The girl turned around and saw a woman with a ponytail and a man wearing round glasses. She fumbled on her first step but kept walking towards them. Eventually, she ran to them with all her might, screaming with tears in her eyes. “Mom? Dad?”
Lily and the couple run towards each other. The girl jumped on them and hugged them.
The people surrounding them felt a bliss in their hearts. Jorge approached the family and embraced them. “Thank the heavens. You are alive.”
Everyone but Octavia rejoiced at the sight of this family. She clenched the clothing close to her heart and took a deep breath. As if she had knots in her stomach, the girl gasped for air.
Jin stayed back and watched. Even though it wasn’t his intention, he still felt glad he could keep his promise. “Good f
Apologies for the delayed chapter. Work has been pretty hectic these days. I'll try to keep the updates more frequent!
The following night, Jin, along with Kroll and Octavia, reached the tower. It was an abandoned fire lookout. Bricks made a sturdy base for the tall structure. At the top were rails surrounding the wooden canopy.Mostly, it followed a straight dirt road from the quarry, until they changed their direction towards the dense woods. A few meters out, and they crawled all the way until they reached the tower.Octavia whispered, pointing at it from behind the bushes. “There it is!”In a crouching position, they approached the tower, hiding in tall grass and behind trees. Even if they scratched themselves on the rough bark, they’d rather bite their lips until they bled than call out.Jin looked at their surroundings over and over until he sighed in frustration.
Jin and the others picked a point of entrance and waited for the dark night to camouflage their movements. Kroll, who had a weapon, insisted on going through the area with more people.Jin agreed only if Kroll accepted him to go in first and create a distraction.The camp wasn’t easy to gain access to. There was only one gate, which armed guards always guarded. Surrounding it were tall wooden spikes neatly placed one next to the other, with barely any room for a hand to slip through, let alone a person.While Jin pondered over how to go about it, Octavia approached him with a smile painted on her face. “Last time
Blood splattered and painted Rena’s shocked face. The bullet ricocheted on the metal bar. Jin, from the corners of his eyes, glared at the person behind him who fired that shot.When he got a clear look at his face, Jin grinned. With his baseball bat in hand, he charged at the gunman.[Speed Level 2 activated!]In an instant, he appeared in front of the surprised youth. “Yo, teammate!”Jin forcefully swung his bat and crushed some bones of his old teammate’s hand. Writhing in pain, he crawled to the ground. It was unbearable to even touch his own hand. Fear got the better of him when he noticed bones sticking out of his shattered fingers.Jin clicked his tongue. He grabbed the gun from the young man wh
The bandits stepped back. They never expected for the burly man to go down with a single strike. Much less from a teenager. They had guns, but so did the people with Jin.A roar of an engine soon struck fear in their hearts. The exhaust banged like an explosion. The sound of the caterpillar track echoed like an approaching tank. Bullets coming from Kroll’s and Rena’s handguns made them take cover.Octavia drove into the camp and reached Jin. “Hop on!”Jin did just that and rode together with Octavia out of the camp. Kroll shot his way out.The bandits who hid behind tents and crates came out and fired their guns at them. Jin patted Kroll’s shoulder to get his attention and pointed at the tent with the weapons. “Ammunition and powder th
The veil of darkness dissipated when the warm rays sprung from the east. It hasn’t been long since morning came when Kroll and the others arrived at the quarry.It felt odd when they realized they wouldn’t be anyone waiting for them at the tower. They thought for sure that they would eventually meet resistance there before fighting their way through.After discussing it through, they agreed to leave their vehicles outside and sneak in instead. Unsure of what they might encounter, a safe approach was their best bet. The narrow path between the mountains brought out an eerie sensation to their bones.Tired and hungry, not to mention the anxiety building up in their hearts, Kroll made the first move. “I’ll go in. Rena should be last. You have the other gun. In case something goes wrong, you can escape and warn Jin!”With the worst-case scenario in mind, Kroll walked through the path, with his guard up and his pistol ready to fir
Jaxon’s expression showed irritation. “I remember you! You are the brat from that day—” The formation of the quarry was like a deep crater. The only way in and out was through the narrow path created by two mountains which the bandits blew up, trapping themselves inside. Jin was atop the wall of the crater. Using his abilities, he climbed the side of the quarry and reached the peak. Staring down at them, Jin sneered. “So, what if I am?” Jin jumped down. The impact of his landing raised clouds of dust, and rubble flew in different directions. Jaxon, taken aback by his action, clenched his fists. “Be careful. That guy evolved!” His fellow bandits heard the words that came out of their leader’s mouth. They gulped a mouthful
Jin defeated Jaxon, the bandit leader. His remaining forces surrendered. Some even joined Kroll and his group. They kicked out the others.Several days after what happened at the Quarry, Jin and the others moved to a place without fumes. He had already set the plan in motion when they headed to the bandit camp.The people at the quarry heard of a secure location. A village at the top of mount Rockell, not so far from where they were, but because of the bandits, they couldn’t leave. Even if they tried, the tower would report it to the bandits.According to the rumor, the village supposedly had walls, food, and water. Jin, Kroll, and their group followed a few days after Jorge and Coral left. They had no way to communicate and confirm the rumor, therefore they could only see with their own eyes.Besides that, Jin had to explain the situation with the evolutions he and the bandit leader Jaxon had gone through.
At the top of Mount Rockell, Coral patiently sits at the gate. She refused to leave that post. The people at the village admired her tenacity and, after several tries to have her go inside, they gave up.Jorge, with sorrowful eyes, approached the raven-haired woman. “Lady Coral, why don’t you come inside? The last few nights have been chilly…”Coral’s eyes brimmed with hope whereas her trembling voice echoed her worry and defiance to his words. “No! Not until I see my son! It’s my solace. Let me have this?!”Jorge could only sigh at her stubbornness. He went back inside and returned with a blanket. “At least use this…”“T-Thank you!”***