Renee opened the door as quietly as she could, and she stepped out first with her nightshade viper swiftly poised and ready to release some bullets, remembering how her brother had taught her to use such weapons on countless occasions.
The morning sunlit brightened up the street, and the air was thick with an eerie silence, shattered only by the distant roars of monsters she was only beginning to perceive now.
The wonderful houses that were organized in rows, with their neatly manicured lawns and white picket fences, were now shattered signs of the ongoing post-apocalyptic invasion that occured last night – broken windows, scattered debris, and the distant echoes of monstrous lawn.
As she moved forward, abandoned bicycles and overturned trash cans hinted at the hasty retreat of residence, and Renee tried her best to hold on to her resolve, refusing to let the devastating sight fog her focus.
Her alarm was instantly raised when the mechanical voice of her system resonated in her head.
[System Alert]
[Monster detected: Warning! Hostile entities detected! Monsters presence imminent]
Scouting the area to detect where the monster was, Renee's body froze when the fog ahead revealed about six zombie monsters heading in her direction. Taking a deep breath, her fingers rested on the trigger as they ventured closer, their growls becoming more irritating and menacing.
Aiming for their head, she fired, and the electromagnetic pulses from her gun zapped through the air, neutralizing the incoming monsters. Each successful shot prompted a notification from her system.
[Monster defeated, exp points gained: +5]
[Monster defeated, exp points gained: +5]
[Monster defeated, exp points gained: +5]
Cyrus already made a dash for the car in the driveway, shooting at the monsters that no longer dragged themselves, but were running towards his direction with a loud, ear-splitting screech. He shot the zombie, silencing its angry wail, and when he made it to the car, he inserted the key and started the engine.
The soft hum of the car broke through the hungry growls of the zombies, and as expected, the sound of the car engine had drawn their attention, almost similar to spotting a flash of lightning in a dark gloomy sky. As Renee continued to shoot while backing away from the vicious monsters, her brother skillfully maneuvered the car towards her, opening her seat.
"Get in!"
With a subconscious motion, Renee holstered her gun and gracefully joined her brother in the driver's seat, shutting the door. The engine roared to life, drawing attention of the monsters at distant places, and Cyrus reversed the car into the street, running into the monsters with his vehicle and gaining exp points for himself.
He stepped on the accelerator pedal, steering into the street until he managed to eventually get the monsters away from his view. Looking back, he could finally breathe when the distance between the running monsters and their vehicle grew bigger.
"That was close." He faced the road, releasing a 'phew!' sound.
Renee looked out the window to see one of the twisted monsters keeping up, regardless of how abnormally its body was twisted. Reloading her gun, she brought her head out of the window and aimed it precisely at the monster, but at the last minute, her fingers hesitated on the trigger.
She knew that monster, when it was once human.
"This is for the best." She whispered.
With a heavy heart, she released the bullet, ending the monster's misery before sinking back to her seat.
[Monster defeated, exp points gained: +5]
"You alright?" Cyrus asked, but Renee had no strength to answer, so she gazed out the window instead.
The once peaceful suburb now looked like a street she failed to recognize. Street lights flickered sporadically, even though it was daytime, and a few of the poles looked bent, as if something, or someone had crashed into it.
As they approached the main city that was 55 km away from the suburbs, both siblings gazed in disbelief as the once vibrant city now lay in ruins. Graffiti-covered buildings towered over the cracked pavement, and high story buildings had crumbled to the grounds. The explosion they heard must have occurred at the main city, because it looked totally destroyed.
"What the hell happened here?"
Cyrus's jaw went tight with tension, but he focused his gaze on the road. He couldn't get distracted, his body system wasn't allowed to feel shaken presently, cause the dangers ahead are only just beginning. In order to keep his sister safe, he had to be the strong one amongst the two of them.
"Ah… shit!" He cursed inwardly.
Renee could feel tears cloud her vision as her eyes followed the former humans whose bodies were now twisted and contorted into a grotesque form. She watched as one of them paused to examine a shattered storefront, its inhumane eyes lingering on the remnants of a mannequin.
She might not know these people, but it was devastating having to watch them become what they weren't prepared for. Her heart ached as she realized that these monsters were once humans, filled with dreams and aspirations.
Now reduced to mindless predators, they roamed the streets aimlessly, a chilling reminder of the world that had crumbled around them.
Suddenly, these monsters, drawn like moths to a flame, turned their attention to the vehicle driving down the layne, the engines of the car piercing through the desolate street.
"Damn it!" Cyrus cursed underneath his tone as his system picked up danger signals, "hold on tight."
Panic gripped Renee's heart as the once-living beings now lurched towards the source of the sound, their growls intensifying. Cyrus's gaze grew alarming when he noticed the approaching horde closing in, running much faster than the previous ones he dealt with, and he pressed his foot on the accelerating pedal, pushing the car to its limit.
"What tha…" Cyrus's alarm shifted, "they're gaining on!"
The monsters clawed and stumbled as they chased, eager to reach the fresh blood sheltered inside the speeding vehicle. Were these zombies powered up with a different energy? Because they were faster than what he had anticipated.
"Hold on!!" In a frantic attempt to lose these monsters, Cyrus maneuvered the car, brushing aside the monsters and taking an agile turn through the subway. The adrenaline-fueled ride took a toll on the once smooth ride, jostling both siblings who were safely secured thanks to the seatbelt.
"They're coming. Cyrus! Look out!" Renee alerted her brother when he looked back. By the time he faced the road again, it was already too late, because the screeching sound of metal meeting an obstacle filled the air. The car came to an abrupt stop, the collision surrounded by a twisted wreckage, and there was instant silence.
The running monsters closed in, their grotesque form casting shadows over the wrecked car, and they leaned closer.