Something Important

An Initiate is the initial realm of a cultivator who successfully activated or used the special energy created by the breathing technique.

It has three ranks in total, rank 1 - beginner, users who are just beginning to delve into cultivating and using the special energy.

Rank 2 - elite, people who has adequate knowledge on how to use and control the special energy.

And lastly, rank 3 - advance, the group of people on the brink of being able to use the energy to cover and protect their whole body.

The next realms would be Novice, Adept, and Master with three ranks each having the same ranks as beginner, elite, and advance.

Alex believes he's already near rank 2, and quite far away from rank 3.

As for rank 3, he'll claim he reached it once he can cover a melee weapon with his energy - just to make sure he's not overestimating himself.

"Now that I've taken a break, its time to continue."

Alex stretched and continued his experiments with his special energy.

After several minutes, he heard a noise outside his door.

A low scratching and moaning sound.

Alex tensed up and grabbed the wooden bat leaning on the table.

He glanced at the laptop monitor and saw someone backing off the parking lot with two hands in the air showing him the middle fingers.

On the second floor hallway, a battered zombie who can't even raise its hands continued to grind its face on his front door.

"Is this a prank? What the heck did I do to you?"

Alex groaned as he stood up and went to the door. He covered his limbs with a blanket of protective energy and made quick work of the zombie.

He glanced around, looking for the offender but they disappeared already.

"People are becoming unpredictable these days. I need to be more vigilant."

He waited around a minute to see if something will drop from the zombie but he returned inside disappointed.

The zombies dust slowly mixed with the sparse rotten blood as the remaining dry particles were blown off by the wind.

"Maybe, it's a prank. They sent me a disabled zombie after all."

Alex decided to ignore the incident and focus on the positive news.

"My energy is becoming better. The energy density increased by 5% and is now much easier to use."

Alex sat back down on his special place, the same spot on the living room floor in front of the TV.

"I need to more data to further separate ranks and realms from each other, and get a better picture."

He continued with his research and experiments, hoping to find the solution and breakthrough he's been waiting.

The sun slowly set and the stars came out to play.

Immersed in his own world, Alex remembered something very important.

His parents wanted to come pick him up on the night of the apocalypse.

And with all the encounters and new knowledge presented in front of him, he forgot about their promised visit and it was shoved to the back of his mind.

Alex hastily picked his phone and dialed a number.

His been calling the number a lot and it never answered except from the first day.

Ring, ring...

"Damn it! How could I forget such a thing!"

On that night, he did some loot runs and a couple of fights.

He didn't even get a wink of sleep because of his neighbor causing him to sleep most of the daylight the next day.

The phone just rang and no one answered.

Alex knew for sure that something happened by now.

His parents must have encountered trouble for them to not even be able to send out a message.

"I can't just keep idling here. What's the point of being alive if I'm alone. I need to find them, and a friend."

The first other person he thought about is his childhood friend.

One who even got him a job recommendation when he casually mentioned job hunting has been tough on the market.

He'll need to give him a call to just to check if he's even alive.

"If my parents are in trouble, I need to work fast. But what should I do? I don't even know where to start."

Alex took a deep breath to calm down.

"Let's take a step back and think. Dad will surely drive around with mom instead of walking. With traffic jams, they can't get too far out of the city center but it should be enough to give them a headstart. Also, people would want to leave populated areas and they're not the only ones who will have that idea."

"Most probably, they had to abandon the car around the congested highways and walk on foot or find another ride. The biggest question is what route they took and which route was open and blocked."

"Assuming they're all blocked... assuming just some of them are blocked... There's two many options!"

Alex navigated a mental map image he created on his head of the city.

He thought of one last option.

"In that case, I'll need to meet them halfway. There's only one highway that leads here from the city center so that's a huge time saver."

With a new goal instead of idling around, Alex prepared for his adventure.

All the plans and caution he had before suddenly went out the drain.

He didn't even regret it because the emptiness inside him would have made him crazy if he ignored the issue.

He was born and raised in a loving and caring family, so not knowing and not doing anything would be a far graver torture for his mind.

Besides, he's not totally clueless on things and he has a bit of experience in fighting now.

But even if he had none, he would still have risked it.

Alex grabbed his survival pack and removed a set of clothes and replaced it with his laptop, a charger and a plug-in connection.

Now his bag only has a bottled water, a piece of bread, a flashlight, a set of cloth, and the box of ammunition.

On his left hand is the revolver and on his right is the wooden bat.

For him to be able to escape and travel longer, he had to pack light.

"I'll just get supplies and stuff I need along the way."

Alex left the apartment with a grim expression on his face.

His parents are still his main concern, and finding them is his priority.

If they're okay and his help's not needed, then his trip wouldn't be in vain because it would give him peace of mind. They can just go back and continue to survive together.

The first order of business is to reach the highway.

And for that, he'll need to traverse a neighborhood and cross an intersection.

"I'm not sure how long my energy can last, so I'll use it sparingly."

The moon illuminated the path as Alex quietly walked on the dimly lit streets.

The night is always quiet, and a little peaceful.

The usual hustle and bustle of the day is replaced by the soft chirping of the insects.

But Alex knew a horde can come anytime and anywhere.

He'll have to be ready.

"Here's the intersection. The road looks clear, but I need to be careful."

Alex slowly approached the corner and looked for any signs of danger.

The intersection is located near a supermarket which is not a good sign.

Alex had seen too many times where supermarkets become hotspots and spawn zones.

But with the lack of light and his low field of vision, Alex couldn't really tell the state of the building.

Alex is confident in his physical ability and fighting prowess.

He had survived 3 fights, 1 of which is against two.

But he's not invincible and the undead are unpredictable.

Even the weakest zombie can pose a threat if given the right conditions.

Alex looked both ways and found nothing.

He decided to take the right and continue on the road.

He doesn't want to go around the building and waste energy and time.

Alex walked past the supermarket with heightened hearing and smell. He was relieved that he couldn't smell any odor but he tensed up when he heard clanging sounds inside it.

"So there are zombies inside. Good thing I don't need to go inside."

After 3 minutes of walking, Alex finally arrived at the other side of the intersection.

A couple of houses and shops greeted him, and the street he's in was empty and dark.

Alex looked back at the intersection and noticed how eerie and creepy it is at night.

While glancing around, he noticed something on the street lamp.

At first, Alex nonchalantly glanced at the item before slowly becoming interested.

"Can I take advantage of that?"

On top of the street lamp is a CCTV camera.