David changed his clothes. He found a comfortable tracksuit, boots, which he put on right after he cleansed his feet, and a large backpack. Once he was done, David found the others resting in a small restaurant. It was a popular food chain known for its pizzas, yet the oven was switched off, and David doubted anyone would turn it on again.
“I would kill for a slice of pizza,” Jack joked lightly, his attention lingering on Flora, “I hope you acquire some better Skill Runes soon. No. Don’t get me wrong, Flora. I just hope you learn how to conjure flames soon. Once you can do that, we can make pizza!”
“Or we search for a lighter and start a small fire to make a pan-style pizza,” Sebastian added with a smile. He raised his can of coke and toasted to the others, who lifted their soda to clink cans.
“You guys are quite relaxed,” David said casually, walking to the fridge to take a Coke. The refrigerator was turned off, but the coke was still cold. It was probably one of the last cold soft drinks he would drink for a while.
He opened the can with one hand and sat down with the others.
“What do you want us to do? Panic and cower in fear, hoping the police or military will rescue us?” Jack responded coldly.
David’s brows furrowed slightly, but he shrugged.
That was actually what he would have expected from the average survivor: to panic, act delusional, and wait for the military even though they would never arrive. At least, that was David’s guess. Maybe the military would come for them soon; however, David didn’t bet on it.
Sebastian smiled, “I think everyone here is afraid, but these Infected are everywhere, and we need to be strong enough to defend ourselves. It has always been like that.”
This attracted David’s interest, “Always? So, you guys know each other from before all of this happened?”
Jack shook his head weakly, but Sebastian nodded enthusiastically.
“We have been together for years. I might be a little bit older than those kiddos, but we were all raised in the same orphanage. I returned to help the staff at the orphanage even after I started my job, and I slept at the orphanage last night as well. My job is – or was – near the orphanage, so commuting was no problem,” Sebastian explained with a smile on his face.
However, his smile faded once he thought about his job and the other children at the orphanage.
That explains a lot. Sebastian and Jack seemed to know each other, yet they didn’t feel close. If anything, they’re at odds with each other. Then again, their discrepancies aren’t noteworthy compared to the end of the world.
Sebastian also had some connection with Flora. Not romantically, but more like an older brother. He was probably ten years older than her, but she clung to him. In fact, David was certain Flora was clinging onto both Jack and Sebastian, granting her the highest chance of survival. She’d thanked David for rescuing her, but she was still vigilant of him.
David didn’t mind. He didn’t need to be Flora’s friend.
The new pieces of information helped David understand the situation.
Sebastian is the oldest, but he is not the shot-caller. He looks rough but is a foolish softie. Or maybe he’s not foolish. Naive and overprotective might be more suitable terms. Jack makes the decision. He likes the power. That could be a bit…rough to deal with.
David met various people in his line of work, but the old-fashioned, narcissistic people at higher positions were, by far, the most annoying. He could easily handle gullible workers at his level and deal with greedy and attention-seeking fools, but old-fashioned superiors were…frustrating.
Jack wasn’t old, but he sure acted in an old-fashioned way. He considered himself the group leader and wanted everyone to do exactly what he told them. He was a micromanaging piece of crap who liked to show off his power by ordering them around.
Sebastian had yet to fully grasp that, which was why he had also given Jack an order earlier, but at that time, it didn’t seem to annoy Jack that much. Maybe, he considered Sebastian’s commands as a request, which he gracefully fulfilled since it sounded logical, but David wasn’t sure about that. He couldn’t see in Jack’s mind, which was probably for the best.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“That’s interesting,” David took another sip of the coke, his attention diverting to Sebastian again.
After he rescued Flora, Sebastian’s attitude changed drastically. He was like an overprotective mother bear. That might not be so bad, though.
“Do you guys have a plan?” he asked, but Sebastian shrugged. “Survival is our highest priority.”
Jack cleared his throat, glared at David, and smiled at the others, “I think we should stay in the shopping center for a while. We can gather the beverages from the shopping center and collect all preservable ingredients. I don’t think we will have to go hungry today with all the ingredients even if we don’t stock up with whatever survived in the supermarket’s ruins.”
He looked at David occasionally to assess how his words worked on the unknown variable. David nodded slowly.
“There should be close to ten restaurants in the shopping center. Maybe we can find more usable ingredients to preserve and beverages than in the ruins of the supermarket,” David had to acknowledge Jack’s comment. He may not like the kid, but that didn’t mean his words were nonsensical.
“We can have a small barbeque as well. There should be a lighter somewhere, and this pizza place uses dry wood for their brick oven. Maybe we can have the barbeque on the roof, or we’re opening a window and have it inside,” Sebastian offered, smiling again.
David and Jack looked at Sebastian, their confusion apparent, while Flora asked the truly important question, “How do you know that?”
Sebastian smiled shyly, which looked ridiculous, while looking at a hulking giant of a human.
“I usually go here on my cheat days.”
Everyone was silent for a moment, but they couldn’t contain their laughter any longer after Sebastian looked at them with a pout.
Sebastian scowled at first, but it took only a second before he joined the others.
Even though the world had turned upside down, the dead transformed into walking corpses, and an unknown magical system had invaded the Earthen Union, humankind’s ability to adapt and overcome remained as strong as ever. Humans were tenacious. Maybe they weren’t on the same level as cockroaches in that regard, but their adaptability surpassed everything known to them.
It might look like the end of the world to everyone else, but David was certain they would make it. And he wasn’t alone. He was one of many.
After they finished laughing, the group jumped into action. They split into two groups to search the shopping center for some good stuff, mostly about food and water.
Jack offered to team up with David, which didn’t surprise David in the least. The duo didn’t talk a lot, and if they talked about something, it was mostly small talk. Even then, it was mostly Jack talking, trying to assess David’s personality, his background, and much more with sneaky, personal questions.
The young man studied David intently. He noted his every response and reaction. From an insignificant twitch of his lips to greater reactions like slowing down to stare at Jack in surprise. Most of the latter was intentionally exaggerated, which didn’t happen too often, no matter how funny it was to see the cogs in Jack’s head turn.
David didn’t bother hiding too much. The him of the past was boring. It might have only been two hours, maybe a little longer at this point, but David was already struggling to think of himself as the same man as he used to be. It was weird, but it made sense. In the past, he’d been bored out of his mind. It hadn’t been a huge disruption before, but it always bothered him.
The last few weeks have been the worst. David had felt more restrained than ever, and nothing excited him.
The integration into the Pantheon, whatever that meant, changed everything. It opened doors to something more. To something David never expected to obtain.
A proper fight. Desperately struggling to survive. That kind of excitement. He’d never felt it before…and he didn’t want to let go of it.
And freedom.
David wouldn’t allow anyone to take away his freedom. Never.
I am finally myself. Truly myself. A weird, crazy bastard. That’s me!
The corner of his lips curled upward.
Jack looked at David, the disgust in his eyes apparent. However, he was good at hiding it when he realized that David was looking at him.
And you’re just as crazy as I am.
David chuckled inwardly. He finished the picture of Jack in his mind. The boy was easy to read. Maybe too easy.
But maybe that was for the best.
The lack of problems made it incredibly easy to collect food and beverages in the restaurants spread throughout the shopping center.
They didn’t encounter any Infected, which was quite interesting. It felt like the shopping center was a small safe point, a hideout from Infected. Of course, that was nonsense, but looking outside at random times showed how lucky they had been.
Dozens of Infected walked, crawled, and pulled their shattered bodies through the streets.
It was exhilarating.