CHAPTER 18: Apologies Are For The Weak...

CHAPTER 18: Apologies Are For The Weak...

Realizing Arthur could now sniff people out, I decided to try having him sniff out other items, unfortunately I wasn’t using my head and I pulled a can of mixed veggies from my inventory.

As soon as the can appeared, I wished I could immediately take it back, travel back in time, erase my memory at least. Even Arthur knew I was being a fool as he looked down to the ground and shook his head.

“Right, holy shit. THAT! Was dumb...” I said pulling out my list before continuing, “I would have thought misfires like that were a thing of the past. I guess it’s true, what they say you can’t fix. Alright then, let’s check some houses for children and women’s clothing. We have a lot of requests. Even though none of the kids asked, I think we should try to find some toys and other fun items for all ages.”

We gutted house after house, skipping the smaller homes that looked like they only had one or two bedrooms. More rooms, more kids I figured. We skipped some where people weren’t ‘Raptured’ but instead were killed during the event.

We found a metric shit load of clothes in all sizes for everyone and some toys for the kids, including wiffleball balls and bats, footballs and more balls of every shape and size you can think of. That should keep the kiddos moving and playing. We found some diapers and formula from a few homes but no where near enough, there were only 2 babies at the camp but they still had a lot of growing so I grabbed every size diaper and every different type of baby food I could find.

We found one of those looping roller coaster bead things you see in every doctor and dentist office and one of those the ball popping lawnmower dealios.

We ventured into a demolished Walgreens that was basically stripped bare other than the items we cleared out. There was one section left untouched, and it was perfect for this trip. We stocked up on coloring books, colored pencils, crayons, a few notebooks, even one for myself so I don’t have to write on wood anymore, and last, pens and pencils.

My inventory was pretty full up and we still had quite a bit to look for. We started hitting the corner stores and gas stations, gathering the little bit of merchandise that wasn’t destroyed. I was happy to cross beef jerky off the list and bottled water was stacked up in the back of the same gas station.

As we checked homes and gas stations, Arthur used his senses to keep us away from any bad guys to make our shopping excursion move faster. In one home I found a big storage tote still fully intact. I was able to stuff most of the items into the tote, which in turn freed up more than half of my inventory.

We were down the road from where I buried the first family.

Arthur tried steering me away.

“It’s okay. Come on bud, let’s go pay our respects before we head out.”

We reached the home and walked around to the back yard.

We stood silently for a moment before I spoke, “I’ll keep you all in my memories. I didn’t know you, but I will do my best to make sure you’re still remembered.”

I walked into the home and grabbed one of the many family photos above the living room couch, it showed the family standing together with their arms around each other, smiling on the front step of their porch.

Posted on the fridge I found a smaller 5×7 of them goofing around at what looked to be an amusement park.

I searched the drawers in the kitchen until finally finding some mail.

I removed the contents from the envelope, an electric bill. Made out to Carol Whitmore.

I put everything back in it’s place and went outside.

I brought the pictures to the grave. I managed to fit the larger photo in a clear Tupperware once I removed it from the bulky frame. I leaned it against a stake that I drove into the center of the mound.

I wrote on the topside of the Tupperware, “The Whitmore Family” under the name I continued, “A Loving Family.”

I removed my wallet from my pocket, the one thing that I still carried on my person regularly. I guess I still do it to feel some sort of normalcy. Comfort in routine and all that.

I wrote the name on the back and folded the photo, storing it in my wallet.

After a moment of silence we continued our supply run.

Before making it too far from the house I noticed something shimmering out of the corner of my eye and stopped to look closer.

Out in the woods something shined under a canopy of trees. It could have been a wet leaf for all I knew but I went with my gut.

“Come on Arthur.” He turned around and followed me into the forest. Maybe 50 yards in, next to an old maple tree I finally saw what it was.

The closer we got the more dull the gleaming object became until there was no shine at all.

It was just an old rusty mailbox, but it was very out of place.

I looked closer, unsure if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Until a dim flash of light passed over the box like a faded version of a lootable monster.

So I said, “Loot” and a grid popped up.

A big smile covered my face and Arthur barked.

I removed the items and showed him.

Kite Shield of Elemental Warding—1—Rare— 20 Armor, 30% Base Chance to Block— +3 Strength, +3 Endurance, +3 Vitality, +10% All Elemental Resistances

Light Plate Armor of Warmth—1—Uncommon—28 Armor, +2 Dexterity, +2 Endurance, +10% Health Regeneration, +10% Mana Regeneration

I immediately put the armor on over my hoodie, it was plain looking light plate armor, straight out of the renaissance fair. It protected my sternum around to my back and shoulders. I stored the steel kite shield after showing Arthur and he gave me an excited Ruff.

We set back into town with plans to check a few smaller markets, but there was one store in particular that I was saving for last.

As we walked to town we were greeted by different pitches of metal clangs and deep thuds in the distance, a scream echoed across the air, violating our ears.

“Arthur.” I said pausing for a moment to gather the words, “Remember the playbook. Things could get real shitty quick.” He replied with a quiet but assertive bark, grasping the tension in my voice.

While attempting to stay out of sight of any uglies, we closed in on a store I used to frequent.

Half gas station, half mom & pop corner shop. I’d stop in to grab a Red Bull and a bag of chips or whatever cheap jerky I could afford at the time, and say hi to the attendant, Carlos.

Carlos was super quiet and sort of a weird little guy. Maybe the only person who worked there since I never saw anyone else when I went in. He stood arounf five-six with a squishy, circular build. He was the kind of guy who seemed like he loved his job but also seemed like he may snap one of these days if another customer made fun of him.

I’m pretty sure he lived next door with his elderly mother, at least that was part of the town gossip I overheard walking to my vehicle one day after work.

Who knows?

I just got an odd vibe from him and made sure I was always pleasant to him because he was always nice enough.

We rounded the corner to the front of the store and I noticed the big red, white, and blue flag that read “OPEN” in large black lettering, still hanging outside the door.

“Huh well, looks like they’re open Bubby… Stay out here, keep an eye out, one high pitch bark if you see anything and I’ll come. I’m going to see if there’s anything useful left in there.”

Arthur made a slight growl, signaling there may be something inside before he barked his compliance.

I pulled the shattered glass door open, stepping in as the flimsy piece of cardboard that was duct taped to the inside of the door flopped onto the floor and the overhead bell rang out, shattering the silence.

I walked in a few feet like it was any other day, going directly to the same cooler I was always drawn to, like a moth to flame.

“Gah shit! Guess I had my hopes too high,” No Red Bull, just some old dirty plastic bottles with different colored liquid. Below the bottles on the lowest rack were 2 antique looking vases.

Or amphora?

I turned to see if there was anything on the shelves behind me but before I turned all the way around, I heard a strange voice and froze.

“Haw ken I hepyaw?” Something said or, asked based on the inflection.

I let my guard down for one minute and now whatever this is will most likely chew my face off.

I quickly pivoted toward the counter, the same one I so nonchalantly cruised by on my way inside the store with hopes of growing wings.

Standing behind the counter, I saw him.

It looked like poor little chubby Carlos was mutated with a mini version of Sloth from The Goonies or maybe those inbreds from that old horror movie, The Hills Have Eyes. Like his mother is also his sister, aunt, and half cousin at the same time.

He was trying to tell me something, “Haw ken I hepyaw?” he said again in a deep gravelly voice…

I blew up in uncontrollable laughter, I couldn’t help it.

He sounded like that recurring character in all of those Sandler Movies. Like the guy in Joe Dirt, the ‘home is where you make it’ guy.

The laughter came straight from my soul and felt amazing.

It’s not something I thought I could ever do again after the past few days.

However, my laughter seemed to make Carlos very angry as he literally started to hulk out.

I watched in horror as he grew 3 times his normal size.

Muscles on top of muscles pulsed and grew from his body, with skin that looked a sickly pale gray and almost see-through. I could see dark brown blood vessels swirling around his body underneath his oily skin. His skin had a dirty brown pus substance bleeding from every pore on his grotesque and misshapen body.

As I watched, my laughter died into silence but before I had time to react he attacked.

He leapt over the counter, covering the 8 feet between us in no time, striking me in the chest with both hands like a pissed off gorilla on steroids.

I flew across the store, summoning my shield from my inventory and raising it to cover the important bits as I crashed through shelving with random items laid messily about like some goodwill junk aisle.

Finally my momentum came to a halt as I slid across the floor to a stop.

I jumped to my feet only to be hit again and sent flying further through the store.

Again, I covered up the important bits, but on my flight over aluminum can island, I finally understood what he was saying, and saw the error of my ways.

The guy was just trying to do his job and sell me shit, like always.

Somehow he mutated into this sick creature, but all he knew was this store, before and apparently after the transformation.

Then I come in, probably the first person or “Customer” to do so since the event, and I just laughed at him like another dickhead townie.

I picked myself off the floor and reached over to balance one of the little porcelain moose knick-knacks before it also fell to its death.

Brushing myself off I said, “Whew, I really needed that laugh, I’m sor—Fuck!”

During my attempt at an apology I was met head on by the massive man-thing. He picked me up and ran us through the back wall right out into the street before spinning to toss me. I cartwheeled through the air before hitting the ground a few yards away.

That one hurt a bit more and I was a bit slower to get up, but I hurried to my feet and held my hands up and yelled, “Wait wait! Wait, damn.”

The ‘my Brother is my Father’ looking guy stopped right before hitting me again and stared with both confusion and hatred shrouding his face.

The “wait” was for Carlos, but mostly for Arthur who was standing behind him, poised to rip his head off.

“I’m sorry buddy! Carlos right? I am, sincerely sorry.” Slowly backing up with both hands raised, I kept speaking as he continued to stare at me with pain in his eyes, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to be an ass. Sometimes it just happens, ya know? But, I was bullied in Middle School so I try not to be that guy because I know how much it sucks.”

“Hmph” He grunted a few times as his muscles reduced in size and his skin started to look a bit less, sticky.

“Tell ya what, I’ll buy that Amphora! I heard somewhere that they’re going to make a comeback.” I told him as we walked back inside.

“Yawgon Laf’t me.”

“Yeah again, I’m sorry. That wasn’t cool. Don’t let anyone laugh at you either. You be you my man.” I tried to get on his good side because honestly, the guy was fucking terrifying but he was still, kind of human and I didn’t want to hurt him, “You’re just a guy trying to make an honest living, I respect that. Fifteen for the Amphora?”

“No. Ampohrh Be Twenny Ny Thuerty Fy” He responded.

Really? This fucking guy is gonna... “You got it.” I sighed then tossed him thirty bucks.

I grabbed my new conversation piece and hurried to the door.

Before making it too far I turned back and asked, “Is there more people anywhere that you know of?”

“Needa go ax da Manuhjuh” I nodded and left the store, thinking I obviously wouldn’t be getting any information.

*Ding*

The noise came from nowhere scaring the shit out of me.

Quest!

Shit.

New Quest!—“Can I Talk to The Manager?”—Seek out and Speak with The Manager—Quest Rewards:???

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“Another fucking quest, seriously? Where is my grand party of heroes and adventurers? At least I got you Bug,” Reaching down and petting Arthur, I got to one knee then continued, “Good boy. Thanks for not killing him bud,” I said giving my dog praise for letting me get the shit kicked out of me.

I really wished I could have brought Carlos back to camp but I couldn’t be sure everyone would be safe with him there after we left for good, so I regretfully left him behind. I would tell the people in town about him though and give them a chance to decide if they want to invite him in.

This new quest was on my mind, first was the new function showing the unknown quest reward. Mostly, I wondered who the fuck this manager is and where we even find them.

As I focused on the thought of how I could find someone when I have no idea what or who they are, a map of the immediate area popped up in my vision.

“Are you fucking kidding me?! There’s been a map the entire time?” I said, frustrated by my stupidity once again, “I swear I said map at some point... We need to sit down and figure everything out eventually.”

I made the map smaller and put it in the bottom right of my periphery, I practiced pulling it up then shrinking it back to the corner. I made it take up most of my vision then focused on zooming out.

A few seconds and the map started to function as intended.

I was the small blue oval in the center, Arthur the small green arrow next to me.

I zoomed out, first showing the entire town, then the county. At this point I started to see that typical video game shroud in all of the areas I’d never been. I think the shroud was referred to as Fog of War. It mostly covered areas in the middle of the woods with no roads. Most of the roads were clear because I used to drive around aimlessly with Arthur, usually when I had nothing going on. Which was pretty much all of the time.

“Shit, I already miss driving.” I mumbled.

I zoomed out more, the map now showed most of the state and some of New York. I saw the first Yellow Indicator with an exclamation mark in the center of it located in Manchester, about halfway between our location and my parents. I hovered my attention on the marker and a small box popped up that read,

“Can I Talk to the Manager?”

I zoomed out further showing all of New England, much of it covered in the shroud as I rarely left Vermont in the last decade. There were yellow indicators all over the map, everyone read the same quest.

I guess there are multiple managers. I know where mine is.

We continued to a different grocery store, we managed to find more than enough food as I stuffed items into the tote until it was completely full with the top barely snapping shut. I also found Arthur’s favorite dry food and stored it in the sled.

It was time to start heading back to camp. We slowly and methodically crossed town until we reached a park on the outskirts.

“Arthur, look!” I said before breaking into a sprint toward the small playground with speeds putting Olympian Usain Bolt to shame, “Come on Buck!”

Arthur gave me a Ruff then broke into his own sprint after me, promptly catching up but not fast enough.

I wish I had taken note of the growl that came before the hushed bark, maybe then I would have stopped before they noticed us.

“Shit! Arthur Assemble!” I shouted in my best impression of Cap, as I ran around the old steel climbing dome, using it to separate myself and the pack of transformed humans that I foolishly thought were a few kids with their parents.

Why would people bring their kids to a playground during the apocalypse. Dumbass!

Arthur followed me by gliding through the climbing dome with his arms out stretched, landing like he was actually a super hero as I skid to a stop removing my mace.

Before I came to a full stop I saw the transmogrified humans streaking at us.

All of them a twisted mocking perversion of what they once were.

The first to reach us was a girl no older than 12.

The child crawled under the bottom rung with unnatural speed. I brought the mace up as it inched closer, crawling under the horizontal pole on our side of the dome. I brought the mace down toward the head of the girl but as I did she looked up and met my eyes.

I balked and my swing veered off to the right of her head.

Time seemed to freeze as I peered into her eyes.

She’s just a child.

Who am I to assume there is no coming back from these mutations?

I ignored the cell phone camera lens in the center of her forehead like it was her third eye and looked through all of the tiny shattered pieces of processor, sensors, and other micro chips burned into her face and where her left ear used to be, and I saw who she was.

All of the children at camp flashed through my mind, including Taylor and Oliver.

She was just a girl who probably loved that goddamn phone. Constantly copying those silly social media trends and dances with her friends or calling those same friends from it nonstop. Getting yelled at by her parents for texting under the dinner table. A girl who probably had a love hate relationship with school, her parents and rules, like most preteen children.

Time carried on and I snapped out of my daze. The girl finished crawling under the dome as one of the older boys flanked on the left.

The boy who I mistook for a parent was likely only 20. A PlayStation controller was in place where his right hand should be with cables and wires wrapping up his arm and shoulder.

Unlike myself, Arthur did not hesitate.

Arthur protected me.

He did what had to be done as I stood there frozen, playing the role of the fool.

Arthur knew the playbook.

It was suppose to be our back to back stand and fight play, Me with the hammer or Mace and Arthur with his paws, doing his best Black Panther.

Instead, my mace smashed into the ground next to the girl.

Arthur leapt, kicking off her face with his back paws for more leverage, ripping one of her eyes out of her head as he passed.

With his front claws, he sliced the neck of the older boy open but not before the boys controller flew at my dazed form.

The cable unwound from his arm as the controller approached. I leaned sideways, narrowly avoiding the flying game parts.

The controller zipped past my face and the boy snapped his arm, wrapping the wire tightly around my neck.

As he fell to the ground bleeding out from the wound left by Arthur, I fell with him.

The cable was retracting back up his arm like a winch, I was slowly hauled over the chips of bark covering the playground toward his gnashing teeth.

Arthur was fighting off the other child and 2 transmogrified men.

He was unable to help as he was starting to get worked over as well.

I was covered in the blood of these mutated children, unable to breathe.

I looked to the snarling face that was inches from devouring me. An unnatural black rot pulsated from every pore and grotesque pustules covered the face. An open wound on his neck that would have killed any regular person outright, still sprayed ridiculous amounts of warm crimson blood that covered me from head to toe.

They’re gone. There is no way to save them. The best thing for them would be to end this mockery of their lives.

I finally looked up at the zombie creatures health bar.

[Juvenile Undead Rascal—Level 19]

[Abhorrent Mutation]

No shit abhorrent...

It only had a sliver left but I was also suffering from tunnel vision. I flexed my neck and summoned Blood Lust.

I struck the Rascal twice, first in the temple then the ear before it went still.

I unwrapped the cable from my neck tossing it to the side. I stored my dagger and picked up my mace from the ground.

I threw the mace at the biggest of the Undead harassing Arthur as I called for my staff.

The mace hit with a loud CRACK, shattering the side of the brutes face as I slid, snatching the mace before it hit the ground.

I dismissed the mace as my staff appeared in my other hand. I swung while on one knee, taking the tall one out at the legs.

[Transmogrified Undead Brute – Level 21]

[Abhorrent Mutation]

I rose to my feet with a charged overhead attack that crashed down destroying the brute’s head like Gallagher’s hammer demolishing a watermelon.

Mace time.

Arthur, regained confidence and bolted forward biting the leg of the Rascal.

He latched on and dragged it away as I moved in to face the next Brute.

My grip on the mace was tight around the neck, right under the blood soaked core.

I sprinted toward the Brute before coming to a sudden stop a few feet away. I loosened my grip as I punched the heavy weapon forward causing the mallet to shoot into the chest of the monster and push him back. I gripped the very back end before it went flying off with the Brute.

I let the core fall, using the momentum I swung it around with both hands tight then slammed on the right shoulder that was reaching to grab me.

Even with the hit nearly separating the arm from the body he still managed to snatch my shirt and tug me off balance with immense strength.

We both tripped over the top half of a rubber tire that was sticking up from the playground.

The fingers of the brutes good arm latched onto my other shoulder, digging in. I flailed in an attempt to get away but his grip held true.

As we rolled around the playground his fingers sunk deeper into flesh. With both hands held under the head of my mace, I hammered his face repeatedly.

The blows weren’t doing much damage since I couldn’t get much into the attacks from my awkward position. His other hand latched onto my hip and I felt his sharp, filthy nails pop through my skin like a wet paper towel.

He latched his fingers around the bones inside of my body and started pulling. He was literally trying to rip me apart as I continued to beat his face.

Blood Lust...

I stabbed wildly at the wrist that was going deeper into my hip but it was as if his bones were made of steel. I tried stabbing him in the face, neck and body but everywhere I sliced and poked felt and sounded like his skin was made of thick sheet metal.

“Arthur, I need you to eat a hand over here! Fuck!”

I glanced to Arthur who was in his own tight spot.

He was stuck in the middle of the dome, desperately attempting to get to me but whenever he attempted to leave the Rascal would swing some type of makeshift whip, cutting into his face and digging through his armor.

“Sit tight! I’ll be right there!”

I stopped stabbing at the wrist and tried sinking the blade into the brutes head but again no matter where I stabbed it was as if his skin was pierce proof. I had the wrist down to the bone and hemorrhaging but still couldn’t seem to get through. The necrotic poison from the mace was taking effect but not fast enough.

Feeling panic at the sight of more blood on Arthur, I grabbed the Brute and stood us up.

We wrestled back and forth as I screamed through the pain while dragging him closer to the old broken chain link swings.

I summoned the Necrotic Mace back into the fight and swung it down on the shoulder again and again until finally the arm fell off the Brute’s body.

I glanced at Arthur.

The world began to change.

All sound grew distant, as though I were submerged underwater.

An amber glow pulsed with every heartbeat in my ears, spreading across my vision until the playground looked like it was bathed in fire.

The pain, vanished.

With the Brutes arm still dangling from my side, I let my anger fuel the world that was now on fire, “GRAAUUGHHHH! Enough!”

The sound seemed to shake the world around as I went completely berserk.

I ripped the arm from my side with a spurt of blood and hit the monster with it a few times before throwing it at the rascal.

I grabbed the chain link hanging behind me and pulled the brute in to wrap the chain around the back of his neck and through his mouth.

I pulled on the opposite side of the chain as hard as I could feeling something start to give way. The Brute still had his fingers dug in my shoulder, I looked down seeing my skin pushed up where his fingers went around my back and latched underneath my armpit.

I needed more space, so I created more space.

Still gripping the chain link with both hands I sent out a straight kick to the brutes chest that Leonidas himself would be proud of.

The kick forced the hand out, taking a good chunk of my shoulder with it as I used the space and leverage gained to snap the chain with all of my strength.

The chain busted through the cheeks and jaw of the monster, finally killing it.

The top portion of the monsters head fell to the ground with the rest of his body as I continued my rampage.

I turned to Arthur who was in a bad spot, still being picked apart by the Rascal in the center of the dome.

He held it’s full attention so I used that to charge forward with supernatural speed and snatch the rascal by the leg.

I swung the small zombie creature overhead like it was my new trusty sledge hammer as I let out uncontrollable roars. I slammed the rascals head down on the edge of the old metal slide over and over.

As I swung the thrashing Rascal around, it whipped and electrocuted me with it’s weapon.

I thought they got rid of these old slides?

A random thought passed through my blind rampage as I swung the rascal by one leg repeatedly into the slide and wood chipped ground until its life bar was gone and only then did I let go.

I threw the dead rascal at the dome, its body snapped and contorted as it smashed from one side through the next, before landing on the other side of the playground.

The orange hue died down as I approached Arthur, “I’m so sorry buddy, that will not happen again. I promise.”

I sat down next to Arthur on the edge of the whirl spinner and removed a health potion to dump into Arthur’s mouth.

We sat side by side, my one arm outstretched resting on Arthur’s back giving him scritches.

After looting the bodies we were a few Health Potions richer. I snatched Arthur’s tail getting his attention, “Let’s get the fuck out of here pup.”

“Woof!” Arthur seemed like his usual self again as he fake nipped my fingers.

I let him down in a huge way back there, but that’s where that shit will stay.

No more fuckin’ up. No more hesitation.

I need to be the walking apocalypse to all my enemies.