Chapter 5: Stabilizing

Maxed out affection was… strange to get used to right off the bat. Here was a video game character in the flesh, brought to life by whatever all powerful entity or being that caused this whole apocalypse to happen, and they felt so alive. Spencer wasn’t really sure what he expected from the people he would be summoning, but Andrea was certainly not it.

“We’re going to be the best team, commander, I just know it!” Andrea spun him around.

Spencer marveled at how effortlessly she moved him. He was only a couple of inches shorter than the six foot tall girl, yet she seemed exponentially stronger than Spencer was.

Benefits of being a game character I suppose. Spencer reasoned internally.

“Andrea was it?” Spencer asked her once she set him down.

She beamed and nodded.

“That’s me!”

“I’d really like to get to know you better, but right now we’re in a dangerous spot so we-”

The mention of danger zapped the smile off of Andrea’s face. The riot shield and nightstick, which had been held loosely in her hands snapped to attention as she scanned their surroundings. Her visor was back in an instant and locked onto the bodies on the basketball court. She smoothly shifted herself between Spencer and the grizzly scene.

“Where are we moving, commander?” Andrea’s eyes never stopped scanning their surroundings as she asked for orders.

Spencer pointed back the way he had come.

“It’s a little worse for wear, but my house can at least get us off the street for a little while.” Spencer hobbled forward.

The sight of fresh blood on his leg caused Andrea to double take.

“Commander!” She leapt forward and flung Spencer’s arm over her shoulder.

Andrea’s tall frame took all of the weight off of his injured limb.

“What happened?” She demanded.

“It’s been a very hard morning.” Spencer winced, but pulled Andrea forward so they could talk and move at the same time. “You’re the first team member I’ve been able to secure. I’ve been fighting on my own for an hour or so.”

Andrea’s face flushed to match the color of her vibrant hair.

“I’m the commander’s first? Te he he.” A line of drool formed at the corner of her upturned mouth.

“I know you’re excited to be here Andrea, but we really need to get back-”

Spencer yelped in surprise as the red haired girl scooped him up and princess carried him effortlessly.

“Just tell me where to go, commander.” She laughed chipperly and dashed up the street where he had pointed earlier.

The speed at which she ran stunned Spencer. It was as if his weight didn’t even matter to her as they flew up the road and turned towards his home. Spencer’s wonder was short lived, however, as a screech behind them sent chills down his spine.

“They found us. Put me down.” Spencer ordered Andrea and she complied in an instant.

A pair of hellhounds approached them at full speed down the empty residential street. Spencer raised his gun but Andrea gently pushed the barrel down.

“Don’t strain yourself commander.” She gave him an eager grin. “Please, allow me to take care of these mongrels.”

Andrea lifted herself up to her full height and stretched out her limbs. She carried herself with a casual confidence that Spencer hoped the enthusiastic girl could back up. When the two hellhounds got close enough Andrea lowered herself down into a ready stance, one foot slightly forward, shield raised in front and weapon held out to the side.

The hellhounds attacked at the same time from opposing angles. Andrea responded in a flash, shield embedding itself in the jaws of the hound on her left while her nightstick caved in the skull of the hound on the right. Spencer wasn’t sure what riot shields were normally made from but Andrea’s seemed to be stronger than any riot shield on earth. It absorbed the hellhound’s powerful bite and even a few swipes from the creature’s powerful claws, yet the see-through shield came out without a scratch. After dispatching the right hellhound Andrea turned her full attention to the one attacking her left side and felled it in two swift strokes with her nightstick.

She turned back to Spencer, blood dripping from her shield and weapon, and smiled brightly.

“Praise me commander!”

******

“... And this is my room.” Spencer announced as he walked sheepishly into his messy bedroom.

Andrea gasped and took time to inspect each and every object in the room as if it was some ancient treasure. Spencer frowned.

Why did she ask to tour my house? 

It felt wrong. The whole world was falling to pieces outside and here he was showing his broken house to a video game character. Where was the logic? Where was the purpose? Sure coming here was his idea, but they needed to be planning, preparing, or doing something other than looking at his middle school chess trophies.

“We should get going.” Spencer shifted on his feet, favoring his uninjured leg as he turned towards the door. “We’re wasting time.”

“Commander.” Andrea sat on Spencer’s bed and looked at him with a serious expression. “If you order me to go with you I will, but do you have a goal in mind?”

“Well no… I mean yes!” Spencer’s mind struggled to organize his thoughts as competing ideas and priorities fought each other for control. “We can’t just sit here and-”

“Yes we can.” Andrea said firmly. “You’re stuck in fight or flight mode, commander. You’ve had a terrible day, probably seen some terrible things. You need to take a moment to rest.”

“You don’t know what I’ve seen!” Spencer felt a surge of surprising anger explode out of him. “You don’t know how many people have already died out there!”

Images of blood dripping from school bus seats, Steven motionless on the floor, the monstrous teeth tearing into his leg, the hot wiring guy’s bloodied throat, the faceless creature sprinting after a distant car. Spencer’s breathing grew ragged as all of the events of the morning caught up to him at once. The thin wall his mind had thrown up to protect himself from reality crumpled in an instant.

“If I would have stayed home, prepared better, done things differently…” His body shook and he had to grab the wall to steady himself.

Andrea was up and hugging him in an instant. This wasn’t her enthusiastic gleeful hug from earlier. This was a gentle hug that prevented Spencer from falling to pieces. He awkwardly held his arms out to either side for a moment, but quickly gave in and leaned heavily into the taller girl’s chest.

Soft… Even through her thin armored vest Spencer couldn’t stop himself from thinking it as his head rested gracefully against the red haired girl’s ample bust.

“Come here.” 

Andrea pulled him gently over to his bed and sat him down next to her. After which she tugged Spencer’s shoulders down until his head rested in her lap. Her shorts left a lot of leg for his cheek to rest against, providing a warm firm pillow that felt heavenly.

“I was chosen as a champion.” Spencer mumbled tiredly. “I’m not sure why or how, but I feel like I’m supposed to help fight off these creatures and save the world… It feels stupid to say it. I don’t know how to do that…”

“Shh… Your body is exhausted, commander.” Andrea whispered as she gently stroked Spencer’s hair. “Rest now. You’ll be able to think more clearly once you wake up.”

Spencer didn’t think he could sleep at all, but the familiarity of his room and the safety he felt from Andrea’s calm soothing allowed him to finally relax. The non-stop adrenaline that had pumped through his body for over the past few hours finally subsided and a wave of total exhaustion swept over him.

“You were right…”

Spencer was too tired to know if he said those words aloud or just thought them. He didn’t see Andrea’s smile. Nor did he see the notification text box appear in front of his closed eyes.

‘Bonding Event successfully passed, Lap Pillow: 

• Five store credits awarded.

• Team member, Andrea, stats improved.

Alert: Reward for, First five pulls purchased, quest is still pending claim. Please navigate to the shop to receive: Class three personal protective gear.’