"I swear, that Elric guy is disgusting."
"What a freak. He's still trying to hit on my girlfriend?"
The scene opened inside the girls' dormitory of East Haven University — a building that had long since lost its electricity, its walls darkened by smoke and dust.
Three men — Jacob, Ryan, and Matt — sat huddled around a dim camping lantern, glaring at a cracked phone screen that showed Elric's message to Elsa.
Elsa herself sat on the edge of her bunk, her perfectly straight hair slightly disheveled, face pale but still holding that well-trained, elegant composure.
All three men were furious. Elric's calm, confident refusal had touched a nerve.
The night before, they'd run out of food completely. Out of desperation, they drank rainwater mixed with rust and pollution. Then, the next morning, they'd decided to risk everything — venturing out through the fog to search for food.
They hadn't made it far.
Barely halfway to the student store, they saw it — a spider the size of a truck, tearing apart a human corpse like paper.
The screams still haunted them.
Terrified, Jacob had dragged Ryan and Matt and sprinted back, stumbling through the fog until they reached the girls' dorm where Elsa and her three roommates were holed up.
There were now seven of them in the same room — four girls, three guys — all starving, cold, and on edge.
When they realized they had no way to get food, they did what desperate people always do — they looked for someone else to beg from.
And that someone was Elric.
The same Elric they used to laugh at. The same Elric who'd been humiliated by Jacob just weeks ago.
But now… Elric had supplies.
Last time they'd tried to ask him, he'd sent them packing with a few harsh words. So this time, they decided to use Elsa — the one woman Elric had once worshipped.
They were certain she could get what they couldn't.
But when Elsa messaged him, Elric's reply was blunt:
"If you want food and water, come here yourself. Nothing else will be given."
No excuses. No soft spot. No hesitation.
That single message hit harder than a slap.
Elsa clenched her fists, her polite smile trembling. The man who used to fall over himself for her had just dismissed her like a stranger.
"Unbelievable," she muttered coldly. "That guy used to trip over himself to get my attention. Now he thinks he's too good for me?"
"Please," said Yanni, her heavily made-up roommate, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe you're not as irresistible as you thought."
Yanni was the type who lived on validation — dyed hair, designer hoodie, fake confidence. She'd always felt overshadowed by Elsa, the so-called goddess of their department.
Now, seeing her rival humiliated, she couldn't resist twisting the knife.
But before she could smirk again—
SMACK!
The sound of a slap cracked through the silence.
It was Jacob — furious, unstable, and hungry. His hand still trembled as he glared at Yanni, who fell against the wall, clutching her cheek.
"You think you can talk to her like that?" Jacob snarled. "You're lucky we even let you stay here."
Yanni's eyes filled with tears. "You hit me?! I'm calling the police!"
Jacob laughed — the kind of laugh that had long forgotten what fear felt like. "The police? You think they still exist? Go ahead, call them. Maybe a spider will answer."
No one else spoke. The tension was suffocating.
Jacob grabbed Yanni by the collar and shoved her down again before storming off toward the corner, breathing heavily.
Yanni's face was bleeding. One of her teeth was cracked.
"Enough," Elsa said finally, standing up. Her tone was calm, gentle even. "Violence won't solve anything."
She approached Jacob and placed a soft hand on his arm, her expression composed — almost saintly.
"Please. Let's not turn on each other. We'll figure this out," she said, her voice smooth as silk.
Jacob's anger melted instantly. "You're too kind, Wenna."
Behind her calm exterior, Elsa's lips curled into a faint, secret smile.
She hated Yanni — always had. The slap had given her the satisfaction she wanted without having to dirty her own hands. Now she just played the part of the kind, selfless girl again.
That was her specialty — appearing pure while getting exactly what she wanted.
As the wind howled outside and the power flickered for the last time, the dorm room fell into uneasy silence.
Elsa sat back down and looked at Elric's message again.
"If you want food and water, come here in person."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Fine," she whispered. "You'll get your wish, Elric. I'll come find you."
"Come on, Wenna, use that charm of yours."
"What are we supposed to do now, though? If Elric doesn't give us food, we're gonna starve to death!"
"I can't drink that contaminated water again. My stomach's already killing me. One more bottle of that stuff and I swear my insides will rot."
After Elsa's calm persuasion, Jacob finally stopped pacing. But his brows were furrowed deep — the problem hadn't gone anywhere.
Food.
That was all anyone cared about anymore.
And without it, no one would last another week.
"Are you seriously this dumb?" Elsa said, folding her arms. "Just tell him what he wants to hear. Pretend to agree, get his location, then figure it out once you know where he is."
Jacob blinked. "Oh. Ohhh… damn, baby, that's genius."
He turned to the others — Ryan, Matt, and the girls Yanni, Sierra, and Lori — and grinned like he'd just discovered fire.
"Yeah! We'll pretend to agree. Once we find where Elric's hiding, we can take his stash and live off it for weeks!"
Elsa just gave a small smile, her expression unreadable.
"I never said rob," she corrected smoothly. "I said take. Big difference."
"Sure, sure." Jacob smirked, already grabbing her phone. "Don't worry, babe. If he's dumb enough to give us his address, I'll handle the rest."
Elsa said nothing — just handed him the phone and sat back, perfectly composed.
Jacob scrolled to Elric's chat window and typed quickly, pretending to be her.
"Elsa":Okay. I'll come to you. Which building are you in? Tell me so I can find you tomorrow.
Meanwhile, across campus, Elric was sitting by the window of the abandoned faculty apartments, eating the last of a roasted lamb leg he'd cooked earlier that day.
When the message popped up, he raised an eyebrow.
"Okay. I'll come to you…"
She agreed that fast? No hesitation? No flirting or manipulation?
That wasn't Elsa's style.
He smirked, tapping the phone lightly against his palm. "You're not the one texting, are you, Wenna?"
It didn't take much to guess what was going on.
If Jacob and his gang were really desperate enough to use her account, then this was the perfect setup — for them and for him.
Elric could almost taste the irony.
He'd been beaten by Jacob and his friends a year ago. Back then, he was the loser, the punching bag, the kid everyone ignored.
Now?
He had powers — the Surgical Fruit and the Glaring Fruit. He could slice steel like paper and see through walls with a glance.
If those three idiots really came here…
Elric's smirk deepened.
He typed back:
Elric:I'm at the faculty apartment building. Fourth floor. Message me when you get here.
And hit send.
Not because he trusted them — but because he wanted them to come.
This time, the prey was already walking into the trap.
Back in the dorm, Jacob saw the reply and almost cheered.
"He took the bait!" he said, shoving the phone toward the others.
Elsa crossed her legs and smiled faintly. "Then it's settled. We go tomorrow morning."
Yanni frowned. "You really think it's safe? What if he's changed? That guy gives me bad vibes now."
"Relax," Jacob scoffed. "He's still the same loser who used to follow Wenna around like a dog. You think he can fight?"
No one argued. But none of them looked as confident as they sounded.
Outside, the wind howled like a warning. The fog pressed against the dorm windows like a living thing, swallowing the world beyond.
The group tried to sleep, though none of them really could.
Elsa lay awake on her bunk, staring at her phone, re-reading Elric's message over and over.
I'm at the faculty apartment building. Fourth floor.
Her lips curved slightly.
"Let's see what you've become, Elric," she whispered. "And whether you're still the fool you used to be."
Meanwhile, Elric leaned back in his chair, glancing at the quiet, shadowed city outside.
He opened the emergency broadcast app. Every channel was the same: chaos.
Looting, riots, mutated animals, collapsing cities.
The new world had arrived — cruel, lawless, and changing faster than anyone could adapt.
He locked his phone and exhaled slowly.
"They'll come," he murmured to himself. "And when they do…"
His eyes flashed faintly — silver, cold, and sharp.
"…I'll make sure they don't leave."
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