The night passed without a problem, and the day broke in quickly. Everyone was already up and about. More people now felt it would be alright to stay in the house during the day instead of being cramped in the basement. Jake and his friends had been chilling in the dining area since they finished breakfast. April, Rebecca, and John's mother were all sharing stories about everyday life, or well, what it was like before they were transported here.
John asked Tyrone to help himmoveg some things around in the garage. Don was doing maintenance on his guns in the living room since it was the best time. Then there were Noah and Josh. "Say, Noah, you said you know how to craft things. Right? What in particular do you know how to craft?" Josh asked since he recalled Noah talking about it last night.
"Hm? Oh, well, if I have all the parts, I can piece together pretty much anything. I can also modify melee weapons if need be. Aside from that, I can create makeshift bombs as well as traps, even alarms. I used to enjoy making gadgets and gizmos. When I was younger, I took apart our clocks and put them back together. I remember when I even took apart my mother's laptop. She freaked out and demanded I put it back together."
Noah chuckled softly at the memory of it all. "One of my most recent projects before being brought here was a grappling hook." Noah added. Josh was astonished. He didn't know many people that could do things like that. His uncle was actually the only person he knew was a craftsman. "But, I would need a workspace and the proper tools." Noah shrugged it off since it seemed like using his talents would not come in handy anytime soon.
"Actually, we probably have all the proper tools you need. John's father was a craftsman. He enjoyed making random things. From what I remember, he spent most of his time in the garage." Josh remarked. "Wait, really?" Noah's eyes lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. "Yeah. I think John took Tyrone to move some things around and set up the workspace." Josh responded with a nod.
Noah was more than happy to abide; however, he felt that trampling over another's workspace was disrespectful. "Are you sure it would be okay? I mean, I do not want to use someone else's tools and materials without their permission." Noah remarked pensively. Josh shook his head in response, "I am sure it is fine. Besides, no one has used that workspace in years. The tools are probably yearning to be used." Josh stated. Although he seemed to have forgotten they were in another world.
"It's ready." John and Tyrone came back into the house from the garage door. Josh turned towards his cousin. "Oh? Nice. Let's go." Josh stated to Noah, who gave a soft smile. He was grateful to use a workspace but seemed sad because the person who used to own said workspace was no longer around. It wasn't hard to piece everything together. Josh would show Noah around the workspace that John and Tyrone set up. There were various tools and tables that could have been in use. Even blueprints were scattered among the tables. "It's strange... for another world, everything was left as if it were in our world." John muttered. "Is this really another world?" John added.
"Well, we have undead and oversized bugs... plus from my experience, I can easily say that it is another world. While everything may seem like a perfect replica, there are signs of aging. Especially underground. Whatever you do, do not go underground." Tyrone confirmed John's suspicion. John detected a sense of dread when Tyrone spoke of not going underground. "Why not?" John asked curiously.
"What lies in the sewers is far worse than what we are dealing with above ground. There is no dealing with what is underground. Sure, you can take out one, but there is always more. The only choice you have is to run. Thankfully, they remain underground." Tyrone replied with the same sense of dread. The answer was vague since Tyrone did not give an actual answer, so John asked, "What are they?"
Tyrone shook his head since he did not know. "I do not know. At first, we called it a ghost. It has no defined physical form, and you can see right through it. You can destroy them with fire, but there are always more, and by the time you take out a dozen, you will find yourself surrounded. The only option is to run because once they touch you, that is it. You are dead. You don't even come back as an undead." Tyrone explained from experience. Six months in this world wasn't all for naught, and he clearly came across some bizarre things. John could see the dread in his eyes and the fear in his voice, but a ghost? Perhaps it was something one had to witness to understand it.
Meanwhile, it seemed Don had finished doing the maintenance on his weapons. He holstered his guns and sheathed his knife. John's mother came over to sit beside him with a plate of crackers and cheese slices alongside a glass of water. "Ma'am?" Don shifted his attention toward her as a show of respect. Still, he did find it strange that she sat beside him when there were other chairs and even another sofa she could have sat on in the living room.
"Is there something wrong with me sitting on my couch in my own home?" The woman asked with a teasing gesture since she could see the curiosity in Don's eyes. Don shook his head. "I suppose not. Well, if you will excuse me." Don was about to get up, but the woman stopped him, "I am only joking. I actually wanted to talk to you." Don sat back down. It was strange since John's mother never actually talked to him. In fact, he felt that she would rather avoid him more often than not. "Please feel free to eat." The woman suggested, and Don nodded lightly before taking a slice of cheese and a cracker to his mouth.
"I know you have only just arrived here, same as us. Honestly, I can not wrap my head around all of this. John and Josh wouldn't let me step outside, but I can tell that this really isn't our home from the conversation last night. I know I shouldn't be asking this of you, but can you look after John and Josh? I know it should be my duty since they are my family, but..." The woman stopped.
Don could see she was trembling with anxiety and other mixed emotions, so he placed a hand on her leg to show her that he was willing to listen. This seemed to calm her worries. "Don't worry. I'll keep everyone safe. I'll make sure we all get to go home." Don spoke to ease her worries even further. "I see... I know I shouldn't be like this, but what can I do? I feel so helpless. If only John's father was alive..."
The woman spoke softly. Don could see how she felt. Don already knew that she was just a normal woman. She didn't take any martial classes, she didn't know how to use a gun or a knife, and she sure as hell wasn't a tech-savvy person. Perhaps a housewife was a good way to put it, even if it was blunt. Though, there was something that she did not seem to realize.
"If I may. That is not true, ma'am. You've kept the morale of this home in stable condition for more than two days. Even if your smile and calm demeanor may be nothing more than a front, it is still more than enough to ease the worries of those around you. When I saw you, I knew that John and Josh were safe. I was relieved to know they were fine."
"When I saw Jake, he seemed just as okay as the others. I am sure you played a part and keeping things under control. For example..." Don picked up a cracker and some cheese. "You brought these over along with some water. You are looking out of us even if it isn't in the way you want it to be. So, have more confidence in yourself. I doubt without you, everyone would be as calm as they are now." Don ate the cracker after his little speech.
The woman was going over some things in her mind. Her attention returned to Don when he spoke once more after finishing the cracker and cheese. "Besides, you are stronger than you realize. I know that when the time comes, you will do all in your power to keep those you care about safe." Don reached for another cracker with some cheese and partake of another shortly after his little addition.
The woman was taken aback by Don's words as a whole, but the comfort she felt from him seemed to cause her worries to flutter away completely. "April really is a lucky woman, isn't she. I am almost envious." The woman admitted, which caused Don to nearly choke on his cracker and reach for the glass of water. He had to guzzle down the entire glass of water to get it down, followed by a bit of a coughing fit.
"I beg your pardon?" Don looked at her, which caused her to chuckle softly at his embarrassment, then shake her head as if to deny anything she said earlier, "Oh nothing. Thank you, Don. Really." The woman stood up and made her way into the garage to see if the others wanted anything to snack on. Don shook his head and looked at the plate of crackers and cheese. "I didn't do anything, though." He muttered. To him, he was just stating the obvious—the truth, to be blunt. Don took a moment to relax, go over some things in his mind, and finish off the crackers and cheese.
"I suppose it is time." Don stood up and made his way through the house to gather everyone into the living room. When everyone was ready, Don began the meeting. "Alright. Everyone knows my plan, but I want to get this out of the way now. If you want to leave, then feel free to do so. I will not force you to stay." Don made a firm statement.
Everyone knew what he meant. If they did not want to be led by a murderer, then they were allowed to leave. "In addition to that, If you feel that I am too dangerous to be here. I will take my leave as well." Don added after a moment of silence. Everyone was a bit surprised, and even April was about to stand up and speak up on the matter. Rebecca, who was sitting next to her on the sofa, stopped her with a shake of her head.
Jake's friends all had nervous glances; even Tyrone was still a bit nervous about this situation. It was at this moment that John's mother stood up. "If I may say a few things," Don was surprised to see her raise up since he figured she disliked him, but Don gave her the go-ahead with a nod.
"I have known Don for a little bit now. Since he would come over and hang out with my son and nephew. What I can say is that Don does not seem like a dangerous person. I heard he has killed some people, and while that is a terrible thing, can you really fault him for it? Just the other day, John and Josh were held at knifepoint. If Jake had not saved them, I might have lost them. I am trying to say that there needs to be someone who can make a decision in this world. Even if that decision is to kill someone."
Everyone seemed to have some form of agreement with the woman's way of thinking. "I also want to point out that I highly doubt Don took joy in killing. Don does not seem like the kind of person who kills for fun. Even if he has to kill, there is most likely a reason for it. Don killed people to keep April safe and killed people to save both Noah and Rebecca. He did not do it for sport or simply because he enjoys it. I want you to all know that when you make your decision. That is all." John's mother sat back down. April looked in the direction with damn near tear-filled eyes and thanked her from the bottom of her heart. She smiled softly and nodded silently to April.
Once more, there was silence. After a moment, Don spoke up," If there are no objections, then I would like to continue on with my plans." Don paused to allow anyone to speak up, but no one seemed to detest him, so he would continue. "As I said last night, I want to find Jen and Boss then establish an outpost to lay low for the remainder of the year. In order to get to Jen and Boss, we will need to go back through Downtown. That is the shortest way. We could always go around, but the longer we wait to find them the longer there is a chance that they may end up dead or worse off."
"Of course, this is if they were brought here. But in order to do this, we need to gather supplies for whatever we decide. As I said last night, I will be taking a small group with me to head out and look for supplies and take a look at the gun shops around here. Does anyone wish to come with me?" Don asked after going over a revision of the plan.
"Me!" April raised her hand instantly. Obviously, she wanted to go with him, and Don knew that even if he told her no, she would still come along, so he allowed it. "I will." Rebecca was the next person to raise her hand. Don nodded in acknowledgment. The three of them fit the small group criteria, but Don felt that having at least one person would be good.
"Anyone else?" Don looked around. It was then that Jake rose his hand. "I'll tag along." Jake's friends held this look of surprise. They did not think that Jake would willingly go back into such a dangerous world. Don would nod. "Well, then that settles it. April, Rebecca, Jake, and I will head out to scavage the area. The rest of you will stay here and keep the place under lockdown. Right now, this is the safest place for us. With our group established, I would like to open the floor to anyone who wants to speak." Don took a moment to allow anyone to ask questions or speak their mind.
"Yeah, I have a question. You said that you wanted to look for an outpost to wait out the year, but isn't where we are at a good place? It has a defense system, clean filtered water, and power. Not to mention this place is comfortable." Dillian spoke up. It was a good comment and inquiry.
"That may be true, but let me ask you something in return. How defendable is this place? The house is relatively average. Sure the metal plating can keep up a decent shielding from the outside elements, but what if we get surrounded by both undead and bugs? What if humans find a way through and try to raid us? Not to mention the house can be set ablaze. If that were to happen, then what?" Don asked in return, and Dillain fell silent. He could not reply. Nothing came to mind.
Don saw this, so he spoke up once more, "Do not get me wrong. This is a good place to base in as of right now. No one knows about us. The bugs generally mind their business, and the undead is far and between. I see why you would want to stay here. It is safer than being out in the open. This is why I said that we will need to find a place to form an outpost. When I can, I plan to retrieve my bike and do some scouting. Until then, we will be remaining here, provided that is okay with you."
Don shifted his attention toward John's mother. Even though in a sense this wasn't her home, it still kind of was in another sense. "That is fine, Don. Whatever you need." She replied with a smile, and Don nodded, although he found her last words to be a little odd, but dismissed them for now. "Thanks. Now then, anything else?" For now, it seemed like no one had any questions or comments. "Alright then, dismissed. Those of you going with me, get prepared and meet up here in five." Don finished up the meeting.
Jake's friends would begin pelting him with questions about why he wanted to go. Noah went back into the garage to continue looking over the blueprints and see what kind of tools and materials he could work with. John and Josh seemed to have wandered off elsewhere. It seemed John's mother did the same. Rebecca and April began preparing and Don decided to take a step outside by going through the garage.
There was a hidden backdoor in the garage that looked like the outside wall of the house. John's father was the one who created it as a means to move things inside and outside of the garage when there was no room through the main entry point. The only reason Don knew about this was that John took him this way to get away from a certain person one day.
Don only came out here for a cigarette. Looking into his pack, he muttered, "The last one." Don tossed away the empty pack into the rubbish bin beside him and lit up his cigarette. He inhaled the toxic fumes before exhaling a moment later. The minty feeling in his throat eased his earlier tension. His eyes looked up at the sky. It was clear and beautiful but also filled with various oversized flying bugs here and there. "What kind of test is this anyway? Test our survival? Test our adaptability? Not to mention the Seed..." Don closed his eyes in thought as he leaned against the wall.
"A special power specific to the body... I have only used it twice, but both times I did not realize when or even how it came to me. I do not know how I even activated it. What I do know is that it exhausts me. Whatever that power is, it is dangerous. " Don muttered his thoughts aloud. He finished up his cigarette before heading back inside to prepare to leave once again.