Potato chips, chocolate, marshmallows, cookies and a lot of soda were everywhere in the stores either on the ground, on counters or in their inventories.“Apart from snacks and various edibles, we'd need medical items and toiletries. Pack up quick!” Eric said before clapping.“Who the hell are you ordering around shrimp? Do what you like, just don't order me.” Amy said as she packed several edibles into her inventory.Eric glanced at her and smirked softly before walking to the counter and getting a brown carton.“What do you need that for? Just put the stuff into your inventory straight up. Why do you need a carton?” Chuck said a pair of raw hotdog packs glitching away from his hands. “It's wiser that way, yuuno?”“As expected of someone with a system IQ of ten.” Amy quipped causing the others to chuckle.Chuck, clearly displeased, interjected.“It's common sense guys. Why do you need a carton? Why would you even need it?” Eric sighed, and explained before the poor guy embarrasses h
“A truly dangerous skill.” Erica said, remembering how she hadn't even sensed the assailant.“Ah. Guess who you killed.” Chuck said to Matt with a smirk plastered on his face.“Who?” Matt asked, his curiosity piqued.“The store cashier.” Chuck replied, pulling up the tag on the dead man's shirt.“...” Everyone was speechless after hearing that.Nelson and Eric folded their lips into their mouth, suppressing a potential laugh.“Damn.” Amy said, feigning regret and sorrow.…They had packed up whatever they needed in carts and segregated each of the categories to each people; Nelson's and Erica's inventory held the carts for food, Amy held the carts for medical items and Eric's inventory for ‘toilet stuffs’.Matt and Chuck got nothing, except what they had packed beforehand into their inventory.…“Yo Rich worm. Get over here, let's go dump your murder victim somewhere.” Nelson called unto Matt as he walked towards the cashier's corpse.“...” Matt frowned, ready to protest and reject th
“Guys, what the hell is a Kalekalip?” Matt asked as he continued to stare intently at the screen.“Doesn't ring a bell.” Chuck said, looking at others for clues.Amy shrugged indicating her obliviousness to the name. Erica and Nelson also shook their heads.“A screen says Armament Kalekalip 12.7mm AMR. I don't even know what it is. And there's two of them up there. Probably outside in the skyscraper.” Matt said in frustration and looked at everyone. He suddenly scowled when he noticed Eric with a sly smile.“Eric? What is a Kalekalip?” Matt asked with a subtle frown on his face.“Heh.” Eric's smile grew wider as he nudged invisible glasses as though adjusting them.Nelson frowned and walked up to him grabbed by the collar.“Hello there, you little scoundrel. I don't know if you understand the situation at hand but for some reason we're surrounded by people with weapons called a Kalekalip. What is it?” Nelson growled, staring intently at Eric, who for some reason even has a wider smile
The blonde bearded man and Drake, the goth, trained their snipers at the entrance of the store.Several smoke grenades were thrown by the men downstairs and some by the snipers.The men, all of them dressed like robbers in black, trooped for the entrance with guns in hand.“Halt!” The illusory voice came again, domineering as ever.The men found themselves unable to move despite how much they tried to move.Amy exhaled and tore open her eyes that shone a dangerous bright amber light. Her form turned ghostly and she disappeared from her position with a gust of wind in her position.An ethereal silver glint was seen by the seven figures that aimed to storm the store and with a metallic ring, Amy was behind all of them, facing away from them.Their attention was drawn to her automatically and as they hoped to move, Amy sheathed her katana.As soon as she did, the silver glint permeated the air again and a red fog covered the area.All seven men fell down to the ground, lifeless and decap
“I hope you burn in hell!” Eric spat on the corpse, stepped over them and returned to the main room of the store.He had now accepted that humans, whether in a perfect world or not, will continue to be humans.The world awakening that happened on earth has solidified the survival of this world as a dog-eat-dog survival strategy.Throwing literal predators into the world has made it so that one would have to kill or be killed.‘It doesn't have to be this way. If need be I'll grow stronger and hunt the system.’As soon as he had this thought, he could have sworn he heard a distant snickering sound. He wheeled to check on the corpse but analysis showed that they were dead.‘Huh, that's weird.’He continued on ignoring the sound that lasted for a second, ruminating over the fact that he had just killed a human.‘That was a necessary evil. I would have been the one to die instead.’He consoled himself internally and walked even faster, pushing the thought to the deepest parts of his mind.
Just as the cohort settled down for rest during the rain, they all received alerts.[Greetings Awakened, please find, attached to this alert, a ‘terms and condition’ contract. Read it and sign at the end whether you want to keep the system or not.] However, one alert was specific to Eric. One alert he usually dreaded was now right before him again.[Analysis: An Awakened Grade 1, Queen of Storms, is in the vicinity. Be advised!]Not long after the alerts, a loud unearthly screech pierced through the air, generating a forward blast of wind that seemed to stop the rain for two seconds before continuing.Following this screech, the rain intensified and turned in a storm with lightning now snaking across the sky and striking tall buildings.“What the hell?!” Matt exclaimed, visibly mortified by the screech.Everyone, in fact, was shaken by this screech.“An Awakened Grade 1, Queen of Storms is in the vicinity.” Eric shouted so his voice could be heard over the loud storm that seemed to be
The cohort trooped outside the store into the raging storm and ghastly winds, with minds that they would probably die right there. They were somehow hopeful that Eric was right due to his trait.The moth creature was sporting a cream colored furry coat with large black spots. Its body and wings seemed to be wreathed in blue lighting that was continuously snaking in and out of its body and through its wings.It flew of its position, causing several large chunks of the building to fall to the group a few meters from them.Eric looked down and saw that the road in which they stood was covered with rapidly flowing runoff water.‘So much rain!’The moth landed directly before them and screeched discreetly. If it was the normal screech, they would have their internals ruptured or worse.Its needle-like legs wounded the asphalt below and cracked it. It looked at the humans with rage as though it would slay them any minute.“You're not one of them! Who are you?” The soft ethereal sound whisper
Everyone had freshened up and were now pondering whether to leave the store or to remain there as a permanent abode.“We don't know how many survivors there are and I can't stay like this till the end of the world. Don't you wanna leave this city at least once in your life? On foot?” Erica said, sporting a smile after the last question.“The fawk you think I am? A nomad? I've left New York more than ten time in my life but you can't expect me to trek out of New York.” Nelson retorted.“What choice do you have though? It's not like you can call for a private lift of something. This world is kind of done for so I doubt any tech might still be available.” Amy answered him with a neutral tone.Matt, Chuck and Eric were silent in this meeting. The first two guys acted like spectators, they were fine with the decision the group makes as long as they were all together. Eric, however, had his head buried in in the contract details as he chewed gum.The group decided not to bother him and let