Chapter 505 – Hellish frost [11]

Everyone seemed extremely tense. That said, it wasn’t exactly the kind of tension I was used to seeing. There wasn’t necessarily fear on their faces, at least not the obvious kind that made someone instinctively back away from a threat. It was something different.

A much more focused kind of caution, as if they were trying to decide whether or not they should do something. And, considering the weapons pointed in my direction and the fingers dangerously close to the triggers, I’d say they were seriously considering turning me into a human sieve... Not that it was actually going to happen.

I mean, even though my skin was about as flabby as pudding, which, admittedly, I considered a pretty accurate comparison, I was physically far more durable than my appearance suggested. Bullets weren’t exactly something I needed to worry about. Still, the situation was a little unsettling.

Especially because they seemed much more tense now than they had been a few moments ago, when they were being attacked by giant snowmen with terrifying faces. I stopped for a moment, trying to process that. How the hell was I supposed to be scarier than a giant, walking ice monster with a creepy face that was literally trying to kill them?

I mean, it was a snow monster! A snow monster! From my perspective, that logic simply didn’t make any sense. Maybe I should ask what was going on. Or maybe it would be better not to do that while there were this many guns pointed at me. Yeah... probably the second option.

Considering how things were going, it didn’t seem like the other side was going to be the first to speak. In fact, the atmosphere was so silent and tense that I was starting to consider myself lucky that I hadn’t already been caught in a hail of bullets. Nobody moved. Nobody said anything.

Only the heavy, uncomfortable silence remained between us as I tried to decide whether I should do something or simply wait for someone to finally remember that those weapons could do a lot more than just point at someone.

That said, if nobody took the initiative, we were probably going to be stuck in this awkward silence indefinitely. Or at least until they remembered that they could also pull the trigger. Yeah, definitely not a situation where I wanted to test anyone’s patience.

I took a deep breath, trying not to look as uncomfortable as I actually felt inside: “Uh... hello?” It was the first thing that came to mind.

Hardly the smartest way to start a conversation. I knew that. But it also seemed like the most harmless option I had at the moment. After all, they could still be deciding whether or not to use their weapons. And, honestly, I’d rather give them an alternative before someone reached a particularly unpleasant conclusion.

That said, my words were met with nothing but stoic stares in my direction. Or at least, that was how I imagined they were looking at me. It was a little difficult to tell when they were all wearing helmets. Even with my eyes working the way they did, I still couldn’t see through things like armor. A rather inconvenient limitation, if I was being honest.

Anyway, apparently, they had all decided to simply ignore me. What rude guys. Not that I could exactly hold it against them or anything. I mean, I wasn’t that petty. Besides, it was pretty obvious they had no intention of saying a single word to me. Probably because I was an anomaly. Yeah. That seemed like the most plausible explanation.

I let out a quiet breath through my nose, a small spark of indignation beginning to grow inside me. These guys really didn’t want me around. And considering I had just saved their lives, it was a little difficult not to feel offended. After all, all I had gotten in return were weapons pointed at me and an impressive amount of silence.

Not that I was expecting a thank-you party or anything. But, come on... A simple “thank you” wouldn’t have killed anyone. I looked at the three of them for a few more moments, waiting for maybe one of them to finally decide to say something. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

“Alright...” I muttered, crossing my arms: “If that’s how you want it” I had no intention of forcing them to talk to me.

Making someone thank me was obviously out of the question, and, to be honest, I had no intention of continuing to stand there and put up with this treatment either. If they didn’t want my company, fine. I had much more important things to do. I turned on my heel, facing back toward the city.

None of the agents tried to stop me. They simply remained exactly where they were, completely motionless, their weapons still pointed in my direction. Their tension was still obvious, but after a few seconds, it became clear that nobody intended to make the first move.

So I simply started walking. It didn’t take long before I disappeared completely from their line of sight. Even so, thanks to my abilities, I could still see every one of the agents clearly and hear their voices perfectly, even from a distance.

“What the hell was that, anyway?” one of the agents asked, breaking the silence. The man beside him shrugged. After hesitating for a moment, he finally stowed his weapon back inside the compartment of his armor: “Hell if I know. Anomalies are weird” He let out a sigh, as if he was already too tired to bother looking for an explanation: “Either way, we’re alive. So whatever”

“Whatever?” another agent muttered, lowering his weapon: “You just saw that thing...”

“And you just saw it leave”

“... Yeah, but that doesn’t mean...”

“It means we’re not dead” the first agent interrupted, his patience clearly wearing thin: “That’s good enough for me”

The rest of the agents seemed to share similar thoughts. They didn’t appear particularly grateful for my intervention. In fact, some of them didn’t even seem to care all that much about what had happened. It was as if, after surviving the situation, all they wanted was to simply move on and leave the whole incident behind.

The man who appeared to be the leader, on the other hand, remained deep in thought. He stood there for a few more seconds, staring in the direction I had disappeared. His face was partially hidden behind his helmet, but the way he kept his head slightly lowered made it obvious that he was still trying to make sense of something.

In the end, however, he said nothing. He simply let out a sigh and made a brief gesture with his hand: “Let’s go. We’ve got a city to reach”

The agents began to move. One by one, they lowered their weapons and returned to their vehicles. Doors slammed shut, engines roared to life, and before long, the convoy resumed its journey toward the city. And just like that, apparently without any further complications, they continued on their way.

I was already back in my dark world, watching them leave. I followed the group for a few more miles, keeping a comfortable distance as the silhouettes of the vehicles slowly disappeared into the snow-covered landscape.

When I finally decided to leave them behind, I turned my attention toward the city in the distance. At first, I thought the fog caused by the snowfall was concentrated only around the area that had once been occupied by the desert.

However, as my eyes swept across the horizon, I realized it had engulfed the city as well. A thick, whitish layer hung over the streets and buildings, wrapping everything in a silent, almost unreal atmosphere. The fog drifted slowly between the buildings, obscuring parts of the city and making it difficult to see what was happening inside.

To be honest, it was a little creepy. Then again, I suppose I should be grateful that no twenty-foot monster was emerging from the fog... Yet. Anyway, when I finally entered the city, what greeted me was nothing like what I had expected to find. There were no cheerful people walking through the streets with their children, carrying shopping bags and presents.

No groups of friends wandered around without a care in the world, and there was none of the usual bustle of people going in and out of cafés or grocery stores, stocking up on supplies for the end of the year they would spend with their families. The city was simply... deserted.

It was like looking at the aftermath of an apocalypse, except that this time, I could still see signs of life through the windows. The houses remained shut, their curtains carefully drawn, while the faint glow of lamps revealed people huddled around heaters, blankets, or anything else that might help them endure the cold. Some families appeared to be gathered together in their living rooms.

Others sat near windows, watching the snow fall outside. There were also those who simply remained motionless, probably too exhausted to do anything other than wait. It was strange. The city wasn't exactly dead. But it didn't feel alive in the way it should have, either.

I continued moving through the streets, taking in the scene around me. Snow piled up along the sidewalks, covering abandoned cars and park benches. In some places, the wind had pushed small white drifts against the doors of houses.

And the homeless? I passed a few of them. They were scattered throughout different parts of the city, some curled up beneath thin blankets, others huddled against walls or inside makeshift shelters. Most of them remained completely motionless. I stopped for a moment in front of one of them. There wasn't the slightest sign of movement.

Not even that small, involuntary reaction a person usually has when someone approaches. Just silence. I kept walking. I passed another. And another. None of them looked like they were ever going to move again... Ah. So this was that kind of situation. I had entered the city expecting to find people worried about the end of the year, maybe complaining about the cold or arguing over the price of presents.

Instead, I found an entire city struggling to survive. And apparently, not everyone was making it. My final stop was the top of a building. I stood near the edge for a few moments and looked down, watching the deserted streets, almost completely buried beneath a thick layer of snow. Dense fog snaked between the buildings, concealing parts of the city and making everything feel even quieter and more desolate.

I couldn't feel the cold. Actually, I couldn't feel anything at all. In situations like this, the peculiar state of my body, in which practically no physical sensation could reach me, was a genuine blessing.

I could remain exposed to this freezing weather without having to worry about hypothermia, frostbite, or any of the other problems that would normally drive a person to seek shelter immediately.

Unfortunately, not everyone was so lucky. All it took was a glance around for me to realize that. The windows of the buildings were covered in thick layers of ice, some so heavily frozen that it was barely possible to see inside the apartments. Abandoned cars remained motionless in the streets, partially buried beneath the snow, their windows completely frozen over.

The situation was definitely not good. And if this continued for much longer, it would probably get even worse. I let out a quiet sigh, although I didn't even know why I still bothered doing that. I needed to put an end to whatever was happening as quickly as possible. Judging by the state of the city, it was becoming increasingly unlikely that everyone would survive until next week.