"Who are you?" Rush asked cautiously.
"Me, I'm..."
Grey didn't get the chance to finish as a looming figure surged forward with lightning speed, delivering a devastating punch that thundered into his side. The impact sent him skidding across the ground, gravel, and debris swirling in his wake.
"Nathan?" Rush exclaimed, seeing Nathan's arm already covered in rocks, his ability [Earth Gaunlet] activated.
He then turned towards the stranger to see the damage done. Yet, his jaw slackened when he witnessed the stranger casually dusting off his coat, completely unharmed.
The mysterious figure certainly wasn't normal, remaining unscathed by Nathan's blow. Even the monkey perched on his shoulder seemed untouched.
Then, as if that wasn't shocking enough, something strange happened. Without warning, Nathan's earth gauntlet began to fracture, small shards tinkling to the ground like raindrops.
In the split second Nathan had attacked, Grey had managed to counter with lightning speed using [Overcharge], which sent a shock through Nathan's arms, powerful enough to crack his earth gauntlet.
Rush sucked in a deep breath. How fast must Grey have moved to pull it off?
"Who is he?" Nathan asked, eyeing Grey warily. He could tell the figure in front of him wasn't ordinary.
Rush shook his head, indicating he had no idea.
"What an aggressive pair. You didn't even give me a chance to speak before launching an attack," Grey said.
"Tell me, are you a friend or foe?" Nathan asked cautiously. Though he didn't doubt Grey was human by the look, Nathan was still suspicious.
"Well, the answer to your question depends on how you treat me, and judging from what just happened, it seems you intend to make an enemy out of me."
Nathan, realizing Grey was misunderstanding, decided to apologize. If Grey were human, he would prefer making peace over fighting. He had attacked only because he saw Rush was in danger.
"We're sorry for the abrupt attack. We're just cautious. Besides, you attacked first."
"If my memory serves me right, he made the first move. I only reacted."
Rush, hearing this, furrowed his brow. He was pissed Grey read his intention so easily and rendered him helpless in one move.
"I felt threatened, so I responded. You should understand."
"I do," Nathan deactivated his power, causing his earth gauntlet to crumble and fall, scattering in shards. "We're in an apocalypse. We should work together, not fight pointlessly."
Grey nodded, accepting his plea for peace. It made sense not to engage in a meaningless scuffle.
"So, I take it you're both system users."
"Yes," Nathan replied, heartily relieved Grey didn't seem to hold any grudge.
He introduced himself and Rush, informing Grey about the people they had saved after realizing they could get stronger by killing zombies.
From what Grey had witnessed, he could tell Nathan was probably an earth element user, while Rush, who was acting grumpy, was an ice element user. He noticed other people watching from a distance, cautious of getting close as the mood had been rather tense earlier.
"Are they all system users?"
"Yes. My theory is that everyone who didn't turn into a zombie gets a system, which is why I'm helping everyone I can. Now with you here, I believe our chances of survival have increased, and together we can get through whatever this is. So, what do you say? Do you want to join us?"
Nathan didn't doubt Grey would agree, as he'd want the safety and security of being in a group. But he was far off. He didn't consider that not everyone was like him, willing to be a hero, and not everyone was normal, afraid of facing the unknown alone. There will be anomalies. And Grey was one of them.
"No. I refuse."
****
Back at the elevator, Pius, Michael, and Amy heard another voice when they sighed, indicating a fourth person was there with them.
"A ghost?" Amy asked in a shaky voice.
"I'm not a ghost," the invisible person said. Michael and Amy, startled by the voice, hid behind Pius. Pius raised his eyebrow, knowing instantly who the voice belonged to. Wendy then deactivated [Ghostwalk] and appeared out of thin air, much to the shock of everyone, especially Amy, who yelled.
"Shoot her!"
Michael just as shaken, raised his finger gun, pointing at Wendy, but she raised both hands in surrender.
"Sir... it's me, Wendy."
Michael paused, studying her face closely. There was no mistaking it—it was her. He remembered her as the charming receptionist he had often flirted with, but she had always rebuffed his advances.
Pius then intervened, gripping Michael by the wrist, and guiding his hand back down to his side.
"Calm down, dude. She's no threat."
"Have you lost your mind? Who are you calling DUDE?"
"Who indeed. We're in a freaking apocalypse, Mr. Michael. Your previous title doesn't mean shit," Pius said in a provocative tone.
He hated Michael's guts before all this, as Michael was arrogant, rich, and a womanizer who showed nothing but disregard for those lower than him. Now that there was no order, Pius could vent without consequences.
"You must be stupid to think this is an apocalypse. I'm sure the government will do something about things soon. When that happens, you'll see whether my titles mean shit or not."
"A baseless threat. I could just get rid of you and be done with it."
At this, Michael pointed his finger gun towards Pius's head.
"You two stop. We seriously can't be thinking about fighting right now," Amy said, remembering the same thing had happened with Grey and Greg. And that didn't end pleasantly.
She didn't understand why men were so hot-blooded, ready to fight at the tinest thing.
She then turned towards Wendy, who glared at her with a look she could only interpret as resentment.
"You... I can't believe you tried to encourage him to shoot me."
"I panicked. I am really sorry."
"If he had put a hole in my head, then I doubt your sorry would mean much."
"Okay, then I won't apologize. Next time, don't just appear out of nowhere in front of people on edge."
"It's how my abilities work. If I hadn't used them that way, I would have been food for those beasts."
"Then accept the apology and shut up!" Amy's voice sliced through the air, not knowing where her rage came from.
"Hey, don't talk to her like that," Pius interjected, but Wendy's retort was swift and sharp.
"You mind your business."
She didn't need his help to win an argument.
"You dare look away. You're asking for a hole in your head," Michael threatened.
"Try it, you bastard," Pius countered, his bat igniting with flames, but before the tension could escalate further, a commanding voice shattered the deadlock.
"What the hell are you all doing?"
This startled everyone causing them to freeze in their track.
They were so distracted they didn't realize the elevator had stopped. They saw three men staring at them, one wearing a distinct coat with a monkey on his shoulder. They were Nathan, Rush, and Grey.
"Grey?" Amy was about to call, but Wendy beat her to it as she yelled. She ran and jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I'm so glad you're alive," Wendy exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Right... Get off me," Grey said awkwardly, trying to get her off, but she wrapped her arms tighter, leaving Grey no choice but to let her hug him as she pleased.
Apollo knowing Grey could have broken free easily if he wanted, teased, "I didn't know your weakness was women."
"Shut up," Grey replied and turned to see Amy, who was glaring daggers at him, but she turned away quickly as soon as she saw Grey return the look.
"You're alive," Grey remarked.
"No thanks to you," Amy responded coldly. She was displeased as it didn't seem like Grey had bothered to look for her, and he was getting all comfy with someone she disliked.
Wendy reluctantly released Grey, her eyes narrowing into a fierce glare aimed squarely at Amy. In response, Amy's gaze hardened, matching Wendy's intensity.
Though no words were spoken, fiery sparks of animosity were exchanged between the two as if they had harbored hatred for one another for centuries.
Grey observed the standoff with confusion etched on his face.
He didn't understand what was going on, nor did he care.
His mind was elsewhere, feeling the primal urge to leave and return to his hunt for monsters.