Chapter 66

They had lunch with the people they had rescued. And the whole time, Daniel’s mind raced, going over what had happened. Priscilla was downstairs keeping watch on level twenty-one, but that was a stalemate.

Ivey was doing the rounds, and Tamara sat next to him while he was lost in thought.

He had stuffed up rushing onto level twenty-nine when the zombies had broken into the first room. It was possible that if he had delayed, others would have died, but it was equally probable that a slower systematic approach would have saved the same number of people.

He had panicked; it was the only explanation. The shock of realising that they had switched to breaking into rooms had unhinged him. He had imagined them cleaning one room and then going straight to the next room filled with humans and slaughtering them. That had been the thoughts rolling through his head and they were ridiculous. There had been time to go slowly.

Why? Why couldn’t he just be more like Beau? Why was he taking so much responsibility? He did not know these people. Sure, numbers would help fight stuff outside the tower, but they were just resources, and he needed to remind himself of that. Resources were not worth dying over. It was harsh, and he winced internally thinking it, but . . . it was a new world. People were going to die.

Tamara nudged him.

With a jerk, he kept eating the food on his plate. Janice was talking in excited tones with Zara, and fortunately, the kid seemed unaffected by her brush with death.

She was alive, and Daniel was practical enough to acknowledge that the girl had probably saved them all. Having someone available who could soak up a mortal blow had saved at least one life because if that speed zombie had gone straight at him or anyone else . . . and if he had died, then it would have been all of them.

He needed to use the kids more.

It sounded terrible in his head, but it was the truth. Dimly, he wondered what Trudy would think if she knew he was thinking about using her children as sacrificial lambs.

Daniel shut his eyes. It was wrong. Normal men and women did not use kids as bait, but it just made so much sense. If they could not be hurt, then it meant they would stop someone else from getting injured, and that was important. After all, if that speed zombie had targeted Carly instead, there would be a different outcome.

Another subtle shove from Tamara.

“I am okay.”

“You don’t look like it.”

He smiled sadly, not bothering to put on a show.

“I am sure you are scared, overwhelmed.”

“I am not scared,” he objected.

“Dan, we are all scared.”

He hesitated. “I am petrified of failing and making a mistake and everyone here dying.”

Tamara hesitated a moment. “Maybe instead of thinking about what you could have done better, focus on what you did right.”

“Nothing.”

“Without you, we are all dead or starving in our rooms. Instead, we are building something.”

Ivey came over and sat next to him and leaned her head on his shoulders. Tamara discreetly got up and wandered away, and Daniel half wanted to follow her. Their conversation was not finished or at least that is what he told himself.

“You scared me.” Ivey whispered to him.

“I stuffed up.”

There was a nod on his shoulder. “Next time, consult. Discuss before running off.”

“Yeah, I panicked.”

“Anyway, we survived. Saved people, but no rest for the capable. Floor twenty-one, hey.” She tried to sound positive, like words alone could lift their spirits.

“Yep.”

“And if that goes smoothly, I think we should clear twenty-two and three,” Ivey continued.

“Why?”

A small shrug. “The experience is welcome; we can do it safely, and there are bigger enemies out there.”

“Sounds sensible.”

“Plus, you need the cores.”

He winced slightly at that. He had already decided that he would not open up anything new. Telekinesis, Speed, Earth Armour, and Strength were the only skills he would target. Dave was using ice, but ultimately, he needed speed and strength as well, and luckily, they were the most common.

“Did you take them all?”

“Yes, apart from the ones that went to Dave.” And the Hulk ones, but he left that second part unsaid. He would direct those to his weapon crafting.

“We need more bows.” Ivey said finally.

“Really?”

“Yeah, there were three archers among the most recent survivors.”

“That is a lot. But why? I mean why take archery-based skills. Are they all stupid? Or eccentric and just did not think about arming themselves?”

“Give them a break.”

“Why? It is moronic.”

“Daniel, they probably thought the class would magic a bow for them, or they would survive long enough to make one. This nightmare”—she gestured widely to encompass the world—“was worse than we expected. But most importantly, they took a combat class.”

“True.” Try as he might, Daniel could not fault that logic. At least they had taken a combat class.

“And you have met Ingrid,” Ivey continued, still whispering.

“She was deadly.”

“Level nineteen somehow, and now that she has a bow, she is a great addition. Three more like her will be enormous.”

Daniel whistled and imagined those exploding arrows. Four Ingrids coordinating properly could stop a zombie charge by themselves.

“None are as powerful as her,” Ivey continued. “But the lowest level is sixteen.”

“Why am I only fourteen?”

“Are you really?”

Her hands were hooked around his arm, and he checked his level as she allowed her interface to engage. Once more, there was a brief transfer of her superficial thoughts. It was the same as previously, physical attraction—that was nice—appreciation for his hard work, but an edge of disdain because he was only a farmer.

She felt intellectually superior to him. It had flowed through in their interactions and this weird bonding that happened when they connected just brought the problem forward. The relationship probably would have crumbled over time, or maybe if they had had a proper chance, that prejudice would have naturally faded. He was sure she had caught some of his sadness in return. Three days into the Armageddon, and it was clear the relationship was doomed.

Not that it mattered; there was no time for romance anyway.

“Level seventeen,” he told her as he read through the limited information. “Looks like a plus one to Strength and Agility and probably a point in Perception, Learning, or Magic Skill, as those are question marks.”

“Skills.”

He checked and nothing had changed. “No new skills.”

She dropped her hands and then looked down at her lap.

“I am sorry,” she said finally. “I don’t think you are stupid. It is more how I feel about everyone till they prove otherwise.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” she said, looking up at him, and he could see her fierce resolve that let her broach this subject reflected in her inquisitive brown eyes. “I think without this, we would have been a good couple. It just feels unfair. I always—she grimaced—“think poorly of everyone initially, and it never bothered me because it was in the safety of my brain.”

Daniel hesitated, at a loss for what to say. How could enforced emotional honesty be a problem? In some ways, it was a blessing, but sometimes a spotlight was not beneficial.

“Maybe no more sharing for a while. Give us a chance of something approaching normality.” Ivey smiled happily at that idea, but deep down, Daniel knew the resolve would not hold. If he had a choice of establishing a normal relationship or finding out about internal power than he needed, he knew which one he was always choosing.

From the way Ivey’s expression changed, she must have arrived at the same conclusion. “Come on. Let’s kill stuff.”

“Ah, a woman after my heart.”

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