x
What in the world the E-man is alive.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3QtMGC79X
Everyone stared at him in pure confusion. Of course everyone is confused. Just imagine seeing your friend die in front of you and then after an explosion and some winds, he is just standing in front of you. Yes, literally standing in front of you scratchless and asking “Did you guys miss me?”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOBCLUHzn9
Noah was walking back towards them after getting his hat.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuv7JDtLAkp
“Damn, what a chase. Fellas I got my cap back!” He shouted from across. No one was listening to him, they were all looking at something towards the aircraft. He got confused and walked past them as he put on and adjusted his cap without really looking in front of him.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVjbycJYYR
“Hi, Noah!” Ethan waved.
“Oh hi, E-man….. What what what!” Noah rubs his eyes in disbelief and takes a step backwards.
“Ghost???” Elijah questions and flings off his slippers before holding them tightly in front of him.
“... right behind you” Liam joined in to harass the tree, poor tree, what did he do to deserve this?
“Please chill, it's just me!” Ethan tries to negotiate.
“I think it's this.” He pulled out a black necklace chain that was hanging from his neck.
“Obsidian.” Charlotte takes a step forward towards him, ignoring those idiots being cautious.
“Let me have a look.” Ethan takes off the funny yet cool-looking necklace and passes it to Charlotte.
“Be careful with it, it's my family’s heirloom.”
“Of course!” She smiles and takes a closer look.
“My family used to have one of these too, legend has it that the obsidians have been enchanted by the Chinese wizards of the west, dropped into a magical soup, and smeared it in unicorn poop..” She spoke, as she turned and twisted around a small smoothed ball of obsidian, with Ethan’s eyes twitching upon realizing he was carrying poo with him from his early childhood, …What-.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooqubkA1jh
“We will talk about this later, let's just go first before the Americans spot us.” He said and indicated them towards the forest below them at an angle. On the far side, they could see the end of it; a large foggy city.
“New York City.” Noah points out.
“Yes, the venture around the jungle should take us a couple of hours, just what we needed to keep away from the military and the CDC.” Norman justifies and looks at Steven.
“Can you still walk?”
“Yes, I think,” Steven replies, and off they go.Get yourself together, Steven.
“For goodness sake, Ejilah, Liam, stop being flat-headed knuckleheads and get over here” Xander screamed.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcjd4FvGrl
The forest got denser and denser by the coming minute until they were fully inside the surprisingly dark forest with no sunlight at all shining in. They’re led by Jules, who’s using a small some sort of GPS device. Xander looks at Ethan in somewhat relief and just hovers over beside him to poke him.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnEDxSYENr1
“Okay, just confirming that you are not a ghost.” Xander laughs and moves in front of them to where Elijah is. Luxury caught up beside Ethan. And have a chat with him.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4Nm3cRmJY
“I never see you wear that necklace.” Luxury questions unknowingly.
“Well, I just wore it inside. It is lucky that I wore it today.” Ethan replies and looks at the obsidian that seems to be glowing a little since his revival, probably just the poop, as Ethan’s face crumbled up in disgust...
“I am just glad that you are fine. E-man,” She chuckles and turns to look at him; she has to turn her head up to meet his eye, he is rather tall and she is rather short.
“Yeah. I mean like, I did hear my parents say something about it as well.” He turns to Charlotte, who is walking in front of him.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAb8tkTNyC
“Where’s yours now?” He asks Charlotte, who turns back after a few seconds of delay as if she was thinking about something.
“What? Oh, It's in our safety box in the bank.” She replies and carries on thinking something until she finally asks the question to Ethan.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqarL3ZEGSe
“Do you know when and how your parents got it?”
“My parents tell me nothing 'cause I never asked actually, why?” Ethan uno reverses the question. Charlotte doesn’t seem surprised at all, as she has already expected Ethan to reply to that answer, and she answers as if she just cares about her statement.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVdS7I8cfl
“It's just that I think I overheard my parent's conversation with my grandparents about this a few years ago. I don’t really remember the whole thing, but I think that I remember that it has something to do with China’s gifts of peace centuries ago when they first settled in Andle.” Charlotte summaries, before they started to walk faster to catch up with them; the conversation and thinking seemed to be slowing down their footsteps.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBU0tiTHsW6
“Well, that makes sense that both of our families have it since we are both long-time natives back in Andle.” Ethan makes a final statement, before turning back to Luxury and chatting with her.
Charlotte was still deep in thinking but never realized that she was walking rather fast now. She looks forward to quickly realizing Steven limping through with the help of Jimmy and Bob and slows down her pacing. By now, Charlotte would have noticed that Steven just turned himself into sweat soup, he was sweating loads, bucketloads of sweat for a hike like this. They try to take the safest tracks where the light is still visible instead of complete darkness. Even so, Norman has to take a flashlight to allow the others to see tens of meters ahead.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyUN6LJQ6K
They took the shortest amount of breaks and stops possible to reach New York by the evening, so they would have time to do stuff before everything was closed and would be able to see at least a bit of the light in this dense forest. Steven endures his pain and limps as fast as he can.Come on Steven. Come on!
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPEOfgQoax
…
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EhZcwnr7N
“Wowzers!” Bob says.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5ROJQQoOO
The city glimmers with its bright signs and massive skyscrapers. The sunset glowed with a perfect twilight blend as beams of neon lights and pop music were blasting loudly. The feeling of high life was in the air.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Kgd7Ik8vJ
Finally, after hours of hikes, they arrived at the location they were thinking about arriving at. The place where it is safe and livable.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnwzWOEuNT
They are on the North American plate. They are in America. They are in New York, one of the world’s largest cities. They are safe. Now let’s have fu-
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4WxzT7Rd5
“Let’s get ourselves cleaned up first. Steven, I will take you for a checkup in the hospital and everyone else follow the commander and Jules and get yourselves changed.” He said while looking at the scratched and unclean clothing that everyone among them was currently wearing. They look nothing more than peasants in Blackbeard’s ship. Some other people are staring at them in suspicion and confusion, and Norman’s way of cleaning it up should be rather effective to blend in.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhQ3t6gRLK
“What about money?” Luxury asked. Others think that it was a very good question. What about money?
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPcE6bF8u5
“Welllllllll, the government funds,” Chloe said proudly and took out her credit cards and passed them out to them.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbl0sXttn6L
“Meet back here at exactly 6 for dinner.” Norman clarified, and they went on each of their ways.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJiP9QtPL27
Steven went to the doctor with Norman, and he got bandaged up very quickly. The doctors here are fast. Steven thought as he walked out of the Hospital.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tWk8W3Zxd
He stared at the clock that was hanging in front of a shop. 4:45, He reads, and his jaws drop. It only took half an hour. Together, they walked past stores and fashion stores to hopefully find something to get changed. With the City so big, they got lost a few times and were just looping in circles.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5XjR8VZpe
“We should’ve gotten Jules's GPS device, I am sure that she has a spare.” Norman regrets it, and they continue walking. Just walking, turning to places and streets that they’ve never turned into before. Until they stopped in front of what looked like a megamall.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkeWmwP0LrI
“Surely, right?” Steven pants, half exhausted.
“Yeah hopefully, let's check it out.” Norman hovers in towards the mall. Steven follows one more step before something to his right catches his eye; A shining silver-blue katana in a glass-protected box with a sign that says “Atomsplit Katana”. It wasn’t the katana, it was the 90% discount flag. He stared at the poor unwanted katana shining brightly despite the isolation, demonstrating a glimpse of hope despite the abandoned feel.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbWb8RwMaz
“Come on!” Norman yells at him over, and he comes.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTtjW9aJQp
“Wow!” Bob exclaims the same exact one-word phrase again. What looked like thousands of outfits were hung and presented around the store. From brightly coloured dresses to black and Npesta white T-shirts. They selected different outfits no matter the price. Luxury was happy once again with the limitless cash they got from “government fund”. Eh, should not matter now anyway that the country is gone. FOR NOW.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ayJRbXeKa
“Luxury should wear Luxury branded outfits!” Ethan Jokes and they all laugh, except for Xander, who is in the fitting room and Charlotte who is deep in thought about the obsidian.
“Thank you, E-man.” Luxury finishes.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVg18jPFye1
“Are you kids all done?” The commander questions. She was with Jules, each wearing bright-coloured outfits with jeans.
“I don’t think that we can be called kids after all we’ve been through.” Bob deflects, before walking up to the counter and purchasing his outfit.
“That makes sense, where do you all want to go after this? We have another hour to spare,” Chloe corrects herself with a question, and Charlotte replies instantly.
“Library, gotta find some information.” She justifies, and Elijah responds with a mournful response immediately.
“The LiLaRBaRy, what about we buy something epic, like …” He looked around “... that e-scooter, 2% off! We can buy millions!” ”
“Furthermore, we need transportation sooner or later. And we need to look like the MythBusters on their way to bust a myth” Liam takes Elijah’s side.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48qbNzwai4
“You guys can go there, who’s following me to the library? I happen to have some information that I needed to find out about this continent.” Jules decides. Why not go to both places simultaneously?
“I will help you find information.” The commander confirms her assistance, before turning towards Elijah and Liam.
“You kids, I mean guys, be safe okay? And meet in time for dinner, we gotta get you guys somewhere to stay temporarily.” The commander clarifies the point of a dinner gathering and starts walking out of the mall.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZnCI2dtoE
“Xander! Are you coming with us?” Elijah shouts towards the changing rooms. Everyone is staring at him now, like some sort of psycho freak.
“Oops, a bit loud.” But in reality, he finds this happening every day. Elijah looks over at the fitting room, hoping for a reply and yes, a reply is sent.
“Yessir!” Now everyone has their eyes on that one spot in the fitting room.
“I don’t know you guys.” Liam held his hands out towards Elijah, but they both knew that it was a joke, and they grinned like they just found a way to get infinite money, but now they had actually found a way…
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXGCNiSVEY
“What about you E-man?” Elijah questions his other friends, who seem to be walking out with the commander.
“I gotta find out about the weird Obsidian too.”
“Bob?”
“I can help. I want to help them find stuff.” Bob hesitates for a second, before waving at them as he hurries towards the commander and E-man, who's walking with Jules, Charlotte, and Luxury who's walking in between Ethan and Charlotte.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgi9HbBEog6
“And I’m definitely coming with you guys!” Noah exclaims, everyone seems to have forgotten about his existence for a moment.
“Where’s Jimmy?” Liam questions, before just realizing that he’s with them, going to the boring library.
“He says that he wants to know what really happened in the past about something. Something personal he says.” Noah answers Liam, which settles everything. They have split up into two groups, one going to the library, and the other going to the e-scooter dealership.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmbntxseMV
…
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4b2PcAULjE
They are in front of the massive library, which seems to be called the New York Public Library as they walk past flyers. Make sense. Bob thinks.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4p9leZBEuP
They entered through the main hall and just as expected, it was as quiet as a mouse, except for the massive typing that seemed to be going on for the other room; must be the computer room. “97% NO, NO, NO AWWWWW!” Yep, definitely the computer room.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6Vhe4A9GR
They walked up the giant stairs onto what seemed like an archive room. It was empty, fully empty, just like what they would’ve expected too; no one ever needed to read through the archive, they just went on computers. And just as they expected, a large sign on the left wall has a text stating “Archive room.” Damn, New York is really predictable isn’t it?
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6L7OJ8Vq5
This is going a bit too smoothly, everything is going just as expected. Is it just me, or is our luck going to change later? It’s just we’re too lucky. Bob was deep in thought, until E-man, or Ethan called him over.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUeZTttx0R
“It's somewhere here, right?” Charlotte questioned. Jules and the commander had headed toward the geography section, leaving behind only Ethan, Charlotte, Luxury, and Bob to investigate the mysterious Obsidian.
“Yeah, it should be, it says magic and trades history in Asia,” Luxury confirms, pointing to the sign on top hanging down from the white, untouched ceiling.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEiqId1s3l
They walked through the grey patterned carpet without making a sound. Not on purpose, just the environment makes it seem like it was a polite thing to do, it is a library after all, and also, the librarian doesn’t seem too friendly. After a while, they split up, each trying to help find information about the obsidian to answer their many thoughts and questions; Where is it from? What is it used for? How is magic possible? How did it revive Ethan? Could it save the world and the situation that everyone is in right now? What’s for dinner? -Probably not the last one.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioRNnSJNOh
Bob stumbled across a book with the title “Magic Book, flip to any of the pages without cheating to reveal your fate.” Hmm. He flipped it over to a random page and there was nothing but 3 lines of text; The quick brown fox leaps over three generations of hyperthermia trauma into a black dark hole. Be the most careful you can ever be. Choose your destiny but helping might bring consequences.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iVQvobzTB
What in the world? He quickly shut the book tight and placed it back on the shelf.Must be some weird Elijah-like joke, don’t worry Bob. Don’t worry…
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLfJdhrIAx
He continued searching for minutes along with the others, until they were on their last shelf
“Well, here goes nothing.” Ethan breathes, and they flick through the books on that old but untouchably clean wooden shelf.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKtTctS4Zo
From luckiness to unluckiness, they didn’t find what they wanted to find. Luxury adjusted her uncracked glasses and pulled her hand out to read her watch.
“It's 5:40, we better go meet up with the others now.” She says passively. She turned behind her towards the stairs, and together they walked down, disappointed about today's achievement.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQELjnU33Ah
They were greeted by Jules and Chloe when they arrived at the bottom floor. Jules can see their disappointed faces and tries to cheer them up.
“Guess you guys didn’t find what you guys wanted to find, you can try the computers tomorro…”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3Mj6VgLbl
A loud knock was heard from the door behind the main counter. Jules was interrupted by it and tried to carry on.
“What I was saying is, you should still be here for a while, you can try again tomorro…” She was cut off again just when she wanted to say tomorrow again. This time, it was more like a bang, instead of a knock. Bob looked around and realized,where’s Jimmy?
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMzP2A61FP
Jimmy was running, he had exited the library ages ago after finding the information he needed, and he was mind-blown by what he found; Norman was not lying, They died to causes that were irrelevant to Norman’s Uncle. And Norman’s uncle did die, yet he was framed as a murderer. They sacrificed.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFizkqOkCo
He started to feel bad for Norman for his uncle getting framed as a cover-up by the government. The zombie chased after him, the city was in full frontal chaos. He bumped into Elijah and the others, who seemed to be working on something contrasting the chaotic environment.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUCU0Z3p1v
“A little help please?” Noah screamed over, and Jimmy went to do so.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofGJYETvJ4
…
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtdV1QK5SC
No time to think about it, he should be fine. Bob turned back to the loud knock. The counter lady stood up and walked towards the door, all drained of energy. She twisted the door. The door opened, and she let out the most horrifying ear-piercing, blood-curdling scream ever, like the time Jimmy saw a big fat baboon in his face when it was just a cardboard picture.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwC9w193cUy
Everyone changed their attention to the door, where the lady was on the floor, pleading for help. It was not until a second that happened, that the flashlight blinked and sounds of alarms were sounded across the room on people's phones, it was an alert. But it's too late and delayed.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXN5K9jQxq
The zombie pressed towards the lady and was munching her into nothing more than tiny atomic bits. The commander went to fight, but before she could do anything, hundreds more approached. They were too late, the alerts were too late, and they were nearly helpless.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGEV6cNKdU
Nearly, but not yet. They were not consumed by zombies yet. They need to find a way out.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXDlFKOBig
The whole library went into full panic. People were running from corner to corner, door to door, hoping to find a way out with their hands up. Some people were throwing books at the undead, which seemed to work, but only for one or two. The zombies were chewing the people mercilessly as the force got bigger and bigger, and was closing fast. If they don’t do something quickly, they’re zombies.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kQi8recTM
Is this what I was feeling? We were way too lucky then. This is what I was feeling, the unluckiness that comes after the over-luckiness. Is this what the book warned me about too? Be the most careful you ever can.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpZhcPromb
Bob was still deep in thought before he realized something more important. How did they even get past the North American continent? But then he remembered that the Zombies can swim from the Middle East to Andle in 2 days, which is about 3,000kms so….
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFz1yf7T2X
“There’s no time for thoughts, Bob.” Ethan looked over at him, he could tell that he was thinking about something, and carried on.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5h7PWaY0w
“Let’s do the thinking later, let’s get out of here first.”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkBZbwrpnX
