“What’s your name?” Jean demanded.
Paul frowned. “Tell me what’s going on first.” He didn’t know what the girl wanted, but it felt really bad to be the ignorant one.
“A zombie apocolypse.” Jean was concise.
“What…how...why…” Alia had no idea what question to ask first. Her mouth hung open but no word came out.
“That’s not the right question. The right question is, what is happening to you two.” Jean scanned the two quickly. “You have been infected by t-virus, but for some reason instead of dying and turning to one of those zombies, you have gained certain powers. You,” She looked at Alia. “You have gained the power of controlling fire. You,” Paul. “you have received the power of rapid regeneration. Basically, you’re Wolverine without his claws.”
That was only partially a lie. They were enhanced by crystal energy, not t-virus, but neither of the siblings needs to know that.
The two exchanged a look. The screams from outside, along with what they just experienced, confirmed Jean’s story. This brought some trust to the blonde’s story. “I’m Paul O'Neal. She’s my sister. Alia. Who are you?”
“You can call me Jean. I am...you can say I am a woman on a mission.” Jean flipped her pistols expertly, applying some pressure. “I want to make you two a deal.”
“What is it?”
“You two obey me and do my bidding, and as long as you two are with me, I will keep both of you safe.” Jean proposed.
Since a while ago, Jean realized she needed some underlings. It was not necessary for additional strength. The siblings were at most around two to three red crystals. In a fight to the death, a single legionnaire could slay either of them, and a single Warden ghost could kill them both in seconds. She needed them majorly because they could move freely in the worlds she traveled to.
One of the functions of Jean’s identity as a voyager was the follower mechanism. As someone who completed one mission, Jean could bring two followers with her. Followers could, no, followers must follow their leader to whichever dimension they go to. The reward for the kills they did was delivered to the voyagers. The Supreme One would cover the presence of the followers as well, which meant as long as they didn’t extensively use foreign power they wouldn’t be targeted by the worlds. Usually, followers were meant to help the voyagers to complete their missions.
In this case, the siblings were excellent choices to be her followers. They loved each other, which meant as long as she could get hold of one of them, the other would likely remain loyal. They were around sixteen. This was a perfect age. Anyone older would be too logical and be harder to manipulate. Anyone younger would be too immature and would take too long to really help.
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When her purifier and Warden forces and her overpowering nature couldn’t be revealed, she needed someone to help.
Paul and Alia looked at each other. As someone in the 21st century, the idea of giving their loyalty to someone else was not just foreign but even stupid, but the time has changed. The faint smell of bbq in the air kept on reminding them that.
They no longer had their parents to lean on. They no longer had a home. They no longer had a society governed by law. They did have some power, but the exhausted feeling all over Alia’s body and the starving sensation in Paul’s stomach reminded them mutation didn’t mean invincibility. Powers had their limits, and when their powers were exhausted, they were just ordinary sixteen year old human beings.
But Paul wasn’t so easily convinced. He had watched way too much apocalypse movies and tv shows to understand how little trust meant in a lawless society. They knew nothing about this Jean.
“First of all, how can I know you are trustworthy? Second, what makes you think you can protect us?” He bargained.
Jean responded with action. She drew her pistol and continuously fired at a wall. Ten bullets were unleashed in seven seconds. When the smoke cleared, there was only one bullet hole in the wall.
All ten bullets landed on the exact same spot. Factor in the recoil and everything, this was nearly impossible for someone ordinary. The fact that Jean did it with, according to her careless moves, little effort, said something.
“Because I can kill both of you if I want. That, and you will never live through armies of undead by yourself.”
The siblings finally nodded.
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Half the house was burned down in Alia’s fiery outburst. The trio walked down to the first floor via the half torched staircase.
As soon as they got to the bottom, Paul jumped to the kitchen and started snacking.
Alia frowned and cracked a smile. This was something hard to do after her parents were turned into zombies and then a pile of burnt flesh. “Now is not the best time to eat.”
Paul shrugged and didn’t stop eating. Alia looked at Jean, worried.
“His power healed the wounds, but the mending required energy. In his case, this energy came from the food he ate. That’s why he desperately needs the nutrient intake.” Jean explained. “He should be fine, but it is best for him to carry some high nutrient food along the way.”
Paul emptied half the refrigerator before standing back up. He wiped his mouth and grinned, slightly embarrassed.
“My father has a pistol in his locker.” He suggested, trying to make some input. “I can grab it if you want. I’m not sure if it’s still there after the fire but…”
Jean grinned and shook her head. She wiped her hand on her watch, and two automatic rifles and two pistols appeared on a table next to her. She was showing off her watch on purpose. If the two were to follow her through countless dimensions, it would be best for them to know about where she came from and what she was capable of doing.
Alia faltered as the metal hit the table. Paul stared in awe.
“What was that?” He asked with his eyes wide open.
“Let’s just say it’s a secret.” Secrets make people too scared to make a betrayal. “Now, let’s move.”
The two each picked up a rifle and a pistol. The three slowly advanced out the door.