Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 84: Cut The Crap!

Chapter 84: Cut The Crap!

The figures stopped abruptly, and the group’s grip on their weapons tightened. Seconds stretched into an eternity as the intruders hesitated, their intentions unclear.

As they moved through the underbrush, the rustling sound grew louder. Scarlett’s sharp gaze locked onto shadowy figures emerging from the darkness. The dim light revealed a ragged group of humans, their clothes shabby and torn, faces smeared with dirt.

The moment Scarlett and her group appeared, the strangers froze in their tracks, their expressions a mix of terror and resignation.

"Who the hell are you people?" Louise bellowed, his voice sharp and edged with anger. He had already raised his gun, its barrel aimed directly at the trembling group. "Start talking now, or I swear I’ll shoot every last one of you!"

"What’s the point of killing them when I can eat them." Kato murmured under his breath with a wide smirk as he scanned the faces of the people. "I really miss humans intestines. And now it seems like I’m being blessed with a lot tonight."

Scarlett could hear him but choose to just ignore his words, her gaze fixed on the people instead, waiting for their answers.

"Please, spare us!" one of the strangers cried out, his voice quivering. A middle-aged man with sunken cheeks and desperate eyes stepped forward, hands raised in a plea for mercy. "We’re not here to hurt you. We’re just... we’re just trying to survive."

"Survive?" Louise snapped, his eyes narrowing as his finger hovered dangerously close to the trigger. "You’ve got ten seconds to explain yourselves before I lose my patience."

"Yes, we saw your group," the man continued hurriedly, his words tumbling out in a rush. "You were roasting fish and... and eating like you didn’t have a care in the world. We’ve been hiding nearby, too scared to approach the stream because of the monsters. We haven’t eaten in days. When we saw you had weapons and were able to camp here, we thought maybe, just maybe we could take some food while you slept."

Another survivor, a woman with hollow eyes and tear-streaked cheeks, chimed in. "We have nothing, no weapons, no food. Just these sticks," she said, holding up a sharpened branch with trembling hands. "If we had real weapons like yours, maybe we could protect ourselves or gather food without fear of being torn apart by those monsters. But we’re defenseless."

Scarlett’s gaze swept over the group, her expression unreadable. There were fifteen of them, all adults. Some were gaunt and sickly, barely able to stand, while others clutched their crude weapons with shaking hands. Their eyes told stories of unimaginable hardship and suffering.

"Cut the crap!" Louise barked, his voice cutting through the air like a whip. "Don’t think for a second that playing the pity card is going to work on us." His grip on the gun tightened.

"Enough." Scarlett’s calm yet commanding voice silenced the tension. "Let’s treat the injured," she said firmly, her words taking Louise by surprise.

"What?" he blurted out, his expression a mixture of disbelief and frustration. "You’re seriously falling for this? You can’t trust..."

"Can you just stop shouting and just help." Maya chimed in, clearly annoyed with Louise behavior. "You’re scaring the people with your behavior."

"Scaring them? I’m just trying to make sure they’re not the bad guys disguised as weak survivors." Louise chimed in, as he let out a scoff.

"They’re not, Louise. Just help if you want to or not if you’re not interested. Scarlett interrupted, her tone leaving no room for argument. She turned to Ethan and Larry. "Let’s get them settled and treated."

Without hesitation, Ethan and Larry stepped forward, helping the survivors find a place to sit or lie down as they could already sense that the survivors meant no harm just as Scarlett had sensed them. Scarlett knelt beside one of the sicker individuals, her gentle hands already at work. Maya joined in, distributing the remaining fish among the hungriest of the group.

"Thank you... thank you so much," the survivors murmured, their voices cracking with gratitude. Some bowed their heads in reverence, tears streaming down their faces.

Louise groaned, his frustration evident as he watched the scene unfold. "You really trust their sob stories already?" he muttered, crossing his arms as he leaned against a tree.

"They’re desperate," Larry replied without looking up, his hands steady as he cleaned a wound on one man’s leg. "Desperate people do desperate things."

Maya glanced up from her work, her expression a mix of annoyance and sarcasm. "If you’re going to stand there sulking, at least make yourself useful," she said, rolling her eyes at Louise.

"Damn it," Louise grumbled under his breath. After a moment of internal conflict, he reluctantly stepped forward and began assisting with the treatments.

Scarlett, Ethan, and Larry were careful to use conventional medical supplies instead of revealing their elemental powers. They discreetly purchased bandages, antibiotics, and other essentials from their systems, ensuring the items appeared seamlessly in their pockets.

The air was filled with a mixture of low groans of pain and quiet murmurs of gratitude as Scarlett’s group worked tirelessly. Kato, however, remained standing at a distance, his eyes fixed on the survivors. His fists clenched tightly, and his jaw was set as he fought to suppress the thirst for blood coursing through his veins.

"You’ll get through this," Scarlett said softly to one of the survivors, her voice steady and reassuring. Though she didn’t show it, her heart ached for the suffering these people had endured.

Kato soon moved to back Scarlett and the others, his senses heightened as he felt his fangs already revealing themselves. His voice filled her mind through their mental link, calm yet edged with his characteristic impatience.

I hope you’re not planning to bring all ten of them with us, Scarlett? he asked, his tone sharp. At least these ones won’t make it difficult for us to leave afterward since you’re not showcasing your powers in front of them.