Two breaths.

Ten breaths.

I turned and started running.

Not as fast as I could, I still needed Emily and Jada. Living alone didn’t seem like the best decisions or else I would have gone to be a hermit with a ranch off in some country place. Smoking my pipe after a hard day of work, rocking on a wooden chair that looks like it would give you splinters.

I glanced back to see that Joe had caught up with his gf, tossed her on his back, and sped up.

I clicked my tongue.

He was such a bad bait. Supposed to lead them the other way, not my way.

I ran ahead and kicked open a door to what looked like a pawn shop. Or maybe it was just an electronic store but it was ransacked?

The girls flooded in, my girls, that is. I pulled out an arrow, notching it. I began infusioning it with lightning as I took aim. Waiting for the beast to clamp down on the little girls first.

The beast was nothing but a few steps away. I think they were playing with their food. The way they only ran fast enough to cause the person in front to run all that much faster. However, I think it was tiring to slow down for the girl constantly falling.

So it rose up above her, step by step.

I let the arrow fly the moment its hands were casting a shadow above the girl's head. I didn’t expect all that good aim, having impressive reflexes, didn’t mean impressive aiming skills. Surprisingly, the arrow flew where I had hope. Punching a hole through its forehead and out the back. It was much stronger than before, where the arrow would dangle from the damn thing chest.

The girl barely made it before it collapsed on her. She jumped and ran harder.

An asian girl was the first to make it to me, she literally stopped and started panting right there. I stared at her as I notched another arrow.

“Why are you not going inside?” I asked while smiling.

She looked up at me before turning around. Her male friend zipped right by her, taking a hard turn to flee into the house.

Joe stopped beside me, pushing his mate into the house. I fired upon the zombies that had gotten outrage and rushed towards the girl half walking, half jogging. My arrow wasn’t perfect and merely ripped a hole through the chest of two. My second arrow took out the shoulder joint of one and curved upwards to slam through the throat of another.

I fired three more arrows. Take two more down but that was only three out of twelve.

I put my bow on my back and unsheath my sword. Taking this few seconds to recharge as much as possible, though I doubt I needed it.

“Knock them down. I’ll finish them off.” I told Joe.

His big ass head nodded before he rushed out. If he waited any longer, the zombies were going to tear into the triple burdens.

I hurtled right behind him, the sword pointed behind me in two hand grip.

Joe knocked one straight into the air like a car hitting a passerby. I calculated the arc, which meant that I waited until it landed, cutting off its head, and moving on.

Joe was taking a beating when I looked past my fourth kill.

Served the bastard right for not kiting. Acting like he didn’t know basic tank strats.

A beast turned to me and growled, like it was warning its friends. I slashed at it but its arm blocked it. Repeating the same old thing, however, it dodged and its friends turned on me.

Putting me more defensive than attacking. They didn’t provide their arms to block after the first one did. I dance in and out of their attacks, prepping for that one attack which would allow me to decapitate a limb.

My eyes flickered to Joe getting knocked flying my way. I jumped a little further towards his direction. The stupid bastard kicked off only one of them and not in a way that would help me. It only caused the zombie to stumble but not disrupt the flow of the fight.

I turned around and fled into the building. I almost slapped the people I passed but it was better to fly out the back door first. I felt the building rumbled as I hit the back storage area. Jada, Emily, Shawn, and the korean guy were standing at ramping looking not so worried.

“Run.”

They didn’t need further prompting. Running to the end of the alley and peeking around. Very smart, I am proud to have saved them. The other dumbass came running back screaming. Followed right by a zombie tearing through a wall, wrapping an arm around one of the little girls. I rushed over, taking his legs out first.

Which was a blunder. It fell right on top of the girl, hard enough to kick up dust. It probably squeezed her to death, tsk. I felt a little guilty.

I took its head and stepped into the alley way.

The old man and his last daughter ran back to the down girl. Trying to flip the zombie off, I wanted to help but I could feel vibrations through the floor.

I stabbed my sword into the wall and pulled off my bow. I held an arrow at the ready.

The zombies came two at a time, tearing down the remaining half of the wall. Sending it beating down onto the old man and his last daughter.

I fired the arrow, taking one of them in the hip. I was pulling out my second one when the second zombie roared and fired a beam out its mouth.

My eyes opened in shock and I was about to roll across the ground but the beam wasn’t aimed at me. It was tilted downward at—.

“Fuck.” I cursed.

I shot the arrow and watched it fly in slow mode.

I knew it wasn’t going to reach in time but I had hope. The beam crawled up the zombie legs, inching forward.

The arrow was less than the paces.

The beam two paces.

I grabbed my sword and turned around. Fleeing from the despairing scene that was about to take place. I caught up with my crew and saw Joe limping ahead of them.

I walked beside Emily who was glancing back.

“What happened to the..” Emily asked after a while.

“Dead.” I said flat out.

I walked ahead and began scouting to eliminate threats right away. We covered a third of the journey and I forced us to bunker down in a shoe store. It had two exits and a firescape on the back side of the building.

Jada leaned against me as we ate a pre-cook meal of beans and toast.

Joe walked over, no longer limping with Emily.

“Her father just called. They encounter some trouble and will be two days late to the rendezvous point. Do you want to wait there or keep going?” Joe asks.

I gestured for the phone. Looking over the map and possible routes with least foot traffic by main populace.

“We will keep going. I don’t like sitting around waiting for help when we can move out on our own.” I said.

“What about if we encounter more hordes?” Emily asked.

“Run, so that I don’t have to fight a lot to escape myself. As long as I am capable of doing hit and run tactics it will be fine.” I stated.

Emily opened her mouth but closed it. She turned around and left.

“What happened to the old man and the two girls?” Joe folded his arms over his chest. Looking down at me with those cocky little eyes of his.

I shrugged. “Made a mistake. The zombie grabbed her but no room to cut his arms. Went for the legs first. Cut right through and he fell on top of her. They ran back and I had to fight off two more. One of them shot a beam out its mouth faster than my arrow could reach.”

I clicked my tongue. I’m more upset about the fact that I couldn’t kill the thing before it killed them. Even if they made such a dumb blunder, it felt more like a failure because of my ability to be badass.

Joe sighed and glanced back. “The korean girl will be a liability. I heard her scream and stop so many times. We need to scout ahead of these guys.”

I nodded and he turned around before pausing.

“I wanted to ask how are you training your ability? I saw your lightning thing get darker and thicker compared to yesterday. I feel like I should be able to do the same. Well get stronger that is, not the lightning thing.” He asked with a little desperation in his voice.

“Meditation and using my ability often. I think mine is different than yours. For example, Jada is a fire user but her fire is really weak and I haven’t noticed any changes. My lightning ability feels like it has been changing my body. Converting it because I hardly get tired or sore from moving at such a fast pace like I did yesterday. Well not as sore.” I said.

Jada elbowed me and Joe nodded before walking away in a hurry. I heard a thump and he probably was trying to meditate now.