The Lazy Chronicles: Apartment of the Apocalypse-Chapter 89: Storm Before the Calm

Mallory stared out one of the factory’s reinforced windows, her arms crossed tightly. The city stretched before her, cloaked in eerie twilight despite the rising sun. Alex approached, his usual smirk replaced with a more subdued expression.

"Do you ever feel like we’re just playing a game we don’t know the rules to?" he asked, leaning against the wall beside her.

"Every second," Mallory admitted.

Alex glanced over at her. "You’ve got that look again. The one that says, ’I’m about to do something insane.’"

She turned to him, a faint smile on her lips. "When do I not have that look?"

"Fair point." He hesitated before adding, "So, what’s the plan? And don’t say ’win,’ because that’s not a plan—it’s a wish."

"We take the fight to them," she said firmly. "But first, we prepare. We need more supplies, stronger defenses, and a clear strategy. And that means splitting up again."

Alex groaned. "Why do I feel like you’re about to give me the boring job?"

"Because I am," Mallory said, patting his shoulder.

---

Splitting the Team

Mallory gathered everyone around the war table, Elias standing off to the side. He looked uncomfortable in the group dynamic but didn’t speak up.

"We need to cover a lot of ground," Mallory began, pointing to the map. "Ryder and Quinn, you’ll handle scouting the industrial district. Elias says there’s an old weapons cache there that might still have some viable tech."

Ryder nodded, his expression unreadable. Quinn simply shrugged, as if to say, Whatever gets us closer to surviving.

"Harper, Greg, and I will head to the eastern outskirts," Mallory continued. "There’s a rumored supply depot we can’t afford to ignore. Alex, you’re staying here with Elias to fortify the base."

"Babysitting duty again?" Alex muttered.

"You’re the only one Blinky listens to," Mallory pointed out.

As if on cue, Blinky buzzed into the room, its lights blinking in an oddly smug pattern.

"You’ve been waiting for this, haven’t you?" Alex accused the little drone.

Blinky responded with what could only be described as a triumphant beep.

--- novelbuddy-cσ๓

Industrial District Scouting

Ryder and Quinn moved through the crumbling industrial district like shadows themselves. Ryder’s machete was at the ready, and Quinn’s pack of explosives jingled softly with each step.

"So," Quinn said, breaking the silence. "You don’t talk much, do you?"

"Not unless there’s something worth saying," Ryder replied without looking at her.

"Fair enough," Quinn said, smirking. "Let me guess—you’re the strong, silent type with a tragic backstory and a soft spot for stray animals?"

Ryder glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "What’s your story, then? Former bomb squad, or just a pyromaniac with good aim?"

"Why not both?" she replied, her grin widening.

Despite their banter, the tension between them was palpable. When they reached the supposed location of the weapons cache, they found it buried under several feet of rubble.

"Great," Quinn muttered. "This is going to take hours."

Ryder began clearing the debris without a word. Quinn sighed and joined him, muttering under her breath about strong, silent types and their inconvenient work ethics.

---

Eastern Outskirts

Mallory, Greg, and Harper’s journey to the eastern outskirts was relatively uneventful—until they reached the supply depot. The structure was intact, but the surrounding area was crawling with Shadows.

"Looks like they’re guarding something," Harper whispered, peering through binoculars.

"Or someone," Greg added grimly.

Mallory studied the Shadows’ movements. "They’re patrolling in a pattern. If we’re quick, we can slip through without engaging."

Greg looked skeptical. "And if we’re not quick?"

"Then we improvise," Mallory said with a grin that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

The group moved cautiously, weaving through the shadows like ghosts. They managed to reach the depot’s entrance without alerting the creatures—until Harper accidentally kicked a loose piece of metal.

The clang echoed loudly, and all three of them froze.

"Run!" Mallory shouted, firing at the nearest Shadow to buy them time.

The group sprinted into the depot, slamming the door shut behind them.

"Nice going, Harper," Greg said, panting.

"Sorry! My bad!" Harper replied, her face flushed.

They barricaded the door and began searching the depot. It was mostly empty, but they managed to find a stash of medical supplies and a few cases of canned food.

"Not a total loss," Mallory said, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Yeah, except for the part where we’re trapped," Greg pointed out.

Mallory glanced at him. "Details."

---

Back at the Factory

Alex was in the middle of arguing with Blinky about the placement of a turret when Elias interrupted.

"Do you ever take anything seriously?" Elias asked, his tone exasperated.

Alex turned to him, feigning offense. "I take plenty of things seriously! Like breakfast. And lunch. And occasionally dinner."

Elias pinched the bridge of his nose. "This isn’t a joke, Alex. The Shadows are evolving, and we’re running out of time."

"I know," Alex said, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "But if we don’t laugh every now and then, what’s the point?"

Elias didn’t respond, but his expression softened slightly.

---

A Hilarious Misstep

Ryder and Quinn finally unearthed the weapons cache, only to discover it was locked with a complex code.

"Can you crack it?" Ryder asked.

Quinn examined the keypad. "Give me a minute."

She began working on the lock, but after a few moments, the keypad let out an angry beep, and a robotic voice said, "Access denied. Initiating defense protocol."

"Defense protocol?" Ryder repeated.

The ground beneath them rumbled, and a dozen small, spider-like drones emerged from hidden compartments in the walls.

"You had to touch it, didn’t you?" Ryder said, drawing his machete.

"How was I supposed to know it had killer drones?" Quinn shot back, tossing a grenade.

The resulting explosion took out half the drones, but the remaining ones advanced, their metallic legs clicking ominously.

"Next time, let’s just bring Alex," Quinn said as she fired at the nearest drone. "He’d probably charm them into self-destructing."

---

Reunion

By the time the teams regrouped at the factory, everyone was exhausted but alive.

"Find anything interesting?" Alex asked, handing Mallory a bottle of water.

"Depends on your definition of ’interesting,’" she replied.

Quinn dumped the salvaged weapons on the table. "We found these. And almost got eaten by robots."

"Sounds fun," Alex said.

Mallory sighed. "We’re making progress, but it’s not enough. We need more information—and more firepower."

"Then we’d better get some sleep," Greg said.

"Agreed," Mallory said.

As the group dispersed, Alex turned to Blinky. "So, flamethrower now?"

Blinky buzzed.

Alex grinned. "I knew you’d come around."

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