[A/N: Hello everyone.
In this episode, we continue Alex's mission to save a group of people.
The question is, can he do it?]
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Third-person POV, near the apartment building.
A cacophony filled the air: the sound of metal scraping against the ground, feet dragging, bodies colliding with bodies, bodies colliding with the metal of abandoned cars, and gurgling or moaning from said bodies. All of this, accompanied by a background silence, was a scene straight out of a horror movie.
Alex moved slowly in front of a group of zombies, who were fervently trying to reach him. He tried to attract most of the zombies by stalking the apartment building, making sounds with a couple of cans tied to a bicycle and occasionally shouting.
"I hope it works", Alex thought, looking back.
He continued moving slowly, keeping a safe distance from these new predators of humans. He also broke the windows of abandoned cars as he moved forward, and when he noticed they were getting dangerously close, he started forward again. The zombies were desperate for new prey. They had arrived at the apartment building after a person had carelessly gone out in search of supplies, which unfortunately ended up attracting this group of zombies.
Alex continued moving forward for a couple of blocks, looking for a place where she could lose sight of this mob of soulless bodies. Meanwhile, Anna waited for the opportunity to advance toward the building and talk to the people asking for help.
"Only 7 lefts, from what I see", Anna said, looking at the situation left after Alex had lured the group of zombies. "I think I can do it", she told herself, trying to build up her courage.
Anna didn't hesitate for long; she dashed forward and moved next to the zombie closest to her, swung her spear, and pierced its head with ease. "Only 6 more to go", she said with a bit of confidence.
After gently placing the body back on the ground, she noticed that some of them had already noticed her, but luckily for her, they weren't grouped together, so she could take her time killing each one. She fearlessly advanced toward her second victory and achieved it without any problems. She killed three more, too; she didn't have many lefts. However, the last two zombies were advancing very close to each other, which posed a danger to Anna.
She immediately distanced herself so she could think of a plan that wouldn't pose a danger to herself. She looked around, formulating several plans in her head, but none of them convinced her. What Anna didn't know was that the group of people inside the building had been watching Alex and Anna's movements from the beginning. This group, shocked by their bravery, was very frightened by the danger of their situation, but due to their fear and inexperience fighting zombies, they couldn't muster the courage to help with the epic battle they were witnessing.
Some siblings belonging to this group watched as Anna slowly fought the zombies. Like the rest of the group, they were hesitant to help, not only out of fear, but also because they might endanger their saviors. However, seeing Anna retreat from the last two zombies, a sudden courage flooded them, so they immediately ran down the stairs and went down to the main floor to help Anna.
"Over here! Over here!", they both shouted, banging on a wire mesh covering the entrance. They were attracting the attention of the zombies approaching Anna, and they had succeeded. One of the zombies turned around in the brothers' direction.
Anna, noticing this unsolicited help and realizing there was a good chance of getting rid of them, didn't hesitate and lunged for the zombie that had continued on its way in her direction. This time, she didn't use a blow to the chest to gauge her distance; instead, she mentally calculated the distance, swung her spear, and stabbed the zombie. She knew it wouldn't take too long, so she quickly unblocked the spear and, with all her remaining strength, ran after the zombie, who went in search of the brothers.
"I got you", she said excitedly, stabbing the back of the last zombie's head, while both brothers looked at her in amazement. "Fuuu… Finally", Anna said, sitting on the ground, exhausted.
"Thank you so much for the help", one of the brothers said.
"Do you need anything?", the other brother asked almost simultaneously.
"You're welcome", "No, I don't need anything", she answered each of the brothers accordingly, as she looked at them. Anna was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to rest.
"We should go inside; it could be dangerous out here", one of them said.
"I'll wait here for my partner. He'll be back in a few minutes", Anna told the brothers. "You can wait inside and tell the rest of the people. Alex will talk to you when he arrives", she told them kindly.
"Sure", "We'll wait inside", each of them said accordingly. Anna watched them enter, stood up, and walked toward the tent where Alex had left her.
About fifteen minutes passed until Anna heard footsteps outside the tent. At first, she thought it was the people from the building, so she gripped her spear firmly as she stopped to see who it was.
"You came back", Anna said cheerfully as she watched Alex enter the tent, looking tired.
"Good job", Alex said, pointing at the bodies. "I couldn't kill a group of seven zombies the first time", he told Anna in a joking tone.
"Hahaha… It was just luck. Besides, some of them helped me", she said, a little embarrassed by Alex's compliment. "Where was the group of zombies?", Anna asked.
"They're in an abandoned store a few blocks from here. I lured them inside after making sure no one was inside, and then I left through the side door", Alex said, a little excited by the feat he had accomplished.
"So, are we safe now?", Anna asked.
"For now, but we need to hurry. We can't count on another group of zombies not forming; small hordes have been roaming around the city these past few days", Alex told her worriedly.
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[A/N: At what point do you think a zombie horde can form? I think it's possible from day 1, but if we're very specific about defining a zombie horde, I think it takes a month or more.]
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"I see", Anna said worriedly. "Let's go talk to the people at the department then", Anna continued, trying to change the subject.
They both headed to the entrance of the building where a group of about twenty people were already waiting. The group from the building looked at their saviors with grateful glances, while Alex looked at them cautiously, and Anna just watched them with curiosity.
"I'm Alex, and this is my partner, Anna", Alex introduced herself to the group from the building.
Everyone greeted them kindly as they introduced themselves and thanked them for their help. It was a few minutes of everyday conversation, or at least it used to be. This situation brought a glimmer of encouragement and some hope that things could get better to this world, filled with chaos and despair. However, downstairs, there was one person who thought more rationally than the rest. Alex viewed all this with the same sense of hope, but at the same time, he thought about all the dangers this group could face by staying in this building.
Alex didn't think the place was unsafe, but it required planning and highly trained members. It couldn't function the same way a base like the kindergarten or the industrial zone would. The group that decided to live here would have to be a little more creative and courageous.
"They could secure the underground entrances near the building and connect to the other building across the street. Also, later, they could connect the two buildings with a suspension bridge and accommodate a large crowd. However, they'd need a very capable supply-gathering group", Alex thought as everyone chatted happily. He always did this wherever he went. He did it on every one of his visits to the bases he knew, to the places he looted, or even to places he was just passing through.
"We don't have time", Alex said in a raised voice, trying to get everyone's attention. "Who's the leader of your group?", Alex asked, returning to his normal voice, noticing that he had already caught everyone's attention.
"We don't have a leader", some said cautiously.
"What did you need? Why did you make those signals?", Alex asked, not caring that they didn't have a leader.
"The thing is, some of us had been out gathering supplies, but this group has been out there for two days, and we couldn't get out", said one of the brothers who had helped Anna.
"I see", Alex said, noticing that they weren't lying. "How did the zombies get, outside the building?", Alex continued with his questions.
"Well... That was my fault", said one of the women in the group. "I was accompanying the group of scavengers for the first time to help them, when I saw a clothing store. I quickly went in to look for some new clothes, when suddenly a group of zombies came out, scaring me to death, so I screamed loudly… And well, all of that led to the situation we're in now", the woman explained guiltily.
"It wasn't your fault. Besides, no one was hurt", said the other brother who had helped Anna.
"I understand. Now you won't have this group of zombies in front of the building for a while", Alex said, not giving much thought to the woman's explanation. "However, I'll tell you some things you need to know", he told everyone.
"First, this place is very difficult to defend. It's not impossible, but you need backup plans and people capable of fighting zombies", Alex said impassively. "You could improve the situation in your building and train ways to fight, so you can survive longer", Alex continued, seeing everyone looking at him.
"However, I can offer you an alternative", he told everyone after seeing the panic on the faces of the people in front of him. "Anna and I are living in a village. This can provide a safe place for all of you, and it's much easier to protect than this building", he offered them all.
"Can we really come with you?", some asked hopefully. They knew they were running out of time; they noticed that each raid had been more difficult than the last, and that nearby resources were dwindling.
"Yes, you can come with us", Alex clarified for everyone. "We have food for everyone for the first few days, and we can get more in some places near the village", he suggested, calming one of their main concerns.
"That's great", some of them said, jumping happily and hugging each other. This proposal was, to them, like a rescue plane for a shipwrecked person.
"But we can't all go; it could be dangerous", said one of the women in the group.
"You're right, we can't take you all at once", Alex said, agreeing with the woman who had said that. "My suggestion is that a few of you come with us, check out the place, and tell the rest about the conditions of the village. Then it will be your decision whether to move to the village or not", Alex said in a friendly tone.
"That's a good idea", "We'll go", "Me too", said some of the people.
They continued arguing for a few minutes, deciding who would go with us. After a few minutes, they chose four of them: three men and two women.
"We'll be leaving in six minutes", Alex told the chosen ones.
They quickly returned to their respective homes to get some things they might need, packing only backpacks, at Alex's request, with these items. They returned to the main floor where everyone was waiting to see them off.
"We'll return tomorrow, and your colleagues will let you know if they find a place even safer than this one. I hope you can move soon and make this village your new home", Alex told the people in the building, displaying unusual enthusiasm.
"There is hope for these people", I reflected as I observed the optimistic attitude of the four volunteers regarding this new opportunity that fate had offered them.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Thanks everyone for reading.
Alex shows his kinder side and helps this group of people find a new refuge.
It seems the village where he's based will be important in the future.
I've noticed that not many people are commenting or supporting the novel with power stones.
Could someone tell me if it's because the story isn't compelling enough anymore? Or is it due to something else?
Read my other novel called Vinland Kingdom: Race Against Time.
You can find it on my profile.]