Victor lowered his gun immediately.

“Cory? What are you doing here?”

“I should be asking you that. Last I heard from your dad, you were on the other end of the continent!” Cory shot back. “What? Did you grab a boat and start paddling?”

“Yeah, I found it near the dock. Shallow waters, something you’d probably drown in if you weren’t careful,” Victor said.

A silence passed between the both of them before they finally chuckled together.

“No one can fake that wannabe comedian act like you, Cory,” Victor told him.

Cory raised himself to his full height. He was a short guy, but more dextrous than their entire group combined. He strode over and started to open his hands for a hug, before settling for a handshake instead.

“It’s good to see you back. But why are you?” Cory asked.

“I… wanted to visit my parents.”

“… Oh, god, Vic, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’ve already seen them. What about you? Where’re Ken and Reggie?” Victor asked.

“Near the old warehouses. We dug out the place to use as a hideout.”

A light gleamed in Cory’s eyes at that moment.

“You should come with us! We’ll survive better with you around, Vic,” Cory said, grabbing his arm.

“I’m not alone, you know. There’re a few people I’d like you to meet, actually,” Victor told him.

****

Cory was bewildered once he found the rest of them out.

“That’s what that screeching noise was? Your car around town? Were you looking for trouble?” Cory asked, exasperated.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Amadeus said with an awkward chuckle.

“If I didn’t see the body myself, I wouldn’t have even believed you survived that,” Cory replied, kicking the Vintaric Adult’s corpse. “Serves them right. Don’t know how many of our neighbours those bastards ate up,” he ended.

A flash of anger passed him as he did. He looked helpless and depressed all at once, but then shook away the feelings to face the group.

“But it’s good news. Ken’ll be happy if we have more Wielders with us,” he said.

“Ken?” Amadeus asked.

“Basically the centre of our whole group. At least… once Victor left,” Cory grew quiet at the statement, before pumping back up. “Come on, I’ll show you where he is. We’ll do better together,” he finished.

He was about to take off in a run before Victor grabbed his collar.

“We’ve got a car.”

“Oh… right.”

****

The EV moved slow through the streets. Partly because of the other cars crowding them and partly because Cory needed time to give the directions. They followed him past shops, the local cinema and even the wide open space where the festival was usually held.

“My legs hurt by the end of those dances,” Victor complained.

“Yeah, mine too. And I had to avoid everyone else trying to crush me,” Cory replied.

They pulled up to the warehouses as Cory jumped out of the car. He knocked in a distinct pattern on one of the giant buildings, and their large doors opened slowly.

Victor left the car as well and felt apprehension welling up in his heart. It’d been so long since he’d met the others all together. What would they think of him?

The people who shuffled out of the warehouse were all dirty and dishevelled. They looked like they hadn’t had a clean shower in ages, even though they lived near the ocean.

It took a while for Victor to spot his friends among them. they’d changed in the time he’d spent away. Ken was still just as large as him, maybe even larger, with short cropped brown hair and a rifle in his hands.

Reggie was the smallest besides Cory, and kept his hair long and straight. He had a brown-red complexion and a serious-face still.

“Cory, who are these people?” Ken spoke out from the front of the group. Victor guessed he was the leader.

“Don’t recognize me, Ken?” Victor asked with a welcoming smile.

“You don’t get to call me that, Victor,” Kenneth replied.

“He was in Charleston when I found him. And he’s plenty strong too, Ken. We could use his help,” Cory said.

Kenneth’s expression softened at Cory, but didn’t budge a bit when it came to Victor. He approached with gun in hand but Victor stood his ground. Maybe he wasn’t welcome, but he wouldn’t be bullied either.

“Took an apocalypse for you to remember we existed, did it?” he spat out.

“I had a job, Ken. I couldn’t come back any time,” Victor replied.

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“Kenneth.”

The man looked about ready to sock Victor across the jaw. But instead, he took a deep breath and let go.

“I’m sorry about what happened to your family. That beam of light threw rocks across the whole city. But we’re not in the position to take anyone else with us,” Kenneth said.

“That’s fine, because I’m not here to join you,” Victor said.

“What do you mean?”

“What’s your situation looking like?” Victor asked.

“That’s something we’d better discuss inside, where the monsters aren’t as plenty…” Kenneth said.

****

“Monsters surround the city from all sides. We could break out if it was just a few of us, but most of the older folks are frail. They’d get chewed up by them in an instant,” Kenneth explained with the use of a whiteboard.

It was hung on a wall with pins and Kenneth used a marker to draw the area around them. Despite what he said, they did offer some rations to the group that Victor’s whole group ate.

“So, we’re basically trapped. We’ve survived so far because of the Seeds we’ve found, but the monsters are growing bolder by the day,” Kenneth explained.

“What about any movement Seeds? Teleportation or the like?” Victor asked.

“I didn’t know those existed till you mentioned them.”

Damn. The situation seemed more perilous by the moment.

“We’re planning on sneaking out sometime soon. It’s the best option we have,” Kenneth finished.

“What if you can drive out?” Amadeus asked. “There have to be enough electric cars around Charleston for it.”

“And where would we charge them?” Kenneth asked. In reply, Amadeus held up a finger and sparks went through them.

“Can’t do them all at once. But give me a few days and cram in a little and we could get all of you out of here,” Amadeus offered.

“It’s too noisy,” Reggie finally decided to speak. His voice was calm and quiet, but somehow pierced through all other sounds.

“How?” Victor asked.

“Remember that time you and Kenneth decided to race cars in the middle of the night? You woke up half the city,” Reggie told him.

“And there were those bugs that followed us…” Lillie added.

“Those were just a few!” Amadeus replied.

“The others gave up on chasing us, Am.”

“On foot is quieter. We’re not taking cars,” Kenneth decided.

“Hold up, we can still do it,” Victor said, standing up.

Kenneth scowled when he did.

“Amadeus, me and Lillie can provide the cover for the survivors,” he told them.

“You can’t, Victor. These aren’t the only survivors we have left in town. We’re spread out all over. Our best bet is leaving in small groups protected by wielders,” Kenneth replied with a strained voice.

“We’ll come back, then!”

“Those monsters aren’t dumb, Victor. It’s too noisy,” he said, stepping to Victor.

“Not if you’re quick enough. You think you’ve got the supplies to last till everyone’s out? God forbid, what if one of the adult Vintarics catch you?” Victor asked.

“Do you think you’re enough?” Kenneth asked in reply.

“What do you mean?” Victor said silently.

“I mean what happened with Ben.”

Victor punched him.

He didn’t realize it till it’d already been done. His eyes widened at Kenneth, who stared back in barely contained seething. His red cheek was slowly fading back to its original colour, and he rubbed at his face.

“I’m… sorry,” Victor whimpered.

And then Kenneth punched him into the wall. Victor fell to his knees afterwards, gasping for breath. Saliva pooled from his mouth onto the floor and he wheezed while looking up.

“Outside,” were the only words Kenneth said as he moved towards the exit.

“Vic!” Amadeus and Lillie shouted at the same time.

“Are you okay?” Lillie asked him as she grasped his shoulders.

“Cheap shot…” he managed to spit out.

“But you started it, Vic,” Reggie told him. It was always hard to tell what Reggie was thinking, but the subtle way he talked and moved gave it away. He was disappointed. Thing was, Victor didn’t know whether it was in him or in Kenneth.

Regardless, Reggie helped pull him back onto his feet, while Cory gave him some water to drink. Victor steadied his breathing soon after. The pain in his chest didn’t leave for a while, however, and Victor had to bring himself out of the warehouse and to the field proper.

Kenneth stood there waiting for him with arms crossed. Victor still had a hand on his chest as he moved past the man.

“Where are you going?” Kenneth asked him.

“My Seed’s too loud. I’m not stupid enough to fight in front of unarmed survivors,” Victor shot back.

So they found someplace else in the city. A wide open expanse of grass and trees that they’d spent their childhood in. There were rocks scattered about the place from small to the size of a man. Above all, there were no Vintarics at the moment. Victor knew that would change by the time he was done, but he didn’t say that to Ken.

Kenneth stood on the other end. Reggie and Cory had shuffled out to see as well. They stood beside Ken, which hurt Victor a little. But he had Amadeus and Lillie with him at the very least.

“You win, you get to decide. Simple as,” Kenneth told him.

“That how you usually make your decisions around here, Ken?” Victor asked.

Kenneth glared at him.

“You deal with irrational idiots every day and you start needing to, Victor,” Kenneth replied.

Victor returned a frown. They both readied themselves as best as they could. Victor didn’t take his pistols off his body, choosing instead to pop a blade from his knuckles. Kenneth didn’t prepare in any way except tightening his fists. Victor knew how devastating those blows could be, so he resolved to keep his distance.

Kenneth ran in first. His strength didn’t extend to his fists only, as he blasted towards Victor in an instant. The dirt and grass kicked up behind him as he did. He came down with both fists closed.

They hit the dirt beside Victor, breaking apart the ground. Victor slashed at his shoulder, cutting a thin line.

What the-

Kenneth grabbed the blade and broke it off Victor’s knuckles. He tried grabbing Victor with the other hand but Victor punched it away.

He backed off and brought out his Frigustone pistol. He fired and Kenneth raised his forearms to block. The bullet barely pierced through the skin. The little hole it left looked surface-deep and the frost stopped spreading after an inch.

Kenneth plunged a fist into the earth as if it were clay. He threw a mound of dirt and rocks at Victor, blinding him. He then grabbed him by the collar and raised him up. Victor placed his feet against Kenneth’s chest and pulled out his other gun.

He aimed for Kenneth’s chest before hesitating for a moment. Then he lowered the gun to his chest and fired instead. The two bullets had more effect than the first, almost as if Kenneth hadn’t been expecting it.

Victor then popped a blade from his chest, cutting through his shirt to pierce Kenneth’s hand.

He dropped Victor and growled, holding his bleeding hand in his other arm.

“Alright, that’s enough, you two-”

Reggie shouted, only to be interrupted by their continuing fight. Victor fired his gun wildly at Kenneth while he came in for more strikes. Some shots landed while others pinged off like it was nothing. He was gasping for breath by the end of it but he came in for another punch.

Victor ducked under and stowed his pistols. He popped blades from his knuckles and fired them at Kenneth’s chest. The two blades cut into him but Kenneth pulled them out with ease.

He kicked Victor while his forearms were raised, sending him flying away to the other side of the arena. Victor got up quickly after that, rubbing his pained arms. Stupid move, since I’m better further away, he told himself.

But Kenneth had his own ideas. He started picking up rocks around him and throwing them as fast as a bullet. Victor was pelted by pebbles and created blades to block the impact. When Kenneth stopped Victor took aim.

The both of them stared at each other from far away. Kenneth had a small boulder in hand while Victor had his guns pointed to the man’s head.

They both fired together, only to be miss. Victor’s gunfire was caught by one of Lillie’s panes of light while Amadeus shot Kenneth’s boulder out of his hands.

The fighters looked to their gathered group of friends in anger. Victor had been so close to winning, and yet they’d stopped him!

“What gives!”

“I said, the match is over,” Reggie interjected.