Cleaning up and creating a safe haven

Chapter 14

A bloody figure is currently standing in front of the main gate of the building. Several glaring wounds could be seen beneath his tattered clothing. The figure is panting heavily as his hand trembles barely able to hold on to his weapons.

One could see that even his arms are filled with long a deep gash that is bleeding profusely.

On the ground, is a trail of mangled flesh and headless corpses littered and mixed with the pungent odor of rotten flesh.

But the figure seems to have not minded the stench as his eyes look vacant.

Suddenly, worm-like veins began moving from his body as it repairs the wounds and closes them on their own.

The blood that was seeping out was forcefully sucked in.

Then suddenly…

Clang! Clang!

Two metallic objects seem to have waked the figure up from his dazed state.

"Ugh… What… what happened to me?" Marc Lee muttered as he blinks his eyes.

When his vision cleared he showed a horrified expression.

This is because he is now looking at the front gate of the apartment building.

But then he slowly calms down when he noticed that there are no moving figures or sounds coming from outside or inside.

Then he quickly decided to lock the opened gate.

Creak!!

The high pitch deafening sound of the metal gate echoed in the empty streets.

But Marc did not have time to think about anything and just quickly closes the gate.

He even pulls down the lock below it.

After doing that he quickly moved to the side of the cement wall to observe his surroundings.

However, as soon as his back leaning on the wall a horrifying scene appears in front of his eyes.

He did not know how many zombies are currently lying dead on the ground, but he could count more than 30 of them.

But the gory scene made Marc Lee's stomach churn.

"Did… did I do this?" he muttered after he wipes his mouth.

No matter how many times he would see such a scene it would always give him nightmares. Plus the horrible stench would always make him want to puke.

Holding on in disgust, Marc Lee decided to start working on the corpses.

He was able to gather around 30 zombie crystals and then walk to where he threw his backpack before fighting the zombies.

After gathering his stuff, he walked back to the basement through the underground parking.

He remembers the fight that just happened when he thought that there are only a few zombies in the parking space. Before he knew it, he was already swarmed by the zombies and got bitten.

Luckily for him, those zombies who bit him would suddenly turn crazy after 2 minutes. He has clearly noticed this and decided to let those he could not handle take a bite of his left arm.

Though it hurts like hell, he is still able to endure it.

The claws of the zombies are the things that he dreaded the most as they would easily penetrate through his body making him suffer too much.

But for some reason, the pain would not last long and would soon be changed into a warm current flowing through his body.

Even the bites of the zombie on his arms would be very painful at first but later, it would become a warm current.

Marc knew that the warm current he is feeling are the virus invading his body. But for some reason, these viruses are making him grow stronger.

"I should wash up first before returning to the flat…"

He then walked to the first-floor apartments and began checking the first room.

As he turns the knob, he was able to open it.

What he saw was a dusty but well-decorated room.

As he enters he could hear no sound at all, so he began checking the place.

He quickly checked the water and smiled when he could see the faucet running.

"Let's take a bath from here…" he said as he began to strip naked.

After bathing, he walk to the rooms and began searching for some clothes. When he passes by a mirror, he suddenly stopped… then he backtracked.

What he saw in front of him is a very handsome young man. His skin is as smooth as that of a newborn child, and his body is filled with well-proportioned muscles. The muscles did not make him look bulky but instead sexy.

"Damn… is this me?" he muttered in disbelief.

He suddenly showed a faint smile but was stunned when he saw his teeth.

…

Meanwhile, Mint Wayne was elated when she knew that the water is now running. She did not hesitate to quickly fill the bathtub of each flat on the 4th floor with water.

She began cleaning the house of Marc as she feels a bit happy.

Suddenly, she looks in the mirror and saw a skinny young woman. She suddenly feels a bit awkward about herself and her self-esteem has taken a hard hit.

She might not be the most beautiful woman before the outbreak of the zombie happened, but she is confident in her own beauty.

Then suddenly, her bad memory surfaced and it made her bite her lips.

"I should not spend my time crying for that guy… He is not worth it. Maybe he died in the arms of that woman…" she said with a self-mocking tone.

She is alive right now and she felt a bit lucky to be able to meet a responsible person who is helping her without asking anything.

In fact, she feels a bit weird because the guy seems to put value in his words. It was like, it is already enough for him to feel that she is there and that's it.

As a woman, Mint wanted to talk, to share… but how could she do that with a wooden block of a guy.

But one thing she could not deny.

It is that fact that the man is actually very handsome.

Each day she looks at him, she could not help but admire his face. It was like every day, he would wake up into a new person.

Upon thinking to this point, she suddenly shakes her head as she did not want to appear like an easy girl in front of him.

Suddenly, her train of thought was interrupted when she heard some noise coming from the door outside. She suddenly became alert and quickly hides behind the door.

When she heard and saw the doorknob twisting she heaves a sigh of relief.

She quickly walks towards the sofa and sits calmly.

"The water is now running… and I filled the bathtubs…" she said with a smile.

"That's great… I would not want to go through the same process and be swarmed with zombies…" he suddenly said as he put down his backpack.

"Were you hurt?" she suddenly asked in concern.

"No… I'm fine…" he said as he walk and sit behind the kitchen table.

"You really can cook…" he exclaimed upon seeing the delicious dishes.

Marc began to wolf down his portion of the food and Mint just watch him in admiration.

She suddenly subconsciously observes his facial structure, his straight nose, his long eyelashes, and his straight lips.

She could not help but follow him and open her mouth as he puts food in his mouth.

Feeling a bit weird about the reaction of the woman before him, Marc pretended that he did not notice her action. But his face unconsciously blushes upon noticing her gaze on him.

He awkwardly finishes his meal and then walks to the bed.

"I will start cleaning up the flats of the building tomorrow… I will make sure that this area would be zombie-free…" Marc said before he closes his eyes.

Soon Marc's consciousness is already floating in the dream world and began his calm rest.

…

At this time, at the edge of the city, tall walls made of steel could be seen separating two spaces. One is the zombie-infested city, while the other is a militarized survivor base.

One could see a few buildings with lights inside of them… and on top of the walls stood armed soldiers guarding.

On the ground are rows of tents where people wearing tattered clothing lives.

These people are considered as those that belong to the impoverished community of the camp. They are those that became slaves, servants, and cannon fodders.

This place is called the slums… and the general population of the camp belongs to these people.

But aside from the military and the normal people, there are others living in the camp. They are called the Mavericks.

The mavericks are different from normal people who are considered weak and frail by the mavericks. A maverick has a unique ability that is bordering fantasy and reality.

They have the power to wield the elements, have great strength, a speed that breaks common sense, psychokinesis, etc.

Mavericks are divided into different levels and ranks.

Ranks range from F to S, and the levels correspond to the intensity and duration of their power.

For example, an F-rank 1st level is weaker than F-rank 2nd level by the value of a minute.

A maverick's power is not constant. At most one can hold his ability for 10 to 20 minutes... but more than that time limit one's body would begin to crumble and faint. Worst case scenario one would turn into a mutated zombie.

For this reason, mavericks are considered the ultimate weapon against zombies.

Before, they are actually called super-powered humans… which made them appear like superheroes in the comic books.

In one of the tents in the slums, a middle-aged man is currently writing in his journal while looking at the sleeping figure at the side of the bed.

After finishing what he is writing, he carefully walks to her side and then lowered his head and gave her a warm kiss on her forehead.

"I hope that in the next life… I can be a better husband to you…" he said as he put the journal at her side and then stand up to leave the tent.

He walks through the maze of tents and soon arrives near the wall of steel.

Suddenly, his stomach began to ache and he grabbed it with a pained expression.

He lowered his head and gasped.

When he lifted his head his eyes are now slowly turning red.

Hyukk… Hyukk...

The man grits his teeth as veins of both green and red began to appear on his body.

"Nooo!!!" he growled as he suddenly looks at the top of the wall.

Pushing his whole body to the ground, his legs began to bulge as muscles covered with green and red veins made his leg muscles become bigger.

Pom!!!

Kicking the ground with full force, the man was able to send his now growing body in the air and land outside of the wall.

When he landed, he tripped several land mines planted by the military in the area. The explosion sent the man's body flying in the air. But the mutation in his body has already finished.

Upon landing, he was able to balance himself and took a few steps forward stabilizing his stand.

Roar!!!

The man has turned into a brute.

The explosion alarmed the whole camp and several armed men have already climbed up the observation deck of the walls.

"Did someone from those maverick guys turned into a brute again?" asked an officer.

"Yes sir… We have our suspicion about the last time the team went out. But his group leader stopped us from catching him… Now he has turned into a brute… This is not going to be good sir…" a soldier reported.

"Hmm… I know… This is going to be another problem… Well, since it was their fault let them hunt down that brute and kill it before it could cause considerable damage…" the officer commanded as he and the group behind him walks down the observation deck.

That night, a group of mavericks was tasked to hunt the brute that escaped in the middle of the city.