Chapter 6 - Day 9 - Mystery(2)

"&#%#% @#$$ @%%."

...

Cain's jaw gaped open as he listened to the complex words coming from the radio. He rapidly raised his eyebrows at the voice he heard from the other side.

It was almost indistinct but he could make out the numbers said by the man behind the radio. It was a message!

The others were not surprised by the bunch of numbers pronounced by the radio. It seemed like this was not their first time listening to it.

"What is this? Some kind of…... coordinate?" Cain asked the obvious question.

Theo smiled back in approval, "Yes. To be exact, a bunch of coordinates. I believe we just need to know the closest coordinate to us."

"And how do we do that?" Cain asked.

"Oh, that's the easy part. Have you forgotten that the internet is still on? We could just use a map app. However, I don't expect to be on for a while. We have to act while we still can."

As they spoke, the lights of the mall went off. Everywhere became dark, an uncomfortable darkness that made Cain almost panic, but Theo had already prepared for this.

He reached his hand into his bag and brought out a torchlight. The others did the same and suddenly Cain could see once more.]

"Good. The power is off. Next will be the internet," chided William.

Theo sighed, "It's good we expected this. Mark, quickly circle the coordinates' location on the map."

After having gotten to know them for a few minutes, Cain was familiar with the makeup of the team. There was Theo, the leader, a self-proclaimed young soldier, which probably was true. He was five years older than Cain.

Then came William. The middle-aged man was the one that brought the most experience to the table. It appeared that he was close to Theo. Perhaps, the two of them knew each other before the apocalypse.

Nonetheless, William was the one responsible for supplying firearms to the group. His cynic mind had made him buy a lot before the apocalypse started. Of course, the guns were not over the top. It was mainly four desert eagles and ammunition.

After that was the youth couple, James and Lara. Theo had told him that they were just like him. They had escaped from their homes and managed to come out alive…...obviously.

The next was a pair of females. Alexia was someone from the Rerat's Military that Theo knew. Just like Theo, she had traveled back home for a break when the apocalypse started. Together with her family friend, Macie, they were able to ally themselves with Theo.

Alexia had the military skills while Macie provided the medical skills necessary for the betterment of the team.

If Cain had had to pick the most intimidating person on the team, it would be William's daughter, Azrael. Up to this point, he had not seen her utter a single word to any of her teammates. She just sat in her seat with the utmost of composure, looking at the rest as they conversed. It was unknown what benefits she brought to the team. The rest never spoke about her.

Lastly, there was everyone's favorite, Mark. Despite him undertaking the menial jobs, he was not looked down upon by the rest. He was the perfect handyman for the team, which was further highlighted by his jovial personality.

Even Cain had to admit Mark's smile was capable of lighting up the world. That was why Theo never allowed him to do anything dangerous. The seventeen-year-old youth was better left doing his job.

...….

After receiving instructions from Theo, Mark quickly brought out his phone and located the coordinates.

A few minutes later, he was done and the group was left to ponder about the location of the coordinates.

"What bad luck? There's no one within our one-kilometer(1km) radius," nagged William.

Alexia begged to differ, "It's better this way. Although, the risk is increased."

Cain nodded his head. Yes, it was better this way.

Up till now, the group had never assumed they were the only ones with this information. It was safer to believe that at least more than five groups were already in possession of coordinates.

Hence, there would be conflict. There was bound to be conflict.

It was unknown what was inside this location, but it would be generally believed it was a hope to this abysmal situation.

"Yes, it is better this way," acquiesced Theo.

The brilliant man took a good look at the map and picked the farthest from the location. It was approximately seven miles(7m) away from them, "This would be our spot. Let's see…...it's located in Spring Park."

"Oh, I know Spring Park. I have been there before. But still....it's about twenty minutes drive with a car and I reckon we aren't driving," said Mark.

"Yes, we can't drive. We would alert the abominations nearby. We would have to walk," spoke Theo.

William tapped his wrinkled finger on the table, "That is approximately two and half hours. If we factor in the abominations, we would go over three hours."

"Three hours? That is acceptable," said James.

He saw his wife tremor and grabbed her hand with a smile, "It would be okay. It won't be like last time."

Them coming here was not without the usual goriness. The couple had had to witness their friends die to the abominations. They were just lucky to survive….just lucky. It seemed only luckiness was valuable in this apocalypse.

"Yes, it will be different from the last time. However, if anyone is having second thoughts, feel free to stay," announced Theo.

He stared intensely at the map as he spoke those words. Cain believed it was a way of reassuring himself.

It would be okay...

"We leave this midnight. If Macie's deductions are right, the abominations still possess basic human functions. That means they still get tired and sleep at night. This would be our chance," said Theo.

All of them nodded to this decision. They had no problem leaving at night. It was currently still in the afternoon. They would have to sleep now and prepare for the worse at night.

One by one, each one of them took a blanket and slept at the corners of the room, leaving only Theo awake. As the leader of this team, he had to make sure they weren't disturbed by the other humans.

His low voice echoed in the peaceful atmosphere, "I wonder what is at those locations."