Apocalyptic Terror

Chapter 3

An hour later, in the shaky rear bed of a pickup truck, Ethan leaned against the cold metal surface, struggling to swallow the last drop of water.

As a slow resurgence of strength spread through his body, he lifted his head and silently stared at the leaden sky.

His fists clenched tightly, and painful images suddenly flashed before his eyes.

The memory of his daughter's tear-streaked face as she was taken away sliced through his heart once again.

'Wendy, Felix, Clint... you probably never thought I'd survive. Just wait!' he yelled inwardly.

He vowed to exact revenge and reclaim everything he had lost.

An eye for an eye. The suffering he had endured would be repaid a hundredfold.

Suppressing the towering urge for vengeance, Ethan looked down at Rina, who lay curled up with her eyes closed in the truck.

He knew this was not the time for anger. First, he needed to understand the situation and regain his strength.

"Rina, right? Thanks for saving me. I will repay you."

Even though his voice was low, Rina, startled like a frightened bird, suddenly opened her eyes.

"You're awake?"

Surprised by Ethan's gratitude, Rina initially looked confused, and then sadness crept into her smile.

"Repay me? Maybe I shouldn't have saved you. It might have actually doomed you..."

She tightened her grip on her tattered dress, her smile bitter as she faced Ethan.

She had heard what Lawrence said and believed that she and Ethan would get into big trouble.

Unexpectedly, Ethan's expression remained unaltered.

He scanned their surroundings before calmly asking her, "Anyway, you did save me. How long has it been since the nuclear explosion? Where do you all come from? How many people are in your group?"

Rina was taken aback by his calm demeanor. She hadn't expected this lack of concern.

"How long? It's been about a month. We come from a survivor refuge nearby. As for who and how many..."

Bitterness was evident in her voice.

"It's more like a scavenger team. But they're not just scavenging supplies. They also hunt humans. We are all slaves... or rather, food."

A fleeting thought led Rina to ask him abruptly.

"Are you asking about the numbers because you hope to escape? Forget it. One-Eyed Lawrence's crew has only seven members, but each of them is ruthless. They were all criminals even before the apocalypse.

"They would kill without blinking, and even if we managed to run, there's nowhere to hide. Zombies are everywhere, and the nearest refuge is over a hundred miles away. Attempting to escape would only lead to a crueler death."

She forced a laugh.

"I've seen what happens to those who try. Maybe knowing too much might help you survive a little longer. If you attempt an escape, these devils will break your legs and then turn you into jerky for storage. And I..."

Her voice, tinged with despair, broke as she spoke.

She was already seen as valueless.

As punishment, once they returned to the refuge, she might be sold to another group to lure zombies. She might be devoured alive.

Though accustomed to the harshness of the apocalypse, the thought of their shared fate overwhelmed her with despair.

After a moment, Rina managed to push her helplessness aside and looked at Ethan, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"I don't even know your name. How did you end up here? There's no point in asking now, but at least..."

"Ethan Whitman."

Ethan lifted his head with a determined look.

"Are you scared? Trust me. I have a way to keep us alive!"

***

Ignoring Rina's look of alarm, Ethan calmly observed the situation outside the truck, his mind racing with plans.

There was no need to run; it wasn't even a viable option.

Apart from the issues Rina mentioned, given his current physical state, running far was out of the question. Although he had survived this far on the residual powers within him, what he urgently needed now was a substantial amount of food to replenish his energy.

He could feel his vitality draining away to the limit. Right now, he was holding on purely by sheer will.

If he could take out this group of misfits, they could survive, and he could quickly regain his strength by scavenging their supplies. Furthermore, once he returned to the refuge, he could gather information and find out where the military had gone.

"What can you do? You're still bound. You..."

"I need food, right now," Ethan said urgently.

His eyes were fixed earnestly on hers. "There's no need for an escape. Just get me a bit of food so I can regain my strength, and I can break free from these ropes. Then, lure any one of them over, and I can take him down and grab his weapon."

One-Eyed Lawrence was scary to others.

But he was nothing more than a paper tiger to Ethan.

Even in his current weakened state, the mysterious power within him endured—half that of a super soldier. His reflexes and explosive strength were many times greater than an ordinary man's.

With just a few seconds of unleashed power and his strong combat acumen, he could defeat Lawrence and his men.

He had been one of the most elite soldiers before his discharge; if it hadn't been for Felix's betrayal, he would never have been forced to leave the military.

"You plan to take them on alone?"

Rina's eyes widened in shock, but soon, a flicker of resolve hardened her gaze, surprising Ethan. She nodded firmly.

"I have half a cookie left. I hid it away. As for luring them..." Rina quickly scanned outside the truck.

"In a few minutes, we'll be stopping by a lake where Lawrence will have his men collect water. I'll tell them you've woken up, and they'll surely send someone to check. I'm not sure how many will come, but I'll try to make excuses to bring just one."

Steadying herself, Rina stood and carefully pulled out the moldy cookie.

It was her last bit of food, and though she was too weak to stand firmly, she didn't hesitate to hand it to Ethan.

Ethan was surprised.

He had thought he would need to persuade Rina with a lot of convincing, as his plan sounded incredible. If it failed, their situation would only worsen.

"Are you surprised?"

Rina noticed Ethan's astonishment and managed a weak smile against the truck's cold metal.

"Before the zombie virus outbreak, I was a student at Princeton University, even the student body president.

"My father was a well-known shooting instructor locally. He taught me from a young age to always stay calm in any situation.

"I've noticed the calluses on your trigger finger, and your posture is very much like that of a soldier. So I guessed you must be someone special, at least a veteran.

"Of course, if you hadn't spoken up, I wouldn't have been so sure.

"So... rather than waiting to die, I thought I'd take a chance and trust you."

Then she pulled out a sharply honed hairpin from her hair.

"This has been sharpened. If you try to break the ropes, the noise will alert them, so use this instead."

She handed Ethan the hairpin, pressing her lips together.

She didn't tell him that her trust in him was partly because of the intensity she saw in his eyes when he first awoke.

It was an intensity like that of a warrior crawling from hell, and his indomitable spirit burned fiercely as if not even death could quench his resolve.

She didn't know what trials Ethan had faced, but she believed he was no ordinary survivor.