CHAPTER VIII- The one to protect 2

In the vast outside where. creatures lurked touched by the endless and bountiful power of mana and evolution, in a small convenient store, a man or a young man to be exact, layed on the ground with wounds on his body, covered in Blood, surrounded by bizarre zombie-like creatures that use to be humans.

They were more or less dead at this point. there were growls coming from some of the zombie-like creatures who had their legs and arms broken in one way or the other. Zombie -like creatures roaming in the distance, constantly growling and grunting at random things.

The convenient store had some of it's light bulbs broken or shattered into countless shards.

The young man on the ground was currently on the lap of a grown man of age no more than 50 of age, the grown man was currently aiding the young man with dressing his injuries as there were several cuts and not so large pieces of glass shards stuck in the young man's arms and legs, with blood gushing out profusely with the grown man doing everything he can to stop the bleeding as fast as he could.

There were constant grunts and hissing of teeth from the injured young man.

The injured young man was eventually trying really hard not to make too much noice by continuously gritting his teeth.

There were sometimes when he gritted his teeth so much that it started to bleed.

" Don't worry it will be over before you know it"

said the old man who was tending to the young man's injuries.

"Ugh" grunted the young man in pain.

"Thank you for saving me from those brats who think they own the area with the little power they've got, maybI at least know your name young man"

The grown man said with utmost respect to the young man who happens to be his savior some time ago.

"It's E-Ethan, Ethan Hollow. Ugh!!"

The young man who happens to be Ethan grunted in pain after responding to the man tending to his wounds.

"I'm I'm Chen Hu, I'm very grateful for helping this old man out in his time of need"

The grown man said, referring to himself as the one who got helped earlier. He took out a few glass shards from Ethan's leg with utmost gentleness as he proceeded to do the same thing to the other leg.

"I couldn't help but let my curiosity get the better if me but young master, does your father happen to be the CEO and representative of NOVA-COMPEX in this country?"

Ethan wasn't surprised by his question at all as he expected just as much.

He often gets such comments where ever he goes, and that's when he has been asked his name. He wasn't the kind to brag or boast about what he had or who his father was and neither was he the ungrateful kind to what he had and received in his privileged life of wealth.

Nathan replied with a little batted breath he waited for the next shard to be pulled from his other leg.

"Yes... He is."

"Parden me for my intrusion but don't you have siblings?, A brother and a sister to be specific."

Right in Ethan's sparkling Blue eyes,a flash of pain showed right through it and was still evident in his eyes only fornut to last a few minutes.

This time, the pain didn't originate from the glass shards being pulled out of him, instead it stemmed from the thought of his family.

What have they been through or what are they going through at this moment? ,He didn't know.

For all he knew , they could be hiding in a place secluded from where any monster could find them

For all he knew, he wasn't there to protect them, he wasn't there to support them when they could be needing it or could have needed it.

He always saw himself as the one to protect his family whenever things were rough for any of his family members especially his two siblings who he had fought off countless potential bullies away from them.

Right now, he was just a vegetable who couldn't even stand up right tk protect himself.

He was kind of irrational at times with matters concerning his family, and that's when he feels a sense of pride for his family, a pride he has had since birth until now. Even now, in his weakened state, he would have still felt pride for his family even until death.

It was such pride that had kept him this far alive even in the beginning of the apocalypse.

Sometimes it's terrifying how pride can affect a lersin to such a degree.

.....

Nathan, who had just remembered important words from his father, which was to do anything to protect himself as well as Ethan was currently in a frenzy of what to do and what not to do

Well the truth is, Nathan, who knew about the seemingly untimely apocalypse a week ago was the.

Ordered by his father, The Current CEO and representative of the country's NOVA-COMPEX, to go and apply for a job interview due to some crucial reasons.

Nathan already had his mind already set on getting a job NOVA-COMPEX ever since he was a child. He was a bit relaxed to know that he would at least get the job of his dreams before the big Change of Humanity.

He decided to have fun on that day and forget everything else including the whole world potentially coming to a catastrophic end.

He did have some fun though, that he would gladly admit any day and any time. Well, not until his torment began a few hours after that.

On the day his father revealed to him what was to come, he later vowed to protect those he loved and care about.

It maybe a person, a creature or an inanimate object but as far as he was concerned, He would always be the one to protect, The one to whom all living creatures would succumb under his feet.

The one to protect