They spent the morning setting up a makeshift shooting range on the roof.
Eli lined up empty cans and bottles along the far ledge, around fifty feet away. Not perfect, but good enough for basic marksmanship.
"Alright," Eli said, holding up one of the glocks.
"Listen up. Guns are not toys. They're dangerous tools. You treat them with respect, or someone gets hurt."
The survivors nodded.
"First rule. Never point a gun at anything you don't intend to shoot. Second rule, keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire. Third rule. Always assume the gun is loaded."
He demonstrated the proper grip. His two hands with the dominant one high on the grip. The supporting hand wrapped around, and elbows slightly bent.
"Sight alignment. Front sight, rear sight, target. All three lined up. Squeeze the trigger. Don't pull it, squeeze."
Eli aimed at one of the cans.
BANG.
The can flew off the ledge.
He handed the Glock to Linda. "Your turn."
Linda took the gun like it might bite her. Her hands shook as she raised it.
"Breathe," Eli said. "In. Out. Squeeze on the exhale."
She fired.
The shot went wide, and hit the concrete two feet left of the target.
"Again."
She fired again. Closer to the target this time.
Third shot, it hit the can.
Linda's eyes widened. "I… I did it."
"Good. Keep practicing."
*******
They rotated through the group.
Marcus was a natural shooter. Five shots, four hits. The kid had steady hands and good instincts.
Mr. Chen surprised everyone. Six shots, five hits.
"I was in the army," he explained. "Long time ago."
Linda's kids were too young, and Eli wasn't about to arm children if he could help it. That included Sophie, who watched from the sidelines, quietly.
After two hours, everyone who could shoot had basic competency.
Not great, but good enough to hit a stationary target at fifty feet.
Eli wasn't sure if against the revenants. They moved and fought back. And the higher the corruption, the faster they got.
'We'll find out soon enough,' he thought.
*******
That afternoon, the system chimed in.
[DAILY QUESTS RESET]
[NEW QUESTS AVAILABLE]
[QUEST 1: SECURE RESOURCES]
[COLLECT: FOOD (0/15 UNITS), WATER (0/20 UNITS), AMMUNITION (0/100 ROUNDS)]
[REWARD: +150 EXP, ADVANCED SUPPLY CACHE]
[QUEST 2: COMBAT EVALUATION]
[ELIMINATE CORRUPTED SOULS USING FIREARMS (0/10)]
[REWARD: +200 EXP, WEAPON PROFICIENCY BONUS]
[QUEST 3: MAINTAIN MORALE]
[INTERACT WITH SURVIVORS (0/3)]
[REWARD: +50 EXP, LOYALTY INCREASE]
Combat evaluation.
'I guess it wanted us to test the guns in real combat..'
He thought for a moment, then called Marcus.
"Marcus. Grab the rifle. We're going out."
Marcus's head snapped up, his hands stopped cleaning the rifle with a piece of cloth. "Now?"
"Now. We need supplies. And field test these weapons."
"Just us?"
"Just us. The others stay here. Guard the safe zone."
Linda stood up. "Wait. I want to come too."
Eli looked at her. She looked like she had good physics. Perhaps she jogged.
"You sure?"
"I can shoot now. And you need someone watching your back."
She had a point.
"Fine. Marcus, Linda, and me. Everyone else stays here."
He turned his head to Mr. Chen.
"Mr. Chen, you're in charge while we're gone."
The old man nodded. "Be careful."
*******
They left the safe zone armed. Eli with his Glock, Marcus with AR-15, and Linda with Remington.
It felt strange, walking through the streets with firearms instead of soul powers alone. But definitely safer.
[QUEST 2: COMBAT EVALUATION]
[ELIMINATE CORRUPTED SOULS USING FIREARMS (0/10)]
They didn't have to search long.
Two blocks from the safe zone, they encountered the first group.
Four revenants. Shuffling through an intersection.
[CORRUPTED SOULS DETECTED: 4]
[CORRUPTION LEVELS: 31%, 28%, 36%, 33%]
[THREAT: LOW MODERATE]
"There," Eli pointed at the revenant group. "Four targets. Low corruption. Good practice."
Marcus raised the rifle. "I got left two."
"I'll take right two," Linda said, pumping the shotgun.
"On three," Eli said. "One. Two. Three."
Gunfire erupted.
Marcus fired in controlled bursts.
TAK TAK TAK.
Two revenants dropped.
Linda's shotgun roared. BOOM. One revenant's head exploded.
She racked another shell. BOOM. The fourth went down.
Four shots and four kills.
Eli stared at the bodies lay on the ground. "Holy shit."
Marcus lowered the rifle, grinning. "That was… that was way easier than I thought."
"No kidding." Linda looked at the shotgun in her hands. "This thing is incredible."
[COMBAT EVALUATION: 4/10 ELIMINATED]
[EFFICIENCY: EXCELLENT]
[AMMUNITION EXPENDITURE: MINIMAL]
Eli walked to the bodies and checked them.
All four were down. Headshots or center mass. All were clean kills.
'Guns are a game changer. I've been fighting these things hand to hand like an idiot,' he shook his head, then gestured with his head.
"Let's keep moving. We need six more."
*******
They found a convenience store three blocks over.
The windows were smashed. The shelves were half empty. But there were still supplies.
And there were also two revenants inside.
[CORRUPTED SOULS DETECTED: 2]
[CORRUPTION LEVELS: 42%, 39%]
Marcus took them both with the rifle. Two bursts, two bodies.
[COMBAT EVALUATION: 6/10 ELIMINATED]
They loaded supplies into backpacks.
Surprisingly, Linda found a box of shotgun shells in the back room. Fifty rounds of them.
"Jackpot," she said.
Eli nodded approvingly.
As they left, they encountered four more revenants with higher corruption this time, in the parking lot.
[CORRUPTION LEVELS: 47%, 51%, 49%, 53%]
Two above fifty percent.
"Those two are hostile. They'll charge," Eli warned.
"Got it." Marcus took aim.
The revenants spotted them and sprinted.
BANG BANG BANG BANG.
Marcus dropped the first hostile revenant mid charge.
The second got within ten feet before Linda blasted its head with the shotgun.
The other two went down before they could close the distance.
[COMBAT EVALUATION: 10/10 ELIMINATED]
[QUEST 2 COMPLETE: COMBAT EVALUATION]
[REWARD: +200 EXP, WEAPON PROFICIENTY UNLOCKED]
[ALL SURVIVORS CAN NOW USE FIREARMS EFFICIENTLY]
[EXPERIENCE THRESHOLD REACHED]
[RANK ADVANCEMENT AVAILABLE: E -> D]
[ACCEPT RANK UP?]
Finally.
"Yeah," Eli said. "Accept."
[RANK UP INITIATED]
[PROCESSING…]