Aron's brain was running on overdrive, trying to figure out how to make it out of this alive.
The truck was still ten meters away, and at its speed it would reach their location in under two minutes.
As he was thinking, his head suddenly turned to the opposite direction, as if sensing something.
Sssss...
Aron drew in a breath of cold air, his heart instantly sinking. From opposite direction, an uncountable number of zombies were charging, probably drawn by the stampede following the truck.
Aron steeled himself.
"Rose, come close to me."
His hand stretched toward her, his eyes still on the truck. A look of madness flashed in them.
(No matter what it takes, I can't die here).
But his hand remained in the air, unanswered. He turned, only to see Rose standing stiff, frozen in fear and shock.
"Rose! Rose!" Aron called several times, but she didn't react. He rushed forward, grabbed her hand, and shook her hard.
"Snap out of it, Goddamit!" Aron shouted.
"We're going to die… we're going to die…" She kept repeating like a broken record, as if her mind had collapsed from fear.
Aron's expression twisted. The truck was nearly on them, only seconds away. His irritation boiled over.
Pa! Pa!
His palm hit against her cheeks. And sure enough, the slaps did the trick, her eyes flickered back to awareness, tears welling as she held her stinging face with both hands.
"Climb on my back and hold on as tightly as you can," Aron ordered coldly, not sparing her a glance. His eyes were still fixed on the truck, now almost beside them.
Rose, still trembling, obeyed. She jumped onto his back, clinging like a koala.
"Hold me tighter," Aron's voice drifted to her ear. Her arms tightened instinctively.
Aron's eyes narrowed. As soon as the truck reached them, he moved.
(Now).
He leapt with all his strength, his body launching toward the side of the truck. For a moment it looked like he was going to slam into the door, but instead, his outstretched hands latched onto the iron rail at the back.
Friction tore at his palms. Blood flowed as his grip burned against the steel. Pain lanced through his arm, sharp enough to blind him, but Aron refused to let go. His shoulder strained, nearly dislocating, yet with sheer force he hauled himself and Rose onto the back of the truck.
"You can come down now," he said, his voice tight. "Don't make me repeat myself."
"O…ok…"
Rose slid off reluctantly, still wrapping her arms around herself. It was clear she didn't want to let go of him.
The moment her feet touched the truck bed, she gagged. "Urgh…"
Intestines and blood covered the floor, scattered with broken limbs. A severed zombie head rested against the wall, its features twisted.
Suddenly, the eyes snapped open.
Grrr…
Rose, who had just gathered the courage to move, bolted back to Aron, clutching his side with desperate strength.
Aron glanced at her reaction, even with pain coursing through his body, couldn't help but feel amused.
If he hadn't confirmed it himself, he would never believe she was really an ability user.
What kind of ability could she have possibly awakened? he wondered. Rose was far too cowardly. Without protection, she wouldn't last long in the apocalypse, either as a zombie or inside one's belly.
Shaking her off.
Aron shook his head. Pain jolted through his arm as he forced his dislocated joint back into place with a creak. His vision darkened, but he gritted his teeth, tore a strip of cloth from his clothes, and bound his bleeding palm.
He strode toward the snarling head, drove his knife through its eye, and twisted until the brain burst. Then he kicked the skull out of the truck.
[Zombie Lvl 3 killed, 350 exp!]
Turning back, Aron saw Rose staring blankly at him.
"If you don't want to die, better get over here," he said, irritation thick in his tone.
Rose flinched. Embarrassed, she scrambled forward, grabbing the iron railing at the head of the truck beside him. "S…sorry…"
Aron didn't bother replying. He had no interest in coddling her. The only reason he hadn't left her behind despite her rubbish, was simply because of her ability. He wanted to use it to gauge the strength of other awakeners.
Sooner or later, he was bound to meet others. And in the apocalypse, he knew human need for power, greed, and dark desires would only grow stronger.
As a trader, he knew far too well how human emotions worked.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The truck slammed into the horde ahead, crushing zombies under its wheels. The force jolted the vehicle violently, nearly flinging them off. If they hadn't been holding on tightly, they would already be dead.
From the small glass opening at the back of the driver's cabin, Aron caught a glimpse of the driver's face. He could hear his laughter, loud, crazed, echoing above the roar of the engine.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
After the initial impact, the truck slowed slightly but held steady. Aron let go of the iron rail, moving quickly to deal with the zombies clinging to the sides. One by one, his blade pierced through eyes and skulls.
[Zombie Lvl 2 killed, 200 exp!]
[Zombie Lvl 2 killed, 200 exp!]
[Zombie Lvl 1 killed, 50 exp!]
[Zombie Lvl 2 killed, 200 exp!]
The numbers rolled endlessly. By the time the last corpse fell away, Aron had earned 1450 exp. His lips curled faintly. Finally, he had enough to claim a new talent.
[Stealth claimed.]
Stealth: You cannot be seen, heard, or detected by ordinary means. Mana consumption: 2 per second.
****
[Host Info]
Host: Aron
Lvl: 4
Exp for next level: 1020/1600
Rank: Awakened
Special Ability: Talent Bank
Mana: 100
Active: Stealth - You cannot be seen, heard, or detected by ordinary means. Mana consumption: 2 per second.
Passive: Immunity - You are unaffected by all viruses and mortal diseases. Negative status effects from illness cannot apply to you.
Talent Inspection: Check
Talent Switch: On/Off
****
Aron was surprised at the addition of Mana to his status, but he didn't dwell on it. He would study it later. For now, he turned his eyes back toward the horde chasing from behind.
This time, something different appeared.
Four massive zombies pushed to the front. Their bodies were swollen and grotesque, arms bulging with strange green veins. Their heads seemed too small, almost comical against the hulking frames. What chilled him most was the fat, blue-skinned zombie clinging to their backs like a parasite.
The horde slowed, letting the four abominations lead.
One of them reached back, grabbed the bloated zombie on its back, and hurled it into the sky towards the truck.
Boom!
The creature exploded midair.
Puorr!
The shockwave ripped through the truck. Aron, closest to the blast, was slammed down, coughing blood. Even Rose, further away, had blood trickling from her lips.
The force pushed the truck forward violently.
The nightmare was far from over.
***
Shameless Author:
The real sauce, thank you for the power stones. I swear I almost cried… at least some kind souls pity this poor author. 😂
Special thanks to:
✨ Lordmoonlight
✨ Sri_Ram_1496
You legends just gave me enough energy to wrestle a zombie barehanded. 💪🧟
Stay Gucci, and let's keep rolling! 🚀