Chapter 16: Green Hunter and Green Shredder
"We? How?" Jay asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Yes. I'm coming with you."
"No way. You'll be a burden, and it'll be troublesome if anything happens to you," Jay refused. He didn't have time to look for another doctor.
"I know the hospital layout better than any of you. I'll also recognize the supplies we need faster." Angela countered.
"We get that. But you don't have to take that risk." Lexie tried to reason with her.
"I can't keep hiding behind you forever, right?"
"That's true. But it isn't the right time. Unless you have a particular reason to be there."
"Not really. But, with the way things are, there will never be a right time."
"You call the shot." Lexie stepped back and left the decision to Jay.
Angela's eyes brightened, and she turned expectantly to Jay.
He looked at her and weighed the pros and cons of taking her with them. There were some risks. But it was undeniable that it'd be easier if she led the way.
"We aren't going for a stroll. You are going to put your life on the line. You saw what happened earlier." Jay narrowed his eyes.
"Don't worry. I'll be useful." Angela knew well what was at stake. A few hours ago, she'd never consider doing something so crazy. But as Lexie said, risk was now part of their lives. And she knew she could help.
"I hope I won't regret it." Jay sighed.
Just as he thought the matter was settled, another voice rang out from behind.
"Can I come too?"
Jay groaned, exasperated. "Again?"
"Damian! Are you all so eager to run to your death?"
"The doc already said it," Damian replied, eyes firm. "I know I'm not strong enough. But relying on you and the twins forever won't fix that."
Jay crossed his arms as Damian added, "You're heading out for supplies, right? With more people, you can carry more back."
"That's true. But not this time." From a certain standpoint, Damian could be more useful than Angela. But Jay wasn't willing to expand the party size more than that. It was already risky enough to take Angela.
"But…"
"Don't worry. You will have your opportunity soon," Jay interrupted him. "For now, I need you for something else."
"Fine… What can I help you with?" Damian frowned but nodded.
Jay smiled slightly. Damian had been one of the few survivors who stepped up from the start. He followed orders and didn't let pressure get to him. In addition, Jay had known him before all this. And he felt he could trust him more.
"This run might take longer than planned. I need someone I can trust to keep things in order while we're gone. Watch over Alex. Make sure no one does anything stupid."
Damian straightened. "You can count on me."
"I already am," Jay said, giving him a nod.
Jay turned to the rest of the group and clapped his hands. "All right, everyone. Angela, Lexie, and I will be heading out soon. While we're gone, Damian's in charge. Listen to him."
A few murmurs rose inside the library. Some turned toward Damian with nods of acknowledgment; others glanced his way with unreadable expressions.
Unfazed, Damian gave them a bright smile. "Everyone, I'll be in your care." Anyway, with Jay backing him, there was nothing to fear.
"Will you be gone for long?" Sylvi asked, her voice low, eyes flickering with concern.
"It's possible. But as long as you stay put, everything should be fine."
"Be careful," she whispered. 0
Jay gave her a small smile, a little moved by her concerns.
"I'll need a few of you to clean out the corpses inside," he continued, scanning the crowd.
More murmuring. Then Louisa, Sylvi, Oscar, Hendrick, Chloe, and an unfamiliar middle-aged man stepped forward without hesitation.
Jay looked at Sylvi. "Will you be all right?"
"Yes."
Jay gave her a short nod before turning to the rest. Most of them avoided his gaze, eyes darting or glued to the floor.
Jay and Lexie exchanged a glance and chuckled.
"We don't need idlers. Everyone has to pull their weight."
"Everyone should help," Angela added. "It's not good for any of us to be stuck in here with rotting corpses."
Reluctantly, three more stepped forward.
"Good. Damian, they're yours."
"Got it." Damian nodded and immediately began organizing them. "Come on, guys. Let's get this done."
"I'll keep watch." Lexie said and walked toward the door.
****
Meanwhile.
"What is so special about him? Is he not just a little stronger?" Ian mumbled, scowling as Jay drew everyone's attention.
That's true. A voice echoed inside his head.
"Huh!" He looked around, confused. "What was that?"
You just have to get stronger, and you'd be better than him.
"Who?"
Silence.
Ian frowned, unsettled. Was I imagining things?
He tried to shake it off, but his gaze drifted back to Jay.
We all have the system. Why should I listen to him like he's better? The more he looked at him, the more irritated he was.
Just a little more power, and they'll follow you instead. The voice returned. Quieter and more insidious. This time, it blended seamlessly with his thoughts, slowly warping his resentment into something darker.
Ian's expression darkened, shadows looming over his face like dark clouds in the sky.
"What's wrong with you?" Hendrick asked as he walked up to him.
"Nothing."
"Why didn't you step forward just now?" Hendrick eyed him.
"I…"
"Spare me your excuses," he cut him off. "Come on. Let's help."
Even your brother looks down on you.
Ian clenched his jaw.
"Okay…" he muttered, trailing behind reluctantly.
What should I do? The words slipped from his lips in a quiet, bitter growl.
You already know. Behind him, his shadow stretched and twisted, its edges warping into something grotesque and inhuman. An ominous aura spread from it, a mix of jealousy and madness.
****
With a frown, Jay snapped his head toward Ian. What was that?
"Something's wrong?" Angela asked.
"Nothing. I must have made a mistake," he replied, pushing the unsettling feeling aside. There was no way Ian could pose any threat to him.
"So, you are a good shot," he asked as she and Angela walked upstairs.
Angela gave him a confident nod. "Yeah. I'm pretty good."
"Wouldn't have expected that from a doctor." He sized her up. She was really full of surprise.
"Med school can be stressful. The gun range helped me blow off steam. I kept going, and before I knew it, I got good."
"That's an unconventional way of relaxing." Yoga, meditation, or sports felt like better choices for someone in her field.
"Better than punching a patient."
"Personally, I usually just listen to music."
"You? Really?" She laughed.
"Didn't strike you as that type?"
"Guess you can't judge a book by its cover."
Jay grinned, then pulled out his M11 and handed it to her. "Here. Let's see how good you actually are."
"A suppressed M11?" Angela took it, inspecting the firearm with practiced hands. It was a heavy hitter in its class, built for firepower without drawing attention. "Mind telling me why you've got something like this on campus?"
"Family stuff," he said with a shrug. "Though I never actually had to use it."
Angela gave him a sidelong glance. "I'm really starting to wonder what kind of life you had before all this."
Jay didn't answer. He simply nodded, watching as she settled into a firing stance. Her grip and her posture were all solid. No doubt she'd spent time on the range.
But that wasn't enough. Jay's eyes darkened. Without warning, he raised his shotgun and aimed it at her.
Angela flinched, instinctively stepping back. Her grip on the M11 trembled.
"What are you doing?" she asked, stunned. Jay's face was unreadable. In his eyes, she saw no hesitation.
"Did… did I say something wrong?" Her voice faltered. They were talking just fine. Why would he suddenly…
No. If he wanted to kill me, he wouldn't have handed me a loaded weapon.
Then he finally spoke.
"Why didn't you aim at me?"
"I… I…"
Jay sighed and lowered the shotgun. "It's not enough to know how to use a gun. You have to be ready to use it."
Angela swallowed hard.
"You should've aimed at me the moment I raised my weapon," Jay continued. "No hesitation."
"But…"
"There is no 'but.' I need to know that when the time comes, you won't freeze."
He looked straight at her. "So let me ask again: Are you ready, Miss Angela?"
Angela looked down, then stepped forward and slammed her fist into his chest.
"Williams, you're a jerk," she said through clenched teeth. "Next time you pull a stunt like that, I'll put a bullet in your head."
And with that, she stormed off.
"Guess I got my answer," Jay muttered, scratching his head as he came down the stairs.
"What did you do?" Alex asked.
"Why do you assume it's my fault?" Jay blinked.
"I know you. That's not how someone walks off after a friendly chat. Angela looked like she ate a fly."
"Please. I was gentler than a zombie."
"Stupid."
Jay shrugged and turned his attention to the others. The survivors had grouped into pairs and were dragging the corpses outside. A few looked squeamish, but no one complained.
Not bad.
They still had a long way to go, but at least they were pushing past the fear. Touching the dead might seem grim, but it was the first step toward being able to kill one when it mattered.
He didn't pay attention to them for too long. With Lexie and Damian overlooking things, he could rest assured and focus on something else.
Picking the two mantis blades, he walked to Alex and asked, "How do we turn these into usable weapons?"
"Thought you weren't interested." Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Well, since we have them, it'd be stupid to not put them to good use."
The blades were no joke. They'd made short work of Alex's shield and chipped Jay's axe like it was scrap. They'd do a good job at cutting through zombies. The only issue was that they couldn't use them as is.
"We just need to throw together a handle," Alex said. "Shouldn't be hard for you. Get a broom, some wires, strips of cloth, and a couple plastic bottles."
Jay didn't argue. He returned minutes later with everything in hand.
Following Alex's instructions, he got to work. First, he cut the mop handle into two fifteen-centimeter segments. He shaped the end of the first one, then pressed it firmly against the root of the blade.
Next came the cloth. He wrapped layer after layer tightly around the joint. He reinforced it with wire, winding it as tight as he could.
Then came the worst part. He melted pieces of the plastic bottle over the bindings. The fumes were vile.
"Ugh," he gagged as the plastic softened and dripped, fusing everything together.
Finally, it was done.
Jay gave it a test swing. The blade whistled cleanly through the back of a wooden chair. He grinned, gave it a few more swings, then nodded in approval.
"A little off-balance, but it'll do. I'll call it... Green Hunter."
"Why not Wobbly Hunter?" Alex smirked. "Don't go too hard with it, or the handle's going to snap."
"Tsk. I know." Jay grabbed the second blade and got to work. With the first one under his belt, this time he was quicker and more precise. The second version turned out even better.
"This one's Green Shredder." Jay raised the blade, admiring it with pride. Now he understood why Jess and Alex enjoyed tinkering so much. The satisfaction of building something with your own hands was different.
"You've got awful taste in names," Alex muttered.
"You just don't get my genius," Jay said, grinning as he set the weapon down and stretched.
Then, the smile dropped. His tone shifted, eyes steady on Alex.
"I'll take care of her. I promise."
Alex met his gaze. "You'd better. If you don't, I'll drag your ghost back from hell myself."
Jay chuckled and shook his head. "Still the gutsy one. But you won't have to."
"I trust you."
Jay nodded and sat back, letting himself breathe for a moment.
Soon after, the last of the survivors returned, having finished cleaning the corpses.
Jay handed his axe to Damian and looked at him seriously. "I'm counting on you. Stay inside. Don't do anything reckless. We'll be back soon."
"Don't worry. I've got this," Damian assured him.
"Take care, sis. And if it doesn't look good, just run away." Alex squeezed Lexie's hand tightly. "I only have one sister. Nothing can replace you."