"3— 2— 1— Fire!" A coarse voice boomed.

Collective gunshots bombarded the air in unison. The row of target dummies in a distance away recoiled as wooden splinters blasted out from the bullet hole at the center of their foreheads.

Tropical trees surrounding the shooting range rustled in the icy wind, sloughing off the thin layer of snow that adorned its leaves.

Intimidating adults in military gear encroached a shivering young boy and snatched away his weapon.

"Pathetic human being! What a waste of resources!" A man with a gnarly scar running down his jaw reprimanded condescendingly, raising his fist in an act of violence.

"No! Please stop hurting me!"

The scrawny young boy cried in fear, shielding his arms over his filthy face as the rugged hand struck down.

Wincing in fear, nightmares haunted the young boy sleeping soundly on a textile sofa bed.

"Please stop!" The boy shrieked frightfully as he caught the object reaching towards him. Flipping his eyelids open, he saw his callused fingers coiled tightly around the thin wrist of a woman.

"Everything is fine Jericho! It's me, Esther! Remember?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Jericho's myopic vision focused onto the woman before him. He immediately released his grip.

Rubbing the pinkish outline imprinted on her wrist, the woman with wavy brown hair grimaced but still proceeded to place her palms on Jericho's forehead. "It's alright darling. Just checking your temperature."

Her soothing voice calmed Jericho down as he loosened his muscles and sank back into the comfortable material. Jericho scanned the room he was in, recollecting the segments of memories before he passed out. Jay lounged on a white sofa in the corner of the cabin, hugging onto a small cushion as he snored away, unbothered by the ruckus Jericho caused.

A luxury yacht embellished in golden stripes gently rocked to the rhythmic pulse of the glistening ocean, situated in the middle of nowhere.

"Where are we?" Experiencing a thorough check up, Jericho cleared his sore throat, asking Esther politely.

Esther passed him a bottle of mineral water, replying as she tidied up some torn rags on the carpeted floor. "We're on a yacht darling. Sailing towards the city."

"I see." Jericho murmured in acknowledgement. "How many of us survived?"

His indifferent question shifted the mood.

"Approximately 60, out of two hundred or so. We're split across 3 yachts, all headed the same direction towards Palican city.

Jericho nodded, dismounting the sofa he had been lying on. In the horizon, the tangerine sun has crept above the sea line, illuminating the world.

"Oh you're finally awake!" Jay yawned as he awoke from his snooze, gobbling down some bottled water to moisturize his throat. He waved at Jericho to get his attention before tossing him an item. "Here you go. That's your trophy."

Catching the item, Jericho opened his palm to examine it. It was a tiny shard of material that resembled diamond, exhibiting a dim, magical gleam. "There's only one amongst all those bodies?"

"Unfortunately yes. So far, we're still at the early stages, so most of them haven't developed." Scuffing his trimmed beard, Jay sensed the disappointment in Jericho's voice. "Esther doubled back to do the dirty work. She's a fastidious person so I doubt she missed any."

"Oh, thank you so much for doing the dirty work." Jericho turned to Esther promptly to display his gratitude.

"It's no big deal darling. You deserved a rest after putting up such a good fight. Finding it was surprisingly easy since you've cracked open all their skulls." She complimented back before motioning him to follow her. "Come, the others would be ecstatic to meet their idol!"

"Idol?" With a perplexed expression, Jericho was led out of the cabin room. As Esther pushed the door open, Jericho was introduced the calming sunlight and the layout of the luxury yacht.

Gazing down from the upper deck, Jericho saw a group of men and women drinking alcohol somberly on the main deck, juxtaposed with the joyful laughter of young children playing in the pool.

"It could have been a more pleasing sight if it weren't for the apocalypse." Jay sighed glumly as he walked out from cabin.

Like any ordinary individuals, the tragedy that occurred on Kujil Island plunged the survivors into abject misery. The power outage had cut off all connections to the mainlands, rendering them isolated and uncertain of their future. They had either lost loved ones during the initial onslaught, or were too apprehensive about their family's safety.

Below, a young man holding a can of beer tilted his head upwards to chug it down, allowing his eyes to make contact with the golden haired boy on the upper deck. "Oh shit! Look who's out!" Dropping his can of beer, the man shrieked in an uplifting tone and drew the attention of the depressed people around him.

"He's awake!"

"The one who slaughtered all those monsters!"

Excited clamoring arose as the group ceased their consumption of alcohol, equally thrilled to meet the boy who withstood a fight against one hundred zombies.

"Uh…" Speechless, Jericho turned to the adults who took care of him. "What should I do with them?"

"You should talk to them. This is your first step to communicate like emotional human beings." Laughing, Jay encouraged him to greet back with a smile. He didn't forget his promise to Jericho.

Jericho nodded with a blank expression and sauntered down the stairs to meet his fans on the main deck.

"He's the complete opposite to our boys isn't he?"

"Yeah. I completely agree…" Esther's voice trailed off as a look of worry exposed the deep concern for her own children.

Just then, a single note flared throughout the ocean, producing a blaring noise that vibrated in their ears.

"Jericho, come back to the upper deck! Everyone else, return to your respective stations!" Barking out some commands, Jay entered the yacht cockpit as Jericho and Esther soon followed behind.

Grabbing a pair of binoculars resting by a monitor, Jericho tuned the diopter ring and focus wheel to reach its full potential.

Far up ahead, a luxury yacht comparable in shape and size to theirs sent out distress signals, buzzing their horns relentlessly. Despite the powerful whirring of its engine, it seemed to be maneuvering irregularly as if unknown forces were opposing the yacht's movements.

"What the actual fuck. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Jay cursed as he nudged Jericho to seek a response.

"Yeah, I see it too. That's pretty bad news."

In the distant, gigantic tentacles had latched onto the hull of the yacht, repelling the powerful propulsion of the engine with its serrated suckers.