My Undead System

Ch. 16 - Stranded

While Jin and the others left to find Kroll’s son, back at the hospital, things grew wry. Jorge was losing control of his people when more and more undead were breaching their defenses.

Some didn’t even take their patrols seriously, which led to people dying when undead wandered inside. When the word got out that they were running low on food and water, morale plummeted.

When they tried to make a few runs into Colby town, the undead cut them off. People became visibly scared and hungry. Coral tried her best to support Jorge and his decisions and subside the worries of the rest, but to no avail.

As the days passed and there was still no sign of Jin and the others, people became more frightened and groups formed one after the other that went against Jorge's leadership. Some even openly challenged him. “They are not coming back! They left us here to die!”

Coral, annoyed by what they said, stepped forward to defend her son. “Jin would never do that. I’m sure he’s on his way back as we speak…”

Jorge, with a calm voice, added to that remark. “Do you think any son would abandon his mother?”

An old man from the back stepped forward. The clacking of his cane alerted the others of his presence. His regretful voice echoed in the corridors. The people surrounding him could see the frustration in his eyes. “My children abandoned me, and I don’t blame them. An old man like me would hold them back…”

Jorge interrupted him. “I’m sure something came up…”

The old man shook his head. “Doubt it… They were with me when this started. They brought me to the hospital and left me here when her husband attacked your wife…”

Jorge and Coral flinched. The old man’s words brought back memories they tried to forget. Freshly imprinted in their mind’s memories are hard to bury, especially when their loved ones are in the next room under a sheet.

The old man continued as he looked around. “These people here have every right to be upset. Just like myself, their families abandoned them once before.”

He then pointed at Jorge and Coral with his cane. He raised his voice as much as he could when he addressed the rest of the people standing there. “These two have done right by us. Jorge kept us safe with his leadership and Lady Coral cared for each and everyone of you, even when her son is out there fighting for someone else’s child.”

After they heard the old man’s words, everybody settled down. They looked at each other and, as if a switch had turned, their expressions changed. Patrols returned to their posts, and everyone got around talking strategy on how to gather supplies from Colby’s abandoned houses.

The guards suggested teaching people how to shoot and help with the supply runs. The people at the hospital agreed that a trained person could provide more options and solutions than citizens that simply meshed because the situation demanded it.

Meanwhile, across the vast nothingness, sweat drenched Jin, and the others as they walked through it. After having their means of transportation stolen, they had no choice but to walk.

A trip that took them half a day by car, it would take them at least two days on foot and that if they didn’t have weakened teenagers with them. They came to terms with their situation and adjusted their pace accordingly.

And if that wasn’t enough, they had to camp outside in the open space. Nighttime came, and Jin kept the first watch. Being undead himself, he didn’t need to sleep, but closing his eyes helped him relax.

The area they camped had an old well they passed. It dried out a long time ago, but the surrounding space was empty, giving them a clear view. With matches they grabbed from the grocery store, helped them build a fire.

While on watch, Jin got up from his seated position, grabbed a piece of lit wood and his baseball bat. Something moved in the dark, which piqued his curiosity. He monitored the camp as he made his way closer to where the noise came.

Unable to see anything, he went back. The moment he turned his head, a translucent window of brown and red popped up in front of him.

{Undead Level 1}

He threw the lit wood to the ground and stepped on it to put out the fire. The undead walked right next to him without an issue. It didn’t even go towards the others. He glanced in their direction and saw that everyone sounded asleep.

He raised his bat and bashed the undead’s head in. Blood sprayed and painted the ground. Jin then kneeled over it and rummaged through its skull. He grabbed the piece he’d always eaten and gulped it down, having forgotten he got back the sense of taste.

For the first time since he died, he felt the texture and tasted the iron like bloody interior of the undead’s brain. He immediately felt sick to his stomach. The moment the core went down, everything else came back up.

He flinched and cringed until he held it in. Soon after, a see-through screen appeared.

[Core Acquired!]

[Rewards: Upgrade!]

[System Upgrade: Speed! Congratulations, you now have Human Speed Lvl 2.]

Surprise, confusion, and excitement all at once bombarded him. “Upgraded without working out… that’s a first.”

He jumped up and down a few times and realized he was lighter than before, which elevated his spirits further. Though it didn’t last when he heard growls getting closer.

He ran back to the group and woke them up as quietly as possible. They helped him put out the fire and waited. With only the light coming from the moon above to guide their sights, they squinted their eyes.

The growls drew closer, and their raising heartbeats boomed in their ears. They tried not to let their voice peep out when the undead moved into their vicinity, but to their surprise, they completely ignored them.

Frozen like statues, Jin and his company watched the corpses from the corners of their eyes as they walked past them.