《Back to Day One (On Hiatus)》


 #001 - Time Lapse

    The sky was covered in clouds and gave off an eerie feeling, only coupled by the moans of the countless undead below him.


    The former skyscrapers had long since turned to ruins and vines had covered it, all in all, it looked like a metal jungle. Although the humans had become the predators, their numbers had decreased by the day and soon became one.


    A man with a handsome face and grey hair sat on an upside down tank, writing something into his journal. He had a muscular build, which was covered by the bloody track suit he wore.


    This person was Jaime Barrett, the last human alive on this zombie infested planet.


    ¡°... this is my last stand, and when you read this, I¡¯ll most likely be dead.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not like any one will read it. I¡¯m the last friggin human, so there¡¯s no point in living anymore. I guess I¡¯ll literally die in a blaze of glory.¡± he said after throwing the notebook away, grabbing a dagger from a nearby corpse and a handgun in another. He had a grenade in his pocket and couldn''t care less.


    He jumped down and slashed the neck of one, stabbing it right through the skull of another. Then he roundhouse kicked one, sending it flying. Using the momentum, Jaime kicked away another one. It would be wise to mention that this was all done in one second.


    A bloodbath insued as the murder hobo tore through everything standing in his path like papaer The gun was only secondary, as a gunshot would be heard every minute or so.


    "Woah, a Behemoth is here." said Jaime as he looked at a giant zombie, to which the weaklings made a path for. Sitting on it was another zombie, but this one was far smaller than the rest and had wide eyes. "Oh come on, a Ruler?"


    As the one on top pointed his finger at Jaime, the Behemoth rushed at him. "Geez, the grenade is supposed to be saved for my kamikaze attack." said Jaime as he ran towards it too.


    As they neared each other, the distance was covered mostly by Jaime, he jumped. He jumped high enough as he was looking at the Behemoth''s eyes from the front.


    Its mouth was closed and he was clenching his teeth. Jaime jabbed.


    *Crack!!!*


    *Crack!!!*


    After 2 punches, the behemoth''s teeth had a crack in it. Then Jaime unhinged the grenade and threw it inside.


    But that wasn''t all, he then grabbed from the Behemoth''s head and stabbed his dagger into the Ruler''s head, pinning him to the ground.


    *Boom!!!*


    The Behemoth''s impenetrable armor was impossible to well, penetrate, so he blew him up from inside.


    *Crackling!!!*


    A liquid hit him from behind, followed by an excruciating pain. "Shit, I let my guard down after killing the Ruler." he said, looking back at the Artillery behind him.


    This was a name given to it after its mutation, as it could easily spit from a 100 meter distance and hit its opponent with a corrosive liquid unrivaled by sulfuric acid. Jaime slit his throat, the blood gushing out from the wound. After a minute of waiting, the zombies rushed towards him.


    But then, he was already dead.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­ Mr. Barrett, may I ask why you are sleeping in my class?¡± said a man with a gentle voice. Jaime opened his eyes and only stared in shock with wide eyes.


    He was in class, with everyone at his side. Even the old teacher was there. Maybe when he died just now, he finally ascended to heaven and appeared in here.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, professor. I pulled an all-nighter last night.¡± said Jamie with an apologetic look. The proffessor only shook his head in return and continued his lecture.


    ¡®This doesn¡¯t feel right, my body¡¯s so stiff.¡¯ he thought and looked down on his body. ¡®What the hell?! Where is my rightful super fit body?¡¯


    Jaime almost wanted to cry. He had gained his physique by training for 5 years, fighting and running every day in that accursed place. He then finally deduced it as he somehow jumped back in time. Jaime then checked his hair and saw that it was back to its normal brown color.


    The bell soon rang and the teacher left. The students started chatting between themselves and some started leaving the classroom.


    A boy with dirty-blonde haired kid with a thin, yet muscular build walked up to him and started a conversation. ¡°Jamie, dude, why did you even send that letter to her?¡± he asked, slamming his hand on the table.


    This was his best friend from high-school, which Jaime didn¡¯t have the pleasure of graduating from due to the virus. His name was Daniel Fowler and he was an amateur boxer.


    From his words, Jaime deduced this day as the Valentine¡¯s Day, the Day the Sky Fell, as they called it in the future.


    ¡°Who knows, maybe I was drunk.¡± he said with a smile.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    *Sigh*


    ¡°Now her boyfriend¡¯s gang is gonna murder you, you know?¡± asked Daniel with an apologetic tone. ¡°And I can¡¯t fight them off alone like I used to.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll manage.¡± said Jaime, thinking of the beating he and Daniel got ten years ago, in other words, today. He was left at death¡¯s door when the meteor rain started and turned Earth into Hell.


    ¡°Is Jaime Barrett here?!¡± asked a big guy while he came into the class.


    This was one of the school bullies, Simon. No one dared to lie and pointed at the two in the back, after all, he had a record of sending 20 students to the hospital.


    Simon came up and grabbed Daniel¡¯s hand and said while dragging him away ¡°You¡¯re coming with me.¡±


    Just when Daniel was about to punch in return, Jaime grabbed Simon¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m the one you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha, that¡¯s the best joke I¡¯ve ever heard, there¡¯s no way a no name like you can confess to her.¡± said Simon while laughing. Then he abruptly stopped laughing ¡°Ok, we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    Jaime chopped the back of his neck.


    ¡°The hell?!¡± shouted Simon as he slammed his fist in Jaime¡¯s chest, sending him back a few steps ¡°Are you asking for a beating?¡±


    If Jaime was back in his old body, he would have killed him with that chop earlier, but the current Jaime was too weak.


    Simon then approached him and grabbed him by the collar, but a painful scream rung out through the classroom.


    ¡°Guaaaah!!!¡± The screaming one was Simon, with a pen stabbed into his eye, which had conveniently stopped right before his brain.


    ¡°Murderer!¡±


    ¡°Killer!¡±


    ¡°Madman!¡± and such words were fired Jaime¡¯s way while he looked down at the now kneeling on the ground Simon. He then left the classroom, going past Simon. Daniel helplessly followed.


    Jaime was already used to gore, as he had to kill for a living before, some non-infected occasionally. This had numbed his sense of guilt and sharpened his ferociousness.


    ¡°Dude, what the hell? You¡¯re so going to the prison now!!!¡± shouted Daniel at him in the bathroom.


    ¡°They won¡¯t come in time anyways.¡± said Jaime indifferently, while washing his bloody hands.


    ¡°Sorry for saying this, you¡¯re crazy.¡± said Daniel as he slammed the bathroom door, leaving the room.


    Jaime then looked through the window and saw a few shooting stars and clenched his fist. ¡°I won¡¯t lose anyone again!!!¡± he shouted.


    They contained the strain of the virus, titled Zombex, by the survivors.


    The world government deemed the meteorites harmless and left them to their devices because of their slow speed even after coming into the atmosphere. Not even a day had passed when they found out that it was the Death himself, walking slowly at its prey, Earth.


    Many people wished to the stars, in hope of their wishes being granted. They were, in a twisted sense. Some could now kill those they hated, some could save their dream girls and date them; and some didn¡¯t have a curfew anymore.


    The meteors landed on Earth at 6 o¡¯clock and the virus was airborne, thus, it infected everyone in a short time, except the ones on the Northern and Southern poles.


    Once infected by Zombex, the people would lose consciousness for approximately 10 hours and some would turn into mindless undead while the ones with not-so-severe symptoms will get mutations.


    These include some X-man-like powers like invisibility, telekinesis, bone claws. But some would get deformed and become some kind of beasts themselves. Soon, people started developing minor resistance to the virus.


    It would be wise to mention that everyone not in the poles was infected. The percent chance of it changing them after the first exposure was 70%, while the second time would be 100%. Once one gets infected by the airborne virus, they¡¯ll not get infected by waterborne viruses either.


    The only way to come in contact with it is to be bitten by the zombies, who inject a syringe from their teeth, much like the opposite of what vampires do.


    Jaime glanced at his wristwatch and noticed it was already 3.


    ¡°Gotta go and collect some food.¡± he said and left the bathroom.


    He then thought back to the time of the meteor fall. He was in his dorm with his roommates when it happened. Thanks to being on the top bunk of the bed, the zombies didn¡¯t notice him when they changed and left the room.


    This meant that the zombies woke up a little before the normal ones and had an upper hand. One who suffered from this was one of his roommates, Mike. He was in the bunk below him and wasn¡¯t as lucky.


    The room had 6 people in it and Daniel was one of them. But the ones who didn¡¯t change were Mike, Daniel and him. Daniel wasn¡¯t in the room at the time, and was taking a crap in the toilet.


    Jaime was outside 2-B (10<sup>th</sup> grade in some countries), the other class in the same grade as his. This was Mike and Carmen¡¯s class. The latter had survived and lived with Jaime for a while, before she was killed by an Abnormal.


    Mike and Carmine were cousins, and they had the same hair color, brown. Their eyes were different, however. Mike had brown while Carmine had blue.


    He motioned for them to come, which didn¡¯t really take a lot of time, considering they were close friends.


    Jaime had somehow brought Daniel back and started a talk in the tight-knit group of 4.


    ¡°Ok, here¡¯s the thing. You know I disappeared during the summer for 3 months?¡± he asked, the others nodded. ¡°I was sent to a secret lab in China with father and my father tested ¡®an antidote¡¯ on me, which they said will protect me from the virus that is coming to Earth soon.¡±


    ¡°Dude, did you become a chunibyou or something?¡± asked Mike with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking.¡± said Jaime while glaring at him, which lasted a while, making him believe his words. ¡°So, here¡¯s the deal. Those meteors contain the virus, which will be spread through the air.¡±


    ¡°Ok, you¡¯re just crazy now, I thought you wanted to tell me something important.¡± said Daniel as he turned his back at him. Anyone who hasn¡¯t seen it themselves wouldn¡¯t believe such a tale anyways.


    ¡°Wait, Daniel. Jaime is telling the truth.¡± said Carmen.


    ¡°Why do you think that?¡± said Daniel, turning his head towards her.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him act like this, nor did I ever see him ¡®issue a meeting¡¯.¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t you think so too, Mike?


    ¡°Sis has a point.¡± said Mike, who was glared into believing Jaime¡¯s words before.


    ¡°Fine, if it¡¯s not too ridiculous, I¡¯ll go along with it.¡± said Daniel as he came back ¡°Anyways, he won¡¯t stab Simon¡¯s eye for a mere beating.¡±


    ¡°In short, some¡¯ll get mutated and get minor superpowers while the others will become zombies.¡±


    ¡°You lost me there.¡± said Carmen with a sigh.


    Jaime had learned much after only a few people were left in the world, plundering many libraries. One of them was using chakra or qi, as some call it. It wasn¡¯t something flashy, but one could possibly do micro telekinesis or warm things up a few degrees using it.


    He then asked ¡°Daniel, give me a match.¡±


    ¡°A fight?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°I mean the one that lights your cigarettes, idiot!¡± shouted Jaime.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± said Daniel, turning his eyes away.


    ¡°The world is going to end and you¡¯re being stingy?¡± asked Jaime with an irritated expression.


    ¡°Fine.¡± he said, throwing a box of matches from his pocket.


    Jaime grabbed one from the bunch and held it in with his index and thumb fingers.


    ¡°Burn!¡± said Jaime as the top lit.


    ¡°The hell, dude?¡± shouted Mike, who had a calm expression prior to his trick.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do much because I¡¯ll use up the virus inside me and lose the power, including my resistance. Once the meteor lands, it will grow even stronger.¡± said Jaime. Everything he told them was a well-made lie.


    He in fact, only used a little chakra to warm up the top and that did the job. There was a reason for choosing a match instead of wood.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m listening.¡± said Daniel, to which Mike and Carmen nodded to.

 #002 - Robbery

    ¡°The thing is, the meteor will land on Earth at about 6 o¡¯clock, so we have to stock up on food and find a nigh-impenetrable shelter.¡± said Jaime, looking at the 3 before them while walking out of the school building.


    ¡°So does this mean we¡¯ll hide it out.¡± asked Carmen while tying her hair in a ponytail.


    ¡°No, but we can sleep peacefully.¡± said Jaime with a blank look.


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice idea, but how do you know we won¡¯t turn into zombies and kill the others?¡± asked Mike with an innocent tone, while looking at him.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, why would you choose us to go with you?¡± asked Daniel skeptically.


    ¡°Is there anyone else that¡¯ll believe and follow me? Stop joking around, by the way, I can sense that you have pseudo-immunity to Zombex.¡± the first part was true, but the second one was a lie. He just knew from experience.


    As expected, the boyfriend gang was waiting for them to arrive. There were 4 famous bully kids from school, who were in their senior year. Also, there was his crush, or is it former? Then there was her boyfriend, who had glasses and brown hair.


    She was beautiful, but once one looked inside, they would try their best not to vomit and will finally give in no matter what. That was how evil she was. How the previous Jaime didn¡¯t notice this, only god knows.


    ¡°He¡¯s here, let¡¯s get this over with.¡± said a blonde-haired muscular boy wearing a bandana as he walked at Jaime.


    ¡°It¡¯s already quarter to four, I don¡¯t want to waste precious time on scum like you.¡± said Jaime as he walked towards him, grabbing a broomstick from the ground, which the cleaner left behind.


    ¡°Huh, you want to fight me with a broom? Get real, nerd!¡± he shouted and aimed a punch to his abdomen.


    Although his body hadn¡¯t adapted to fast movement, and he couldn¡¯t use his danger perception as well, a normal human was nothing for him. What would you expect from someone who fought mutants and zombies every single day?


    Jaime sidestepped and thrust the top at his solar plexus, followed by an uppercut to the chin. Although one would have flown up if he were to fight with his future body, this one wasn¡¯t as strong and only managed to make his opponent fall.


    ¡°Beat him up, boys.¡± said the one with glasses as he waved his hand. He was Jaime¡¯s crush¡¯s boyfriend, Paul.


    The bullies couldn¡¯t bully him because his father was a mafia boss and his mother was the CEO of a big corporation, meaning he had a lot of backings.


    A boy with a Mohawk approached him, and so did a boy wearing a leather jacket, another boy with a hat. They were all pretty muscular and could easily beat a grown man if they had the chance to fight.


    The one with the leather jacket grabbed a knife from his belt and licked it. Another one was holding a baseball bat and the other one had brass knuckles.


    The one with brass knuckles threw a jab aimed at Jaime¡¯s nose, but he ducked under it and thrust the broom from below him at his chin, making him lose his balance. By then, the one with the knife was at his back, which Jaime promptly dealt by thrusting his solar plexus with the end of the broom.


    He then slammed his broom at the head of the one who initiated the fight.


    Then he swung it on his hand, making him let go of the knife. Jaime grabbed it and got out of the bat¡¯s reach. When the one holding it moved in to hit Jaime, he stabbed it into his abdomen, which was quite hard considering that he wasn¡¯t really strong and his opponent had a rock hard six pack.


    Jaime then pulled it out and stabbed at his opponent¡¯s liver from the back, and then he tripped him, which sent him away.


    The one who held the knife suddenly grabbed his foot and shouted for the other one to punch him to death.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve let you go if you hadn¡¯t done that.¡± said Jaime as he stabbed his hand to the ground and slammed his head into the ground until the one with brass knuckles interrupted him.


    Just when it was about to hit his face, Daniel jabbed his temple, making him lose consciousness.


    ¡°Thanks for the support.¡± said Jaime with a smile, and turned to look at the ringleaders. By then, Jaime¡¯s smile had contorted to a grin which could scare away the devil himself. And who were those two compared to the devil, they ran with their tail between their legs.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Paul then shouted some clich¨¦ line ¡°Watch your back when walking alone!¡±


    ¡°So, let¡¯s go, shall we?¡± asked Jaime, looking at the others. Then he noticed that they were shaken up.


    ¡°Are you still the Jaime I know?¡± asked Daniel with wide eyes. ¡°The one I know wouldn¡¯t be able to beat them up so easily and he certainly wouldn¡¯t be so ruthless.¡±


    Jaime facepalmed. This wasn¡¯t the era he was used to and it wasn¡¯t okay to murder people. He remembered it too late. He even stabbed someone¡¯s eye in the class and fatally injured three students, and maybe disabled one.


    ¡°Let¡¯s run before the police arrive.¡± said Jaime as he started running, expecting the others to follow him. Although shaken, they still believed the zombie outbreak speech of his because of the magic trick he showed them.


    He felt strange when he said those words. Not because the ¡®let¡¯s run¡¯ part. It was the word ¡®police¡¯ that made him feel strange. In the early stages, he believed that the police and SDF would save them, but it soon shattered as he saw countless helicopters crash.


    Even though there was one place like a city, there was no law and certainly no ally of justice there. At all times, unless he pissed off some big mafia boss, he wouldn¡¯t have a care in the world. There were absolutely no consequences back then, or will be from his point of view now.


    The rest of the trip was silent, and they arrived at a shop at half past four.


    The police were probably on their tail, now that Jaime stabbed a pen into Simon¡¯s eyes, as suggested by the sirens. He picked a small shop in an isolated alley.


    There was no name and the word ¡®Mini-market¡¯ was written on a panel at the top of the door. It was in a basement of a building and it couldn¡¯t be opened from the outside if locked by a good lock.


    Although it gave good defenses, Jaime wouldn¡¯t risk being caught in a death trap, so he decided to look elsewhere.


    ¡°You guys wait outside for a bit.¡± said Jaime while motioning for them to stay.


    ¡°But I want to buy stuff too.¡± pouted Carmen. ¡°And you don¡¯t have much money anyways.¡±


    ¡°I have enough, and stay means STAY.¡± he put an emphasis on the last word when talking with her.


    Jaime then pulled open the door, throwing a final look at them. He then went in, and saw that it wasn¡¯t much of a shop, but it would suffice.


    There were stuff lined up on shelves sticking out from the wall, and they all had a price bar under them. The shop was worked by an elderly man in his late seventies.


    When Jaime said that he had money, he lied.


    ¡°Haah, I don¡¯t really like it, but the situation calls.¡± said Jaime and sighed, throwing a ferocious look at the old man.


    ¡­


    Fifteen minutes had passed since Jaime went in, and there was no sign of him coming out.


    Daniel was the first to get impatient ¡°Jeez, he kept saying we don¡¯t have much time and stuff, and he disappears?¡± he questioned while sitting on a bench, together with the other two.


    ¡°He¡¯s probably looking to strike deal with the owner. We need as much food as we can, after all.¡± said Mike with a smart look.


    The door slammed open.


    ¡°Hey you two, come help me!¡± shouted Jaime as he struggled to lift 4 full plastic bags and one bag.


    ¡°Where did you get so much money?¡± asked Daniel with a skeptical look, wondering how he bought so much.


    ¡°Shut up and take this.¡± said he, motioning Mike to get 2 of them. Daniel and Mike were fitter than him, so they didn¡¯t have a trouble lifting 2.


    ¡°Wait a sec, I¡¯ll get more. And no peeking.¡± said Jaime as he walked into the shop.


    Curious, Carmen looked through the small window and saw a face looking right at her.


    ¡°Boo!¡±


    ¡°Waah!¡± The one looking at her was none other than Jaime, who knew that this would happen. She then backed off, seeing the old man was all well.


    ¡°He then brought out two more and 2 backpacks, giving one to Carmen. This one was light so she didn¡¯t have a problem. He carried one and his backpack was probably full. He had one on his back and the other was given to Daniel.


    Jaime looked through the parking lot nearest to the shop and started clicking on the unlock button on the key of a car, which was taken from the shop owner.


    A small green car¡¯s light flashed and Jaime motioned for them to follow him to the car.


    When near, he opened the baggage and threw in the plastic bags inside. It was then that the contents of one plastic bag spilled. ¡°Snickers and Twix, what the hell, dude?¡± shouted Daniel.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the luxury of normal food, they have more calorie and will sustain us longer with smaller a doze. That¡¯s why sweets are important.¡± said Jaime and opened another bag, showing a bag full of water bottles. ¡°This one is in case the water goes out.¡±


    Last time, Jaime didn¡¯t have the luxury of testing tape water, as he sneaked into shops for waters while living in the sewers. A tough life, as it sounds. If one were to break a window, then the nearby zombies would be alarmed and would be extremely hard to live there in peace. But luckily, he soon moved to a mall¡¯s top floor, which he sealed off all the exits and entrances with sofas.


    Then he opened another plastic bag, which was the heaviest. It contained canned food. ¡°These won¡¯t go bad, and we have to use time to our advantage, so I brought two backpacks worth of bread and ham and stuff.¡± he said, revealing normal food in his backpack and the one in Daniel¡¯s.


    Then they got into the car.


    ¡°Dude, do you have a driving license?¡± asked Mike.


    ¡°Nope, but who cares.¡± said Jaime ¡°Does anyone have a spare garage or something?¡± he joked.


    ¡°Actually, I have.¡± said Mike, raising his hand.


    ¡°How did you?!¡± shouted Carmen.


    ¡°You know Uncle Tom, when he passed away, his will said that I should get the garage and work it, as I like mechanics.¡± said Mike, with a smile.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve guessed, you were Tom¡¯s favorite, after all.¡± said Carmen with a sigh.


    ¡°Is it far?¡± asked Jaime.


    ¡°Nope, it¡¯s only a 5 minute drive from here.¡± said Mike.


    Jaime then looked at the clock, it was 5.


    ¡°We¡¯ll move in 30 minutes.¡± he said.


    All the while the owner of the car couldn''t move a muscle, and was stuck in the little shop he worked, which was nearly empty.

 #003 - Outbreak

    40 minutes passed in a flash as they talked about all the good memories, and Mike questioned Jaime ¡°Are you sure that the zombie apocalypse will happen?¡±


    ¡°No doubt about that, but we¡¯ll live it through and kill every single one.¡± said Jaime as they all laughed.


    Then the FM started announcing ¡°A murderer of 3 is now on the run, I ask that you lock all your doors and windows, and contact the local authorities if you see a teenager with brown hair and green eyes. He is currently wearing the uniform of Hillside High and ¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems I¡¯m in trouble.¡± said Jaime as he tuned the radio to music. ¡°Not like they can inforce the law if more than half of them turn into mindless zombies, they¡¯d be too busy fighting each other.¡± Then he turned the key, reading the electrical screen on top of the radio, he saw that the petrol was almost full.


    He then gave a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go then. Mike, navigate.¡± said Jaime as he put his hand on the wheels and rid through the short sidewalk. Although he learned to drive, how would he know the law about driving and stuff.


    They sped through a red light, which happened to have a traffic cop in the middle. He was seen mumbling something into his talk-back.


    Jaime and the bunch arrived at the green garage without much traffic and saw that it was big. It had 2 floors and the bottom was a garage, while the top was most likely a room for shop employees.


    ¡°Mike, open the door, we are being tailed.¡± urged Jaime as he unlocked the doors.


    Mike then ran up to the door at the side and took out his house keys. He kept his house key with the garage key, as he thought that he would need it in the future. In fact, Mike actually needed it now.


    The door opened without much creaking and Mike clicked the upper button of the device that opens and closes the door for cars.


    Jaime quickly drove in, and he closed the gate. He then continued by locking the small door too.


    ¡°So, this is our home from now on.¡± said Daniel as he looked through the spacious garage.


    The walls were green and there were some things needed for fixing a car, then there was a small white car, resembling the one they drove in just now. Daniel and Jaime weren¡¯t really knowledgeable about cars, except the typical ones like Lexus and Lamborghini.


    Mike on the other hand, was an addict. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s uncle¡¯s Toyota Prius C, also called Aqua. It¡¯s petrol-saving is top notch and it could probably go for 400 km with a full bank. Too bad it went to waste in this garage for so long, but I think Jaime will give it the attention it needs.¡± said Mike, looking at Jaime with starry eyes, creeping him out.


    After a while of sirens going out non-stop, a loud voice could be heard. Jaime looked at his wristwatch and said ¡°Right on time, its 59.¡±


    The voice demanded that they come out and pay the fee for breaking the law, or that they would be arrested.


    ¡°Fuck you!!!¡± shouted Daniel. ¡°I always wanted to say that to a teacher, but a cop would suffice.¡± he said.


    ¡°This is our last warning, come out in 10 seconds. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 ¡­¡± the voice went quiet.


    Then Carmen fell to the ground, followed by Daniel, Mike and finally Jaime.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ugh¡­ It¡¯s worse than I remember.¡± said Jaime as he opened his eyes, he then sat there doing nothing in particular, waiting for the migraine to go away. ¡°How did I even survive with this head-splitting pain?¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A grumble sounded from his left, and Carmen was waking up, holding her head as if she was in pain. ¡®I should bring some bandages and antibiotics later.¡¯ thought Jaime as he saw the pained expression she was making in the dark.


    ¡°Are you fine?¡± asked Jaime.


    ¡°If you mean alive, yes; if you mean not in pain, no.¡± she said barely opening her eyes to look at him.


    Jaime looked at his wristwatch and saw that it was still early in the morning, 4:34 to be exact.


    ¡°Thought as much, want to go look through the window and see the world burning?¡± asked Jaime with a sarcastic voice.


    ¡°After this fricking headache goes away.¡± she said with an irritated tone.


    Then soon, Mike woke up. From the bunch, Jaime didn¡¯t know only his power. Daniel had some kind of Danger Perception ability, which developed in a month or so.


    As for Carmen, he had met her in his past life around 1 month after the initial outbreak, so she had somehow learned about her powers. Hers was Clairvoyance, which could let her see what was happening a few meters from her, even if there was a wall between her and that place.


    It didn¡¯t mean she would randomly bump into buildings, but she could activate it of her own accord.


    As for Jaime, he had super-agility, but his metabolism quickened together with it. He had to eat for 3 grown men in his past life.


    After Carmen¡¯s migraine went away, meaning 20 minutes, Daniel woke up. Mike was getting a little better by that time.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting upstairs.¡± said Jaime as he dragged Carmen to the top floor. There were windows there so they could see what¡¯s going on outside, by the way, there were no windows on the first floor.


    ¡°Hey, I can walk on my own, okay?¡± she said, pulling her hand away.


    Jaime opened the door and was met by a waiting room. There were 2 sofas on each side of the narrow room and there was a window that gave the vision of the outside.


    There was a door to their left, when opened, revealed a toilet. Jaime then facepalmed. ¡°Fuck, I forgot about toilet paper.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy.¡± said Carmen with a wronged expression. ¡°But, if you hadn¡¯t brought us here, then we wouldn¡¯t be worrying about our lives.¡± she then said with a gentle smile.


    As the non-zombie ones started awakening, their screams could be heard. One even started hitting the garage door and asking someone to save them, from the noise.


    ¡°Oh, shit.¡± he said and quickly ran downstairs. Luckily, Daniel was still groggy. If he wasn¡¯t, the kind hearted boy would open the door and let all the zombies in. The light was turned off too, he wanted to avoid it because it would draw unnecessary attention.


    ¡°Daniel, if you open the door, I¡¯ll personally kill you.¡± Jaime warned him ¡°¡­ the same goes for you, Mike.¡±


    After seeing what he did to Simon, Daniel obeyed him. As for Mike, he saw him beat 4 delinquents by himself, so he decided to stay quiet too.


    ¡°Let me warn you again, don¡¯t open the door unless I tell you to.¡± said Jaime as he motioned for them to come up.


    Carmen was looking outside, eerily still. Jaime loudly walked towards the window, where she was, as to not scare her. When he looked outside, Jaime didn¡¯t notice anything unusual. The normal ¡®people running from zombies, some trying to fight and dying¡¯ stuff.


    When he looked at Carmen, Jaime noticed that she was unusually pale and her eyes were wide.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourself, you know?¡± asked Jaime, as she snapped from her nightmare-like trance.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s just crazy, they are ¡­ dying.¡± she started crying.


    Jaime then hugged her and let her use his chest as a pillow. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it soon.¡±


    The crying continued for a while, as the other two looked outside. Daniel was shaken and tried to rush downstairs, when he was hit in the abdomen by Jaime, he then said ¡°I said, the door doesn¡¯t open unless I tell you to.¡±


    ¡°Do you even have a heart?¡± asked Daniel, looking at him in horror.


    Jaime squatted down and his eyes were on the same level as the currently kneeling in pain Daniel ¡°In times like this, you should lock your heart and bring out your fangs.¡±


    He then sat up on the couch and Jaime saw a few tears rolling down his face.


    As for Mike, the reaction wasn¡¯t as bad. ¡°Oh, I wish I had a gun.¡± said Mike with an excited expression.


    ¡°Idiot, it draws too much attention.¡± said Jaime as he hit him on the top of the head. ¡°Swords are better.¡±


    ¡°Nope, if you put a silencer on it, it won¡¯t draw as much attention. And swords are for walking fossils.¡± said Mike while looking at him angrily.


    ¡°And guns are for toddlers.¡± said Jaime and they started an intense staring contest, Mike looking up at the boy 1 foot taller than him.


    It was then that Jaime remembered that anyone should panic, which Mike wasn¡¯t doing a good job at. ¡°Aren¡¯t you shaken up a bit?¡± asked Jaime with a curious gaze.


    Mike then looked at him in a matter of fact way ¡°You said that a zombie apocalypse was going to happen, what else was I supposed to expect?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, aren¡¯t you a little bothered by seeing countless people dying on the streets?¡± asked Jaime, a little surprised.


    ¡°Not really, I don¡¯t know them and I always wanted to live in a zombie apocalyptic world and then after dying, I want to live in a fantasy world.¡± said Mike, putting his finger on his chin.


    ¡°You¡¯re greedy, you know? And you don¡¯t even understand how dangerous it is, living in a zombie-infested world.¡± said Jaime with a sigh.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just commit suicide if I become the last human on earth.¡± said Mike innocently. Jaime sighed. Mike was too ignorant, or would the right word be ¡°psychotic¡±.

 #004 - Basement

    ¡°About time you stopped.¡± said Jaime as he looked at the calmer Daniel, who was still sitting on the sofa. Carmen, on the other hand, was sleeping. Jaime walked up to the window and looked at the mayhem below, then he smiled. It was so long since he saw this familiar sight.


    People running around and hiding, the zombies chasing them, the good old times. He then gave a long sigh, thinking of his past weak self. Jaime then facepalmed. He was in his old weak body right now.


    ¡°Jaime, is there a cure?¡± asked Daniel with a serious tone.


    ¡°None that I can think of.¡± said Jaime as he remembered that he thought of the same thing last time.


    ¡°Oh, then, the zombies can¡¯t be saved?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°There is a way, they can be saved.¡± said Jaime sarcastically.


    Daniel didn¡¯t seem to get it and asked ¡°If so, let¡¯s save everyone.¡±


    ¡°Well, then let¡¯s kill all the zombies and free them of their curse.¡± said Jaime while looking at a policewoman being devoured by one of her former comrades. They¡¯d soon be comrades again. ¡°So, are you up for it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, I can¡¯t bring myself to kill anyone.¡± said Daniel, then Carmen nodded, who just stood up.


    ¡°Me neither.¡± said Carmen.


    The previously silent Mike added ¡°I don¡¯t want to if I can avoid it.¡±


    Then Carmen said with an angry yet quiet voice, trying to not attract any attention towards the garage ¡°How can you even say that? What if your family was outside and they were in the same situation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d save them if I can, there¡¯s no way we¡¯re gonna risk our lives for strangers, right?¡± Mike turned his towards Jaime.


    ¡°Of course we can¡¯t afford that, but if it¡¯s a family member, we¡¯ll try to retrieve them.¡± said Jaime indifferently.


    ¡°How can you be so heartless!¡± shouted Daniel as he grabbed him by the colar.


    ¡°I¡¯d advise against that, without me, your demise is assured. Anyways, you can¡¯t kill me.¡± said Jaime with a mocking tone.


    Then Daniel released his grip and asked with a sad voice ¡°Are you really the Jaime I know?¡±


    ¡°Who knows.¡± he said while walking down the stairs.


    ¡°Hey, wait up.¡± said Mike as he ran after him.


    The two who were left sat in silence for a while before Carmen opened her mouth ¡°I want to thank Jaime for saving us, but, do you want to run away with me?¡±


    ¡°What about Mike?¡± asked Daniel, looking at her into the eye.


    ¡°He¡¯s just like Jaime, but I don¡¯t want to leave him with such a psycho. If only he¡¯d just run away with us two.¡± said Carmen with a sad voice. Then her eyes brightened as if she had an idea ¡°How about asking him?¡±


    ¡°No way, if we ask him unsure of his answer, he¡¯ll tell Jaime. And we don¡¯t want to upset someone like him.¡± said Daniel with a serious tone, as if his life would be decided by this conversation.


    ¡°I get the feeling he¡¯ll abandon us one day.¡± said Carmen with a frown, who didn¡¯t know that the only reason Jaime was being so unreasonable was to protect them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stick with him for a while and run when we get the chance.¡± said Daniel, to which Carmen agreed.


    Whereas, the other two were going through the first floor, looking at the various equipment and tools for fixing cars. There were all kinds of things, some strange like big nails and somehow, a toothbrush.


    Two red rugs were in the middle of the room, which of course, looked awkward in a mechanical shop. It was dirty, meaning it was here for years, if not decades. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± asked Jaime as he pointed at it.


    ¡°Well, uncle said there are scorch marks which wouldn¡¯t look good with customers over, so he covered it.¡± said Mike indifferently.


    Jaime looked at the ring that could be seen from under the carpet and said ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be the case.¡± while peeling the rug off the ground.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    There was a wooden basement door, with a metal ring to pull it open with. ¡°The hell, uncle hid it from me all these years?¡± said Mike in disbelief.


    Then Jamie pulled it open with much difficulty, considering his weak build. ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± he said while peeking into it. There was the strong smell of a closed space, meaning it wasn¡¯t opened in years.


    ¡°I¡¯m going in, you keep watch.¡± said Jaime as he climbed down the metal ladder that came out of the stone walls.


    It wasn¡¯t that long of a descent, as he reached the bottom 3 meters down. Jaime took out his phone and used the flashlight to illuminate the darkness.


    *Click!*


    A blue light fell on the wall in front of him, which was yellow in color. It looked awfully like one a house would have. Jaime looked around and noticed a switch to his right. Then he clicked it.


    *Click!*


    A bright yellow light covered the room and Jaime was blinded for a second.


    When his eyes adjusted to the light, Jaime looked around. It was a living room. The size was roughly 20 square meters and it looked cozy.


    There was a red sofa turned at a 32 inch TV on top of a wooden platform, a fridge in the back. Also, there was a pool table, a table football and there were various board games stacked up on top of each other in the corner.


    There was a dining table with 6 chairs. There was also a room next to the platform which the TV was standing on. Curious, Jaime opened it, which revealed a bedroom with 2 master beds. There was also a big wardrobe at the corner. Also, next to it was another door, which was locked.


    Jaime then found out that there wasn¡¯t much to explore, so he climbed up the ladder and got out. There, Mike was currently looking through the things they brought, which Carmen had joined. Daniel was probably lying up there.


    ¡°Sup, we have a home now.¡± said Jaime as he walked up to them.


    ¡°What?¡± asked Carmen, a little confused.


    ¡°There¡¯s a storm shelter in the basement.¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°Ugh, Uncle Tom, just why.¡± said Mike as he pressed his head.


    Then Carmen scolded him ¡°It¡¯s your fault for not coming here even once after he inherited it to you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I live in a dorm, okay?¡± said Mike with a wronged expression.


    ¡°Honestly, how can you two be so carefree, there are people dying outside.¡± said Daniel, who was standing near them now.


    Carmen had a sad expression, while Mike was as normal as he could be. Jaime sighed as he looked at them.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go down to the basement, shall we?¡± asked Mike with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stand watch outside, in case someone breaks in. You three go in, I already saw the insides.¡± said Jaime as he walked upstairs.


    Daniel and Carmen had a strange expression on their faces, but complied. Mike didn¡¯t even bother thinking about it and jumped in.


    Jaime looked through the window and saw a child being eaten after possibly coming to a police for help, which was already a zombie by the way. There was a person dressed in a black suit who had a short hair and the gender couldn¡¯t be known so easily. He/she was around 16, the same as them.


    The person was running from a few zombies and was quite fast. Jaime then saw that his/her speed could be needed in the future, but watched for a while.


    The person then grabbed a metal pole from the ground and slammed it into one¡¯s head, blowing the contents away. Then she used the momentum and blew out the brains out of another.


    ¡®Woah, is she a martial artist?¡¯ thought Jaime, a little surprised. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll help that person, she looks useful.¡¯


    He then quickly strode downstairs and opened the lock with the key that was still attached to it after grabbing a small axe.


    *Click!*


    He then swung the door open and shouted ¡°It¡¯s safe here!¡±


    The person then ran up to the door as fast as humanly possible and jumped inside. The door was closed after her arrival. How Jaime knew? Because a non-K-POP man would never look like this.


    She panted for a while before her breathing returned to normal and she looked up at Jaime ¡°Why did you help me?¡± Her voice had a tint of irritation.


    ¡°Because you looked useful, are you a martial artist?¡± asked Jaime with a smile.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you think I was infected?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Nope, there was no way that someone like you could afford to be bitten by these weaklings. Anyway, why don¡¯t you introduce yourself?¡±


    ¡°You can call me Emi, and weaklings?¡±


    ¡°Yep, they are only the harbingers of the apocalypse, you could say. They¡¯ll go through mutation and become far stronger and dangerous.¡± said Jaime while thinking of the past. In only a few years, every zombie became as strong as a bodybuilder. Some became even stronger, some faster, some smarter and some more sensitive.


    ¡°Then that means-¡° said Emi but was stopped halfway by Jaime.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a chance?¡± asked Jaime.


    Emi nodded.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we won¡¯t be mutated too.¡± said Jaime, shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡°How do you know so much?¡± she said, looking at him with skeptical eyes.


    ¡°Oh, my father is a genetic engineer who works in a secret lab in China. We actually predicted something like this would happen, so we were prepared. But who¡¯d think the government would destroy the lab and all our research with it after hearing our news. Thankfully, dad and I were in here when it happened.¡± said Jaime with a sad look and sighed.


    ¡°Oh, how convenient, finding a scientist living all alone by himself in a garage.¡± she said with a sarcastic tone.


    ¡°Well, it is convenient, but I¡¯m not alone. My friends are in the basement.¡± he said which tensed Emi up.


    ¡°If you mean you¡¯re a murderer or some mad scientist trying to test on me, think again, you won¡¯t beat me with such a weak body.¡± she said with an evil smirk.


    ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t like being misunderstood.¡± said Jaime as he sighed ¡°There¡¯s a storm shelter underground.¡±


    ¡°Stop your babbling, I know you¡¯re lying.¡± said Emi as she didn¡¯t even move one inch since taking her fighting pose. ¡°Why else would you help me?¡±


    ¡°I said before, you look useful. If you stay here, I¡¯m thinking of using you as a scout. That¡¯s better than living alone, right?¡± asked Jaime with a bored expression and walked upstairs.


    ¡°I¡¯d advise against going into the basement, my friends might think you killed me and proceeded to the shelter.¡± said Jaime, when Emi dropped her stance.


    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you scared that I might kill you when you¡¯re not looking!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Nope, since you won¡¯t kill me anyways. It¡¯s not like you can either.¡± he said fully disappeared from Emi¡¯s field of vision.

 #005 - Arsenal

    Emi soon followed her savior and saw that he was looking out a window. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± she asked curiously.


    ¡°Scouting for more like you.¡± said Jaime with indifference.


    ¡°I could¡¯ve sneaked up on you just now.¡± said Emi with a sigh, shaking her head.


    ¡°Oh, you wouldn¡¯t want to confront my friends with me dead.¡± said Jaime with a smile, which she didn¡¯t see. This was actually a bluff.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you not to bring my anxiety levels up.¡± she said, taking a seat. ¡°Anyways, I find it strange that you found a shelter in an hour.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I told you.¡± he said, looking at the stars. They were the only things that stayed the same after the meteor fall, including the sun by the way.


    The moon turned a little more yellowish in the later stages, so it wasn¡¯t exactly the same. The sky grew bluer by the year without pollution and the cities became ruins with age. The humans weren¡¯t safe from it either.


    Some turned to psychopaths like Jaime while the others became no more than beasts; this led to unnecessary brutality and soon the end of humanity. Funny, Jaime killed the only other human beside himself. It was a man, so reproduction was impossible. Anyways, the dude was getting arrogant and needed to get taught a lesson.


    Who knew that he¡¯d shoot a gun and alert the zombies?


    ¡°Oh, do tell, I¡¯ve seen worse.¡± said Emi with a smirk.


    ¡°Well then, here goes...¡±


    ¡­


    30 minutes later


    ¡°Hmm, interesting.¡± said Emi with a curious look while sitting on the sofa.


    What Jaime told wasn¡¯t the truth, but a well-made up lie. So it went like this in short:


    Our lab created something called ¡°Cronos Eye¡± during summer, which let us take a glance to the future, approximately 5 years from the time used. With this, we knew that the zombies would be on Earth this summer. When we told the government about it, they destroyed the lab without second thoughts and Jaime with his father, survived by being abroad at the time.


    Although they didn¡¯t know what would be the cause, they deduced it as no virus could spread so quickly, as contrary to popular beliefs. Unless it wasn¡¯t from Earth that is. They then figured out that a meteor or meteorite would be the most fitting one for bringing an unknown disease to earth.


    ¡°So that means, you saw mutants too?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not sure, but all we know is that it¡¯s possible for us to get superpowers like from the movies, but to a lesser degree as suggested by the vision.¡± said Jaime, now looking at her from the opposite sofa.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Footsteps could be heard from the floor below and as Jaime was looking out the window all the time, he knew it was his friends. ¡°Hello everyone, we have one more onboard now.¡± said Jaime with an overly cheerful tone.


    ¡°Wow, nice to meet you, bro.¡± said Daniel as he offered a handshake ¡°Let¡¯s get along.¡±


    Emi on the other hand almost wanted to crush his balls, but didn¡¯t want to make a move because of Jaime¡¯s warning about them being dangerous.


    ¡°Me too.¡± said Carmen while waving


    ¡°Me three.¡± said Mike as he hit away Daniel¡¯s hand ¡°It¡¯s nice to have another girl here, the other one¡¯s my cousin and I can¡¯t make a move on her.¡±


    Emi didn¡¯t know if she should be happy or angry at the statement. He just said that I¡¯ll make a move on you, but still found out about her gender effortlessly.


    She didn¡¯t know about her face growing redder by the second, but the others were all on the verge of laughing. Then Jaime blurted out in her defense ¡°Alright, I think you¡¯re calmer now, so let¡¯s discuss about something.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± asked Daniel while nocking his head.


    Jaime then thought ¡®The hell?! Is this Daniel, why did he become so calm now? Is it because I saved this Emi girl? Or did he simply go insane?¡¯


    Slightly unsettled by his calmness, Jaime then continued ¡°It¡¯s about mutation, as I explained before, the virus will affect everyone regardless of who it is. Then it will mutate us for the better or for the worse.¡±


    ¡°So that means it might be bad?¡± asked Emi.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we won¡¯t become what we want so it¡¯s kind of a bad thing, but not that bad. We can most likely fight off the zombies that way.¡± said Jaime.


    ¡°Does that mean we¡¯ll become ugly.¡± said Carmen with a scared expression.


    Jaime was currently mindblown. How did those two become so calm?


    ¡°My hands are itching.¡± said Mike with an excited expression as he licked a handgun.


    ¡°Mike, may I ask what that is?¡± asked Jaime with an irritated expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s a gun, duh.¡± he said.


    ¡°I mean, where you found it?¡± asked Jaime.


    ¡°In the basement behind the locked door, it seems uncle was a weapons dealer.¡± said Mike indifferently.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too fricking convenient, I can smell something fishy here!¡± shouted Jaime.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there were swords too.¡± said Carmen while patting his back.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± he shouted again.


    ¡°Mike, Daniel, stand guard. I want to see it for myself.¡± said Jaime as he walked downstairs. Emi and Carmen followed him.


    ¡­


    ¡°What the bloody hell?!¡± shouted Jaime as he looked at the giant room filled with guns and swords. If you sold this place for an auction, you might just get enough money to feed a town for a year.


    There were various guns, ranging from classic ones seen on movies to some new ones that Jaime wasn¡¯t familiar with. Then Emi proclaimed ¡°There is some nasty stuff here.¡±


    She was currently looking at a corner filled with torture tools, a grenade collection inside a glass container with the key in it next to them.


    ¡°I think that Mike¡¯s uncle wanted him to continue from where he left off.¡± said Jaime as he took a deep breath.


    He then grabbed a short sword, which could kill a zombie from a safe distance even with its shortness, then he took a small handgun, when checked, had 7 bullets in it. Emi then took a katana and an extending half hollow staff with her. The staff became small enough to fit into a pocket, while she wore the katana on her belt.


    ¡°Carmen, did you take anything?¡± asked Jaime as he turned to look at her.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s here.¡± she said, grabbing a handgun and a middle-sized knife in holsters on both her sides.


    ¡®At least they have logic and didn¡¯t take the big guns.¡¯ thought Jaime and looked at the gun in Carmen¡¯s hand. It had a silencer, which Mike¡¯s handgun had too. ¡®They wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it anyways.¡¯


    ¡°Well then, now that we have weapons, how about training?¡± If one didn¡¯t have proper training to fight away zombies, then they¡¯d ultimately become one of them.

 #006 - Training from Hell

    ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast.¡± said Mike as he looked at the sweets in front of him. Currently, they were sitting in the basement with everyone around the table.


    Mike, Daniel and Carmen were in the same side, with the other two in the other.


    ¡°So, we have weapons, when are we going out.¡± said Mike with a smirk.


    ¡°Idiot, it¡¯s not as simple as that. We have to train hard first.¡± said Jaime as he took a bite from a chocolate bar he was holding. ¡°If you can¡¯t even handle the recoil, you¡¯ll end up dying.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to train, unlike you.¡± said Emi from his side while sticking out her tongue


    ¡°No, you¡¯ll have to spar with me.¡± said Jaime as he took another bite.


    ¡°Jaime, are you insane? She¡¯s a martial artist.¡± said Daniel with a worried expression.


    ¡°You know fully well what I¡¯m capable of.¡± said Jaime with a bored voice.


    ¡°But you can¡¯t use your ruthless tactics on her!¡± shouted Carmen.


    ¡°That¡¯s not quite true. Do you think the zombies will go easy on you just because you¡¯re a woman? You¡¯re sorely mistaken, so just shut up and train as I say.¡± said Jaime while glaring at Carmen and Emi one at a time.


    Mike then broke the silence ¡°So, what¡¯s the training regimen?¡±


    ¡°150 push-ups, sit-ups and 1000 laps around the garage. Then Mike will use the training guns in the basement for practice, Emi and Daniel will take turns sparring with me, Carmen will then run another 1000.¡± said Jaime with a serious tone.


    ¡°We¡¯ll die if you make us do that.¡± said Carmen.


    ¡°You¡¯ll die either way if you don¡¯t train, so think of it as an investment for the future.¡± said Jaime.


    Thinking back, he didn¡¯t have such a luxury as training and only fought off zombies day and night, resulting in his fine physique. But it wasn¡¯t balanced, so he wanted to sharpen his friends and himself to the limit this time around.


    The rest of the breakfast was passed with talks of weapon tips by Jaime. Although he wasn¡¯t a weapons maniac, his practical knowledge was irreplaceable to newbies like his group.


    He was thinking of going out a week from now to stock up on food, so he had to train diligently. The bunch was already on the first floor and were preparing for their harshest training in their life in an hour from then.


    Jaime took the lead and started running. But after 20 minutes, he almost dropped to the ground. He had only run 150 laps around the small garage. ¡®This physique won¡¯t do.¡¯ he thought.


    Jaime then stopped and rested for a minute before continuing it. Daniel on the other hand, was fine for 400 laps and soon took a rest, while Jaime had taken 3 and Carmen had taken 5.


    Emi took her first on the 600<sup>th</sup> and the hellish running concluded in 5 hours, at 2 o¡¯clock in the afternoon.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s take a break for an hour before our second part of training.¡± said Jaime.


    ¡°So much for a big mouth like you.¡± said Emi with a smirk, who was red as a tomato. But the others weren¡¯t to judge, as they were far worse.


    ¡°I just had the idea, not that I did it before.¡±


    He then noticed that the screaming was almost none existent so he walked towards the second floor sloppily. Then he looked through the windows and saw that the zombies had vacated the district and so did the humans.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Hmm, I guess they are looking for food somewhere else.¡± said Jaime as he approached the others.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat some real food.¡± said Mike with a frown.


    ¡°We have to save it, idiot.¡± said Daniel as he hit him on the back of his head.


    ¡°No, Mike¡¯s right. We won¡¯t get muscle mass without it and the electricity will go out soon anyways.¡± said Jaime as he thought of the contents of the fridge. There was some meat in the freezer part and some canned food and salads.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, without eating well, we can¡¯t become stronger.¡± said Emi approvingly.


    ¡°I only brought them in case of emergency when we are trapped for long periods of time.¡± said Jaime ¡°There is a stove in the basement, so we¡¯ll drink boiled water for a while. We don¡¯t want our water supply to go dry, do we?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll cook.¡± said Carmen as she happily climbed down the ladder into the basement.


    ¡®Ugh, these idiots are too calm. Having weapons doesn¡¯t make you invincible; it just helps you a little bit. But this is a little better than the super depressed type.¡¯ thought Jaime as he sighed.


    Daniel said ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡± and rushed to the basement too.


    ¡°That guy was crying a few hours ago by the way.¡± said Mike while approaching Emi ¡°You don¡¯t like crybabies, right?¡±


    She just sighed before punching him in the abdomen. ¡°I might think of becoming your girlfriend if you beat me.¡± she said with a smirk and a sarcastic tone.


    ¡°Well, Jaime became an ultra-sadist so he¡¯ll make us monsters in a few months, so we are a guaranteed couple.¡± said Mike, giving her a thumb up.


    ¡°Just so you know, I trained for 10 years.¡± she said with an angry look.


    ¡°Woah, you look cuter when you¡¯re angry.¡± said Mike with a smile. Of course the natural reaction would be a blush. ¡°Now you look even cuter.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± she shouted and punched him away.


    ¡°You can beat him up all you want, he¡¯d be into that. But all I ask of you is to settle your family businesses quietly.¡± said Jaime after hearing her shout.


    Then Emi grew even more flustered and punched at Jaime.


    He easily sidestepped and sent a roundhouse kick to her head.


    Emi dodged at the last moment by ducking. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± she said, trying to suppress her voice as much as she could.


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯d advise you to not do that in my presence.¡± said Jaime.


    ¡­


    ¡°Wow, you made this from canned food?¡± asked Mike with a surprised tone.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m the one who makes all the stuff when you come over.¡± said Carmen with a big smile.


    ¡°I had no idea.¡± said Mike as he drooled while looking at the food before him. It was something that resembled the food you buy in restaurants. It was made with the canned beans, corns and some rice. Of course, the main character was the meat.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to finish all the things with expiration dates before eating the other ones, so we¡¯ll have to scavenge once a week.¡± said Jaime, breaking all the fun.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a zombie apocalypse going up there.¡± said Carmen with a sad voice.


    ¡°I¡¯d like you not to remind me of that, please.¡± said Daniel.


    ¡°Me too.¡± said Emi with a frown.


    ¡°It¡¯s reality, we can¡¯t run away from it for long. If we do, it¡¯ll come back to bite us.¡± said Jaime with an angry voice while slamming his hand on the table.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have to be so pessimistic, okay? Maybe it¡¯ll go away one day.¡± said Carmen with a sad voice.


    ¡®They actually are depressed, huh?¡¯ thought Jaime with a sad face, thinking of his past. He tried to join every resistance movement, but they just kept falling one after another.


    ¡°What¡¯s this doing here?¡± asked Jaime as he looked at a radio placed on the table, it was an old one.


    ¡°In case there is a distress call, we¡¯ll have to hear it.¡± said Mike while eating a spoonful of the food in front of him.


    ¡°They might win the battle, but not the war. We¡¯ll just have to survive the war, that¡¯s all.¡± said Jaime with a strict voice.


    ¡°But the merrier it is, the better, isn¡¯t it?¡± asked Daniel while taking a spoonful.


    ¡°No, it¡¯ll just make us bigger targets. By the way, we¡¯ll save only one more person any more than that, we can¡¯t handle, I¡¯m afraid.¡± said Jaime with his normal tone.


    ¡°That means we must conserve our free member spot for someone useful?¡± asked Emi.


    ¡°Yes, that would be the most logical choice.¡± answered Jaime.


    It took them 5 more minutes to finish off the plates before them, and the part 2 was about to start.


    The push-ups and sit-ups were done in pairs of 10, with minimum rest between them. As expected, Carmen was the first to drop out, after 5 sets. Mike and Jaime stopped at 7 while Daniel and Emi kept at it until 10.


    ¡°You¡¯re a maniac, you know that?¡± asked Daniel as he lied looking at the ceiling, his muscles refusing to move.


    Then Emi continued ¡°I thought my master was harsh.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not train, I¡¯ll be the cook? ¡°asked Carmen with a sigh.


    ¡°No, if you can¡¯t run away, then we might leave you.¡± said Jaime.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s for us, but don¡¯t you think this is too tyrannical?¡± asked Mike while looking at him in a strange way,


    ¡°Not really, or do you want the zombies to coach you?¡± asked Jaime while looking at them with an evil smile.


    ¡°No thanks.¡± they said almost semilationously.

 Hiatus,

    Sorry everyone, I just became too busy to continue writing my fictions and will be for a long time. So I guess this means I''m on Hiatus because I might come back after a while or maybe not.


    There are 3 main reasons:Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    1)Exams, exams and many more exams.


    2)I''m in high school and have to study real hard unless I want to become some homeless writer.


    3)My little sister (1 year old) is coming back from her grandparents'' house and I have to look after her.


    And again,I hope you understand.


    Goodbye, maybe forever.