2025-03-15 04:34:58An express high way three vehicles covered in a mixture of dust and blood were rushing forward. Aything that stood in their way was mercilessly crushed with fail thanks to the specialodifications of their vehickes. Approaching a road branch they all left the express highway each taking sharp turns into the rocky dirt road bleeding out of the highway.
They drove for a while before approaching a moat causing them to all grind to a halt. The moat was probably constructed just a few weeks ago as there were still signs of fresh soil scattered around.
Behind the moat was a huge structure which was fenced by logs. At a glance,just the height of this fence was more than twenty meteres!
It simply reminded one of those castles of medieval times.
Giving a signal of sorts,the mechanisms of the gate started making moving noises before starting to slowly lower itself down.
Creak
Creak
Bang
Touching the other side of the koat,the three waiting vehicles didn't waste a second as they rushed through the makeshift bridge into the fenced structure and then the bridge closed up by itself.
Simple,fast and smooth!
There were already people standing wait just after the gate as if to welcome them, the passengers on the vehicles also started to get off revealing their identities while a man wearing armour gear broke off from the waiting group,took large strides towards the leader of the just arrived group before giving him a bear hug.
“Welcome back brother!"
“It's nice to be back,haha!".
Soon the other members of the group also came forward,exchanging hugs and welcoming them.
Naturally, they were none other than the Stinging Nettles who had just come back from their last expedition. This place was their base camp,which was simply named ‘camp’.
“....."
The excitement of the camp members was understandable. Being able to see the expedition team return safely after going into the monster infested main city was a relief.
It wasn't unheard of for entire teams bigger than this to just dissappear,wiped off from the face of the earth.
“Thomas you don't know how much I feared for the teams safety-your safety,coupled with the recent increase in monster activity I nearly regretted allowing you guys out.”
Grinning widly Thomas felt smug while replying.
“Big bro,how many times have I told you I'm not a kid anymore. I can hold my game fully well.”
As it turned out the buff guy was actually Thomas’s elder brother,Tyson. No wonder he was so emotional when he saw him.
“Yeah,boss isn't a kid no more!”
“You had to see how he was soloing those monsters,none of them could even withstand one of his hits!”
“Yeah…”
Hearing the responses of the other team members Tyson was barely able to control the proud smile on his lips.
That was his brother. What more could he wish for?
“Mm…very good then.
They were still catching up when a member of the welcoming party spotted a figure exiting the pickup truck.
“Who’s that?”
Almost at the same time,everybody's head automatically snapped to the direction of the teenager who was just getting off the pick up truck in the middle.
“H-hi.”
Waving his hands,the teenager greeted everybody. The atmosphere was somehow delving into awkwardness as more than a dozen pairs of eyeballs stared at him.
Turning to Thomas,there was a look of ‘who the hell is that’ on Tyson's face as he looked at him.
“It's a pretty long story."
“Hmmm ..long story is it?"
“Yeah,a long story.”
Everyone at the scene:".....”
***********
Down at the far end of a mall people could be seen queing to receive their meals which consisted of bread, canned beans and some fruit which at first glance would make one to doubt even being in an apocalypse in the first place.
Heck it looked like they were going on a picnic!
" Sooo Ethan, you said you can't really remember anything is it? But how did you know that your name is Ethan?"
" Er..I just kinda knew I guess.”
"Ohkk!”
Seated around a huge table the Stinging Nettles team were having dinner along with Thomas's brother. All around them,the sound of cutlery hitting plates resounded in the hall as they ate.
Tyson was the one that suggested they discuss Ethans matter over dinner. When he heard his brother say that it was a long story he thought he was joking,however when he heard the full breakdown about how they found Ethan he almost knocked Thomas's head.
How was this a long story?!
“It was one of the weirdest and unbelievable stories he had heard of in a while since the apocalypse began!
He couldn't comprehend how a human being was able to survive in such a dangerous place like the supermarket and yet still be unscathed.
That place was in the centre of the city!
Another thing that gave him an headache was the fact that he had lost his memories so even if he wanted to ask how he got there he wouldn't receive an answer.
The only thing the kid remembered was his own name. He had been trying his best to make him remember something all to no avail since.
“Aiyah…Thomas come here for a while.”
" Al-alright."
Sighing,he facepalmed before calling Thomas aside and they discussed in whispers.
Seeing the two of them leave to discuss something,Ethan subconciously clenched his fist in nervousness. Tracy who was sitting next to him saw this and smiled before consoling him.
“Hey there don't get all tensed up. It's gonna be ok. The boss's brother is a pretty nice guy.”
“Hmmm."
Nodding, Ethan agreed while looking in the direction of the two brothers. Soon they finished their discussion and started coming back.
Gulp!
Despite Tracy's reassurance Ethan still felt somewhat nervous while he started to panic
What if they decided to kick him out?!
Thinking about all the stories the team members told him about monsters and their vicious ways he felt fear rise up in him. At the same time he had a strange feeling that no matter what he would survive causing him to be surprised and strangely calm.
Yes calm.
It was as if a strange atmosphere descended on his mental space blocking out all the panic in him repacing it with confidence. He felt that even if it was decided that he would have to leave,nothing would happen to him.
He was still contemplating where that feeling came from when the two brothers arrived.
“Ahem..Ethan…”
“Yes?”
Glancing at Ethan's face,Tyson was surprised to hear his calm response.
“Are my ears not working or does this boy sound more confident than earlier?”.
Muttering to himself,Tyson shrugged it off before resuming.
“After Thomas and I discussed about your matter we've come to a conclusion and …”
“... I'm glad to say welcome to our midst.”
Instantly a smile bloomed on Ethan's face as a sigh of relief escaped his lips.. Everyone else also had a smile on their faces as they heard this. Even Dave who was against Ethan on day one couldn't help but smile before walking up to him before giving him a bear hug.
“Welcome to the family kiddo! And I'm sorry about how I behaved the first day.”
“Err…. no problem Dave but can you release me first ,my ribs are crying.”
“Hehe..sorry my bad."
" Hahahahah!"
Seeing the comical scene of a hulk of a man like Dave scratching his head awkwardly caused everyone to laugh.
After the laughter had died down,Tyson cleared his throat before continuing.
“The camp currently contains nearly a hundred people,of which only twenty are awakened. Also you have to help out in the tasks in the camp like farming and stuff since you're not an awakened.”
Pausing,he looked at the latter’s expression only to see him nodding in agreement. Satisfied with Ethan's sensibility he continued
“ However,a certain someone here insisted to have you on his team so you get to stay with the Stinging Nettles as their logistic manager. How does that sound huh? ”
Hearing Tyson's suggestion Ethan felt ecstatic. It was just as he would have wanted considering that he was already used to the nettles already.
“Great! I couldn't ask for more!"
Smiling,Tyson was about to continue when a lady that seemed like his secretary came over.
“Boss, the generals on the line.”
“Oh!"
Forming an apologetic expression,Tyson stood up from the seat.
“Aiyah..am sorry but duty calls,catch you guys later and Thomas come along with me. I told the general your be arriving today."
“No problem boss!"
Watching the two leave,a smile crept up Ethan's face as he watched them go before joining the other Stinging Nettles in dining.
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“Alright kiddo,here's your room. Make yourself comfy.”BLAM!Cringing from the slammed door Ethan wondered if Dave was so forceful with everything he did. Heck,that if that door wasn't made from metal it'll probably have been turned into a wreck by now. Glancing around the wooden room,Ethan clicked his tongue as he thought of how spacious the place was. Well that was inevitable if you considered the fact that this whole place was a military base. Ex-military base to be precise! It was one of those military training facilities from the cold war that was abandoned after the war ended. It was supposed to have been deconstructed or something since the military rarely left it's property lying around. However,the contractor that was given the demolishing project didn't even do it and coupled with how deep in the forest the facility was no one even knew until the apocalypse struck and Tyson and Thomas along with other people fleeing from monster's found it and turned it into a s
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On the highway leading out of Barnes city,a truck could be seen rushing past the buildings . There was a black motorcycle in the back while four people consisting of three men and a lady sat surrounding it. Inside the truck there were two men,one driving while the other was well not really doing anything bringing the total to six. Suddenly from one of the abandoned houses on the side of the road a tiger like monster suddenly jumped out with the intention of ambushing the truck. However,before it could even step on the asphalt,there was a bang and it fell on the spot having received a bullet to the head. Blowing the smoke off the tip of the gun,the shooter proceeded to place the weapon by his side while watching the number faces of his co travellers. As you might have guessed,the group was none other than Ethan and the five man group from earlier in the day. They were currently travelling together to the AADAF central base. Concerning the event that happened in the morning,
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On a free express highway a dumb looking monster that looked like an dodo but with four legs stood in one of the bushes by the side of the road while glaring at its own reflection in a puddle of water. Today was the fourth day since it had last eaten and right now it was not an exaggeration to say that it could eat anything. While it could go out hunting,it dared not to as most of the monsters out there were stronger than it. It was just a rogue tier,venturing near them would be just like offering itself up for dinner! Thus it had devised this method of lying in wait by the roadside just to ambush it's unknowing prey and it was working out pretty fine as it git more food to eat. Ever since it had started this method it couldn't help but feel continuous pride in itself for devising this method. And it's prey you might ask? Humans of course!Since it couldn't hunt other monsters since they were stronger than it humans were the only meal it could affor-cough hunt!The
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Inside the AADAF military base… The sound of personnel rushing around inside the giant command tent could be heard as all kinds of military and technical jargon were being thrown around. Thankfully the tent had been upgraded into a bigger size thus accommodating everyone. “Is the neural connection stable?" “Yes we're at fifty megaherts right now." " Good, get you bring me a firse cable.” On a table,the corpse of a monster could be seen with countless wires sticking out of it's exposed brain. These were then connected to a monitor of sorts that had a down icon. Standing in the middle of this chaos was none other than General Lebronsky who was observing the proceedings. This was a commander level monster was recently captured all just for the sake of getting information. They had gone through a lot of trouble to get it but at least the efforts paid off. “Sir!, doctor Meyers said that the upload has been finished. We can play the clip now!” “Hmmm…alright then.” Nodd
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Honestly speaking,Thomas felt that he wasn't supposed to ask this question. In fact he shouldn't have asked if he was being logical here. However as the leader of the Raisin camp now he just had to. He had to be selfish for the lives of the over two hundred people that was at stake if he didn't. Looking at their faces he could see the hesitation and reluctance causing him to feel like this was a lost cause. He couldn't blame them though as their fears were pretty understandable. They had just fought with a commander tier monster and it totally wrecked them. Going up a against a Xenogenic Alpha tier monster two tiers higher?,that would just be like serving up their lives on a platter! They had visited the borders of death once and they weren't ready to visit it anytime soon. I guess I'll just tell the general that we'll not be joining the raid. Brother I tried but……sigh. Thinking to himself he knew that he couldn't push it any further. “Since there's no one willing to
Chapter 36
The first thing that entered his eyes was the huge circular metal table situated at the centre of the room. Seated around this table were the members of the Stinging nettles though they were visibly missing two members. The next thing was how bright the room was and the fact that there were some communication equipment there. In fact there was a wall mounted screen that was showing a 3D map of sorts directly opposite him. It was like this place was never cut off from the grid. How was that possible?! Since day one of the apocalypse power had been totally cut off with all electrical appliances and gadgets turning useless. Plus this place was on the outskirts of Barnes city,in an abandoned military training base!Even if there was electricity here previously,there shouldn't be any here now. This however, further affirmed his belief that what was about to be said in this room would definitely be weighty. It might truly affect the continued existence of the Raisin camp!
