Store

While everything was taking place, in another location was another event that was beginning to develop in a way that would help to shape future events.

It was near where the shop Brick had visited before the apocalypse that was full of all kinds of sports goods and other items for hunting or the army.

An older man was seated on a wooden chair with a complicated look on his face.

He had come to terms with how the world had changed but it was not so easy for him.

There were many near deaths but he was able to lock himself up in his shop before any true dangers could arrive in front of him.

He was one of the few lucky ones that went to work at the early hours or had been working late causing them to stay at their place of work.

If it was a family owned store then there was even a way for some people to have a part upstairs or close by they could use.

He was one of those people who were able to survive that way without having to take a long journey to work during the most dangerous period of the outbreak.

Further away from him was a younger man with similar features which made it easy for others to identify that they were father and son.

The older man broke the heavy silence and asked in a low tone of voice. "Young girl.. thank you again. You truly are an angel sent from above to save us."

Further away within the stall was a thin and smaller girl who looked cute and endearing.

It was the type of appearance that let anyone let them feel that she was a weak girl that needed protection and could do no harm to anyone.

It was a surprising dynamic created between the three of them which was very unusual since the weak looking girl was the one being thanked for helping the two men.

Nobody would be able to guess that it was the girl who was the sole person among them that had been able to keep the three of them alive since they met.

She had blue eyes with light brown hair with slightly pale skin and very little muscle and fat on her body.

She was wearing a dark hoody, a cap, jeans, boots, gloves, a backpack and some straps attached to a knife on her waist.

Upon heading the thankful words, Lucy nodded quietly and took a small breath before speaking in a soft voice. "It is no problem. We survived together and I hope we can continue to do so in the future.. of course if you wish to follow me out of here."

Her voice was soft and gentle but her eyes had a certain murderous glint in them that disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

The two men were unable to notice the look in her eyes due to the darkened room so the younger man came forward. "We have nowhere to go. If you do not mind me and the old man coming then we would be happy to join you."

He and his father had seen her abilities close up so they greatly admired how she so easily dispatched the zombies.

All she asked for in return for her help was for them to provide her with enough weapons to use and for them to not betray her.

There were other terms too but the main point was that she would ensure their safety but it would cost them.

It was better than the forceful approach of being robbed by her or worse so they went along with what she was doing and saying at times.

They had been low on food before she arrived and were struggling to survive then she was the one to rally them together to go to a nearby store to get some supplies.

They ran into zombies along the way and they were too inexperienced during that time so it usually came to them almost facing their deaths until Lucy saved their lives.

They entered a store searching for food but came across more zombies yet they survived and slowly adapted after receiving her help and instructions.

They soon found themselves getting more confident in their own capabilities and they showed less hesitation towards killing the zombies.

Lucy provided them with a path of survival so they took it while trying to not make any mistakes.

What surprised them the most was one moment when they were in danger once again and Lucy was not within arms reach to save them.

His father was about to be bitten by a zombie when a small icicle manifested in the hand of Lucy which was thrown out towards the eye socket of the zombie with perfect accuracy.

The zombie was killed very quickly once she revealed her own powers then she gave them a small explanation about the current state of the world and how something that had happened must have triggered her ability to awaken.

It let them not be suspicious about her knowing too much and gave enough information to let them be hopeful towards the possibility of a power awakening within them.

While the father and son were recalling the past events, Lucy sat further away small sips of water from a plastic bottle. 'The previous attempt was much too dangerous.. I need better skilled people but they will be so hard to find.

I could try awakening their powers without them knowing but I do not fully trust them yet. They could easily take those powers and stab me in the back with them later. Hmm.. what should I do?'

Lucy was unable to come to a decision about helping her new recruits.

It was still early days in their relationship and they were not yet at the stage where they could fight back to back when faced with life and death threats.

Lucy had already faced betrayal and suffering at the hands of her own family resulting in her death so it was very difficult for her to trust others.

She would no longer believe in the words of others.

If they wanted her to trust in them at all then they needed to prove to her they were trustworthy with their actions.

If they were worth keeping by her side then they needed to toughen up in the face of danger and be able to work with her without there being any major conflicts.

The short term goal was survival but she hoped that she would be able to build up a force strong enough that could be enough to contend against the threats she would come under and to help with her revenge.

Lucy got to her feet as she put away the bottle then softly said. "We will be heading out soon. Can any of you two drive?"

The younger male raised his hand so Lucy nodded before saying. "Good. Pack up anything we may need in preparation for leaving."

Her gaze turned towards another direction as if she her gaze was piercing through the thick walls. 'One day I will be back.'