The teen and the cat were in a deep sleep and Mark was loathed to wake them up but he had to. They were entering dangerous territory from here on and every second of alertness and caution would count to their survival.
4 days might seem like a long time for them to cross this canyon but there must be a catch to that limit. It sounded too good to be true when compared to the limit of the forest.
"Awake? Here's take this gun and be on standby" Mark handed the highest level B gun available in his inventory to the teen but also put the level on his side. It was just a precaution and since it was available at this early of a level, it might prove to be necessary.
"What do you need me to shoot?" the teen asked once he came about to his senses. There were still traces of sleep present in his eyes but most of them were gone and replaced with determination.
This child really was a treasure he had to appreciate, a diamond in the rough.
Still, this would prove to be the real test of his skill. The journey would test everything they had and the child would have to adapt.
"The monsters will start to appear the further we go in. I need you to open the upper hinge of the roof and shoot at them. Try to get the ones near to us in the front" Mark was not sure how well they would perform, but their vehicle was at least suitable for such a place.
He had tested it already and it ran smoothly on the sand with minimum restriction to its tires. But that did not mean that they would outrun the monsters. Especially if one appeared right in front of their vehicle.
"I got it" the teen replied back as he took the offered gun and turned it around with interest. Mark was sure that the child did not actually know what he got himself into but at least Mark could guild him from here.
The kitten was still asleep and Mark decided to shift her below the seat cover to protect her. Somehow, she did not wake up at the moment at all. Mark helped Alan open the roof cover just enough to allow the teen to poke through easily.
The teen practised the moment and flexibility of the arrangement and once he was sure it was fine, they moved. The initial moment was slow but Mark quickly picked up speed. The map was visible in front of him and he could see the safe area fading and the red zone started.
There was not much movement throughout the area but he could feel himself start sweating. It was unusually hot inside the vehicle.
The sand exploded right in front of them and out came a scaly body. It was long and thin and right in front of them.
"ALAN, IN FRONT" Mark called the teen's attention to it as he tried to drive away. The shit missed but so did the attack toward their tires which was a lucky shit.
"Sorry, it's moving weird" Mark could see Alan fire a few more but they were not connecting at all. The snake-like monster was not moving much now and the gunfire had startled it enough for Mark to make his way toward the nearest safe zone.
This was the easiest encounter but even then it posed a lot of problems for him. Alan had been a poor shot, a little too much for it to be natural.
He parked the car as soon as he entered the area and tugged on the teen's clothes. The teen sat back down with a defeated look on his face and Mark felt himself sigh.
"Don't worry too much, you'll get them next time" Mark kept his tone neutral to not startle the teen. But at the same time, he did not want the teen to feel put off too much too. It would not be good for his confidence which he was already seeming to lose.
"I'm sorry, I just froze. One second it was not there and then it was and it was moving and living and I'm sorry" the child broke down, his body shivering and eyes a little wet. It was annoying to deal with but perhaps he should have considered this possibility.
Alan was a young teen and unlike him, he had just stepped into this side. He had not ever faced these monsters seriously too and had almost no prior support. Mark himself was not coping with this situation so how could he expect a child to do so.
Mark was sure that he would have broken down too was he in control of his psyche. There was just something that made him a little detached and the feeling had not faded. He could still feel emotions but they did not govern him.
However, it was not the same for everyone else and he came to this realisation more and more. The teen was too soft so Mark needed to make him a little harder.
"It happens and if you hesitate next time, just tell yourself that it's either them or your loved ones. Picture yourself losing something crucial if it helps you and your body will shoot in fear. Fear is a great source of strength if you learn to control it" Mark spoke from experience as he remembered his past encounters.
He had been desperate and had been blanked out in some cases. But he could remember the fear and desperation to live he had felt back at those times. It had been all-consuming and had taken control. It had made him stronger.
The teen seemed to take his words to his mind and thought more on it. Mark gave him a few minutes to come to terms with it all but nothing more than that. They could not afford to waste any time.
The sun was low enough to be setting and soon there will only be 3 days and some hours left. Time seemed to be passing too fast to make Mark feel comfortable with it.
"Let's go?" Marked asked the teen once he felt he had given him enough time. There was still a slight hesitation in the teen's body language but the determined expression on his face made Mark feel as if the teen was ready for more.
"Let's go" and then they set off. The kitten was awake and made home in his lap which he allowed since he would not be making a lot of movements at all. The teen took the previous place he had occupied and fixed his own position.
And they were off again. There was a safe zone near them, a cave which was stable enough to spend the night in. it would be much more comfortable than outside and it had enough room for their vehicle too. That was the stop they had to reach today.
They were out of the safety zone when another sandblast happened right in front. It was a monster similar to the scaly one from before but this one was a different colour and shade.
And it was faster. The HMMWV would hit it if they continued at the same speed and Mark felt as if he would not be able to turn in time. This one was just too fast and the attack had been too sudden.
The tail of the monster moved at the same time Alan fired the shot. This time, it hit and the monster fell. It did not disappear but it did not move at all. That was all Mark could ask for at this point in time.
There were some more explosions but they did not concern him enough. He waved around them as Mark fired shots as best as he could. Some hit while some did not.
Curiously, Mark turned toward the teen to check up on him only to find him sweating and shivering. Obviously, the boy had not gotten over his problems fully but since he was able to shoot now, Mark felt he would be alright.
Really, the kid was extraordinary. Put into one of the worst conditions one could find themselves in and the kid was still performing extraordinarily.
Mark once again turned his attention toward the front but a sand-filled attack toward him blinded his vision enough to not know where to go. The sand quickly drained away from the front glass due to the wipers but a huge shadow emerged right in front of them.
The tail made contact with the ground too close to his side for comfort as he made a quick turn toward the side. The moment was sudden enough to jerk everyone in the vehicle and did enough to break Alan's concentration from behind them.
"What's wrong-" the teen started as he turned around. Then, with a moment too sudden to be a coincidence, the shot was fired and the monster's body fell on the side.
"Be careful where you shoot him" Mark called out as he barely avoided the falling body. The teen did not reply but just turned back to shooting. Somehow, the shots in front felt much more accurate and dangerous.
The atmosphere itself seemed to have morphed into a serious one and it sent chills down Mark's back. He drove fast, almost over 100 km limit while the teen shot down the obstacles in their path.
When they finally reached their destination, Mark allowed himself to relax.
"It's alright now. We're safe here" the kitten seemed to perk up at his words as she dashed around the place but never left the cave. She was either really smart or could sense the danger outside.
Alan finally came down but he collapsed with a groan as soon as he relaxed and the teen's body crashed into the seat below.