Khalifa: Queen in the Apocalypse

At this time, Khalifa, while waiting patiently near the door, was watching Kaize have a hilarious argument with his manager.

"I’m on a date!"

"Then cancel it!"

"What do I have you for? Didn’t that boy band want some exposure? Send them in, then!"

"Who cares if it wasn’t me, they can make up for it in quantity!"

Well, she told him she didn’t want him to come, but he insisted on shopping with her.

Similarly, she was also texting someone: The professor.

[When will it be my turn?] He had asked and Khalifa was just glad that he seemed to be getting used to their arrangement.

[Very soon. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.] She said, with hearts and kissy emojis in the end.

[Okay. I love you, Khalifa. I’ll be waiting.]

"Tsk, jerk. Us artists need lives too!" Kaize yelled next and hung up, and when he turned to her his annoyed expression turned to a happy one.

He walked over to her and pulled her to him for a short kiss. "Shall we?"

Khalifa giggled and arranged his scarf. Kaize looked at her warmly before he gestured to put on his bonnet and face mask.

Khalifa on the other hand went to a different direction. Afraid a crazy fan could still recognize him, Khalifa didn’t want to be linked to him with her ’real identity’. She did not want this trouble.

Hence while Kaize went on the route to cover himself, she downgraded her own disguise, wearing her hair down and wearing less reflective glasses.

She was still covered and low-key, but a closer look revealed a quiet beauty.

Kaize couldn’t help but pull her to his embrace and kiss her lips.

A couple of minutes later, they finally left the house. Though Khalifa’s lips were very, very red.

***

The couple held hands as they went through her list.

She and Kaize had already bought quite a few things with the professor, so they would be stocking up on different items.

Kaize, on the other hand, was just extremely excited.

This would be their first official date—like a normal couple. How could he not be excited?

Their hands were stuck together as they walked down and took a cab to the nearest downtown area near a wholesale market.

They decided to have lunch around that area first before going around with their assignments.

They went around different stores, they even went to have fun in the arcade.

Kaize excelled at it, and they won a ticket for a huge stuffed toy in half an hour.

"How are you so good at this?" Khalifa asked, hugging her stuffed toy, quite impressed.

When asked, he gave her a mysterious smile. He began telling her his story as he threw a basketball on a hoop, acing it.

"Well, in this life, I was born into a poor family." He said, dribbling and gestured to shoot another. "I hang out around in these sorts of places."

He didn’t have his own money, but he did secretly take jobs, and used all his proceeds playing rather than contribute to that sort of household.

Khalifa could sense he really didn’t like his family. "Where are they now?"

"Dead." He said simply. Khalifa didn’t know whether to console or congratulate him.

Kaize took the final shot and perfected it, earning them another roll of tickets. He smiled and held her hand as he took her to another game area.

They played several types of spot games and fighting games.

Khalifa… really liked this place. Even the Other Her was too busy studying and working she had never been here.

Next they went to a simulated driving area and it was very fun. She was laughing and Kaize couldn’t help but steal a kiss.

They played all the way until lunch time, and it was only when they exited and that Kaize continued with his story.

They sat down on a bench in a small park. "I only had a father. My mother died in prison for stealing and he raised me by himself. Well, if you call that raising.

"He was abusive and made me do everything, he never let me go to school, and he hit me often. It even got to the point I was almost sold."

"In a bout of rebelliousness, I joined a small gang. Or it looked like a small gang at the time."

Khalifa turned her body to her at this point listing intently, and holding his hand.

"They… they rescued me from slavery and took care of that father." They then sold him to a mine somewhere and he just died a couple of months ago.

Khalifa placed her head on his shoulders, playing with his hand with hers.

"These are your questionable friends? Can they be trusted?" She asked. She worried their procurement of weapons would bring him trouble.

"Yes. The leader now was a childhood friend of mine."

"Hmmm.." She mumbled, "Can you tell me the name of the gang?"

"Golden Group."

"What?" The name made her sit up straight.

Khalifa looked up and she looked at him in a complicated expression. It made him feel a bit uneasy.

"What’s wrong, love?"

The Golden Group was not unknown in the book. However, it may not be in a way people would expect a multi-million dollar gangster group would end.

It was mentioned when Ryo’s team was asked to recover a batch of weapons.

It was to recover the remaining weapons from an explosion during the early days of the apocalypse, where apparently people hit bombs in panic of dealing with the zombies, and accidents happened.

"It was mentioned that during the early days of the pandemic, one of the men hit the headquarters’ fuel pipe, and—

Kaize abruptly stood up. "Let me call him."

And he came back several minutes later.

"What did you tell him?"

"I just told him be careful of fuel lines."

"Really?"

"I’ll tell him more when we get the weapons." He said, shrugging.

However, he did tell his friend that he should prepare for battle soon, because the fight would reach the entire world.

***

The two headed to the best-reviewed restaurants in the area.

As they lined up like normal people, she didn’t expect to meet acquaintances ahead of them in the queue.

"Khalifa?" A voice called her nearby. Khalifa turned and blinked, not expecting to be recognized.

Claire?