.

Once more, Gray pressed on the voice mail, hoping to hear more or to find out if there was any other clue. He listened to it over and over again.

"Brother…!- Broth- If you- get this-"

That was it, it was suddenly caught off right after that.

"FUCK!" Gray cursed, slamming his fist into the ground beside him. It was the only lead he had.

Now what would he do? Search every corner of the city to find her? There was no way that would be possible. If that were the case, he'd need to be lucky enough for her to still be alive and human.

Gray despised it. Having placed his hopes in it only to watch them get crushed again. It was painful.

The sadness slowly turned into rage as he got up once more. When he reached the edge of the building, he could only think of one thing.

"Don't die…"

As those words escaped his lips, a cold breeze blew by. In that moment, Gray surveyed the area, there were definitely more zombies roaming around than before.

With cold eyes, he stood up on the edge looking down on them as he resolved himself.

Right now, he needed to take his mind off of it and release some stress.

"System, show me my status"