Myles, Nadine, and Kade stared at Victor in silence, their expressions heavy with sadness and shock and their jaw was tight. None of them spoke. They knew empty words like sorry or it would be alright meant nothing here. Silence was better.
Victor's face twisted with anger and sadness as he recalled the monster.
Myles looked at him closely. He knows that beneath that pain was a burning desire for revenge, clear and undeniable. And Myles understood that killing that creature wouldn't just settle Victor's pain and anger.
It would also mean a huge amount of Exp. But the question lingered in his mind. How do they take down something like that? A humanoid monster that had evolved into something strong and terrifying. He knows that after what had happened to Nia, humans who had evolved into strong mutated monsters that look different than normal mutated humans will be very strong.
"What if you join us in our shelter?" Myles said at last, his tone steady. "There are a lot of people there. Most of them refuse to fight and are too scared to even step outside. But if we can make them move and push them to fight, then we'll have numbers on our side."
Victor let out a short, bitter laugh and gave a crooked smile. "And how do you plan to make those cowards fight? I've seen it. The fear indeed paralyzes people. If they're too scared, they won't move, no matter what you say."
"They will," Myles replied firmly. His gaze sharpened with determination. "When the situation forces them to, they'll realize it's the only way to survive. That's why I want an alliance with you when I see you. The more capable people we have, the stronger we'll be when that time comes."
Victor studied him for a moment, then gave a slow nod. "Alright. I'll go with you. I don't really have any place left to stay anyway."
"Good," Myles said, his voice calm but carrying the weight of finality.
After that, the group began scavenging the ruined house. They searched drawers, closets, and broken cabinets, gathering what they could—canned food, bottled water, some worn jackets, and a few pieces of clothing still intact.
When their backpacks grew heavy and full, they moved on to the neighboring houses, carefully sweeping through each one.
By the time the sun dipped lower in the sky, their bags bulged with supplies.
Satisfied, they made their way back through the quiet streets toward the campus building.
The air was tense, every sound echoing sharper in the silence, but they pushed on steadily.
Their new alliance walked together toward the shelter.
The people in the hall lifted their heads when Myles and the others returned. Their eyes immediately fell on the bulging backpacks.
"Hey, give us more food! We're starving here!" one man shouted. It was the same one who had complained the day before when they came back late with supplies.
Others quickly followed, their voices rising into a chorus of grievances.
"We only ate once since last night!"
"We're hungry again!"
"You can't just leave us like this and take the food for your own!"
Myles stopped in the middle of the hall and turned his gaze on them. His sharp eyes swept across the crowd, and a chill ran down the spines of several people.
"I will not give food more than once a day," he said, his tone firm and cold. "You're being ridiculous if you think you'll get the same amount of food while you sit here huddled, hiding, while we risk our lives every time we walk through that door."
The man who had started the complaint stood up and walked toward Myles, puffing his chest.
"Listen here, son. Do you have any idea who I am? I own a company worth millions of dollars, and I could buy you if I wanted. Once this is over, I'll be back in power, so you better—"
"Haha!" Myles suddenly broke into hysterical laughter. His voice echoed through the hall, sharp and mocking. Then he stopped and wiped the corner of his eye with one hand.
"You really think this is going to be over?" His smile vanished, replaced by a cold glare. "No, old man. This is the world now. Your millions of dollars mean nothing. Your company means nothing. This won't change back to normal. Not tomorrow, not ever."
Silence fell like a heavy blanket on the hall. Their faces paled. The man froze, mouth half-open but no words coming out.
"N-nonsense!" he stammered at last. "The government must be planning something right now. They'll save us. They have to."
His stubborn expression betrayed the fear flickering in his eyes.
Myles shook his head slowly. "You're free to believe whatever you want. But the truth won't change. This is our reality now. Either you fight to survive, or you die."
His voice rang with finality as his gaze swept across the crowd.
Without another word, Myles turned and walked back toward the classroom. Nadine, Kade, and Victor followed closely behind him, their footsteps steady.
The man lowered himself back into the corner, his body trembling. His face was blank as if every word Myles had spoken was now etched into his mind.
He sat there in silence, staring at the floor.
Myles and the others arrived in front of the classroom where he and Nadine had slept the night before.
"Give some of your stuff to your captain and Marcus," Myles said to Kade.
Kade nodded and walked toward the room where Marcus and Ryan were staying.
Myles, Nadine, and Victor entered their own classroom and sat on the floor, dropping their heavy backpacks beside them.
"Nice speech," Victor said with a joking smirk as he pulled a soda can from his bag and popped it open.
"Yeah. They need to know the reality," Nadine said. She leaned back against the wall, brushing her hair from her face.
"The sooner they understand, the sooner they can move forward. But I still don't know how many of them will actually want to move," Myles said.
No one argued. They drank and ate quietly, the sound of chewing and the occasional clink of a can filling the room.
Then Myles finally spoke, "Tonight, I want to take a look at the monster at the apartment."
Victor's eyes widened in shock, the soda can pausing halfway to his lips.
"Are you insane?" he said, staring at Myles.
—