Chapter 10: Guns and Demons

The silence was deafening. I stared at the three headless corpses in front of me, then at Franchesca and Jerry. The way the two of them looked at me was painful, as though I was a monster clad in human skin. Well, I probably am.

“Let’s go,” I said, my voice somehow raspy.

My steps echoed inside the tunnel, and my feet felt heavy as I climbed the flight of stairs.

“That’s it?” said Franchesca. I could feel the burning rage within her voice. “That’s it?!”

She grabbed my shoulder, and with vehement ferocity, slapped my cheeks.

“Why did you kill her?! Why did you have to kill them?!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her chest rose then fell as she glared at me with tear-filled eyes. “Why did you?! Why?! Why!!”

Slowly, her enraged voice turned into sobs. I felt a squeezing sensation in my heart. I glanced at Jerry. He was pale, and I could see dried tears on his cheeks.

“You heard what happened to her, right?” I said. The tunnels seemed darker than before.

“Chase,” it was the first time she uttered my name, but for some reason, it did not bring me joy but sadness. Her voice was full of hatred and resentment, and it crushed my heart. “I’ve misjudged you. I thought… I thought that you’re a far better man than this.”

For a moment, time itself stopped. I digested those words, slowly and painfully.

But this was the burden I had to carry. If it meant that the two of them would be safe in this timeline, then I would gladly be called a monster.

The light of the flashlight started to dwindle, and the darkness of the tunnels loomed over everyone.

I glanced at my watch. “We need to get to foot of the mountains before the day ends. We’ll be safer there.”

No one responded, but I knew that they all clearly heard what I said.

“Once we get out of this station, we’ll definitely encounter those demons from before,” I said. There was a palpable tension within the group after I said those words. “I know that it’ll be scary, but make sure not to run too far from me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to protect you guys.”

Kristine nodded at my statement.

Silently, I began to approach the exit of Nagan Station. The carcasses and ashes from the Demonic Fly Traps filled the path. As I neared the exit, I could hear the faint sound of screams and malicious cackles.

I gripped my beloved sword.

We finally got out of the station.

And the familiar scene of carnage greeted us.

Toppled buildings. Burning cars. Dead bodies scattered about. A ravine which reeked of the word bottomless ran through the small town where Nagan Station was located. It clearly split the residential district into two, and above, the famous bridge from history books was decimated beyond recognition.

“Stooop!”

“S-Someone! Please! Help us!”

“Ahhhh! Stop! Please!”

Screams of agony reverberated amidst the sound of flames licking flesh and stones. Smoke filled the streets, and the scent of burnt flesh and blood filled the air.

Kristine vomited on the ground.

“K-Kristine?!” gasped Jerry. “Are you alright?!”

The human baggage in the form of Jerry’s little sister once again made her appearance. She was so damn useless. I gnashed my teeth at the thought.

“Now’s not the time for that,” I spat at her. Jerry shot a glare at me, but I simply brushed it aside. “This place’s filled with demons. If you want to play victim, do that once we’ve reached the mountains—”

“—Chase!” snarled Jerry. “What are you trying to say?! Can’t you see that Kristi—”

“—Shut it, Jerry!” I snarled back. “We both know that now’s not the time for this! Don’t—”

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I stopped midway when I noticed numerous silhouettes approaching our direction. Despite being shrouded by smoke, I could estimate that there were over a dozen of them.

Were they attracted by our loud voices? There was no way to actually tell.

“Damn it,” I said. “They’re here.”

The members of my group all instinctively looked at the direction of the demons, and the colors in their faces vanished entirely.

I grabbed Kristine’s arm and for a moment, she flinched from impact.

“Can you run?” I sternly asked. After receiving no reply even after a few seconds had passed, I repeated in a louder voice, “Can you run?!”

Eventually, she shook her head. I groaned.

“Jerry, I’ll carry your sister,” I said. This conversation was somehow familiar. “Make sure not to drop the bag you’re carrying. Understood?!”

Jerry probably felt the ominousness within my voice. My usual calm demeanor was gone.

He nodded.

The uncertainty of this timeline had been bothering me ever since I encountered that golem.

For a moment, I doubted if that certain item I was keeping in the bag would actually work against the Boss Monster living in the Mountains. Well, it should. Otherwise, we’re damn screwed. The skill book that Boss Monster would drop after its death was so vital that it would mean our life or death in this apocalypse. I had to kill it—no matter what.

Without warning, a notification popped up in front of us.

Time left before the Second Wave

2:59:59

2:59:58

2:59:57

If there was indeed a God, then he was probably laughing right now. We were surrounded by dozens of demons right now, and to make things worse, there was only a few hours left before the Second Wave arrives.

I turned to Franchesca, “Don’t go too far from me.”

She was still staring at the window that popped up in front of her. She nodded.

“Let’s go!” I said.

As though that was the cue, the demons that surrounded us began to run. Their cackling laughter echoed as their steps made quick thuds on the ground.

All of us ran forth with all our might. In situations like these, I really did wish I was not carrying this human baggage called Kristine with me. If my hands were free, then I might have been able to do something about these demons chasing us.

Well, killing all of them would be far too risky at this point, but I was pretty sure that I would be able to defeat half their number.

I inwardly shook my head. Now was not the time for this. The reality was I was currently carrying a young girl with me, and I was supposed to run away from dozens of demons, all the while making sure that none of the members of my group was harmed.

All the odds were against me. I let out a suppressed snarl at the thought.

We ran past burning buildings, blazing cars, and burnt bodies. Using my keen senses, I realized that more demons were chasing us as time went by. Most probably, their cackling screeches and laughter attracted the other demons nearby.

“Oh, God. Oh, God!” huffed Jerry. “Please help us!”

I smirked. There was no point in asking God for help. That damnable God.

“Over here!” I said as I led the group past an intersection.

We kept running west, towards the direction of the mountains. It was the safest place to be once the second wave starts. After all, it was a place where Hygradia Plants bloom. They were transiently-living plants that live only for a few hours, before withering away from existence. But thankfully, the pollens they leave behind during their death deters low ranked monsters. One could actually say that they were the best Haven you could ask for during the first few waves of the apocalypse.

I afforded a glance at the pursuing demons. Still chasing.

“Damn it,” I inwardly snarled.

Behind me, Jerry and Franchesca were having trouble keeping up. There was blatant fatigue written on their faces, and numerous beads of sweat crawled through their skins.

At this rate, those demons would catch up to us.

I stormed my mind for possible ways out.

Should I let go of Kristine? Feed her to the demons so we could escape?

For a moment, I was tempted by the thought, but knowing Jerry, he would probably come running towards his sister’s rescue once that happened.

Then, the best option was probably to face the demons head-on. It was risky, despite the decades of experiences I have accumulated within me. After all, my experiences would be nothing but trivial knowledge if I didn’t have the appropriate stats and skills to back it up.

But I have no choice.

I was about to put Kristine down on the ground then face the demons when gunshots were heard. Numerous gunshots.

We all halted in our tracks and stared at our rear. Not far from us, three soldiers clad in camouflage were shooting the pursuing demons. They were atop a large slab of stone, their rifles aimed at the demons.

I was not an expert in weaponries, but I was pretty sure that those soldiers were using MK16 rifles. Their bullets pierced through the bodies of the demons, a feat that would not be possible with mere pistols.

A fourth soldier appeared behind them. He shouted, “The military base is still open for refugees!” I noticed that he was staring at Jerry’s little sister, particularly. “Go right after crossing that building over there!” He pointed at a toppled building not far from us. “The soldiers will protect you!”

It was a pleasing offer, a stroke of luck within this shitty reality.

“Chase!” said Franchesca, her breathing heavy. “Let’s go there! They have… They have weapons! Guns! We’ll be safe there!”

Jerry nodded vigorously at that statement. Behind us, the demons were still being killed one after another. It was a spectacular sight, considering the fact that normal guns had no effect on those monsters.

“No,” I shot down the idea. “We’ll keep going towards the mountains.”

“Why?!” squeaked Jerry. “Didn’t you hear what the soldiers said? There are refugees there! A military camp, mate! A damn military camp!”

I did not have the time to explain to them that that military camp would collapse around a week from now.

“Just trust me on this one,” I simply said. “It’s safer in the mountains.”

Furthermore, I needed to kill the Boss Monster there—the sooner the better. And I would not be able to do that if I was stuck inside a military base that would soon collapse.

Doubt was palpable within our group. Most definitely, they were hesitant of my decisions.

Jerry glanced at the soldiers, then at me. He sighed. “Okay, Chase. I’ll trust you on this one.” He nodded thrice to himself. “Let’s go.”

I smiled.

We ran towards the direction of the mountains.