World Apocalypse: Apocalust

Chapter 31: Chapter XXXI - Musical Jolly Chimp

Noah ignored him and stepped fully into the hallway, spear held low as he carefully scanned the unfamiliar apartment.

"Quiet," he whispered.

Levy and Sage followed closely behind. Noah’s gaze swept over every doorway and shadow, halting whenever the apartment’s old bones would creak.

Levy kept his weapon raised but looked far less concerned, glancing at the family photographs as if he were touring someone’s home instead of sneaking through it.

Sage noticed.

"Try looking where you’re going," she murmured.

"I am," Levy whispered back. "I’m also appreciating the decor."

"You’re going to appreciate a wall if you keep drifting off."

Noah glanced over his shoulder. "Both of you. Focus."

"Tell that to your buddy, not me," Sage said, brushing past him.

Levy gave him a mock salute.

Noah’s expression hardened, but Sage caught the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Even if only temporarily, the three of them were beginning to move like a team. Noah led with caution, Sage watched their blind spots, and Levy somehow made enough noise for all three of them.

They moved deeper into the apartment, passing framed photographs of a smiling family on the walls. Children’s toys lay scattered across the floor, some tucked beneath furniture, while a small backpack rested near the hallway, completely forgotten.

Levy stepped forward.

Squeak.

He froze.

Noah stopped instantly, weapon lifting toward the hallway. Sage’s eyes snapped to Levy’s foot. A small rubber toy was collapsing beneath his weight.

Levy slowly looked down. "That wasn’t me."

Sage turned toward him. "Lift your foot. Slowly."

"I know how my feet work."

"Then do it."

Levy began raising his foot. The toy expanded beneath him.

Squeeeak.

Everyone flinched.

Sage closed her eyes for half a second. "Slower."

Levy’s muscles tightened as he obeyed. His foot rose inch by inch until the toy finally slipped free. He set his foot beside it and held perfectly still.

Noah kept watching the hallway. "If something heard that—"

"Then it knows we’re here," Levy whispered. "Which saves us the trouble of introducing ourselves."

Noah motioned for them to keep moving.

Levy leaned toward Sage as they followed. "See? Quiet as a mouse."

Sage decided not to bother with him.

Noah suppressed a smile and continued after her.

They continued through the apartment until they reached the front door. Noah stopped beside Sage and listened, his hand hovering over the handle.

Nothing.

Not a creak. Not a voice. Not even the distant groan of a walker.

He slowly looked back at the others, then turned back to the door and carefully unlocked it. The mechanism clicked softly in the silence. He eased the door open, scanned the hallway outside, then committed through the doorway.

Sage followed, then Levy, who pulled the door shut behind them without letting it slam.

They moved a short distance down the hallway before reaching a narrow staircase that led to the floor below. Noah stopped at the top and peered down. Common sense told him not to take it.

"If I were them, this would be a choke point," he whispered.

Levy looked down the stairs. "You think they’re waiting?"

"It’s one of, if not the most obvious way out."

Noah glanced back toward the hallway they’d just come from, then toward the staircase again. Anyone trying to escape the building would naturally head for the stairs, making it the first place he’d expect someone to be watching.

He turned to Sage.

"You know another way out?"

She stepped past them and continued down the hallway.

"Follow me."

Levy looked at Noah.

"She always this mysterious?"

"I know her just as well as you do, buddy."

They followed Sage around a corner and toward a narrow door that looked more like a utility entrance than part of the building’s main layout. She pushed it open, revealing a cramped spiral staircase winding downward.

Levy peered into the darkness.

"You’re telling me this was here the whole time?"

"It’s not exactly advertised."

Sage started down.

Noah followed, with Levy bringing up the rear. The narrow staircase creaked beneath their weight as they descended, its metal railing cold beneath their hands. Unlike the main stairwell, this one was poorly lit, with only a few weak bulbs illuminating the winding steps.

They continued until the staircase finally opened into the building’s laundry room.

Rows of silent washing machines and dryers lined the walls, their doors hanging open and their surfaces coated with a thin layer of dust. A few abandoned baskets sat beneath a folding table, while the smell of detergent lingered faintly in the air.

Sage crossed the room and stopped beside a plain metal door. She pushed the door open and the warm afternoon breeze rushed to meet them. Beyond it, a narrow service alley led away from the building.

They waited just inside the doorway for a few seconds, making sure the alley was clear before stepping outside. Once they were sure nobody had spotted them, they moved farther away from the building, putting as much distance as they could between themselves and the building.

They hadn’t gone far when Noah finally spotted movement beside a garbage can.

A lone walker stumbled into view, its clothes hanging loosely as it wandered between the buildings.

Noah scoffed.

Now they wanna show up?

The three jogged side by side down the alley, weapons still in hand but no longer held quite as tensely. Their pace remained cautious, though the further they got from the building, the less immediate the threat behind them felt.

Eventually, the alley opened into a wide street.

They stopped at the corner and looked out.

The road was almost empty, save for a few abandoned vehicles scattered along the asphalt and the occasional walkers wandering in the distance.

Noah looked from one end of the street to the other.

"Looks clear."

This time Levy stepped out first, followed by Sage.

Noah lingered for another moment, glancing back toward the alley they’d come from before joining them.

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