Building a Safe Zone with My Harem In The Post-Apocalyptic World-Chapter 119: Apocalypse

The ride after that was awkward. Gideon had thought Delilah would loosen up a little, maybe even relax around him after everything, but instead she kept her distance.

Her posture was stiff, almost uncomfortable, as if she didn’t want to be sitting in the same military truck with him at all.

Gideon cleared his throat, trying to ease the silence. "So... what year did the apocalypse happen?"

He was genuinely curious. This world didn’t seem as technologically advanced at first glance, maybe because of the apocalypse that hit hard.

But at the same time, they had achieved things far beyond what his world could do. Artificial humans. Fully functional organ printing.

Back where he came from, 3D bioprinting existed too, but only on a smaller scale. Simple tissues, skin, experimental structures, but nothing close to fully functioning organs like hearts, lungs, or brains.

"The apocalypse didn’t happen in just a year or two," Delilah said slowly, her voice distant as she tried to recall it. "It took much longer than that."

"What actually happened?"

She paused. Her eyes drifted away, as if she was no longer looking at the road ahead but at something far in the past.

"I remember the coastline... where the egg was first found. It rained nonstop for an entire year. Storm after storm, hurricanes that kept coming one after another. The ocean kept rising, swallowing the land bit by bit."

Her hands tightened slightly.

"And it didn’t stop there. The rain spread across the continent, fast, like the whole world was being drowned. It felt like nature itself had turned against us."

She let out a slow breath.

"The floods wiped out nearly twenty percent of humanity. Mostly the lower class... the ones who couldn’t reach higher ground in time. The government didn’t even try to save everyone. They only evacuated selected families."

Her voice hardened at that. "Then the rain stopped. Completely. And for the next two years, it never came back."

She looked down at her hands. "We had nothing left to drink. Everything collapsed after that. People started turning on each other. All that advanced technology... it didn’t matter anymore."

Her voice softened, almost fading. "But I remember that night clearly. The wind stopped completely... and something woke Freya up. She was only eight back then."

***

"HHUUAAA!!!"

The cry was sharp and piercing, dragging Delilah out of sleep instantly.

She shot up, her heart racing, only to find Leon still asleep beside her, unmoving, as if nothing had happened.

Ignoring him, she rushed out of the room and into the other one, where both Freya and Summer were already awake, shaken and frightened.

Something felt wrong. Her mouth tasted strange, like saltwater mixed with something green, almost like chlorophyll. The air carried the scent of wet soil, like fresh earth after heavy rain.

But she didn’t have time to think about it.

She moved straight to her daughters, pulling them close.

They were living inside a government bunker, deep within the mountains, far from the coastline and the floods.

The place was structured like a small apartment; two bedrooms, a living area, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Compared to most, it was decent.

Leon’s position as a researcher had secured them that. Still, the walls were thin.

Not long after Freya’s cries echoed, a loud bang came from the other side, followed by an irritated voice.

"Make her shut up, damn it!"

Tension had been building in the bunker for weeks. Water was scarce. The food was worse. The floods had destroyed most crops, and whatever artificial food they were given tasted like nothing.

Now, they survived on energy bars—breakfast, lunch, dinner—with strict water rations.

Even artificial water had to be limited.

"It’s okay, Freya... what happened?" Delilah asked gently, pulling her closer and rubbing her back, while Summer clung to her side.

"It’s Kiki... she’s acting weird," Freya said, her voice shaking.

"Is she going to die?" Summer added quickly. "Dad said the cat didn’t have much time left anyway..."

"It’s okay. She won’t die. Maybe she’s just sick," Delilah reassured them, though she wasn’t entirely convinced herself. "Where is she?"

Freya trembled, slowly raising her hand and pointing toward the narrow gap behind the table.

Delilah began to stand, but before she could move, Summer grabbed her clothes, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"No, Mom... She’s weird. I think she turned into a monster."

Delilah frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

Freya and Summer looked at each other, then nodded. One of them grabbed the flashlight from the side table and turned it on, the beam shaking slightly as they pointed it toward the gap behind the table.

Delilah still couldn’t see anything clearly from where she stood, so she stepped closer and bent down, trying to make out what was hiding in the darkness.

Before she could fully focus, the table suddenly split apart with a sharp crack, pushed aside as something forced its way out.

What emerged wasn’t Kiki.

It had massive fangs protruding from its mouth, jagged and uneven, like they were formed from bark rather than bone. Its body was swollen, moving on four limbs like a twisted version of a cat that had been stripped of its fur.

From its flesh, thin vines pushed through the skin, followed by thick thorns that tore outward from its back. Dark, rotten blood oozed from the wounds, dripping onto the floor.

It let out a shrill, broken scream, like something caught between pain and madness. Its movements were erratic, unfocused, as if it didn’t even realize they were there.

BANG!

"What the fuck?! I told you to shut that damn kid up!"

The shout from the neighbor made Delilah flinch. Her daughters froze in place, their bodies stiff, tears silently streaming down their faces as they stared at the thing in front of them.

Delilah turned to them quickly, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Summer, Freya, listen to me. Follow my lead, okay? We’re going to leave the room slowly."

They nodded immediately, trying their best to stay quiet as they carefully got off the bed. Even the faint creak of the frame made them flinch, and the noise from the neighbor didn’t help at all.

Step by step, they moved toward the door, Delilah staying behind them, watching both her daughters and the creature at the same time.

They were almost there. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Just as they reached the doorway, the creature’s head snapped toward them. Its eyes sharpened, the pupils turning a deep, blooming red like a rose soaked in blood. It let out a distorted roar and lunged forward.

Delilah reacted instantly. She slammed the door shut with all her strength, but the creature’s thorns shot forward, piercing through the metal with ease. One of them struck dangerously close to her face, grazing her cheek.

Pain shot through her skin. Warm blood trickled down.

It was real.

"RUN! RUN OUTSIDE!" she shouted.

Freya and Summer ran, stumbling out of the room, while Delilah held the door shut for a second longer before letting go and following after them. She slammed it closed behind her, her breathing ragged and uneven.

By the time they reached the corridor, their neighbors had already come out, drawn by the noise. Confusion and worry spread across their faces as they saw Delilah and the girls in that state.

"Monster... it’s a monster..." Delilah muttered, her voice trembling.

Then she remembered, Leon was still inside.

The sounds from behind the door grew louder, violent crashes mixed with distorted screeches, like something tearing the room apart.

Delilah bit her lip hard enough to hurt. She didn’t have time to hesitate. If Leon died—

She turned back, ignoring the panic in her daughters’ voices.

She opened the door just enough to slip inside, then shut it firmly behind her, cutting off their cries as well as the neighbors trying to stop her.

"It’s okay," she said quickly before closing it fully. "I’m just checking. I’ll come back. Don’t worry."

"NO! MOM!"

She didn’t look back. She forced herself forward, moving down the hallway toward her room. The creature wasn’t there, which meant...

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gunshots rang out.

Delilah rushed forward and threw the door open. The room was a mess, furniture overturned and walls scratched apart. On top of the bed lay the creature, its body twitching weakly after three gunshots.

Leon stood at the far side of the room, gun still raised, his face pale and drenched in sweat.

Delilah stepped closer, her eyes fixed on the creature. Up close, she could see it clearly now, the scar on its face. The monster was clearly Kiki.

"What is happening..." she whispered.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Leon snapped immediately. "Why did you leave me behind?!"

That was the first thing he said.

He looked terrified, but anger pushed through it, his voice sharp and accusing.

"I’m sorry! I had to get the girls out first!"

"Hah! That’s a lie. You were saving yourself!" he shot back, crossing his arms despite the gun still in his hand. "What kind of wife forgets her own husband?"

The words hit harder than they should have, and irritation flared in her chest. This wasn’t the time.

"You—"

She didn’t get to finish because screams echoed from outside, followed by more of those inhuman roars.

Both of them froze before their eyes met.

Summer and Freya were still out there.