Everything was going smoothly according to Dave's plan as Phil's [Super Mic] left the zombies utterly devastated from the discomforting sound that permeated their hearing. In this moment of disorientation and in tandem with the end of Phil's attack, Dave led the gym people forward for a last assault that would guarantee their escape from this place. It would only get tougher for them if they remained in a close space battling creatures whose strongest trait is their strength in numbers.
Remaining within this enclosed space of the gym spelt imminent death for every single one of them. As much as they would try to delay it, it was still bound to happen regardless, if they did not escape. Dave charged head first, smashing a dumbbell into the head of the first zombie that stood in his path and turning its head into a messy paste as he tore through the rest with the help of the others until they reached the door before smashing through it to come out outside.
"Oh… my… God…" one of them expressed as their jaws nearly struck the floor.
The outside world was a mess and it looked like they even had it easier inside the gym than outside. Everywhere was chaotic and people ran for their lives. The brave ones stood and fought for their survival since running was practically futile if you lacked strength. Sooner or later, you will run out of stamina or run into an enemy. Without an appropriate level of strength to protect yourself, you'd be slain mercilessly.
Dave swallowed as he looked around. He had zoned out, his gaze sharply focused on the dystopic world he was looking at. This was a sharp contrast from the colourful world that he remembered. Dave panicked but he had enough control over himself to still think through his situation. Naturally, he would feel sharp pangs of anxiety and fear for his survival considering that no one on their planet had experienced this sort of thing before. They didn't know what to do and had to figure it out as they went along.
Dave clenched his fists so tightly that his nails were nearly buried into his palms as he gritted his teeth, bitterly swearing in his heart to kill whoever was behind this chaos that he was forced to watch. He didn't care who or what they were or where they were, Dave swore to find them and make them pay for using them like a plaything.
"Hey, Dave! What's the plan?" Phil spoke into his ear as he shook him back to reality.
Dave realised himself and looked at his friend, gaping at him momentarily before Phil asked his question again. Dave turned back to see the rest of the guys before setting his eyes on Phil again. What plan? This was clearly the end. They were buddies at the gym, but it was obvious that the current situation was all man for himself. As much as moving together would help, it also had its disadvantages, considering that zombies abundantly roamed this part of the city. Just one victim was enough to end the entire group.
Dave exhaled and shook his head. "I have no plans, Phil," he said as he put his hand on Phil's shoulders before counting, "the only thing I want to do right now is find my sister. Nothing else matters to me. I need to be sure that she is alive and okay."
The group looked at each other, thinking whether it was a good idea to follow Dave or find their own ways. It was clear that nothing was going to change Dave's mind about his desire to find Cassie and they understood why he did so. Cassie was his flesh and blood, the only living relation he had in the world. Certainly, he was not going to let her go just like that and even if Cassie was presumably dead, Dave would surely want to confirm this with his own two eyes.
"I'm sorry, guys but I can't continue with you," one of them finally spoke up, offering a contrary statement. "It's too risky. I don't even know the type of monsters we will run into in that part of the city and if they are stronger than these zombies, we are finished."
As he spoke, most of them standing around felt an ice-cold sweat trickle down their spines as their minds froze, contemplating and calculating the chances of survival if they stood by Dave and followed him. Moving as a group was a great option. However, the uncertainty that lay in the near future was too heavy a cost for them to bear.
Dave gave him a slight nod of understanding. "I understand, Trent. I don't blame anyone who doesn't wish to come with me but I have to go and find my sister."
After Dave said this, he abandoned the group and started running in the direction that would lead him to Cassie's school. The journey was quite far and he was not exactly at the peak of his physicality. How he could still move was purely powered by his willpower to save Cassie whatsoever. As Dave ran through the city, he dodged the zombies and creatures as much as he could while also searching for a vehicle to make his journey faster. The ones he couldn't evade, he was forced to fight. Thanks to the harnessing of spiritual energy, he could handle his own.
Dave's ability was one that he didn't completely fathom how it worked and he wasn't even sure yet what it could do. The one thing he could say was that there was a condition he had seen as he read through the ability description, and this condition he was yet to fulfil. Thinking about it made his head ache as he knew it would take a bit of time to accomplish but Dave still needed to understand just what his ability could do.
For now, his strength, coupled with the boost that came from the blessing of spiritual energy, could sustain him. However, for how long was it going to last before it became inactive? Dave didn't want to wait until the dying minute before mastering his ability since it might just be too late then.
Dave ran as fast as he could, regret washing over him as he was not moving at top speed. Had he known that such a thing was going to happen today, Dave would probably have visited the gym earlier. He was a sorry bag of exhaustion but if it was for Cassie, he was more than willing and ready to put his body through hell to get to her.
'Please stay safe till I arrive, Cassie. Hang in there.'