Apocalypse Rebirth: My Ex-Wife Begs for Mercy

"Selene..."

Xavier's voice was hoarse, each syllable strained as though it had been dragged from the depths of his throat.

"Selene... where is the serum?"

The door slammed shut behind him.

A sharp smell spread through the living room as fresh blood dripped from his clothes onto the floor.

His once-black combat jacket had been torn in several places, exposing deep gashes that stretched across his chest and arms.

Dried blood clung to his skin, while new wounds continued to seep crimson, leaving a trail of bloody footprints with every unsteady step he took.

In his right hand, he still gripped a machete.

Its blade was chipped beyond recognition, covered in blackened blood and pieces of rotten flesh. It was obvious the weapon had been through a brutal fight.

His breathing came in ragged gasps. “Selene, are you even listening to me?”

Every breath sent a sharp pain shooting through his body, but he forced himself to stay conscious. His gaze swept across the room until it landed on the woman sitting comfortably on the sofa.

Selene looked up from her phone.

For a brief moment, her eyes lingered on the blood covering his body before returning to the screen in her hand.

"Oh you're back," she said calmly, as though he had simply returned home from work instead of surviving a nightmare.

Xavier didn't answer.

He staggered forward, supporting himself against the wall as dizziness threatened to overwhelm him. His face had become unnaturally pale, and cold sweat rolled down his forehead.

"The serum..." he repeated, his voice growing more urgent. "Where did you put it?"

That single bottle was the only reason he had managed to drag himself back home.

Just a few hours ago, he had ventured into an abandoned research facility after hearing rumors that scientists had developed an experimental serum capable of suppressing the zombie virus. The laboratory had already fallen, swallowed by the apocalypse, and every corridor was crawling with flesh-hungry monsters.

He had fought through wave after wave of zombies, swinging his machete until both arms had gone numb. He had watched fellow survivors fall one after another, their screams swallowed by the endless growls of the undead.

Two fellow Evolvers had died, buying him enough time to retrieve the serum. Their blood still stained his jacket.

By the time he finally found the serum, he was the only one left standing.

Then, just as he escaped the laboratory, a zombie hidden beneath a pile of corpses lunged at him.

Its rotten teeth tore into his shoulder.

The infection had already begun spreading through his body.

He didn't stop to treat the wound…. He didn't even stop to rest.

He ran all the way home because he believed the serum waiting here would save his life.

"What serum are you talking about?" Selene asked, her voice carrying a hint of exhaustion.

Xavier let out a strained breath, forcing himself to stay on his feet.

"The Bluehallow Grade-5 Neutral Serum," he said urgently. "I told you to keep it somewhere safe. Didn't I?"

Selene slowly placed her phone on the coffee table before finally meeting his anxious gaze.

"That one?"

"Yes." Xavier nodded quickly. "Where is it? Bring it to me immediately."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Selene's face. "I don't think I can."

Xavier's heart skipped a beat. "...Why?"

"Because, I already used it.” Selene looked at him without a trace of guilt.

Xavier blinked in disbelief.

Once… Twice.

His exhausted mind refused to process the sentence.

For several endless seconds, the apartment remained silent except for the rhythmic sound of blood dripping onto the floor.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

The sound of his own blood hitting the floor was the only proof that he was still alive.

Then Xavier smiled.

Not because he found it amusing, but because his exhausted mind still refused to accept reality. It had to be a joke.

He stared at Selene, wondering if the blood loss had begun to affect his hearing. "...What did you say?”

"Geo's temperature had already crossed forty degrees. He was convulsing. I thought he was developing viral encephalitis. The serum was the only injectable medicine we had."

She paused for only a second before finishing her sentence. "So I injected the serum into him, as I'm not ready to watch his condition worsen.”

The color drained from Xavier's face.

His fingers loosened around the handle of the machete before tightening again with enough force to make his knuckles turn white.

"You..." he whispered, unable to believe what he had just heard. "You used the serum... on George?”

Selene didn't even flinch under his disbelieving stare.

Instead, she answered as if she had merely borrowed one of his shirts without asking.

"I made the decision after weighing the risks. Geo's condition was critical, and you weren't here. I used the only treatment available.” She said coolly.

The room fell deathly silent.

Xavier stared at her for several long seconds before a dry, bitter laugh escaped his lips.

"There wasn't any other choice?" he repeated, his voice trembling. "Selene... do you even know what that serum was?"

She frowned slightly, clearly growing impatient.

"You said it was important.”’

"Important?" Xavier suddenly raised his voice. "That wasn't just important!"

He pulled his torn jacket aside and exposed the gruesome bite mark on his left shoulder. The flesh surrounding the bite had already begun to necrotize. Thin black veins spread beneath his skin like cracked glass, while a burning heat pulsed through his entire arm.

"The virus has already entered my bloodstream. I can feel the viral replication accelerating every minute. Once it reaches my brainstem, I'll lose all higher cognitive functions."

His breathing grew ragged as a violent tremor suddenly shot through his arm, forcing his fingers to spasm around the machete's handle.

"I fought through fifteen zombies to bring that serum back. It wasn't medicine for the flu. It was a Grade-5 Viral Neutralization Serum, specifically engineered to suppress the Necrovirus during its incubation period. Once the viral load reaches systemic infection, even the serum would become useless."

For the first time since he walked through the door, Selene's gaze fell on his shoulder.

Her brows knitted together for a brief moment, but instead of panic or guilt, she simply sighed.

"You should've told me you were bitten."

Xavier felt as though someone had poured ice water over his heart.

"You never asked."

Before Selene could respond, footsteps echoed from the hallway.

George slowly walked into the living room, wrapped in a blanket. The flush from his earlier flu had completely disappeared, and his complexion looked healthier than ever. The moment he noticed Xavier standing there covered in blood, his face filled with unease.

"Brother Xavier..." He lowered his head guiltily.

"I told Sister Selene not to waste something so valuable on me... But Sister Selene wanted to save me. If you need someone to blame, blame me. She was only trying to help."

George hesitated before offering an awkward smile.

"It... it worked almost immediately. My flu disappeared after the injection."

Xavier looked at George, then at the empty syringe lying on the coffee table.

His chest tightened painfully, he had risked everything to retrieve that serum.

Many of his fellow fighters had died around him protecting it, he had carried it home while fighting against the virus spreading through his own body.

Yet the precious serum had been emptied into a man suffering from nothing more than a common flu.

Seeing the disbelief on Xavier's face, Selene stepped in front of George almost instinctively.

"There was no need to make such a fuss," she said firmly. "You're an Evolver…. Your body is far stronger than an ordinary person's. Geo isn't. Between the two of you, he needed it more, you're letting your emotions cloud your judgment, Xavier… Try to think rationally, then you'll understand I've made the right choice!”

Xavier slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers.

There wasn't the slightest trace of guilt on her face.

She genuinely believed she had made the right decision.

At that moment, the pain from the zombie bite no longer seemed to matter.

The woman he had spent years loving had chosen another man over him without a second thought, and somehow expected him to accept it as though it were only natural.

Xavier scoffed, his bloodshot eyes fixed on her. "Do you even know how many Grade-5 Neutralization Serums exist in the entire Eastern District?”