"Bléirré Sydney!" the carrot-like-haired older sister planned on giving up, slowly feeling sluggish enough and drained to keep on following her sister, however, the group of guys weren't on the same boat as her.
Ace immediately carried Rissa on his shoulder once she turned back to signal them, not letting the red monster have the chance to get to them.
June and Mike carried all of their equipment while Shawn had completely drawn closer to the girl upfront, keeping the group intact without leaving anyone else behind this time.
Every one of them was not informed of their friend, Red, unlike Blessy, who could somehow unexplainably detect the sight of scent and predict the pathing of other individuals.
She could recognize the monster even though its form had become gruesome.
"We have to go get that whistle from him!" Blessy pushed Shawn over to the man who was running in front of them.
He was in shock to have been requested to attain the item, even though everyone in their team knew how clumsy, naive, and unsuccessful his actions have always been to this day. "Are you seriously asking me to do this?" he looked at her.
They were still in the middle of chasing one another with the man leading them, Blessy and Shawn catching up to him, the other four behind them, and the red living monster following its master at the very back.
"Yes, you!" she pointed.
But then, what suddenly came into their vision made them all stop, except for the man and the red living creature, who accomplished their goal of running away from getting caught by the group of survivors. "What the heck?"
Blessy hit the nape of the black-haired boy as he halted.
Coming into their sight was a mob of infected beings, they had no choice but to fall back after sprinting for almost a mile from the room they had camped in at night.
"Don't stop running until we get out of here!!" June dragged the two who were closest to the mob of monsters ahead. He quickly bolted from his spot before leading the team as the unofficial leader once again. "Let me go, you dimwit!"
Rissa acted quite ungrateful in the case of being carried by the chestnut-haired male named Nick Asher, also known as Ace, the carrot-headed 21-year-old female kept on taking his grasp off her, making it harder for him to focus.
In no time, Rissa succeeded victoriously in getting back on track, leaving Ace with her stuff as she slowed down to stay in line with her younger sister, Blessy, who did not pay any attention to them as her eyes wandered through the tunnel.
The 19-year-old red-headed female analyzed the possible routes that could lead them to safety, muting all the noises that were originating from her surroundings while peacefully thinking and remaining calm enough for all of them to escape yet another crisis.
"Shawn, Mike, and Ace climb up over there!" she directed them as her sister read the situation.
"Pull out your smoke bombs, sis!" Blessy shouted, and the boys were silent yet obedient, following Blessy's order without any bit of hesitation. Rissa, on the other hand, kept a straight face as she waited for her sister, throwing one of their crafted smoke bombs from party decorations toward their enemies.
"What is with these delinquents?? Get them!" the voice of the mysterious old man resonated across to the other end of the tunnel, where the group of survivors were, leaving them all the more suspicious than before.
"I told you so, someone has been lurking around us for a while now!" Blessy attempted to follow the sound of the man's yell from a distance, and the group of male survivors saw the source of that voice, the man had his back bent forward as if he had only been crawling for years.
"Wrong way, Blessy!" Shawn re-directed her, he reminded her that she couldn't put their lives at risk. "Keep your eyes here, Blessy, we have to lose these."
Rissa saved her sister from getting close to being bitten again, pulling her hair relentlessly as they hastily ran as fast as they can.
"Darn it! I lost him anyway." the red-headed 19-year-old female gently shouted, letting her sister know that they would not argue about the matter any time soon until their tails from behind were cut off.
"Why do we always end up having to be the ones to do this?!" complained Rissa before resuming to her last resort, furthermore, her only grenade in hand.
"Taste a load of this shit, you merciless infected beings!" the carrot-haired female went all out there, not minding the amount of noise the gadget made as soon as it did its boom effect.
The grenade had their ears ringing as it alerted other infected beings that were not under the control of the old man who was still sneaking behind the scenes.
The group of survivors hurried up the stairs of the upper sections of the tunnel, all six of them crawled the same way as the mysterious and creepy old man, escaping the infected controlled beings, like how they had gotten out of the mall through the vents a month ago.
'There he is, but I cannot drift away from the others!' Blessy tried not to get distracted.
The two females had been fearlessly pushing off everything that was blocking them from getting out without an ounce of struggle compared to their other troubles before.
Blessy led the team ahead of the two eldest survivors in the team, namely, Ace and Rissa, followed by Mike, Shawn, and June being the last in line. Red is still nowhere near being located, found, or close to being reunited with them.
In addition to that, Bonnie is no longer with them, giving them with still a lot on their minds with those two gone.
They reached the other end of the horrid tunnel opposite where they entered.
"WAH!" Rissa could not keep herself from the excitement after almost an hour of crawling, she shouted like a child trying to head down before the rest of them.
"Slow down, sis!" her younger sister couldn't bear the fact that she was the younger one between them.
Every single one of them attempted to regain their balance after being accidentally knocked away by the carrot-head. Ace grabbed onto his friends for support right as the girls fought over who should descend the stairs, leaving the rest waiting for their turn to use the stairs.
"Go on then, put yourself first like every other time!" the red-headed female sat on the platform with her legs crossed on top of one another. She dragged her eyes to the side and perceived a better way to beat Rissa, there was a wide ladder hiding in a corner out of plain sight.
"This is why they say to always look with your eyes." Blessy smirked excitedly.
The red-headed 19-year-old female smiled victoriously and informed the four to use the ladder before her, racing down the tunnel's upper sections ahead of Rissa who was taking her time in getting back to the surface.
"What gives? How'd you all get here before I did??"
Her eyes enlarged upon turning to face them, taken by surprise when she realized that there was not only a single way down to the ground.
The other five boasted and taunted about their achievement to get back at Rissa for always trying to race them first, and with their tired eyes and voices, they laughed.
Despite their tired and restless bodies from staying up all night for days, the group of survivors stayed at that same spot for hours without considering the wasted daylight.
"Fire, let's camp here for now." the chestnut-haired eldest male had suggested to his teammates as they hadn't thought of leaving yet.
"Won't there be any infected beings out here though? Or as they normally call them, zombies." Mike remembered that there will always be a land mine waiting for them to step on and trigger at any time. "He does have a point..." he agreed.
"There is no way that I am sleeping in this unguarded area, Nick Asher." Rissa added when the rest of them had finally settled down somewhere hidden, in a dark alleyway to keep themselves from getting detected so easily.
"Fair enough, you goblin." Blessy commented, arguing with the black-haired boy by the name of Shane Alistair, the pair kept on disagreeing with one another over the smallest things ever.
"It has to be placed like this, you dimwit!" the same goes for Ace and Rissa, leaving June and Mike speechless, secretly shipping the two pairs to each other.
"You guys~" June Jeremy had his fist thrown in the air to get all of their attention, a memory suddenly resurfaced in his train of thoughts as the white noise from their surroundings filled in the silence despite the two pairs arguing too.
"What is it this time?" Blessy threw Shawn's shoe toward June, he was standing near the burning fire with its wood logs, holding in his hand the flashlight he had in store, flashing it on them.
"I'm curious to know what happened to that baby where we found you unconscious back then." he opened up a topic, stating his genuine concern.
"It died, right?" Shawn tried recalling that moment, he remembered hearing sound waves from where Blessy was found, he wasn't there but Mike and June managed to get her out from the abandoned building. Ace, on the other hand, was looking for Rissa who happened to find her way back to Shawn as he was at the spot they had gotten separated.
"Oh, that?" the red and medium-haired girl responded, revealing the cut she had made on herself, pulling the sleeves of her newly found scarlet-red turtleneck where her scar had left a mark. "Yes, if you don't mind telling us all about the baby." he continued, giving her the chance to open up. 'After a lot of delays, it ends here...'
Blessy took over an hour, talking.
"And you've never bothered to tell me??" Rissa moved to her sister's side, caressing the scar that made her younger sister seem somewhat like one of the undead living creatures, looking at her straight in the eyes. "That explains a lot now..."
"What exactly does it explain? Except for the fact that I might have some kind of supernatural abilities..?" her sister refuted jokingly about the last part until...
"I have been seeing strange things." she murmured under her breath.
"Your physical appearance has changed over the past week, it might have not affected your physical trait early but now, it has done you an ultimate badass upgrade!" Rissa pointed out the magenta highlights on her sister's red hair.
"I never really noticed it either, the highlights look incredible." Shawn complimented her as well.
"Enough with the comments about my appearance, what matters is that none of us should come close to being in contact with those creatures. We cannot afford to losing anyone now." the others nodded, discussing what their next move would be, including the part where they put into consideration all of their individual goals.
"I'll create a list so we don't forget." June snapped his finger once Mike volunteered to do so.
The survivors huddled in a circle, merely compressing together as the fire was in the center, burning through the night.
"Ace, you can go first." the pixie-haired female with the carrot-like color insisted, putting everyone in a good mood as the thought of their teamwork moving forward and improving the more they stick together.
"Because of that, Rissa, I don't mind it if you went first." the eldest male replied, giving her what he knew she wanted. Rissa started the layout of their list with her full name.
"Riell Rossa." she dictated, glancing at the silver-haired male before staring at the fire.
Her words energized the rest of them, it was deep in the night, they were all kept wide awake, talking about Rissa's plan.
"We should make this official, our team, the members in on it, and a promise." the eyes of her newly named friends had a soft and melting response to her desire.
"A promise to stay as one till death do us part." she let out a breath of relief.
"Nick Asher." the silver-haired boy listened carefully to the keywords they mentioned, writing down on his notepad only the important and precise things they needed to list.
"Avenging those we have lost is what we must accomplish." he speedily instructed them, letting the others agree to this goal without a doubt.
After the chestnut-haired male spoke about this, Mike went next. "Michael Reid." he began to say aloud, gathering all their attention unto himself. "Contact home, and eventually, bury all the dead most respectfully and properly."
His intentions were meant to be for his own, however, it seemed fair for everyone too as they thought about it.
"June Jeremy." the black-haired male with the leader-like attitude despite being the current youngest of the group, uttered his name while straightening his posture and slowly standing up. He clasped his hands and faced them directly near the campfire to warm it up, sighing so heavily afterward. "Survive for now... Live once again later."
All of them reminisced the memories from when it was still just them alone, surrounded by other human beings, plants, animals, and well-established structures.
'Not some silly zombies...' Shawn thought as he decided to speak next.
"Shane Alistair..." he started so weakly, feeling ultimately tired as if the last bit of his energy was still being drained even when they'd already gone back to their peaceful state in terms of survival in their messed-up environment.
"Continue growing as a person amidst any other mayhem that we encounter." Blessy gave him a pat on the shoulder, she fully understood his concern, assuring the other individual that as a team... "That is our first and foremost priority."
The female added, taking a deep breath after gazing at each of them.
"Bléirré Sydney." she began.
The moment felt like an eternity right before it was ruined.
'Just when I thought I'd be able to come clean with them.' Blessy covered her eyes from the bright blinkers that shone on the six of them.
A group of people jumped off the vehicle, it was a blue monster truck, and it was a miracle that other than the six of them, there were more who survived.
'This is far more than just a coincidence.'
"Greetings!" a girl with blonde hair held her hands in the air." She looks like someone who has a talent for doing music." Rissa whispered to her sister.
'Considering the electric guitar clinging to her.' Blessy agreed upon observing them.
Besides the girl that showed up out of nowhere, two others stood on each side of her, yet one of them caused the group of male friends to rub their eyes violently. They were shocked and frozen in their places, finding the person undeniably familiar.
"You can approach him if you'd like to see him closer..." Rissa announced with her hands gesturing them politely.
A familiar face they have recognized so unexpectedly in the world of the now undead beings, a friend who has been missing from their circle for a month.
"It can't be. You're alive, thank heavens for that!" June took one step forward, urging his two friends to welcome their older brother in the group.
"Cy, where have you been??" Shawn and Mike approached their friend and embraced him tightly, however, the boy did not seem to know them even after they seemed to know his name. "Sorry but you're mistaken." he replied with his face completely flushed in red as he had just been hugged by two guys. "Are you getting any of this?"
Both of the girls stood still like they were glued to their positions without a clue concerning the identities of the three new arrivals that showed up unexpectedly.
"The timing of this is dire..."
Blessy whispered, pondering if they were obliged to welcome the newcomers, sensing yet another set up by the man she had always noticed, watching them from afar.
"You're kidding, right? You can't be serious." Ace spoke back, taking a few steps closer to where the new arrivals stood, alarming the three of a possible threat coming from their group. Blessy instantly pushed away the other two arrivals, she took out her daggers and pulled Shawn by the hand, closer to her side.
They separated themselves from each other as quickly as they could. "Lower it!" the blonde-haired girl directed the instrument in her hand towards Rissa as they faced one another, ready to attack at any second. "Why do humans choose to do this even when they're given the ability to communicate?" June crossed his hands, tilting his head to the side.
'He does have a point.' the 19-year-old girl nodded as she kept an eye on the other new arrival, they were all pointing their weapons toward someone, and not one of them had lowered their guards despite June having already mentioned an easier way to deal with the situation.
"Rissa, sis!" Blessy lifted her dagger, risking the safety of her fellow survivors while shouting the name of her sister.
On the other hand, Rissa had no intention to give in before the blonde-haired girl made the first move. "Drop it now!" she fixed her posture and looked to be taller than the girl with the electric guitar, her eyes were very deadly, ready to harm the new arrival.
'So, this is her...' the musician concluded upon meeting her rival.
"Little Lamb, cut it out with your acting." Ace had his eyes on the ground, unable to face the lover he stopped fighting for. "Applause to you and your new lover, Mr. Asher." the new femina clapped once before swinging back the weapon she ended up choosing to use as her defense and protect herself from their enemies.
"Do we or do we not know each other? Kindly answer the question to clear up any misunderstanding." June still stayed concentrated on a specific topic to end first before letting the others carry on. "This is..." Ace whipped his hands from his pockets, trying to keep the identity of the blonde-haired girl from being revealed against her will.
"Let's call her what I used to call her, Little Lamb." the chestnut-haired male merely uttered the last two words, feeling a sense of humiliation as he introduced her by the nickname he gave her in the past. 'Out of all the nicknames... Why?' the new femina unstrapped the electric guitar from her body, slamming it with full-blown force on the male.
"I missed doing that, baby~" Little Lamb's lips reached her ears while her eyes were seemingly hidden from her big smile. Shawn and Mike though were focused on someone else, specifically, the new arrival whom they mistook as a friend they knew, both of them kept on examining the face of the individual, carefully analyzing his face from side to side.
"Can you believe this?" Blessy joined in, holding the face of the new arrival with her left hand as she squeezed through between Shawn and Mike, who were still baffled by the odd similarity between their friend and the new arrival. "Hmm."
The rest of the survivors were seated on the ground while this was happening, quietly watching the four of them without a word.
They were also fascinated after discovering that there were more survivors than expected.
"Yes, an entire town left untouched by what we've all been dealing with for the past weeks." the new arrival who is yet to be introduced had spoken, firmly holding onto her pair of huge scissors as she conversed with the other survivors.
"Sissy, you can't be doing that every time we encounter new people..." the blonde-haired girl whom they call Little Lamb restrained her good friend from showing their true intentions in less than the right amount of time to earn their trust and do as they were told to do.
"I don't trust these three kids." Rissa leaned closer to whisper her opinion to Ace.
"Huh, we can't be letting our guard down. They've been exposed to our enemies and could turn into them at any moment." Sissy wiped her huge pair scissors with gentleness while looking at the other survivors.