It took about 10 minutes for the group to reach the top before finally all their eyeballs were assaulted with a harsh light. A few seconds later their eyes recovered and Caspian could finally see again. The sun was slowly starting to rise in the distance as the rays of light bathed the empty husk of a once vibrant city.
"How is there sunlight I thought the earth was covered" asked Caspian confused.
"You're such a dumbass" spoke Toru out rolling her eyes before she started to walk down the city road.
"The pyramid is kind of see through it still allows sunlight, oxygen, and weather phenomena to come through it the alien invaders didn't want us to die to quickly" answered Hope a cold look in her eyes.
"I see" responded Caspian softly.
The group then started to walk through the city following a map Toru had in her hands.
"So, the area we have to explore is the city mall I didn't even know it was still standing" spoke Toru to herself.
"What can we get there?" asked Valentine.
"Obviously, new clothes!" answered Hope flicking her hair behind her.
"No dumbass we can get a lot from it if it hasn't been looted yet" answered Toru a irk mark on her head hearing Hope's answer.
Caspian was ignoring the current conversation and was looking at the city. The buildings were scorched pitch black as charred bones were laying everywhere. Blood puddles and splatters were painting the black tar road a dark shade of red. Ripped clothes and ripped toys were laying in the puddles floating away meaninglessly.
"Are you ok Caspian?" asked Valentine seeing the teen wordlessly stare at the carnage.
"They couldn't find any shelter probably and got picked off by the veg mutants" said Hope also looking at the bones and blood.
"It's a shame," said Caspian.
"Mmhm" said Valentine a solemn on her face.
The teen arrived at the mall minutes later and saw that it was boarded up with pieces of metal and ply wood.
"I don't see any open entrances" mused Caspian aloud as he looked around.
Toru released a "Tch" before taking her knife out and changing it to cooking mode.
"I'll just make an entrance!" roared Toru as she sliced the boarded-up door causing it to collapse.
Once the door opened, they saw it was pitch black no light could be seen.
"I can't see a thing" said Hope as she squinted her eyes.
"I got just the thing!" said Valentine happily as she put her backpack on the floor and rummaged around in it.
"Aha!" stated Valentine as she took out 4 yellow flash lights.
"I've come prepared!" shouted the girl happily.
"Well done, Valentine" stated Toru as she took one of the flash lights and pressed the back seeing that it turned the light on.
"We will split up in teams of two that way we can explore the mall faster." said Toru bumping into Hope's shoulder.
"You're with me big rack" seethed Toru.
"Wait isn't this a bad idea!" said Valentine concerned.
"Just don't die simple as that" stated Toru like it was obvious.
The two girls then walked in the dark mall soon being engulfed in the abyss.
"That is probably the worst advice I've ever heard" muttered Caspian to himself before he rested a hand by his roll.
"Activate: Chef knife" said the teen only for the handle to shoot out the glowing knife roll.
The teen took the knife out and changed it into cooking mode resting it on his shoulder.
"C'mon Val lets go" spoke Caspian taking one of the reaming flashlights in his left hand and turning it on.
"Right!" answered the girl scared.
Once they were inside the mall, they saw nothing, they could only see where ever the beam of light produced from their flashlights pierced the darkness.
"So... So scary" muttered Valentine as she clung to Caspian's back looking around frantically.
Caspian focused all his attention on his senses so that nothing could get them but the looming darkness was too much it felt like the ocean crushing them under the deep pressure. Just then a clang sound caused them both to jump up scared. Valentine looked at her feet and saw she had by accidently kicked a can of beans.
"Oh, that was just me" breathed Valentine out relieved.
"Where did you come from though" mused Caspian to himself as he started to look around them that's when his eyes landed on it.
A massive built in super market was right next to them. Its windows were shattered and blood stains coated the walls.
"Let's check it out" stated Caspian as he walked slowly towards it.
Eh? Don't we have enough food at base?" asked Valentine confused.
"You can never have too much food" muttered Caspian as they both walked in the market.
As the duo arrived in the market, they could see that people had obviously ransacked it before. Empty containers lay about on the floor spilling their contents.
"Hmmm if memory serves me right in every local market the canned goods are in isle 5" spoke Valentine out.
Caspian nodded his head and they walked down the isle numbers but just as they arrived Caspian stopped mid step and his body froze up.
"What's u..." started Valentine only for Caspian to hold a finger by his lips indicating to be quiet.
When Valentine walked softly next to Caspian her eyes widened to the size of saucers as she quickly clasped her hands over her mouth blocking the involuntary scream traveling its way up out her body. There standing facing a row of items stood a lanky figure. It had an extremely malnutritional body as its bones could be seen protruding from its pale green skin. Four lankly arms were hanging from its torso almost dragging on the floor, three clawed fingers were twitching on the ground causing a loud scratching noise to echo through the building. Its lankly legs were bent at a weird angle like a grasshopper's as it kept the figure standing up right. It had an oval shaped head that bent slightly backwards as a tuff of brown hair jetted out like pins from its head. Its head and neck were a pale white as the color stopped at about its upper chest. A pair of black eye sockets were present on its head as a hungry mouth with rows of shark teeth stained black.
"Spring Onion" muttered Valentine softly her tone shaking.
The duo slowly backed away from the isle only to hear a crash next to them, they both froze up and slowly looked to the left seeing another spring onion sat in front of them. It was looking right at them as its face was in a massive grin red blood was dropping down from its mouth as it slowly brought its one hand up. As the teens eyes slowly moved to the creatures hand their heart nearly jumped out their chest. Holding up a decapitated head of some random man the creature's fingers were dug deeply in it.
"Food" spoke the creature out in a raspy high pitch tone before releasing a shrill laugh.
The next few seconds was a blur for Valentine as she suddenly felt a strong push moving her to the side as a plume of dust was erupted where they just stood. After the girl slowly sat up, she looked at the cloud and saw Caspian stand there with his chef knife up blocking a claw strike from the Spring Onion. Caspian gritted his teeth as the creature released another shrill laugh and launched its other three hands like a coiling snake past Caspian's knife. His eyes widened as the claws hit his jacket launching him backwards through multiple isles causing loud crashes to echo.
"CASPIAN!" shouted Valentine only to suddenly stop as she slowly looked to her left and saw both Spring onions were looking right at her.
They both released another shrill laugh like a hyaena's before they slowly walked towards the girl. The one Spring Onion kicked the decapitated head towards Valentine who screeched in fear as she quickly crawled away not wanting the head to touch her. As the girl looked at the head, she soon covered her mouth before some bile came bursting out her mouth which she quickly moved to the side releasing all her breakfast. She shakenly wiped her mouth before her eyes rolled to the back of her head making her eyes white indicating she passed out. Valentine's body soon crumbled as she layed passed out on the floor the Spring Onions still laughing slowly stalked towards the girl.
"Get away from her!" shouted Caspian as he appeared next to the two.
He had some blood stains on his uniform from the claw strikes but the chef jacket had prevented serious damage from occurring. Wisps of purple flames escaped his body as he appeared in front of the two. His right foot was suddenly caught ablaze with purple and black flames as he performed a round house kick right on the spring Onions head. The sound of bone crunching could be heard as the one Spring onion was launched away like a rocket outside the market.
"Knife Skill One: Jullien!" carried Caspian on not missing a beat.
His arms turned to a blur for a second before he slowly brought his knife down. The Spring onion was suddenly launched in the air as it was cut into five perfectly symmetrical cuts only to explode in green stripes causing purple blood to rain down on the teen.
"M... My first kill" muttered Caspian to himself as his hands shook.
"Ah Valentine!" the teen quickly shouted as he turned around and saw that the girl was unharmed.
"If I was any slower" spoke the teen out to himself slowly only for his body to go rigid.
From deeper in the market an entire symphony of shrill laughing could be heard.
"Shit is this a nest or something?" shouted Caspian to himself as he quickly put the flashlight in his mouth as he rested his knife on the floor.
He then picked Valentine up in a piggy back style as he rested an arm underneath her keeping her up. Caspian the picked his knife up and started to run out the market.
"I won't let you die Valentine" thought the teen to himself as he ran through the darkness holding Valentine up as best, he can.
Behind him bursting out from the Market was hordes of Spring onions which kept laughing like they had heard the funniest thing under the sun. Before their heads snapped a complete 180 degrees hearing Caspian's feet slowly get further away. The Spring Onion Caspian had kicked away sat up like a puppet whose string were pulled up and its grin had turned into a sneer.
"Get" uttered the creature out raspy.