Chapter 10
On a degraded highway two miles west of the city of Nyemar, Thomas's Mustang sped through a heavy downpour, simultaneously dodging broken vehicles, debris and potholes as the tall ruined towers of the city slowly disappeared at the horizon.
Just then, three figures appeared a few meters ahead of the car. One looking grotesquely bloated as if absorbing every raindrop that fell on it , while the other two had muscular builds similar to the first evolved zombie Thomas had encountered back in his school.
"Great. Just my darn luck," Thomas muttered as he stopped the car and prepared to make a swift turn and run ,but before he could, one of the figures as if it had already anticipated Thomas's intentions picked up a large boulder twice its own size and hurled it at the vehicle with unbelievable strength.
Seeing the boulder flying toward him, Thomas immediately threw the car into reverse. With a loud roar from the engine the car backed out of its position the attack barely missing it But before Thomas could breathe a sigh of relief, the engine struck by smaller fragments of the boulder shut down completely.
"Guess life never intended to give me a choice," Thomas muttered as he hesitantly picked up his katana and stepped out of the car with the face of someone who had already made peace with dying.
Two of the figures which turned out to be evolved zombies with builds far more muscular than the bloated third rushed toward Thomas and launched a series of frenzied attacks with their large, two meter long sharp claws.
Thomas's eyes narrowed as he quickly drew out his katana and blocked the first zombie's attack cracks appearing bon the ground where he stood, for a moment, Thomas looked like he could handle the force of the zombie but this only lasted for a fraction of a second for in that that moment, the clear gap between an evolved zombie and a normal human was laid bare. Unable to handle the force behind the claw attack, Thomas was thrown backwards several meters. But before he could even begin to recover, the second zombie which had been waiting patiently for exactly this moment appeared at his side mid flight and drove a punch into his right. Even though Thomas tried to block it with his katana, the blade shattered into a million pieces upon impact and he was blown away by the devastating force , crashing into the ground and skipping several more times before coming to rest in a broken heap.
As he slowly got back to his feet, he immediately threw up a large mouthful of blood that mixed slowly with the rain pooling around him. He could clearly see that his state was far from good for after receiving just two blows from the zombies, his blade was destroyed and his left hand, which had held it, was completely numb.
Looking at the sinister zombies in front of him which glared at him with the eyes of a hunter just toying with his prey before ending it,his body drenched in both sweat and blood and having almost no energy to move once again, he couldn't help but chuckle.
Soon enough,He picked up the broken head of the katana with a hand that wouldn't stop shaking not only from fear but from the realization that he might never see Veronica again.
Unable to accept that realization, he rushed toward the grinning zombies , filled with a rush of adrenaline, his face showing not doubt but pure resolution.
"Take this!" he shouted, driving a knuckle punch with his numb right hand using every ounce of strength he could muster into the bare belly of the zombie that had punched him earlier. Upon contact, a crack rang out as Thomas's wrist bone fractured.
(Ah well I'm cooked) Thomas thought, barely able to contain the pain. But then as he looked up , he was met with the zombie's gaze. Its eyes were glowing dark green.
Thomas immediately sensed danger but it was already too late. With a grin wider than before, the zombie grabbed Thomas's fractured wrist with its basketball sized fist and launched him high into the sky then immediately smashed him hard into the ground, which cracked on impact. Thomas spat out another mouthful of blood. The zombie repeated the action seven more times each one more brutal than the last before finally throwing him away, his body all bloody, his clothes barely recognizable.
Then, in that desperate moment where everything was devoid of hope,all three zombies were simultaneously struck down by a powerful bolt of lightning.
"Guess it's another weak one," the attacker muttered.
It was Veronica.
She stood in the rain with her dark brown eyes unblinking with small sparks of lightning slowly dying out on her left hand, her long black silky hair plastered to her face by the downpour.
Beforehand, Veronica and her team had been returning from a pharmacy not far from the highway after successfully finding more medical supplies when they heard the sound of a vehicle come to an abrupt stop.
"Wait is that a car I hear?" Alven asked, turning toward the direction of the sound.
"It seems so," Veronica answered, her face filled with uncertainty.
"From the sound, it's an American Mustang that's been forced to a stop," Luther said, vividly recalling the hours he and his father used to spend fixing cars at their shop.
"It really doesn't matter now, does it sis?" Lily asked.
"Yes," Veronica answered though her face was full of doubt as a strange feeling began rising in her chest. The feeling of being about to lose something very close to her.
In that moment, Alven after using his X-ray eye ability, which allowed him to see anything clearly within fifty meters suddenly shouted that someone was being attacked by three evolved zombies, west from here and was about to die.
Hearing this, veronica immediately broke into a run toward the direction Alven pointed, her sister Lily keeping pace beside her with her speed type ability.
Back in the present, Veronica was slowly observing the now burnt zombies when Lily shouted in alarm, "Look sis I think there's a man down there!"
As they moved closer to Thomas, he slowly looked up at the two girls his vision partially obscured by his own thick blood trying to figure out who they were but before he could had lost consciousness.
The moment Veronica got close and laid eyes on the bloody figure lying in the pool of rain and blood, a flood of memories began rush back to the surface, then before her brain could even process what to do,She had already rushed to the Mustang.
She turned the key. The engine didn't start.
She tried again. Nothing.
But on the third attempt , after she quietly threatened to turn the car to scrap metal did the engine roar back to life.
"Lily help me get him inside," Veronica shouted, her voice shaking with urgency as she drove the car to Thomas's side and threw open the door.
Right after they got Thomas into the back seat, the rest of Veronica's teammates arrived at the scene.
"Umm where are you going?" Emmanuel asked with a confused look on his face But Veronica barely spared them a glance as she got into the car and drove off , leaving them standing awestruck in the rain.
"Am I imagining things or did she just leave us out here?" Luther asked, his mouth half open.
(I've never seen her show that emotion before) Emmanuel thought, replaying the look of worry and desperation on Veronica's face as she had rushed into the car.
"Ah, don't worry I'm sure she's just heading back to the base," he said reassuringly.
"Yes, that's right. She even had an injured person in the back," Alven added with a slightly saddened look.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's move out!" Luther shouted enthusiastically and with that they began making their way back to their white van.
It was now the 30th of August exactly one month and six days since the start of the apocalypse. At this time the world looked as if it had been struck by a terrible disease. Multiple animals were undergoing rapid evolution. Pollution from abandoned infrastructure was slowly disappearing. And in a small hotel that served as Veronica's group's base, Veronica sat next to Thomas's bed holding his hand, a deep look of worry etched across her face.
(I leave you alone for just some time and look at you getting all messed up.).
Three days prior, thanks to Emmanuel who also possessed a healing ability, slightly more powerful than Mary's with a red glow instead of green , they had managed to heal all of Thomas's physical injuries But remained unconscious due to severe blood loss.
Unable to hold herself together any longer, Veronica decided to find out what had happened to Thomas during the apocalypse by reading his memories. This was possible through her lightning ability as branch of it which allowed her to read the faint electrical sparks left in the brain after each memory was formed and convert them into images. She could only read memories from the past twenty four days however.
At first a slightly jealous look crossed her face as she saw in Thomas's memories Mary approaching him repeatedly with the eyes of a girl who was unmistakably in love. But then her expression darkened as the memories shifted , showing Thomas being bullied relentlessly by Richmond, left alone to face evolved zombies with nothing but his human strength. Seeing the full intensity of the abuse, sparks of lightning began emanating from her body and her long black silky hair began to rise and flow as if caught in a wind that wasn't there.
Then Thomas slowly woke up.
"Where am I?" he asked his head ringing due to low blood levels as he struggled to piece together what had happened.
(Perhaps the people who saved me brought me here) he thought, slowly sitting upright on the bed.
"You're finally awake, huh you idiot," Veronica said her voice breaking as she fought to hold back her emotions.
Hearing the familiar voice, Thomas instinctively turned around and for a moment became completely speechless as he met Veronica's gaze which was filled with both sorrow and relief.
"You thought you could escape from me by dying, huh? I'm telling you even if you went to hell, I'd personally go there and drag you back and give you a good beating," Veronica added, returning to her tough icy vibes But her teary face instantly gave her away.
Thomas's eyes widened even further before he finally realized that everything was real and not a dream or illusion.
He instantly hugged her tight afraid of losing her again with his voice breaking as he muttered, "I was scared that I would never be able to see you again. Or worse."
Veronica was stunned for a moment by this sudden action from Thomas whoshe had known to always been distant and composed. But still she somewhat pleased with it,hugged him back and slowly patting him on the head as if comforting a child, her gaze drifting to the setting sun through the window its orange glow mixing with the deep red of the horizon.
After a moment she realized they had been holding on for too long. She gently pushed Thomas back, her face slightly flushed, and asked, "Will you eat some apples?"
"Yes of course," Thomas answered, his face showing bright, warm emotions for the first time since the apocalypse had begun.
Over the next few days Thomas healed completely and familiarized himself with the way things worked at the base. The hotel had a population of fifty people which was roughly half that of the school, it was located at the outskirts of the city and Veronica and her team were responsible for all supply runs and expeditions.
THOMAS POV
To be honest, after a few days of observation I was generally able to assess the strength of this base and it was not bad at all though I still couldn't believe that Veronica, that same girl who was always wild and carried the air of defiance was now having this cold almost unapproachable aura, her cold indifferent eyes scanning through the base each time she walked around and based on what I'd be hearing, was loved by all in the base.
As of today, Veronica after I relentlessly insisted had decided to allow me to join her crew on an expedition to an old warehouse ten kilometers south of the base.
"Umm Veronica, are you sure it's best to allow him to come with us? I mean he has no ability whatsoever and he could be a hindrance," a guy I had come to know as Alven asked.
Over my few days of stay I had noticed this particular person giving me periodic hateful glances. The reason was not difficult to figure out he had feelings for Veronica, and since he clearly saw me as a rival standing in his way, the hatred had followed naturally. As the words left his mouth, I saw Veronica shoot him a cold glare , a glare so powerful that even I began to sweat slightly.
"And who gave you the right to doubt the decision of my sister? If she says something is right, then it is right," Lily added angrily though her cute face somehow made the outburst sound slightly adorable despite itself.
After driving for a while in my American Mustang the pride of a man, if I may say so we decided to park near a satellite station and continue on foot to the warehouse.basicly the plan was simple, upon entering the warehouse, we were upon metting the right conditions supposed to split into two groups.
"Hey Thomas," Lily whispered, gesturing for me to bring my ear closer. Then she added, "I know about your feelings toward my sister. But let me warn you she is far too beautiful for you and I do not approve. You understand?"
Looking at the smug expression on the little girl's face which had identical features to Veronica's I couldn't help but shake my head in qastonishment for her directness was unmistakably a family trait she had inherited from her sister.
In just over a minute we had successfully entered the deserted warehouse but Something about the place gave me an uneasy feeling I couldn't quite explain or prove, making my hair stand on end but by the time I came back to my senses, Veronica, Lily and I had become separated from the rest of the team.
"Wait are we lost?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
"No, we are not," Veronica replied, her voice carrying its usual air of superiority.
As we kept exploring the warehouse, I noticed that we had yet to encounter a single zombie which was deeply abnormal cause Places like these usually had multiple ones hiding in corners.worried, I was about to warn Veronica when we after turning a corner that led to a large open area, immediately felt it.
An overwhelming presence that made me feel like I was being forced down by a heavy mass.
At the center of the space stood a humanoid figure, exuding an aura of pure dominance.
NORMAL POV
"Look it's a zombie!" Lily shouted as she drew out her two daggers.
"Impossible," Veronica said, her face filling with disbelief as she studied the figure before them.
Silver hair. Red eyes that gazed at them with the focused intelligence of a thinking being. White shorts with a red horizontal marking across its bare chest.
"This zombie has clearly achieved a higher level of evolution," Thomas said, instinctively drawing out a new but shorter katana with a red handle.
Then to their utmost surprise it spoke.
"What are you doing here?"
When neither Thomas nor Veronica responded, it spoke again this time with bloodlust slowly seeping into its voice.
"Since you are not speaking it means you are my enemies."
The moment it finished speaking, it made a deep cut across its own wrist. As the dark fluid slowly emerged, it immediately took shape , hardening, stretching and ultimately forming itself into a blade.
"Wait it can use abilities too?" Veronica exclaimed, clearly shaken by what she was seeing. But she immediately took her position and called out for Thomas and Lily to prepare.
"Oh so you can speak," the zombie said, sounding almost annoyed.
It swung its blade horizontally through the air sending a blade of energy screaming toward the group but Veronica successfully countered it with a bolt of lightning.
Seeing its attack neutralized, the zombie prepared to release another more powerful this time. But then it noticed Thomas appeared at its side, smiling as he swung his katana as hard and fast as he could.
The zombie unfaced blocked the attack easily with its sword but in doing so left its entire left side became wide open.
Lily immediately seized the opportunity and by using her speed type ability to rush, she closed the large gap between them in an instant but then she noticed that something was not right for just as she was about to take the zombie's head, it gave a menacing grin.
Thomas also felt instantly that something was wrong but before he could shout out a warning, the zombie increased the force on its blade, forcing Thomas to lose his balance due to the recoil, then it turned to cut Lily down.
In that split second, Thomas still unbalanced, threw his katana between them, slowing down the momentum of zombie's blade just enough , for Lily to escape with her speed but this move costed him his weapon for the blade was too weak and was unable to handle the force of the blow.
"Oh it seems you have good battle intuition, human" the zombie said to Thomas, tilting its head slowly as it added, "What are you going to do now that your weapon is gone?"
Veronica knew in that moment that Thomas's strength was not sufficient for this fight. Without hesitation she pointed at him and released a precise bolt of lightning one that slightly loosened the limiter the human brain places on itself, significantly boosting his strength and senses beyond their normal limit for she new that if she left her position and went in for a close range attack, the zombie would be able to annialate them easily.
Thomas after sensing the massive boat in his perceptions and strength,began to exchange blows with the zombie, creating a scene where the force of a creature with immense power clashed against the raw resilience of a youth forged by one near death experience after another.
Thomas kept up Barely as Small cuts begun to appear all over his hands and face, a clear sign that he was approaching his limit once again.
Veronica, seeing this, decided to take a gamble and use her full power. She summoned a bolt of lightning that descended like a giant serpent from above ,striking the zombie with everything she had as Thomas narrowly evaded the attack thank to her prior warning.
"Did we get it?" Thomas said, spitting blood as his eyes began bleeding along with his nose, showing clearly that his limits had been reached.
Then from the cloud of smoke, the zombie's voice came mocking, unbothered.
"Is that what you call an attack?"
As it said so,It reached up and gripped its sword with both hands, pointedthe blade toward the sky and shouted"Let me show you real power."
The moment it finished speaking, it swung the blade downward , releasing a black energy slash that tore through the air toward them.
Veronica quickly erected a dome of lightning around the three of them which managed to block the attack but at the cost of most of her remaining strength.
The zombie sneered.
"I see now. You are the one I must eliminate first."
Moving in the next instant with a speed and precision that left no room for reaction ,appearing directly in front of the exhausted Veronica as it rapped its cold hand around her throat.
"Nooo!" Her Lily screamed, rushing in to save her sister only to be cut down by the zombie in a single, casual motion.
Thomas tried to force himself up. His body refused.
"Damn it why? Why am I so weak?" he shouted, his voice cracking with desperation.
Veronica, knowing with quiet certainty that she was going to die, decided to make a gamble.She immediately shot out a bolt of lightning at the cost of almost all her life force transferring her ability and her memories to Mary the girl she had seen in Thomas's memories and slowly with her last breath, looked at Thomas with a bruised but genuine smile said
"I love you, Thomas. I always have. And I always will ." (Too bad he had to see me like this, I bet this idiot is going to crash out) She thought, her life flashing before her eyes
Then the zombie with complete disgust in its eyes pulled her head clean from her body. Blood poured from it like a fountain as her body fell with a heavy, final sound.
The expression that crossed Thomas's face in that moment had no name. Rage. Helplessness. Sorrow. Grief. All of it , all at once as he watched the zombie happily toss Veronica's head between its hands, each time he could feel Veronicas heart coming to a stop.
"Love, love, love it seems that all you humans know is how to love. And it is completely revolting," the zombie said with disgust. Then it looked at Thomas, waving Veronica's head toward him. "Don't you agree?"
Something in Thomas broke.
And something else took its place.
He bit down hard on his own hand. Got up from the floor. And began limping toward the zombie muttering a single word over and over again under his breath.
Kill. Kill. Kill.
His eyes were completely devoid of light every last emotion drained from them, leaving something cold and absolute behind.
"Oh look what we have here,it seems that your eager to join this specimen" the zombie said, tossing Veronica's head aside as It swung its sword toward Thomas.
Perhaps ou of pure luck or something else,thomas bent backwards with the blade passing over him as he rose back up, he reached out and took Veronica's katana from where it had fallen,with its white and purple handle and drew it in one smooth motion. The tip caught the zombie's cheek, leaving a clean scratch across its face.
"How dare you filth," the zombie roared infuriated by Thomas sudden strength, lunging forward but before it could land an attack, Thomas's eyes began to glow.
Something began to awaken deep inside of him, something no one else in the room could see, something he thought he had never had.
The zombie drove a diagonal downward slash at him trying to him into like it once did to lily but thomas easily Dodged Thomas dodged it with three consecutive backflips, his speed noticeably faster than before, faster than it had any right to be. The zombie followed immediately with its energy slash.but Thomas with a calm indifferent gaze also, swung Veronica's sword horizontally and produced the same attack just that
His was grey and seemed to release much more energy than the zombie.
The collision of both energies detonated with immense shockwaves that shook the entire warehouse the force reaching all the way to Alven and the others waiting outside who were fleeing from a hord of mutated zombies
As the shockwave and dust settled, the body of the zombie appeared, cut clean in two with symmetrical balance. At this moment, lamsion who had been observing the entire exchange muttered to her self, a hint of excitement in her tone"ther seems to be a interesting human in the world guess I have to meet him" and with that Thomas' legs gave out, collapsing not too long after