Leo was pushing himself harder than ever. The nagging fear from the recent encounters still hadn't fully settled.
He moved deftly from one rooftop to another throughout the nearby city, careful to avoid nearby groups of monsters. He gasped as he leapt down, back-flipping off a railing and landing gracefully on the ground below.
His training was always different from the others'; it had to be. Leo knew that he was a coward, and that kind of mentality didn't last long in this world.
Frank had told him about his first encounter with the spider, and it wasn't pretty. He had run, been stabbed, nearly dismembered, and at no point did he have any control of the situation.
The only reason he was still alive was because the spider wanted vengeance; it had played around too much with its victim, allowing Frank to land a decisive blow.
Then, only a little over a month later, he killed five of the same enemy. Sure, he was stronger than before, but that still didn't explain his victory. Frank's real advantage was his confidence, his ability to jump in without fear, and the ability to take risks.
Leo's specialty was stealth; there was no doubt about that. But against those wolves, he had nowhere to hide, nowhere to run, and he froze.
He wouldn't always have the luxury of being able to escape.
He kept moving through the city until he found a large group of zombies.
"Hey guys, I'm really sorry about this, but I'm going to need you to die for me," he said, a cold look filling his eyes as he charged into the center of the group.
A couple of hours later, he heard a notification.
[Level Up!
You have now reached level 5!
New title unlocked!
Horde Breaker: Increases damage against groups of enemies by 100%.]
Panting heavily, Leo looked around. The horde was dead, and it was because of him.
"Frank, Max, Elara, I won't slow you down anymore," he said, his resolve set. If cowards died in a world like this, then he wouldn't allow himself to fear anymore.
It would be the monsters that feared him.
---
Max pounded the heavy bag relentlessly, each strike filling the room with gunshot-like bangs. His body had long since told him it was time to quit, but he ignored it, opting to power through.
During his breaks, he heard giggling from the other room. Frank had been taking it easy since they returned from the mall, and Ana was loving every moment of it.
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Images of his own family, Catherine and Matthew, raced through his mind. He thought of their wide grins, the way they'd laugh, the goofy dances they learned together from the internet, everything about them. The memories were bittersweet, each one accompanied by the image of both of them lying in a pool of blood beneath that damned moth.
"Focus, Max. You're not the only one who's lost something," he gasped between punches, desperately pushing the image out of his head.
'It's not like I'm special in this hellhole,' he reminded himself as he launched a knee at the bag in front of him. He thought of the countless refugees in the complex, many of them having lost their families as well.
Then he thought about Frank.
The comment Jason had made about Frank's wife wasn't lost on Max. The way Frank had reacted was all the information he needed.
Max had been able to justify losing his family to this nightmare because it was only natural. This was the apocalypse, the end of days. Unfortunately for him, Frank didn't have that comfort; he had lost his wife long before this hell began, leaving him with nothing to blame.
Even still, he soldiered on, not only gaining power that was breathtaking but even managing to save his daughter, despite having next to no combat experience.
Stopping his punches, Max sat on the floor, his head cradled in his arms. His vision blurred as tears began to flow nonstop.
'So why... why couldn't I save them?' He was a soldier, he was trained, he was strong. Heck, he was even armed, but even still, he could do nothing but watch them die.
"Damn it all!" he yelled, standing up and landing a powerful series of strikes against the bag.
'Am I so weak? Am I so pathetic? I am Maximilian Sanders, a decorated Navy SEAL veteran! So why couldn't I save them when he could? Why couldn't I fight while he took on those wolves all on his own?' The intensity of his punches picked up, and his knuckles started to bleed, still he didn't stop.
Crying out in frustration, he threw a right hook, breaking the chains holding the bag and sending it flying across the room.
[Level Up!
You have now reached level 5!]
"Next time," he promised, looking at the broken bag lying on the floor, "I won't allow anyone else to die on my watch."
---
The early morning sun spilled into the training area, casting long shadows as Elara pushed through her routine. Each punch she threw at a heavy bag echoied throughout the empty room.
She tried to focus, but the moment Frank had faced the wolves with fiery determination kept playing in her mind. He had been so cool, so handsome, like a hero straight out of the movies. And what had she done? She killed a single wolf, with help from Max and Leo at that.
After that, she had been useless.
She threw another kick, trying her hardest to maintain her precision, yet still increase her force. Frank had made it look so easy; his strikes were a combination of pure power and subtle elegance. During their training, his body had become chiseled and overwhelming, truly a fine specimen of a man. She recalled when she experienced his strength firsthand, his body pressed—
"Ahhhh, Elara! Focus! No distractions!" She smacked herself on the face with both hands, calming herself down slightly but doing little to remove the redness from her cheeks.
Needing to release pent-up frustration, she unleashed a series of spinning kicks, each strike stronger than the last. Remembering the way Frank reacted as he saw her and the others hurt, a shudder ran through her entire body. He had been so cool, so brave, so handsome...
"I will get stronger, strong enough that I don't need to be saved again," she vowed, her already pink face turning bright crimson, and her breathing becoming heavier.
Irritated that her body wouldn't calm down, she kicked one last time at the bag, piercing a hole directly through the sturdy equipment.
The System chimed, announcing the fruits of her efforts.
[Level up!
You have now reached level 5!]
The notification lit up her vision, causing Elara to exhale.
"Dammit Frank, you better not get too comfy! Next time, it will be me saving you!" she declared, a determined look adorning her face.
She returned to her room, her body still warm. Tossing and turning in her bed, she reached for her bedside drawer.
'Looks like I won't be getting much sleep this evening...' she complained