Reunion
His rage, his madness, his overwhelming power, everything. He was mortified. He had decimated everything with reckless abandon. If he hadn't told them to take cover...
"Hey, don't worry about it, we're fine," Elara touched his shoulder gently, trying to give him some level of comfort.
"Yeah, and we'd be dead if you didn't go berserk, so y'know, good job!" Max added, giving him a smack on the back.
Even Leo was giving him a thumbs up. Their armor was messed up, but they were otherwise okay.
'Even still, I should probably avoid losing my cool unless I'm really in trouble. Who knows who I could hurt otherwise.' Frank chastised himself.
Promising himself he would be more careful going forward, he and the rest of the team approached Westgate Mall.
When they reached the entrance, Frank paused. The mall was a wreck, overtaken by decay and neglect. Windows were shattered, and graffiti was scattered on the walls. It looked like the apocalypse had been going on for years, not just a little over a month.
"It looks worse than I thought it would," Max looked around with a frown as he and the rest of the group joined Frank.
Elara stood next to Frank, her daggers drawn. "We need to stay sharp. If the wolves were this close, we can't be sure there aren't more monsters inside."
"Right," Frank replied. "But our main goal is to find survivors, and that includes my parents." He pointed ahead, where an emergency sign dangled from the roof. "Let's stick together and move quickly."
As they entered the mall, Frank felt a feeling of uncertainty.
'What if my parents really aren't here?' he wondered, thinking back to the promise he made Ana before he left.
"I will save Grandma and Grandpa."
That was what he said, and the fact that he hadn't croaked on the spot was proof they were alive. But were they here? Were they at least safe? If they died, not only would it be a devastating loss, but it would now cost him his life, leaving Ana all alone.
'I really need to be more careful what I promise,' he complained inwardly.
They stepped into the main atrium, now covered in debris. They advanced, weapons drawn and senses heightened, listening for any signs of movement.
The mall was quite large, so Frank turned to the group. "Change of plans, we need to split up to cover more ground. We'll regroup in fifteen minutes. Keep your comms open."
The team nodded, and went their separate ways.
Elara, Max, and Leo fanned out, running into the corridors of the mall. Now alone, Frank felt his sledgehammer resting against his shoulder, providing him some comfort. At least if there were monsters inside, he should be prepared.
As he moved deeper into the mall, he became aware of the unnatural silence. Each footstep echoed loudly in his ears, even with the effects of "Featherfoot" active, and every shadow seemed like it could be hiding something.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement. He spun around, prepared for battle, but instead he found a girl around 12 years old, crouched under a table, crying.
He ran over quickly, looking around frantically to make sure there were no threats waiting to take advantage of this situation.
"Hey, it's okay," he soothed, crouching down to her level. "It's going to be alright, we're here now, just keep close and we'll get out of here together."
The girl looked up, her eyes filled with tears. "You're... you're here to save us?" she sniffled.
"Yes, we are," he said, his heart aching as he watched her tremble. "Can you tell me how many people are here with you?"
She thought for a second, then began to cry again. Frank was in a hurry, but he didn't have the heart to rush the grieving child, instead placing a hand on her shoulder as she collected herself.She eventually managed to calm down enough to answer. "There were over 200 of us, but now..." Her voice trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
Suddenly, Elara's voice came through the comms. "Frank, we found a group of survivors. Our location is near the food court."
"Got it," Frank replied before helping the girl to her feet. "We'll meet you there."
"We?" Elara questioned.
"Yeah, I found a young girl. She seems pretty shaken up," he replied.
"Understood. See you soon," she confirmed.
Frank stood up before picking up the girl, letting her ride piggyback.
"Stay close, I'll keep you safe," Frank comforted. "What's your name?"
"I'm Claire..." she answered, still visibly dazed.
"Nice to meet you, Claire. I'm Frank. I beat up monsters," Frank said, flexing his biceps the same way he would for Ana.
"You're silly, Mr. Frank," she giggled, amused by his antics.
Together, they hurried toward the food court.
Rounding the corner, Frank spotted a larger group of survivors huddled where the escalator used to be. Their faces were pale, and their eyes were filled with desperation. He set Claire down to go find her parents and walked toward the crowd.
As he approached, something caught his eye, two figures stood near the center of the group, bearing a striking resemblance to his parents. It was uncanny, but they were far too young.
It was like looking at the wedding photos he'd seen growing up. Staring for a little bit, he eventually shook his head and began addressing rest of the survivors.
"Are you all okay? Is anyone hurt?" he asked, scanning the group.
"We were doing so well..." a man in the group began, his voice trembling. "But a few days ago, a hole appeared in the south wall of the mall. One of those wolves found its way inside. We lost so many..."
Frank felt a pang of guilt. Only a few days ago? If he hadn't hesitated, if he'd come here right away, maybe those people would still be alive.
"I'm sorry," he began, finding himself unable to look them in the eyes, "But we need to get everyone out of here. Can you tell me more about what happened?"
Before anyone could answer, two figures stepped forward. They were the same couple he had noticed earlier, and it seemed like they recognized him.
"Frank? Is that you?" the woman asked, her voice filled with hope.
Looking at her closer, Frank slowly had a realization.
"...Mom?" he inquired, his mind almost failing to believe what he was seeing.
"Yes, it's me! Oh my goodness, I can't believe you found us!" She rushed forward and embraced him tightly. Frank was relieved but awkward; her younger body made her feel like a stranger who was way too close. Even still, he happily returned her embrace.
They separated, and she looked around, her expression quickly turning panicked.
"Frank, where is Ana? Please don't tell me she-"
"She's safe," he interrupted, earning a sigh of relief from his mother. "She's in a military complex, well-protected. I figured she'd be safer there than coming here. Once I get you there, you'll be safe too."
After he put her at ease, Frank looked to the man next to her, slowly putting the pieces together.
"...Dad?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That's my name, don't wear it out," his father replied with a grin, pulling him in for a hug as well.
Frank held the hug for a long moment, savoring the embrace. Until finally he pulled back, "How did you two survive?"
His father gave him a proud smile. "We've had a little help. This thing in our heads restored us to our youth during this 'Evolution' thing. It wasn't just us either, have you really not noticed there are no old people anymore?"
Frank stepped back, trying to fully take in his parents' transformation. Now that he thought about it, he really hadn't seen any elderly people walking around, though he'd assumed it was for more dire reasons. He was actually relieved to find out that wasn't the case.
His mother added her thoughts. "Our theory is this 'System' wants us strong to be ready for whatever caused this 'Breach' it mentioned. It's undeniable, we're stronger with our younger bodies." She sighed. "We've had to fend for ourselves, your father and I, before we knew it, we ended up being relied on by others."
At that moment, Frank noticed a young man observing the reunion closely, specifically, him. "Excuse me sir, can I help you?" Frank asked, eyeing the man.
"Oh I'm just curious to meet the man our saviors wouldn't shut up about, though a bit bummed I couldn't meet the equally famous granddaughter" the man explained, stepping forward.
"Your parents have become strong, probably the strongest of us." He explained, not missing a beat, "Everyone seems to have been given some kind of ability, and we learned how to make use of each other to survive, so you could say we've become close. I'm Jason, by the way."
Jason stepped forward to shake Frank's hand. "I'm sorry about your wife," he added with a wistful look in his eye.
Frank nodded, his eyes sharing the sentiment. Still, he accepted his answer, and his handshake.
"I'm Frank, nice to meet you," he gave Jason a smile.
"Frank huh?" He seemed to think of something before returning to his normal demeanor.
Just then, the growls of zombies echoed throughout the mall, followed by the shuffling of feet in the hallways. This forced Frank to jump into action.
"We need to move!" Frank shouted to the group. "Grab what you need and any supplies that are left. We. Are. Leaving!"
As everyone rushed to gather their belongings, he felt a warmth approach him.
"Stay alert, champ," his father advised, moving next to him. "We're fighting as a family today."
Looking at his approaching mother, she simply responded with a smile.
This filled Frank with a nostalgic feeling, as if he was once again a child being protected by his parents. He could feel tears in his eyes at the thought, but he quickly composed himself and wiped them away.
He wasn't a child anymore, he could protect them, too.
"Let's get to it then" Frank said, cracking his knuckles.
It was time to show this world what the Gunns were made of.