As Leo ran through the desert towards town, he was kicking himself in his mind, 'What the hell was that?! I'll be back?! What a fuckin ridiculous thing to say! Arrgghhh!! So fuckin cringe!!'
Despite his newfound Chad appearance and the fact that he had lived an entire lifetime already, a million to be exact, Leo still couldn't stop himself from letting his inner nerd slip out every once in a while.
It's like people always say, "People never really change, they just mask who they are to blend in."
The more time that Leo spent with Robin and Amber, the more comfortable he became with acting like his original and true self, but he had still tried to restrain himself at least a little bit.
But the sudden attack by Robin had caught him off guard and he had lowered his 'defenses' enough where he let slip the movie quote.
As Leo fought his inner demons and ran through the desert, the sun slowly began to peak over the horizon at his back and illuminated his way forward.
Whenever an animal would try to take a swipe at him as he passed by, he made sure to give it a quick jab with the bowie knife he had strapped to his side so he could gain what little experience they provided.
The closer Leo got to town the more oppressive the atmosphere became.
Since he and the sisters were so far removed from anyone else, Leo had started to let it slip from his mind just how bad things were in the town.
Today was day 5 of the apocalypse and the people who were too scared to leave their homes at the start, were now beginning to run low on food and were being forced to venture outside.
When they reached the grocery stores or convenience stores however, they would quickly realize that almost everything had already been swiped by someone more brave or more malicious.
Now people were starting to target each other for food and supplies.
If a person was lucky, they could either borrow from friends or trade with someone who wanted something of equal or greater value.
If they were unlucky or lived in a more lawless part of town, then they would be forced to trade away far more than the food was worth.
In the most severe cases, some women would even sell their bodies for food and water for their families.
If a person was smart though, they would leave the town and hunt.
Even though that was the best choice, not everyone had the balls to face down an animal that was salivating at the idea of killing them.
The only saving grace for most people, was that the government had announced that they would serve a single meal at dinner time every day.
Obviously, the citizens had demanded for more, but the government claimed that there was a lack of food and that was all they could provide.
Of course, from experience, Leo knew that wasn't true.
In a few weeks, someone would end up killing one of the members of the logistics department of the local government that handed out food out of anger and desperation.
After the man died, hundreds if not thousands of pounds of food would suddenly appear around his body as it was dumped from his inventory.
At that point, the government lost what little credibility it had left, and lawlessness would reign supreme in the area.
Over the later years of his 'first' life, Leo would look back on his time in town and marvel at the levels of savagery that some people resorted too in order to survive.
Leo could remember reading countless online novels where commentors would scream in the comment section, 'That makes no sense! Why would he kill that person just for a loaf of bread?!'
'Why wouldn't he save that person if he has the strength?!'
'I would have done this, that, and the other if I was in that situation!'
'Oh, I would have fought this way and won in a single strike!'
Every time he thought back on it, he laughed.
No one could possibly know how they would react if their lives were on the line or if they were so hungry it felt like their body was eating itself from the inside out.
Truly desperate times would inevitably lead people to perform truly desperate actions.
Leo had seen adults killing kids for a single can of beans.
He had watched women get pulled into dark allies to satisfy some pent-up assholes sick desires.
Watched as friends turned on friends and even family turn on family.
It was precisely why he would not save his mother. Leo had no doubt that his mother would do whatever she needed to survive, even if that meant harming him.
'But you have the strength to fight her off!' Leo imagined them saying.
Just because you have the strength doesn't resolve the emotional trauma that comes with a betrayal.
Thinking about everything only reaffirmed Leo's determination to live this life how he wanted, despite what other people may or may not think of him.
He never wanted to be a hero to anyone in this life, but meeting the sisters and knowing what they would become for him, he didn't mind being a hero for them.
Which is why he had given Robin and Amber the chance to ask for his help and why he had agreed to it despite his personal beliefs.
As Leo saw the edges of town slowly come into view, he discarded the last remnants of his wandering thoughts and focused on the task at hand.
Since Leo had not followed the road or any established path, he was able to slip into the outskirts of town without encountering anyone.
Rather than slow down his pace and not draw attention to himself, Leo continued at full speed through the streets.
Occasionally he would pass by someone walking down the streets or sitting lifelessly on the steps to a building, but he paid them no mind.
Even if he did draw attention to himself, there was nothing that anyone could do to him at this point unless they fired a rocket directly at him.
Even bullets would barely manage to break his skin at that point and wouldn't cause any serious damage.
Thinking back on his encounter with the police and residents, Leo chuckled at the look on the policemen's face when they shot him, and he barely took any damage.
After running at full speed for a dozen or so minutes, Leo finally reached the main entrance to the college campus and came to a stop.
Looking up at the gates of the school, Leo couldn't help but think to himself, 'Never thought I'd be coming back here... let alone so soon.'
Spending a few seconds taking in the nostalgia, Leo pushed through the gates and started to jog in the direction of the dorms.
Luckily, the college was designed less than a decade ago and all of the dorms were situated in one singular location so his search would not have to be spread out over a large area.
After jogging his way over to the dorms and reaching their entrance, Leo was suddenly surrounded by a group of young men, not much older than he was.
Some of them must have recognized him because just moments after they had surrounded him, they all yelled simultaneously,
"""It's you!!"""