Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 73: His Blood Wasn’t Even Tasty.

Chapter 73: His Blood Wasn’t Even Tasty.

Kato vanished from Scarlett’s side, reappearing directly in front of the old man who had fired the shot.

"You really shouldn’t have done that," Kato said, his voice low and dripping with menace.

The old man barely had time to react before Kato’s tongue, long, horror, and ten centimeters in length shot out and snaked its way into the man’s nose. The survivors screamed in terror as Kato began to drain the man’s blood, his eyes gleaming with sadistic satisfaction.

As if that weren’t enough, Kato’s hand transformed into a monstrous claw, its sharp, elongated fingers glinting in the dim light. He drove his hand into the old man’s abdomen with brutal force, tearing through flesh and bone. The man’s intestines, kidneys, liver, and other organs spilled out, painting the ground in a horrifying color of blood and gore.

The survivors shrieked, stumbling backward, their faces pale with horror. They watched, frozen in fear, as Kato savored his gruesome work, his laughter echoing through the room like a death knell.

Meanwhile, Scarlett and the others remained near the gate, oblivious to Kato’s violent outburst. Their focus was entirely on Maya and Louise.

Scarlett knelt beside Maya, her hands glowing as she called forth both fire and water elements. With delicate precision, she used her abilities to remove the bullet lodged in Maya’s stomach. Beside her, Larry worked quickly to stabilize Louise, while Garvin sprinted to the medical room, returning moments later with an assortment of supplies.

"Stay with us," Scarlett murmured to Maya, her voice gentle but firm. "We’ve got you. You’ll be fine."

As they tended to their injured companions, the survivors remained rooted in place, unable to tear their eyes away from the horrifying spectacle Kato was creating.

Finally, Kato stopped, letting the lifeless body of the old man collapse to the ground. His tongue retracted, and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, a disgusted look crossing his face.

"Ugh," he muttered, kicking the old man’s skeletal remains. "His blood wasn’t even tasty. What a waste."

He turned to the rest of the survivors, his golden eyes glowing with malice. "You should have thought twice before trying to harm us," he said coldly, his voice carrying a dark promise."

The survivors huddled together, their bodies trembling as they stared at Kato.

Just then, Scarlett and the others gaze finally drifted towards Kato and the other survivors and only then did they realize what Kato had done. Their powers were focused on saving Maya and Louise that they were unable to sense Kato’s cruelty and the old man agony.

"Stop!" Scarlett snapped, her tone laced with both authority and disappointment. "What have you done?"

Kato turned slowly, his smirk returning, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of anger. "What have I done?" he echoed mockingly. "I handled the problem. You’re welcome."

Scarlett shook her head, her expression a mixture of exhaustion and disapproval as she ran over to the scene with the others.

Kato’s smirk faltered for a moment before he shrugged theatrically. "Fine, fine," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I’ll spare them. For now. But don’t expect me to play nice next time."

As Kato walked away, Scarlett and the others exchanged uneasy glances. Their gazes drifted to the old man’s mutilated body. What remained of him had already begun to decay, his skeleton stripped bare of flesh, his organs devoured.

"Damn! What kind of person with powers is he?" Garvin asked, his voice low and filled with concern.

"More dangerous than Victor, no doubt," Larry replied, his voice trembling as he swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on Ksyo. "And he’s... he’s a monster."

Kato moved silently into one of the rooms, his presence casting a heavy shadow over the survivors.

Scarlett knelt beside the old man’s lifeless body, tears streaming down her face. She clenched her fists as despair gripped her. "Get his body away from here," she said hoarsely, her voice shaking. "He can’t be buried. He was eaten by a monster... he’ll transform into one of them. Just... get him out of here."

Her shoulders trembled as she wiped her tears and made her way to another room, leaving the others behind.

The remaining survivors stood frozen, paralyzed by the horror they had just witnessed. They exchanged nervous glances as Ethan and Larry stepped forward. Using their powers, they carefully lifted the old man’s body, which was already beginning to contort and change, and placed it onto a carrier to be removed from the prison.

Inside one of the smaller, dimly lit rooms, Scarlett sat on the bed, her hands trembling as she wiped at the steady stream of tears falling down her cheeks.

A knock at the door startled her, but she remained silent, assuming whoever it was would leave.

However, the door creaked open, and Garvin stepped in, closing it gently behind him. Without asking for permission, he walked over to her and sat down on the bed beside her.

"Are you okay?" Garvin asked softly, his voice thick with hesitation. He knew how absurd the question was, given the circumstances, but he couldn’t help himself.

Scarlett let out a shaky breath and looked up at him. Her blue irises had turned a crimson red, a haunting reminder of the toll this world was taking on her. "I feel like I’m going to fail, Garvin," she admitted, her voice breaking. "All of humanity is going to die. I don’t believe in myself anymore. Everything is just so... so hopeless."

Garvin’s expression softened as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Scarlett, listen to me. You’re not going to fail. You’ve come too far to give up now. You said it yourself, there are others with powers out there. There’s no way we’ve met even a fraction of them yet. There’s still hope. We just have to keep traveling, keep fighting, and keep forming alliances."

Scarlett shook her head, her lips trembling. "You say that like it’s easy," she said bitterly. "But it’s not. People are dying every single day, every second, someone dies. It’s eating away at me. How can I keep going when I don’t even know how much time we have left? I just want everything to go back to normal. I want the monsters gone. I want everyone to return to Earth."

Her voice cracked, and the tears came rushing back. Garvin, without hesitation, pulled her into a gentle embrace. Scarlett buried her face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably as he held her.

’The fact that I’m the only female chosen by the system,’ she thought bitterly, ’is already too much. I feel like I’m carrying the weight of the entire world. It’s too much. It’s all just too much.’

Garvin ran his fingers through her hair, trying to soothe her. He didn’t speak as he knew there were no words that could fix this. All he could do was be there for her.

After what felt like an eternity, Scarlett’s sobs began to subside. She pulled back slightly, wiping her tear-streaked face with the back of her hand.

"I’m sorry," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn’t mean to break down like that."

Garvin gave her a warm, reassuring smile. "You don’t have to apologize," he said gently. "We’re all overwhelmed. You’re not alone in this."

Despite his words, Scarlett felt a pang of embarrassment. She quickly pulled away from his embrace, avoiding his gaze.

Garvin noticed her discomfort and chuckled softly. "You don’t need to feel embarrassed. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this side of you."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "What do you mean by that?"

"You’re always crying at work," Garvin said with a serious expression, his smile turning bittersweet. "Every morning before things start, at the stairs, cafeteria trying to hold yourself together. I always noticed."

Scarlett’s face flushed as she swallowed hard. "H...how did you know that?"

Garvin shrugged. "I keep an eye on you. I couldn’t help it. Seeing you like that... it hurt me. I hated that I couldn’t do anything to make it better. Even now, I feel useless." He looked down at his hands, his voice filled with self-reproach. "I’m only good at barking orders and wasting resources on stupid things. I should be better."