Apocalypse Rebirth: Crazy from Day One

It was madness. Utter madness. Just a short while ago, they were all kind and friendly neighbors, talking about how they needed to help one another.

How much time had passed? It had only been one afternoon, and everything had descended into chaos.

What with the outright murders and the break-in robberies, things were just too chaotic.

Thinking back, quite a few people in their residential community had died recently. The ones who died when the heavy snow collapsed their homes—that was a natural disaster, and nothing could be done. But besides the natural disaster, there had also been several deaths at the hands of others during this time, not to mention that one body that had mysteriously turned up in their complex.

Before, this would have been completely unthinkable.

But now, with so many dead, no one was coming to deal with it. Things had truly fallen apart.

Now, there were several more bodies outside the buildings. The very thought was terrifying.

It would be one thing if the bodies were taken care of, but the ones that weren’t were still lying out there in the snow. They had died horribly, and the sight was truly horrifying.

The only fortunate thing was that the snow was falling heavily. Before long, the bodies would be buried.

And because of the low temperatures, the bodies wouldn’t rot and stink. Otherwise, the stench would have been unimaginable.

Within the community, a sense of peril hung over everyone as they worried about what the future would hold.

But some people had gotten a taste of the benefits from robbing Ms. Larkin’s home. Their way of thinking was changing. They had discovered a new way of life and were now rubbing their hands together, eager to try again.

However, none of this had much to do with Stella Sterling. She spent some time each day observing the changing situation in the community, but the rest of her time was spent either exercising or watching TV shows.

The days passed quickly like this, and in the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.

Over the month, Stella Sterling’s strength had grown considerably, and her skills had improved as well. The only problem was her lack of a sparring partner. She had no idea what her actual combat abilities were like now.

A few things were starting to frustrate her. For one, as her strength increased, the punching bag she used for boxing had been completely destroyed.

The fitness equipment she had was also becoming useless; it was no longer providing any real workout.

Now, she could only rely on bodyweight exercises for her physical training, but the results were minimal.

Another point of frustration was her medical knowledge. Her grasp of theory was now terrifyingly strong, but with no one to practice on, her practical skills couldn’t advance. She was stuck, and it gnawed at her.

Aside from that, everything else was fine. She had even gained a few pounds. Her face looked fuller, and she had a healthy, radiant complexion—the very picture of someone living well.

Sometimes, when Stella Sterling looked at herself in the mirror, she found it impossible to connect this image with the sallow, emaciated person she had been in her past life.

The change was huge even compared to just before her rebirth; her face looked far more supple and fresh.

Stella Sterling had lived well this past month, but the same could not be said for the other residents of the community.

By now, those with small food reserves had run out of provisions days ago. How they had managed to survive until now was anyone’s guess.

With the gas supply exhausted, people couldn’t cook. Much of the time, they were forced to eat raw rice.

In the past, no one would have dreamed of doing such a thing, but now, as long as it filled their stomachs, who cared about anything else?

Sometimes, when Stella Sterling glanced out her window, she would see people downstairs who were so hungry they were digging into the snow and eating it.

Under such circumstances, nearly everyone’s psyche had changed.

"SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!"

In the living room, Stella Sterling was swinging a large machete. The blade whistled through the air with impressive power. In front of her was a piece of clothing, previously stained with blood. She tossed it into the air and, as it fell, swung her machete at the spots she had marked on it.

Every strike hit its mark. Stella Sterling was very satisfied.

She had never formally studied any martial arts. All her skills were moves honed in life-or-death combat; she was most proficient with the deadliest strikes.

However, she lacked proper footwork and movement techniques, a weakness she was now trying to remedy.

With another downward chop, the vase on the dining table split neatly in two, the halves tumbling to the floor and shattering.

She pulled back the machete and wiped the sweat from her brow. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of someone in the building across from hers, staring at her with a look of terror. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

At some point, the window she had closed must have opened a crack. The person in the opposite building happened to be standing by their own window and had seen her swinging the machete in her living room.

Due to the distance and the partially obstructed view, the person couldn’t see exactly what Stella Sterling was doing—only that she was relentlessly swinging a large machete.

’Who in their right mind swings a machete around in their own home?’ A terrified thought flashed through the man’s mind.

To him, the young woman in the building opposite had an icy expression as she swung the blade again and again. ’She’s not... attacking someone, is she?’

The man was utterly terrified. The next moment, he saw the young woman look in his direction. His heart leaped into his throat. He wanted to pull the curtains, but it was too late. Her gaze met his. There was no time to hide...

’I just witnessed her in the middle of a violent act! Is she going to come after me for revenge?’

Overcome with terror, he forced himself to calm down. He managed a slight smile at Stella Sterling, trying to signal his goodwill.

It was a very forced, very ugly smile!

Stella Sterling saw the terror practically overflowing from his eyes. It only took a moment of thought for her to realize he must have gotten the wrong idea.

A mischievous impulse seized her. She gave him a cold smirk, then drew the blade across her neck in a throat-slitting gesture.

The man was so frightened he stumbled back two steps and fell to the floor, disappearing from Stella Sterling’s view.

Seeing this, she burst out laughing, then pulled the window shut and went back into her living room.

’Ah, life needs a little fun now and then. Scaring someone once in a while can really lift your spirits.’

’Otherwise, being cooped up at home all day... even with shows to watch and things to browse, I sometimes get antsy.’

’Letting off steam like that really brightens my mood.’

’If even I, someone in a much better situation than most, feel this way sometimes, I can only imagine how warped other people’s minds must be getting in this environment.’

’From what I remember, by the seventh year of the apocalypse, anyone still alive was no longer sane. Everyone was twisted, more or less.’

’Myself included.’

Stella Sterling poured herself a glass of red wine and leaned back lazily on the sofa, an entranced expression on her face. "Such fine wine," she murmured. "It’s a pity no one knows just how good my life is right now."

She shook her head slightly, her eyes half-lidded and a faint smile playing on her lips. It was hard to tell if she was a little drunk, or if it was something else entirely.

But one thing was clear: she seemed to be in a very good mood.