Hope for the best but prepare for the worst

Leonardo and Emma ran through the school campus, holding hands so as not to lose each other. On their other hand were two bloody bats, stained from the blood of monsters that tried to attack them.

They soon reached the campus gate, finally leaving the campus. Bringing up the map, Leonardo looked at where the safe zone is, dragging Emma to follow him.

"Not that way," Emma shouted, pulling him back. "This map is leading us the long way. It will take us more than 30 minutes if we follow that path."

"Well, shit," Leonardo mumbled, smiling at her. "Thanks. I could have missed the deadline if you weren't here with me."

Blushing, Emma chuckled. "Oh, it's nothing. Follow me." She said, leading the way.

They quickly started running down the street, looking in horror at the plant-infested city. Trees grew outbuildings like it was a city abandoned for years, with monsters running rampant, killing others. Despite it being morning, no sunlight reached the ground, making it seem like night. The streetlight kept flickering as plants started growing on them.

"We need to hurry," Leonardo said, picking up Emma in a princess carry as he took off running. "It is faster this way. Just point in the direction, and I will follow."

Emma understood why it was faster for Leonardo to run while carrying her than for both of them to run. She had invested all the SPs she got into dexterity to have better control over her body.

She was wearing hills, for god sake. If she didn't put them in dexterity, bringing it to 12, she was sure she would have already sprained her ankles from the constant running.

"Cross the street." She quickly instructed, pointing. "There are no active cars, so just cross."

Just as Leonardo was about to do what Emma instructed, the engine of a bike made him stop. Zooming down the sidewalk across the street was a motorbike ridden by a woman. Her long black hair and lab coat fluttered in the wind as she flew by with a speed that breaks multiple traffic laws. Not to talk about the fact she is riding on the sidewalk.

"...Was that Elizabeth?" Leonardo asked, staring at where the bike disappeared to.

"It was her." Emma nodded.

"È così bella..." Leonardo mumbled in Italian, feeling his heartbeat increase.

Seeing his reaction, Emma said. "Focus, lover boy!"

"Yes, ma'am." He said, snapping back to reality and running down the street.

Elizabeth, who didn't notice Emma and Leonardo, rode down the sidewalk, dodging trees and monsters. As she got closer to the coffee shop, she saw someone running across the street, who she instantly recognized. It was Andrew and Edward, running at their top speed through the street.

'They are still alive?' She thought, surprised they haven't been killed by the slime. Andrew was nowhere as fast as Edward, who the slime almost caught, so she had assumed Andrew was caught and killed.

Distracted, she almost crashed into a tree growing from the sidewalk. Quickly pulling the bike's brake and the clutch, it slowed to a stop some feet away from the tree.

'Might as well run since I am close.' Elizabeth thought to herself, getting off the bike and taking up running.

Andrew slowed down and stopped, breathing heavily. "Holy shit! Why was the place so far away!? It would have taken me thirty minutes if I didn't level up and increase my strength for faster movement." He breathed, looking towards Edward. "Fuck! I shouldn't have carried you half the way, Smith."

"It was your choice, not mine." Edward exhaustedly grumbled, putting his hands above his head and taking multiple deep breaths. 'I need to add more SP to my Endurance. What is speed if I can't maintain it?'

"Haah..." Andrew sighed as he continued walking, "I just hope the place isn't packed."

After walking in silence, they reached the cafe. Chairs and tables that once belonged inside the cafe were thrown out, now on the ground outside. Ignoring them, Edward and Andrew rushed into the coffee shop, with a man by the door mumbling,

"27, 28."

Inside the coffee shop, about 20 people sat on the ground. Elevator music played through the cafe's speakers, giving the room a calm atmosphere.

Edward walked up to a man behind the counter, making himself coffee. "So, when is this thing going to take us away?" He asked, leaning on the counter.

The man turned to them, sipping from his hot coffee. He appeared to be a homeless man in his mid-forties and stood 5'8" tall with dark hair and a full black beard. He wears a light button shirt, over which he wears a brown button-up jacket and a green coat with yellow lining. He wears tan trousers, which appear too long for him, held up with a black belt. He wears dark trainers with lighter-colored shoelaces.

"This thing can't teleport without 100 people being in it. So we are waiting." He answered, taking another sip. "Ah~ How many years has it been since I drank real coffee?" He moaned, noticing Edward and Andrew's stares. "Want some?"

"No." They both simultaneously answered, shaking their heads.

"Suit yourselves." The man said, gesturing at the man at the door. "That man is counting, so once 100 people are in, he would inform me, and I will press that big red button," He then gestured at a big red button on the wall behind the counter. "Which would activate the teleportation mechanism."

"So, this is the first batch?" Andrew asked, looking at a group of four running into the cafe.

"No. In the beginning, the cafe was teleporting people away every minute. Now more people are dying before they can get here, causing it to take longer to reach the 100 people benchmark." The homeless man explained, "I sure hope we get to 100 before the timer runs out."

"I--" Before Edward could finish his sentence, his phone in his pocket buzzed. Bringing it out he looked at the caller ID, his expression changing from confusion to shock and delight. "Wait, I got to take this." He said, quickly walking away from the counter to pick up the phone.

"Son?" A worried gruff voice came through the phone.

"Yes, it is me." Edward blurted, sighing in real. "I forgot about you. Running from slime with a water beam that can tear through walls."

"Really?" His father asked, laughing. "At the office, we got one that spits boulders. Hahahaha!"

Edward chuckled, "So how are mother and brother?"

"They are both fine." His father sighed, seeming tired. "Your mother is a bit shaken. Her sister died on the earth slime."

"The one that had chronic depression and wanted to die?" Edward asked for clarification, "Or the one mother always said she hated."

"The one with chronic depression." His father replied, his voice getting low. "She was forced by your mother to apply for a job for my company, so she blames herself for killing her sister. But her death was fast and painless. The builder, shot by the slime, fell and crushed her head, so that's good."

"Damn. That's rough." Edward mumbled, not knowing how to react.

He never knew her that much. When he went off to college, that's when she started living with his parents and younger brother. She deforced her husband after catching him having sex with her best friend on their bed.

"Forget that. Are you in the safe zone?" He asked.

"Yes. Just waiting for the 100 people before teleporting." Edward nodded, watching as a group of five entered the cafe.

"I hope we see each other again. Wherever we are going." His father sighed with sadness in his voice. "I will tell your mother and brother you are alive. Just stay alive, and we might meet later."

"I know," Edward mumbled, "Hope for the best but prepare for the worst." With this, he hangs up, sighing.