Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]-Chapter 232 - Abuse of power

Trigger Warning: This content contains depictions of sexual assault and violence, which may be distressing or triggering for some readers. Please proceed with care.

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"We’ll leave then," Muchen said firmly, pushing off the wall, his voice steady with finality. "Everyone, get packing. We’re leaving in half an hour."

For a moment, there was on with the idea.

But then—

Zei let out a loud, almost careless sigh and climbed onto the top bunk in the corner, sprawling with exaggerated exhaustion. He flung one arm over his eyes.

"That’s not going to be that easy," he said flatly.

Everyone froze.

Muchen turned, frowning just slightly. "What do you mean?"

Zei sat up, his messy hair falling across his brow as he looked down at all of them. His gaze moved from person to person, disbelief painted across his face.

"Wow," he said. "You guys really don’t get it, do you?"

A tense pause followed. Jai stepped a little closer to Hana instinctively, while Yuki’s eyes widened in confusion. Even Shao shifted, just a half-step, his eyes narrowing.

"This place," Zei said, spreading his arms, "this isn’t a rescue center. No. This is a goddamn cage."

Hana blinked. "Cage?"

Zei exhaled sharply, voice suddenly rising. "We’re not here to be helped. We’re here to be contained. Quarantined. Watched. Controlled."

Muchen’s jaw tensed. "Explain."

Zei stood now, legs hanging off the edge of the bunk. His voice was low, but edged with urgency. "For the past two days, I’ve been sneaking around. Watching. Listening. Talking to people who are too scared to speak out loud. There’s no exit. The real military? The actual government-assigned soldiers? They’re not in here with us."

"They’re outside," he continued. "All around the perimeter of this school, patrolling every damn second. Not to protect us—no. They’re here to make sure we don’t get out."

Jai’s breath caught. "Why?"

"Because we came from City X," Zei answered, eyes dark. "We walked through blood-soaked ruins. We were in contact with the infected. And now they don’t know what we are anymore. Survivors? Carriers? Monsters-in-waiting?"

Yuki stumbled backward, bumping into the wall, her voice soft. "So... they think we’re dangerous?"

Zei gave a dry, bitter chuckle. "They know we might be. And that’s enough for them. So they locked us in. Gave us rations, cold water, shared rooms. No phones. No way to contact the outside world."

Muchen’s voice was low, nearly trembling with fury. "They made us think we were safe."

Hana suddenly inhaled sharply. The color drained from her face as her mind connected the dots.

"That’s why..." she whispered, eyes wide, "the women here... they all look like that."

Everyone turned to her.

"They’re pale, sunken. Some of them have bruises they tried to cover up. They don’t speak."

Her voice cracked. A hand flew to her mouth as bile rose in her throat. Her whole body tensed with a revulsion so sharp it felt like knives in her gut.

"They’ve been used," she said. "The men here... they took advantage of these women—" her voice broke, "they’re not just tired. They’ve been treated like sex toys."

Silence dropped into the room again, heavy and cold.

Zei leaned forward slightly, voice low and filled with grim finality. "Exactly. This place isn’t safe. It’s a fucking nightmare. They let the worst kind of men stay, the ones who thrive on chaos. And they watch. They take notes."

He paused, then looked at the group with eyes hollowed by truth. "That’s why there are so many doctors around too. They’re not here to help us. They’re here to study us. We’re their test subjects. Lab rats."

The words hit like a gut punch.

"Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But they’ll start," Zei went on. "If they haven’t already. Blood tests. injections. ’Routine check-ups.’ Then the vanishing starts."

Yuki whimpered softly, clinging to Hana’s sleeve.

Zei’s voice turned bitter. "Even Qiu Yue... they’ve locked him away, gave him a shiny lab and residence. But he’s isolated. Kept out of the real research. Used like the rest of us. Played like a damn fiddle."

Muchen clenched his fists, trying to ground the rage burning in his chest.

"I still can’t believe it," Kailun murmured, his voice a mix of confusion and stubborn hope. "I’ll call Shinju. He wouldn’t send us to a place like this. He can’t know."

He reached for the satellite phone strapped to his hip, fingers fumbling as he turned it on and dialed.

Nothing.

Just a dead screen. Not even static.

"What...? Why isn’t it working?"

Zei stood, walking over slowly. "Hand it over."

Kailun passed the device to him, unsure.

Zei turned it over and pointed to a tiny panel near the base. "Here. See this?" He tapped it. "It’s been tampered with. Likely disabled the transmitter."

"They don’t want you calling anyone," Zei said quietly. "They don’t want anyone to know what’s really going on here."

Kailun looked down at the phone in his hand, eyes stunned, mouth parted.

"They were never going to let us leave," Muchen said, the truth landing heavy in the air.

********

Across the compound, past the empty gymnasium and cold, echoing classrooms, the man stumbled to his feet, spitting blood onto the floor.

His face was a mangled mess—nose smashed sideways, a deep bruise blooming along his jaw. He touched his cheek and winced. The man’s punch had been stronger than it had any right to be. Rage boiled in his gut.

"Fucking freak," he muttered, voice thick with hate and pain.

The hallway lights flickered overhead, giving the building a sickly hue as he staggered forward. His boots scraped against the floor, leaving a trail of blood smears behind. As he turned the corner, he caught sight of someone—a woman, walking quickly, trying not to be noticed.

"You," he growled.

She froze.

"You bitch. Get here!"

Before she could run, he lunged. His hand twisted into her hair and yanked hard. She screamed, nails scraping against the wall as he dragged her backward, ignoring her pleas.

"Shut up!" he barked, pulling her into a side room and slamming the door shut.

Screams echoed moments later—high-pitched, panicked, and horrifying. Thuds followed. The sound of flesh hitting concrete. Pleading. Then silence.

No one came.

No one cared.

Hours later, the door creaked open with a tired groan. The woman’s body was flung out like garbage. She hit the hallway floor hard, her shoulder cracking against the tile. Her shirt was torn, barely hanging from one shoulder. Her pants clung to her thighs by threads, soaked through with blood and shame.

She coughed. Blood and saliva dribbled from her mouth. Her short hair had come undone, covering her eyes as she shakily crawled toward the nearest wall, using it to drag herself upright. Her legs trembled, buckling again and again.

No one looked her way.

At the end of the hall, she reached the supply closet. Her hand pushed it open, and she slipped inside, slamming it shut behind her.

She collapsed to her knees, forehead resting on the cold floor. Her arms wrapped tightly around a duffel bag tucked between old cleaning supplies. It was lumpy and oddly shaped, bulging in places.

Her voice was faint, raw from screaming.

"Baby..." she whispered. "Mommy’s in so much pain..."

She rested her head on the bag, eyes fluttering shut. "I don’t like living like this..."

She unzipped the duffel bag carefully. Inside, a child shifted. Its skin was blotched with a dull grey hue, veins snaking beneath like vines. It opened its mouth, revealing sharp, animal-like teeth.

"I couldn’t find you food today," she whispered apologetically, voice thick with guilt.

The child snarled softly, jaw snapping. She smiled gently, cupping its decaying cheek in her palm.

"It’s okay," she murmured, tears falling freely now. "Mommy’s still here."

She rolled up her sleeve, revealing the bruises and the dried blood on her arms. She guided the child’s face closer to her neck hugging it preciously close to her body.

"Drink, baby... drink my blood," she said lovingly. "Let Mommy become like you... so we can be together... as one."

The child bit down.

Her breath hitched.

But she didn’t cry.

She only smiled as her blood spilled and her vision began to blur.