Surviving Apocalypse with Powers of Fictional Characters

"Cough! Cough!!"

" *hic* Hang, hang in there, Mel! *sob* You'll be okay, you'll be okay…you have to be okay!"

A young blonde Australian bawled her eyes over a figure dyed in red.

"Annie, stay outside. It's a critical time for her, I can't let anything contaminate her wounds."

A firm and professional voice sternly spoke to Annie.

The voice belongs to Joy, Annie's mother.

As a seasoned nurse, she has done her best to stabilize Melissa's condition.

Looking at her patient, uncertainty shone in her eyes.

With more than 15 years of emergency and trauma experience under her belt, Melissa's current situation would only last for half a day.

'10%. If they couldn't find the items we need…we-'

Joy closed her eyes and shook her head.

Trying to brush away her thoughts, she prayed silently that a miracle would happen.

***

4th August 2018, 7:00 AM.

Departing from the shoplots that they sheltered in for the night, Jennifer, Chai and Zack moved north towards the Air Force base.

Stop!

Zack halted the group abruptly by raising up his right hand.

'Decaying flesh and blood'. (Zack)

His super-olfactory senses picked up the rotting stench from 150-meters away.

In the midst of a black tar-road littered with dried leaves, the surrounding forest made Zack's senses a little off-focus.

In the city, he could spot zombies immediately by identifying their smell, their sound pattern when they walked, the rhythm of vibrations when the zombies move, etc.

But in an ecosystem where abundant of life forms converge, he needed to concentrate more than usual to distinguish the undead.

'Three…five. Hm? There's other groups wandering around too?' (Zack)

"Yo, you're taking up longer than usual. Everything okay, bro?" (Chai)

With Zack as the 'Sensor' at the forefront, Chai guarded the rear and Jennifer walked in the middle.

"I don't know, bro. The walker's walking pattern seemed…weird." (Zack). He looked at his best friend with a dubious facial expression.

"Maybe…they aren't zombies? They might be people." (Jen)

The thick trees, luscious green canopy and wild undergrowth of the forests enveloping the area made it challenging for Zack to identify these 'groups' with sight.

His sight was blocked by the tree trunks, and he would have to get closer to identify them properly.

The sound of insects also masked the distinct moans unique to the living corpses.

"Aside from the corpse stench and the vibrations from people walking, I can't sense anything else." (Zack)

"Well, I guess it's time to try out Jen's new power. Dude, do your thang." (Chai)

Jennifer nodded.

Before proceeding with locating Melissa, Annie and Joy, they realized that the Air Force base spans a significantly large area.

If they were to rely on Zack alone, it would be too inefficient.

[ Upgraded Empathy! ]

[ Empathy (Lv.1) : Gained empathic powers to control, manipulate and alter the feelings, sensations, and emotions of others. ]

With this skill, Jennifer will be able to detect emotions.

At her current level, it has a radius of 100-meters.

When she tested it out with Chai and Zack, she could only work out simple emotions like happiness, sadness, anger.

"I'll need to get closer." (Jen)

The trio walked towards the nearest 'group'.

At approximately 90-meters away, the scarlet-haired beauty clad in a fireman's suit was closing her eyes.

'Hm..no. That's not it…' (Jen)

Opening back her eyes, she looked at the two men with stunning visuals and shook her head left and right.

She could not sense any emotions from the direction Zack pointed to her.

After thinking for a few seconds, he got an idea.

"How many points you have left?" (Zack)

After exterminating a large group of zombies at the Fire Station, they gained a significant boost of experience points.

"A lot. 752 points." (Jen)

Her skill [ Empathy ] only costs 50 experience points.

"Okay. Let's try 'that' skill. That'll be an ultimatum to decide if we confront or avoid them." (Zack)

The team agreed, if they sensed zombies, they will flee. If they sensed another human, they will confront them and ask for information.

"Oh-ho. Jenny's gonna know a lot of secrets from now on, hehe." (Chai)

"Don't worry, Chai. I don't need this skill to know yours." (Jen)

"Haha, that's right! Hey wait, what does THAT mean?" (Chai)

Upon gaining the [ Empathy ] skill, she has unlocked another new ability.

[Congratulations to individual <Jennifer White> for unlocking Skill: Telepathy!]

[ Upgraded Telepathy! ]

[ Telepathy (Lv.1): Able to read thoughts and also project and broadcast own thoughts. ]

The cost of gaining the first level of any skills were relatively cheap, only 50 points.

"How do you feel? Can you read our minds, Jen?" (Zack)

She initiated the same thought process to activate the [ Empathy ] skill, but this time she focused on sensing thoughts instead of sensing emotions.

(Please work. If it does, we could meet them again.)

(Man, if that group turned to be zombies, it's gonna be soooo boring. I hope they're really strong people instead.)

"Ugh!" (Jen)

Jennifer jerked back, holding her head. Her twitching eyelids signaled the unexplainable jolt of pain inside her head.

Chai and Zack immediately held her by the shoulders.

She leaned on a nearby tree trunk for a couple of minutes.

Slowly opening her eyes, she took a gulp of fresh air and showed the two concerned men a thumbs up.

The mental burden that she took was equivalent to lifting several tons of weight using telekinesis.

Mind-reading would require one to penetrate the mental barriers of another human.

What she did not know yet, was that the [ Telepathy ] skill would only be convenient to use on beings with lower capabilities than her.

"Do you need more time to rest?" (Zack)

With a worried eyes, he tries to see if there were any physical changes on her.

"I'm okay now. I'll have to rely on you guys if I get another headache." (Jen)

"Heh, with this awesome big bro here, what do you have to worry about? Nobody can touch my friends!" (Chai)

"Yes, yes. I'll try to find some strong guys for you to fight, okay Chai?" (Jen)

"You're the best, Jen- hey, wait a minute? How did you know what I was thi- oh sh*t!, it really worked!!" (Chai)

After having a few sip of water, Jennifer stood up properly.

'Here goes nothing!' (Jen)

Pearls of clear saline droplets flowed down her rosy skin.

'Why is there nothing at all?' (Jen)

Frustrated, she opened her eyes and told the guys that she couldn't detect any thoughts.

'The probability of the group being zombies is clear. But then again, we haven't tested her telepathy range yet.' (Zack)

"Ey brah, even Jenny couldn't read their thoughts. We skippin' them?" (Chai)

"No, we engage them. We can't dismiss the possibility of them being humans just because we can't read their thoughts." (Zack)

Once they're close enough to be distinguished, Zack will give them a signal.

Humans, approach them slowly.

Zombies, destroy their heads swiftly from afar.

They calmly moved closer to the group.

Uuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggghhkkkkkhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~

Swish! Swish! Shiuuu!

Crack! Splat!

Greyish-pink brain matters dispersed on the trees and ferns.

"Hah, they were zombies after all!" (Chai)

Metal forks were embedded on tree trunks.

With Chai and Zack's current abilities, they could turn anything into deadly weapons.

The undead did not even realize that they are dead until they were swiftly killed by these three superhumans.

With this zombie group, they have confirmed that zombies does not have emotions nor thoughts.

Jennifer's [ Telekinesis ] range is currently at 85-meters, if she were to utilize her full powers.

The farther the object is, the weaker her powers are.

'Breaking a zombie's head is so easy.' (Jen)

As long as she could sense the object or subject (either via sight or telepathy), she could put her powers on effect.

"Alright, we now have a sure-fire method to determine if they are humans or zombies. We'll continue finding them, and we'll take a break every hour." (Zack)

From the road leading to the base, they detoured west into the forest where they killed the zombie group.

Keeping their senses up, they avoided many zombie groups.

*munch* "Hey Zack." *munch* (Chai)

While satiating their hungry stomachs, Chai noticed that the zombie groups they avoided were mostly in groups of four or five.

Usually the undead would roam around aimlessly by themselves.

Even when they were gathered at an area, like the event at the Municipal Shelter's compromised East Building, they did not form groups of a certain set of numbers.

A few hypothesis popped up.

*munch* "What if someone gains the power to control inanimate object? Or necromancy?" *munch* (Zack)

In the present situation where even all three of them were the prime example of humans gaining powers, it's not impossible for other to have it.

"D*mn, like that wimp from Apocalypse no Toride manga?" (Chai)

Zack shrugged his shoulders.

They have to take every considerable conjectures into mind.

After fifteen minutes, the team moved again.

The reason why they did not immediately head towards the base was because it was too quiet.

In the Map, it showed that the Army Base was surrounded by a multiple residential areas on the western and southwestern region.

On it's northwest area were the industrial factories area.

If the infection has even reached the Fire Station, it might have even spread to the areas adjacent to the base that has a lot of human populations.

Being a military base, they would have weapons on standby.

With the confirmation of zombie groups roaming around, there would be no doubt that gunfire shots should be heard.

The silence of the base located 1.5 kilometers away confirmed by Zack's [ Super Senses ] would mean a few things.

And none of the things are positive things.

'It's like talking to a void. No response at all.' (Zack)

Since cell and internet communications are down, they could only rely on the tactical radio earbuds they distributed earlier on the journey.

Their devices allowed them to communicate about 1 ~ 1.2 kilometers away.

The trio agreed to search for the girls 1.5 kilometers away from the silent base.

If there are no traces of them, they will head to the base.

They reached the end of the forest after half an hour.

Dusk-colored light illuminated the open spaces ahead of them.

Squinting their eyes, the forest's darkness made the scenery in front of them as if they were watching an overexposed video.

'We should be at the Off-Base Military Housing.' (Zack)

Higher ranked officer could choose to stay outside of their base.

As an incentive, the Malaysian Government has built residential areas nearby their Army Bases.

This would allow them to reach the base quickly while rewarding them for their hard work.

The trio swiftly reached the nearest Residential Area.

Commencing the same procedure, they searched high and low for signs of life while avoiding the undead.

Each Residential Area has an average of forty houses.

There were seven Areas, and they are currently on the Fifth.

Halt!

Zack's hand curled up into a fist and the whole team is frozen still.

'I don't know what is up ahead, but the zombie horde is all gathered there.' (Zack)

He then proceeded to relay the information to Chai and Jennifer.

According to the Map, the final two Areas would be after another three kilometers.

But the Areas were covered with another forest, which means they would have to risk it again.

"How are they standing so still? As if…" (Jen)

They need to either detour away from the horde, or find the source of the zombie's weird behavior.

Zack signaled to his team members towards a direction of a house.

They settled in a two-story bungalow house with its own yard and compound.

After checking through the exterior for any alarm system triggers, they broke into the house through the front door.

The house was neat and clean.

Everything was in order.

'As expected of a military-officer's house.' (Zack)

"The place is all pretty and untouched. This fam must've evacuated calmly when they heard the news. Or at least when whoever who was an army officer got their orders." (Chai)

After a second round of checking for any lurking zombies, Chai came down from the second floor.

They huddled up on the Ground Floor's Living Room.

While eating and drinking, Zack highlighted a few things that he observed.

"We have two more Areas to search. Those zombies you saw crowding on the edge of the forest, something must have attracted them there." (Zack)

He explained that he saw trails of tire marks.

"And I also saw bullet casings." (Zack)

Chai was silent.

"That 'something' that attracted the horde. It might be your friends?" (Jen). She asked with a curious voice.

"We don't know that for now. Our options are…either search out the two remaining Residential Areas, or find out what or who if the horde attractors are." (Chai)

"What's your choice, bro?" (Zack)

Chai chose to find out what attracted the horde. His reason was that detouring would take some more time, not to mention the risk factor is similar.

They still need to avoid zombie groups while moving towards the final two Residential Areas.

"Might as well save time and find out what's there." (Chai)

"How about you, Jen?" (Zack)

"I'll go with the majority. But if you…choose a different option than Chai, then I'll voice out my answer." (Jennifer)

Simulations after simulations ran inside Zack's mind. He was trying to find the most optimum way to find his other team members while negating the chance of getting attacked by undead.

"I've decided." (Zack)

His firm, manly voice possessed a hint of clarity.

***

"Everyone clear? If you noticed something amiss, leave everything behind and run back here!" (Zack)

"Gotcha!" (Chai)

"Okay!" (Jen)

The team's decision is...to investigate.

In order to access the surrounded area, they need to lure the zombies away.

Naturally, it was left to the fastest and well, most noisy person of the team.

"HEY STUPID BI***ES, FOLLOW ME YOU USELESS-"

The horde naturally followed Chai's provocation.

The distance between the house and the forest was one kilometer away.

Confirming that the threats were lured away, he carried Jennifer on his back.

Compared to Chai and Zack, her physical capabilities are practically the same with an average human.

Although for Zack and Chai, carrying an average person like her would pose no problems, her endurance however is limited.

Imagine riding a fast motorcycle for a long distance without proper seats or support.

That was the very reason why Jennifer wasn't carried all the way throughout their search for the ladies.

The physical and mental drain would hinder their efficiency and progress.

"Hold on tight, Jen." (Zack). His gentle voice reverberated from his vocal cord to her chest.

'So warm.' (Jen)

DAASHH!

His [Super Strength] made two holes on the road pavement.

Dust and debris were kicked up into the air as a result of Zack's [Super Speed]!

Crossing a distance of over a kilometer, Zack sprinted all the way and arrived at the forest in over a mere two minutes!

Jump!

He found a tall tree with sturdy branches. They could get a higher vantage point.

"Phew! What a workout!" (Zack)

Wiping his sweat while breathing a little harder, he unfastens the firefighters belts that strapped Jennifer to his back.

He gently lowered her on a tree branch.

"Whoa~" (Jen). She wobbled a little, almost falling down before being held on her waist.

The speed experience made her lost her balance from the inertia force affecting her brain.

"Careful."

Looking deep into his clear gentle eyes, Jennifer couldn't help but feeling complicated emotions right now.

WOOOOOOAAAARRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!

The powerful howl immediately snapped them both out of daze.

'Northwest...North?'

Zack attuned his senses towards the direction.

'It's...actually about two or three kilometers away.'

'None of the walkers I've encountered could release such loud roar.'

He frowned upon pondering who, or what specifically what the creature is.

Little did he and his team knew, that the 'creature' would shift the balance of power on Earth, forever.