"Sam, open up, this is Cerys!"

I knocked the door without stopping until after a bit moment of silent, a hoarse voice spoke with doubt and the door opened.

"... was that really you, Cerys?"

"Why didn’t you open it faster?"

"because… You didn’t say the password."

"Ah..."

I forgot the password that I have created myself for them. I couldn't say that I forgot but it's not like anyone could imitate my face and voice.

I entered the practically empty room with only few boxes at the corner and sat down on the cold cement floor as I faced with what left of my family.

My mother, Julie used to has a youthful pretty face and always being told as my sister by most people. Ever since father died, she looked older than she already did. She had a small build and looked smaller and thinner since we don’t have enough of food stock and kept eating lesser than we ever had. Father was also not here to cheer us up.

I finally remembered that I only brought steel rods and not food. I covered my face and thought to myself secretly.

How stupid! I should have gone to the grocery before returning even though I was tired!

We haven’t eaten anything for the last five days and if this goes on, we couldn’t last for the other two days. I wanted to avoid going inside the mall at night as the electric didn’t function started from three weeks after the apocalypse.

Then, I remembered.

"Sam, mom, did you activate your ability yet?"

"Ability? Activate?"

"Sis, are you talking about the thing that the radio talked about?"

Radio?

"I didn’t know we had a radio?"

"We didn’t but the empty cars outside played the radio and told about it."

I peeked at the window and saw the parking lots were full with aberrants surrounded the cars. If I listened closely, I heard announcement aside of the growls.

"Right, like the radio has told. Everyone does have an ability that would need to be activated. I have activated mine."

"Cerys, is that true?"

I knocked my brother head because he called my name and he curled on the floor as he held his head.

"Call me sis and it’s true. Mom, could you hand me the water, please?"

I drank a bit and left half of the water and put it down on the floor.

"Mom, put your hand in front like this."

I made her point her hand toward the bottle and told her to imagine the water to ripple inside her mind. At first, she wasn't focused enough and was about to stop but when she saw the effect inside the bottle, her eyes widened open.

My brother crawled toward the bottle and shook my shoulder as he asked about his power.

**BAM**

He got his second bumps on his head.

"Mom has the power over water. While you… "

I knew exactly what his power was but how do I explain that I knew about it? I looked left and right, then stood up as I probe the boxes at the corner. I found a few batteries and gave them to him.

"Try something. Imagine."

He took one and put the rest on the floor and groaned as he closed his eyes. Suddenly, the battery that he held exploded.

"What the--"

"It was a power over electricity. You have a strong power, good job, bro."

"Wow… Am I a Pikachu now?"

I scoffed and he pouted. As expected from a middle school boy, his imagination was like a kid.

After knowing their ability, their face showed a bit energy and they smiled brightly. I told mom to wash the three walls and I took one to eat while giving the other to them. When they looked at the pink stone, they were confused as to why I ate such a thing.

It was not a poison but it was a strange thing for them, but I needed to make them eat it. It was too much to explain everything without proof. Thus, I told them the secret of the apocalypse with a serious face.

"Sam, mom. I have died three times and this is my third life. I know that it's hard to believe it but the proof is right in front of you."

"What do you mean died three times?"

They frowned as they looked at me. I knew it, they wouldn’t believe it because they didn’t experience it.

"The activation of the ability just now was set as a checkpoint of lives. If we die, we would be returned to the checkpoint and had to start all over again until someone buries us when we die again."

"Sis, stop talking nonsense..."

I glared at him and spoke in a cold tone.

"Do not speak as if you know, Sam. Just shut up and listen."

I told them everything. They couldn't accept it but I told them that if aberrant and power exist, so, why was the thing I said was impossible. They were half convinced but that was enough.

They asked in hope if dad was also revived. I told them that it was hopeless. In the past, if someone became an aberrant, I could easily turn them back into a human which was one of the abilities of the Life Tree. But, to turn someone who was dead into alive, I could never do such a thing.

They became silent again when they came to know about it. I ignored the feeling that lingers in my heart and explains further about the walls.

"The pink stone just now was called the wall. There were many types of wall. Pink, blue, emerald, and red. Depend on the color, its effect varied."

"What did the pink do?"

"It was the most common wall. It enhances people’s power and strengthens our skin as well as resistance to the infection. Then, the wall size depended on the aberrant rank."

"Wait, that monster also got stronger?"

"Yes, they do."

Sam slumped as his face paled. Was it too much for them to take?

"They only get stronger if they eat more. But, the disadvantage for us was, they basically eat everything that was alive except for trees."

He slowly raised his head and looked into my eyes."... Why not the tree?"

I thought for a while before saying,"They did not eat things that did not move. Their sight and hearing were bad at the start. They would recover when they got stronger, though. But later on, the tree that was infected would become a new type of aberrant as well as the animals."

He knitted his brow and complained."Could you please stop saying the disadvantage we have?"

"Why? If I did not say it, we would really be the one with the disadvantage."

It probably was night as I couldn’t see the outside. I told the two to practice their power until exhaustion as I slept with steel rods at my side while Sam stayed on a lookout at the corridor.