The air turned static, the atmosphere seemed to freeze and, like a slow-motion picture, sound faded to the background. Ella's ink-black hair rose on a draft of wind, and as it floated above her head, it shone with a glossy sheen as if dusted with specks of shattered stars. Her command resonated in the region, carrying unnatural authority and power that compelled one to obey. Under the dumbfounded eyes of the humans and superhumans, a spiderweb of cracks spread through the ground, tendrils of crimson-gold flames crackled in the slit and licked the edges, before flaring upward with greedy tongues. The ice spears restraining the zombies fractured, fiercely vibrated, then violently exploded under their combined weight. The instant the undead surged forward, the numerous cracks on the ground split apart. Snarling and wheezing, the horde of zombies tumbled into the blazing fissure. Dozens upon dozens of undead fell in the sea of crimson-gold, swallowed and consumed in the belly of the
"Hey, wait for me!" Celio immediately left the group and chased after the girl. He didn't have any specific destination anyway. Following a person who had the skill to survive this nightmare wouldn't harm him in any way. "I've never been on Sapphire Island. I guess it won't hurt to take a look. Who knows? I might not be alive to do so in the future." Irene separated from her girlfriends and jugged to catch up with the two. Marcus didn't say anything. He hosted his MP5 and joined the three with a blank expression. To awaken two skills at the same time...he wanted to know how she accomplished such a feat. Seeing the team of four walk away, some superhumans only hesitated for a brief moment before going in a different direction. Though the four were powerful, they believed they weren't any less powerful. As long as they gathered a group of followers, they would be able to form their own power base. The humans fell in a dilemma. They wanted to follow the team of four, but Sapphire
They had been observing the group ever since they arrived in the bay area 2 days ago. Aside from them, there were also two other groups that scoured the malls. But compared to those groups, Ella and her team found this team more interesting. They had been within hearing distance to eavesdrop on their conversations. And from what they heard, even at this moment of dog-eat-dog, the team performed humanitarian services with their base leader. "If we hadn't seen it for ourselves, I wouldn't believe there were people still untainted by the winds of the apocalypse." Irene sighed. In this one week, she witnessed how low people could fall. Excluding the already horrid ex-convicts and death row criminals, even regular humans who had once been law-abiding citizens killed to snatch a few packets of food and water bottles from friends and companions. Death from murder, dehydration, and starvation became the second, third, and fourth cause of death after zombie bites. Marcus kicked the crushe
"Did you find her?" In a glass mansion with crimson walls, a tall figure in a blue suit stood at the window and watched the crimson sky with cold indifference. Though his voice was emotionless, hearing his words, the man standing behind him couldn't help but tremble in silent trepidation. "That...we're still looking. We have no lead to follow, as the Mistress seems to have vanished with the descent of the meteor." He shuffled in place and wiped his hands on the front of his pants. "Two days. That's all you have. If you fail to find my wife in two days, you don't have to show me your face again." The man paled and nodded listlessly. But when he realized his Master couldn't see him, he cleared his throat and croaked a loud 'yes', before retreating from the room. "Jabri dear, why are you still hung up on that human? Not to mention she's not one of us, she might not even be human right now." A sweet and charming voice sounded in the room. The faint clip of high heels on marble ushered
Unaware of the insidious thoughts of her ex-husband, Ella settled with her friends on the first floor of the base. Here, there were no private or shared rooms. Everyone slept together on the floor, in groups of three and five. "What do we do now? We can't cross the river without a boat. How will we get to Sapphire Island?" Celio depressedly asked. He didn't feel comfortable squeezing in with over fifty people. If it was up to him, he would rather sleep on the streets with the zombies... "Earlier, I found a boat buried under the ruins on the bank. Be on the lookout and don't let anyone discover I'm missing. I'll make a venture in the cover of the night and check it out." Irene grabbed Ella's arm in agitation and hissed. "You're going alone? Don't you know how dangerous it is out there?" "I know. But I would rather take a risk out there than spend a day longer here." "So the guy from earlier is really your ex-husband? Da**! Is the man blind? How could he let go of such a beaut
Ella and Marcus worked together. The nights of the apocalyptic days were shorter than the normal times. It was probably due to the meteor that messed with the ecology. Either way, knowing they didn't have much time before the sky turned crimson again, the two used their ability to excavate the buried boat. To their pleasant surprise, it wasn't only one boat buried under the black sand. There were at least 30 boats. "Marcus, see if you can find a rope. We'll take them all!" "Take them all? Why do we need to take all of them? And can we even..." "Don't ask questions. Now's not the time. Just go..." The world was no longer a utopia. Creatures stalked every shadow and movement. One second everything could be calm and merry, the next, they could be running for their lives. Ella was anxious to get things done and leave before the situation changed. Sensing her urgency, Marcus didn't ask anymore. He turned and raced towards the crumbled buildings to find a rope. Life hadn't been kind
As always, Ella felt the former soldier's inquisitive gaze searing her back. She knew he was watching her, waiting and searching for something, but she would be long dead before he learned anything. The baptism of the apocalyptic future had armored her well enough to protect her heart and hide her secrets. Conceal her features and control the flow of events. She would let him tag along, allow him to watch her. But two could play this game, and Ella intended to play well enough to bring him to his knees. "Grrrr!" Right at this moment, ferocious growls resounded from their left. Ella's heart thumped, thinking it was going to be a long night. Gales of fury wind blasted her face, lifting her hair and bellowing her skirt. As the wind gained in might, the growls drew closer, and the unmistakable flap of wings filled the night. Green, gray, blue, and crimson glowing eyes filled hunger flickered around, before razor claws and large bodies emerged from the shadows. "Da**! Winged Cats!" Wi
Ella's smile froze on her face. Two women, a black-haired and a red-haired stood in front of her with their guns aimed at her forehead. She wasn't sure if they saw her appear out of thin air, but just to be on the safe side, she feigned calm. "I'm Ella. Charlie and Kuram brought us into the base today." The two women didn't lower their guns. Their cold expressions made it difficult to figure out what they were thinking. 'Should I just kill them?' Ella contemplated. It would be the wiser, and safer route. Yes, she would be chased down by members of the Riffraff Force for killing their people. But compared to the possibility of her spatial space being exposed, it was a far lower danger, and a risk worth taking. Because if the secret of her space was exposed, it wouldn't just be the Riffraff force who would hunt her down. Just as she was preparing to take action, the redhead slowly lowered her gun. "You're Ella? A member of the team of four who gave Charlie the bags of food?" "Yes,