“What are you doing?” the man inquired, his gaze sharp and skeptical.

“We got separated from the group two days ago. We've been trying to find our way back,” Lucas explained, his head slightly lowered as he fixed his eyes on the stone-laden path.

The man stood there for a few moments, absorbing the explanation, before turning away. “Stay here for a moment,” he instructed, disappearing into the hotel.

Beside him, Lucy leaned closer and asked, “Lucas, is that Thomas?”

“Yes,” Lucas confirmed. Though uncertain if his story would hold up, he saw no harm in attempting to deceive Thomas's group member who stood before them.

This group, unlike Ethan's Group C, consisted of burly middle-aged men. Lucas wondered why they were being scrutinized so closely. He didn't have to wait long for an answer, as Thomas returned accompanied by Ethan, who looked thoroughly exasperated.

Ethan's frustration was evident in his expression as he addressed them upon approaching. “What do you mean by being lost? You were both right behind me that day!”

Aware of the ridiculousness of his excuse, Lucas continued, “You were walking too fast.”

Ethan seemed momentarily flabbergasted by his response. “We spent time looking for you both, and you managed to get so far away so quickly. It's unlikely unless you were deliberately avoiding us.”

Lucas let out a sigh. “No, really, we got lost.”

Ethan's patience appeared to be wearing thin as he clenched his fists in frustration. “You two!” he exclaimed; his frustration evident in his tone.

With a swift kick from Thomas, Ethan stumbled and fell onto the stone path. Anxious to avoid drawing attention from zombies, Thomas urged them to stop the confrontation. “Enough! Take it inside. We can't afford to attract more zombies.”

Ethan, his voice slightly trembling from his efforts to compose himself, nodded in agreement. “You two, follow me.”

Lucas gave a slight nod as he and Lucy followed Ethan into the building. As they walked alongside each other, Lucas leaned in to whisper.

“It seems he hasn't learned how to say 'Follow me!' any differently,” he remarked, his quiet nature finding an outlet in this rare conversation. Without a consistent friend to talk to, he felt a bit more talkative than usual.

Lowering his head slightly, he added in a hushed tone, “He was ready to pounce on us back there. Definitely has a hot temper.”

“Get inside!” Ethan barked; his irritation evident as he pointed towards the building.

They obeyed, making their way into the building. Inside, Lucas noticed a familiar atmosphere – one of relaxation and apparent fearlessness among the residents. His gaze shifted and settled on Sarah, who sat on a sofa, engrossed in her breakfast.

Lucas's mind wandered, pondering whether they were consuming human meat. His eyes swept across the room, observing others eating as well. He wondered if there was a distinction between different ranks and their dietary habits.

Sarah was focused on feeding her daughter, seemingly unaware of their presence. As Lucy moved forward, presumably to interact with the little girl, Lucas promptly tugged her back, signaling her to wait until they were done talking to Ethan.

“Uncle, why are we here?” Lucas inquired, his tone carrying a note of curiosity.

“Keep quiet and follow my lead!” Ethan snapped; his impatience was evident as he began ascending the stairs.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, taken aback by Ethan's sharp response. Nevertheless, he followed Ethan, causing Lucy to retreat slightly and nearly bump into the wall behind her. She gathered herself and trailed after Ethan, her curiosity mingling with her surprise.

Ethan led them to the second floor. Lucy recognized the area – it was where she had spent more time during her stay. As her eyes fell upon a familiar door, a thought crossed her mind; ‘Wasn't this our room last time?’ She contemplated the question silently, aware that seeking answers was futile at the moment.

“Enter the room!” Ethan commanded tersely.

Lucas glanced around, and even someone lacking in intelligence would have found the situation suspicious. With a nod, he and Lucy entered the room as instructed.

Inside, they were met with the sight of an overweight middle-aged man seated on the bed by the window. Ethan's voice, oddly soft for his usual demeanor, introduced them to the man.

“Boss, they're here,” Ethan's words seemed to coat the room, raising goosebumps on Lucas's skin. He marveled at Ethan's unexpected change in tone. It was hard to reconcile the hot-headed man with this remarkably two-faced speech directed at James.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

James casually waved a hand, prompting Ethan to bow his head and exit the room. With Ethan's departure, James approached them.

“Enough with the act,” James's voice cut through the air.

“What do you mean?” Lucas replied, feigning confusion, his head tilting slightly and eyebrows raised.

James clicked his tongue, clearly not buying their act.

“What's your game? How do two missing people suddenly return, dressed in those robes?” The pieces of the puzzle had fallen into place for James. Their attire was a dead giveaway – not something typical of the area.

“We stumbled upon these robes. They offered good coverage, so we put them on for safety,” Lucas quickly explained with an air of sincerity.

James seemed to dismiss the issue with a calm sigh.

“Just forget it,” he uttered, reaching into his pocket to retrieve something.

“Boom!”

“Fire shield!” Lucas yelled, swift to react.

“Dude, you can't just trigger things without any warning,” Lucas continued, perturbed, while Lucy remained frozen in his protective shield.

Undeterred by Lucas's words, James pressed on, continuing to fire bullets.

‘Isn't he ruthless?’ Lucas pondered, observing James. He held his fire shield up, knowing it could withstand up to half a minute, even enduring the frozen sea before dissipating. What exactly did James think a bullet could do against it? Strangely, James displayed no astonishment towards the supernatural barrier.

“Fire blaze!” Lucas uttered, still shrouded in his fire shield. Flames burst forth from his fiery ring, directed at James.

Yet James stood his ground, seemingly unyielding. Lucas couldn't help but sigh, sensing James's unwavering determination. It wasn't that he was fearless of gunshots, but the outcome had been expected. James had been a police officer before the apocalypse, after all.

As the flames enveloped James, he screamed, countering with “Steel skin!” his skin transforming into a grayish metallic hue.

Lucas found himself at a loss for words. Was that supposed to protect him?

“Lucy, are you back yet?” Lucas urgently inquired, shaking off her shock from the gunshot. “Use icicle targeted on his forehead.”

Still reeling from the gunshot, Lucy quickly snapped back to attention and took aim with her ability.

“Icicle!”

The icicle soared through the air, honing in on its target and striking James's gray forehead with a resounding “ting!” The ice shattered into a multitude of fragments that fell to the ground.

Observing the screaming James, Lucas's thoughts raced. So, steel skin does offer him protection, albeit not completely.

As Lucas continued to analyze the situation, he couldn't help but be surprised by how James, supposedly the boss of this place, was proving rather easy to handle. Equally baffling was the lack of anyone rushing to the scene.

‘Why hasn't anyone intervened yet?’ He wondered. This was no hand-to-hand combat. In terms of skill and ability, both he and Lucy had far surpassed James's level.

“AHHHHH!!! TAKE IT OUT,” James suddenly wailed, his body becoming even hotter. The gray skin was now turning reddish, causing Lucy to jump in surprise once again.

Sensing her startle, Lucas couldn't help but sigh. “Lucy, you really need to focus on your attention and attentiveness right now.”

James's screams pierced the air, but Lucas had no inclination to expedite the man's suffering. Observing him with his flesh burning and even cooking in places, Lucas's thoughts seemed to be in turmoil.

He wasn't inherently evil, although some parts of him certainly were. But considering James's hasty attempt to kill them without sufficient evidence, merely a brief conversation, Lucas felt little inclination to hasten James's demise. Who in their right mind would use steel skin when their body was engulfed in flames?

“James, why did you want to kill us?” Lucas inquired, his voice calm despite the chaos.

Amidst the agony, James offered no response, his screams continuing to echo.

“You know, if you answer me, I'll stop the fire,” Lucas proposed, hoping reason would prevail.

Despite the pain, a glimmer of joy momentarily flickered across James's face, swiftly replaced by a seething hatred.

“I DON'T TRUST YOU.”

“Is that all?” Lucas remarked nonchalantly, as the flames engulfing James slowly diminished.

For such a trivial reason, this is rather absurd, Lucas thought, though he didn't vocalize it. He knew that within thirty seconds, the flames would naturally extinguish.

Finally, with relief, the fire subsided, allowing James's labored breathing to slow somewhat. At least his steel skin seemed to alleviate the burn from the flames to some extent.

“Is there any other reason?”

“No,” James, still nursing the burns that covered his body, responded with animosity.

“Lucy, use freeze on him.”

“WHAT?!” James protested.

“Mmm,” Lucy answered casually, humming as she approached. The events of the last few minutes had transpired so rapidly that she didn't feel the need to engage in further conversation with James.

“Freeze!”

“What are you doing?” James yelled, his face and body gradually succumbing to the freezing spell. Lucas observed as the ice gradually encased James, his mouth sealed shut by the frozen grip.

It didn't take long before his entire body, from head to toe, was encased in ice. His wide eyes stared out from the icy prison.

“Lucas, is he dead?”

“Yes.”