Apocalypse Rising: Brains After Brains

Day 2

REDACRE PRECINCT, 2:14 A.M.

"Xenia! Where the hell are you?!"

Xenia sniffled, her voice hoarse as she pressed her phone closer. She was sitting cross-legged on her dorm room floor, still wearing the club outfit Zoe had picked out...black jeans, a halter top, glitter smudged across her cheeks like battle scars. A crumpled club napkin in one hand, she dabbed at her eyes.

"I went home," she said, voice barely above a whisper.

Zoe's voice exploded from the other end of the line. "GIRL, YOU GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK. Someone got murdered....murdered.....behind the club! And now I'm stuck at the Redacre police station because they arrested half the place! I told them I don't even kill ants, but no one believed me! They said my glitter boots made me 'look suspicious.'"

"You… what?" Xenia sat up straighter, all exhaustion gone in an instant.

"I'm telling you! A guy was found dead in the club bathroom. I didn't even see him, I swear! I was too busy getting rejected by the bartender, okay?! Now I'm surrounded by ten drunk frat guys and one girl who peed herself in a sequin jumpsuit. I need help. They won't let me leave. Redacre precinct. You know—the depressing one near the abandoned news building."

Xenia's mind was racing, still trying to catch up. She rubbed her forehead, heart pounding. "Zoe… I got dumped tonight."

There was a pause on the other end. Then Zoe's voice dropped low, like she had just stopped mid-freak-out. "Wait. What? Steven dumped you?"

Xenia nodded even though no one could see her. Her voice was small. "Yeah. Over the phone. Right in the middle of the party."

Zoe's gasp was loud and dramatic, like she'd been slapped. "Fuck...forget Steven. That emotionally constipated man-child ruined everything. Tonight was supposed to be perfect! You were perfect. You are perfect. And he just...."

"I know," Xenia cut in, quiet but firm. "But maybe it's my fault too. I… I lied sometimes. I told him I was busy even when I wasn't. I skipped movie nights. Forgot to text back. I missed things that mattered to him."

Zoe's tone softened like she'd been punched in the chest. "Xen, no. You were surviving college. Juggling four jobs, ten modules, and the crippling weight of late-stage capitalism. That boy couldn't handle someone who didn't revolve around him. You're a sun, babe. You don't shrink for fragile planets."

Xenia let out a shaky laugh. "You make it sound poetic. But really, it was just desperation."

She rubbed her temples, remembering the blur of deadlines and side hustles. "I wrote half your assignments. Opened an academic commission page just to keep up with rent...essays, research papers, PowerPoint decks, the whole lot. I tutored three students two moms who ghosted me without paying. I even made academic explainer videos hoping to monetize them...got ten subscribers and one hate comment."

Zoe winced. "The internet is cruel."

"And I started a mini loan business," Xenia added with a bitter laugh. "Guess what? Three out of Seven borrowers disappeared. So yeah, I was basically drowning in other people's projects, unpaid work, and broke clients. But sure, let's pretend Steven dumping me was the worst part."

There was a pause. A breath shared through silence.

"You were doing everything you could to survive," Zoe said again, quieter this time. "And that makes you powerful. Not broken."

Xenia didn't respond right away, but she held the phone closer to her ear—like somehow, that could make Zoe's words hold her together.

Xenia let out a soft laugh, one that cracked at the edges.

"Okay. Now come save me," Zoe said quickly, switching back to full panic mode. "Please. They said they just need a witness statement or something. But if a reporter shows up before you do and my mom sees my mugshot next to a murder headline? I will literally die. I can't be a meme. Not like this."

Xenia glanced at the time. 2:14 A.M. Her eyes drifted to the planner still open on her desk. "Get rest," it said in gentle cursive. She sighed.

"I'm on my way."

REDACRE STATION

Redacre precinct looked like something from an outdated police procedural. It stood on a cracked corner of the city's government block, tucked between an abandoned public access news studio and a half-built parking garage. The building itself was gray, squat, and peeling at the edges, like it had long since given up on looking welcoming.

Inside, chaos had taken root.

A girl wrapped in a pink burrito blanket cried into her hands. A frat boy tried seducing the vending machine using a half-eaten protein bar as a bribe. Three police officers stood behind the main desk looking like caffeine was the only thing keeping them from collapsing.

Xenia stepped up to the counter, clearing her throat. "Hi. I'm here for Zoe Navarro? She called me. I'm her roommate."

One officer... broad-shouldered, early thirties, eyes like he hadn't blinked since midnight... nodded. "Officer Mendez. Follow me. She's in the side interview room."

Xenia followed him down a dim hallway. Her pulse thrummed in her ears. Her club shoes clicked sharply on the worn linoleum. Every instinct said she should be sleeping. Or crying. Or screaming. Not giving statements to the police at nearly three in the morning.

In the room, two more officers waited. Officer Ruiz, older with deep lines on his face, was already scanning a tablet.

"You were with Zoe tonight?" Ruiz asked.

"Yes. At Nova Pulse," Xenia said. "We danced, got drinks. But I left early."

"Why?"

"I got a breakup call. From Steven. I wasn't in the mood to party anymore, so I walked home."

"Did you see anything strange before you left?" Mendez added.

Xenia hesitated. Her thoughts jumped back to that alley. The girl. The guy. The unnatural stillness. The flickering light.

"I… I passed a couple in the alley behind the club. He was pressed close to her. At first I thought they were kissing, but they weren't moving. It just felt off."

"Can you describe them?"

She shook her head slowly. "Not clearly. Girl had pale heels. Guy wore a hoodie. I didn't see their faces. It was dark."

"Did you approach them?" Ruiz asked.

"No. I just kept walking."

The officers exchanged a glance.

"There was a man found dead in the club bathroom," Mendez explained. "Some witnesses wrongly identified your friend. We're clearing it up now."

"Zoe didn't do anything," Xenia said firmly. "She's loud. Dramatic. But she's not violent. She cried when she stepped on a snail last week."

Ruiz's brow twitched, just slightly. "We're letting her go. We just needed to verify a few things."

A few minutes later, Zoe emerged, wrapped in a gray police blanket like she was starring in her own prison escape movie. Mascara streaks lined her cheeks. Her hair was a war zone. Her boots still sparkled like defiant disco balls.

"You saved my life," she whispered.

Then louder, arms wide: "I LOOKED LIKE A KILLER, XENIA."

Xenia gave her a tired half-hug. "Let's go home."

Zoe sniffled dramatically. "Do you think they'll delete my mugshot?"

"Doubt it."

"Ugh. I need fries and therapy."

"We'll start with fries."

As they stepped out into the early morning haze, Xenia looked up at the faint glow of dawn breaking through Argenta's skyline.

She felt it in her bones. Something had shifted tonight.

And not just in her love life.

Not just in Zoe's criminal record.

Something bigger.

Something… waiting.

WESTBURNED DORMITORY – MORNING

"Mom, it's me—Xenia. It's my graduation today. Will you come? I have a surprise for you."

She held the phone between her cheek and shoulder while curling another section of her hair. Chestnut strands wrapped perfectly around the iron, hissing steam with each twist. Her voice had been rehearsed to sound cheerful, effortless—like she wasn't begging to be seen.

Her mom answered after a beat too long. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry. We're on a trip right now. Your stepdad just signed a big project in Solmere. Very urgent. His secretary called in sick, so I'm helping with the paperwork."

Of course. It was always about work.

Xenia forced a soft smile into her voice. "I understand."

"As much as I want to be there, honey, I really can't. Did you try your dad? Maybe he's available?"

"I haven't yet."

That was a lie. She had already tried calling her dad three times that week. Voicemail, no signal, no response. He was probably camping again. Or hiding. Or just out of reach—like always.

"Alright, Mom. Thanks anyway." Her voice cracked slightly, but she ended the call before it could crumble completely.

The "Call Ended" screen faded. The silence felt louder than anything else in the room.

Xenia stared at her reflection in the mirror: perfectly curled hair, neat eyeliner, flawless foundation hiding the tired shadows under her eyes. She looked ready. She looked like someone who had everything together. But her chest felt tight, like she'd breathed in too much and didn't know how to let it out.

The bathroom door creaked open.

Zoe strutted out wearing only a towel and the kind of confidence usually reserved for runway models. Her skin glowed from her skincare routine, and she was humming a pop song like nothing was wrong with the world.

"Chin up. Don't frown like that—you're the main event today, babe. Smile like you're about to win an award."

Xenia turned slightly. "I know. It just sucks."

"Family stuff?"

"My mom's literally in Solmere—just 14 kilometers away—and still can't make it. My dad's… well, missing again." Her voice dropped. "It's my big day, but no one's showing up for me."

Zoe flopped dramatically onto the bed. "That's criminal. And not in a cute, petty crime way. Like, full emotional fraud."

Xenia let out a soft laugh, small and broken. "It's like… there's no one in the audience for me. Not really."

"Well, there's me," Zoe said, sitting up. "And my mom's coming too. After the ceremony, we're treating you to the fanciest restaurant in Solmere. You'll get the full backup-family experience."

"That sounds nice," Xenia whispered.

"My mom already loves you, anyway," Zoe added. "She says you've got discipline, and I've got 'vibrancy.' Which is mom-speak for: 'Xenia gets things done, and Zoe is a chaotic art project.'"

This time, Xenia laughed for real.

She turned from the mirror and sat beside Zoe on the bed, curling her knees up.

"I just wish I had one photo," she said quietly. "One picture of the three of us—mom, dad, me. Like a real family. Something I could frame."

Zoe turned to her. "Hey. You're not the mistake here. They are—for making you feel like you had to earn love through grades and achievements. That's on them, not you."

Xenia blinked fast. She hated crying before important events—it made her eyes puffy and ruined her selfie angles.

"Thanks," she said. "But it doesn't change the fact that I've spent the last four years trying to earn a seat at a table they'll never even show up to."

"You're right," Zoe said, standing with one hand on her hip. "But lucky for you, I brought my own table. It's foldable. It sparkles. It seats two best friends and a whole future."

Xenia smiled, softer this time. A little steadier.

There was a knock at the door. The hallway outside buzzed with excitement—seniors rushing around, fixing robes, printing last-minute speeches, or snapping cap-and-gown selfies. The Westburned Dorm might have been a little run-down, but it pulsed with the energy of fresh endings and brave beginnings.

Someone down the hall was playing A Thousand Miles on repeat. Someone else was crying near the elevator. Graduation day had officially arrived—and it smelled like hairspray, adrenaline, and borrowed dreams.

Zoe rummaged through a sparkly tote bag. "Where's that emergency lash glue? Ugh. This room's a battlefield."

Xenia raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Saving your face. You're not walking that stage half-glammed. You're going to own it."

Xenia glanced at her laptop. A new email had landed in her inbox.

Subject: Crystalline Legacy – Final Speech Reminder

She opened the file again.

"Today is not just about crossing a stage. It's about surviving everything it took to get here..."

She stared at the blinking cursor for a moment. Then looked back at Zoe.

"Let's survive this in heels?"

Zoe grinned. "And look damn good doing it."