Chapter 100: The Red Light

Inside the hidden air-raid shelter beneath the library, the atmosphere had finally settled. The women had finished treating Ethan Carter’s injuries. Fresh bandages covered the cuts on his arms and back, and the deeper wounds had been cleaned and wrapped carefully so infection would not set in. He still felt sore, but he was in considerably better shape than when he had come back from Wealth Building.

Across the shelter the women sat together in a loose circle, talking quietly. Their conversation broke into soft laughter now and then, a welcome change from the constant tension that had followed them since the apocalypse began.

Ethan sat apart from the others, his back against the wall. He took out the red Core he had taken from the evolved zombie near Wealth Building and examined it briefly. The surface caught the dim light of the shelter. Without further hesitation he swallowed it.

A warm current spread through his body almost at once. He closed his eyes and concentrated, guiding the energy through his exhausted body and letting it work on the damaged muscle and organs. The process was not particularly comfortable. The energy moved in uneven waves, sometimes a pleasant warmth, sometimes a faint ache wherever it passed. Still, the results were worth it. He had learned that Cores could replenish his energy and strengthen his body, though the degree of improvement depended on the quality. This one was useful after the Blackscale Drake.

He settled into a steady rhythm of breathing and kept absorbing. Minutes slipped by. The conversations around him faded as the women grew tired. One by one they found places to rest until the shelter was almost completely silent. Only the occasional shift of a blanket and the distant groan of a zombie aboveground disturbed the quiet.

An hour later he opened his eyes. The red Core had been completely absorbed. Most of his internal injuries had healed, and the pain in his ribs had faded to a dull ache. The wounds were not entirely gone, but he could move without feeling as though every breath might split them open again. More importantly, his spatial energy had returned to its peak. Every available spatial skill was ready.

He glanced at the time. One o’clock in the morning. He pushed himself to his feet and slowly stretched his arms. His body still felt stiff, but he was confident enough to travel. Time to bring Debbie and the others here. He had already reunited with Daisy. Now he needed to find Debbie, Nina, and Haley before something happened to them.

He moved quietly toward the shelter’s entrance, careful not to disturb anyone. Just as he was about to activate teleportation, a hand reached out and caught his wrist.

“Ethan?”

He turned. Daisy Miller had opened her eyes. She sat up, hair slightly disheveled, and looked at him with the sleepy but unmistakable suspicion of someone who had noticed a person trying to leave without saying anything.

“Where are you going?”

“Riverview Heights. I need to bring Debbie and the others here.”

“I’m coming with you.”

Daisy pushed the blanket aside and started to stand. Ethan placed a hand gently on her shoulder, stopping her.

“No. Stay here.”

Her expression changed at once. “Ethan, I can help you.”

“I know you can.” He lowered his voice so he would not wake the others. “But the situation outside is too unpredictable. The Survival Space is still evolving, and I haven’t confirmed that its environment can support people indefinitely. I need to keep everyone here safe while I handle this.”

Daisy looked as though she wanted to argue. She had already spent hours worrying about him. After seeing him return covered in blood, the thought of watching him disappear into danger again was hardly comforting. She also understood he was not making excuses. The city was becoming more dangerous by the hour. Two King-rank creatures were fighting near the Museum, and powerful mutants were roaming the surrounding streets. Bringing another person would make his movements harder.

She finally released his wrist. “Fine,” she muttered. “But you have to come back safely.”

He gave her a reassuring smile. “I will.”

He activated teleportation. A faint distortion passed through the air, and his figure vanished from the shelter.

Riverview Heights lay roughly ten kilometers from the library. He appeared in a deserted alley on the western side of Silvermont and immediately checked his surroundings before stepping into the street. The apocalypse had turned the city into a place he barely recognized. Abandoned vehicles blocked the roads, windows shattered, bodies streaked with grime. Shopfronts stood open, revealing overturned shelves and scattered merchandise. In the distance a traffic light continued blinking over an empty intersection, its red signal illuminating a road littered with debris. The air smelled of dust, damp concrete, and something unpleasantly rotten.

He kept his aura suppressed and moved along the shadows cast by the buildings. He had no intention of attracting attention. After covering roughly two kilometers he encountered his first serious obstacle. Heavy footsteps echoed from the road ahead. Each step sent a faint tremor through the pavement. He stopped behind the corner of a damaged building and cautiously looked out.

Two enormous elephants occupied the middle of the street. Each was nearly as large as a truck, with thick gray skin that resembled overlapping plates of armor. Their trunks were covered in jagged metal fragments, apparently embedded during their rampage through the city. One elephant wrapped its trunk around an overturned sedan and lifted it several meters into the air. The other nudged a wrecked delivery van aside as casually as a person moving an empty cardboard box. The sedan crashed onto the pavement. Metal crumpled with a deafening bang. Neither elephant appeared bothered.

Ethan’s expression tightened. He had no interest in testing his abilities against two creatures with that much raw strength. Even if he could kill them, the noise would likely attract other mutants. He withdrew behind the wall and considered his options. The main road was blocked, but the surrounding residential buildings offered an alternative. If he could reach the rooftops, he might cross the area without drawing the elephants’ attention.

He slipped into the nearest building and began climbing. The stairwell was dark, walls stained with old watermarks. Broken furniture lay scattered across the landings, and a faint scraping sound came from somewhere on the floor above. He ignored it and continued upward. By the time he reached the third floor he could hear the elephants moving along the road outside. He approached a broken window and prepared to cross toward the neighboring building.

Then a shadow passed over him.

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!