37 Chapter 37
PQ's freshly forged weapon gleamed with glory and might as it struck the metallic object sticking out the beast's back, transmitting unfettered vibrations back to his arms.
The headless creature's half lifted forearms arrived at a full stop as the impact delved the metallic shard deeper into its body. Split open in half, yellowish-green intestines and bile pigments poured out the open rupture while it remained in a standing position on all four.
Twitching uncontrollably, it collapsed.
The chrome yellow glow in its haunting eyes faded away along with the chilling wisps of the night breeze. Unable to control his momentum due to the hefty staff in his grasp, PQ fell atop the corpse of the severed monster, cushioned by its elastic skin.
Heaving a heavy breath of relief, PQ allowed himself to relax. The texture of the monster pressing against his skin felt surprisingly humanlike, eliciting a nostalgic yet unsettling sentiment. He was beginning to forget the original identity of these creatures, and it wasn't a good sign.
Every blood-thirsty and flesh-eating zombie or humanoid monster roaming the land was non-other than humans like him. This disturbing revelation kept PQ in check, ingrained deeply into his mind.
His contemplative gaze landed on the cloudless and starry sky above. Constellations of pulsing stars adorned the dark sky, accompanying the impeccable dual moons dappled high above.
He wondered which of those stars above was Planet Earth. Was it amongst the brightest ones up there right beside the moons? Or was it the isolated loner hiding at the edge of his vision? He was eager to know more about what happened to Earth, and why he has reincarnated onto this Planet, Terra. Did he have a purpose; a reason; a mission?
But for now, it didn't really matter. Those flicking stars were just the reflection of light, planets million and millions of lightyears away. Whether Earth was alive or dead, his present life on Terra mattered more, and moreover, he was too weak to seek answers. Maybe his journey would eventually lead him to more clues, starting from the mysterious obelisk that was summoned from outer space.
After all that pondering, the angular staff he had concocted in a hurry was returning to its original state. Placing the metal slab on the corpse underneath him, PQ pushed himself upright and rolled down.
"Holy fuck! You're alright!" Providing support to a limping soldier, Raphael gasped in exhilaration and threw his free arm into the air as he shouted aloud to celebrate PQ's victory.
Teresa leaped out from the wreckages, charcoal dust as dark as her black eyeshadow coating her face. "Now that's my idol! PQ superiority!" She beamed in joy, racing towards PQ and tackling his fatigued body onto the floor. Dragged by his rampant golden retriever, Charlie stumbled and loosened his grip on Chloe's leash.
Chloe halted beside the dead beast. After seconds of contemplation, she lifted up her hind legs and urinated on the corpse, asserting her dominance.
Recovering from Teresa's enthusiasm, PQ clasped his face and laughed triumphantly. "I actually killed this thing! An average college kid accomplished this fuckery!" Tickling Teresa to shoo her away, he pinched his cheeks to verify reality.
Still defending against incoming waves of zombies who were attracted by the ruckus, no soldier bothered to join in their celebration. Though having no extravagant reactions to PQ's victory, it was obvious that their morale has visibly risen, instilling confidence in them as they fended off the zombies in succession.
Centring the road and seeking coverage behind dilapidated vehicles, platoons of soldiers had recollected themselves and were repelling the pervasive swarms of zombies sprinting out from the shadowy depths of buildings. However, PQ acknowledged that this trend was not going to last for long. Unless they were prepared to take on an exponential increase in zombies, they would have to retreat and regroup with the rest of the convoy.
The imprudent parade of military vehicles up ahead was in absolute disarray. Although this region of the convoy has barely weathered the storm, the adjacent convoy section struggled to handle similar headless creatures like the ones PQ had just slain.
"PQ, don't you find this whole situation irrational?" Teresa plopped down beside PQ, poking at the thick, chipped skin of the lifeless creature.
"Irrational?" PQ furrowed his brow.
Billowing smoke emitted from flaming vehicles, overcasting the air above them. In the distance, the cloudless sky above the rear and front convoys travelling along the road to the city center was tinged with grey, ashy smoke particles.
Pointing towards the swelling trails of smog marking a distinct route, Teresa created a drawing motion with her fingers. "Why are these assaults so simultaneous? When our convoy halted, it must have been due to an attack in the front." Pausing to ponder, she whispered softly. "And then right after, we received this monster's attack. They struck section by section."
"So what you're saying is that this, this whole thing, is a coordinated attack? But how?" Walking his dog over, Charlie interposed. "These monsters are as brainless as a rock, basically driven purely by hunger and bloodlust."
Being the only one who acknowledges the existence of Planet Earth, PQ began to wonder how his original home fell.
That realistic dream before he woke up— 8 billion humans floating in that sea of aqua blue together. No matter how powerful zombies become, the lack of intelligence will impede their progress in devouring all of humanity. Animals such as tigers or bears are physically superior to mankind, yet mankind prevails due to critical and cognitive thinking skills.
What if zombies aren't the ones who caused Earth's downfall, but rather, the human beings walking amongst them.
As human history unfolds itself, again and again, the species best at destroying humans, are humans themselves.
"Brute force alone can't catch an entire fleet of soldiers off guard." Murmuring hesitantly, PQ recalled the uncanny, void pair of eyes observing him through the industrial building.
"Teresa, are you suggesting the presence of an intellectual being? A commander?" Passing the injured soldier to a combat medic, Raphael probed as he stroked his scruffy beard. He sat crossed-legged on the ground beside Teresa, scanning his surroundings warily for eavesdroppers.
Completing her assertion of dominance on the corpse of the monster, Chloe trotted towards Teresa and coiled in her lap. "If I were to categorize these monsters as feral animals, I'd imagine the existence of a leader, like an alpha male in a wolf pack." Teresa ran her fingers through Chloe's silky fur as the rising flame nearby crackled.
"You're most likely. But judging from the complexity of these zombies…" PQ said furtively, crossing his fingers together. "I doubt these things have developed social intelligence."
He was not like the others present. Though having no memories of the apocalypse that destroyed Earth, innate instincts often kicked in arbitrarily.
"So what are you implying?"
"Inherently, I'm suggesting human interference. A human mastermind." Sorting through his thoughts, PQ dropped a bomb with this statement.
This sentence brought about brooding frowns and discomfort. In the background, the intervals between gunfire grew shorter and shorter with each passing minute as the never-ending swarm of zombies increased in number.
Taking out a pen and an intact map of the city they salvaged from the travelling agency, Raphael scribbled down a few lines and mumbled in fixation. "This is bizarre… I never considered this option, but it applies too well to this sequence of attacks. Out of so many routes we could have taken, this specific one was boobytrapped."
"Someone must have insider information for this assault to succeed!" A little slower than the others, Charlie finally understood the grave situation.
Gazing at the direction of the leading convoys, Teresa suggested calmly. "Maybe his main target was this highly valued V.I.P. We were just unfortunately dragged into this mess."
PQ envisioned a cloaked figure standing atop skyscrapers, gandering down at them as if they were ants.
The scenery around him altered. Smashed computers, damaged shelves and crumbled magazines littered the floor.
He was now back at the travel agency where they were searching for the coordinates of the obelisk, alongside Glen and Maggie.
"But be careful who you trust. Remember, the devil was once an angel."
A poetic yet enigmatic message left by Glen orbited overhead, enmeshing PQ.
A devil was once an angel. Did he hint at the existence of a human traitor? A man who is using zombies against his own kind?
Questions entangled PQ's minds. Troubled, PQ immersed himself in a moment of silence, trying to get a hold of the gravity of the situation.
But soon, a raspy voice called out to PQ, ending his dilemma in advance. "Young man! Thank you for saving my soldiers!"
The insignia on the collar of the approaching military officer gleamed under the waning flames, symbolizing his ranking.
"Sergeant? Master Sergeant? Sorry no, Sergeant first class?" Under-equipped with knowledge regarding military rankings, PQ struggled to properly address the elderly man in front of him.
"Don't be too formal. Just call me Mr. Grigor. With your spectacular abilities, you'll eventually be granted a higher position than me." Offering PQ a firm handshake, Grigor spoke sincerely. For a healthy man who seemed to be in his early sixties, his demeanor retained streaks of youth and vigor.
Grigor shouted out a command with his powerful, raspy voice, leading to a change in formation as the encircling soldiers became more compact. After stabilizing their defence, he directed his attention back at PQ. "As you can see, our ammunition is depleting at a rapid rate. We need to break through the horde as soon as possible, or else my entire company will collapse."
"Mr. Grigor, please hold the defense for a while longer. I need some more time to rejuvenate." PQ agreed to the request with a condition.
"Two minutes. That's it." Tapping his wrist, Sergeant Grigor approved and quickly returned to the front line to assist his men.
Lounging against the elastic body of the creature, PQ forced his eyes closed as he calmed his nervous breathing.
'A breakthrough…' PQ thought inwardly. 'A cold shower and a nice bed would be great.'
His shirt was drenched with sweat, sticking uncomfortably to his body. Exhausted and filthy, PQ missed his home sweet home.
"Pst!"
Amidst the clamorous cacophony of bullets and gunpowder, PQ's keen ears picked up on a particular noise.
"Pst! Over here!"
Turning to the source of the squeaky voice, PQ's eyes landed on a small arm waving at him. Around the dark corner where a 'Construction In Progress' sign was erected, a little girl in braids called out to him, ushering him to follow her.
"A little girl in the middle of nowhere? Creepy as hell…" Shivering, PQ still chose to jog over, worried for her safety. "Hey… hey there, it's really dangerous out here. What are you doing here—"
"I'm here to save you, PQ! There's a safe route in this direction." The little girl interjected with an innocent tone. Despite her young age, her composure displayed maturity.
"Wait, who—"
"Just gather your friends and follow me! I promise that it's not dangerous." Cutting off PQ's sentence, the little girl ushered again.
"I appreciate your help but where… who are you?" Though surprised, a little girl's words weren't going to persuade him easily. He had no intention of following someone he has never seen before, even if she was just a child.
"You're PJ's older brother, right? The chubby, introverted one with no friends and no artistic or athletic talent?" Commentating on all of PQ's past insecurities in an indifferent tone, the little girl dragged his booming confidence to all-time lows.
PQ's jaw dropped as the list of insults shredded his pride into pieces. "No, no I'm not. I— you can't say that to me!" Stuttering, PQ's first reaction was to deny her unfortunately accurate statements.
"But PJ said that it's the truth?" The little girl tilted her head in confusion. "He also told me that you are a phone addict and never had a girl…"
"I get it I get it. Stop…"
Weeping in shamefulness, PQ threw away his concern for the savage little girl.
"That's not very nice ya know? How'd you even survive until now? And who the hell are you?"
Clicking her tongue, the little girl rolled her eyes. "PJ was right, you really never come out from your room." She twirled her cute braids nonchalantly as she began to introduce herself.
"I'm your neighbour, Mary. If you haven't heard of me, I'm pretty sure that PJ has at least mentioned my brothers, Jason and John."
