I threw open my door and Zane did the same, though he still had a bandage over his gunshot wound. His wound had been a slight graze from a .50 BMG round. Otherwise he would only be using a handgun, and he would have lost a lot more blood and maybe his whole arm.
There were 15 more Zombies coming. They all ran towards us in a frenzy, bumping into each other and slamming each other to the ground to see who could get to us first, like rabid dogs. We both raised our rifles and breathed in deeply.
'It's time to shoot.'
We both squeezed our triggers at the same time. BANG. BANG. BANG…
They all lay dead, and the smell of gunpowder was in the air. I didn't have time to think. I started running in the opposite direction. The nearest corpse had fallen 10 yards away from where we had been shooting.
In one second, I took three steps. Second two; I took four steps. Second three; I took five steps. Second four and five; I threw myself into the bed of my truck and I covered my eyes. Second six; all hell broke loose.
There was a continuous flash of light followed by a stream of lightning blasts. It sounded like Zeus himself had thrown his thunderbolts at us.
ZZZZZTT. ZZZZZTT. ZZZZZTT…
The truck rolled over and I bit the ground hard. My rifle crunched underneath me and I skidded along the concrete, but the truck had kept clear of my body. My eyes were open, but I almost wished they were not. I felt pain all over my body.
'ARE YOU THAT WEAK? GIVE INTO YOUR ANGER. I WILL ERASE YOUR PAIN.'
There it was, the voice of the dead. The voice that would drag me down to hell. Perhaps another might have embraced it, but I did not want to go to hell.
'Get out of my head! I don't want your anger. I don't want to be consumed by it.'
I picked myself off the ground and I left my broken AR-15 there. I moved my hand down to my hip. I still had my Glock and no bones were broken.
I looked around for Zane. I saw him slowly picking himself out of the ditch. He had been more lucky or simply smarter in where he had thrown himself. He was not injured and his AK-47 was fully pristine.
I glanced back down the road. The truck had flipped over fully twice, but had landed back on its wheels. Several of the windows were shattered, but it seemed fine otherwise.
'The engine had better start when I turned the keys.'
I nodded to Zane. "I'm going to check and see if the truck still runs. Cover me."
I went to the car and as I was about to open the door, I noticed that the locking mechanism was destroyed and the door was bent on its hinges.
'The door is permanently open, whatever.'
I moved the door aside and sat on the driver's seat. As I turned the keys, I heard a delightful sound. The engine started. I smiled and yelled out to Zane. "YEAA BABY!"
He grinned and then turned away.
I stepped out from the truck and then hurried to him. "Let's gather the stones. If I am right, these things are the key to surviving this apocalypse and even thriving in it. Just know that as you absorb one, it will try to anger you. Do not give into the anger, or it will consume you."
He nodded. "Alright, I understand."
There were 22 stones in all. Zane started by touching his stone. As soon as he did, he fell unconscious on the ground. I followed his example and touched my own that lay in one of the blackened craters.
I did not fall unconscious onto the ground. Instead, I saw a green light rise from the stone and fly into my head. I felt pain, and I heard a small voice in my head, but it was just that, small. I blocked the voice, and I ignored the pain. I looked at the green window that popped up in front of me.
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You have consumed a Mana stone and have gained 5 Mana.
Note, to gain levels, you must kill your enemies with a traditional weapon like a sword, bow, or knife.
Travis Scott: Level 1. Formation tier Awakener.
Vitality → 1 // Strength → 1 // Agility → 1 // Stamina → 1 // Mana → 6
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I frowned at the words. I hadn't gained any experience because it had wanted me to kill the Zombies with a sword. I clenched my fist in annoyance.
The Glock that was in my hand gave way to my hand and fired. BANG. There was a hole in the ground in front of me where the bullet had dug.
I was purely dumbfounded at the strength flowing through my body. I instantly wanted to touch another of the stones.
'You know, maybe I don't need a gun anymore. I was right to say that we should not stay inside. Others would have come and torn open our door. The bunker will soon be just a convenient hole and we will need manpower to guard it.'
I moved to the next glowing stone and I put my hand on it. It was warm. That warmth flowed into my body, and I felt strengthened. I continued on to six more stones.
___________________________
You have consumed six Mana stones and have gained 30 Mana.
Note, to gain levels, you must kill your enemies with a traditional weapon like a sword, bow, or knife.
Travis Scott: Level 1. Formation tier Awakener.
Vitality → 1 // Strength → 1 // Agility → 1 // Stamina → 1 // Mana → 36
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I felt a surge of energy so powerful from deep within me, that I felt like I could knock a tree down with my arm.
'I'm going to wait to absorb the rest. I don't want to take more than I can bite off in one sitting.'
I heard a sound from behind me. Zane stood up. He looked at me strangely. There was anger in his eyes. Green light flickered in and out as if he hadn't quite made up his mind to become a Zombie. He yelled at me.
"The stone showed me what you did. You knocked me out and killed Lauren! You did not let me try to save her! You told me not to become angry, but I have."
I shook my head. "I should have told you. You know she was going to become a Zombie. I saved your life and I did what you could not do. I took that burden off your shoulder."
His eyes still flickered in a green light. He screamed and ran at me. His movements seemed slow. I ran up to him quite fast, and I brushed his legs out from under him. He fell to the ground and I put my clenched fist over his face. As I was about to crush his face, my green window appeared in front of me.
___________________________
Quest → Zane Scott is turning into a Zombie! Kill him or spend 10x the Mana he has running rampant in his body to alleviate his condition. Spend 50 Mana or kill him.
Reward: 1 level.
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I did not have 50 Mana, but there were still 14 Mana stones around me. I dashed over to each one and I quickly consumed all 14 of them. A green window appeared in front of me again.
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You have consumed 14 Mana stones and have gained 70 Mana.
Note, to gain levels, you must kill your enemies with a traditional weapon like a sword, bow, or knife.
!WARNING! You have too much Mana! The Mana will begin to eat away at your body. Make sure you have a more balanced point distribution, or you will die.
Travis Scott: Level 1. Formation tier Awakener.
Vitality → 1 // Strength → 1 // Agility → 1 // Stamina → 1 // Mana → 106
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I felt my whole body burning. My skin was turning green with the rampant energy. I screamed out in pain as I ran back towards my brother. As I bent down and touched him, I willed the energy to enter into his body. I felt a great stress leave my body and then a green window appeared in front of me.
___________________________
Quest Completed! Reward → 1 level.
Level Up → You are now level 2!
Travis Scott: Level 2. Formation tier Awakener.
Vitality → 10 // Strength → 10 // Agility → 10 // Stamina → 10 // Mana → 56
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All of the pain I had felt vanished. I felt more balanced. My body could withstand the energy flowing in me and I could harness it easily.
'This is balanced strength!'
I turned to my brother. He was unconscious. I lifted him up and carried him to my truck. I started the truck and drove back towards the bunker.
'We have company coming. We need to be prepared.'