Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 41: We Need To Bury Them.

Chapter 41: We Need To Bury Them.

Ethan’s face fell, but he held her gaze. "We’ll find them, Scarlett. But if we go unprepared, we’ll be walking to our deaths. We need a plan."

Ethan glared at the bodies scattered across the church floor, his voice tight with frustration. "I always leave other survivors behind whenever I go out to hunt monsters. I’m sure there’s a spy, someone who signaled the Axe Squad about this place." His fists clenched, anger flashing in his eyes. "I wouldn’t have made this place a temporary safe haven if I’d known it was surrounded by danger."

Scarlett’s gaze darkened, and she took a step toward him, her voice dripping with fury. "Can you cut the crap?" she spat. Her red eyes flared, blazing so brightly that Ethan quickly lowered his head but Scarlett red eyes still left a scorched mark on the wall above Ethan’s head, smoke curling from the charred spot.

Ethan swallowed hard, a chill running down his spine as he backed away, eyes wide with fear. "Damn it!" he shouted, sinking to his knees as his own anger broke, tears spilling down his face. "I’m sorry," he choked out, his voice trembling. "I let everyone down..."

Garvin placed a hand on Scarlett’s shoulder, his expression a mix of sorrow and regret. "Please, Scarlett," he murmured. "Now’s not the time to be throwing blame. We all failed, one way or another. But no one expected the Axe Squad to find us here."

Scarlett’s shoulders trembled, and as her crimson eyes dimmed, tears filled her gaze. She nodded, fighting to contain her emotions.

Garvin continued, glancing around at the scene of devastation. "And like Ethan said...maybe there’s a spy. Something about this feels off."

Louise shifted, his face tense. "We need to decide our next move and fast. If we stay here too long, Victor’s going to feed the kids and the others to his monsters." His voice was urgent, and the others turned to him, a flicker of fear crossing their faces.

Scarlett’s hands balled into fists, her face twisting with pain. "But we don’t know where the Axe Squad’s base is!" she cried. "If we did, we’d be able to find them."

Louise’s eyes narrowed with determination. "I don’t believe the Axe Squad left no clues. Maybe there’s something we can follow tire tracks, footprints. Anything." His gaze hardened. "If we can find even one lead, we might have a chance."

Ethan shook his head, his tone resolute. "Don’t waste your time. Countless people have tried finding Victor’s base, but no one’s ever succeeded." His expression grew darker. "Victor doesn’t leave trails. He makes sure of it. And if anyone ever stumbles upon his base by accident, they don’t live enough to talk about it."

Scarlett’s face fell as Ethan’s words sank in, but he continued, a grim look in his eyes. "Besides, Victor doesn’t kill kids outright. He lets them grow up. When they’re older, they face a choice: either become one of his ’dogs’ or..." His voice trailed off ominously. "Let’s just say they don’t get to make a choice."

Rose’s gaze sharpened, suspicion flickering in her eyes. "You seem to know a lot about this ’Victor,’ Ethan," she said, her tone challenging.

Ethan sighed heavily, his gaze distant as he looked past the group. "That’s because Victor and I...we were friends. On Earth, at least. I was the one with the perfect, respectable life. He was a street thug, running errands for crime bosses and making enemies faster than friends." He shook his head slowly. "I tried to get him to change, to give up his life on the streets. But all he cared about was power. He wanted to be the king of the underworld, to make the people who made him suffer pay tenfold."

Ethan clenched his fists, his face twisting with anger. "But now that we’re not on Earth, he’s set his sights on becoming king over all monsters. Humans are nothing but food to him now, just fuel for his monsters."

Rose’s eyes burned with fury, and she clenched her hands so tightly her knuckles turned white. "That bastard," she growled. "I swear, I’ll kill him myself."

Louise’s gaze shifted toward the horizon, his face set with determination. "Let’s get out of here first. We’ll find Victor’s base if we have to turn the entire city upside down to do it."

The others nodded, a fierce resolve filling their eyes.

Scarlett’s gaze softened as she looked around at the sea of bodies surrounding them. "But first..." Her voice caught, and she took a shuddering breath. "We need to bury them. They deserve peace after what they’ve suffered."

The group exchanged sorrowful glances, each of them silently agreeing. They began moving the bodies out of the church, each lifeless form a painful reminder of their loss.

As they worked, the sky darkened, clouds rolling in, and soon, heavy rain began to pour down, pounding the ground in a relentless rhythm. By the time they had brought the last body out, there were over three hundred dead, a number that made Scarlett’s heart ache.

Scarlett and Ethan moved to the front of the church, using their earth-elemental powers to dig graves for each of the fallen. The graves stretched across the church’s grounds, a vast, somber sight in the heavy rain.

They worked in silence, covering each body with soil, their hearts weighed down by grief.

"May their souls rest in peace," Scarlett whispered, her voice breaking with sorrow. Tears mingled with the rain on her face, and the others echoed her words, murmuring, "Amen."

When the last grave was filled, Scarlett and Ethan summoned iron gates from the system, placing them around the graves to mark the final resting place of the survivors they had failed to protect.

"Alright then. Let’s get out of here." Scarlett said, with sadness written all over her face.

With one last look at the graves, the group turned and walked away, leaving behind the ruins of the church and the memories of those they had lost.