Run

The group slowly sneaked through the city. Moving forward was becoming harder by the minute as the survivors had had to take multiple detours to avoid groups of Tainted, with Adam silently disposing of the ones that could sense their presence.

The effects of the Impact were visible clearly here. Heaps of glass littered the ground around tall buildings, jagged and covered in the blood of the unlucky few who stayed in their vicinity. Cars and houses charred and blackened spoke of the fires that had raged through the city.

Of course, the most unsettling were the corpses, ghastly traces of the massacre that had taken place on the streets.

"I need to tell you something," Maya spoke to Adam quietly, dispelling the somber atmosphere a little bit.

"What is it?" he replied while checking the surrounding buildings for any dangers. They were safe, for now.

"When I killed my first Tainted, I got a skill," she revealed. "I was actually trying it out during the last fight."

"This is something new," Adam smiled. "I've heard about skills from other survivors but haven't seen any in action yet. So, how is it?"

"It's called Battletrance." Maya's eyes focused on something before her. She was checking her Status Window no doubt. "I haven't figured it out entirely yet. It kind of allows me to feel the flow of a battle. It's hard to explain with words."

"Don't worry, you'll figure it out in time." Adam was delighted by the reveal for two reasons. First, he gained a potentially valuable ally, and second, said ally trusted him enough to share such information with him.

The group reached one of the big shopping malls located in the city. It was below the street they were walking on and the group had a good view of the whole building. Adam knew the place, he had been there multiple times before, and seeing it in such a state left a bitter taste in his mouth.

The mall's facade, an exquisite construction of glass and metal had been reduced to rubble. The building looked like a twisted skeleton of some otherwordly creature, its insides exposed to the elements.

"There are people outside the mall!" One of the survivors suddenly shouted, pointing with his hand. Adam noticed them as well. One of the driveways to the mall had been cleared from the glass and several trucks were parked there in a protective semi-circle.

At least twenty people were coming to and fro the mall, loading supplies on the trucks. They weren't the only survivors present though, as Adam spotted a few burly men standing around the perimeter. Some of them lazily observed the working people while the rest kept their eyes on the road.

He knew their kind very well, he had represented many like them in the courts of law in the past. Soccer hooligans, a plague ravaging the city for decades and deeply involved in drug trafficking, extortions, and other illegal activities.

They still wore their club colors and Adam spotted guns resting in their hands. Judging by their age and clothes, they were most likely just the foot soldiers of the criminal organization.

"Should we greet them? They might have useful information," another survivor chimed in.

"No," Adam responded firmly. "These guys are bad news. They're most likely criminals."

"I agree," Maya joined the discussion as well. "They look dangerous." She pointed at the men standing by the trucks. "And they have guns."

As if wanting to end their dispute, one of the survivors loading the trucks suddenly threw the supplies he was holding at one of the armed men and started running towards the office buildings surrounding the mall.

The group saw the rest of the criminals waking up from their stupor and laughing at their unfortunate comrade.

They observed the running survivor with amusement for a while before one of them pointed a gun at him and fired three times. The rest turned their guns at other survivors and started shouting commands.

The group watched aghast as the runaway fell over, blood gushing from his shoulder. He tried to crawl onward but was quickly subdued and thrown into one of the trucks.

"They're being held against their will," Maya spoke somberly. "Three days passed and our civilization is already crumbling."

"Old rules don't apply anymore," Adam confirmed.

"Shouldn't we do something? Stop them?" She continued.

"And what would you do? We can kill a few Tainted but we can't dodge bullets." Adam checked the survivors with the Bloodsense while speaking. The captives were unremarkable, their blood dimmer than that of the survivors in Adam's group.

The criminals were different though. Their blode shone with light, similar to the dogs' leader. Adam presumed that the light had to somehow represent the strength of a creature. If it was true, the hooligans would be formidable opponents even without the weapons.

"We're not strong enough to take them on."

Maya looked at the other group unwillingly. She struggled for a while before turning around and walking away from the scene. She struck one of the vehicles abandoned on the road with frustration.

"Let's go!" she growled. "I don't want to look at this anymore."

The group moved forward without alarming the other survivors. Adam knew that if they continued on their current route, they would soon reach a big roundabout, one of the main intersection points of the city. From there, they would have a straight way to the river.

The only question was if they could use it. The group weaved between the cars, checking them carefully for the presence of the Tainted, getting closer to his goal with every step.

However, when they reached the roundabout his plans crumbled into dust. Adam looked aghast at the many groups of the Tainted roaming slowly in every direction along the streets. There were hundreds of them in his sight, with many more detected by Bloodsense in the sidestreets.

"We're reached downtown," Maya said quietly. "What are we to do now?"

"We have to back off. We all die here if we stay," Steven joined them for the first time since his breakdown. He observed the Tainted, white as paper, his lips trembling with fear. "Please, Adam, don't make us go through this. We'll find another safe place."

"We have to do this, Steven," Adam responded coldly. It was time to reveal his hand, even if only a little bit. "I'll create an opening and we'll run across the intersection, toward the buildings on the left."

"We'll lose them in the residential area between the street and the river, and cross through the bridge nearby."

The survivors looked at him in disbelief. The plan he had just laid out was suicidal.

"Trust me," Adam implored. "It's the same everywhere. Even if we back out today, we'll have to take a similar risk somewhere else in the future. And we have a chance here. You just run as fast as you can, I will take care of the rest."

"I'm with him!" Charlotte barked suddenly. "He saved my life and yours as well. Without Adam, we'd still be hiding in the town hall, dying from hunger, so I'm going to trust him on this."

Adam looked at her gratefully. They both knew, that she didn't have any chance to survive this. Despite leveling up, she was still the weakest and slowest among the group. Her eyes gleamed with determination though.

While formulating the plan, he had considered using some of them as the meatshields against the Tainted. However, seeing the trust Charlotte put in him made him question himself. He didn't know if he could just sacrifice them now.

Either way, they had to run. There was no other choice than to go through the city if he wanted to reach his family. The members of the group looked at each other. They were going to agree to this crazy plan.

Seeing this, Steven groaned. The options presented to him made his heart skip a beat. He could either commit to this suicidal plan or abandon the group and strike out on his own. He looked at the intersection again, his knees nearly giving away in fear. He just couldn't do it.

"I can't," he stuttered. "I just can't. I'm sorry." He backed away from the group, tears welling in his eyes. Before he had a chance to run away, Maya jumped at him and hugged him closely.

"Stay safe," she murmured. "I hope to see you again."

The rest of them observed with mixed feelings as Steven vanished between the cars, taking the same way that they had come from.

The group sneaked as close as possible, before waiting for the right opportunity. They began right after a group of Tainted walked past their hideout. They jumped from between the cars and ran.

Maya was in the lead, activating her mysterious ability and changing directions rapidly. Her course looked random at first, but the survivors followed her anyway and didn't regret doing so. The path she chose was always safe. The Tainted popped out left and right but failed to reach them.

Adam found himself in the middle of the group, right behind Charlotte. His Bloodsense was going crazy from the number of creatures it was sensing, and his head soon began to hurt. He was killing the Tainted following them at a rapid rate, but it wasn't enough. Their number kept growing.