Becoming a Monster-Chapter 77: Fear over reason

"I’m telling you we should go back! Those freaks may not understand, but everyone else isn’t like them! We were safe and had enough food for maybe weeks!" Regina was in the back raising a storm towards Neal. Almost everyone had a disheveled appearance at this rate, and their appearance matched their expressions after having to endure Regina’s yapping the entire time. Even Neal was beginning to reach his limits with her. You can be beautiful, but an ugly mouth can lower your attractiveness

"Are you waiting for an invitation? No one is telling you to follow us, head back yourself!" Ailetta spat back towards her. She was finally looking like a proper human in the apocalypse. She wasn’t able to obtain the suit of gear that Noah had on, but she was equipped now with sturdy brown leather garb with half sleeves. The torso had an extension that extended to the half of her thighs that protected her legs.

Her shoulders to her sternum were protected by an extra layer of armor made from unknown animal hide. The apron-like extension and her stomach area were also crafted from the same material, while brass metal protected her breasts and the ends of her arm sleeves.

Despite having found a better weapon among the loot, she continued to wield the rod. She believed that the extra points in magic benefited her more than a different weapon would. Everyone who participated in the fight had undergone a change, evident in the new weapons and clean gear they now possessed.

Although their appearances had changed, those familiar with Ailetta were surprised by her words. Her tone was unexpectedly cold, suggesting a deeper change than what might be expected from an innocent girl like her. Those aware of the history between her and Regina would understand the underlying tension.

Regina was first struck with disbelief that anyone would talk to her that way. When she realized it was Ailetta, her anger flared. First, it was Noah who stood up to her, someone she felt wasn’t even good enough to lick her feet, and now his "follower" was talking down to her. The audacity of someone she deemed inferior to confront her ignited a fire within her, she was becoming livid. In Regina’s world, with just flirty exchanges and empty promises, she could do and have everything she wanted, but now her world seemed to turn upside down.

Her inner ugliness began to show more and more when men were too focused on surviving and growing stronger to think with their lower head. And the women were either just like her or they avoided women like her and stuck together. However, the women like her who tried to leech off of people? There was no way they could get along. They were like cats trying to climb and own the highest platform; they were each other’s competition.

"Don’t talk to me, you slut! Noah isn’t here t-"

Boom!

Everyone became startled, borderline horrified, when a loud explosion sounded in their ears toward the direction of the gate. The conversation that was transpiring between the two women was quickly forgotten; even the women themselves had lost interest in each other.

Following the explosion, gunfire and yelling were heard right after. By this time, the group of students had reached the parking lot and were just about to make their way over. Without having to vocalize it, they had all silently agreed not to progress forward and wait. The gunfire was intense, but they noticed the firing becoming less and less with each passing minute.

The unsettling sounds grew louder, gnawing at the edges of the students’ nerves. The absence of gunfire could only mean two things: either the shooters had run out of bullets, or whatever they had been firing at was now killing them off, one by one. The second possibility sent shivers down the spines of those still capable of logical thought, their ears straining in the tense silence.

They didn’t have to wait long. Small groups of armed men burst through the gate, quickly turning to fire back at an unseen enemy. The sight of men dressed in black, wielding guns, sparked a flicker of hope among the watching students. In a world where magic and monsters had become undeniable realities, the familiar presence of firearms provided a semblance of reassurance.

For a moment, smiles broke out among the students as they saw more people coming through, armed and seemingly in control. But as the men continued to shoot without pause and no further backup emerged through the gate, those smiles began to fade. The realization set in—the reinforcements were not reinforcements at all. The expressions of relief stiffened into masks of fear, and a heavy dread settled over them, rooting their feet to the ground.

——————————

"We need to retreat further!"

"Bullets aren’t working! We need to run!"

"Fuck that, we can kill it! Look i-" The guard’s defiance was cut short as a tentacle shot through the gate, piercing his stomach. The shock and pain forced a spurt of blood from his mouth, his hand convulsing on the trigger and spraying bullets wildly in every direction.

Lifted into the air, the guard dangled helplessly as more tentacles, ten in all, snaked through the smoke, moving with a terrifying precision as if they had eyes of their own.

"....." The students stared, frozen in disbelief. They could barely comprehend what they were witnessing. The guards’ efforts seemed futile against the monstrous entity lurking beyond the gate, a creature more horrifying than anything they had ever encountered.

"W-We need to get out of here before they draw whatever it is over towards us." someone from the crowd spoke, voicing the fear that had settled in everyone’s mind. Most of the students nodded in agreement, but surprisingly, Jasmine rose against the others, her opinion defying the fear-based decision. freeweɓnovel-cøm

"No!" She walked ahead before standing before everyone. "We need to help them." Her words hung in the air, taking a moment to sink in. Just then, another agonized scream sounded, snapping the group back to reality.

"Are you out of your mind, if they haven’t killed that thing by now then what can we do?" Neal was the first to speak. Coming from a family that owned private guns, Neal had a deep-seated faith in firearms. But seeing multiple armed men fall to the monstrous entity had shattered his confidence, filling him with dread and a desperate urge to flee.

Considering that, Jasmine’s expression didn’t change as she continued to speak. "It’s not about being able to fight that thing. We just need to stall long enough to let them retreat. They came from outside; they would have information that we don’t. Don’t you want to know what cities haven’t been attacked badly or what areas could possibly still have your families safe? We need to save them."

If she was considered crazy before, now Jasmine had their full attention. How many of them had been consumed by thoughts of their loved ones as they struggled to survive? Were the areas they needed to travel through to reach safety too dangerous to traverse alone? These questions weighed heavily on their minds as they were inspired to help in any way they could.

As they contemplated Jasmine’s words, the monstrous entity finally came into view. Her appearance was barely discernible through the tangle of dark, messy hair that covered her face. Tattered and torn, her gown barely clung to her revealing body, punctured by countless holes from the relentless assault of her tentacles.

The zombie advanced slowly, her grotesque form looming closer with each step. As the guards shifted their focus from shooting to fleeing, they became increasingly difficult for the zombie to take down. Hope flickered among the students as they believed the armed group would make it away without further casualties.

But their hopes were dashed as hordes of tentacles erupted from the zombie’s back, numbering far more than thirty.

"Fuck that!" Jasmine’s idea was shut down without being given a chance, one by one the students lost the confidence to interfere. They weren’t alone in their fear; witnessing the zombie they had been fighting become even more dangerous, the armed men and women chose to flee for their lives.

"Look! It’s the students!"

"What does it matter! Boss is dead! We’re not getting paid for this shit!"

"Who cares about him now? They have to know a place to hide if so many are still alive."

"Did you forget about his daughter! Do you have no shame!"

"How will fighting that thing help us find her? That’s another reason to run!"

Their stats were still pretty high, averaging around level 5 across the board. However, their sole reliance on firearms had blinded them to the advantages obtained by everyone else; they had never even experienced a chest materializing due to their kills.

As they retreated, three more guards fell before they managed to get out of reach. The tentacles stretched nearly 50 yards, and though no one in the group could determine its exact range, the lack of further screams spurred their determination to escape with their lives.

"They’re coming towards us! We have to run before they lead that thing here!" Regina, already some distance away, screamed. Despite her apparent urgency, she hadn’t ventured any further, unwilling to put herself at risk without anyone nearby to save her.

The main characters of the groups began to frown as they also began to think about what they should do.

"Look, look at the monster, it’s not fast at all!" Ailetta pointed out. She was trying her hardest all this time to not give into despair, so when she saw the guards approaching them, instead of only worrying about what that signified, she was more worried about the capabilities of the creature itself.

Her words made everyone look in the creature’s direction and notice the zombie slowly walking towards them, its tentacles being used to shove the cars out of its way, making a clear path.

Bailey turned to Paul, who had been silently observing the scene. "Wha-t do you think Paul! What does your skill tell you?" She tilted her head to make sure she could perceive even the tiniest bit of emotion coming from the silent giant. The people around them looked on in confusion, wondering what they were discussing. They didn’t know about Paul’s ability to assess a person or creature’s threat level.

His skill couldn’t evaluate the target’s stats in the traditional sense. Instead, In gamer terms, it showed him the difficulty of the monster and the potential threat; so easy, normal, hard, etc. But that information was obtained on an emotional level of fear. If he didn’t feel any fear from the target then it was easy. The higher the fear, the harder the difficulty.

This was why he had been terrified of Noah initially and then less so after he stopped using the skill. When Paul first used it on Noah, the fear was overwhelming, indicating Noah’s high threat level. If Paul had used it after Noah fought the Zombie King....the outcome would have been drastically different.

Paul stared at the creature solemnly at first, but soon his body began to quiver and he started sweating uncontrollably. He had to look away, unable to endure the fear. No one else understood what was wrong with him, but Bailey and her small group, familiar with Paul’s skill, began to panic.

"Paul, what did you see?" Bailey’s voice trembled as she sought an explanation, knowing the implications of his reaction.

"It’s....bad....we...need...to...leave....quickly.." He talked robotically, Bailey could notice the lapse in breath he took, the danger was serious this time. It was clear that they were facing a danger beyond anything they could hope to contend with.

By this time the armed groups had finally caught up to them one group at a time, but they didn’t immediately confront the students as they turned to make sure the zombie wasn’t catching up.

By this time, the armed groups had finally caught up to them, one group at a time. They didn’t immediately confront the students, instead turning to ensure the zombie wasn’t closing in.

It wasn’t until the last person arrived that they all acknowledged each other.

But among them was someone who noticed one of the guards, and it wasn’t a good thing.

"Pam? Is that you? Where’s my father?"

When the guard looked over towards the voice, she was in shock to find who they were looking so fast. There was a higher chance of her being dead instead of her being here, but Pam wasn’t happy at all as she looked towards the person speaking to her.

"I’m sorry, but your father is dead Regina..."

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