New Dawn Chapter: 0106

The survivors eyed the leading figures of the group with wary gazes. The rain was still pouring, albeit at a slower rate than before.

Saeko flexed her fingers, a slow, deliberate movement.

The crystal, moments before a solid, tangible object, was now a part of her.

It was simply fascinating.

A subtle warmth spread from her palm, up her arm, infusing her muscles with a sensation she could only describe as… vibrant.

It wasn't just strength; if it was only that, she wouldn't have been so surprised. It was an acuteness of senses she'd never experienced before. A sharpening of focus—as if a veil had been lifted from her perception of the world. Her already formidable grace felt amplified, her connection to her body more profound.

She looked at Tysone, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "This is… significant." Her voice was calm, but her eyes glimmered with a light that hadn't been there before. "The potential of this… is staggering."

Tysone nodded, understanding her unspoken words. "Indeed it is." He glanced at the nervous cluster of new survivors huddling nearby, then back at his core team.

Takashi gave Saeko a respectful nod. Rei looked on with a mixture of awe and perhaps a touch of envy. Kohta, ever the pragmatist, simply seemed relieved they had another heavy hitter.

Saya, leaning against a graffitied wall to ease the ache in her ribs, watched Saeko with keen, analytical eyes. "Any immediate side effects? Nausea? Dizziness? Uncontrollable urge to yodel?"

Saeko's smile widened slightly. "None so far, Takagi-san. Just… clarity."

"Good enough for me." Saya muttered.

"Let's not waste any time and move." Tysone scanned the group of new survivors. Mr. Tanaka was still pale, avoiding Tysone's gaze. Yumi, the young woman with the twisted ankle, was being supported by the quiet older man, Kenji, who seemed to have a stoic resolve. Haruto, the teenager, clutched his tire iron. This ragtag group didn't look promising, but manpower was manpower. They needed to get back to base and see what the next steps would be.

As for Officer Nakaoka, she didn't seem half bad, but she was clearly not cut out to live in this world. Kohta, though, seemed to have taken a liking to her. So maybe her luck wouldn't run out.

Tysone, with a silent nod, led the way forward, his halberd at the ready. Saeko followed closely.

...

The journey turned out to be easier than expected. Then again, all they came across were common zombies.

No evolved zombies, no special infected. There was no need for Kohta's marksmanship, either. In fact, not even Tysone had to stop in. Saeko had been able to take care of everything by herself. Even larger groups of zombies that she would have struggled with before, now posed no threat to her as they were sliced through effortlessly.

For nearly an hour, they moved through the deserted remains of the city, and the only threats were the common dead. They came in shambling handfuls, drawn by their passage, and Saeko met them. 

Tysone's eyes swept left and right as they trekked on, looking for other survivors. If there were any, they were boarded up somewhere, just like the group they found in the mall. 

They continued onward, though the pace slowed down. The survivors weren't the only ones worn out. His own group had to rest, too.

'They can rest as much as they want once we're back.'

Staying too long out there could only invite trouble.

Still, they were still a good distance from the base, and with the EMP or whatever it was having knocked out most of the electronics in the area, finding a working vehicle had seemed like a pipe dream.

But luck—or fate—finally gave them a bone.

Kohta spotted it first. "Yo, there—military transport, up the road."

Tysone's eyes lit up.

'Maybe...'

The group rushed toward it, weapons ready. The massive armored truck sat awkwardly across the street, one side up on the curb, the other partially buried in a mailbox and a crumpled civilian car. Scorch marks and bullet holes pockmarked its steel frame, and the windshield was webbed with cracks.

But it was intact.

No bodies.

No movement.

Tysone motioned for silence, then crept forward and peered inside.

Empty.

"No signs of the driver." He muttered. "No zombies inside either. Probably got overrun, and whoever was driving took off or didn't make it."

He opened the driver's side door and climbed in. A few switches flipped, and miraculously, the lights on the dash flickered to life.

"It works?" Rei asked, wide-eyed.

Everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief.

"Everyone, get in!" Tysone shouted.

The group piled in quickly. Takashi and Kohta took the rear hatch, rifles raised. Saeko helped Yumi into one of the side seats. Once the last of them was inside, Tysone closed the door and started the engine. It rumbled to life with a throaty growl.

"Let's get the fuck out of here." He muttered.

The tires screeched as he pulled the truck onto the main road. The headlights barely cut through the fog and rain, but it was enough. They were moving.

"Everyone, keep your eyes open. This isn't over yet." Tysone warned.

Everyone nodded. They weren't out of the woods yet.

The truck rumbled through the streets, its tires crunching on the debris that littered the asphalt.

"Finally over..." Tanaki, the middle-aged survivor, whispered, wiping sweat from his forehead. "It was hell..."

Yumi nodded in agreement, a shaky but relieved smile on her lips. "I didn't think I was going to make it..."

Officer Nakaoka managed a smile, too. "We all made it."

"I don't understand what you're happy about." Saya grunted, glaring at them. Honestly, she didn't fancy the idea of more people in what she considered her new home, but Tysone's orders, unless outright ridiculous, were final. "We still haven't made it yet."

No sooner had she said that, a shuffling noise came from ahead. As the headlights of the truck swept across the street, it revealed the silhouette of another evolved zombie.

"Eyes on the road! Evolved up ahead!" Tysone barked, stomping on the accelerator. He swerved, the truck lurching and screeching as it veered around the shambling creature, which lunged after it, its clawed hands raking the side of the truck. No way Tysone would have risked running over it.

Still, the evolved wasn't as fast as the military truck.

"Everyone alright?" He called back, eyes flicking to the rear-view mirror.

The evolved zombie, which could be distinguished by their unnatural height compared to the rest and the cores on their chests, was left standing in the middle of the road, staring at the departing vehicle.

As if in a trance, the zombie didn't seem to have any desire to chase after it.

For a moment, it seemed like they were out of danger.

Then the rear-view mirror filled with movement. Not just the one creature—no, that would have been too easy. There, emerging from the thickening fog behind the truck, were dozens of shuffling silhouettes. Common zombies. A small but growing horde of them. They shambled from behind, their sides, and a small horde even from the front.

The truck's thick carapace swatted them away. It didn't do anything to them, but neither did they.

Saya's brow furrowed as she analyzed the zombies. "They seem different..."

"How so?" Rei asked, her voice almost inaudible over the shots Kohta and Takashi were taking.

"They seem more determined."

Haruto's grip on his tire iron tightened, his voice shaking. "Determined to eat us?"

"Or determined not to let us leave?" Yumi chimed in, her eyes wide.

Saya shook her head, frustration evident on her face. "I don't know. Something's different about the horde."

Saeko glanced at the rear window, then at Tysone, who was driving like a madman, swerving around zombies.

"I know..." Tysone said, eyes unblinking. "It means there must be another evolved nearby."

The group tensed up.

"Another evolved...?" Tanaka asked, fear dripping in his voice.

ts face was barely human anymore, too stretched out, too filled with rows upon rows of jagged teeth.

Its eyes glinted maliciously and intelligently.

It ruthlessly slapped away a few common zombies in front of it.

Kohta's rifle dropped an inch. "...What the hell is that?"

"An evolved?" Saya breathed, mouth dry. She glanced at the core embedded between its pecs. "Must be a higher class."

The massive zombie let out a thunderous, echoing roar, and the horde seemed to jolt at the sound, as if energized. Then they ran.

"Shit!" Tysone barked, swerving violently as the common infected surged toward them from all directions, the massive brute thundering after them like a freight train gone mad.

"Hold on!" he yelled, slamming the accelerator.

But even the armored truck groaned as the hulking beast gave chase—fast. Too fast.

And closing in.

Kohta and Takashi unloaded everything they had, the bullets peppering its chest and face, drawing blood and flesh but barely slowing its charge.

"Tysone."

Saeko began in a small voice, placing a hand on his shoulder; Tysone had to respect the woman's composure even in a situation such as this.

Tysone bit his bottom lip. "I know."

There was no other way.

His eyes glinted just as maliciously.

Author's Note:

If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at P@treon.com/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.