Chapter 90

Shank 66

Leo grabbed Lydia's pack and stuffed it into the trunk of the convertible, next to his own. “You couldn't have brought a larger vehicle?”

“I didn't think the world would actually end,” Special Agent Lopez responded. “I was driving around the neighborhood, keeping an eye on you, just in case. But the world ended, so here we are.”

“Are you still working for the Agency?”

Special Agent Lopez shook her head. “A couple of weeks ago, the director called me into her office. She seemed to think I had an attitude problem. And I kind of agreed. I joined the agency because I like fighting, I like killing. I especially like fighting and killing bad people, but all the real bad guys are in Congress or have political connections so we can't touch them. Instead, I get a twelve-year-old boy who killed a cannibal. You deserved a medal for that, Leo, but we were going to throw you in jail.”

“What? You weren't going to let me go like you claimed?” Leo pretended to look shocked. “There goes my faith in humanity.”

“It wasn't my decision. But sending us after a small-time crook like Osmond? That was bullshit. Even The Professor seems like an okay guy whose heart is in the right place and is just trying to help people protect themselves. But for some reason, he's our agency's public enemy number one... was our agency's public enemy number one.”

“So you weren't happy with your life of killing, torturing...” Leo helped Lydia into the back seat.

“Exactly,” Special Agent Lopez said. “Officially, I was given an extended leave of absence. Unofficially, they fired my ass.”

“Jason, you get the backseat, since you don't have character class yet. Don't worry, we'll get you one soon.”

“I suppose.” Jason reluctantly squeezed next to Lydia and Leo took a seat in the front.

“I signed a million non-disclosure forms so the agency wouldn't kill me, but now the world has ended, so I'm free. Yay!”

“I'm glad somebody's having a good time,” Leo said, watching from the stationary car as Special Agent Lopez's bladed weapon flew around in a large circle cutting the heads off of two more Afflicted.

She caught the weapon again and used an old rag to wipe the blood off it. “So what's the plan, Leo?”

“First, we need to help people evacuate to the stadium. Then I'll drop Lydia off somewhere safe, meet with people in charge to get appraised of our situation, form a hunting party, and go out there and kill some shit.”

“I like the last part of that plan.” Special Agent Lopez looked off to her left. “Is that an Afflicted? They don't usually wear armor, do they? Clothes?”

“Uh, oh,” Leo said. The problem wasn't that the Afflicted was at least seven feet tall. The problem was it was wearing a biker outfit with a motorcycle helmet and held two large chainsaws.

If the roads were clear, they could use the car to get away from it. But the roads were littered with cars, bodies, and God knew what else, and he knew from experience the big monster was faster than it looked. Fortunately, it hadn't seen them.

Lydia shifted position, inadvertently jostling the pet carrier on her lap. There was a loud angry yowl from Sparkles. The monster's head whipped around, focusing on the five of them in the stationary convertible.

Leo drew his pistol. “Guys. You're about to meet your first Low-Level Afflicted Boss.”

Special Agent Lopez grinned. “Excellent.” She threw her bladed weapon into the air.

“Wait! Stop!” Jason jumped out of the car. “That's Chris! My brother! Hey Chris!”

“Jason, you idiot!” Leo tried to grab Jason and failed. “That is not your brother!”

The monster walked towards them. “Jason?” it said, voice muffled by its helmet.

“Lydia, stay here. We'll take care of this. Shank, you go for its weak spots, gaps in armor, knees, feet, try to knock its helmet off.”

“Call me Dez,” she responded.

“Okay, Shank.” Leo ran after Jason, wishing he had his time-dilation skill. He grabbed Jason's shoulder, stopping him. “Jason. Damn it! Your brother is dead!”

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

“But he recognizes me!” Jason said. “Chris!”

“Jason.” The Low-Level Boss continued walking towards them.

Shank's weapon came flying at the monster's neck.

Moving faster than most would have believed possible, the Low-Level-Boss-that-had-once-been-Jason's-brother Chris, dodged the weapon, so it missed his neck by inches.

“Yes, he recognizes you, Jason. Low-Level Bosses are smart. The thing is, when he's gnawing the flesh off your bones, he won't care that you used to be his brother.”

Jason stopped and turned to face Leo. “Chris is my brother! I can't believe he isn't in there.”

Shit. How did he handle this? “Okay okay. Jason. Tell your brother to put down his chainsaws. If he does, I promise we'll talk. If he's still your brother, he'll do it.” Leo held up his hand, motioning to Shank to stop her attack.

Jason nodded. “Chris!” he shouted. “Put down your chainsaws!”

“Jason,” Chris said, still moving towards them, not putting down his chainsaws.

Leo grabbed Jason's shoulder and pulled him backward.

“Chris!” Jason shouted again, “Put down your chainsaws and we'll talk!” Jason pantomimed putting down chainsaws.

Leo activated his Augment skill, pulling Jason back with one arm, using the other to put away his gun and reach for his kukri, a much better weapon for a close-range fight with a fast-moving opponent.

Chris seemed about to do what Jason asked, lowering his chainsaws as he approached. When he was twenty feet away, instead of setting them down, he charged.

Chris swung his chainsaws horizontally, attempting to cut Leo and Jason in half.

Leo used his new strength to hurl Jason backward while dodging one chainsaw and blocking the second with his kukri. Chainsaw and Kukri clashed with a grating screech. Instead of the second swing Leo expected, Chris kicked him between the legs, sending him flying.

His middle exploded. He hurt too much to groan, his body racked with pain, unable to move.

Leo heard a roar from the monster, a scream from Lydia, and gunfire. When Leo looked up, three of Shank's bladed weapons were in the air surrounding Chris like angry gnats and Chris was in an awkward dance, using his chainsaws to block the bladed weapons as he approached Shank's convertible. Shank had grabbed her rifle from the back of the convertible and shot Chris in the head with it, failing to hurt Chris, but putting stars on the face shield of Chris's helmet.

With a groan, Leo reached for his pistol, only to find it wasn't there. So he threw his kukri at Chris to distract him. It was a good throw, but the curved knife bounced harmlessly off Chris's helmet.

With a roar of frustration, Chris pulled off the helmet so he could see, displaying his inhuman mouth with its long, sharp teeth. And charged Leo.

Gunfire exploded from Leo's right and red spatters appeared on Chris's face where he'd been shot. Chris took a step forward, then another, before crashing face down into the street, falling on one of his chainsaws that somehow turned on as he fell on top of it, cutting into his chest.

Leo looked to his right.

Jason stood there, holding Leo's gun with shaking hands, tears on his cheeks.

“Nice shooting,” Leo said with a groan, in too much pain to do anything but lie there. He checked his healing skill. It was off cool-down. He activated healing again. His Vitality went up to 9, and he slowly stood up.

“Way to get kicked in the balls! Leo!” Shank joined them in front of the body. “That must have hurt. I can't believe you're still walking around.”

“Sorry Jason,” Leo said. “If your brother was here, he'd want you to do what you did.”

“No, he wouldn't,” Jason said, tears rolling down his face. “Chris was a prick. He would have wanted me to get eaten. But he was still my brother.”

Leo picked up his kukri, blade nicked and damaged thanks to the chainsaw. He examined Chris's remains. “Is it me or do those chainsaws look familiar?”

“I thought you knew,” Jason responded. “Those are Phoenix, diamond-edged, autographed, Burke-Monster-Trauma chainsaws. Chris was a Monster Trauma super fan.”

“Wow. Twelve-year-old-me would have killed for even one of those chainsaws. If I'd known, I would have hated your brother so much.”

“I thought you did know, or at least used to.” Jason tried to give Leo his gun back.

“Keep it, since it looks like you finally got the hang of shooting the thing. Just don't point it at any of us, okay?” Leo gave Jason the gun's holster, which Jason strapped around his waist, a huge smile on his face.

“Way to get kicked in the balls, loser.” Lydia joined Leo in front of the corpse.

“Shut up,” Leo responded.

They heard a human child crying from inside a nearby house.

“So, Leo, are we going straight to the shelter, or are we going to try to rescue people?” Shank asked.

Leo knew this was a test. Shank wanted to see what he'd do. “Well. I'm not seeing us fitting anyone else in your car. You wouldn't know how to hot wire a pickup truck, would you?”

“Yeah. Obviously.”

Leo used the Demon Tears he'd made to raise his Augment special skill to Level 2 and sent Shank a party invite.

Shank 66: Why do I want to join your party?

Future Man 10/16: So I can include you in group heals and augment your abilities, temporarily raising your stats and improving your skills.

Shank 66: Good reasons.

She accepted his invite.