Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 40: I Trusted You With Their Safety!

Chapter 40: I Trusted You With Their Safety!

Scarlett’s eyes snapped toward Ethan, her face paling with alarm. "The Axe Squad is heading to the church."

Ethan’s expression darkened as he took in her words. "Damn it! We have to get back, now. Victor’s not going to stop until he’s destroyed everything."

Garvin’s jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed with dread. "We really can’t let anything happen to the survivors."

Rose’s face twisted with rage, her fists clenching at her sides. "I’m going to kill that bastard," she seethed. "He better tell me where Matthew is, and he better not have done anything to him...or he’ll regret it."

Louise shouldered his gun, exchanging a determined glance with Rose and Garvin. "Then let’s move."

The group took off at a sprint, each of them racing against time, their minds set on protecting the only home they had left and the survivors who’re more like families.

As they ran, Scarlett’s mind raced with strategies and fears. What would they face when they arrived? Were Hope, Jaden, and Golden safe? The thought of anything happening to them made her heart twist with dread.

Ding!

{The Axe Squad is twenty minutes away from the church. Danger imminent.}

The system’s warning only sharpened Scarlett’s resolve. "We need to move faster."

Scarlett suddenly came to a stop. The others pulled up short, their faces puzzled and wary as they turned to her.

Louise, panting heavily, looked at her with concern. "What’s wrong? Did something happen already?"

Scarlett didn’t answer him directly. Instead, she focused on the system, and a sleek black bus materialized on the road before them. Garvin immediately slid behind the wheel, with Scarlett by his side, while the others piled into the back seat, still catching their breath.

Garvin floored the gas pedal, the car tearing down the rough road at top speed, ignoring the noise that echoed into the stillness around them. They didn’t care if they attracted monsters. They were ready for anything that might try to stop them.

As they sped along the road, creatures emerged from the dense woods on either side, drawn by the roaring engine. Louise and Rose leaned out the window, firing their rifle at the approaching monsters. Ethan and Scarlett combined their fire element abilities, releasing blasts of flame at the beasts.

"Move, move, move!" Louise shouted, reloading his gun as quickly as he could.

Scarlett narrowed her gaze, her body taut with concentration as she hurled fire at the monsters. Bodies dropped on either side of the car with loud thuds, the smell of burning flesh and gunpowder filling the air.

Ding!

{The Axe Squad is ten minutes away from the church. Danger imminent.}

Scarlett gritted her teeth, her face set with determination. "We have to hurry!" she urged, glancing at Garvin. He nodded, pushing the car to its limits.

"If we can’t stop them from reaching the church," Rose muttered, "we’ll meet them in the middle of their killing. We might be able to save some people then."

Louise scowled as he reloaded, his body tense with anger. "I thought those bastards didn’t even know about the church. How the hell did they find it?"

Ethan’s gaze darkened as he kept his eyes forward, his jaw clenched. "Doesn’t matter how. We’re almost there."

Finally, the fortified stone walls of the church came into view, its towering structure a stark contrast against the darkening sky. Garvin slammed the brakes, and the group poured out of the car, weapons drawn and eyes sharp for any sign of movement.

But all was silent. Thick plumes of smoke rose from the church’s roof, and no figures moved in the shadows.

Rose’s face twisted with a mix of dread and anger. "We’re not too late...are we?" She took a step forward, gripping her weapon tightly as they entered the church building.

They then walked down the hallway until they’re standing before a huge gate which Ethan quickly unlocked while the group stepped in.

The scene within the church was nothing short of a nightmare.

The place was in ruins, the pews overturned, the altar scorched and splintered. Bodies lay strewn across the blood-soaked floor, scattered among shattered furniture, broken glass, and spilled supplies. It was a massacre.

"Holy shit," Louise breathed, his face pale as he surveyed the destruction.

Rose’s expression tightened, and she stepped forward, searching the lifeless faces with a look of desperation. "They’re all...they’re all dead."

"Hope! Jaden! Golden!" Scarlett’s voice broke as she called out, her heart pounding with terror. But only silence answered, her voice echoing back to her in the empty, ruined space.

A sob escaped her as she dropped to her knees, frantically checking each face, praying she wouldn’t recognize any of them. Tears blurred her vision. "No...please, no," she whispered, her voice filled with horror.

Garvin ran a shaky hand through his hair, his face ashen. "Everyone’s...they’re all gone."

Louise slumped against the wall, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Damn it, we’re too late," he muttered, pain etched across his face. "We couldn’t save any of them."

Scarlett’s hands shook as she continued to search, refusing to believe it. "No. They can’t be gone. I won’t accept it." She moved from body to body, tears streaming down her cheeks, determined to find some sign of life.

Ethan knelt beside her, his voice soft but firm. "Scarlett, listen to me. Their bodies aren’t here. Hope, Jaden, Golden..their bodies aren’t here. They weren’t killed."

Scarlett’s head snapped up, her face a mix of grief and hope. "They’re...they’re alive?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "Where are they, then?"

"I don’t know," Ethan replied, a flicker of determination in his eyes. "But they’re not here. The Axe Squad must have taken them."

Just then, Rose’s voice broke through the silence. "Scarlett! Over here!" Scarlett turned, her breath catching at the sight of Mrs. Anderson, lying weakly on the floor, clutching her stomach where blood soaked through her shirt.

Scarlett hurried to her side, pulling the older woman gently into her arms. "I’m so sorry," she whispered, her voice thick with grief. "I’m so sorry we were late." She then called for her fire element, trying to remove the bullet with it.

Mrs. Anderson’s face was twisted in pain, but she managed a faint smile. "You...you did your best. And you really don’t have to save me because I can’t be saved. My husband is dead already. I’m just going to die with him."

Scarlett heart hurt as more tears continued to pour down her cheeks.

Rose knelt beside them, her voice choked. "Where are the kids? Hope, Golden, Jaden, are they safe? Did they take them?"

Mrs. Anderson’s voice was faint, each word a struggle. "The Axe Squad...they took them. Took others too...prisoners..." Her words trailed off, and blood trickled from her mouth.

"Where?" Scarlett’s voice was shaky, her hands tightening around Mrs. Anderson’s. "Did they mention their base?"

But Mrs. Anderson’s eyes drifted shut, her body going still as her last breath left her lips.

"No!" Scarlett cried, clutching the woman close as sobs shook her shoulders. Rose’s arm wrapped around her, her face streaked with tears.

Ethan’s voice broke through the silence, his tone low and grim. "Victor would have taken them to the Axe Squad’s base. They use humans to feed the monsters."

Scarlett released Mrs. Anderson, standing with a fierce resolve as she turned to Ethan. "Where is this base?" she demanded, her eyes flashing with determination. "Tell me where."

Ethan’s face was tense, his eyes filled with regret. "Scarlett, I don’t know where the base is. And even if I did, going there would be suicide. The Axe Squad is heavily armed, and their numbers are too strong for us to take on alone."

"I don’t care," Scarlett spat, her voice filled with fury. "If your security here was worth anything, none of this would have happened! I trusted you with their safety!"