Things were going fast and no one was ready for what was coming their way, but everyone knew something was off as they prepared their bags, keeping them as light as possible.

In the general Tent or whatever rank he was now titled with, with how all communication had been cut off, ranks now were still having an effect on the remaining soldiers still doing their duty and the drill they went threw basics worked as they hoped that everything wasn't over most of them had been stationed in their garrison and there families where from cities away with 6 to 7-hour of driving.

But roads were blocked letting them with the only hope that the military garrison closer to their hometown would be deployed faster in response to the threats those beasts represented, for all it looked this town was down for and they awaited new orders.

And vice-captain Henry was one of the pillars that kept those men hope that they could come out of this alive, standing straight, still in his same bloody uniform at which point he started to accustom to the heavy stink of iron in his nostril mixed with his sweat, as he finished his report of the past event of the east district, letting a heavy sigh as his tensed shoulders slightly relaxed.

" So there isn't any chance to escape it seems as if everything you just said is true, we already looked every possible way out, but if we leave the city what awaits us outside is the growing forest with who knows what inside?....aaand those giant beasts "

The general tried his best to keep his composure as he remembered the giant beast that ransacked past their regiment for only no more than a couple of minutes which seemed to last for hours, hell had fallen upon them, and the past week had been for him a real hurdle, he had never faced this kind of situation in all his years of service, and looking at the young vice-captain and the bloody state he was in, he couldn't help but shudder at what this man of his went threw from the expedition group sent for opening a breakpoint from the east of the city, .....' noo.., it should be captain now, he deserves that recognition at least, be damned protocol with our current situation.

' A reward would be good for the morale of the soldiers too'

nodding slightly at this idea, he looked up at the man in the eye

" Very well go call every stationed soldier we had put on a different location to enter the west district and tell them to withdraw, it's useless wasting manpower like that "

Turning his head he ordered his assistant, who nodded and gave him a salute before going out, to transmit his order.

" Ok Vice-captain Henry, or should I say Captain Henry now for being able to come back alive and saving as many of your men it is something that must be rewarded to show people that we the army don't forget the sacrifice of our dead comrades, you and your men need a good rest we will need you guys in the best state you could be, I know it's a heavy responsibility I'm giving you, but right now you're the only ones that got the gut to fight head-on with those beasts"

The general tried to make vice-captain henry understand the weight this gain in grade means at last seeing his subordinate reaction he could only shrug it off now wasn't the time for feelings.

Hearing his chief calls him with the Captain grade left a horrible taste in his mouth, as he couldn't help but mock himself

' All that we went threw for a title,..pfumm.. '

But he made sure to not show his emotion and only nodded, giving a salute as a recognition of his new grade

They finished their last talk about what to do regarding whether on abandoning this place, and leave the city, or try their chances outside the city and meet with the next regiment.

Coming out of the general tent, The Now Captain Henry smiled bitterly, as he looked at his hand that was slightly shaking and at any sounds of distant growls tried to reach for his sword only to remember he left them outside the tent, he quickly asked the two guards who were guarding the tent to bring him a bag, and his weapons as he couldn't be armed in the general tent.

His rectangular shield was brought to him with his sword, and only then did he feel safer.

' I won't let your death be meaningless captain '

Tightening his hold on his shield, put back his sword in its scabbard that was hanging on his left waist, he couldn't help but let out a sigh, as he looked at his right waist his handgun, a mocking smile on his lips not sure, feeling more secure with weapons from medieval age than actual guns and rifles.

" Seems like it's the apocalypse "

The guards in front of Tent looked at each other when they heard him, widening their eyes realization kicking in, in which situation their world was going through, as soldiers they followed orders, and those subconsciously avoided the topic of the world state, they had hand plenty already with the small town they were stationed.

The civilians were the first to realize that, followed by the military as they truly accepted that they weren't anymore in a peaceful world, as they looked at the back of Captain Henry, their legs wanting one thing but just move and go look for their family and loved ones, but they knew, if they weren't able to contact or reach them after almost a week, it would be hard to see each other again.

.............

Chris Had been healed by Sarah but things weren't looking good despite his regeneration ability working to help on his recovery, and his bloodline aspiring the surrounding energy, it felt off, there wasn't as much energy around him as there was near the east district.

But he could do nothing about it, now he was more than ever in a difficult situation, he was unable to fight like before, not even sure if he would be able to handle a single level 7 or 8 mutated beasts as he felt already hard, but for now, he would do with that, he had no choice, standing up he started to walk to his room.

Everyone looked aside as they looked at him, too ashamed to look at him.

He looked at them, as he passed them but said nothing only observing them, and that only made some of them shudder, they were starting to adapt the way he looked at them as if trying to look into their mind looking at them in the eyes.

" what's wrong with him, looking at us like that "

Alex Asked frustrated by the suffocating air that surrounded Chris as he passed them.

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" don't start it now Alex, not the time, you know he's like that, don't try to upset him "

Claire stopped her friend she knew she had a fiery temperament and that Fred which was clinging to her, for sometimes wouldn't be able to handle her despite the relationship they seemed to be in whatever it was.

' she's always been like that, sigh not the time for this seriously Claire' glancing at her frowning slightly

" Alright anyway, don't care about him acting proud but got wounded at the end by a guy so weak "

Letting this last phrase she went back upstairs, Claire followed her shaking her head.

Everyone nodded internally at what she said but didn't say anything.

..........

One hour later Scream started to be heard, Chris who was back in his room lying next to Lisa instantly opened his eyes as he grabbed one of his short swords with his remaining left hand still able to move properly, but it felt awkward even his stance completely broken, but he forced himself to go with it, he would have to do with it for now

At the same time, Lisa opened her eyes.

" Chris??... what happened?, where are we? "

She mumbled under her breath as she felt dizzy as soon she stood up, as the connection from her snake hit her, which came with images passing in her sight that after a few seconds was able to decipher what it was, what happened on their way back until she woke up her brain feeling sluggish from having this discovery from her shared connection.

trying to have the world around her stop moving, blinking, and snapping back, anger was swelling in her, they were supposed to be a group and they left him alone outside face those guys!

" Those bastards, they didn't even try to help you, even Fred... is he serious?"

Fuming with anger, she looked at Chris Shoulder, the wound wasn't completely closed, and even if she hadn't got images of how bad his wound was, looking at how he was only using his left hand she guessed it would take a long time for him to be able to use properly his right hand again.

But with this dangerous environment, they were now living in, it only mean more chance to get killed.

" don't worry about that I already started to get used to using my left hand with the right one, so it's only a matter of being able to get a natural feeling "

Chris for a few seconds wasn't able to understand what she was talking about, looking at her strangely,

" How di-...."

" don't try to change the subject here, I will explain that to you later "

she cut him off, as she understood what he wanted to ask her

without him knowing he had smile at the corner of his lips, seeing her worried expression as she started to move toward him on the bed, touching his wounded right shoulder.

meanwhile, he started rubbing her hair, the two of them just looked at each other checking each other but the other was more worried than the later, seeing that he couldn't move his right arm properly but said nothing, glancing at him while he was playing with her hair.

she wasn't sure what to say, he was too calm for someone who got such an injury, being wounded by a beast isn't the same than by a human, but this guy..., acted as if it wasn't something big at all.

She was wandering if he was going mad, herself was going insane from the mental connection with the snake she made some kind of pact or whatever it was.

Taking some canned food from his backpack as he stopped playing with Lisa's hair feeling contempt in a strange way being cared for by someone, been a while since he felt like that it wasn't that bad sometimes to have someone to feel like he could let his guard down, they started to eat, and he felt like he could eat a whole cow but only do with the canned food he started missing hot food, and those can food barely satiated him but he immersed himself on the taste to forget how hungry he felt.

He new they would have to ration food at some points.

Lisa sat down next to him, and they found a good position on the bed being close to each other, while they ate.

Just like that an hour passed but this quiet seemed like another world to them, they didn't have to talk, only looking at each other from time to time in the eyes chuckle escaping their lips, they felt like teenagers looking at their crush butterfly in the stomach a magic moment that couldn't find words to describe.

All Lisa could see when looking into his eyes was loneliness and a chilling cold from the depth of his eyes making her want to make him open more to her, she had once seen those eyes when they first met, and this was why she wanted to learn more about him even now when they were so close she felt intimate with him but at the same time far away from him.

But he wasn't the kind to talk, rather trying to learn anything he could about his surroundings as if they weren't part of the same world.

" Did something happen to you when you were a kid?"

She finally broke the silence between the two of them looking at him with a stern look, she couldn't understand why he was like that, she know a lot of cold people, but him it was as if he thought he wasn't part of the same world as the others, maybe he was just antisocial and had a hard time to express himself like the others, she couldn't help but think of the way she felt like he was a mystery all to himself that once one discovered something about him, only to feel like there was only more to discover.

" Ughh where does this question come from?"

He chuckled at the sudden question, but he still thought of an answer, he wasn't particularly maltreated when he was young, his life was just normal, not so normal though he lost his parent when he was five or so, he couldn't remember how they died none of the adults around him told him, saying just that they were gone, and.... that was it, he was sent to an orphanage, a not so strange childhood with some bullying as an outcast but that was all, he just happened to take revenge snapping fro anger, fighting with some of his bullies with some nose bleedings, but that's all he wasn't that different from others

" Nah nothing, just the usual, loss of parents, orphelina, and struggles that come after that ", remembering his bland childhood, and adding it to his life after leaving the orphelina, and he couldn't help but sigh at the irony of himself.

But when she heard his answer and the way he looked at her, and the smile he put.., she opened her mouth to ask more but refrained from asking, just sighing.

" Ok just when you feel tired, just come to me, don't have to talk you know, with me not being able to contact my parents, I understand a little why you are like that.."

She said to him looking at him in the eyes, as she felt like a barrier between them broke off, as his eyes blinked a few times as he looked at her.

'Seems like I was right, maybe he's just lonely '

But she didn't feel happy at all knowing that, because if she felt so lonely being unable to contact her parents, for just a week, how was he him, after Ten to twenty years of having no one to talk to about his worries and bottle up all this anxiety and just keep everything to himself.

It was a wonder, he got so far all alone.

she felt her heart stir at the realization, slight tears falling down her cheeks as the feeling of having no news of her parents that she had been trying to not think about, and the way Chris looked at her, there was love, she was sure of it or not?..., but there was so much loneliness in them, she felt like unable to breathe for a moment.

.........

after their little discussion, they spent just some time resting despite hearing slowly a ruckus coming from outside.

they came out of their room, the others were already downstairs.

" Ok, guys I think we should think more about leaving this place ?"

Chris hearing that furrowed his brow, they were still arguing about something so stupid thing or were they just trying to not think about what tomorrow held for them, by talking about a question, they all already knew.

At some point they would have to go out of the city, for now, they could hold their ground against some group of evolved beasts but they would soon be unable to keep their ground.

He was already approaching his limit, the fights he had against the human-looking beasts had all been close calls, he counted on the fighting instinct given by his bloodline, and the swordsmanship knowledge he got from his skill to maintain his ground, he could feel the sensation of each of those intense fights as a ghost pain slightly assaulted his right shoulder.

Life on the line,...a single mistake, ..a step back, or .. a hesitation, and it would have been, at best a loss of one of his arms and at worst his head chopped off.

But he felt ecstatic about it as chill ran down his spine remembering the fight, in all the heat of the moment he couldn't even remember the exact face of the humanoid thing his eyes being glued to his movements and the instincts provided by his bloodline and the sword technique he got from the System, the rush of adrenaline at that moment, made him feel alive like never before, giving him something to fully use his pent up rage.

He felt alive like a new world was opening to him, one he never tried to put feets on, of fear of society disapproving, but now he could let his true self talk.