The group had been walking for some time now, as the sun was past its high point and luckily, they hadn’t seen anyone or anything all day. Terry thought it was kind of weird to still not have seen anything except for the group of fluff balls, but he wasn’t about to jinx himself.

The group had stopped for a midday break not that long ago and the woman, Sam, was definitely going to get on his nerves. She did nothing but complain and push things onto anyone else in the group. She even had the nerve to say how ridiculous he looked in his armor. He would not have minded if something came along and ate that woman. He wasn’t sure how the rest of the group had put up with her before they got to him. But then again, they had been running for a good part of their trip together.

He finally saw a sign for a major city coming up, 40 miles away. He wasn’t sure he really wanted to go into a big city. He thought that any monsters had to have gone for the major cities first. So, he was just going to try and skirt around it if he could.

It took the group the rest of the day to make it to the outskirts of the city but not into it. As they got closer to the city, they started to hear noises coming from all around them. Howls, barks, squeals, chirps, growling, hissing, hooting, and all other types of sounds that beasts could make.

“Okay, as we get closer to the city we have to stick together and be as quiet as possible.” He said and looked directly at Sam.

“What? I’ll be quiet.”

Izzy mumbled something under her breath but didn’t elaborate on it but he agreed with her since they seemed to have the same feelings about Sam. “Now I suggest when we stop tonight that you all try and pick a class. Who knows when we’ll have another quiet moment. You don’t want to be defenseless again if we get attacked, do you?” They all nodded their heads in understanding and he led them up into the outskirts of the city.

It was eerie making their way through the abandoned streets, though this time there was evidence of fights and struggles. Doors were smashed opened, glass was everywhere, cars were smashed into buildings, poles and each other. They could smell the smoke of fires going on around the city and there were burn marks on buildings all over the place.

He finally got them to a corner gas station that looked to be mostly intact, so he hustled them inside. Being as quiet as he could he pulled the doors closed and pulled some things in front of them to help block them from sight. The group all went about and grabbed as much food and water as they could carry in their inventories and then went to a back corner and sat down for the night.

He put skelly in front of the windows to keep an eye out. As everyone ate, they all got that far away look in their eyes as they went through their menus and picked a class. With them doing that he figured he would go around the store and try and get as much as he could into his special inventory without them noticing. Maybe even summon a new weapon and skeleton, if he could find a spot for it.

He went into the coolers and started putting everything he could into his inventory as fast as he could. When he was finished, he looked through the cooler glass and made sure the rest of the group was still occupied. Taking a body from his inventory and laying it on the ground he quickly used summon bone weapon. This time he didn’t admire the process but just wanted to get it done as fast as possible. Pulling out the new sword he swapped it for his old one and put the old one in his inventory. Pulling out another body he quickly cast summon skeleton. When it was done, he looked out the cooler doors and saw that Skelly was still there. Awesome he thought as he equipped the new skeleton then picked up the remains from the summoning and walked out of the cooler.

All the summoning had taken less than two minutes and the looting was done in about ten. Sending his new skeleton to watch the windows with Skelly, he then went into the back to see if there was anything else he could use. Of course, he took everything that wasn’t bolted down because who knew what might come in handy later on. He did get plenty of toilet paper and paper towels though.

After he was done looting the back he went to the group and still saw they were looking through their menus. So, he decided he might as well get some rest. Laying on the hard floor wasn’t all that comfy, especially with his armor on but he made due and was asleep in no time.

Terry was being gently shaken awake before he knew it. His eyes snapped opened and he jumped up to his feet. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought I heard a noise.” It was Sam.

Of course, you did he thought but didn’t say. “Okay, stay here, I’ll go check it out.” he walked to the front of the store, being as quiet as he could, and stood next to Skelly. “anything out there boy?” he asked it as he looked out at the dark streets. The darkness was almost worse in the city because of the buildings and no street lamps.

He stood there for a good fifteen minutes, looking out and listening for even the smallest noise, but he heard nothing. Grumbling he made his way back to the group, “I didn’t see or hear anything. Must’ve been your imagination.”

“It was not” Sam squeaked.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Whatever, my skeletons will let me know if anything comes around.” With that he sat back down and closed his eyes.

It didn’t feel like it was very long before he opened his eyes again. This time though it was day light out and the rest of the group was asleep. He got up and pushed the things from in front of the door and slowly walked out, keeping his eyes open for anything. Leaving Skelly at the window he took the new guy and started off down the street in front of the store.

Terry and newbie, he decided to call him, eased their way down the street for about six blocks before he heard anything. It still wasn’t full daylight out so they still had a bit of cover left. When they came to an intersection, he ordered newbie to stop and he looked around the corner. There about half way down the block was a group of goblin looking creatures.

The creatures were about four feet tall with greenish leathery skin and pointy ears wearing ragged clothes around their waist. There were ten that he could see. He ordered newbie to go to the other side of the street and come up on them so they could do like a pincer type move.

He went from one vehicle to another while newbie just walked down the sidewalk. He almost facepalmed when he saw it doing that, but it was working so he didn’t bother him. He finally got to the car closest to the circle of goblinoids and he had newbie position itself behind one as well.

The goblin creatures were pre-occupied with something in the fire but he couldn’t see what it was. He was going to take advantage of it while he could though. He moved around his car and instructed newbie to come around the other side. He got up behind one goblinoid and swung his sword horizontally across the things neck, severing its head.

The head of the creature stayed where it was for just a moment before tumbling forward towards the fire. All the creatures stopped and looked at it and then their eyes found him. That’s when newbie drove its own sword into a goblin on the opposite side and the battle was on.

He stepped to his left and swung at a goblin, cutting it in two, as four goblins surrounded him. He swung at the one in front of him but it jumped back and he over-corrected, missing his step and one of the goblins on his right stepped in and hit the back of his breast plate with a club, knocking him forward even more.

He stepped forward with the momentum and turned left, bringing his sword in a circle, catching one off guard and cutting it in two. The goblin that had hit him jumped back, barely missing his swinging sword as it went by. While his back was turned the two others jumped on him and started hammering on his armor with clubs, making him over-balance and almost fall. He corrected his footing just in time to block an incoming swing from the one still on the ground and he was able to kick it, sending it flying.

He reached up over his shoulder and grabbed one of the goblins and ripped it off him and launched it at the one he just kicked. That’s when the one still on him hit him on the head and knocked his helmet down over his eyes. He stumbled a bit as he could only see his feet and a car nearby. Moving over to the car he turned around and, as hard as he could, launched himself at the car, trying to smash the goblin against it. Luckily it worked and he felt the weight fall off.

He turned and with one hand lifted his helmet so he could see and with the other he jammed his sword into the goblin, ending its life. The two that were a distance off were just getting to their feet when he started walking towards them. The two goblins looked at him and then at each other and the one on the left turned and ran while the other one rushed towards him.

He didn’t even miss a stride when the goblin came at him, but he just gripped his sword and swung upwards, slicing the rushing goblin in two. He then looked at the running goblin and cast leech life, which luckily was an instant cast. The ability hit the goblin and immediately slowed it down to a walking pace. After which He walked over to it and kicked it in the back, knocking it down. Placing his foot on the goblin he let the ability run its course as he watched what little health had been taken from him replenish.

The goblin was barely breathing when he lopped its head off. With his group dispatched he turned and went back to the fire. Newbie was just standing by the fire in its own little circle of carnage. Turning to the fire he looked at it and saw a piece of meat burning over it. Picking the spit up he looked at it but couldn’t make out what it was and it just smelled like burnt meat.

Throwing the spit into the fire he looked around the area and off to his left he saw things that looked like cages. Going over to investigate them, he saw that there were people in them. They were all bloody and bruised and most of them weren’t even breathing. He counted six people total and only two of them were even alive.

He broke the locks on the cages and pulled the people out into the street, laying them down gently. The two that were still alive barely registered his presence, they just had a dead look in their eyes. It’s only been a couple days and there’s already people like this he thought as he said a little pray for them even though he wasn’t religious but he saw one of the people with a cross and he figured it couldn’t hurt.

He thought about using his resurrection ability on them but it had an hour cool-down and Death had told him not to let people know he had it. As much as it pained him, he couldn’t let this decision get to him. It was a new world and this wouldn’t even be the hardest choice he would have to make in the coming days. Taking his sword, he quickly and painlessly killed the two that were still breathing.

He put their blood and bodies in his special inventory before heading back to the fire to loot the goblins. Not getting much but a few copper pieces, some ragged cloth and some wooden clubs, he then put their bodies into his special inventory as well. Never know when they may come in handy, he thought as he surveyed the scene before heading back to the store.

Everything was as he left it when he got back to the store so he went to the rest of the group and started waking them up, Sam being the last one. “Okay, guys sun’s up so we should get moving soon. Get some food and water and we’ll head out in about ten.”

“Ugh, can’t we just sleep a bit more?”

He could tell it was Sam that asked, she just had that whininess to her voice. “No, we have to get through the city before dark, unless you want to camp there tonight?”

“No! I’ll hurry.”

“Good.” He said as he went back to the food and water sections and tried to discreetly put as more stuff into his special inventory without them noticing.

Ten minutes or so later, he had the group file out the door and they turned right to head up the road in the opposite direction he had gone earlier. Luckily, they had picked up some maps from the gas station so they had a basic idea of where they were going but it was still going to take them most, if not all, of the day to get through.