Chapter Number 186 - Charity

"Gerard Stirling... is dead."

Silence filled the room.

Grim expressions overcame the three men who were present, as they were unable to even respond to such news.

A few moments passed, and eventually one spoke up.

"Who killed him?"

With this single question, the older man spoke up, turning to the informant with a deadly glare.

"It was not the work of one person... but rather the work of a group. And this is just speculation... but it is likely the same group of people who killed Sheldon Stirling."

"Their leader?"

The Casino owner asked this now, to which the man held his breath before responding.

"They originally were working under the guise of the 3rd branch, claiming that Isabella Stirling had overtaken it following the death of Sheldon. However this was nothing more than a guise. Their true leader is the man who has now taken over the 3rd and 4th branches as if he were a Dictator."

Thinning his eyes, the hooded man spoke in a low tone as he uttered the name.

"Marcus Coran."

"A Dictator... eh?"

Sitting back in his seat, the older man seemed to smile bitterly as he let out a laugh.

"What a fool."

"More importantly, what of Yakov? I can't imagine that man losing, especially after the Calamity when he gained his ability."

Thinning his eyes in suspicion, the Young Master spoke up.

"Did Yakov betray us?"

"Yakov is dead as well. He was killed by one of Marcus' subordinates."

At this statement, silent shock once more came over the room.

"That man... he seemed almost invincible. And yet someone managed to defeat him?"

"Enough of that. He lost. That's all that matters. He must have made a mistake somewhere, or they found a loophole in his ability. More important than that, if they were able to defeat Yakov, then they almost certainly hold abilities themselves. We need to find out about those abilities and take them on ourselves."

Turning back to the informant, the Casino owner inquired further.

"Do you know anything about their abilities?"

At this question, the man reached into his coat, pulling out a file of information.

"Electronic phones don't work anymore, so I had to draw and write most of this by hand. This is all the information I have on those people. As for their abilities... well, that man made a bit of a flashy entrance, so there are some details in there as far as what he's capable of - but I can't tell you much about his exact abilities."

With this statement, the man stepped back as he prepared to take his leave - clearly eager to do so.

"Is there anything else you need from me?"

"What is the current situation in the 4th branch?"

"Sir. Many of the former executives are now subordinate to the new leader. They've established a home base in the hotel, where they seem to be running operations out of for the time being. Also... they aren't pulling any punches towards the people they rule over."

With a hand motion, the young master pressed for the man to continue.

"They've effectively told the people that if they don't make themselves useful that they will be eliminated."

At this statement from the informant, the Young Master stood up from his seat, holding his hand to his chin in thought.

"Just what could he hope to achieve by doing that?", he whispered.

Looking at the other two, he thought out loud.

"It's strange, isn't it? Normally in this scenario, one who wants power would first make the people feel as if their leadership is necessary - as if the people wouldn't be able to survive without the assistance of the one at their head. If he doesn't have any way to control them aside from threatening them, he will only be building up a group of traitors."

With a smile, the man nodded to himself.

"Indeed... he has surrounded himself by a pool of potential traitors."

Looking up to the informant, the man waved him off.

"You're free to go. Please return to the 4th branch and continue your infiltration."

"Of course. Ah... one more thing. You'll see this in the reports... but I think it would be best to discuss this now."

His eyes shifting around, the man seemed to become nervous, sweat beading down his chin as he spoke.

"He seems to have an ability similar to Gerard's Reign. He was able to enslave all the other people present during his first introduction by creating some sort of chain around their necks. Yet for whatever reason... he seems to have missed me."

It was obvious, but the man had no ring around his neck as the other people who were present at that event did.

Why did he alone get spared of this fate?

Was it truly a mistake on the part of that man?

Did he truly miss just a single person in his enslavement - and that person just happened to be the informant?

"This... has he caught onto you?"

The Casino Owner was the first one to bring up this possibility, at which he stood up, his gaze falling upon the Young Master.

"I don't think we should send this man back. His cover might have already been blown. Even if that wasn't the case, that man may enslave him-"

"What if he hasn't been enslaved for reasons similar to Gerard's ability?"

Even as the Casino Owner protested, the Young Master brought up another point.

"Gerard could not enslave those who did not submit themselves to him. This man has not done so, and so perhaps he hasn't become enslaved."

"If that is the case, it is all the more reason to be more cautious about sending him back. If the enslavement was similar to Gerard's, there would be no physical way to tell whether a person had fallen under the curse, but with this type there is a physical object. He'll certainly be found out."

As the two discussed these things, the father stepped between them.

"Enough. This debate is foolish. You. Continue to gain information without being seen or caught. If he doesn't try to infiltrate directly, then there is no concern of suspicion."

"And... if I am caught?"

The hooded man spoke with worry, barely even meeting the glare of the older man, who spoke in a harsh tone.

"Then bite your tongue and die without saying anything - or we will put you through a far worse torment than anything you could possibly imagine."

----

"Marcus... and Sylvia."

It was even later at night, long after the three had finished their meeting.

Donovan sat alone in his bed - it was a relatively comfortable room, given that the entire world had been ruined.

As he lay in his bed on that night, he was alone - a rarity for him. He had ordered most of his women to leave him alone just for this night.

"There is work to be done. I don't have time for distractions right now."

These were the words he had given the women, who seemed to be desperate to be with him at these hours.

He shifted through the pages of information that had been given to him from the informant, his focus on two sheets in particular.

"Those children... they were acquaintances with those two. How much do they know?"

Sitting up in his bed, the man turned on a light - another rarity in this world, yet one which he had access to in his relative luxury.

"I'll have to question them more thoroughly before I make any moves."

Flipping to another page, the man's attention turned to a different person - this one a woman who had worked under Gerard for years.

"She has a history of betraying Gerard in an attempt to escape from her debt, even after having risen to the position of executive. She lost a gamble trying to assist some debtors who she felt pity for... and those very debtors sold her out, so she ended up with their debt and her own."

Nodding to himself, the man seemed to smile.

"She was likely a good person... one who was corrupted by the evil in this world."

Placing the files to his side, the man folded his arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.

"You won't get anywhere with such a mindset. The idea that people are good at heart... the idea that people can change... the idea that people will end up doing the right thing... those are no more than ideas."

Closing his eyes, the man continued to whisper to himself.

"It may happen once in a while, or in a story. But it doesn't happen often, and that's why it's considered to be such an amazing thing when it does."

And with a grin, he headed to sleep.

"And it is exactly because people are so rotten... that they can be manipulated with such ease."

----

[Earlier that day]

"It's... pretty flashy, isn't it?"

As Donovan's henchman drove up to the Casino, Shane couldn't help but mutter his astonishment at the existence of such a place.

"Is that electricity? To think that you could get it working in this world... that's amazing.", Gordon noted.

"Ah, I suppose I didn't tell you before. You see, my brother was a casino owner before all this happened. We've also managed to find some electricians and a couple mechanics, and they were able to get everything up and running."

As the truck was parked in front of the facility, Donovan explained while they exited the vehicle.

"We've turned this place into a home base of sorts. All the people I've found have been brought here. Most of them were hiding from the undead, or in grave danger like you all were."

"So you've been going around helping people like this? It's almost like... like you're some sort of hero."

Gordon spoke quietly as the three were led into the Casino, at which Donovan grinned.

"A hero... eh? Well, I'm just trying to help as many people as I can. There's a lot of danger in this world."

"What did you do before all this?"

Speaking up now was Stella, who appeared to be interested in the man, who was managing so well even in this ruined world.

"I was a business owner. I owned a number of corporate offices, and had some hands in a few other things."

"So you were a CEO?"

Suddenly, Gordon's tone lowered as he spoke with evident distaste in his tone.

"That... I suppose that could be correct. Though that wasn't my title."

The man seemed to hesitate for a moment at the question, yet quickly rebounded.

"At any rate, I was in charge of a large number of people. And many of my men lived through the Calamity, fortunately. As a result of this, I was able to organize myself quickly."

Turning to the three, the man looked at them with interest as they entered a front lobby.

The machines were all turned off - likely in an effort to save electricity, but the casino and its wares appeared to not have been damaged much by the Calamity.

Either that, or someone had repaired it, as everything seemed to be in good condition.

"Come this way. The rest of the people are in the private rooms. Unfortunately, we don't have enough for everyone to have their own, so we have been giving a room to each group that we encounter. Is this acceptable?"

As the man asked this question, Gordon sensed a change in his demeanor.

'Something... something is strange.'

"I... I guess that's fine..."

Stella responded reluctantly, clearly not enthusiastic about having to share a room with the two, but willing to accept it.

"I have no issues.", Shane added.

"And you, boy?"

"Ah, I don't have a problem. If they're fine then I'm fine."

Gazing around him, Gordon felt as if he were being watched.

'What's going on? What is this place?'

Was it just his imagination?

"Good. Then I'll show you all to your rooms. There is also a common area where most people spend their days. We give out the rations and other items there, so I would suggest that you head there once you've gotten accustomed to your new lodging."

"Hey. Do you really just do everything for people?"

As they approached the halls in the back, this question which Gordon voiced halted Donovan in his tracks.

"What do you mean by that?"

Without turning back, the man shot a question back at him, holding firm in his place as an intangible tension seemed to grip at Gordon's throat.

"Food... water... electricity... shelter... isn't it expensive?"

Yet even though chills went down his spine, he continued to speak as he recalled the words of a particular man.

[I never do anything for free. You are nothing more than an investment - and a failed one at that.]

As the words of his father played back in his mind, Gordon stood forward with determination, as if to analyze the man that stood in front of him.

"How can you afford to give out charity like this?"

"That's a question that no normal child would ask. But my men are particularly fond of me, and are willing to follow my orders even in this situation - which allows us to do our work outside to provide for the people that we take in."

Turning around, Donovan eyed Gordon with a smile.

"Does that answer your question?"

"But if you keep on taking people in without making them work, you'll eventually run short on resources. No matter how many men you have working, they can only do so much. Eventually you'll need people to start pulling their own weight."

"Hey, Gordon... is it really alright to question this man like this? I mean... that's enough, isn't it?"

Suddenly Gordon felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see tha Stella had a concerned expression.

She clearly didn't want him to press any further, perhaps sensing that things were taking a turn for the worse.

'I see... I shouldn't offend the person who is in charge of all this.', Gordon thought. 'I never was able to read the mood, or other people for that matter.'

"What you say is correct. But in the end, I am willing to pull the weight of two, five, or even ten people by myself if I need to do so. And it isn't like everyone we take in will be unable to go outside. There will be people here and there who are capable of fighting and willing to go out with my men. Though I have no intention of forcing anyone, you kids are a prime example of this. Did you yourselves not say that you wish to pay me back for anything you receive?"

As Donovan raised an eyebrow, Gordon averted his gaze.

"We will find a way in time."

"Sorry. My questions must have been rude.", Gordon responded. "You're right. Not everyone is going to accept charity, and by offering them things like this, you'll gain a lot of allies. In the end, things might end up working out. And I'm sure you're working hard to be able to provide for all the people you take in."

With this apology, the man seemed to smile with gratitude.

"It's quite alright. I completely understand your concerns. Were you involved in business? Perhaps a family member-"

"I'd rather not talk about that, if it's alright."

With this response, Gordon evaded the topic, at which the man seemed to sense his reaction.

"Ah, I must have touched on a sensitive subject. Forgive me. Given the state of the world, I'm sure that bringing up loved ones isn't exactly easy."

Turning around once more, Donovan waved for the three to follow him further.

"Come now. Let's show you all your room."

----

"I guess we shouldn't have hoped for anything big..."

The three had been left alone to settle into the room - though there was not much to settle into.

A single cot was in the corner, and the room itself was barely large enough for the three people to fit inside. It was closer to a closet than it was to a bedroom.

"Well... this isn't that bad! It is free and safe from the undead, so-"

"Should we just return to the school?"

Gordon found himself cut off by Shane, who was blunt in his opinions.

"That... you understand that we can't just do that. It's so dangerous outside, and we can't do much on our own right now. We... we learned that the hard way, didn't we?"

"I... I get that... but..."

With a bitter expression, the boy didn't seem satisfied with the situation.

However he didn't seem to have a response, so he silenced himself.

"I guess we don't know when Marcus and Sylvia will return... but either way we would just be relying on someone else, wouldn't we?"

It was a difficult situation - one which tore at the pride of the three.

They understood well that they were incapable of doing anything on their own. They could barely kill a few undead, and in a world filled with them, survival was their biggest priority.

They couldn't risk their lives for supplies and food, but if they didn't rely on someone else, they would have to do so.

"Shit!!"

Releasing his pent up anger, Shane slammed his fist into the wall.

"How are we so pathetic?"

"Hey, this isn't our property, so we should make sure we don't break anything-"

"I get that."

At Gordon's reprimand, the boy nodded with irritation in his tone.

"I get that... sorry."

"You want to trust them, but you don't want to become a burden to them. You want to make something of yourself, but you can't do that on your own. That's your concern, isn't it?"

This time, Stella spoke up, a strange amount of calmness in her voice.

"Yeah... I guess that's it.", Shane said with a shrug.

"Heh. I guess I learned something from that strange father of mine."

With a bitter smile, the girl stood up from the cot, which she had been sitting upon.

"We can't sit here thinking about what we're going to do. We have to do it, whatever it is. So let's form a plan.", she suggested.

As he took a seat on the ground, Shane looked to the two with readiness in his eyes.

"That's right. First, we have to admit our own strengths and weaknesses. We were almost killed today because there was a horde - a horde that showed up out of nowhere. If Donovan hadn't showed up, we would certainly be dead. And we should pay him back for saving us. Are we all in agreement so far?"

The other two nodded at Shane's assessment, at which he continued.

"We trained for the past week, though we didn't exactly have a teacher or anything. But we can handle a few undead. That isn't a problem so long as we keep our wits about us. The issue is when their numbers start to increase."

With vehement nodding, the other two motioned for Shane to keep going.

"So effectively... we need to become more capable of handling a situation where we're outnumbered and outclassed."

"What if we had some better weapons? The rocket launcher allowed Donovan to kill a whole bunch of zombies all at once.", Gordon asked.

"And where would we get a rocket launcher?", Shane responded. "We need to think practically and work with what we have. We have golf clubs and baseball bats. Even a gun-"

"What about a bow?"

Bringing up this suggestion, Stella seemed to be in deep thought.

"I... I actually tried archery once and I wasn't bad at it. If I could somehow make a bow and some sort of arrows..."

"Hmm... that wouldn't be bad. But how would we make something like that?"

"I'm sure we could find some sort of materials in this place if we asked. Ok. That's something. We'll try to get ahold of a bow and some arrows and have you practice in that way. But that doesn't eliminate the problem that we can't defeat large crowds.", Shane stated.

"What about a distraction?", Gordon suggested. "If we had some sort of smoke bomb or flashbang..."

"Do you think this is some sort of war game?", Shane said with a sigh. "We can't just find those things lying around. But on the other hand... a distraction isn't a bad idea. Fireworks might be useful for that."

"Oh... fireworks. That is a good idea. If we lit one and threw it somewhere, the zombies might chase after it. It might end up attracting more though.", Stella added. "It would only be useful to clear a temporary path and run away."

"But that should be enough. Survival is our highest priority. Ok, so we can start making a list of things. What else? If we get bitten, we'll probably turn into the undead, so we could use some sort of protective clothing against bites. Metal armor... it might work, but I doubt any of us have the strength to wear it, and we probably couldn't find any either way."

Tapping his chin, Shane seemed to be in deep thought.

"A bulletproof vest might work against bites, but it would only cover the chest. Hmm... a leather coat maybe? The more layers the better, but I don't know how well that would actually work. We'll need to run some tests."

"Alright. We'll see what materials and items we can get ahold of. But more importantly, didn't Donovan say that there were other people in the common area? Should we go there and try to meet up with some other survivors?"

As Stella suggested this, Shane looked up as he exited his state of thought, and nodded in the affirmative.

"I guess you're right. Fortunately, we have some time to think things through before we go out, so let's take our time."

Standing up, the boy motioned for the other two to follow him.

"I'm a bit curious about what the other people are like... so let's go see for ourselves."

----