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I transcribed the most important items we could gather onto a separate sheet of paper then made my way to the armory. The old guys were already gearing up and cleaning their weapons while the new guys looked like a gang with the way they huddled around, snickering.

I glanced at Riley and another lass I don't remember seeing.

"You two coming out?" I asked as I passed Jacob the copy.

Riley nodded and the other girl followed suit.

"Follow me then." I said as I walked into the armor. I grabbed a small vest and pushed it against Riley's chest. There were only five smalls in total. More than forty vest in all.

I slapped another one into the other girl's chest. I grabbed mine which was stained with blood and slipped into it. A quick grab to take my radio off the charger and put it on, placing the earpiece into my ear.

They both had theirs on when I turned back to them. So I went ahead and placed the radio onto their vest and belt for mag and pistol holder.

I grabbed their shoulder strap and dragged them over to the guns. We added a wide selection of guns but they were still bigger models. The smallest is a modified carbine rifle with folded stock. I passed that one to Riley along with the mags below it. The other lass was taller than Riley by three heads. Longer arms thus I handed her an M4 with adjustable stock.

I let her pick out her accessories while I got them a small glock each. I waited until they finished toying with their kit and led them out.

Clapping my hands, everybody gathered around me. "So we have a bunch of shit we need to do and thus, we need to break into teams."

Sending some mana into my ring, I could see the Grey flames which I took to mean awakening states because they had some colors running through. I think Grey was just the average physique. Most had small Grey flames that either had a wider base or reach higher heights but about the same. Only two had other strands.

Pretty boy had white strands which I think has to do with life or light? Not entirely sure until I play with it. Jacob has brown strands which is easy to guess.

"Jacob will lead a team to Walmart to finish taking the life preserving goods that we can. After that, a few trips to any hardware store." I said before looking around. "If I point you out then you are with him." I began by splitting up the new idiots.

I added Amala, pretty boy, and David to Jacob's team.

"Alright, the rest will be with me picking up people." I barked and began my march outside.

Then a long march to the vic yard where we had to search a little harder for the bus keys. Then figure out how to turn the damn thing on.

"So why don't you have a gun?" I glanced at decent looking guy who asked a dumb question.

"There are things in this world that can kill you without a blink." I said vaguely. "Okay, you four into a suv that will take the front. You three in the rear. Megan, you drive the bus. And you two starlight, go sit down and stop shaking."

"I'm not shaking." Starlight two said.

I just waved my hand and got on the bus. Megan expertly spun the bus around and got us out the gate. I'm amazed to say, I would have crashed before we got out the yard.

"The first house is on sherwood street. Get us there nice and easy." I spoke into the radio.

Riley glanced at me as if she was going to say something.

I ignored her and focused on an offensive weapon since my ring was more like a support so far.

Well I had a desire to do so but pioneers often died due to studying the unknown. Let's Google the mythology of gems.

With that, I pulled out my phone and began a rough study of gems. To help me better focus my thoughts, I made little notes about different gems in a notebook.

After searching site after site, I came up with two conclusions. Other than giving you the name of crystals that are also known as gems. Those sites are fucking stupid as shit.

I had to relieve my stress and the fact I spent more than ten minutes searching for something that only comes down to the fact women have the most uncreative mind I ever seen. Half the gems nourish someone's capacity to love in one way or another. How much fucking love do you need in your life? Just pick someone and fucking endure!

Bang! Bang!

"Kay, don't break the window. I spent your money on books, remember?" Riley said in an extremely annoying tone.

"You didn't spend all my money. Just my spending money. I always keep another bank account just in case someone is being extra nosey and looking over my shoulder." I retorted.

"Clever bastard." Riley muttered.

I turned back to the ring on my finger which is a combination of three crystals. Diamond, Sunstone, and obsidian. The use? Other than a special sight, I haven't dug out its potential. How about I focus on one at a time?

I reassure the ring which is the only way I can describe how it melted down and disappeared.

Obsidian is said to be an absorber of negative energy. Let's get rid of the negative energy connotation and say energy period. Thus if I use it as a base..

I began picturing a rod. An eerie black stick appeared in my hands. I slowly stroke one end until it forms a pointed tip. I used my nail on the other end to make a spiral groove.

I form four Sunstones smaller than the next. To be honest, a Sunstone looks like a rock you find on the ground. Orange with different striations but a rock nevertheless. I shaped them into an oval facet and placed them inside the body of the rod. Hollowing it out in the process.

"Boss, we arrived." Megan's voice dragged me out of my creation mindset but I was all but done.

Sighing, I glance out the window to see houses looking a little bang up. Curtains drawn on certain houses let you know who is where. Those that haven't drawn their curtains had open doors but it didn't look like a walker did it.

"Okay, keep a lookout." I instructed as I pulled out my phone and hit the house one call button.

It ran three times before someone picked it up.

"Hello? Who is this?" The woman's voice sounded like she was confused who would call to scam her at this time.

"You are Rachel, right? You contacted one of my support teams about a possible rescue. Please press one if you are ready to leave. Press two if you want to talk to an agent. Press three.." I couldn't help laughing when she hung up.

Riley and the new girl look at me as if I was a dumbass but fuck! You had to live a little.

"Honk the horn, Megan." I said as I walked off the bus.

I jumped on the hood just as she honked. Several windows had heads looking out and I waved at them as I waited for some walkers to come out and test my faith!

For the sun God!

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An old lady who I suspected to be Rachel walked out of a house with flamingos in the flowerbed. She waved her hand at us and I smiled and waved back.

Did she think this was a door to door service?

I held down the radio button as I spoke. "Get out and cover your vectors. People on the bus, dropped a window and covered down. If you see a walker or big ass animal, tell us the location and fire."

Doors opened as they tried to act semi-professional. But nobody bothered to roll down a window.

"If you are in the driver or passenger seat and your window is up, how can you shoot?" I questioned them.

Two guys looked back at me with guilty faces. I just smiled and waved.

The first family that had some courage walked up to me, well the male in the family.

"Are you with the government or local police force?" The man asked.

I looked at my vest which actually said police. The patrol cars and the boss that had the Hackney County police department on the side.

"I'm a private force that took up at the jail house and we are offering people a safe haven if they fit our recruitment requirements." I said simply. "Which is put in some work. Which is easy for any law abiding citizen."

The man looked at my guys who look pretty legit. "What kind of leader do you have?"

I blinked and glanced at Megan who opened her driver window.

"He's a bit of a dick. Like to make some really poor taste jokes but he's reliable in times of crisis and someone you really want to depend on when shit hits the fan." Megan almost made me tear up.

"Megan, I have been thinking of starting an awakener group. You seem to be about ready to awaken. How about you run ten laps on the track when we get back to speed up that development?" I gave her a warm smile.

"Contact in the back. Fourteen dogs." A voice barked right before gunshots went off.

I jumped onto the roof of the bus and raced back. There were indeed a shit ton of dogs. I felt pumped and held out my black wand.

"Fireball," I said in an excited voice.

To my utter surprise, a ball of golden flames shot out and exploded right beside a dog. I watched it sneered when it dodge only for its neck and left shoulder to paw, vanished in a cocoon of orange flames.

The symphony of gunfire paused but I didn't. I cast a few more fireballs that brought the dogs up to a stop and retreated really fast.

"Is it safe to eat dog meat?" I asked over the radio.

"Umm.. don't Asians cook it all the time?" Someone replied.

"You aren't thinking of cooking it, right?" Someone else asked.

"By the way, who questioned if I needed a gun again?" I teased.

There was only silence to greet me. I turned around to see the man looking at me in fear and wonder.

I called Rachel again as she said she was a nurse and her husband was Piper, whatever that was.

"Hello?" Rachel asked once again.

"I'm the guy on top of the bus. How about you pack up a carry on and come on out. We don't have all day." I rushed her before hanging up.

"I wondered if its too late to get a new lover? I just realized how childish mine can be and he's a bloody wizard." Riley said over the radio.

I watched the guy come out of his house toting a child and a suitcase. His wife was right behind him with another.

I didn't even know he left. Also..

"I'm not just any wizard.. I'm a fire wizard!" I chuckled.

"Can we join you? We both can work." The man said as he stopped to wait for his woman.

I waved him forward. There were several families making similar moves and I had to repeat myself quite a few times before I spotted Rachel. She was not an old lady but in fact a middle aged lady with laugh lines and classic teen bod.

How I knew it was her was due to the scrubs and the fact she ran up and said she was Rachel.

"Get on." I snapped.

The moment she disappeared up the stairs, I got in. "Okay, you can go." I spoke into the radio.

"What about those guys who are coming?" Someone asked.

"Aren't you the same person who questioned me earlier?" I ask him suspiciously.

"No, I think you have the wrong guy." He responded a little too quickly.

I glanced down the aisle and did a rough count of seats. "If they don't have the ability to help us farm, nurse our injuries, then leave them. We don't have many seats on a twenty seat bus to begin with."

"Get your bags out the fucking aisle way. On your lap, asap." I yelled at the people with a few suitcases beside them.

"Why are we leaving those people?" A poor lady couldn't help but ask.

"We weren't here to pick you up. So feel free to trade your seat for their temporary stay at home." I informed them gently.

Nobody spoke a word after that and we moved off to the next direction which was to dump these guys off. On the way back, we heard gunfire.

"Shit, where did these fools come from?" Pretty boy's voice sounded over the radio.

I hit the button in a bit of panic. "This Kaden, what's the situation?"

"We are being attacked by walkers. Twenty-two.. nineteen of them and some mutts plus one brute which Jacob is distracting." Pretty boy responded.

"We will arrive in two minutes." I responded and glanced out the window, waiting to spot the parking lot of Walmart.

"Guys, get ready to engage enemies. Watch your line of fire and advance on my mark." I said as I clenched the wand in my hand.

We pulled up just in time to see a brute chunking car pieces at Jacob who was deflecting it with pieces of concrete. Sadly, his forehead was drench with sweat and he was wobbling.

I understood that sign as it is all kinds of annoying to be spiritual fatigue ontop of a killer migraine.

"Stop and proceed to engage enemies." I barked into the radio.

Megan open the door and I stormed out. Fireballs launched at the big brute the moment I had a clear line of sight. I watched him stagger as the explosions ripped chunks of meat from his chest.

The walkers turned their guns at me and began firing. I had no choice but to stop my attack and put up a golden shield. Lucky for me, my crew started returning fire as we progressed forward.

With both teams laying down fire in a perfect kill box. The walkers were dropping fast. Plus Jacob fat ass had plenty of time to get out of the line of fire.

"Reloading." Someone dropped down and began reloading.

The rest kept up a control burst of two shots. When they empty mags, they call out. It was really a touching sight. The walkers were mostly taking cover or running. So I began unleashing fireballs into their midst.

"Brute back up!" Jacob's tired voice screamed over the radio.

I turned to him and unleashed a new round of hell on him. This time, I watched him go down and his head travel a decent distance away from his body.

"Stop firing!" Amala spoke over the radio.

My crew dropped their barrels and began checking ammo while looking around.

"Load up! Load up!" I barked.

"We have two wounded here!" Tyler shouted.

Cursing, I Google a pure white crystal and made a ring out of it as I walked towards the down guys. They only had a few gunshots wounds which wasn't bad but I wasn't a doctor.

I knelt down beside the most serious one and grabbed his wrist. My vision seemed to have sped through his veins until they reached the two entry wounds with the most severe problems. The white energy surge from my hand began healing his wound and expelling the fragments of the bullet.

I couldn't have watched his body heal as my eyes were clenched. I had the world's worst headache and it wasn't something I intended to repeat.

Lucky for me, Riley was there to support me when I stumbled the moment I stood up.

"Get the other two in the back and keep pressure on the wound. Rachel will check them when we are safer." I demanded.

My crew quickly made our way back to our motorcade. We peeled out as I pressed my head against the seat in front of me. We were driving much faster than usual because I felt like puking a couple of times.

"You good?" Riley asked me but I ignored it.

Well, I didn't choose to but healing made me feel like utter shit. Maybe it was the fact, I was transferring the metaphysical pain to me as a price?

"Old man, bring some people to help unload stuff. Also send Layla here, we have more recruits." I spoke over the radio as we pulled into the jail parking lot.

"Roger." The old bastard responded.

I stood up and turned to my guest. "Rachel, please come to the front."

Rachel stood up and looked at her husband. It's like she needed permission to move her ass.

"Lady, we have two wounded people and need your expertise. Your bloody husband will be fine." I couldn't help but feel annoyed.

I placed my wand in the flashlight holder as I got off the bus. Rachel was having a sweet time. I almost wanted to drag her ass over but it wouldn't have been helpful.

The most serious one after the one I basically brute heal was a thigh and arm wound. The other guy shot himself in the foot.

Rachel assessed the wounds and turned to me. "We can't do anything without supplies but he will make it until we get to a hospital."

I rolled my eyes, "lady, all I need you to tell me is how do I heal him?"

Rachel looked confused but I think it was the confusion that hid incompetence. So I ignore her and place my hand over the wound. Closing my eyes, I let the mana seep into his wounds. It seemed like a good idea that would give me a map or something but it didn't work like that. My mana went to fix the issues upon contact.

The bullet climbed out and the wound closed. I didn't know if it healed correctly or not.

"Oh my!" Rachel covered her mouth as she took a step back.

I already labeled her as a fake nurse.

"How do you feel?" I asked the man as I started on his arm.

"The pain went away." He replied as his last wound healed.

I nodded as he flexed and squatted. He made some normal movements and didn't look like he was limited in any way.

"Thanks boss!" He sounded grateful.

I turned to the last guy but walked away. How do you shoot yourself in the fucking foot? Embarrassing.

"What about me?" The guy actually had the nerve to ask.

Jacob patted his leg, "shouldn't have shot yourself mate."

I ignored the banter at that man's expense and turned to Layla. "Follow me."

I stepped back on the bus and looked over the crowd that looked like a useless mob of white collar customer service networks.

"Okay, listen up." I gestured at Layla to my right. "This is my right hand and will help you settle in. However, before she starts. I just want to lay out simple rules. If you are utterly useless and you choose to walk through my doors. You will find yourself with one foot on the grave. So be smart and think about what you can really contribute in this darkest hour."

I smiled and stepped aside as Layla walked up. "You three step down and assist Layla. Detain any trouble makers if you are too sympathetic to execute them."

I walked away after giving my orders. The old man met me on the bridge with a smirk.

"Boy, you look like shit that has been run over." Old man chuckled as he opened the door.

"What is it that you wanted?" I asked not to feel the slightest bit amused.

"Well, Layla made a great point. So we moved to the second floor where the warden office used to be." He looked at me. "The council that is."

I let him guide me to an elevator and up to the floor that looks a lot messier than it should be.

"Well, we hadn't had a chance to move this stuff down the stairs but the offices were cleaned up." Old man said as he led me down a hall. "That's the bathroom."

I stared at him without blinking. Does he think I can't fucking read a sign? What is he trying to distract me from?

The old man opened the door to the last room. You could tell it was indeed the warden office by how fancy the sitting area was. There was a black curtain. Put up near the back to square off a section.

I moved it aside and saw two beds put together. Chris' lazy ass was knocked out. I walked past the bed to the large Gothic window. It was a pretty view of the courtyard and beyond.

My eyes moved over to the cabinets that had decanters in one spot. Law books in a cabinet and in the middle of that was a door. I opened it to find a bathroom with a walk-in shower.

I closed it and nodded, "this is fine. Are you guys in the next room?"

The old man nodded from the door. "Layla is to the right. Jacob to the left then the rest of us."

"Okay, I need a nap. So I'm taking a two hour nap." I said as I dropped my vest on black table and collapsed on the couch.

The old man gave me a thumbs up and closed the door.