RECRUITING HARLEY

[Temporary base. Motorsport shop]

As soon as we reached our temporary base, the system notification appeared once again...

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Unknown variables detected...

Objectives:

1) Kill Joker before he kills Harley- Completed

2) Recruit Harley- Incomplete

Reward: Pending... Rewards will be added after completing the second part of the quest

[System Notice: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Joker died. This is the System's fault for generating a glitched quest. The reward for this mission shall be adjusted accordingly...]

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I raised my eyebrows at the last bit. Unforeseen circumstance? Well, it's good to know that I won't have to deal with a crazy lunatic anymore. And I might get more rewards out of it thanks to the glitched quest. Well, as for this clown girl, what could go wrong with her on the team?

Right?

Harley walked around the motor shop, jumping, touching stuff, and asking a lot of questions, all while Lisa prepared dinner.

"So, you brought back a clown," Tyger commented as she turned her attention toward us. She adjusted her plastered leg with a groan. "Where did you find her?"

"Burning zombies near the highway. She took down an entire hoard alone with a flamethrower, Molotov, and a handgun," I answered with a shrug.

"What!? Just one girl with a flamethrower?!" Tyger's eyes widened, staring at Harley who was devouring the cup noodles and sandwiches Lisa made.

"Yep! She is strong," I nodded.

"You aren't thinking of recruiting her, are you?" Tyger asked, frowning slightly.

"Why not? She seems useful," I replied, raising my eyebrows.

"She looks... How do I put it? Weird?" Tyger sighed. "There is something off about her. I can't explain it."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But she is still a potential ally. Besides, she is strong. And I think it's time to call for another meeting. There are certain things you all should know about me and the current situation of our world."

"About you and the world?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah. I think we are at a point where I have to come clean about certain things. I got some good news and some not-so-good, but it's better to know. Trust me, it'll help us all."

"Alright, let Jace's team come back and we can start," She agreed.

"Thanks," I smiled gratefully.

.

I walked to Harley. She was sitting on a makeshift bench, enjoying her meal. She waved at me and grinned. "Hey there, cutie! Wanna join lil ol' me and eat?"

"Cutie?!" I couldn't help but chuckle. I dragged a stool and sat beside her. "So, what's next? Got a plan in mind?"

"Plan?" She tilted her head.

"Yeah, like what are you planning to do after eating?"

"Hmmm... Dunno yet. Everything looks so grim and weird. Not in a funny way," Harley replied, taking another bite of her sandwich.

"Well, this world is fucked up and dying. You'll get used to it with time."

"It's not funny, but it is... But it isn't..." Harley spoke with a confused expression. "I mean, there's no TV, music, or movies, or Mr. J or Batsy or anyone. No one to play with... I'm free, but it's... Weird..." She shrugged and continued to eat. "How do you live without some fun and games? Then, what about night? As fun as it was to kill those zombies, isn't it dangerous at night? When you sleep, what if one of those creeps crawls up to your bed, and then when you open your eyes, BAM! You're dead from either shock or getting your throat bitten. That's not funny and scary!" Harley shuddered, hugging herself.

"Don't worry, we sleep in turns and keep watch. As for fun and games, we play cards and zombie shooting," I tried to reassure her.

"Ah! Cards! I love games!" Harley exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"But shooting zombies ain't as fun as setting them on fire, though," I chuckled.

"Oh yeah! It was fun. Do ya think they will respawn tomorrow?" Harley asked.

"Respawn?"

"Yeah, respawn like in a game?" Harley frowned.

"Hahaha... This isn't a game, Harley. They don't respawn. People or animals die and become zombies. Some crawl out of the graveyard, some from the morgue and hospital, and others from inside houses and buildings. They are dead and the only way to stop them is to destroy the brain or burn them," I explained to her.

Harley looked at me, tilting her head with a thoughtful expression.

"Then there are zombie variants. We mark them under three categories. First the regular ones, then mutant zombies, and lastly, super zombies. Regular zombies move slowly and attack with their teeth and nails, but mutant zombies are faster and stronger and also have mutated powers like claws, acidic saliva, and sometimes ranged attacks like spitting poison. Super zombies are the evolved variants of mutant zombies. They are fast, strong, and smart and have powerful abilities. The worst part is these super ones can think like humans..." I explained.

If she were to survive she needed to know more about the enemies and the world.

So, over the next hour, I explained everything to her from the beginning, the virus outbreak, the mutation, and evolution, and other important details. By the time I finished, Harley was gaping at me, her eyes wide and face pale.

"Uummm... Is there a way to go back home?" Harley said with an awkward grin.

"Home? You mean your reality?" I asked.

"Yeah!" She nodded.

"Honestly, I don't know. And those who know are all dead or zombified. So, if you want to get out of this apocalypse you either need to search for a dimensional transfer machine, which I doubt would be functional at this point. The other choice, you gotta accept this world as your new home and survive as long as possible," I sighed, shaking my head.

Harley pursed her lips, looking down with a complicated expression. A few minutes passed before she lifted her head and smiled brightly. "So, I just need to adapt?"

"Yup! Kill zombies, kill anyone who tries to steal your resources, look after your teammates, no killing or harming your teammates and comrades, loot for supplies, don't waste ammo or supplies, no stealing, carry your weight around the camp, and follow orders when necessary. Finally, always keep an eye on your back, you never know when someone stab you from behind. Apart from that, you can do anything else. But if you break any of the rules, then you'll lose your friend's trust... So, yeah, that's about it..." I shrugged.

"Friends?" Harley blinked her eyes, tilting her head.

"Yeah, friends. These people here are my friends and teammates. We survive together and look after each other. So, what do you say? Wanna join us?" I extended my hand with a smile.

Harley stared at my hand and then at me.

"I... I don't have any friends. I mean, I had Mr. J... He turned me like this. I jumped into a barrel of chemicals for him, trusting his sad story and sweet words... But he lied... He never cared about me... All he wanted was Batman..." Harley gritted her teeth, clenching her fists. "He lied to me about everything after I devoted my life to him... My parents, my career, my friends, my sanity, my identity, and my humanity... Everything gone... Because of him..." Her shoulders trembled and tears rolled down her cheeks. "I hate him... If you think that's what a friend is, then I don't need any..." She wiped away her tears.

"I see. Well, I can't blame you for hating Joker. Even I would have killed that bastard if he were still alive. But you know what? Those kinds of bastards exist everywhere. They are the scum of the Earth. And you know what? Fuck them! You trusted someone and they betrayed you. That type of thing is common in this world. You see her..." I pointed at Tyger. "She almost got herself killed. Her own teammates planned to kill her and take over the group. But she survived. Now, they are all dead. And me? I took bullets for her and she left me on the street to die. Then when I found her, I went to kill her, but ended up saving her ass."

"And you still trust her?" Harley asked with a frown.

"I do. Cause we just came back from a life-and-death battle with a giant mutated Spiderman. She risked her life for me. And I am willing to give her another chance because that's what friends do. Trust me, I know this world is fucked up. But you know what? There are good people out there. So, how about it... Join us and see for yourself. Didn't you say, you are free and want a new beginning? Well, here's your chance," I smiled.

Harley looked at Tyger and around the camp.

"Arggg! It's not like Harl got any other frickin' place to go anyway!" She grumbled, extending her hand.

"Welcome to the team," I shook her hand.