"There are so many annoyances. First the bridge broke, and now the waterways are contaminated too? Ugh! This is so frustrating."
Shelly yelled as she slashed her knife across another zombie's neck. She had killed more than two dozen zombies on her own before her rage began to settle and she looked around the cleared area.
There were no more zombies around but it would not take long for this place to start crawling with them again.
"The roads are cut off, and now the waterways are unusable too. Should I try to find a helicopter and fly it?"
Desperation clawed at Shelly, but she did her best not to let it cloud her judgment. However, it was hard not to think about her situation. In the end, she concluded that the quickest way to Rin was through the waterways.
She was about to steal a boat when someone grabbed her.
That unfamiliar touch irritated her and she immediately turned around and swung her knife at the person behind her.
Her blade cut into flesh, and blood splashed across her face. However it did not make her feel anything except a deep sense of satisfaction.
'Tsk, this is what you deserve for keeping me away from Rin. But maybe I should stab you a few more times, just to make sure you don't try anything funny.'
Shelly did not like the look in this stranger's eyes. The only pitiful thing about Shelly was the fact that she had been separated from Rin. But she would not let this obstacle defeat her.
"Woah-! Take it easy. I know that you are scared, but there is no need to lash out at me. I am here to help you out."
The stranger spoke slowly and tried to maintain eye-contact. He was trying his hardest to make Shelly let her guard down.
But she wasn't about to fall for his tricks.
Still, she had a feeling that this man would be her ticket to getting to Rin. Rin had told her to always trust her instincts and Shelly had always treated his words as sacred.
Shelly did not want to smile at someone who was not Rin, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Her expression shifted to show uneasiness and she acted the part of a scared girl quite well.
"I-I am sorry. I did not mean to attack you. It's just…you appeared behind me too quickly and I panicked. Did I injure you too gravely?"
Her acting classes paid off because the boy in front of her eased his expression and readjusted the body on his back (which suspiciously looked familiar to Reina). Shelly was sure that it was Reina's sister.
She had no idea how this stranger managed to carry this body all the way here, but she needed to know. If he had managed to come here, then he must know of a way back as well.
'It seemed acting scared was the right choice. I will need to gain this man's trust and make him take me to where Rin is.'
It disgusted Shelly to be nice to this man and she vowed to kill him as soon as he was no longer of use to her.
"It's alright. I know these are tough times, so it's understandable you're scared. But you can trust me. Actually, I developed a crush on you as soon as I saw you, so I want to help you. Ah! What am I even saying? Now is not the time-"
This stranger was a great actor—his mask had no flaws. However, the slightest shift in his eyes gave his intentions away. He was glancing at Shelly to see her reaction to his act.
If this man was going to try and use her, then Shelly welcomed him to try. In turn, she would play him as well
"I…feel like I can trust you. Once the first task is over? There is someone I need to meet there."
The stranger's eyes flashed before he nodded slowly.
"Of course. We can head over to the next town together once the first task finishes. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to help you find your childhood friend."
Shelly's grip tightened as soon as the stranger finished speaking. Alarm bells rang in her mind.
The fact that this stranger knew about Rin was a huge risk to his safety. However, since this man was Shelly's only way to get to Rin, she was willing to put her desires aside and continue using him.
'I don't trust this man. He knows too much. But since he's useful, I'll let him be around until I get to Rin. Then, I will get rid of him and of everyone else around Rin as well. Rin does not need anyone else in this world other than me.'
Shelly could protect him in the apocalypse alone. She would make this come true, no matter what she had to do.
__________
Rin felt a shiver go down his spine as he lay in his bed. Sleep continued to elude him, no matter how hard he tried.
The only reason Rin had taken a shift was because he wanted to establish himself as someone these people could trust. The early days were the best time to do that.
Once this trust was established, Rin would be able to take it easy for the future.
Still, it was a dangerous time and Rin's worries refused to let him rest. He fell asleep for seconds but woke up in a cold sweat not long after.
Thankfully, the night passed without much incident and the next day was normal as well. There were no signs of any zombies appearing inside the safety zone he had set.
[Congratulations. You have survived the first task of the apocalypse. I never distrusted the user's luck for even a second.]
[However, are you sure you want to rely on luck for the future tasks as well? Wouldn't you rather have skills to protect yourself in the future? Why not join the system's suicide mission squad and gain all the necessary skills? Should I put the user's name down?]
"There is no need for that. I have my own plans for gaining power."
Rin shut the system down before it could say anything else.
[So the user is not interested? What a pity. But I will keep this offer alive. I, for one, think the user has the makings of a great human bomb.]
Why did that feel like a fact? Did the system actually want him dead?
It was most likely nonsense. That's what Rin concluded before returning to work.