Chapter 38: Mencenary?
Early in the morning, after breakfast, we gathered our supplies and headed towards the village using two pickup trucks and one motorcycle. Me and Steff took charge of driving the trucks, while Shana rode the motorcycle to scout the area ahead.
We took Christopher and Andy this time, to join our expedition. Arriving at the village, we realized it was situated near several other villages, and it appeared that the military hadn't reached this area yet. As it is near the mountains, having thick forest covering the area.
"This should be easy," Amy remarked confidently.
"Don't let your guard down," Steff warned, reminding them to remain cautious.
"With two inexperienced zombie killers in our group, we need to be extra careful," I cautioned them, highlighting the need for caution. Shana is still isn't used in killing zombies, that goes same to Andy, for Christopher, it seems like he has the experience.
Some zombies noticed our's presence and started heading towards us. They were horde of zombies coming towards us, around 300 of them, to our luck, most of the zombies are just walking. While dozens of them are rushing we used this chance not to waste any bullets.
"Remember your practice. If possible, don't use guns, use your bows and crossbows aim for their heads, don't waste any bullets" I reminded them.
The zombies approached, and Andy, Shana, and Christopher they started fighting them. Armed with their axes, they sliced off the zombies' heads with precise strikes.
While Andy was occupied with a zombie in front of him, another zombie sneaked up from behind, grabbing his shoulders. However, Amy swiftly shot the approaching zombie with her bow.
Amy, who was on top of the pick-up truck, said, "Be careful," Amy warned, emphasizing the importance of staying focused.
"Never let your guard down. Once you've been bitten, it's all over," I emphasized, stressing the gravity of the situation.
Lily, Nana and Steff used their crossbows and bows on top of the trucks, while I watch them doing nothing but to instructed them what to do.
Half an hour passed and we defeated the zombies, and we took a break to recover. After 10 minutes we began to scavenge for supplies.
"Okay, that should be enough. Let's start looting," I declared, leading the way.
I are divided into three groups:
Christopher and Andy,
Shana and Lily,
Nana and Steff, I'll go by myself.
Amy took the lookout position, keeping an eye out for any approaching danger.
After an hour of scavenging for supplies and killing zombies that get in their way, we had gathered a substantial amount of supplies from the houses, but they had found only one weapon—a well-made Burnett crossbow.
As we continued our expedition, we came across a small school located between the two villages. We decided to make it our final target for looting after exploring the other nearby houses.
Unfortunately, the other houses provided no significant findings in terms of resources or food. We did, however, stumble upon a few dead zombies, which raised our suspicions that there might be surviving humans in the village.
Drawing from our training, which included how to deal with human enemies, we moved more quietly and swiftly as we approached the village hall.
Amy positioned herself on higher ground, ready to snipe if necessary, while the rest of the group scattered and readied their guns.
We gave Christopher a gun, a pistol to he exact, he seems trustworthy enough for us, and if ever he betray us, we can immediately contact Jenny to kill his wife.
In the main story, I took on the role of bait and approached the door of the village hall.
As I walked closer, guns appeared in the windows, aimed at me.
"Hands up!" a random voice commanded.
"Now, now, I'm not your enemy. I want to make a deal with you guys," I replied calmly.
"What deal? We don't even know who you are!" the voice responded skeptically.
"We have food," I revealed, pulling out the plastic bag of canned food we had looted from the houses.
"Okay, what do you want?" the voice inquired, showing interest.
"I want all of you to join me. I have plenty of food," I proposed.
"..." He thinks for a moment, "Alright, I guess we'll have to trust you," the voice agreed, indicating a willingness to negotiate.
With cautious steps, the door opened, revealing a thin man who aimed his gun at me. I continue to raised my hands in surrender.
The man slowly approached me, eyeing the plastic bag filled with food. As he took the bag, his face lit up.
"Guys! There's food!" he exclaimed, calling out to the others inside the town hall.
Twenty more people emerged, looking thin and malnourished. Among them were twenty adults and five children.
"That's not enough. How about I bring more from the truck?" I suggested, eager to gain their trust.
"Sure, sure," the man agreed, his skepticism turning into gratitude.
I walked back to the vehicles and retrieved more food. The group eagerly devoured the nourishment, expressing their gratitude and joy.
"Thank you," they expressed their appreciation.
"Thank you very much," they repeated, tears of relief and happiness flowing freely.
They spoke to me with fondness, treating me like a hero. Minutes later, exhaustion caught up with them, and they gradually fell asleep, finding solace and safety in their newfound refuge.
As the villagers awoke, they found themselves tightly bound inside the village hall, uncertainty and fear permeating the air.
"What is the meaning of this!? Why have you restrained us like animals?" one villager demanded.
"Mama, I'm scared," a young voice quivered in distress.
"We thought we were on the same side!" another villager protested.
I let out a sigh, disappointment etched across my face, giving away none of my emotions.
The man who had spoken to me earlier couldn't help but chuckle darkly. "HAHAHAHA, just as I suspected! What a pitiful sight to be with," he said laughing
Locking eyes with me, he sneered, "Human kindness sure is dangerous!"
"Enough games!" I replied, my tone cold and composed. "I'm not here for amusement. You'll know what you are into, trusting me in the very first time we met? That's fcking ridiculous!"
The man's expression changed as he began to grasp the gravity of their predicament. "Alright, kid! I surrender. Spare the villagers, and you can do whatever you want with me," he pleaded.
"Oh, how magnanimous of you to offer yourself in exchange for them. But can one man truly be worth more than an entire village?" I retorted, my gaze unyielding.
The man tried to play his trump card. "That's more like it! Of course, I wouldn't say that if I wasn't worth the whole village. I'm an old leader of mercenaries. I can turn an ordinary person into a soldier in a month," the mercenary boasted confidently.
I remained skeptical, not easily swayed by empty boasts. "A thin man claiming to be a mercenary? Then can I also say that I'm an old mercenary?"
The man's smile widened, revealing his hands freed from the ropes as he stands up. "You're quite sharp, kid. I anticipated your precautions. I know the danger of trusting humans too much, which is why I took steps to protect myself"
My comrades immediately aimed their guns at the man, but he raised my hand to signal them to stand down.
"I know that trusting someone just after they met is dangerous, but I couldn't help it, my people are hungry, I couldn't do anything in my power that's why I risk and trust you, Am I wrong with my guts trusting you?" He said
I smiled and look at him, "Very well, But know this: I'm not here to play hero. With your confidence, there might be a risk of betrayal I can't risk our lives for this." I paused for a moment
Then continued, "How about this? We'll make a deal: You'll work for me, and in return, I'll provide anything you need—food, weapons, and a safe base," I proposed.
"In exchange, I will demand your loyalty and bravery. When I say loyalty, if I tell you to kill your friend, you'll do it. When I say bravery, if I tell you to sacrifice yourself, you'll do it," I laid out the terms.
"Heh, to think that a kid can become like this. But those demands are so good to true, and those are all in my favor what are you planning?"
"You sure know your stuff noh? don't expect this deal to be equal, you care about these people too much, so to avoid betrayals women and kids will be separated from the men"
The man turns around and look at the people in the village, he sighed, " Okay, deal" the man agreed, recognizing my strength and determination.
And so, the deal was made. With the man's experience as an old mercenary, we were able to steal cars without keys and quickly gathered five more vehicles. We set off, leaving the village behind, heading back to our base.
Upon arriving at our destination, which was not the mansion but the farm, I informed them, "You'll be staying here for tonight, don't even think about doing something stupid, you'll know what will happened if you do" I said glaring at them, they fliched, anger they want to kill me, but the so claimed to be mercenary stoped them.