Author: What up ppl heres ch 20 as always if you like plz rate and comment thnx for reading PEACE!!

Chapter 20|| They Gather

"ZOMBIE!!"

As the zombie looked up towards the night watch one of the guards pierced the top of its head with his sword killing the zombie instantly.

Quickly people started to panic they were screaming and running within the encampment, some were shouting what to do while others were gathering their weapons. Meanwhile sen just calmly got up and assessed the situation. one of the guards infused mana into his voice and with a booming tone shouted.

"EVERYONE QUIET!! night watch stand ready."

People froze and looked towards the guard that shouted out. He was a tall man built thick and burly he wielded a sword that was nearly as long as he was tall and as wide as a man's leg. Sen could immediately tell that this man was at the 6th rank. His demeanor commanded everyone's attention and the man continued to speak.

"No one is to panic we have dealed with the situation there was a zombie and it's been dealt with."

Someone in the crowd shouted out.

"But our friend is dead who's going to take responsibility?"

"Responsibility, this was a tragic event, your friend as well as everyone else here knows the risk of traveling these roads ."

"But he was killed by a zombie there are no cities around here where did this one come from?"

"There are many dangerous behind every corner, one simply can not predict what dangerous would come. As for the zombie, it must have wondered this forest feeding from one animal to the next that is all."

Sen walked to the edge of the encampment, he could hear small groans in the distance. He climbed atop a cart and looked out to the distance, but the forest was too dark. He quietly channeled mana from his body into his eyes and using the element of light his eye color soon went from a dark black to his original color of crimson red.

He then channeled a bit more mana into his eyes and they glowed faintly, he could now see into the black night. Concentrating with his eyes, about a mile away he could see dark shapes moving about in the distance, but even with his eyes he still couldn't quite make out what they were. So he channeled some mana into his ears and concentrated his hearing in that direction, suddenly the sound was crystal clear.

*GROAN MOAN UGH *

Sen quickly comprehended that there were, in fact, more zombies and as they drew closer he could calculate how many there were from the noise of their footsteps alone. He quietly whispered to himself.

"100 no 200 interesting very interesting hehe he."

Sen felt someone approaching him from behind so he quickly applies light magic to his eyes turning them back to black.

"Sen what are you doing up there?"

Sen turned around to see a worried face on claire.

"Nothing just looking at the approaching horde coming at us."

"What, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, it's just that about a mile to the east of us a horde of the undead is coming our way."

Claire hearing this saw that sen was serious and immediately ran to tell her father. A moment later claire, thomas, and a few other men ran up to sen.

"Sen please tell my dad what you told me."

Looking at their worried faces sen spoke up.

"Well, I just so happened to notice the dead coming towards us."

"Sen my boy are you sure?"

"Have a look for yourself if you don't believe me."

Thomas and the other men jumped onto the top of the cart's and looked out where sen pointed.

"Do you see them?"

"I can't see anything are you sure of what you saw?"

"Yes."

One of the men looked down on sen like he was just a stupid child, to frightened to tell fantasy from reality.

"Thomas why are you believing sen he's just a kid he's probably just confused that's all."

Thomas soon looked at sen doubtfully and asked.

"Sen you're really telling the truth?"

Sen now irritated, looked at thomas like he was an ass.

"You don't believe me?"

"It's not that it's just that we can't see in this darkness, how did you spot them?"

Sen couldn't go around telling them he had used his red eyes to locate them so he pondered for a moment.

"See I told you the kid was lying now can we go and relax this zombie crap has got a lot of people on edge."

Sen, now pissed , quickly gathered mana into his hand and with an open palm shot a ball of white light up into the sky, there it floated for only a few seconds .

"Look there you see."

Sen had pointed to the east and now the zombies were only half a mile out. All the warriors thomas included easily spotted the horde step by step approaching them, the tall man quickly ran over.

"Who shot that light."

Everyone looked towards sen.

"You boy what di."

But before thomas could finish his sentence thomas interrupted him.

"Robert wait, that's not important, to the east there are zombies coming."

"What?"

Robert jumped atop the cart and he peered out into the dark.

" I can't see, how many are there?"

"I don't know lots, too many to count at once."

"200."

Sen spoke up and when he did everyone looked at him, Robert especially looked at him questioningly.

"Boy are you sure?"

"The names sen, and yes I'm sure. There are definitely 200 zombies out there."

Robert wanted to doubt the boy but seeing his earlier display he knew this boy wasn't all that he seemed. He just wished that they boy were wrong. Because if there truly was 200 zombies then there was no way they could survive. One of the men on top of the carts started to panic.

"We can't beat 200 there's no way there's simply no way."

The man started to shout out and robert quickly struck him with a fist. The man crumbled to his knees grabbing his stomach gasping for breath.

"Do not panic we will simply gather everyone up and set off immediately. Thomas go gather everyone up I want everyone ready to set out in 3 minutes we ne."

"Shhh."

Sen interjected.

"What."

"I said shh."

"You, how dare you shush me do you know who I am."

Sen ignoring robert quickly dashed to the other side of the encampment. He easily hopped onto the cart and once more looked out and at that point he too was dumbstruck. In the distance, there were more zombies coming.

Robert seeing this kid ignore him quickly followed suit and when sen stopped he jumped up next to sen grabbing him by his collar, but before he said anything he noticed the boy wasn't even looking at him. The boy was looking out into the night,robert as well began to look, but it was too dark so he shouted out.

"Torch, someone give me a torch."

One of the night watch promptly handed robert a torch. As soon as he received it using his 6th ranked power he easily tossed the torch quite far. As he did he followed it with his eyes and so did the other night watch and when it landed terror filled their hearts, robert whispered.

"More, there's more of em."

"I count 70 on this side."

Robert let go of sens collar and stared at the boy for a moment and then he quickly realized something. like a ghost, robert disappeared in an instant, appearing at the north side with 2 torches in his hand. He tossed one out and saw more. He then appeared at the south side of the encampment where he once more threw a torch out and as it landed his face became ashen.

"Surrounded, were completely surrounded."

Sen appeared next to robert in a flash, robert seeing this didn't have the time to be shocked by sens speed.

"I count nearly 500 in total."

Robert hearing this number left him in a daze. By this time, everyone in the encampment had noticed that there were zombies on all sides, and they were all headed to the camp. People once more started to shout and run around in disorder, a few of the men shouted out to robert.

"Robert what do we do please tell us there almost here."

Robert had no clue what to do he wasn't a leader type. The people in the convoy simply picked him because he was the strongest.He couldn't lead anyone, the fear finally started to settle in.

Robert's POV

"What do I do there's too many, there's simply too many. I can't fight that many were gonna die, shit shit shit why me, I don't deserve this. why do I have to die? wait why should I die for these people. I barely even know them, if it's me, if it's just me I can escape, I can easily get away. That's it that's what I'll do it's not like any of them can stop me and we're only a few weeks away from a city I can make it, I can make it."

Robert hoped down from the cart completely silent and walked to his cart. He grabbed a few things and shoved them into a sack, seeing this one of the night watch asked.

"Rob what are you doing?"

People noticing his weird silent demeanor quickly spoke up as well.

"Robert why are you packing a sack?"

"Rob your not thinking?"

Before the man finished his sentence robert had already finished packing. He turned and was swiftly walking towards the north side of the encampment since it had the fewest obstacles. Before he climbed over the cart a woman had grabbed onto his leg.

"Please, robert don't leave us."

A few more spoke up.

"You can't do this ."

"Please ."

"Please."

"Robert don't leave."

"Rob help us."

Hearing all these people's pleas robert shouted out.

"Shut up leave me the fuck alone."

With his other foot he then quickly kicked the woman off of his leg shocking those around him. In an instant, he disappeared towards the north. Sen could see him hop over the hoard of zombies before quickly running down the road soon disappearing from sight.

After robert left, 4 other people that were warriors decided to flee as well. Some of them were 4th and 5th rank, they too hoped over the hoard and vanished. All that were left were mostly normal people with a few at the first and second rank lvl as well as thomas who was at the 5th. The people were in a panic many of the women and children were crying, claire as well, she looked up at her father trembling and in a whimper asked.

"Dad what are we gonna do are we gonna die?"

Thomas fell to his knees and simply hugged his daughter squeezing her in a tight embrace. He too was terrified, he was more scared than he's ever been in his entire life, and he couldn't even speak a few simple words of comfort to his daughter. He was completely paralyzed with fear.

Her father's silence made her cry harder, meanwhile sen was looking out at the zombies. He then turned and looked at the people in panic and looked at the carts and horses, a plan easily formed in his mind. He gathered mana into his throat and in a large booming voice he yelled out.

"SILENCE!!."

Everyone immediately went quiet and looked up at sen standing on the cart. They couldn't believe such a voice had come from a child, thomas and claire looked on as well.

"If you want to live then listen to what I'm about to say."

Everyone looked toward sen with a glimmer of hope. They had seen him lift that tree with magic and even though he was a child he seemed to be the only one who wasn't panicking. Everyone listened attentively.

"I have a plan and if you people do exactly as I say then we will live, but if you don't listen then every single one of you your husbands your wifes your children all of you will die so will you people listen to me."

The people all looked around at each other many were confused some simply didn't know what plan a child could have, but they were all too scared to do anything else .

"WILL YOU LISTEN?"

He shouted out. Soon everyone understood that if they didn't listen then they would surely die. They all looked on and a few shouted out.

"YES."

"Alright then listen up, my plan is a simple one, but it will work. The zombies are coming at us from 4 sides so we will let them attack us from 4 sides."

The people looked around at each other. Quickly doom started to set back in, sen noticing this quickly shouted.

"NONE OF YOU WILL DIE!!."

The people once more settled down.

"We will take the carts and set them up so there are 4 small openings. One opening on the north side one on the south and one to the east and west. We will make it so from each side only one zombie will be able to to come in at a time. I will divide the forces to each side how many here can fight?"

One by one hand's went up, in total there were twenty hands 18 men and 2 women. Each one of them had their own swords, but they all only had leather armor.

"Are there any who use a bow?"

No one answered seeing this sen had to slightly adjust his plan.

"Alright fine here's what we'll do, thomas where are you."

Thomas hearing his name quickly ran over.

"What is it sen?"

"Thomas I'm putting you in charge of the north side as well as the west side. I will take the east and the south since there are more zombies coming from there."

"What but I can't lead sen, can't you do it?"

"Not an option, there are nearly 370 zombies coming from my side I will need to focus. You have to to take the north and west I can not divide that much of my attention. If I were doing this by myself it'd be much simpler, but I am defending these lives and so are you. You are the second strongest here, these people need you."

"But, but."

Thomas still unsure couldn't help but question himself.

"Thomas, your daughter, if you don't protect her now she will die. I'm asking you, can you do this?"

Thomas stood there for a second, hearing his daughter could die his resolve firmed. He simply looked on at sen with fierce eyes.

"Yes, I can do this."

"Good now everyone else we need to buy some time so takes the horses and release them to each side so that the zombies will feed on them."

Someone in the crowd shouted out.

"What, the horses, that's to cruel, how can we do that?"

"If we don't then the zombies will be here before we can set things up and we'll die. Well, you all will die, really it's your choice."

There was no hesitation.

"We'll do it."

And like that the horses were released to all 4 sides nd soon they're cries could be heard .

"Now close all the gaps between the carts except for the 4. Now take everything out from the carts and stuff it under them that way none of the zombies can crawl under the carts, and the carts won't move around too much. Now all of the children gather into the middle, you are not to move from the center lest you get in the way and cause our doom.

A few of you who are not fighting will stay with the children making sure they stay put and the rest of you women and men who cannot fight. Your job will be to move the dead corpses. You are to drag them out of the way, and fighters you will divide into groups of five. Five to each side, when a zombie comes in through the gap one of you will hold a torch so that everyone can see while the rest of you will all attack it at once. Remember, to kill a zombie you must destroy their brain does everyone understand?"

"Yes."

"Wait, why can't we just place a torch in the ground ?aren't we wasting manpower ?"

"The answer is simple if it's on the ground and it gets knocked over somehow and is extinguished then all vision to that side is gone. That's when you swing your swords in the dark how does that sound."

The man swallowed a large gulp of air.

"Then get moving, get to your post, now now now."

As the carts were moved and the undercarriages were blocked with whatever was on board, everyone got into position and it wasn't long before the zombies were upon them.

*ugg groan moan*

End of Chapter 20