Don and April made some decent ground before they were forced to stop. "This again..." Don grumbled as he saw another roadblock; however, it wasn't like your usual one. This one had patrols stationed outside of it. They were also armed. Aside from that, there were also other people trying to get through this blockade.
It looked more like a checkpoint, to be honest, rather than a blockade. Although, Don didn't understand why this was here. It never was in any of his runs. "Is the future changing? But why? It never changed no matter what I did." Don thought to himself. April tugged on his sleeve, "Don, what do you want to do?" April asked, looking up at him.
They technically weren't outlaws of any kind. Sure they had their run-in with the New World Order; however, this wasn't an outpost. It was more like some sort of checkpoint stationed in front of the suburbs entry. Usually, outposts were built around city halls or places that could be well defended. That's why Downtown wasn't occupied because it was just too much trouble to fortify. Even the Amazoness outpost had the bare minimum of fortifications.
Similarly, this checkpoint was the same. There had been a line of people in front of him, and he could see the blockade stretched far and wide. He knew this small town wasn't occupied before, which was why he went this way, but this time it was. "I think we should gather some information. This wasn't here before. I want to know what is going on." Don said.
"Okay," April replied and got off the bike, as did Don. The people around them were looking at them, but most of the people seemed timid or cautious. Why? It was because the bike Don was on was unscratched and clean. That was abnormal in this world. Most machines had dents, scratches, or rust. Even if someone did get a vehicle up and running, it would still be damaged to some degree.
Don's bike was not. It looked nearly brand-new. "Let me do the talking, okay, Darling~" April could see that some people didn't want to be approached by Don. She could tell they were scared, and Don's scowl wasn't helping. Don sighed softly and nodded. "Go ahead." April winked at Don and skipped over to the nearest person.
"Excuse me," April called out to the woman. The woman looked to be in her mid-thirties, and she looked weary and worn out. Before the woman could even react, two men around her age stepped forward. One had a bat and the other a pipe in hand. "We don't want no trouble, so scurry off." One of the men said. April frowned.
"I am no harm. I just wanted to ask what all of this was about? My husband and I are trying to get through the town, and we have no idea what is going on here." April said calmly. She wasn't trying to frighten these people. She understood why they were so cautious.
"Husband?" One of the men asked, looking her over. "You mean that guy you came with?" The other man referring to Don and April nodded with a wide smile. "Yup!" She exclaimed happily. They didn't quite understand it. April looked to be in her late teens, maybe nineteen. She was rather young, so being married at her age was a bit baffling.
"I don't see a ring on your finger." The man who was looking her over said, thinking she was lying to them. "That's because we got married while we were here. It's a long story, but I am happy to be with the one I love." April said happily, and her cheeks tinged a bit pink. She even swayed side to side cutely from how joyous she was.
"I don't think she's lying." The woman said, which caused the two men to look back at her. "You said you and your husband were trying to get through the town. I assume you two don't know what this place is then." The woman added in.
"Leona, there is no need to say anything." One of the men said, and the woman, Leona, shook her head. "All they want to do is get through the town; however, that will be difficult. This town is occupied by the Freedom Fighters Faction. Word around is that a war will start soon, so people are starting to create Factions and fortify towns and cities. Getting in is difficult enough since they want able fighters, but getting out maybe another story." Leona said.
"Factions? War?" April inquired. "Since when?" April asked. The three of them looked at her with confusion. "Has this girl been living under a rock or something?" One of the men thought. "It seems you haven't been living in an outpost. If that is the case, then you have been surviving on your own, right?" Leona asked, and April nodded.
"With my Husband." April decided not to talk about the others. The fact that Factions and War were brought up told her something bad would probably happen soon. She knew about the wars that Don was talking about, but those weren't supposed to happen until later on in the year. Was this just preparation, or was it something else? April didn't know.
"I see," Leona said. "Then you two must be strong. I see you have a bow with you. Are you a Ranger?" Leona asked, and April nodded. "Yup." It was obvious, so there was no need to deny it. "Well, you two should be able to get in then; however, I doubt they'll let you leave once you are in. If you are as strong as you claim to be." Leona said.
"Hey! Are you people gonna hurry up!" Someone behind them shouted out, and they looked forward. They noticed there was a decent gap between them and the next person. "Sorry about that." April apologized to them. The man blushed to see April's beautiful smile. "N-No problem." The man said bashfully. "Well, thanks for the info," April said to the others and turned on her heel.
"Wait! What's your name?" Leona called out to April to stop her before she left. April turned around to look at Leona with a smile. "April. April Douglass." April responded, using Don's last name before skipping over to her beloved.
"Madam, what are you thinking?" One of the men asked since Leona seemed interested in April. "I think things are about to get interesting. Two people arrive here without a clue on what is going on and start digging up information. They are either spies, or they are truly as strong as she claimed them to be. Maybe they have their own Faction." Leona said.
"Spies?" One of the men asked. "We aren't the only ones here. We need to be even more cautious of our standing." Leona said, and the two men nodded to her. It seemed there was more to them than just simple travelers.
"So?" Don asked when April hopped right in front of him. Don had been riding the line, pushing his bike each time the line moved. Most people figured he was in line since he was right on the path, but the truth was he was just riding alongside it.
"First, I want a kiss," April said while pushing on her tip-toes to lean in for a kiss. Don sighed lightly and leaned down to give her the kiss she desired. Although it was far more passionate than Don anticipated, she broke the kiss when she was pleased. She licked her lips with a wild look in her eyes while sitting back on her heels. "Thank you, Darling," April said cutely, which was odd considering the playful look in her eyes.
Don fixed the collar of his shirt since April had messed it up. He would clear his throat, "And?" Don put forth since now April needed to tell him what she got. "Oh right. So apparently, Factions are starting to pop up all over the state. They are preparing for war or something, and this is one of the Factions. They are known as Freedom Fighters."
"They are recruiting strong and able people. Apparently, once you get in, getting out will be difficult. I think we should take a detour, but the choice is up to you." April explained. Although, she seemed carefree about all of it.
Don didn't seem too pleased about the Factions popping up. They weren't supposed to appear until a bit later, but now they were here and preparing for war. Don was getting this uneasy feeling in his chest. "Things are happening too fast. Could it be due to my death? Instead of rewinding, I choose to live on... The past was also changed. I never died during the Sin Squad attack, and we lost more people back then than we did this time." Don thought to himself.
"Even if that was the case, I did anticipate some change, but this is too much. Is it that Paradox thing the boy was talking about? Did coming back to life and keeping all of my memories affect the present reality that much?" Don was deep and thought so much that it took April to give him a hickey to get his attention.
She always wanted to do it but never acted on it. Calling out to him wasn't working either. Sure she could poke him and whatnot, but this seemed like the perfect time to give him a love bite. Don shifted his eyes towards April, who was currently sucking on his neck from behind like some kind of vampire. The sharp sensation jolted his senses, and he came to. "April," Don said her name with a smile.
April looked at him cutely. Her lips widened, and her teeth could be seen on his flesh as if she trying to be cute. They looked at each other for a few more seconds before April removed her mouth from Don's neck and stepped back with a soft pink on her cheeks. "Sorry." April apologized.
Don sighed softly and moved up to her and embraced her. "I should have expected this. You've been bolder since we first did it. Although, I don't dislike this frisky side of you." Don said with a sense of playfulness in his voice. April's cheeks went bright red since she didn't think Don would say something like that, and she buried her face in his chest.
"You guys done yet?" Someone called out to them since they hadn't moved forward. Don released April, "Our bad." Don said with a fake apology and moved forward to close the gap. April noticed they didn't leave the line, and they were getting closer to the checkpoint now. "So, we are going in?" April asked.
"Things are progressing too quickly. If we take a detour, it may be too late. I think we should take the quickest path, and I want to get information on what is going on. Besides, we can leave whenever we need to or did you forget what I can do?" Don smirked at April with a soft glow in his eyes. One eye had a white glow and the other a black glow.
April chuckled lightly and clung to Don's arm. "Of course not. This is why I don't care what we do. I'll always be with you. Now and forever." April said happily, and Don nodded. "Now and Forever." He repeated after her.
They decided to stay in line and proceeded onward; once they reached the checkpoint, they could see the patrols and guards a bit better. They were in some kind of uniform with an emblem of a bird soaring high in the sky. The checkpoint was also a white flag with an emblem of a bird soaring high in the sky.
"Freedom Fighters, huh?" Don thought to himself. He noticed that the people in line were being looked over, patted down, then sent to sit at a desk where other patrols began asking them questions. After which, they were brought into a tent, and shortly after, people came out. Some of the people never seemed to come out of the tents, while others did. This didn't give Don a good feeling.
"So that's how it is," Don added in thought. 'You really want to go inside here? Sounds like a bunch of bull to me. Freedom Fighters, bah. They probably have their own darkness.' Melissa's voice echoed in Don's mind, and Don agreed with her. During his time with Melissa, he had seen this sort of thing before.
People or groups that were created for the Better of Humanity had dark secrets that were not known to the public. Freedom Fighters just sounded like one of those things, and it gave Don an uneasy feeling. Regardless, it was their turn now.
"A couple?" The guardsman inquired while looking at the two. The guardsman looked over Don, then April, and then the bike. A smirk curved across his cheek. "I hope you don't mind, but we need to pat you down. We can't have people causing trouble." The guardsman said. "You'll have to set your bow and quiver down. Any other weapons you have should be set aside as well." The guardsman said as he waved his hand to a table beside him.
April looked up to Don, and Don nodded to her. She went to set her bow on the table along with her quiver. Meanwhile, the guardsman was waiting for Don to do the same. "Do you not have any weapons on you?" He asked with a confused look, and Don shook his head. "Nope, feel free to pat me down," Don said and spread his legs and arms.
He didn't have any weapons on him. He didn't need to put them on his person since he could hold them in his Spatial Storage. The Guard would begin patting him down, although he was cautious since he thought Don would have a weapon, even a knife; however, it truly seemed like Don had nothing on him.
"Huh... You are good." The man waved him towards the table where he was supposed to get interviewed, but he decided to wait for April. He leaned against his bike while looking in her direction. It was April's turn to be patted down.
Although, the guard was getting a bit too touchy-feely with April. He took a bit longer in certain areas than Don, and Don noticed this. His eyes narrowed, and his eyes flared a vivid white. Time around him instantly became grayscale, and everything was halted. Don walked behind the man. He could see that the man was grinning, and his hands were moving up to April's chest.
April looked uncomfortable and honestly looked like she was about to punch the guard. "Did you really think I would let you get away with touching my girl like that?" Don pull the man off of April, which allowed him to perceive time in a normal manner. "Huh?" The man was confused for a moment since he felt himself being pulled away from April.
"Who!?" The guard looked to see it was Don who was behind him, and before he could say anything, he felt the back of his knee kick in, which caused him to fall onto his knee. Don would shove the guard's face into the ground afterward, and using his Spatial Distortion, he would bring out one of his pistols.
"Guards! Help! We are being attacked!" The guard shouted in an instant since he couldn't move due to the position he was in. He was trying to push his body up but found it impossible to do. It was like tons of weight was behind applied to his body. "No one is going to help you. All-time has been stopped." Don said, placing the gun's barrel to the back of the guard's head, which caused his eyes to go wide.
"Where did you? How did you!? What are you saying!?" The man exclaimed, fear starting to build in his body. "I wonder..." Don said, itching to pull the trigger. The only reason he wasn't was that he could make use of this situation. "As you can see, I can kill all of you. Your entire Faction, everything you people have built up, I can bring down." Don said.
"Wait! What Faction are you from!? Who sent you!? We'll pay you anything! Please just spare us!" The man began to plea for his life. This was what Don wanted. He needed a way in without people constantly coming after him. "A Faction?" Don scoffed. "No, I am with no Faction. It is just my girl and me. I've killed everyone to put their hands on her, so tell me, why should I let you live?" Don inquired with a glare in his eyes.
"No Faction!? You aren't with anyone!? Are you a madman!? Do you not know who we are!?" The guard exclaimed when he heard Don say he wasn't with a Faction. Don smirked, "Did you not hear me? I can kill all of you and bring all of this down. I'll tell you why I am here. I am just passing through. Going through your town is the quickest route to my destination. So, we can do this one of two ways." Don would lean over to show the man just how serious he was. The look in his eyes wasn't human. It was the look of a killer.
"I can spare you, and all you have to do is us through and answer some of my questions, or... I can kill all of you here and now, and no one would ever know. So, what will it be?" Don asked. The man was shivering and shaking with fear. It truly looked as if Don could do this. The man looked around, thinking Don was lying, but no one was moving. Everyone was just standing there as if time truly was stopped. When he thought about it, he thought that Don could kill everyone here.
That thought alone frightened him, so much so that he agreed with the latter choice. "Good," Don said. "First, what is going on here? Why are people building Factions? Are you all preparing for war?" Don asked and the man nodded. "The bugs and undead are becoming stronger. The outposts have started putting up strict checkpoints and are not letting people in as easily as before. If you refuse to leave they kill you on the spot. The New World Government has also stopped recruiting people. Apparently, something is going on with their base. Rumor has it that a mysterious group attacked them." The guard answered. "Things truly are progressing faster than anticipated, but still.... something doesn't seem right..." Don thought to himself.