Houses now appeared more often, and Oliver saw a few survivors peeking through the curtains before they disappeared back into their respective homes. Oliver's experience of getting robbed was a little unnerving, but he also felt relieved knowing he wasn't alone.
"Fuck off!" a rage-filled voice shouted.
"Roar!" a creature roared back menacingly.
"Amelia, hide!" Oliver warned and grabbed her hand, pulling her behind trees.
A cry of pain rang out, "RAAAAA!"
"You fucking like that, you piece of shit!" A man yelled.
"AH!" the man screamed in pain.
"ROAR!" The creature cried out victorious after several seconds.
The surroundings became quiet as a large and strange creature bolted down the street on all four of its limbs right past our hiding spot, carrying the corpse of a man in its mouth. Its appearance is noticeably different from anything Oliver has seen before. He could only recognize it as previously human due to the few remaining black patches of hair on its head. Its skin was an unnatural gray color, and the shape of its body had changed significantly. The mouth-like muzzle protruded noticeably further. Its eyes moved towards the side of its head with an additional third eye between them, each eye having grown in size and slightly protruding. Its ears protrude above its head, while its nose has become wider but flatter as it lies on its muzzle. Its torso was thin and curved backward, and the indentation of its spine was noticeable along its back. While it walked on all four limbs, the front two limbs appeared mostly for balance as its body stood diagonally.
What used to be arms have become much thicker and twice as long. The arm joints have become quite unusual as they bend towards its torso. Its claws have become longer and more robust as they quickly leave gouged marks in the paved street. The back legs seem the closest anatomically to a human, except they're longer and more powerful, and the feet are large and broad with claws. Oliver wouldn't even be sure it was a human just yesterday if not for the scraps of clothing it was still wearing. Its left bicep had a small gash along its arm that was still bleeding. There is no doubt that the man inflicted the gash before he was killed and dragged away.
It likely developed an increased sense of smell, a more extensive range of sight, sensitive hearing, and a disgustingly powerful body rivaling a superhuman and claws that could cut certain metals. It's simply a nightmare-killing machine, an actual demonic-like entity.
Oliver waited several minutes before gathering his courage to leave their cover.
"Let's keep moving," Oliver told Amelia.
If we meet a demon like that, we would probably die even with a decent weapon. Killing that thing will be impossible for us.
Oliver grabbed her hand, covered with sweat, as her entire body continued to tremble in fear.
If we live long enough, I hope she can overcome her trauma.
Oliver had to half-pull Amelia with him as they continued down the road. They passed a house with a broken front door, a large broken window, and a blood trail in the front yard. Oliver couldn't help but recall similar scenes from a zombie movie.
Spending a couple more days in that cabin may have been better. It still had a little food we couldn't carry, and it was in the middle of nowhere, so we shouldn't be bothered by any of those creatures, at least for a few days. The cities must be a living hell right now; even if it weren't, it would be too dangerous of a journey, and we would never make it.
"Are you doing alright?" Oliver asked Amelia.
"I'm thirsty," she replied quietly.
"I could also use some water right about now. We will try looking at an empty house soon," Oliver replied with fake confidence.
Everything first occurred during regular working hours, so most people would have been out of the house, leaving many houses empty. Most of these houses don't have cars parked in their driveway, but Oliver wasn't looking forward to testing if someone was home.
They soon come to another house with no car in the driveway or any other sign of people inside.
"I'm going to check out this house. You know what to do," Oliver told her.
Amelia let go of his hand and left to take cover nearby. The front door is shut, with no sign of a struggle or blood and no broken windows. It's unlikely a creature was ever present inside, or it would have got out somehow with clear signs.
Oliver took a deep breath and decided to take a small risk. He knocked on the front door. After waiting for a minute, he knocked again, a bit louder. There was still no answer, so Oliver tried to open the front door. It was left unlocked; it must have been a safe neighborhood. Oliver slowly goes around the house, looking for danger. As Oliver passes the living room, he grabs one of several fire pokers and carries it in his left hand and cleaver in his right. Oliver went through every floor and room in the home, and there was no sign of anything dangerous.
Oliver heads outside and waves Amelia in, who swiftly enters the house and locks the door behind her.
We should stay here for as long as possible.
"Mi casa es su casa."
This house had noticeably more supplies than the last couple of places, so Oliver decided to stay here while their supplies lasted.
The following day, Oliver prepared to go on another trip to find more water and food. After ensuring Amelia was safe in a separate room, he took his cleaver and new shield and left the house.
His shield was just a piece of solid wood that used to be a seat for a kitchen chair. The only part still attached is a few inches of one of the legs for him to grab and a lot of duct tape and paper to make a sleeve to hold it to his arm. Creating the shield was difficult, considering that Oliver had to use brute force and hoped it broke correctly while also making considerable noise. Unfortunately, he could not find any tools to assist his crude project.
He took a right and found the house unlocked, but when he looked inside, it seemed it had already been scavenged. Oliver couldn't find any medicine, food, or water. Oliver simply understood that someone had scavenged the house before him and moved on to the next house.
While Oliver was scouting the outside of the house, he noticed a shadow and immediately lunged away. The wooshing of air followed immediately after, and Oliver jumped back to his feet. Turning around, he saw a fit middle-aged man with a stern expression wielding a machete.
"Wait!" Oliver cried.
The man stayed silent but stepped forward as he pulled the machete back. The man swung his machete, and Oliver raised his shield to block it. Oliver had yet to prepare mentally and nearly dropped the shield when he felt the strong impact.
"What do you want?!"
The man refused to say anything and attacked aggressively. Oliver barely managed to hang on with his shield and constantly retreated.
"Why are you doing this?!"
"Shut up!" the man screamed.
Oliver may have recovered from his initial panic but still felt overwhelmed. Oliver was terrified he might die. However, he also feared what he would have to do to survive. While Oliver didn't like either option, he knew which one he would choose. Immediately after the man's attack struck his shield, Oliver grit his teeth, stepped forward, and put everything he could into kicking the man's kneecap. His kneecap went in the other direction, and the man fell to his good knee.
"Ahhh!"
Oliver knew he couldn't hesitate and swung on the man's head. The cleaver penetrated the man's skull. The man convulsed for a couple of seconds until he collapsed dead, taking the cleaver, still stuck in his head with him. Oliver released the cleaver as the corpse fell and took a step back in shock.
"Hah, hah, hah," Oliver stared at the corpse of his attacker and the cleaver that he put in the man's head.
"He's dead. I killed him. I can't believe I just killed someone," a wave of disgust and guilt overwhelmed Oliver, bringing tears to his eyes.
I killed someone.
Oliver fell to his knees and vomited on the grass in front of him. He forced himself to his feet and felt an incredible desire to leave. He glanced at the cleaver before taking the machete the man dropped instead. Oliver couldn't bring himself to retrieve his cleaver embedded in the man's skull.
I can't go back like this.
Oliver quickly tried the house's front door and grew frustrated when it was locked. He walked to a nearby window and smashed the glass with his machete. He carefully cleared the glass and climbed inside. He pushed aside the curtain and froze in surprise. The room he climbed into was a living room, and on the couch was the shape of a person, their arm hanging off the side.
"Hello? Are you okay?"
After no response, he slowly approached the figure and noticed the dreadful smell. The person on the couch was a young woman who appeared to have been dead for some time now.
Strangely, there's no sign of a struggle or apparent blood or wounds. Did she kill herself in despair? If she drank something poisonous, she would have thrown up. Did she OD on pills?
Oliver searched the bathrooms and kitchen and couldn't find anything she may have taken.
How strange, how did she die? Whatever, I'm here for supplies, not to play detective.
Shaking his head and heading back to the kitchen, Oliver stuffed his bag with cans, dried food, and snacks. Oliver even found a couple of shopping bags filled with the remaining dry food and spare supplies. He found a case of water with 12 large bottles and carried them in his arms.
This was an excellent find for a single house.
Oliver took a big breath and left the house through the front door. He swiftly returned to their safe house and presented his find to Amelia.
"Look, Amelia! I found food, water, and a bunch of tasty snacks!" Oliver said with a fake smile and optimism.
Amelia hugged him, thankful that he made it back safely. When she stepped back, her eyes lingered on the machete questionably.
"I came across another survivor and made a trade of our weapons. He wanted a thicker blade, and I wanted a more extended reach. Now, help me put this stuff away.
Later that night, after making sure Amelia went to bed in her room, Oliver made his round of the house, double-checking everything was safe before proceeding to what is now his temporary room. He sat at a chair overlooking the street, watching the surroundings with an empty stare. His mind flashed with images of his day, and most reoccurring was the man with a cleaver stuck in his skull and the young woman who died mysteriously. The dead woman reminded him of something he couldn't stop thinking about on the train. While trying to escape the train, he noticed that several passengers were slumped in their seats and unresponsive.
Were those people dead? If so, how were they suddenly dead? Is that what happened to that woman today? Could the same still happen to Amelia or me?
"It's all your fault!" A man yelled.
"What?" Oliver turned around in alarm.
"It's all your fault!" The man repeated.
The man was over 10 feet away, and even with Oliver's improved eyesight, his features were a blur.
"It's all your fault!" The man screamed in increasing anger.
"Are you talking to me? What's my fault? Who are you?"
"It's all your fault!" The man's was like thunder, seemingly echoing off each other, becoming louder each time.
"What is this?!? Who are you?!" Oliver screamed in pain as he fell to his knees and covered his ears. On his hands, he could feel blood leaking from his ears.
"Murderer!" Oliver looked up in shock as the mans' features became more defined, blood leaked out of his eyes, nose and mouth before a cleaver appeared in his skull.
"No!" Oliver shouted awake and jumped out of the chair he had fallen asleep in.
Two days later, besides the nightmares, constant threats, and diminishing resources, Oliver felt that the worst thing about an apocalypse was the sheer boredom. They couldn't watch TV, listen to the radio, play a movie, or listen to music. They spent most of the time playing cards or board games they found in the house.
There aren't even any books in this goddamn place.
Amelia usually only spoke in short sentences a couple of times a day, mostly when she had to tell Oliver she was hungry or wanted him to play with her. Checkers, as Oliver noticed, is her favorite game. Occasionally, Oliver would spend some time peeking out the windows and see several unnatural animals and monsters. Much to Oliver's wishes, he never saw an abnormal demon.
Oliver started training with the fire poker as a weapon, swinging it like a baseball bat, and he felt it surprisingly exhausting. Muscles he didn't know he had ached in protest. However, he kept practicing because he knew pain could mean progress.
"Kkkkaaaaa!" a piercing scream made me jump mid-swing.
"Wow," Oliver said in surprise during a swing.
Amelia looks up, alert, as her card tower falls on the other side of the room.
"Stay away from the door. I'll take a look," Oliver said quickly.
Looking between the window's blinds next to the front door, Oliver saw an ordinary demon furiously attacking the back of a van across the street.
"Shit," he whispered.
Is a woman being attacked by a demon? Why is she outside? Did she run out of supplies?
Still holding the fire poker, Oliver grabbed his shield and ran to the door.
"Be ready to open the door when I'm returning," he told Amelia.
"Okay," she replied.
Oliver ran out of the house and across the street.
"Leave me alone!" A feminine voice screamed.
He rushed over as quietly as possible; the demon left several claw marks and dents on the back of the van. Oliver raised the fire poker and swung it down on the creature's head as hard as possible.
"Crack."
The demon collapsed like a puppet with its string cut, twitching on the ground. Oliver knew he should hit its head again and finish the job, but the image overlapped with the demon he had killed. Oliver suddenly bent over and vomited next to the demon. Oliver felt horrible but couldn't afford to waste time outside, so he wiped his mouth with his arm.
"Are you ok?!" He asked.
"Who are you? What happened to the monster?!" a feminine voice replied.
"I'm Oliver. I was hiding in the house across the street. I hit the back of its head!" Oliver replied.
A face peeked through the small window at the top of the back door before the door opened, and a figure jumped out, avoiding the creature's sprawled-out body, and shut the door. It was a young, attractive woman with long, messy black hair.
"Follow me," Oliver said and ran back to the house. Amelia opened the door, and he ran back inside. Oliver turned around to see the woman he had saved made it inside.
"I'm sorry, I need a moment," Oliver said.
Oliver went to the kitchen and washed his arm, mouth, and face in the sink. The water pressure has decreased significantly in the last couple of days. Oliver dried off using a hand towel and returned to find Amelia staring at the only person she recently met besides Oliver.
"I'm Oliver, and this is Amelia." Oliver introduced with a little bit too much enthusiasm.
"I'm Sophia. It's nice to meet you, Oliver, and Amelia. Thank you for helping me," she said.
"Hello," Amelia said quietly.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
"You're welcome. It's nice to meet you, Sophia, but what happened?" I asked.
"I was at work when, well, you know, that happened, and a couple of my coworkers were ea-," Sophia said, pausing as she looked at Amelia, "taken by those monsters. I hid after finding a safe place for a few days before I left, worried about my parents. I live alone, but my parents are retired and live together at home with just their pet cat. When I tried to reach their house, that monster appeared out of nowhere and chased me down the street. I was lucky that the van door was wide open because I wouldn't have been able to stay ahead of it much longer." She said as her face darkened.
"Well, we could use the company, so you're welcome to stay here for as long as you need. We need to be considerate of our remaining supplies. Water?" She accepted the cup Oliver gave as they headed to the kitchen.
"Thank you." She said before taking small sips from it.
"We don't have much, but if you're hungry, you can help yourself," Oliver said, pointing at the cupboards.
"I'm okay for now. Is Amelia your sister? What about your parents?" She asked after she finished her bottled water. Amelia left to play in the living room, trying to make another house of cards.
"We aren't siblings. We were strangers before this happened. We don't know who used to live here. We were lucky to find it intact, empty, and unlocked. I was on a train when it happened, and when I ran, I found her in the woods. I think they were on some family camping trip when her father became a demon, and her mother, you could imagine." Oliver said as quietly as possible.
"Oh." She said sadly with wide eyes. "A demon?"
"What I call humans that become something not human. We were in the middle of nowhere, and I knew we wouldn't be able to last there, so I walked for a long time until we found this place," Oliver replied.
Oliver paused to fill a cup of water for himself.
"She barely talks now; sometimes it's like her head is in a different place," Oliver continued.
"I couldn't imagine, the poor girl. Could I talk with her?" she said.
"She could use the interaction," Oliver confirmed.
She got up and went to Amelia in the living room. Oliver couldn't hear what she said, but Amelia didn't mind her presence.
Oliver went back to practicing with the fire poker, and when he finished, he gently smiled as he saw Amelia and Sophia playing checkers.
She does love checkers.
The night passed quickly with some new company. Oliver and Sophia talked about several subjects, avoiding the recent traumatic experiences.
"Are you sure you don't want my bed? I can sleep on the couch." Oliver asked.
"Thanks, but I'll be fine. You've already been helpful enough. I'm not the type of woman that would steal your bed. I would just be taking advantage of you," Sophia said firmly.
"Alright, if you insist," Oliver surrendered and gave her extra blankets and pillows before proceeding to his room and quickly falling asleep.
"Oliver! Oliver! Wake up!"
"H-huh?" Oliver said as he woke up to Sophia's shaking and yelling.
"Are you okay?! You were screaming in your sleep! It woke me up downstairs, and you terrified Amelia!" Sophia said.
"I- uh, I'm sorry." Oliver stuttered.
Oliver could see Amelia peeking in the doorway, skittish.
"I'm okay, Amelia. I just had a nightmare. Try to go back to sleep." Oliver said.
Amelia disappeared behind the door, and Oliver hoped she would return to bed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.
"I, I don't know."
"You should try. It helps to talk about it."
Oliver stayed silent, remembering the horrible nightmare Sophia saved him from continuing.
"Can you lock the door? I don't want Amelia to hear." Oliver asked.
"Of course." She complied.
"I was outside lying on the ground and couldn't move. The two demons I killed were there, and they used their sharp teeth to rip apart my flesh and eat me. It was just so vivid," Oliver explained as he shivered on the verge of tears.
"That sounds so horrible. I'm so sorry," she consoled.
"I'm glad Amelia isn't here. I can't let her see me like this. She needs someone she could rely on, or maybe I need her to rely on me to keep going," Oliver said.
"I think you both need each other." She said.
"Thank you. I'll not be able to fall back asleep tonight. Try to get some rest. I think I need to be alone for a while."
"Okay. Well, you know where to find me. Goodnight, Oliver."
"Goodnight, Sophia."
As Oliver said, he spent the rest of the night awake, and only several hours later, Sophia woke up as the sun rose. Oliver made breakfast and woke Amelia up when it was ready. As Oliver and Sophia were waiting for Amelia, Sophia had something important to say.
"Thank you for letting me stay the night and sharing your supplies, but I should leave soon. I still want to check if my parents are still alive," she said.
"I… I understand. I can give you a pack with some supplies, and you have a fire poker to defend yourself." he said.
"Thank you, Oliver," she said with a smile that Oliver failed to identify.
They were interrupted when Amelia walked in sleepily. After they finished breakfast, Sophia broke the news to Amelia.
"Why do you have to leave?" Amelia asked.
"I need to find my parents. I'm sorry, Amelia."
When Sophia was about to leave, Amelia kicked Oliver's foot and stared silently.
"Haa," Oliver sighed as a weight came off his chest.
"Wait. We're coming too," he said.
"Are, are you sure?" she asked, relieved.
"Can you wait here? Amelia, get your bag." Oliver packed the supplies he could reasonably carry for the trip, which was not much. He had his chair shield and fire poker, and his machete was strapped to his bag.
"Let's go," Oliver said.
"Are you sure about this?" Sophia asked.
"We don't have enough supplies here, and I don't feel safe staying in a house with such little security," Oliver replied.
"Well, I could use the company."
We left the house and could see the shadow figure of the demon lying across the street.
"So, which way?" Oliver asked.
As they drew near the center of the town, they passed fast-food places and various stores. On the way, they passed several bodies, at least whatever remained of them. They kept moving with as much space as possible between them and the remains. Amelia was shaking and on the verge of tears. They couldn't afford to stop moving, so Sophia comforted her as Oliver kept scanning their surroundings. He noticed several abnormalities among the animals as they walked. There was an entirely gray-colored and ominous tiny deer that only stood up past Oliver's knee.
The deer had antlers like glass and used its sharp teeth to chew up what was left of some of the remains. How it stared at us as we avoided it sent shivers down their backs, almost causing Amelia to cry. There was a sizable cat-like creature the size of a panther, covered in black and brown scales instead of hair. It had a more extensive second set of ears behind its front pair and was eating large blue tomatoes from a potted plant. The panther-like creature ran as it noticed us.
"I haven't thought of this before, but are the plants growing much faster than normal?" Oliver noticed. The grass maintained just a few weeks ago had grown several inches. Everywhere he looked, he paid closer attention to the details of his surroundings, and strange plants seemed to multiply, invading the paved road and cement sidewalks.
"No, you're right. It's like months have passed for this much change." She said.
"Do you think it's the mist?" he asked.
"I guess it could be? It probably changes color for some reason, but it's not a natural mist?" she asked.
"I have no idea. Whatever it is, it's not just water vapor. Water vapor doesn't glow in different colors. Well, maybe it does now. I don't know anymore," Oliver said with a shrug.
"Arf! Arf!" We suddenly heard loud and powerful barking.
"Over there!"
Looking where she pointed, a significant figure was rapidly approaching.
"Amelia, hide!" Oliver demanded, "Now!".
"Get ready!"
"Watch out!"
The approaching shadow grew in size as it approached them with swift ferocity. The shadow was about the size of a large motorcycle, and as it came closer, it turned out to be a giant chihuahua.
As the huge dog, standing over 4 feet tall, got too close for comfort, Oliver swung the fire poker with one arm and held a shield in the other. Sophia matched his timing and put pressure on the mutated dog. It appeared wild, but it was a difficult opponent as it continued to dodge most of their attacks. It barked and snarled even more aggressively when it was hit, and Oliver replied with another downward swing of his fire poker, which yet again missed. Oliver's swing struck the road, and he felt the intense vibrations up his arm, almost dropping the fire poker. Regaining his grip, he stood in front, using his shield as their line of defense. They recovered their formation with Sophia slightly on his side. It jumped towards Oliver, snapping its jaw, only to be met with a thrust of his shield. It yelped in pain or surprise and leaped towards his ankles. Oliver jumped back, and Sophia landed a solid strike on its shoulder. It moved to retaliate against her, and Oliver hopped in front of her. He had no choice but to push his shield forward to meet it head-on and not be pushed back by its much larger size. Its nails cut into the solid wood, and he was lucky only to be pushed back before regaining balance. One of its paws caught Oliver on his thigh, leaving a shallow but long set of cuts down his leg. Sophia got a clean strike on its ribs, left wide open for a counterattack.
"Fuck!" Oliver yelled.
"Are you okay?!" Sophia asked.
"Keep attacking!" replied.
It jumped back in pain, but it still refused to give up. It slowly paced in front of them, waiting to attack. Oliver followed its movement, maintaining a blocking position. It suddenly jumped at him again, but Oliver was prepared. He stepped forward, lowered his body slightly, and supported the shield with both arms. He pushed the dog off balance mid-jump, and she hit it directly on its head. It cried out loudly in pain before it ran away, shortly disappearing in the fog.
"We should hide," Oliver said between breaths.
She nodded in agreement, trying to catch her breath.
However, they were too late, and the sound attracted two demons already running in their general direction.
"We can't outrun them. We need to kill them!" Oliver shouted and gritted his teeth.
They attacked with unfettered ferocity and overwhelming bloodthirst. One was slightly ahead of the other, and Oliver couldn't block both of them, so he struck it first.
He made a clean hit on its head, sending it to the side. Oliver could barely put his shield up in time before the other monster crashed into him at full speed, sending him tumbling backward. He felt the air leave his body as he dropped my shield and fire poker. His vision was blurry and full of black spots as he randomly reached for his weapons. Oliver could hear Sophia grunting and the snarling of a demon. It took him several seconds to recover, stumble back to his feet, and find his weapons. The demon he hit was still struggling on the ground while Sophia was fighting the other one. Every attack only met air, as it always managed to evade. It continuously went on the attack and came dangerously close before it dodged again in a fight where neither one could claim an advantage. An intense wave of dizziness overcame Oliver as he fought to stay on his feet. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to move. Oliver flanked the demon as quickly as possible, which wasn't very fast. As the demon dodged Sophia's attack, he swung his weapon down with all the force he could muster, and its skull created a loud cracking sound as it dented inward. Its body instantly collapsed, and it was dead in seconds. Oliver could barely stay on his feet and couldn't fully catch his breath.
There can be more enemies. We have to get out of here.
He looked at Sophia, their eyes reflecting similar thoughts.
Oliver grabbed his shield and saw Amelia run out of her hiding spot. They ignored the half-dead demon and left the area as quickly as possible. A couple of streets later, they could make out the silhouette of a small shopping center. Their group was scared and exhausted after a tension-filled fight. They immediately took a detour to the shopping center. Only a quarter of the parking lot was filled, and several corpses now lay in their car after being torn up through their broken windows.
They found an intact dollar store that looked safe as they approached the small shopping center. The intense, putrid smell almost made Oliver gag as the door opened. He immediately shut the door and took a few breaths to clear his lungs of the stench. They continued to the next store, a messy barber shop that was clean of blood or horrible smells. Oliver sat in one of the chairs as Amelia and Sophia hugged.
After sitting for a couple of minutes, the adrenaline is starting to wear off, and the gashes down Oliver's left hip and thigh are becoming increasingly painful. The blood was flowing down his leg and soaking into his jeans.
"There's a first aid kit in my bag. Can you get it for me and some painkillers?" Oliver said, pointing at my bag by the front counter.
"Oh my god! I forgot, hold on!"
She quickly returned with the medkit and a bottle of generic painkillers, which, unfortunately, is all Oliver found. Oliver took several Advil from her and swallowed it with some water. She tried to clean his wound, but Oliver took the medkit with his bag and struggled to walk towards the restroom in the back, his wound burning with every step. It was an employee-only restroom with a single toilet and sink, but it was good enough for some privacy. He carefully and painfully removed his jeans and underwear after locking the door.
What is that?
Oliver dabbed at his blood with a paper towel and brought it closer to his face. His blood seems filled with a dark red shine, similar to glitter. Through the colored mist, it's hard even to be sure if it is dark red.
It doesn't seem to reflect light so much as slightly glowing? Does my blood have slight bioluminescence now? What is happening to me? I can't tell the others.
Oliver turned the faucet, but there was still only slight water pressure. Using tap water and paper towels, he wiped up the excess blood in the restroom. Then, he gently poured clean water over his wound.
"Mmmm," Oliver's painful moan escaped his clenched teeth.
Damn, that hurts. It doesn't look like it needs stitches.
Oliver gently dried most of the water off before disinfecting it.
"God damn it!" Oliver hissed in pain.
"Are you okay in there?" Sophia called.
"I'm fine!" Oliver hissed through clenched teeth.
Oliver ensured his injury was dry, wrapped his thigh in gauze, and used large bandages on the side of his hip. The wound on his hip was more shallow, and Oliver laid gauze over it so the bandage would hold it in place without putting adhesive directly on it.
Oliver slowly and painfully put on his only spare underwear and jeans. It was just as painful as Oliver walked back to his chair, where Sophia and Amelia were still waiting.
"We should rest here," Oliver said. "We shouldn't stay here long, but I don't want to walk now. We should at least wait long enough for the bleeding to slow down. I hope they can't smell from far away."
"I'm not ready to go back outside either," Sophia said. "What did you think when people became monsters?"
While she spoke vaguely, Oliver knew what she was referring to. It took him a moment to think of a response.
"I… I saw a girl." Oliver began. "She was the first demon I'd seen, and I watched as she tore her mother's throat out with her teeth. I- I still have nightmares about it."
Oliver has been having the same dream of a little girl turning into a monster every couple of nights, and she shreds him to pieces. He would wake up in a cold sweat every time and couldn't go back to sleep.
"Was that the dream you had before?" She asked.
"No, I ran away as soon as I stopped vomiting," Oliver answered.
"I was at work when it happened and heard the screams before I saw them." Sophia shared. "It was already chaotic, but it was absolute pandemonium after that. I, I have never heard a more pained scream in my life. I sometimes dream that I, I was the one being killed."
Her words came out almost like a sob. Amelia hugged her and started crying. Sophia couldn't hold herself back and cried as they had each other.
Oliver stayed silent as they took several minutes to recover, mulling over his mental demons. Sophia took Amelia to clean up in the restroom. They soon returned, and Sophia looked like she was doing much better now.
"I could never accept or deny that God existed, but I guess that's not much of a question anymore. What do you think about what God said? I just can't wrap my head around anything. Why is there this weird fog everywhere that tingles on my skin? " She exclaimed.
"I never believed in God, and it's weird to just think of him as an actual entity. It's all so ridiculous. We don't have a choice but to acknowledge that God exists and that he killed most of the world for some side project. Normally, a fog feels very humid, but you don't feel that from this. It feels like an electric numbing sensation?"
"Electricity? I think that's a good comparison. What about you, Amelia?"
"Mhmm." She replied with a nod.
"Anyway, I think we should talk about something more productive," Oliver said.
"You're right. What do you have in mind?"
"How about that fight? While we did make a pretty good team, we weren't experienced and didn't prepare enough for this. I got hurt fighting that damn dog, and we stood out too much, which attracted a couple of demons. If there were more than two demons, we could have died."
"We need better weapons. The fire poker is decently heavy, but I was scared this part might get stuck in its body." She said, pointing to the part that extended outward.
"It was kinda awkward," Oliver admitted. "I think we should find a police station. They might have protective equipment like helmets or vests."
"I don't know where the police station is, but we can keep an eye out," She said.
Their topic of conversation continued jumping between topics, including Amelia, as often as we could. Time passed faster than expected, so they used most of their food for lunch. The window facing the street didn't have anything to block the view, so while it made them more visible, they also had a clear view of the outside, where they witnessed a bizarre fight.
A large but normal-looking bird harassed a turtle the size of a large dog. The turtle's skin looked dark brown, and its shell was a mix of shades of dark green and brown. The bark tortoise hid inside its shell while the bird scratched and pecked at it. The group pitied the turtle until its head launched out of its shell at blinding speed, clamping on one of the bird's wings, pushing it down on the ground, and crushing its throat with its jaw.
"Hiaa!" Sophia yelped in surprise, and Oliver cringed.
The Bark tortoise didn't seem carnivorous as it left its body behind and continued walking away faster than expected from a turtle.
"We should approach everything with caution. We don't know what anything is capable of anymore," Oliver said grimly.
Sophia and Amelia both nodded in agreement.
After a long rest at the Barber's, they gathered their belongings and left. Oliver was still able to walk at a slow speed, but anything faster was agonizing. The bird's remains have already disappeared, likely dragged off by some other creature to be devoured. Sophia suddenly pointed far down the street where a person's vague shape was visible, too far for Oliver to make out any precise details through the mist. Its figure disappeared, but they would likely see it again if they continued on the same path. Sophia and Oliver talked it over for merely a few seconds before taking a detour.
Taking a different route, Oliver turned and saw a normal-sized squirrel staring at him on the hood of a car just a few feet away. Oliver was surprised at the sight of a normal-looking animal since he'd yet to see a normal animal in the last few days. At least, Oliver thought it was an average squirrel before noticing it had an extra set of arms before running away at an astonishing speed. He would have been dumbfounded if he hadn't already faced much worse. They transversed the desolate town, hiding from various demons and scaring off the myriad small creatures. They never found a police station, but they saw Ryan's outdoor and sporting goods store and went inside to upgrade their equipment. They only looked around briefly, not wanting to spend more time than necessary. There were several gruesome ailes that we took care to avoid, making many of the supplies inaccessible to them. Sophia and Oliver would be fighting, so they each picked what we thought would be the best for them, which was quite similar.
They both prioritized protective gear that still allows them to retain their mobility. They ensured Amelia was dressed lightly but still had some protection so in the worst-case scenario, she could run away. They also traded their old bags for new, larger, and more durable duffle bags. They exchanged fire pokers for metal bats and strapped an extra bat to each bag. They left their fire pokers on the shelf next to the bats.
I want to find a better shield.
While exploring the rest of the store, Oliver woke up two demons that seemed to be sleeping in a corner. They didn't notice them while the demons were sleeping; they only appeared as small shadows in the corner.
Oliver stood in front, and the demon couldn't reach its full speed before contacting him. Oliver lowered his center of gravity and met its rush with a well-timed shield slam. He could feel the shock throughout his body but stayed on his feet. The other demon acted a bit differently than other demons. This demon, while aggressive, also appeared more cautious and didn't mindlessly rush. It still approached quickly, but Oliver acted as a distraction, and Sophia struck it hard in the ribs. It jumped back in pain, and Oliver saw an opening, hitting it across the face. It fell and rolled in pain on the floor. The first demon furiously roared as it managed to get back to its feet. Seeing it would attack Sophia, Oliver assumed his role as their shield and stepped before her to block its attack. The demon made another reckless charge, which Oliver stopped with greater ease and landed a counterattack on its arm. It roared in pain and flailed its other arm defensively. This demon was remarkably simple-minded, and Oliver easily distracted it as Sophia flanked it and attacked its back. It fell forward, and he dodged it by taking a few steps back. Oliver put all his strength in one arm and struck its head. Oliver bashed in its head several times to make sure it was dead. Only a short period had passed, and the other demon was still making a scene on the floor. Oliver felt repulsed after smashing into a demon's head, but he wasn't going to let this demon go free either. Soon, it was just the three of them remaining.
"How do you feel?" Oliver asked.
"I feel horrible," Sophia replied."
"Me too. They are demons, but they still look similar to a person."
They double-checked their supplies and left the store behind them.
"Which way?"
"I think it's this way," she said hesitantly.
"You think?"
"I'm not exactly a GPS," she said with a shrug of the shoulders. "The mist makes it hard to see where we're going."
"We're walking through an apocalyptic hell," Oliver said. " I think it's reasonable to hope for more than 'I think.' you know?"
"Fine, it's this way."