2.38

[Warning: Gore]

Turns out it wasn't too long before I got my answer.

"Fuel tanks leaking," Victoria shouted up to Noah.

"Looks like you get to go shopping Hannah," Noah teased climbing back inside and pointing to somewhere on the map, "take us here and we'll slip through the park."

He seemed unphased as if he had predicted everything. His confidence both had me in awe and annoyed me. If he predicted this, why was I here and not safe and sound in the damn truck? 

I couldn't help but glare at both him and Will, who had likely been too anxious to part with me, especially now knowing I was carrying his niece.

Victoria took a sharp right then the car rolled up to the large, fancy fenced-in park. The fence was quite tall, half stone, half metal.

As we got out of the jeep, I pulled the safety off the gun and focused on the radar showing me where the virus was concentrated, making their nuclei appear like little glowing targets in a video game.

I didn't wait for instructions and fired at a fast-looking zombie with a strong-looking nucleus, I noticed as the zombie fell to the ground the glowing target faded. "Does killing them this way destroy the nuclei?"

"Yeah, makes them almost worthless, don't bother with them." System replied.

I sighed with each bullet I fired, unhappy I was wasting so many good sources of power each time I pulled the trigger.

"Hannah climb up," Will tapped my shoulder and pointed at the makeshift ladder he'd turned the fence into. I nodded, firing one more bullet, and ran quickly up over the wall, jumping down the other side. Will then quickly followed, making the metal twist back to its original shape as he jumped down to join us.

Seconds later I heard the loud bang of the car exploding on the other side of the wall, scorching the air and letting out an echoing sound through the otherwise quiet town. Crows scattered into the distance cawing loudly.

I looked around the heavily wooded area asking, "now what?"

Noah had us run through the woods as quietly as possible towards an area that had a low concentration of the virus when I looked with my radar. Was this blind luck?

Either way, we were easily able to deal with any dead drawn to us. We finally stopped just beside a mall on the outskirts of the town. Taking shelter in the carpark we finally stopped running.

At the sudden stop, my leg muscles cramped, and I could only groan and sit on the cold, hard concrete in pain. Noah instantly squatted beside me and started massaging my legs.

"Fuck, thanks," I winced as he stretched both legs. Finally, the pain dissipated and my legs felt warm again.

"We have time to get some supplies, what you all after?" he asked, reloading his gun.

"Maternity clothes," I answered, "everything is too small or too big now."

"We could do with some drinks and snacks as well for the walk to the farm," Victoria suggested.

"Okay, we're all capable, let's split up and meet up at the loading docks, maybe can find a vehicle if we're lucky," Noah suggested.

Liking the idea of getting away from everyone for a bit I nodded and skipped ahead through the main entrance, looking for sources of the virus on the radar and heading toward the strongest source.

I found myself standing outside of an employee staff room of a restaurant, the smell of death and decaying food was stifling.

When I tried to open the door I realised it had been barricaded on the other side. Lending strength from the System, I tried again and managed to knock the stacked-up furniture on the other side, wedging a gap just big enough to slip through.

On the other side everywhere was caked in blood. What were once human beings were now strung up like streamers. In the doorway of the room's toilet stood a green zombie, clothes torn and filthy, yet skin pristine. Nails twisted and lengthened like claws, teeth sharp like a wolf, eyes glowing and able to see.

I gulped, "System I can handle that can't I?" I asked, my hands twisting nervously on my sword hilts, wondering if I should reach for the gun instead.

"Don't you dare ruin this precious bundle of energy," System scolded me for wanting the easy way out.

I let out a heavy sigh and continued slipping through the gap and drawing my swords, making a defensive stance. I need not worry about bites or scratches as my immunity to the virus had grown with the fever, alongside Systems ability to boost my immune system I was able to handle large doses, unlike normal people.

However, I had to watch for my abdomen, and make sure she doesn't get hurt.

If only I could get a shield for my stomach, then I'd feel more secure about this.

The zombie finally made their move, snarling they lunged forward feigning a right, damn, it could think, just like an animal trying to trick its prey.

I twisted, my left sword slicing their arm, my right sword slicing a leg. They fell to the ground behind me with a heavy thud. Quickly I spun around and pined it by the chest, stepping on its only arm. My other sword hesitated above its head, as I focused on where the nucleus was.

When confident I sliced down, opening its skull to spill its contents. Still unable to do it with a straight face, I heaved as I used the sword to push the nucleus onto the ground for me to pour whiskey over. I pulled it out of thin air and uncapped the screw with one hand. I almost took a swig for liquid courage until System screamed "Baby," like an alarm.

Fuck I couldn't even get drunk anytime soon, this world really was no fun.

"Swallow that straight away, and I'll strengthen the radar," System ordered. I hesitated to hold it and doused it in more alcohol, then again with water. I still tasted the slight whiskey as it melted on my tongue, spreading around my system quickly in giving a euphoric rush.

Sensing different energies around me I felt like someone had just taken off a blindfold. Not only the nucleus, but I could sense souls, dead and alive. This place was seriously haunted.

"Well, what do you expect with so many traumatic deaths?" System tutted. "So many souls the planet is gonna hog to itself."

It disturbed me how System talked about living people like they were squabbling over children's trading cards in the playground.

It took me a short while to adjust to this new way of seeing, I felt like I'd used an android smartphone my entire life and now someone was forcing me to use apple instead.

"Right, now we're all buzzed up, let's go shopping."