[[Step on it, driver! Give it some gas! Your mother-in-law's coming to kick your ass!]]
There he was, Rat Kid, fulfilling his sacred duty alongside his recently reunited comrade, 9.
Technically, we reunited days ago, but things have been... hectic.
[GAHAHAHA! I always knew that old hag would haunt me even from the grave!]
The old man laughs heartily as he floors the small freighter we "borrowed" from the fish-walkers.
Now that I think about it, where am I going to park my new boat?
[Can you two stop singing that?] — While I was pondering that major problem, the receptionist bitch comes over to complain.
[[Does it bother you?]]
[Tremendously.]
[[Then, no. Step on it, driver! Give it some gas! Your mother-in-law's coming to kick your ass!]]
[Ugh.]
We are the Rat Kids, after all.
[TSK] — I click my teeth in annoyance as a sudden bad omen hits me. — [GET DOWN!] — I shout as I stand up and look down toward the deck where most of the group is.
Even though no one knows the reason for my warning—myself included—everyone immediately ducks and goes on high alert. What's with this efficiency? So damn promising.
"FLahhh FLahhh FLahhh FLahhh"
[[[KYAAAA!]]]
I didn't even have time to praise the monkeys in my head before a group of hideous things—which I can only describe as "Mike Wazowski with four extra doses of ugliness and no arms"—jump out of the water. Some pass dangerously close to the heads of some girls and the slower-reacting monkeys.
Goddammit, I almost lost a squad to the mouths of the most embarrassingly stinky things imaginable.
Can you picture it? Dead because you were "enjoying the sea view" on a boat? Curse my luck.
"Grekee?"
The bastards that landed on deck due to their momentum stand up dazed, likely unable to believe their surprise attack failed.
[Kill them.]
Bang bang bang
I hate this shitty apocalypse.
...............
At our town's pier.
[Ugh, finally... dry land...] — My sister-in-law moans while being carried piggyback by my brother-in-law.
[Don't you dare puke on me,] — he retorts, though his expression says he's already resigned to his fate.
Good thing they don't have a spot on my Muriel (the boat).
[Kekeke, the Compact Tyrant has a surprisingly simple weakness.]
I take advantage of her state to mock her; it is my sacred duty.
[Gueck... I don't want to hear it from you...] — despite her weakness, she tries to defend herself.
By the way, I'm currently carrying the goblins who got seasick and won't let go of my neck.
[Heh, surprisingly cute, kid...] — The brother-in-law joins in, giving me that patronizing smile. He's definitely Carmelia's brother.
[I'm done with this conversation.] — A Rat Kid knows when not to fight a losing battle.
As I walked away, the girls started whispering.
[He's still not letting them go.]
[He's totally holding onto them.]
[He won't let go.]
[Where's my phone? I need a picture.]
Rot in hell, all of you.
"Grr"
[Kag!]
I grunt as the damn giant cat slaps me across the head with her tail.
[What? You want a piece of me?] — I ask, turning around.
I hadn't noticed, but this damn fey-cat is even bigger now. No wonder she barely fit in the small truck. She's wider and larger than an SUV now. Actually, how did you fit in the truck? I know cats are liquid, but...
"Grr"
[Oh? Going to do your own thing? I thought you'd stay. I even thought of a name: I'll call you Pochi. Gyaa! Stop that!]
The damn cat doesn't seem to like her new name and gives me another tail-swipe. Her tail is fluffy, but it's wider than a baseball bat; it definitely hurts.
[Fine! Fine! Taiga. I'll call you Taiga. Happy? GYAA!]
This time, she hit me harder.
"Grrr"
After one last growl, she bounded away with ridiculous leaps, vanishing among the houses and buildings.
[Tsk, do whatever you want,] — I grumble, my head throbbing.
[Is Taiga not coming with us?] — asked Jennifer, who had approached without me noticing. At least the vixen started rubbing my head. Though it's not the "head" I'd like her to rub.
But at least it dulls the pain.
[She says she'll be around. What's with cats being such tsunderes?] — I shrug while complaining.
[There, there, don't be sad. She'll be fine.]
[The Rat Kid is not sad.]
[Sure, sure,] — she replies in a condescending tone, never stopping the head-rub.
Dammit, when are Ruby and Kora going to wake up? A Rat Kid's manliness loses way too many points with them hanging off me like this.
All my precious authority... gone.
............
--------------- Yumi's Point of View --------------
[What the hell happened here...] — I instinctively step back, covering my nose.
At the door of one of the port warehouses, the grotesque scene of decomposing bodies scattered everywhere, rotting in the shade, brings back the raw memory of how cruel life can be.
[Boss, why did you ask all of us to come?] — John complains to Boss Winston for calling the whole group to this disgusting place for no reason.
[Help... please... hel... lp...]
But before he could answer, a young female voice echoes from inside the warehouse.
[What?]
[Is someone there?]
[We're here!]
[Quick, we have to—]
We reacted almost instinctively; even Carla and her friends started moving without a second thought. My years of training kicked in too, and I took a step forward.
[[[[[[....]]]]]]
But the momentum died instantly when the Boss's massive hand extended, blocking the path.
[Grandpa?]
Carla was the first to exclaim, but the Boss didn't flinch. Instead, he looked at Astrad with a severe expression.
Then I noticed it. Not just the Boss. The entire scouting team had a restrained expression. Their jaws were clenched so tight I wondered if their teeth would crack.
Before I realized it, I was looking at Astrad too.
In his eyes was a cold recognition. Not indifference, not lack of interest. Just that calculating chill he uses to hide his emotions under endless layers of sarcasm.
[Kekeke, you're crueler than you look, Gramps,] — he said with that fake laugh before walking away, still carrying the goblins.
[So disgusting...] — Margaret commented before following Astrad, not without throwing a look of pure loathing toward the warehouse.
[Hehe, well, you can't always be the bad guy,] — the Boss's voice snapped us back to our senses.
When we looked back, the Boss was holding a lighter, staring heavily at the warehouse where the faint murmur for help could still be heard.
[Boss, what—] — Flora tried to say something. But then she noticed.
We all noticed it then.
Likely due to the stench of the corpses, we hadn't realized that everything was soaked in gasoline.
[[[WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!]]]
The girls scream instinctively as the Boss tosses the lighter into the warehouse.
[I already confirmed it with the thermal goggles... There is nothing living in there,] — the Boss continued, indifferent to the outcry.
In the blink of an eye, the heat of the fire blasts against our faces.
[There are only dead things in there, and...] — he tried to continue, but...
GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!
His words were drowned out by bone-chilling shrieks that pierced our eardrums so hard we were forced to cover our ears.
[...and things even more dead,] — the Boss concluded. As if on cue, strange tentacles and creatures emerged from the warehouse fire and from some of the scattered bodies at terrifying speed.
Too fast, almost impossible to react to—or at least it would have been if some of our companions hadn't had them in their sights from the start.
Bang bang bang
Quickly, a flurry of shots turns the abnormal creatures into Swiss cheese.
[GRANDPA!] — Carla shouted in anguish as one of them, engulfed in flames, got too close to the Boss's face.
But with terrifying calm, the Boss moved his knife and impaled the incoming creature from below, as if casually catching a coin tossed in the air.
Giii... Help... giii...
[[[[[[...]]]]]]
A cold silence spread as we all clearly heard that thing begging for help before it stopped moving.
[Hmph.] — With a cold snort, the Boss flicked his knife, letting that tentacle monster—roughly the size of a soccer ball—fall, still burning, at his feet.
Then, with the same coldness, he crushed its remains.
[I know the kid already said it, but as the old man of the group, it's my job to hammer it home... In today's world... helping blindly is a sin that can cost you dearly...] — he said, grinding his boots against the carcass.
Shit...
............
[This is worse than I thought...] — I nod at Flora's comment, facing yet another destroyed street blocking our path.
[Next route? Over,] — the Boss's voice crackles over the radio.
[Working on it,] — I reply while Flora, beside me, checks the town map on the tablet.
Looking at the screen, red markings and notes cover more of it than I'd like. This is the reason why a one-hour car trip has turned into a four-hour detour.
Nests of ridiculous creatures like giant chickens, dogs the size of trucks, or hives with human-sized wasps.
Streets blocked or straight-up destroyed, featuring impassable craters.
Areas with literally a giant monster sleeping in the middle—the kind that makes you lose any desire to bother them just by looking.
Or even places we simply won't go near because Astrad refused to even get close, without even knowing why himself.
And honestly, no one wants to test the credibility of his "hunches."
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Outside the vehicle, occasional shots ring out as monsters continue to attack to varying degrees. Astrad even ended up climbing onto the roof to spot threats.
Of course, I want to pull him down, but that brat only listens to me sporadically. Besides, it's not like he's doing it for fun.
[Hey.] — They say when you think of the devil, he appears.
[Do you need to be that close?] — Flora complains, pushing Astrad's head away as he peeks through the window from the roof of the truck.
[Does it bother you?] [A lot.] [Then, yes.]
Flora sighs in resignation, but it's brutally obvious to everyone that she's grown used to his games—she even seems to enjoy them.
[It looks like we're running out of options,] — Flora said, pointing at the screen.
Astrad didn't reply; instead, he looked at the data cautiously.
[1, I've got a signal, and night has already caught up to us.]
Margaret's voice suddenly rings over the radio, breaking our concentration.
[...Tsk.] — Astrad clicked his tongue in annoyance, but he wasn't stubborn. — [Do we camp?] — he asked, looking at me carefully. Of course, he's not the only one who wants to get home quickly, but...
[This isn't about what we want or don't want...] — I answer bitterly.
................
[Ahhh, what do you guys think?] — I ask as I collapse in an unfamiliar living room with a can of beer.
Some might doubt our sanity for securing beer instead of using the space for more provisions. But if we're going to die, we're definitely not doing it sober.
[This might be even worse than I thought,] — the Boss commented, looking at the map projected on the wall with a grim face.
If we learned anything on the way here, it's the difference between an area dominated by one species and one where there is no clear king.
Setting aside whether they are stronger than a goblin horde or not, the fact is that their variety makes the situation unpredictable and, ultimately, more dangerous.
[It's no wonder survivors aren't exactly common.]
[The fact that survivors are actively avoiding us seems like the biggest problem to me.]
[Hard to change that, considering what's been happening.]
We only found out after we got the signal back, but it seems there are groups of thugs everywhere. Misfits who have made this situation their playground, fueling the already precarious state of things with uncertainty and distrust.
That's why, even though we managed to detect some people along the way, none dared to contact us—or they simply fled as soon as they saw us.
Astrad already mentioned this was normal, but that doesn't make it acceptable.
If it's this hard for us, a heavily armed group, to move around here... what about the others?
[Maybe this mountain range wasn't such a good idea after all.] [You say that like the rest of the continent is doing just peachy.] [Fair point...]
The discussion went on for a long time, but the further ahead we thought, the less encouraging it all became.
Families, couples, friends. Most of us here have something to live for. Under normal circumstances, each would have gone their own way, but these circumstances are far from normal.
[This only reaffirms our decision. First, we establish a secure base... only after we can protect ourselves can we solve anything else.]
The Boss said, scanning the room with a serious gaze.
[And we must do it before things get worse... Because they definitely will get worse.]
[[[[YES!]]]]
.......................
Rat Kid Chat:
RatKid5: Why isn't your ass here?
RatKid1: The Rat Kid can explain.
RatKid9: I saw it all. It's because he's playing around with a fish mistress.
RatKid9: [File: Fish-girl_Affair.mp4]
RatKid5: YOU SON OF A BITCH.
RatKid1: THE RAT KID CAN EXPLAIN!
RatKid3: Ooooooh.
RatKid2: You are so dead.
RatKid4: We need a new leader, lol.
RatKid8: Your reign was short, but productive. Lol.
RatKid6: I'd like to say we'll miss you, but... naaaa.
RatKid10: Lol
............