Chapter 96: Finally Leaving The Hotel

The next week in the hotel proved to be the most boring. Ember, Aiden, Cassandra, and Luka spend most of their time together. Whether watching the movies Ember downloaded, fucking, or just lounging around. The four have become fast friends.

For the rest of the people in the hotel, after hearing that Cassandra and Luka would no longer be with them, they didn’t care much. They had been reveling in their newfound strength. At one point, they believed themselves to be the rulers of the hotel, trying to force the four to submit to them.

They learned a lesson that day. Ember and Aiden were stronger than everyone there. The rain had boosted their strength even more. They were not in the mood to play with those people. So for as long as the rain fell, the four had peace and quiet.

Now, the four were standing in the underground parking garage. They decided it would be best if they didn’t take out the SUV; they would hotwire another vehicle. Most of the other vehicles were at the base. The one they had now was for emergencies since Amara decided it would be best to take their “only” car.

Ember and Aiden had briefed Cassandra and Luka on their intentions. They were on a mission to collect items for the base, and to infiltrate someone else’s base by the way. They would find the items on the way to Valentina’s base.

“So which car do we take?” Luka asked.

“Let’s try to find an SUV. If we can’t get one, then a midsize is fine,” replied Ember.

She was fond of SUVs because they had a lot of space. If she needed to grab anything from space without others noticing, she could use the SUV as cover.

They found two mid-sized vehicles and an SUV. Ember prompted and placed the SUV in the space and decided to use one of the others. They did not think about the people they left in the hotel.

As they drove out, the world took on a different view. Ember and Aiden almost felt as though they were back in City D. The buildings looked pale and washed out. The concrete was pockmarked, and cars were stripped of paint.

The air itself smelled metallic, not much better than when they first left the base. The air was strange at first, but they adapted; they needed to adapt again.

“The place looks…” Cassandra paused, searching for the right words.

“It looks like shit. You don’t need to sugarcoat it,” Ember remarked.

“Everything’s exposed. Before, it was hard to see people; now, they’re running around like ants seeing sugar,” Luka commented.

“That’s because they have nowhere else to go,” Aiden said, in the driver’s seat. “Some of these places are about to crumble. They need to move and find another place to stay.”

“Some seem to be doing pretty well,” Ember said, pointing to a couple.

The couple was going at it on the street without a care in the world. It wasn’t the first time they had seen such a scene since leaving the hotel. The rain enhanced sexual prowess, but some of these people just seem to be enjoying the freedom.

They don’t care who sees. And it’s not just sex. Children are being openly traded. But they wouldn’t stop on their way because of this. Adding children to the mix would complicate things.

When they go back to the base, they could talk about how to get some children to a safe place, but they don’t have the facilities to take care of them now. They are not saviours of the world. They could only do what they could, when they could.

As they made their way past the crowd, they came closer to Veridia. It was tucked away, separate from the rest of the world. Although it was in the city, it ran on its own merit. It could be classified as a town of its own.

As they approached, they noticed that zombies were gravitating towards this place. They also noticed that the same zombies have undergone a mutation from the rain.

Their bodies were more sturdy. They didn’t appear to be decaying. And those who had decayed to a certain degree were shunned by those who were still whole. Because they needed their brain stem, the four had no choice but to get out and fight when they found a group.

Cassandra and Luka were not clumsy. It was obvious they had been fighting before they got to this point. Ember thought they would be even more amazing if they used the Ghost Protocol when they went back to the base.

They visited a hospital before going to Veridia; they needed more neuro-silver. Most of the zombies in this hospital hadn’t been exposed to the rain, so their bodies were not as sturdy as the ones they fought on the streets.

“Tell me again, why do we need this stuff?” Cassandra asked, her face a mask of disgust.

“For recruitment. We don’t need the trouble in the base. So we came up with a solution. You’ll understand why when we get there. The place is amazing,” Ember grinned.

When they got everything they needed, they made their way to Veridia.

“Let’s stop here,” Aiden said, parking the car. “We don’t know anything about the base. And while it’s disadvantageous to walk from so far, we need to look like normal refugees.”

Ember handed everyone some patched clothing. She and Cassandra put on makeup, not to look prettier but to look tired and emaciated. They did the same for Luka and Aiden.

Being too pretty is not a good thing.

Ember looked down at her breasts and wondered for the first time if gravity-defying breasts could be a curse. Especially when she saw the men ogling her as she walked by. Looking dirty did nothing to stop them from looking.

“Don’t bother with them,” Cassandra said, hugging her arm. “If they try to touch you, just beat ’em. I know you can.”

“No thanks,” she pointed towards Aiden, who was acting like a bodyguard. “That’s what he’s for.”

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