Todos los capítulos de From Abandoned Bride to Apocalypse Survivor: Capítulo 11 - Capítulo 17

Theresa PovThe first thing I heard that morning was laughter.Not the brittle kind survivors use to convince themselves everything is fine. Real laughter. Children shouted beneath our window, their voices tangled with the rumble of wooden wheels on stone.I opened my eyes and, for one blessed second, forgot where I was. Then the green mist came back to me, along with the creature watching the settlement and the strange machine floating above the central square.I sat up carefully. My side still ached, but the pain had dulled from a knife to a bruise, and the bandage on my arm had held. I'd slept without waking every hour to check whether something was scratching at the door. 'That counts as a victory. Small, but I'll take it.'Ken was already awake, sitting by the window and studying the settlement like a general surveying a map."You're awake.""Unfortunately.""Your gratitude for another day of life is touching.""Give me a few minutes. I haven't eaten."A covered tray waited outsi

Theresa PovThe platform split open.A deep mechanical groan rolled across the square as two wooden sections slid apart. Beneath them, a circular stone column rose from the dark, trailing dust and a cold wind that smelled of rust and damp stone. The crowd fell silent.A spear rested on the column. Its dark silver shaft was threaded with golden patterns, and its long, curved blade caught the afternoon light like a flame frozen mid-flicker. Nine small circles were engraved near its base.Ken took one step forward, his golden eyes locked on it. "The spear...""Do you remember it?""No." His jaw tightened. "But I know it belongs to me."Before I could answer, Keeper Orlan threw up both hands. "Behold! The sacred spear of our ancestors!"The crowd dropped to their knees. Some bowed their heads, others stretched trembling hands toward the weapon."The day of cleansing approaches! The divine vessel has returned!"A private notification flickered in front of my eyes.[Divine Remain Detected.]

Theresa Pov"Let them think I haven't noticed."Ken watched me from across the room. "And when they discover that you have?""Then we deal with it.""That is not a plan.""Neither is walking blindly into the wasteland."He glanced at the shuttered window. The green mist had thickened, and pale strands curled along the settlement wall, sometimes revealing tall shapes moving inside it."We cannot stay here forever.""I know, and you can stop saying it like I'm hiding the exit."I spread our supplies across the table: the cracked rectangular device, the last scraps of food, the folding knife. The spear was still beneath the sanctuary, guarded by seven men and by Orlan, who now knew we wanted it.The device's cracked screen still showed a familiar skyline and a partial date. OCTOBER 2021. 'This isn't another world,' I thought, my pulse quickening. 'It's my own, and something killed it.'I tucked the device into my clothes. Ken noticed."You keep staring at that broken thing.""It matters.

Theresa PovThe warning flashed across my vision.[Containment Failure Imminent.]I locked my arms around Ken as the floor vanished beneath us, and the darkness swallowed everything. No walls, no chains, no creature hunting us. Only his arm around my waist and the awful rush of air.Then we hit water.The impact knocked every breath out of me. Cold closed over my head, and something snagged my injured leg and dragged me sideways. I kicked until my fingers scraped rough stone, hauled myself up, and broke the surface."Ken!"Nothing.The chamber was enormous, with black pillars rising from a shallow pool and pale blue lights glowing under the water, lighting strange symbols on the floor. Several meters away, Ken floated face down.My heart stopped.I swam to him through the pain in my leg, flipped him over, and slapped his cheek. "Ken! Open your eyes!"His face was gray. I pressed two fingers to his neck and felt a weak, stubborn pulse. Relief hit so hard I nearly sobbed. I dragged him