Stronghold In The Apocalypse

Chapter 208: Offer

Bang!

"Run! Don't look back!"

Dan yelled at the two kids, as fire shot after shot at the chasing [Charger]!

The three of them are currently running for their lives from the [Charger] on the road, but at the same time, they are also attracting more zombies towards them because of the sound of gunshots.

But then.

*Ackk!*

"Brother!" the little girl suddenly yelled when she saw Dan getting sent flying when the [Charger] collided against him.

"R-run! G-get away from h-here!" Dan, lying on the side of the road, yelled at them as he vomited blood, while feeling dizzy along with a blurry red vision.

"No!"

"L-let's go!" the boy pulled her with tears streaming down their faces, as they just ran and ran, as he kept pulling her out of there.

Dan just laid there bitter smile on his face, as he could see a huge shadow once again charging towards him.

"So this is it, huh? I just hope my little sister and her friend survives and get rescued by someone" he started muttering to himself, with a face that already accepted his fate.

But when he finally closed his eyes, as he awaited for his death, he didn't feel the feeling of dying and instead he felt that something warm was splashed on him.

"You're truly lucky kid, you have would have died by now If I didn't think of stopping by here"

Dan tried to open his eyes, and the only thing he saw through his blurry vision was a huge shadow towering over him and someone's voice before falling unconscious.

*****

Leo then squatted beside the kid, and checked his situation.

"The bones from his chest, legs and arms are broken. I'm surprised that this kid wasn't even screaming from pain" Leo sounded surprised, then he took out a small bottle, full of green liquid and made Dan drink half of it by force down his throat.

"Brother!"

Suddenly, two kids came running over with snot and tears in their faces.

"He's fine now"

Leo smiled at them, but the two kids just warily looked at him and stood just a bit distance away from him while glancing worriedly at the unconscious Dan.

Leo just helplessly smiled at them, and then he picked up Dan in his arms who looked better now, and then he looked at the two kids and said.

"Come on, I'm a "friend" of you brother. Why don't you guys lead the way to your hideout? We shouldn't stay here for long" Leo said as gestured towards the swarm of zombies towards their direction.

The two kids, seeing the zombies heading over, suddenly had terrified looks on their faces as they furiously nodded towards Leo.

"Okay, uhmm..t-this way"

The two kids then led Leo towards a barricaded two story floor building, it was where he spotted the kid over a month ago.

Then Leo followed them inside.

*****

"Urgg" Dan groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, and instead of immense pain, he felt his body feeling refreshed like a newborn child.

Dan slowly got up a bit weak, he looked around his surroundings, and noticed that his inside of a room, with a bed under him.

"Ugh..what happened? I remember lying on the cold hard groundwith that [Tanker] about to kill me and...and..dammit, I can't seem to remember what happened after that" Dan touched his head as he tried to jog his memory.

"Hahaha!"

"Huh?"

Then slowly got down from the bed, as he heard laughing outside of the room.

He then opened the door, and the first thing he noticed is that familiar man he saw over a month ago, eating and laughing with the kids.

"Ohh, you're finally awake?"

Three minutes earlier, In the living room of the apartment.

Leo is eating with the two kids, with bowls of noodles and canned juices sitting in front of them.

Leo with the three kids, as he told them a story about his bases and the kids their who has "superpowers" like him, Leo even felt a bit smug when he noticed the adoring look in their faces as they listened to him, but then his eyes turned sharp as he glanced at the door leading to the room where Dan is resting for the past three days now.

*Creak~*

Then the door slowly opened as Dan slowly walked out of the room, and the first thing he did was to stare at Leo in shock!

"Ohh, you're finally awake?" Leo tried to sound surprised as possible.

Dan pointed at him and said in a surprised voice, "Y-you're that guy riding a huge lion from over a month ago!"

"Brother! You're finally awake!"

"Dan!"

The kids immediately stood up in excitement when they finally got over their shock and went over to hug him, he only put his hands on the kids heads as he continued to stare at Leo.

Leo suddenly felt uncomfortable from getting started with intensity like that.

"*Cough!* Is there something on my face?"

"Ahh~ sorry. I was just shocked. Why are you here? W-wait, I finally remember!"

"Before I fell unconscious, I saw someone's shadow! Are you the one who saved me!? Wait, how come I'm actually walking and standing fine!? I remember that a few of my bones were broken when I collided with that zombies!"

"He's Mr.Leo brother! He saved you that day!"

"Uhhm!! He's really awesome! He killed that big zombie with a single swing of his sword like it was nothing!"

"Uh Uh! He even told us a story that there are kids the same age as us and people with superpowers back at his home!"

"Superpowers!? He killed that zombie with one hit with his sword!?" Dan's eyes suddenly widened in surprise, as he suddenly remembered a person before who could also do it, but that person was only able to control fire, like those in the Avatar: The Last Airbender Movie, but that person disappeared since.

"Oh my days! Are you telling me that this person in front of us is power user!?"

'Why do people here keep saying that we're power users? Mutant is the better term for it, as some of our DNA had been changed or reconstructed or maybe even evolved to wield a specific supernatural ability, and at the same time, drastically improving our physics' Leo always felt cringey every time he hears those words, as he felt like he's in some kind of a superhero movie or something similar of sorts.

"Please don't call us power users, instead, the word mutant is more suitable"

"And yes, I saved your life three days ago"

"Now that you're awake, I'm gonna be straight towards you. I like your character, you didn't even hesitate to sacrifice yourself for the kids safety. I've only seen a few like you, a lot of people who did the opposite"

"Say, what do you about coming with me and maybe you could also work with me?"

"If you're loyal and contributes a lot, then gaining a power similar to a mutant wouldn't be an impossible thing anymore"

Leo stood up, and stared deeply into his eyes, laying down his offer.

After all, he can't waste more time staying here.