Chereads / Epoch's End: Genesis of Survival / Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Fragile Ties

Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Fragile Ties

The group crouched low by the window, their breaths shallow as they watched the armed survivors outside. The figures moved with purpose, sweeping their weapons across the street as though searching for something—or someone.

Sophia tightened her grip on the pipe she'd rested against her knee. "What do we do, Evan? If they're hostile, we're screwed."

Evan didn't respond immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the strangers, but his mind was elsewhere. The Genesis Framework hummed faintly in his consciousness, its presence steady and unyielding. He mentally accessed his status screen, a reflex that had become second nature.

---

Name: Evan Kane

Level: 1

Experience: 100/100

Attributes:

Strength: 9

Agility: 8

Endurance: 6

Intelligence: 9

Perception: 10

Skills:

Hand-to-Hand Combat: Basic (0%)

Improvised Weapons: Basic (20%)

Survival Instincts: Basic (15%)

Combat Reflexes: Basic (1%)

---

The screen shimmered, and a notification appeared:

"Level Up! Current Level: 2. All attributes increased by 10%."

Evan felt a rush of energy as his body adjusted to the change. His muscles tightened, his vision sharpened, and his thoughts seemed to flow more clearly.

---

Updated Attributes:

Strength: 10

Agility: 9

Endurance: 7

Intelligence: 10

Perception: 11

---

The difference wasn't drastic, but it was enough to give him an edge. He dismissed the screen and turned to the others.

"We wait," he said finally. "We don't know their intentions yet. Rushing out there could get us killed."

Maya glanced nervously at the strangers. "What if they come to us first?"

"Then we talk," Evan replied. "But we don't let our guard down."

Minutes dragged by like hours as the group watched the armed survivors. There were five of them, their faces obscured by scarves and hoods. They seemed well-prepared—rifles slung over their shoulders, machetes strapped to their belts, and backpacks that hinted at days spent scavenging.

One of them, a tall man with broad shoulders, motioned toward a nearby house. The group began moving in that direction, but a sudden movement caught their attention. A low growl echoed through the street, followed by the shuffling of infected emerging from an alleyway.

Evan tensed as the survivors raised their weapons. Gunfire erupted, loud and jarring in the stillness of the street. The infected dropped one by one, but the noise had drawn more of them. Shadows moved in the distance, accompanied by the telltale snarls of the horde.

"We can't stay here," Evan said, his voice firm. "If the infected keep coming, they'll find us too."

Sophia glanced at him. "So what's the plan? We can't exactly walk out there and introduce ourselves."

Evan hesitated, the Framework humming in his mind as though urging him forward. "We'll approach them. Carefully. If we stay hidden, we'll just look like threats when they do find us."

---

The group moved cautiously, exiting the house through the back door and circling around to the alley. Evan led the way, his knife gripped tightly in one hand. The Framework's guidance felt sharper now, its presence like a second set of instincts.

As they neared the street, Evan raised his hand, signaling the others to stop. He stepped out into the open, keeping his movements slow and deliberate.

"Hey!" he called out, his voice steady.

The survivors turned immediately, their weapons raised.

"Don't shoot!" Evan said, raising his hands. "We're not infected!"

A tense silence followed, broken only by the faint growls of distant infected. The tall man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward, his rifle trained on Evan.

"Who are you?" the man demanded, his voice rough.

"Survivors," Evan replied. "Same as you."

The man's gaze shifted to Sophia and Maya, who had stepped out cautiously behind Evan. "You don't look like much."

"Looks can be deceiving," Evan said evenly.

The man lowered his rifle slightly, though his posture remained tense. "Alright. You've got two minutes. Talk."

Evan introduced their group, keeping his explanation brief. He left out the details about the Genesis Framework and the shards, opting instead to focus on their shared situation.

"We're just trying to survive," Evan said. "Same as you. We don't want trouble."

The man nodded slowly. "Neither do we. But out here, trouble has a way of finding you whether you want it or not."

A woman in the group, her face partially hidden by a scarf, stepped forward. "What are you doing out here? This isn't exactly the safest neighborhood."

"We were scavenging," Sophia said, her voice firm. "Same as you."

The woman's eyes narrowed, but she didn't press further.

"We've been moving house to house," the man said. "Staying ahead of the infected. But they're getting smarter—hunting in groups, setting up ambushes. It's like they're evolving."

The words sent a chill through Evan. The infected he had fought so far had been mindless, driven purely by instinct. If they were evolving, that changed everything.

"What do you know about the infection?" Evan asked cautiously.

The man shook his head. "Not much. It spreads fast, and it's not just physical. Something's... wrong with their minds. Like they're connected to something bigger."

The group exchanged uneasy glances.

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of approaching infected. The tall man raised his rifle, motioning for his group to move.

"Looks like we're out of time," he said. "You should come with us. Safety in numbers."

Evan hesitated. Trusting strangers was risky, but so was staying put.

"We'll follow," Evan said finally. "But only for now."

The man nodded, though his expression remained guarded. "Fair enough. Name's Carter, by the way."

"Evan."

As the two groups moved quickly down the street, the tension between them was palpable. Every step felt like a gamble, every glance a test of trust.

As they approached a boarded-up building, Carter motioned for everyone to stop. "This is our next stop. It's been empty for weeks, but there's a basement that's secure enough to wait out the night."

The group entered cautiously, their footsteps echoing in the dim interior. The basement was dark and cramped, but it offered a semblance of safety.

As they settled in, Maya noticed something unusual in one corner of the room. A faint glow emanated from beneath a pile of debris.

"Evan," she whispered, motioning for him to come closer.

Evan knelt beside her, brushing away the debris to reveal another shard. Unlike the others, this one was larger and pulsing faintly with a strange energy.

The Genesis Framework activated immediately.

"E-level shard detected. Contains advanced skill: Enhanced Perception."

Evan's breath caught. This shard was unlike the others they had found—it was complete, ready to be used.

"What is it?" Carter asked, stepping closer.

Evan hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "It's... something we've been tracking. We're not sure what it does yet."

Carter's gaze lingered on the shard, his expression unreadable. "Looks dangerous."

"It might be," Evan replied, slipping the shard into his pocket.

As the group settled in for the night, the uneasy truce between them remained fragile. Evan couldn't shake the feeling that Carter and his group knew more than they were letting on—and he was certain they felt the same about him.

As he sat in the corner, his hand resting on the shard in his pocket, the Genesis Framework chimed softly in his mind.

"New objective: Unlock shard potential. Warning: Hostile presence detected."

Evan's eyes snapped open, his senses on high alert. From the darkness beyond the basement door came a faint, rhythmic tapping—like footsteps, but slower.

"We're not alone," Evan whispered, his voice tight.

Everyone froze, their eyes fixed on the door as the sound grew louder.

The rhythmic tapping from beyond the basement door grew louder, a deliberate cadence that sent a chill through the room. Everyone froze, their breaths caught in their throats. Evan's heart pounded as he locked eyes with Sophia and Maya. Even Carter and his group, so far projecting calm confidence, stiffened with tension.

"What is that?" Sophia whispered, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the pipe in her hands.

Evan didn't answer. He didn't need to. The familiar, guttural snarl that followed the tapping told him everything he needed to know.

"Infected," Carter said, his voice low but sharp. He motioned for his group to spread out, their weapons raised.

"Stay together," Evan said, stepping forward. His knife felt too small in his hand, but the Genesis Framework hummed in his mind, its presence like a steadying force.

The tapping stopped abruptly, replaced by silence so thick it seemed to press down on them. Then, with a deafening crash, the basement door buckled inward.

The creature that burst through the doorway was unlike any infected they had encountered before. Its frame was massive, its skin a mottled gray, stretched taut over bulging muscles. Veins of dark, pulsating energy coursed across its body, and its eyes glowed faintly with an unnatural light.

"What the hell is that?" Maya gasped, backing into the corner.

"Something we're not ready for," Carter muttered, leveling his rifle. He fired, the sound of gunshots deafening in the enclosed space.

The bullets struck the creature, but they barely seemed to faze it. The infected staggered slightly, but its glowing eyes locked onto Carter, and with a guttural roar, it charged.

"Scatter!" Evan yelled, his voice cutting through the chaos.

The group scrambled as the creature barreled through the room, smashing into crates and walls like a wrecking ball. Evan darted to the side, his reflexes sharper than ever as the Genesis Framework guided his movements.

"Threat detected: Mutated Host. Recommended action: Analyze patterns and exploit weaknesses."

Evan's mind raced. The Framework wasn't giving him any clear solutions, but he could feel its influence, subtly adjusting his body and sharpening his awareness.

"Aim for the legs!" Evan shouted, hoping to slow the creature down.

Carter's group opened fire, their bullets striking the creature's knees and ankles. It stumbled but didn't fall, its glowing veins flaring brighter as it roared in defiance.

Sophia swung her pipe at the creature's side, the impact reverberating through the room. Maya, clutching a makeshift spear she had fashioned from a broomstick, jabbed at its torso from a safe distance.

"We're barely hurting it!" Sophia shouted, dodging a wild swing of the creature's arm.

"We just need to hold it off!" Evan replied, his eyes darting toward the shard in his pocket.

The glowing shard seemed to pulse in time with Evan's heartbeat, its energy resonating with the Framework. He pulled it out, the light illuminating the dark room, and the Framework activated immediately.

"E-level shard detected: Enhanced Perception. Blood activation required to unlock."

Evan didn't hesitate. He pricked his thumb with the edge of his knife and let a drop of blood fall onto the shard. The light flared brightly, and he felt a surge of energy course through him.

"Skill unlocked: Enhanced Perception (E-level). Improvements to spatial awareness and threat analysis. Activation linked to Genesis Framework."

The room seemed to shift as the skill took effect. Every movement of the creature, every sound, every detail became clearer. Evan could see the way its muscles tensed before each attack, the slight delay in its swings.

"We can beat it," Evan said, his voice steady. "I just need you to trust me."

"Trust you?" Carter barked, reloading his rifle. "You've got some explaining to do, kid."

"Not now!" Evan snapped. "Focus on keeping it distracted. I'll handle the rest."

Carter hesitated but gave a curt nod. "Fine. Just don't get us killed."

Evan moved with precision, his enhanced perception allowing him to predict the creature's movements. He darted forward, slicing at its legs and dodging its retaliatory swings with ease.

"Skill Progression: Enhanced Perception (E-level, 1% → 3%)."

"Keep hitting it!" Evan shouted. "It's starting to slow down!"

The group redoubled their efforts, striking at the creature from every angle. The bullets, pipes, and makeshift weapons began to take their toll, but the infected was far from finished.

As the fight raged on, the creature grew more erratic, its movements wild and unpredictable. It lunged toward Maya, who stumbled backward with a yelp.

Evan's heart lurched. He sprinted forward, his enhanced perception guiding him as he threw himself between Maya and the creature. The knife in his hand glinted in the shard's light as he prepared to strike.

"Get out of here!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Maya hesitated, her eyes wide with fear, but Sophia grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "Come on! He'll handle it!"

The creature roared, its glowing eyes locked onto Evan. He gritted his teeth, his mind focused entirely on the fight. The Framework chimed in his mind, its cold voice steady and precise:

"Critical threat. Optimal strategy: Exploit weakened structural points."

Evan shifted his stance, his grip tightening on the knife. The room fell silent for a moment, the tension thick enough to cut.

And then the creature charged.