Coastal Resources Containerized Freight, Chosewood Park, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. Wednesday, October 30th, 2019. 18:30

With the help of the MBTs and a couple of tractors, they cleared the overpass bridge and crossed over, setting a barricade of piled-up cars to stop any undead from drifting out of the interstate.

The sun was setting but the day was a productive one. Sara had just returned after taking a shower in one of the prison's ancillary buildings.

The freight park was right at the edge of the meteor shower. A few yards on the other side of the rail tracks, the ground was churned and big furrows made crossing on land vehicles impossible. Regrettably, the highway network seemed intact.

Sara didn't comment. Unwinding from her mass exorcism session She was busy watching the men work.

On an abandoned freight park next to the federal penitentiary, they readied the two MBTs.

"Fifteen minutes of daylight remaining," Hainsworth shouted. "We're sending the supply drones after the second salvo. On my mark..."

"Fire!"

The two tanks fired upon the ruins of downtown Atlanta. Moments after the shots, two ruined buildings where a sniper could hide were blown up.

"Fire!"

This would repeat four more times, cutting the buildings' size by half.

"No signs of activity on thermal imaging," The radio buzzed as Kyle reported from inside one of the M1 Abrams. He was operating a military drone terminal.

"Let them fly!" The Major commanded.

Two drones Sara was sure could easily carry her took off, each carrying a package of supplies the size of a beer cooler. These were dummy packages, bait for the gang snipers. They weren't shot down and as the sun finally set, reached the Bank of America Plaza.

"It almost felt like the fuckers knew we would bring the tanks," Hainsworth cursed. He spoke on the radio, "Bring them back, Kyle. Let's send the real supplies now."

The drones returned, the men exchanged the packages, and off they went, slower now, with the real payload. If everything worked out, this would be the last shipment. Half an hour later, they got confirmation that the survivors on the other side had secured the supplies.

"No sign of gang members whatsoever," Hainsworth lamented.

"They probably ran away after the first salvo," Sara conjectured.

"We would've seen them running."

"Not if they are moving underground," Sara gave her expert criminal opinion. "Or are wearing fresh winter clothing to mask their heat signature. You know, cool clothes they just put on. It wouldn't give off any infrared until it warmed up."

After being caught stealing from the mafioso's safe, Sara researched online how to hide from different types of surveillance, just in case she would ever need to go back to a life of crime.

"No, the equipment we are using can see the heat in the breath the target exhales. This is state-of-the-art military equipment," he proudly boasted. "We would catch them if they were there."

"Maybe someone on the other group tipped them off?"

"Maybe. I mean, most probably. Catching who did it would be hard."

"It won't matter tomorrow, and it would matter even less in two days," Sara shrugged.

A truck climbed one of the access ramps from Sawtell Avenue.

"The floodlights arrived," Hainsworth explained. "We are going to light up this container park so nobody gets the idea to sneak on us and commandeer one of the tanks.

The truck parked next to the MBTs and Joe jumped out. "Where do you want the lights, boss?"

"Trevor, spread them evenly around the tanks in a circle, facing out. I need to take Sara to the prison."

"I'm innocent, your honor," Sara joked.

*

*

Atlanta Federal Prison, Chosewood Park, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. Wednesday, October 30th, 2019. 20:00

Sara stared at the stone archway covered in glowing runes and arcane glyphs with a swirling whirlpool of water on the horizontal stretched inside the archway.

Abby confirmed and Sara relayed that to Hainsworth.

"But we'll still need to cull it soon," Sara said to her phone.

The little deception was necessary so she could have a conversation with Abby in front of Hainsworth.

"That's a naive observation," Sara remarked, "but we can discuss the former US legal system later."

"So, what did they say?" Hainsworth asked after Sara put her phone away.

"This is a Dungeon, a weak one. We'll need to go inside and cull it in twenty days. Going right now is suicide. Anyone who goes inside will not come back no matter how armed they are."

"More undead?"

"Not undead. The Dungeon is malleable. Until a group successfully delves and comes back. You can tell it because everyone sees a different type of gateway or portal. But the first group to delve in and out determines what's inside. It's like that stupid experiment with a box, a cat, and a bottle of poison."

"Schrodinger's Cat," Hainsworth said.

"Yeah, that one," Sara yawned. "It's late and I had a gruesome day. Keep this thing locked, we'll come back to it in November."

"Let's go then. You need to take care of our... guests at Fort Gillem.

She got a ride on one of the prison's personnel transport vans. It took everyone who wouldn't stay with the tanks back to the campus.

*

*

Laker Village, Clayton State University, Morrow, Clayton County, Georgia. Wednesday, October 30th, 2019. 21:30

With at least one lane of Jonesboro completely clean of debris, moving along the north-south arterial road of southeastern Atlanta became almost as fast as its heydays. A few of the streetlights along Jonesboro were even lit, proof that the connection to the solar plant at Hickory Ridge was a success. And since it was already night, they also found enough battery storage to warrant such extravagance.

Killing the ghouls Hainsworth had captured in the military base took very little time. From there, she went to the dormitories.

The van parked along the curb of the now brightly-illuminated dormitory complex. Some people were walking to the other exit toward the campus, probably to join the festivities.

"I think you'll want to soak and really clean up," Hainsworth said, the Major in a rare good mood. "And look, someone is waiting for you."

Bella and Brutus were playing on the grass while Mary stared at the van with a worried face.

"See you at the party then," Sara said as she jumped off the van. She approached Mary, "Hey, did you miss me?"

Mary let out a crossbreed between a sigh, a sob, and a huff then jumped on Sara's neck. "People said you went fighting a horde of undead!"

"I did but I'm fine. I mean, I'm filthy but still fine," Sara scrubbed her skin in the shower until it started to exfoliate but she was sure she still had dead people under her fingernails.

"Please don't leave me! That includes dying, you know?" Mary howled.

Bella and Brutus approached to sniff Sara.

"You are sounding like a wife whose husband went to war," Sara joked. "And please let go, you are smothering me with those milk jugs."

"A true husband would appreciate the comfort of a voluptuous caring wife!" Mary protested.

"Oh, it seems you learned a lot of new tricks with the wedding women." Mary blushed, Sara teased, "And even some bedtime tricks, I bet."

Mary let go of the girl and crossed her arms, pouting. Sara knelt and petted her dogs.

"Traitors," Mary grumbled under her breath.

"Who's a traitor?"

"I spend the day with them, but they get a whiff of your smell and go crazy!"

"Now, now, Mary. We all know the kids like mom best."

Mary screeched like a dying squirrel, "What, now I am the husband?"

Kelly popped out the window, "Sara, you're back! Come on, the bathwater is hot and I got you a new dress. You need to get ready for the party!"

Sara stood and looked up, "Is this a party or a prom?"

"No idea! Come and make sure your phone is charged!" Kelly shouted back. "I'll do your makeup, both of you!"

*

*

Multi-purpose Hall, Student Activities Center, Clayton State University, Morrow, Clayton County, Georgia. Wednesday, October 30th, 2019. 22:00

Everyone was dressed their best, like a real prom. Gourmet food and drinks were available on strategically-placed tables while fresh meat straight out of the cow's haunches sizzled in the barbecue grills right outside one of the large glass doors of the hall. People talked, celebrated being alive, and talked about their plans for the future.

Contrary to what she thought would happen, several survivors came to greet and congratulate Sara for clearing the overpass at exit 55. It seems Hainsworth put the propaganda engine to work and showed several of them an edited clip of her fighting the undead. With weapons like a civilized person should.

And speaking of the devil, the Major had just climbed on a dais. The music stopped and the lights blinked as he took a microphone.

"Hello, is this on?" His voice rang out of the speakers. "Oh. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Today we scored four home runs in our fight to reclaim our land. We managed to clear one passage over the undead-infested highways with only one fatality," He counted one with his fingers.

"We connected the university electrical grid to the Hickory Ridge solar power plant! We'll have at our disposal almost one megawatt of free, clean electricity during the day!" He counted two.

"Our community will grow stronger! We sent supplies and weapons to our brothers, sisters, and, full disclosure, my daughter trapped in the hellish cityscape that downtown Atlanta became. Tomorrow, we'll clear a passage for them to cross over, and join us here. Not to mention all the comatose survivors we rescued that are currently in the sick bay at Fort Gillem. That's three if anyone lost the count."

People laughed and some of them whistled and hooted cheers. Hainsworth was giving them something they thought lost. Hope.

Maybe he was the one who deserved a harem with enough ethnic representation that it could match the taste of any man like the army ranger in that novel, Sara thought. Though she wouldn't apply for the job, not in a thousand years.

"And last but definitely not least... I'm not the one worthy of giving this news. Brett, if you please! Let's give this man a round of applause!"

The crowd cheered and loudly clapped as the CS undergrad student climbed on the dais. Hainsworth handed the mic over and stepped to the back.

"Hey, everyone, how are you doing?" Brett greeted rather clumsily. "Well, the boss said I should go last, but I'm not so sure. Give me a moment," he took a folded paper from his jacket pocket and checked it. "Okay, did everyone bring a charged phone with a SIM chip? Turn them on and show them to me, here. There's a camera in the basketball hoop above me, let's take a great picture."

Kelly hid behind a tall man and cupped her hands, "I love you, Brett!" She shouted.

Brett made a wry smile, then grinned, "Well, thank you. But, you know, Kelly I can recognize your voice! Thanks anyway. Love you too!"

People laughed. A cacophony of beeps and theme song vignettes played as the phones came alive. Almost a hundred screens lit up the venue. Even Sara and Mary had theirs.

"Okay. Let's do this," Brett tittered, "Here goes nothing!" He pressed a few buttons on his own phone.

A few beeps and gasps of surprise.

"We got signal!" A man said.

"What?" Another man next to Sara wondered. "I have nothing here."

"I have a signal too!"

"Turn off your airplane mode!"

Sara did that. Her phone somehow connected to a tower and it showed full bars. Then all phones rang and buzzed as emergency SMS messages arrived for them. Sara looked at hers.

> Your new phone number is +1-678-555-4326

Several excited survivors quickly exchanged contact information and tried to call each other. Ringtones and tears of joy and excited shouts took over the venue.

"Give me your number!" Mary squealed, almost out of herself. Sara relented. Mary dialed and called, squealing in joy as Sara's phone rang.

"THERE'S INTERNET TOO!" Some woman shouted.

"What?" "Internet?" Another wave spread over the people like fire through dry leaves.

Brett tapped the mic and caused the speakers to ring a sharp rising note from feedback. People stopped and stared at the dais, "Guys, guys, about that, it's not the whole internet, just a few sites I put up from backups or mirrors the university had in the servers. Starting next November, we'll accept applications for domains and website hosting."

"You rule, Brett!" Some frat bro shouted.

"Brett! Brett! Brett! Brett!" Everyone chanted.

It seemed that cellphone signal and internet trumped over land reclaimed, lives saved, and even the very electricity it needed to run. Such were the times they were living in.

*

*

Rainbow Drive, Panthersville, DeKalb County, Georgia. Thursday, October 31th, 2019. 03:00

Sara drove the "Bat-U-Haul-Mobile" back home under light rain. It wasn't supposed to rain that night but Armageddon did a thing on weather patterns, with all the heat, dust, and crashing debris of forgone realities. Visibility was a bitch, the road was littered with debris, and the headlights reflected on the raindrops to ruin the girl's night vision.

By her side, on the bench, Mary snored softly. She wasn't having any nightmares tonight, which was a small blessing. Bella and Brutus were lying down at the foot of the bench, apparently taking a nap too.

The girl's mind was only half on the road. The other half worried about All Hallow's Eve. She exterminated a horde of undead and went way above her quota for the day, but tomorrow, better, later today, they would be empowered. She wanted to go to work right away but she needed to have some shut-eye.

She was exhausted, mentally at least. Her body enjoyed the equivalent of a full day's heal, thanks to her boosted Rapid Healing. She could tell Composure was keeping the cracks in her psyche from spreading out and devouring her.

Sara left Rainbow Drive and zig-zagged to avoid blocked streets. After the crisis was over, she needed to clean up her city. She turned slowly at the last intersection and noticed something was off. She slowed down and stopped. A crashed car that was previously blocking this street had been moved.

"Abby, confirm. Was that car there before?"

"Or someone. Do you sense anyone?"

Sara looked at her options. She could use the naive approach, move on and it could be nothing, or she could go hear her paranoia and go investigate on foot. Neither seemed enticing. She didn't think about just going back much less not engaging. She was too worried about trespassers in her hotel.

"It means we have company. Why didn't I change out of this ball gown?" She lamented.

Bella and Brutus came to check on her. Sara gave each of them a hug. "Watch over Mary for me, okay?"

Fighting in such clothes in the rain would be a huge bother. She unbuckled her seat belt and went to the back through the middle door. She removed the gown and rummaged through her things to find some suitable clothes.

"I now understand why the barbarian ladies went with the bikini armor," She whined. "Wrecking one outfit per fight becomes too expensive after a while. Better fight naked."

She pondered for a while, then shook her head. "Then the people there aren't enemies, and I'll be ridiculed. Better get some clothes damp."

She put on gym shorts and a tee-shirt that was a bit too big for her but also too short to become a dress by tying it around the waist. Sara put on her belt and attached her weapons. A 9mm pistol, Maloney and his foster dad's knives. She then attached a waterproof belt pouch she inherited from Colonel Smith with her personal items, Hainsworth radio, and her cell phone. The two devices were also waterproof.

Slowly raising the box door, she slid out of the truck. When the dogs tried to follow, she pointed back. "Stay."

*

*

Elliot Montgomery Street, Panthersville, DeKalb County, Georgia. Thursday, October 31th, 2019. 03:30

Visibility was close to zero. Unwilling to risk revealing her presence with a flashlight, Sara skulked from car to car using her senses of touch and hearing more than anything. The sound of raindrops falling on different materials gave her a hint of where the cars were, at least. She regretted not picking up the Skill to improve her senses.

A flash of lightning let her know where the Sky Pencil was. Right down this street. She moved on.

A car was parked in front of the building, shining its headlights the other way. She saw the silhouettes of two men leaning against the vehicle. She was glad her caution paid off as they didn't seem to notice her. In the dark of the night, with this much debris and crashed cars littering the streets, both parties were effectively blind.

Sara removed her gun from the holster as she moved closer. She moved along the sidewalk, trying to approach without being detected.

One of the men looked her way and she froze. He pointed straight at her. "There she is, Joe. Those night vision goggles are the best."

Joe, the pool cleaner and all-around goon put something over his eyes and the two men approached her. With the glare of the headlights ruining her night vision, it was hard to see them after they moved away from their car.

Joe shouted, "Sara, we want to talk. Hainsworth wants to know a few things about magic and stuff."

"We don't want any trouble, we just want to talk," the other guy said waving both hands.

Talk, they said. Their claim about being here under orders from Hainsworth also stank. Why would the Major risk losing her cooperation after she proved able to clean an undead horde barehanded, right on the day she promised to help reunite his family? No, they were lying, she decided.

"Abby," she whispered. "I need to know one thing. You can sense them now, right?"

They were taking their time to come her way. Probably wary of her gun.

"Is it just these two?"

"I was thinking, if you can sense them and project things in my vision, could you project an outline of their bodies? Search my memories for what I mean."

She felt the sharp headache that came with Abby sifting into her mind.

A white outline appeared around Joe and his accomplice, just like those x-ray aim-bots for shooter games. As Sara thought about shooting them, her hand started to shake. She found herself conflicted. They did nothing yet but they were clearly threatening her. And Joe was so much of an asshole that he made Sara look like an honor student. Should she fire the first shot? Did she have the guts to kill a living breathing human being?

The answer was no, she realized with shaking hands. Sara almost dropped her gun.

She engaged the safety and put the weapon back in its holster. She was sure she could evade those guys. Lead them in a merry chase around the block, make them spend their stamina, then subdue or incapacitate them. Run past them and into the promenade, away from Mary.

She broke into a sprint.

*BANG*

"EEK!" Sara shouted as she crumpled forward with a burning sensation on her back. On the ground, she could barely breathe.

"I got her!" Joe cheered. "Not so tough now, cannibal bitch.

She grunted as a sharp pain irradiated from her back, summoning the last drops of strength and consciousness to try and crawl forward on the sidewalk. The movement made her shout in pain as the area felt like burning. "Fucking psycho," she cursed under her ragged breath.

"What the fuck man?" The second man hollered. "Why did you shoot her?"

"Dude, not now," Joe barked. "Let's go finish the bitch!"

The girl rolled and hid behind a parked car on the other side of the street. With her heart racing, she pondered about her predicament.

The bastards had shot her right away. This wasn't a talk, it was a hit job. Sara coughed but no blood came out. Maybe that was a movie thing. She forced herself to breathe and the pain intensified as her lungs filled up. With air, at least. The pain spread all over her left side now, crawling down the small of her back and causing her belly to cramp up. A few more shallow breaths and it became more bearable.

The two assassins wasted time arguing between themselves but Sara couldn't make the words under the sound of the rain. Sara regained her wits.

"Boost Brawn," She ordered.

Abby replied.

"What's the matter, Joe?" Sara shouted as she leaned against a wall. "Did Hainsworth run out of swimming pools to clean? Hey, second guy, did Joe tell you how he had to fish a dozen bodies out of the swimming pool? How the people Hainsworth said were attacked by monsters actually committed suicide?"

"Shut up, bitch!" Joe hollered and shot three times her way. One of the shots struck her right calf by sheer luck.

"What the hell, Joe!" Second guy said. "Hainsworth told us to get her alive."

"Fuck off, Andres. We told you to get her alive, but the real boss wants her dead as a doornail. I have a special assignment," Joe smugly bragged.

Sara checked her calf. Only a nasty bruise, a little blood though it burned like hell. Her back had some blood but wasn't life-threatening. "Guess I am bulletproof," she chirped under her breath to cheer herself.

Abby showed her a quest prompt in angry red.

> You gained an emergency Quest.

> Survive these two, and win extra points in Adroitness and Brawn.

"Are you fucking serious? What about the daily limit?" Sara almost raised her voice out of sheer indignation.

"Bet it would throw a wrench in your plans," Sara snorted self-derisively. "I might even get myself killed out of sheer spite."

"Never underestimate a spiteful woman," Sara sagely advised.

She had her brief moment of respite because the two would-be killers were arguing.

"Joe, give me the radio. I want to confirm with Hainsworth," Andres demanded.

Joe scoffed, "Dude, no way you're going to ask if we were sent to kill the bitch on open radio. There's a lot of folks listening to that frequency and at least one machine recording everything." She heard a brief scuffle between the two men. Then a gunshot. Joe's voice again. "Fuck off, Andres. For real, man. You jeopardize this mission and Hainsworth will eat you alive."

"You're insane," Andres rebutted, flustered and angry. "I signed up to fight monsters, not little girls."

"Joe is lying, Andres!" Sara shouted. "Unless you heard it from the man himself, Hainsworth is not asking for my head. I still need to rescue his daughter! Joe is fooling you."

Great, more gaslighting. Gaslighters everywhere, Sara bemoaned.

"This little girl IS a monster. You know nothing, you weren't there when she butchered and ate the undead with her own hands! She's a fucking cannibal!"

Andres' voice sounded defeated but determined to go on with his chosen path, "I ain't doing this, man. I'm outta here."

Joe cackled, "Run away, you pussy!" Then another two gunshots.

Sara feared Joe had just killed Andres in cold blood but she felt no Mana coming her way. Then she looked their way and the outlines appeared again. No, Andres was running down the street into the promenade. Joe was with his back to her, watching Andres. It was her opportunity. Sara tried to draw her gun but her shaking hands made her drop the weapon. She hit her head against the car door and wept. She couldn't kill a person.

"ANDRES!" Sara shouted. "IF YOU HELP ME, I'LL TEACH YOU HOW TO SURVIVE THE MONSTERS. JOE IS CRAZY, HE'S NOT WORKING FOR HAINSWORTH! THEY WANT TO KILL ME BECAUSE I KNOW THE TRUTH."

Another three shots struck the car she was hiding behind. "Shut up, cannibal witch. She's lying, Andres."

She saw Andres's silhouette brace against what she supposed was a car and draw his gun to point it at Joe. He was twenty yards away. In the dark, it was a rather difficult shot.

"Stop, Joe. Why are you terrorizing a kid? What threat a high school girl can possibly present to you? Answer me, dammit."

"Dude, she savaged hundreds of ghouls this afternoon! But their delicious hearts off with her own teeth. I'm your superior and I am in charge of this mission. Stand down, Andres. Or I'll shoot you," Joe said as he pointed his gun at Andres.

Something was off about the way Joe described the facts. His tone was also weird and gave Sara goosebumps. She was too distressed, even with maxed Composure, to think. She was barely holding back her flight reflex.

Sara closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. The gunshot would come any time now. Any... time... now... She patted down on the ground, trying to find her handgun. What use was that chunk of metal if she couldn't use it?

"Fuck this shit!" Andres shouted, then the sound of metal hitting rock rang in the dead street. "I'm outta here."

"FREEZE!" Joe shouted. "One more step and you're dead, Andres."

Sara found her gun. She grabbed it by the barrel. "Abby."

"I know you can mess with my brain chemistry to calm me down or make me go berserk. I need you to do it again. I..." she fumbled with the gun. "I need it."

"Cleanse it later along the demon dog venom. I don't mind shitting another truckload of filth if I remain alive to do it."

The argument between the hitmen kept going. "You fucking shot a girl's back, you psycho!" Andres screamed. Sara thought the man was crying. "Why are we killing each other? What the fuck is going on?"

"Monsters, that's what. The dead are walking. This is the zombie apocalypse, man. We need to seize power! That girl, she has a boatload of it. And I want to make it mine!"

Wait. How would Joe make her power his? "Can Joe steal you?"

"CAN he or can he not?"

"Bloody hell, people are about to die, Abby!"

"If he is a cannibal, is that what you mean?"

Damn. He did call the ghouls' hearts delicious. How would he know?

Sara tried to replay the conversation for more clues. Joe didn't come here by himself. Someone sent him, he was working for someone. if it wasn't Hainsworth, then...

"You were the one leaking the drone delivery schedule to the downtown gang!" Sara accused.

Joe fired twice at her car. She kept her legs tucked in, this time.

"How the hell are you shouting, woman! I shot you in the back. See? She's a monster, Andres. Drop the gun, man. It doesn't need to end this way."

"Your gun needs Viagra more than your dick does, asshole!" Sara taunted.

Sara taunted, then started to cackle. Fuck the pain. She was shot in the back and had only a flesh wound to show. Abby was doing a good job calming down her nerves. She used her other hand to adjust the handgun, then pulled the slide, causing a bullet to pop out. She knew she probably shouldn't be handling a firearm in that state but the world was going to shit and she was shot twice already.

"I'm going to kill both of you fuckers. Drop the gun and hit the pavement with your cock like it's your woman, Andres!" Joe sounded at the end of his patience.

"Jesus, Joe. Did you kiss your mother's cheeks with that mouth?" Sara quipped. "Oh, wait. She died fucked by the car behind her on the interstate."

"Fuck you, demon woman. I'm going to kill you both! I'm in charge here! You have to obey me! I'm going to become Miller's, right-hand man!" Joe whined, getting more unhinged by the second.

Sara sucked in a deep breath. Miller? That surname brought too much pain to the fore of her mind. Could it be? No, that would be too fucking much coincidence.

"Is Miller the name of the gang leader, Joe? He'll toss you out like a used rag if you keep working for him. Tell me, are all the gang members cannibals like you?"

She felt anger, she felt the need to end Joe. Perhaps Abby was doing more than just calming her down but Sara didn't notice if that was the case.

'Fuck that', she thought. 'I'm doing it'.

As Sara moved to the back of the vehicle, she thought she needed to fool their IR imaging devices. She knew just the trick. Sara circled Cold mana over her entire body until she felt the cold winning against her Thermostasis.

Sara stood up and walked slowly up the street, away from the promenade and to the back of their car and its hideously bright headlights. Neither silhouette moved to track her. A minute later, Joe was now with his back to her, probably thinking she was still behind the car. She crouched behind another car, just to be safe. She checked from the side of the car. Both men had their guns pointed at each other in a classic wild west standoff.

"Listen to yourself, Joe," Andres tried to reason. "You need to calm the fuck down."

She tried to point her gun at Joe, but her arms became lead. She couldn't do it even with Abby's metaphorical liquid courage. So, instead, Sara pointed her gun up and away, facing east toward the lake. Nobody was in that direction, only the fish. While the two men argued, she braced, then pulled the trigger. The girl hoped they still thought she was behind the car on the other side of the street.

Sara watched the altercation through the outlines Abby was projecting.

That startled the two bickering men, who believed the other guy had fired first. They both took their shots and missed, several of them. Joe rolled onto the street while Andres ran back to their car. Joe knelt on the asphalt and braced.

Andres turned around and fired as he tried to run away toward the lake. Miss. Joe aimed and shot. He hit Andres' leg. The other guy fell on his good knee but apparently dropped his weapon. Emboldened, Joe stood up and walked slowly forward.

Sara knew he would kill Andres, then come back and finish her. She doubted she could take a bullet at point-blank range or if her brain would be fine if a bullet rocked her skull.

Closing one eye, she slowly aimed, with her arm braced against the car. The barrel pointed at the middle of Joe's back. Her shoulders were stiff, and her lips trembled. She blinked and tears rolled down. Her legs wanted to give up and she suddenly felt an urge to visit the toilet. She had to clench her thighs to hold it in.

She couldn't take the shot. Kill a person. Hyperventilating, eyes stinging, back and calf hurting, every single muscle in her body twitched, almost triggering a convulsion. Sara was no murderer. No.

Abby tempted.

"I can't," Sara trembled.

Joe reached Andres and kicked the man's gun away as he went. She couldn't see the arms but the shoulders were positioned in a way that suggested he was pointing his gun at the wounded man.

Sara knew she had to take the shot if she wanted to save Andres, but her finger never moved to the trigger. Her breathing was erratic. That was it. Pull the trigger, and she became a murderer. Was it justified? Was it self-defense? Did it matter? She had no answers. Sara knew her hesitation would haunt her forever. Joe maybe deserved to die but Andres was just a misled person. Kill one, save one. Or kill none, and give up on living.

"Last words, Asshole,"

Andres shouted. "HE'S OPEN NOW! SHOOT HIM, SARA!"

She didn't. But Joe turned around and somehow spotted her. He raised his gun, aiming at her. Andres jumped back on his feet, favoring his good leg, and tackled Joe to the ground. A shot rang, zipping way above her head. They fought, grappling on the ground. Joe kicked Andres' gunshot leg and struck his face with the pistol's barrel. With a shove, he escaped the grapple and climbed back on his feet. He didn't hesitate.

*BANG*

Andres stopped moving. Sara couldn't hold it in and soiled her clothes. Joe fired again. Andres twitched on the ground. He pulled the trigger again and no bullet came out. Sara was frozen, unable to move, shoot, or even cry. Mana came her way, but less than what a normal person's worth.

"And now," Joe said as he reloaded his weapon. "It's your turn, bitch."

Abby whispered.

The "fairy" clamored.

Seeing red, Sara stood up. Joe shot her chest. She wobbled back but trained her gun at the monster before her. Yes, Joe was not a person. Not anymore.

*BANG*

Sara felt the recoil on her arms but she was sure she didn't pull the trigger. Or did she? Her mind was a blur. Did Abby control her movements? She would never know.

Joe's outline had a distinct characteristic now. his head, instead of a rough oval shape, now looked like the fruit logo of a certain technology company. A huge rush of Mana entered Sara's channels, indicating that the headshot was indeed fatal, corrupted or not.

Joe fell down, dropping his gun. Her vision started to spin. Sara dropped her gun too and leaned forward. She retched but nothing came up from her stomach. She felt severe heartburn and tasted acid in her mouth but with Abby taking care of her nutrition, she basically never again had to do number two.

She sat on her ankles and brought both hands to cover her face. Cover her shame. She could smell the gunpowder on her skin. She killed a person.

Abby chimed in.

Sara did not utter a rebuttal. She raised her head and screamed into the rain. In the distance, Bella and Brutus howled sympathetically.

> Quest Completed.

> You gained 2 points of Adroitness.

> You gained 2 points of Brawn.

> You gained 2 points of Fast Healing.