Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 80: You’ll Want To See The New Package.

Chapter 80: You’ll Want To See The New Package.

A young boy, no more than seven years old, lay motionless on a simple bed.

Suddenly, Jaden’s eyes flickered open, and he bolted upright, fear and terror etched across his face. The last thing he remembered was being confronted by terrifying monsters, and everything that followed was a blur, lost in the chaos. He glanced down at himself and felt a pang of sadness; he wasn’t wearing his suit anymore.

His heart sank. The suit was more than just clothing; it was a piece of him, and its absence made his chest tighten.

"Where am I?" he murmured, his voice trembling as he looked around.

The room was small, starkly white, and bare. A bed, a chair, a table, and a lamp were the only furnishings, each painted the same sterile shade of white. It felt cold and impersonal, like a space designed to strip away identity. Then, his gaze landed on something that sent a chill down his spine, his suit, reduced to nothing but ash.

"No... no, no, no!" Jaden cried out, scrambling from the bed and falling to his knees before the pile of ash. His trembling hands reached for the remains, but there was nothing left to hold.

"Who did this?" he wailed, his small body shaking with emotion. Tears streamed down his cheeks as despair consumed him. "How am I supposed to find Golden now?"

His fingers instinctively moved to the cold metal collar around his neck. It was counting down. He could feel the vibration of its inner mechanism and hear the faint ticks like a clock heralding doom. He had no idea what would happen when it reached zero. No one had told him.

Jaden scanned his body, touching his arms and legs. Strangely, there wasn’t a single injury. How was that possible? He clearly remembered the monsters, their snarling faces, their razor-sharp teeth. He understood that monsters might not bite him, but they had tossed him around like a ragdoll, slamming him into hard surfaces. By all logic, he should be hurt.

Panic surged through him, and he leaped to his feet, rushing to the door. He began pounding on it with both fists, his small frame trembling with every strike.

"Let me out of here!" he shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. "Is anyone out there? Please, let me out!"

As he banged on the heavy door, a sound reached his ears, deep, guttural growling that was unmistakable. Monsters. His heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t heard them before, but now their growls reverberated through the walls. It was as if his frantic banging had drawn their attention.

"Am I... in the middle of monsters?" he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible. A horrifying thought struck him, and his fists froze mid-bang. "Or... or did Victor’s men capture me again?"

His fear was overtaken by anger as his small fists resumed their assault on the door. "Why did he take me back? He said I could go find my sister! He lied to me! He’s such a bad guy!"

Tears welled up in his eyes again, but this time they were tears of frustration. He hit the door harder, the pain in his hands barely registering. "Let me out! Let me out right now!"

Suddenly, the door swung open with a loud creak, and Jaden stumbled backward, his heart racing.

Two burly men dressed in black suits stepped into the room, their expressions cold and unfeeling. Following them was a young woman, no older than her mid-twenties, also dressed in a black suit. Her sharp heels clicked against the floor as she approached, her lips curling into a smirk.

"Hey there, sweetheart," she said, her voice mockingly sweet. "You’re making quite the racket. How about we take you to see my boss now? He’s been waiting for you." Her eyes darted to the collar on his neck, and her smirk deepened. "Maybe we’ll even figure out what to do about that little countdown you’ve got going on."

Before Jaden could respond, the two men grabbed him by his arms. Their grip was firm, and resistance was pointless. They dragged him out of the room despite his struggles.

"Let me go!" Jaden screamed, his voice echoing in the cold hallway.

His protests died in his throat when he saw the terrifying truth of his surroundings. The room he had been in was suspended high above the ground, 500 meters, at least. The hallway was made of reinforced glass, and he could see the dizzying expanse of nothingness below him.

Other rooms dotted the structure, but no voices responded to his earlier cries for help. Either they were empty, or the occupants had learned to mind their own business.

Jaden’s gaze remained fixed on the glass floor, his stomach churning as the abyss beneath him seemed to stretch endlessly. Fear gripped him tightly, and his small body trembled.

________________

Meanwhile, after walking for an entire day, slaying monsters relentlessly, Scarlett and her group finally arrived at a dense forest. The air was still, and there were no monsters in sight, a testament to the trail of destruction they had left behind.

"We really should take a break here," Louise was the first to speak, panting heavily as he leaned on his knees for support. "Enough with inhaling toxic monster fluids," he added, dropping to the grass floor with a heavy sigh.

"True! My legs feel like jelly. I can’t walk anymore," Maya chimed in, slumping onto the ground beside him, her exhaustion evident in her voice.

The others exchanged tired glances but didn’t bother to argue. Without hesitation, they all settled onto the soft forest floor, grateful for the reprieve.

Kato, who had dispelled his shadow form long ago, took a seat a little farther away from Louise and Maya and, truth be told, the others didn’t mind the distance either.

As soon as everyone was seated, Larry sprang into action. With a flick of his fingers, he purchased some cooking utensils and a variety of vegetables through his system’s interface which was invisible to others.

"What’s with all the veggies?" Louise asked with a sigh, eyeing the assortment skeptically. "Where’s the fish or chicken?"

Larry shrugged as he began sorting through the items he had conjured. "Can’t purchase anything alive, fish, chicken, whatever. We’ll just have to make do with a vegetable stew. I did get this, though." He held up a bottle of fish sauce triumphantly. "This will give it the flavor of fish. Just imagine there’s fish in the stew when it’s done."

Louise groaned, folding his arms across his chest. "That’s ridiculous. I was really looking forward to some chicken stew. I’d have settled for fish, but now there’s neither. This is just depressing."

Maya, who had been idly twirling a blade of grass between her fingers, spoke up. "Why not get the canned stuff? There are fish in cans, aren’t there?"

Larry paused, his brow furrowing as if considering the suggestion for the first time. "I didn’t think of that. Good idea, but... canned fish isn’t exactly gourmet. Still, I guess we don’t have much of a choice." He let out a resigned sigh and began arranging the cooking utensils.

As Larry got to work, Maya joined him, gathering the vegetables and began washing with water which Larry had provided with his water element.

"Uh... there’s probably a stream with live fish somewhere in this forest," Ethan suggested, breaking the lull in conversation. He stood abruptly, brushing the dirt off his hands. "Scarlett and I can go look for it. We should eat something better, specially with tomorrow’s adventure ahead of us."

His words earned a mix of puzzled and disapproving looks from the others. Ignoring them, Ethan stretched out his hand toward Scarlett, silently inviting her to join him.

"You’re planning to bury her again, aren’t you?" Louise asked suspiciously, rising to his feet. "Larry just said there’s no need for this. We’re all tired; let’s just make do with what we have."

"Oh, come on, Louise," Ethan retorted, his tone sharp. "Can’t you just rest for once? I’m asking Scarlett to come with me because we’re not just catching fish. I need to discuss something important with her, privately."

"Discuss it here, then," Garvin interjected, his voice calm but firm. "It’s late, Ethan. We’ve all been fighting all day. We should stay together and rest. If privacy’s what you need, just step away for a bit. There’s no need to venture out into the forest."

"You two still think I buried her because I wanted to?" Ethan’s voice rose, his frustration evident. "I didn’t have a choice back then. Can you both just let this go and trust me? Even you, Garvin. I expect more from you."

"Can you all just shut up for a moment?" Kato’s voice sliced through the tension, his expression unreadable except for the faint smirk tugging at his lips. His crimson eyes glowed ominously as he scanned their surroundings. "If you keep shouting like this, you’re going to attract another wave of monsters. A large rock is blocking them now, but they’re not far. Do you want to deal with them tonight?"

Louise and Maya exchanged nervous glances, their defiance wavering. Kato’s transformation into his shadowy form had always unsettled them, but now, after seeing his crimson gaze up close, they were genuinely fearful. Unlike Scarlett, who exercised restraint over her monstrous instincts, Kato was merciless and his smirk only confirmed how little he cared for consequences.

"It’s fine, everyone," Scarlett said at last, her voice soft but decisive. "I could use a walk, too. Who knows, we might stumble across something useful." She stood, brushing the dirt off her clothes. "We’ll be back soon," she added, not waiting for a response before heading into the forest. Ethan followed closely behind her.

"Damn it," Louise muttered under his breath, glaring at Kato. "She just left us here...alone...with him."

"Yeah. Kato’s too dangerous," Maya whispered, her voice barely audible. "I can’t wait until we figure out how to deal with him. I hope Scarlett has a plan."

Kato, who had been quietly observing, smirked as he overheard their hushed conversation. It wasn’t difficult, he could eavesdrop whenever he pleased. After a moment, he stood abruptly, making Louise and Maya flinch in unison. He relished their reaction but chose to say nothing. Without a word, he turned and began walking in the opposite direction of Scarlett and Ethan.

Once deep in the forest, Kato tapped a discreet earpiece hidden in his ear which was also connected to his system. A distorted voice crackled to life.

"We’re waiting for you, sire. You’ll want to see the new package."

"You shouldn’t have called me here but it’s fine. I’m on my way," Kato replied, his smirk widening into something far more sinister.