Chapitre 40: Chapter 40

"Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~"

The angelic voice of his daughter soothed his mind, dispelling the fatigue accumulated from a whole day of work. He unbuttoned his outer suit and placed down his brown work bag before lounging against an upholstered chair to relax.

His daughter lunged into his embrace, ignoring the sweat stains on his shirt. "Daddy look! I made a present for you! I am impendent now!" She giggled in glee, passing him a clumsy cardboard picture frame.

"I think you meant independent, angel." He corrected, rubbing her head. Her innocence alleviated his fatigue, completely banishing all the stress from his mind.

Idris has been waiting for this day for quite a while, for his family had promised him a huge surprise.

The sweet scent of a triple-layered, strawberry cake wafted out from the kitchen. His nose picked up on the pleasant aroma of sugar, and he could already perceive the associated taste on his tongue.

"Here's a giant dessert for a chunky man!"

Emanating a cheerful tune, a grandiose birthday cake entered his vision as a gorgeous woman emerged from the kitchen, her blonde hair tied into a youthful ponytail.

Chuckling at his wife's humorous tease, he laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Have I really gained that much weight?"

"Of course you have! It's been a steady increase since our wedding!" His wife laughed, setting down the upsized cake. "But don't be afraid, I like you more when you're chunky!"

"Mommy Mommy! Can we sing the birthday song together now?" With an excited smile, his daughter beamed, jumping up and down around the table.

"Sure, angel. Let's light up the candles first!" His wife said as she jogged back into the kitchen hastily while his daughter gazed ardently at the fragrant pastry. After a few seconds of searching, she reported back from the kitchen with some disappointing news. "Honey, I think we might have run out of birthday candles. "

"Aw man…" His daughter sighed dejectedly as her cheeks flustered. "We forgot to get candles…"

Seeing the defeated look on his daughter's adorable face, he couldn't help but make her a harmless promise as he jingled his car keys.

"Hahaha! It's no big deal, angel! We can hop on the car and return with some birthday candles in a jiffy!"

Those insignificant words lingered longingly in the air as tears welled around Idris's eyes.

"Daddy? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, angel. Why not we finish the birthday song right now?" Inserting his car keys back into his pockets while wiping off his tears, Idris held his wife and his daughter's hands tightly.

With his little angel leading the chorus, they sang in unison.

"Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday dear daddy~ Happy birthday to you!!!"

As Idris held back his rampant tears, the blaring of ambulance sirens overshadowed the lovely birthday song.

If only he could go back in time and withdraw the words he uttered…

The palpable presence of his wife and daughter became fainter as the birthday song progressed.

Idris imagined himself placing an invisible candle atop the grandiose birthday cake his wife had baked for him, singing along to the end of the chorus.

"Daddy, make a wish…"

His already soft-spoken daughter's voice grew weaker with every passing second.

Closing his eyes to suppress the temptation to bawl, Idris croaked as he felt his grip on their physical bodies loosen and their warmth dissipated.

"I wish… I wish we could have spent another birthday together…"

Words stifled his breath as his grip seeped through his family's flesh, catching only thin air.

And then, he softly blew the invisible candle.

The homely room blacked out.

Submerged in darkness, Idris ventured toward a speck of light lonesomely.

"I will meet you someday, eventually."

Reaching for the blinding light, Idris awoke from the cool breeze caressing his face.

He wanted to smear off the dried tears formed around his eyes, but his hands were occupied by a solid object.

His huge hands were wrapped snugly around a cardboard picture frame, protecting its fragile structure despite being on the brink of dying.

'Am I not dead?' Idris thought as he averted his eyes away from his Mona Lisa. He was slightly relieved, but at the same time, disappointed.

The swarm of blood-thirsty zombies storming into the office was nowhere to be seen. Only light, dispersed particles floated in the air, highlighted by the dim moonlight.

Chaotic shoe imprints and bloodstains blanketed the carpeted office floor. Few glimmering objects could be found, scattered across the corridor. The destruction caused by Idris being flung around remained untouched, smashed tables and computers carving out the outline of his massive physique.

"Honey. Angel. I saw you again…"

Idris muttered as he crawled up from the ground. Bracing for the intense pain from his broken ribs, he was surprised to find himself in a healthy condition.

His fatigue has vanished and his misaligned ribcages were performing perfectly as if they had never been damaged before. The tangy, metallic taste of blood in his throat was gone too, instead replaced by a minty freshness as if he had thoroughly brushed his teeth.

"I recovered?" Perplexed, Idris scanned his surroundings. He didn't find anything suspicious or out of place, which evoked more confusion.

Keeping the picture frame safely in his front suit pocket, Idris slowly crept towards the exit. Along the way, he picked up the gemstones that were extremely out of place, pondering what it was. One of the gemstones was light blue in colour and larger than the rest, sparkling the brightest as if it were alive. It was situated where he last saw the behemoth standing.

"I should ask Theodore about this since he seems to know much more." He mumbled. "Oh wait, I nearly forgot about Theodore!"

Idris's eyes widened and he began to sprint towards the exit when this thought emerged from the top of his head.

As the wind whistled past his ears, Idris noticed that his acceleration and explosive speed has drastically increased. Soon, the debris of the ruined fire exit door and walls surrounding it was only a few steps away.

Applying a sparse amount of energy, Idris tried to leap over the debris obstructing his path. Instead, his subdued attempt propelled him over the large pile of debris and directly onto the flights of stairs leading up. He has somehow achieved what was humanly impossible by jumping such an incredible distance!

Despite being taken aback by his prowess, Idris remained unfazed. He had no idea where the threats had evaporated to, but all he remembered was that his best friend was in danger and he that had promised to survive.

His footsteps echoed up the empty, winding flights of stairs. Weirdly, there was not a single zombie in sight. It was as if the zombies plaguing this building had been completely wiped off the surface of Planet Terra.

He added two gemstones to his collection along the way, which were suspiciously perched atop the steps leading up to the top floor. On the 49th floor, he finally found a trace of humans. However, the man he had found was already dead, his corpse severely mangled. Although he could no longer distinguish the corpse from his facial features, his stature resembled one of the newly added members of Theodore's guild.

With his heart racing, Idris continued to ascend the stairs, eager to search for his best friend whether he was alive or dead.

Many subsequent flights of stairs were veiled in a slippery and powdery substance, presumably used by Theodore and Qi Rui to delay the incoming hordes.

Idris's newly acquired physical enhancements came in handy as they allowed him to climb the floors steadily and without breaking a sweat. Nothing could impede his ascent as he finally arrived at the 58th story, where he finally found traces of human existence.

A wisp of smoke entered his nostrils, triggering his senses.

Instead of the frosty glaze of substance within fire extinguishers covering the premise, black ash and charcoal scorch marks decorated the painted, white walls.

The image of Theodore's failed 'fireball' attempt arose in Idris's mind as he scrutinized the havoc left behind.

Burnt hair strands and skins were most prominently found along with the flights of steps. With every step higher, more and more uncanny remnants appeared. Approaching the 59th floor, charred or damaged bodies became the norm.

Finally, Idris's towering build arrived on the 60th floor, right before the entrance to the building rooftop. The narrow crevice between the metal door was joined together cohesively, welded shut by a supernatural force.

"The crushed skulls are Qi Rui's doings, and fire must be related to Theodore…" Whispering under his breath, Idris slowed down his pace, his heavy footsteps whipping up ash particles.

Black ash and white powder.

Two extremely opposing color palettes created a distinct border on the 58th story stairwell, separating desperation and a reversal of fortune.

It marked the turning point of humanity and the establishment of superhumans.