HOTD part 12: Hope.
The fire kept burning the apartment as the smoke rise towards the sky. The zombies started surrounding the apartment while trying to reach the noise places.
The fire that burned the car went down after a while, but some zombies jumped into it, making the flames burn even more.
There was a corpse of a man next to the car but the zombies started eating it before it transformed into light spots.
Akashi stood on top of the building watching the fire and the smoke without expression, just his cold eyes reflecting the flames.
"...*sigh*..." After a while Akashi sigh before looked down to see two red chests. one in the car while the other between the zombies eating the corpse.
"..." without a word Akashi walked toward the edge while D4C legs covered his legs.
Akashi jumped directly from the building with a fast speed towards a street light.
Using the street light as a platform, Akashi rushed towards the car and the zombies while taking a shotgun.
Akashi flew at a high speed, reaching the car in seconds while spotting three zombies next to the car window.
Raising the shotgun, Akashi shot at two zombies heads killing them instantly before using the third one head as a cushion for landing.
[Task progress (163/200)]
Looking at the car where the biker was sitting, now there is only a red chest.D4C arm appeared from Akashi side and grabbed the chest before the flames even touched his arm while Akashi put it in his space.
Jumping above the car, Akashi rushed towards the second chest while shooting from his shotgun, with two shots most of the zombies next to the chest got killed before Akashi caught the chest.
[Task progress (168/200)]
Looking at the zombies around, Akashi created a flag and disappeared before any zombie turned his head.
After a while Akashi appeared far away from the zombies, while walking normally.
"... I'll open them later" Akashi said before jumping from a balcony to another using D4C legs and reached the roof.
Reaching the roof, Akashi walked slowly while putting the shotgun in his space.
"With this, I just need to kill two other more and this will end" Akashi said with a frown.
"The leader and his possible helper... I know nothing about them" Akashi said while watching the zombies down.
"I need to gather more information... maybe my team will help me" Akashi said with a tired smile.
Akashi started feeling sick from this world and all this mission as a whole.
Not mentioning the hordes of zombies that don't allow the one to relax or the lack of sleep during these days. Akashi hates this world condition from the human despair to the disgusting nature that will appear with it.
"...*sigh*... step by step" Akashi said while preparing to use D4C ability to leave this place.
Suddenly, Akashi spotted something on the other side of the street.
A man and a little girl were running in the street while avoiding the zombies.
"... This seems familiar" Akashi said while trying to remember where he saw this scene.
"This location and time..." Akashi looked at the burning apartment before watching the man and girl.
"... Oh, it that little girl and her father" Akashi said as he realized the identity of the two.
"The little girl that the protagonist team saved..." Akashi said as he smiled.
"People used to make themselves feel better by doing some good actions even if they know this is just a pathetic excuse" Akashi said.
"Using the feat of saving a little girl as a comfort that they still have morals and as a reminder that they are still humans" Akashi said while watching the father and daughter running towards a house.
"The world is already broken... the human still has some goodness in them, but... when the time to make a choice arrives what will they chose" Akashi said.
"A little girl and her father they don't know or... their families and themselves" Akashi said when the man walked towards the gate.
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"Daddy, where's mommy?" The little girl with pink hair said to her father.
The father walked with his daughter to the house front before closing the gate behind him.
"We'll meet up with her later, okay?" The father said while showing a comforting smile to his daughter, even when he was completely panicked.
"Come here" the father said while walking toward the door.
The house lights were on, even the upper floor window showing two-persons shadow, telling everyone that there are still people living inside.
"Please! open up!" The father walked towards the door and started knocking on it while screaming.
"I can't run away! I have a child with me please open the door" The father knocked again while screaming but he didn't get a response.
The father waited for a while before knocking on the door again.
"Please! open up...There are explosions and gunfire outside, help us please!" the father said while knocking, but this time he got a response.
"Go away! Just go somewhere else!" the father heard the voice of a panicked man from the door.
"Please! I don't care what happens to me!...but my daughter" the father said trying to at least save his daughter. But the only response he got was turning the lights down.
The father clutched his fist in anger and frustration while he started to do what any father will do to save his kids in danger.
"Daddy..." the little girl said with a worried voice.
"Open the door! Open up or I'll break down the door !" the father held a wrench up to his head while starting to threaten the people inside.
"Daddy..." the little girl said while being terrified by her father actions.
"Open up or I'll bre-" the father said as he was desperate while he thinks about himself and daughter fate, but he suddenly heard a sound from the door.
"W-wait... I'll open it now" the voice behind the door said in a hurry while the lights went on.
The door opened slowly as the father and daughter smiled. But they forgot in these times the people can do the extreme to protect themselves, especially when they are threatened.
"Thanks! you s-" the father saw the door opened and wanted to thank the other person but he got greeted by a knife attached to a broomstick.
The father looked at his abdomen being pierced by a knife while the blood covered his white shirt.
"I'm sorry!" A man was holding the broomstick while all his family behind as he was apologizing non stop.
"I'm sorry..." the man kept apologizing while the daughter looked at the knife stabbing her father.
The man pulled the knife while apologizing before closing the door.
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"... And here the answer" Akashi said while looking at the father walking backward.
"When people are desperate... even killing became one of the solutions" Akashi said while the father hit the gate side as he falls down.
The gate door was opened, leaving the father to die on the ground and his daughter completely shocked.
"..." Akashi watched the gate door open without any expression.
"... How did the gate open completely?" Akashi was puzzled by this scene that didn't make any sense, while the daughter rushed towards her dying father.
"Who do you blame in this situation? The father trying to protect his daughter or the man trying to protect his family" Akashi said while the father was saying his last words.
"No one can be blamed... Both did something wrong, but at the same time it wasn't a mistake" Akashi said while the daughter started crying.
"...*sigh*... In these times only protecting yourself is enough. After all, how can you know that the other person will not betray you?" Akashi said while turning back and leaving.
"This is not the first kid dying in this apocalypse... and won't be the last" Akashi closed his eyes.
"What the point from saving her anyway?... She won't even survive without her father after I save her, So why do I even bother myself?" Akashi said as if trying to persuade himself while hearing the girl crying and a dog barking.
Suddenly, Akashi heard the girl words as she was crying. Opening his eyes, Akashi turned and saw the zombies getting closer to the girl.
"... What the point is saving her?" Akashi said before he saw a zombie entering the gate and walked towards the girl.
"..." Akashi closed his eyes as he stood in his place while the zombie got closer.
"Tch...*sigh*..." Akashi clicked his tongue before his bracelet flashed and created a flag above him. The moment the flag landed on the ground, Akashi already disappeared from his place.
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"No... NO, DADDY DON'T LEAVE ME PLEASE!!!" The little girl cried while shaking her father that passed down from blood loss.
A zombie walked towards the girl as a dog tried to bark at it, but it didn't stop the zombie advancement.
The zombie tried to reach the girl, but at this moment Akashi appeared between two zombies in the back holding a shotgun.
Rushing to the front, Akashi used D4C arm to kill the zombie close to the girl before turning around and shooting the others from behind.
[Task progress (172/200)]
Akashi surprised the girl by suddenly appearing from nowhere as he caught her while D4C arms caught the father and the dog.
Akashi then started running with them towards the house window.
"Close your eyes little girl" Akashi said before jumping towards the window while a flag appeared behind all of them.
The moment Akashi and the others touched the window glass and the flag from behind. They sank inside the glass like diving into the water.
Akashi and the other disappeared, leaving only the zombies in front of the house wandering without a goal.
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Somewhere near to the house, Akashi appeared from the shop glass window as he landed with the girl while D4C put down the struggling dog and the father to the ground.
This street didn't have a lot of zombies compared to the last one.
"Eh?" The little girl said with surprise but Akashi didn't care about her at this moment.
Walking towards the father Akashi started to check his pulse as he sensed a weak pulse.
Akashi tore the man shirt and exposed his wound before taking a health potion from his space and pouring one third on his wounds.
The health potion is meant for a third rank player that broke the human limits, Akashi don't know what will happen if he used fully on a normal human. So, he isn't willing to risk it.
The man wounds started healing at a very fast speed while his expression eased.
"big brother...is daddy going to be okay?" the little girl asked while Akashi nodded.
"yeah, he is just tired" Akashi said as the little girl smiled and cheered, but before she screams. Akashi caught her mouth and did a silent sign.
"S-sorry" the girl said as Akashi shook his head.
Akashi walked toward the road as he summoned the truck he put in the gap by creating a flag and putting it on the ground.
D4C is able to connect Akashi space with the gap to avoid the destruction of the items he put in the gap.
However, this ability needs to keep looking after the item or it will get destroyed, but this is easy for D4C with high dexterity and intelligence.
Honestly, Akashi was planing if his plan didn't work. He was going to follow the words of a certain vampire and throw the truck from above at the two guys.
"Get in" Akashi said while putting the girl father inside the truck.
"Eh?...O-okay" the little girl that was still shocked by the scene said as he held the dog and entered the truck.
"..." Akashi saw the little girl looking at him but when looked at her she turned her head away.
The two repeated the action a few times before Akashi got annoyed.
"Anything?" Akashi said as the girl panicked.
"N-nothing... I-I just wanted to ask... how did we arrive here" the little girl said as the curiosity filled her eyes.
"... Magic" Akashi was silent for a while before saying one word.
"magic is real!" the girl said with stars in her eyes.
"... No" Akashi said as the girl lowered her head in frustration.
"...*sigh*... you can say it was stand power" Akashi said while closing his eyes.
"B-but big brother, you are standing here" the little girl said.
"Exactly" Akashi said while the girl got more confused.
The silence filled the truck again, but the girl started talking again.
"Big brother, is daddy going to be okay?" the little girl asked.
"I already said he is just tired... he will be okay" Akashi said without opening his eyes.
"You really care about your father" Akashi said but even he didn't notice his tone was unnatural while asking about this subject.
"Yes, I love daddy!" the little girl said with a big smile as Akashi went silent.
"kid... what your name?" After a while, Akashi asked the little girl.
"Eh?... A-Alice, Alice Maresato" Alice said quickly because she was surprised by the question.
"I see... Alice, you are lucky" Akashi said with a smile, but he had a complicated look in his eyes.
"Big brother the way you appeared and saved me looked like a hero from television" Alice started talking because she felt more comfortable by Akashi smile but that smile disappeared instantly.
"... What did you call me?" Akashi was confused by the girl words.
"What?... like a hero" Alice said innocently.
"... Don't call me that... I'm not a hero" Akashi said.
"No big brother looked like a hero so he is a hero" Alice said stubbornly.
"No" Akashi said.
"Big brother is a hero" Alice said.
"I said stop calling me that!" Akashi raised his voice as Alice got scared and the dog in her arms barked.
"...*sigh*... Just don't call me that" Akashi said while looking outside.
"Woof-Woof" the dog in Alice barked as she calmed down before starting to play with the dog.
"B-big brother" Alice said as Akashi looked at her.
"What?" Akashi said.
"What do I name the dog?" Alice said in embarrassment.
"... call him anything you want" This question puzzled Akashi.
"B-but I don't know" Alice looked pitifully at Akashi.
"...*sigh*... just name him Danny" Akashi said while the dog barked like he liked his name.
"Danny... Danny" Alice liked the name as she started playing with the dog.
"Where are you going big brother?" Alice asked Akashi.
"Leaving" Akashi said as Alice lowered her head down.
"... Is it because of me?" Alice thought Akashi was leaving because she annoyed him.
"...*sigh*... I'm sighing a lot in this period" Akashi said before moving towards Alice.
"No, it's not your fault... it's mine" Akashi said.
"Listen Alice... you are a lucky girl to have such a great father that willing to sacrifice for you" Akashi said while smiling at Alice.
"Keep your head up... I hope you will stay safe... goodbye" Akashi said.
"Can I meet you again big brother" Alice said in a hurry.
"Probably we will never meet again" Akashi said while leaving the truck.
Suddenly, Akashi felt something behind him, so he caught it. It was a white hairband.Looking back, Akashi saw Alice staring at him.
"Please remember me big brother and... YOU WILL ALWAYS BE ALICE HERO!!!" Alice screamed those words with all of her strength as her father started to wake up.
Akashi didn't say anything, he just waved before disappearing at the corner.
Alice father woke up in confusion before hugging his daughter while crying.
Alice told her father about the past events but he didn't believe the part of teleportation and magic, but he thanked the big brother in Alice mouth before starting the truck and driving away.
Akashi was on top of a building watching the truck leaving.
"I'm really pathetic" Akashi said with a wry smile.
"A hero, huh?... That word doesn't have any connection to me" Akashi said while leaning his back against a wall.
"Someone like me would never do something noble for nothing" Akashi said while sitting on the ground.
[The player changed the fate of Alice Maresato and her father]
[Rewards: 3000 coins]
"... Are putting salt on my wounds or are you telling me they won't live long because the reward is low" Akashi said with a sad smile
"Honestly, even I don't know why did I save them" Akashi said.
"Their chances are minimal to survive this apocalypse... they might even die tomorrow" Akashi said while looking at the sky.
"Hero... I would be lying if I didn't yearn to that light... to have people standing by your side and support you... to have a family that will always help you... just to have someone you can lean on his shoulder when you are feeling sad" Akashi smiled like he was mocking himself.
"No... those things are just too far away from me" Akashi said while holding the white hairband.
"Really... getting all this emotional from a little girl words... I'm really pathetic" Akashi said while standing up and putting his playful smile like usual.
"And this hairband. What the hell I'm going to do with it?" Akashi said while raising his head and preparing to throw the hairband, but he stopped in his place.
Akashi dropped his hand weakly as he put the band in his space.
"...*sigh*..." Akashi sigh while looking at the direction the truck left.
"Someone like me can never be a good person Alice and help you to survive in this apocalypse...but if there was something I can do, it can only be hope" Akashi said.
"I hope your journey to be safe. I hope you will never get hurt even if I know that is impossible. I hope you will be happy... I hope" Akashi said while gazing at the stars in the sky.
"Like the hopes of someone like me will ever come true" Akashi smiled at the sky before walking away.
Akashi walked away like usual, but this time his back felt more lonely, yet it was more determined than ever.