"L... look at the symbol, I’m not lying," she said frantically as she pulled off the band on her wrist.
Aron, who had been turning away, froze and stared at her with an unfocused gaze. Just as quickly, his eyes sharpened and shifted to her outstretched wrist. A square-shaped symbol glowed faintly on her skin.
Aron didn’t know if she was telling the truth, but he had his own means of finding out.
He remembered a post about awakeners, claiming each one carried a symbol tied to their talent. He had dismissed it as false, he was an ability user himself and had never seen anything like that on his own wrist. He had simply taken it as nonsense.
Lost in thought, Aron reached out, wanting to touch her hand to confirm if she was an ability user.
But the building’s shaking suddenly grew worse, the sound of cracking concrete echoing in their ears.
Aron, who was about to approach her, immediately turned and sprinted downstairs.
"Follow me!" His voice barely reached her before he was already down the first flight of stairs with no intention of stopping.
The girl, who had been despairing a moment ago, felt a burst of hope. She ran after him, her heart pounding.
Aron dashed and leaped down the stairs, moving quickly. Before long he reached the closed gate. He cursed, he had left the key in his room. But there was no time to go back.
Planting his foot, he kicked hard. The door burst open, the metal groaning under the force. Aron stepped outside, knife ready for battle.
But to his surprise, the expected attack never came.
He turned left, right, scanning the street. Not a single one was nearby. It should have been a relief, but instead the silence chilled him. With the noise of breaking through the gate, at least a few zombies should have been drawn to him. Yet not a single shadow stirred in the surroundings.
And then he noticed, the reason the building was collapsing was the ground itself. It trembled faintly, like an earthquake about to erupt.
At that moment the girl staggered out, breathing hard, almost bumping into him.
"What are you doi..."
"Shhh." Aron pressed a finger against her lips, signaling for silence.
Her brows pinched in grievance, but she dared not protest. The thought of Aron abandoning her was enough to make her swallow her words. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveIＦire.net
Even crouched low, Aron stayed vigilant, his eyes sharp. The vibrations beneath them were growing stronger.
"What’s your name?" he asked at last, glancing at her.
The abruptness caught her off guard. His frown deepened at her silence.
"M... my name is Rose," she said quickly.
"This is how it is, Rose. You will follow every command I give, without question. No matter what it is. When we find a stable building, our team ends. Do you understand?"
His expression seem as if he wanted her to say no, and leave.
"...Yes," she answered meekly.
Aron gave a short nod. He stretched his hand toward her without a word.
Rose blinked, confused.
"Let me see the symbol."
"Oh." She placed her hand in his.
A faint notification appeared in Aron’s vision. He dismissed it at once. He could only claim one ability at a time, and he hadn’t yet claimed Stealth. Since she would be with him for now, there was no need to rush.
Still, he rubbed the symbol with his thumb, as if testing it.
Rose’s heart sank. She knew he was checking if she had drawn it herself. The thought had never even crossed her mind, but she realized it was possible. The symbol was nothing more than a thick, black square.
Even though she knew he was only making sure she wasn’t lying, the thought hurt.
(So if I hadn’t been an awakener... he wouldn’t have allowed me to follow him?)
The ground’s trembling grew harsher. Nearby buildings shook, some ready to collapse at any moment.
"Let’s go. Newlon Street," Aron said, already jogging ahead.
It was four blocks away, about twenty to thirty minutes on foot. The buildings there had once belonged to the big bosses of Zone C before the apocalypse. Its foundation was strong, its structure reliable. Aron had long planned to make it his new base. The bonus was the convenience store right next to it. With his strength, food would not be a problem for a long time.
They ran. Four minutes straight. Rose followed, panting, her face pale, but she forced her legs to keep moving. She didn’t want Aron to see her as useless.
But Aron didn’t even glance her way. His mind was elsewhere.
Not a single zombie. Four minutes of running, and not even a single one in sight. He would be lying if he said it didn’t creep him out.
The faint trembling of the ground suddenly turned violent, shaking as if it were about to split open. Aron’s heightened senses picked up a sound in the distance, like thousands of horses galloping.
He stopped. Rose sighed in relief, grateful for a chance to breathe.
Aron narrowed his eyes. Far ahead, a red outline appeared.
Focusing, he realized it was a bus. A red bus, barreling down the road at full speed. Behind the wheel, a lanky man with sunken eyes and a cigarette dangling from his lips wore a crazed smile.
And behind the bus...
Aron’s pupils shrank.
It wasn’t horses. It was zombies. Endless zombies. Different sizes, different shapes, all charging behind the bus as far as his eyes could see.
And they weren’t falling behind. The bus roared at full throttle, but the horde kept pace. Which meant every single zombie there was high-level.
Everywhere they passed, destruction followed. Some smashed into buildings, killing themselves instantly. Others fell, only to be trampled to pulp by the swarm.
"Crazy... this guy is crazy." Aron felt a chill run down his spine.
No matter what they did, they didn’t have enough time to escape. The horde was too massive.
(Am I going to die here?)
Unwillingness twisted in his chest. He refused to accept it.
The bus thundered closer, the earth rattling their bodies. Its paint wasn’t red, its metal was drenched in blood. Gore, intestines, and pale white sludge clung to its front.
The man inside puffed his cigarette, laughing madly, ignoring everything else.
The horde followed without pause.
Aron’s mind raced like crazy, searching desperately for a way out.
Thanks for the Stones 💪