Trash in the Apocalypse

Chapter 22: Energy

Sheila stopped walking after seeing the yellow light that covered Edward's hand. Adrian, who was at the end of the group, bumped into her.

"Why did you stop... What is that?"

"I was gifted by the Gods with this power. I can utilize a fraction of their strength and..." Edward stopped talking as he saw Jun walking towards them.

He knew that Jun wouldn't hurt him, yet he couldn't help himself but get scared every time he sees Jun.

"What happened? Why did you guys stop walking?" Jun asked.

Sheila took Edward's hand and showed it to Jun.

"I think he can use energy!" Sheila exclaimed.

"Maybe that's one of his skills? Everyone has them." Adrian said, then rebuked himself. "No, that's impossible."

"I don't think he leveled up, and if that's the case, he shouldn't be able to access the menu." Adrian made his own conclusion and muttered to himself. "How did you do it?"

Edward raised both of his hands. Yellow light crawled on his skin and fully covered his hand. He was going to speak some nonsense, but Jun's presence didn't allow him to.

"I don't really know how I did it. I was trapped in the dumpster, and it was dark, so I wished for light, and it came. I dunno, maybe I was too scared of the dark or those infected banging on my hiding spot."

"I used this on my hand when I tackled the infected earlier, and surprisingly it couldn't chew my hand!" Edward puffed his chest, showing how proud he was of his feat.

"So, how did you get bit?" Jun asked sarcastically.

Edward slightly lowered his head. "Uhm... Some blood from her nose fell on my face, and so I panicked. I wiped it with my hand and the next thing I knew, I was already bitten."

Sheila felt bewildered after hearing his reason. A moment of carelessness almost cost him his life.

Fortunately, he was bitten on his shoulder and not on his neck.

She then thought of something and asked, "Can't you just cover your shoulder with those light?"

"I... haven't thought of that."

"You'll have enough time to experiment on your own. We need to go." Jun interrupted their conversation as he looked in a particular direction. "The bank encountered some trouble."

A group of infected was blocking the entrance of the bank.

***

With Jun as the vanguard, they approached the bank. He swung the bat left and right with one hand then with a thud, hit the nearby trash bin.

It flew towards the group of infected and hit the ones in the back. The back-line split with the leading group and charged towards them.

With their group's previous experience and with the addition of Edward, they killed all of the infected easily.

Jun bashed the first one on its head. Due to inertia, its body fell onto him, which he dodged by simply stepping to the side. The next one lunged at him, and he choked it with his left hand. The infected scratched his arm and caused bloody claw marks to appear.

Since he knows that you won't die even if you get bitten, the fear that he felt since the beginning finally disappeared, making him much braver than before. Also, if he got bitten, he just ought to not die, right?

Adrian came from his side and stabbed the infected in the head, its hands became limp, and when he let go of his hand, it fell down.

A refreshing feeling surged in his body as a warmth came from behind him.

Sheila took her hand back and nodded. She slowly advanced forward while holding her makeshift spear. Her form isn't perfect, and Jun could tell that even though he isn't an expert.

Edward charged forward but was blocked by Jun's body. "I'll help you level up later. Loot the bodies." Jun walked a few steps then faced back to him. "Just place your hand on top of the body."

With Jun joining Adrian and Sheila, the fight ended quickly with no casualties, besides his initial injury which already formed scabbed, everyone else was scot-free.

On the other side of the barricade, Pablo was just staring at them. He was holding a sharpened PVC pipe together with the manager.

Jun placed his bloody baseball bat on his shoulder and grinned as he turned to face the two of them.

"Old friend, can you let us in? It's not safe out here, you know?"

***

"What happened here?" Jun frowned as he saw a group of people encircling a middle-aged woman. The arm was bandaged near her wrist, and her breaths were becoming slower.

"People tried to leave but came back after they got chased by those... those things.", the old manager explained. "They think that she will become one of them, so they're keeping watch."

After hearing the problem, Jun walked towards the woman and checked her pulse. "She's fine, just need a little help."

With that said, he beckoned for Sheila to come forward, and she did the rest. After using Minor Healing and Cure, the woman's expression softened, and her breathing stabilized.

Everyone was stupefied after witnessing such a thing. Though nobody dared to ask about what just happened, their expressions were filled with joy and curiosity.

Jun stood up and looked at everyone.

In return, everyone was looking at him.

"The world has changed, and you already experienced what it's like. It's not safe here anymore, and my group plans on leaving as soon as possible. I'm planning to stay at Super-9 since there's lots of food and drinks. Anyone who wants to come can come, but we'll have to conduct a simple check just to make sure that everyone who's coming is okay."

After saying his piece, Jun went beside the door and stood guard.