Jada came running down the stairs looking widely confused. Her rival in love a few steps behind her, everything jiggling in that interesting way.

“What the fuck happened?” One of them screeched.

I am on a power high but it was fading now that I was befuddled. The thing just cut its tail and ran. That was not how the things played out in my head.

Though I wasn’t stupid enough to stick around. You never bullied a kid that had thousands of cousins at your school. You left that nerdy fucker alone and found that single sibling and dunked his head in the toilet.

This was like me making the mistake of dumping the former kid’s head in the toilet. The rest of the cousins were heading to the park to ask you some pointed questions. Typically at the ends of their fist.

I sent a glance at Jada. “Grab your bag.”

She turned around without another word, disappearing up the stairwell.

I ran down into the basement, careful not to slip on broken wood at the bottom. I grabbed the bag I half packed a while back and then finished packing several nights ago. I tugged it onto my back and grabbed a belt for my sword and quivers. Attaching two to my hip and another two to my bag.

I grabbed a composite bow and extra sword. Rushing back upstairs, I saw the triplets idiots just getting Joe up. Like how do you knock out the first minutes of the fight, not very smart of you.

“Hey, we can’t leave yet.” Tim or something said.

I just ignored her. It wasn’t my job to babysit them.

Jada came down in my jogging pants and hoodie. A backpack on her back made her look like she was about to go jogging for some movie.

“I’m ready.” She said.

The others turned on her but I began walking out the door in an instant. Well the hole in the window frame, the glass crunch on our feet. I pulled up a map of the city and tried to angle towards the wooded areas. We barely made it to the counter of the block when Shawn and Emily came running up. Feet slapping hard against the concrete sidewalks.

Emily slowed to stop before us. “Wait for us.”

I glanced back to see the others coming quickly. However, right behind them were the cousins I was talking about. I turned around and began walking fast. Slipping into an apartment building after checking every building door beforehand.

I pointed at the stairway and crouched down behind a lobby couch. Placing a steel tip arrow on the bow as I waited.

I was bloody fucking sure that the dumbass would lead the enemies right to me. They just seem like that type of useless assholes.

I began steadying myself. Picturing the power coursing through my veins, I almost wanted to yell, I got the power.

Sadly, I was sure nobody would get the references.

Like I said, the useless would come running into the building. They barely made halfway across the lobby before the big cousins sent stone and woodwork flying into their backs. Knocking them flat on their faces, I bet a thousand bucks, a big football player looking at Joe, was the first one knocked out.

Useless scumbag. I pulled back the string, aiming, imbuing, firing all within that second to aim. It felt so smooth. My reactions were like a quick rapid fire gun. I had six lightning covered arrows in the air. Sadly, I had been too enthralled in the process of sending the arrows out so fast and not in the aiming.

Only two stuck anywhere close to the head. The rest hit the chest and dug in a bit but didn’t seem to bother the cousins. I drew my sword and tossed my bag in a corner.

I flew over the couch like I was fucking superman. Coming down with a side swing, instead of an overhead. Why?

That was exactly how people died in movies. Swinging axe overhead and the blade got stuck. The dumbasses would be kicking and tugging trying to the weapon out then bam. Tackled and nom nom.

The brute got its arm up but the coated blade sliced right through it. I spun upon landing, dropping into a squat, the blade came a full circle around. Chopping into someone trying to knock my lights out.

I saw it tilted before falling forward. I rolled backward out the way, using the force of the roll to drag the blade across the ground. Up into the arm of a heavy maker, its arm flew away but I was fine.

I jumped back, trying not to stay locked down to the ground. These things were fast, I knew that from encountering the first fucker.

I caught a blur of something flurry slamming into one of those bitches coming at me from behind. I didn’t let the wind from the tackle or the resulting noise distract me. I began weaving in sword strokes that would have made my kendo instructor proud.

There were honestly times when you couldn’t use guns to go take out rival gangs. Cops would be patrolling and citizens were the biggest batch of bitches there ever were. They hear gunfire, calling the cops and running with camera mode active.

So I had plenty of experience using swords, machetes, and bows to kill people. I might have been a little rusty but the enhanced reaction time made up for it.

Keeping with the philosophy of hit and move, I made sure not to be surrounded. Always moving in a new direction upon feeling the electrical signals telling me they were moving to the side or behind me. Plus I was decapitating arms, so it’s a much easier fight for me. They were smart and smart people know they can’t fight without limbs. So if I didn’t aim for the legs, they would turn around and fly after losing both arms.

Leaving me only slightly panting and stabbing my dark blood coated sword into the legless skulls. I cut it off for an added measure.

Once my side was cleaned up, I turned to see a big ass wolf fighting tooth and claw with an equally badass zombie. I couldn’t honestly tell who was winning, however, I opened the stairwell and gestured for the girls to follow me. That included Shawn.

To be honest, we didn’t make it very far. I got into too many fights with zombies but upon knowing the method of disabling them. It was easy to kill them so they don’t call their cousins and brothers. I didn’t have time for that kind of gang life.

By night time, I forced us to bed down in resident housing right outside the shopping district. I was sorer than time I got jumped by a group of hispanic gang members because I was hitting on one of their little sisters. They were good guys though. They did drop me off at the local hospital after beating my ass. I couldn’t really fault them for that.

I struggled out of my suit and changed into a simple pair of black jeans and tee. I kept the boots on. Those babies kept me from slipping and sliding in blood.

Jada sat down beside me. Resting her head on my shoulder while she nibbled on a nutrient bar.

“Do you think they will be prevalent in the wild?” She asked between bites.

I shook my head, nibbling on one of my own. “No. I am sure there are other beasts in the forest that are more threatening. Hopefully, they aren’t all that smart.”

Emily sat down on the other side of me. Leaving poor Shawn to huddle up in the corner, hugging his knees.

“Do you think the army will be capable of wiping out the zombies?” Emily asked with hopefully expression.

I was about to dash her hopes but the front door opened. I shot up blade out, only to find it was Joe flexing his linebacker body, shirtless.

He gave me a cocky smile. “So you left us?”

I shrugged and unsheathed my sword. “Wait, how did you find me?”

He touched his nose and my mind flashed back to that retarded ass wolf.

“What happened to that thing you were fighting?” I asked.

He grimaced and pulled Tony’s arm before shutting the door. “It knocked me into a wall and fled. I couldn’t even hurt the thing. How were you able to cut it’s arm with that sword?”

I smirked and flexed. He flexed back with his more impressive build. He pointed a thumb at the door.

“There are people nearby. I smelled fresh food, someone bathing, and people talking. We should be fine here, I think this is kind of a safe area.”

I blinked at him and shrugged. I pointed at the back room.

“Master bedroom mine. The kitchen is still full, I think the people left on vacation or something.” I said, grabbing my armor, backpack, and secretly making plans to leave these burdens.