Barnes Family

Brick had held things back from Tanya upon meeting her but he told her the truth in a straightforward way.

He knew of her character type well enough to not openly lie in front of her.

Tanya was someone that had enough trust issues that had developed as a result of her father and those people around her who had let her down time and time again.

She lacked someone truly close to her that she could rely on and someone who would be honest with her.

Brick may not have been that good with building relationships with others or confident around the opposite gender but he knew about Tanya enough to not make a big mistake.

He told her a little about what he knew and was honest with her about how he could not disclose everything right away.

If she came to trust in him for his honesty and efforts then it was worth it.

It would help to let her trust in his words much later when he needed her to listen to him properly.

If he was to be her protector then he needed her trust and cooperation for there to be less danger to her life.

Some would see his actions as foolish to let others know some things or to make them know enough to know that he knew a lot more than others about what was happening but it was the best approach Brick could think of to slowly break down her guard.

His additional lone actions to take down many zombies further proved his usefulness and that he was far more valuable to keep around by her side.

The night passed by and the sun came up to light up the rooms once again.

Everyone had woken up and were leaving their rooms early in the morning but the overall atmosphere had changed overnight.

There were some girls that were coming from the room that belonged to a handsome young master.

Upon seeing Tanya and Buffy talking together, he stared towards them with a lustful gaze. 'She still remains so stubborn. It has become even worse when that new person has arrived.'

He was filled with resentment towards Brick and saw his grasp over Tanya slipping away.

He thought that with her being isolated away with him, she would eventually give in to him and would fall for his charms or promises just like the other girls around him.

His father was very influential and powerful in the city so he gained a large ego and rarely was denied of what he wanted.

When the apocalypse came, he was not as brave as others so he was left to hide away while others did the dangerous work.

He did not understand the true danger in the single time that he was close to a zombie and his cowardice had led to the death of the vice captain of the archery team.

Instead of learning from his mistakes, did not show any regret towards what had happened and started to try to influence the group using his father's name and false promises.

He felt like a king with his harem the more that he swayed those that were on the side of Tanya onto his own side but he was not left completely satisfied.

His target had been Tanya since before the apocalypse began and he was still not successful so he had to settle for those around him.

The appearance of Brick had made him see his goal slipping further away from him so he became more anxious and resentful.

He turned to the girl by his side and asked. "Where is the other guy?"

The girl that was by his side answered. "I do not know. He keeps slipping away and only really talks to Tanya or Buffy."

He frowned then saw the stair door being opened by someone and Brick had entered holding a zombie with no arms or jaw. "What the?!"

It was pushed forward and fell to the ground and the young master was filled with fear as he backed away then placed himself so that the girl was between him and the zombie.

Brick stood in front of everyone and placed his foot on top of the zombie to push it down. "You need not worry. This one is not as dangerous. You all need to get used to being around them if you want to survive and get out of here.

I will not be bringing anyone with me that will risk the lives of others with their cowardice and inexperience. Now.. who is first? Here, take this and use the pointy end and aim here."

Brick pointed the knife towards the temple, eyes and the back of the head then threw it onto the ground. "Pick it up."

Tanya was the first to step forward and picked it up then the zombie was held in front of her. "Brick.. are you sure this is safe?"

Brick continued. "Just think of it like an animal that has lost its teeth and claws. It is slightly more docile than the others. Everyone needs to be able to face them and to be able to strike first when they are close."

If people were to get out of the hotel then the minimum requirement was to be close enough to the zombies without being controlled by their fear.

They would not be required to kill them but if worst came to worst then they needed to be able to take on a zombie from a close range.

There were many that were fearful at first but upon watching Tanya take the lead and bravely killing the first one, there were a couple more that had been inspired to pick up the knife each time.

There was one among them that took the words of Brick as a mockery towards his past cowardice so he became more resentful towards Brick.

Brick saw that nobody was stepping forward anymore so he sighed. "I can only take those with me that I deem worthy enough. If you cannot do this much then I will leave you behind."

It triggered him further as he walked over and picked up the knife then arrogantly raised it towards the zombie. "It is only this much right?"

He stabbed the zombie that was in front of him then climbed on top of it as he started to stab it repeatedly. "See? This is what you wanted right? I am no coward!"

Brick stood in front of him as he overlooked him then said coldly. "It only takes one or two stabs in the right place to kill them. No need to put on such a stupid show."

Brick made a note of the young master that it would be troublesome to deal with him.

Just as Brick coldly turned away, the young master climbed up to his feet and chased behind Brick with the knife still in his hands. "Argh!"

Brick turned around and moved out of the way before grabbing the arm of the young master then twisted his arm. "I knew you would be a problem. Orders or no orders. I will not risk everyones life for you. "

Brick knocked the knife out of their hand and said to Tanya while restraining him. "Your father ordered for him to be brought back for the sake of his own purpose but I see differently. Tanya, what do you want to do? If you still wish to follow along with what your father wants then you will lose so much more especially with a guy like this around."

Tanya grit her teeth as she looked towards the others in the room. 'Brick is right. His actions have not been good for us and he just turned a knife on Brick who was just trying to prepare us for what is ahead of us. The vice captain was lost earlier and it was his fault too so there could always be a repeat of that.'

She did not wish to lose anyone else but there were other thoughts in the back of her mind. 'What would father think about this? This is the young master of the Barnes family who has connections to politicians, businessmen and military inside and outside of the family.'

A tempting voice came from the side as Brick spoke. "The world has changed and those in power before may have lost what they once had or are still desperately clinging to it the best they can. Think about it this way.. what you have now, anyone else could possess if they are lucky enough.

There is no young master here but just another hindrance to our survival. If there is some consequence to not taking him with us or taking other actions towards him then we just have to grow stronger than them. Only then can we survive and handle any future problems."

He added onto the end. "Grow your own power so that others can no longer control or betray you. I will support you on that path the best that I can. The decision is yours to make."

Tanya knew how backstabbing many people could be and that relationships forged through businessmen or the nobility were actually very fragile.

A lot of them were reliant on who was in power and there could be betrayals along the way when one side showed a little weakness.

There were a lot of people that collected as much information on their closest allies along with their enemies so that they could use it when necessary.

The Barnes family was influential and could put many roadblocks in the way of her fathers businesses so Tanya had to go along with what her father asked of her even if it meant just spending a little time with the young master of the family.

Even if they did still have connections after the apocalypse began, those connections would have been much too busy with their own problems and not everyone would be so willing to make a big issue out of the young master being left behind.

Her brows knit together as she thought. 'The world is different..the dead are walking among us… strange powers now exist and then there is complete disorder all around where we humans are forced to hide or kill in order to survive.'

Brick was trying to lead her in the direction so that she could be someone worth working for or with but he did not try to force her to make a certain decision outside of her own beliefs.

It was a test he had given her to see if she was truly worthy of his protection but it was his own way to teach her a thing or two along the way.

He allowed her the freedom to make her own decisions and he would go along with them but he was willing to offer advice or alternative options.