BXBX NOVEL Chapter 62 The Calm After the Storm
Chapter 62 The Calm After the Storm
Six o\'clock in the morning, July 28th, 2023.
The sun is rising, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink as its warm rays begin to pierce through the darkness. The world awakens to a new day, yet the remnants of the night\'s horrors still linger.
Corpses of Flyers and Hunters littered the streets of Oriental, their blood pooling underneath them in gruesome puddles.
Survivors emerged cautiously from the university, their faces etched with a mix of exhaustion and disbelief. For them, it felt like surviving the strongest storm, like emerging from the depths of a nightmare.
With wary eyes, they cast their gaze upward at the sky. It was an instinctual reaction, a need to confirm that the darkness had truly lifted. The sight of the unblemished morning sky, and the absence of monstrous creatures descending upon them, brought a collective sigh of relief.
Some survivors fell to their knees, tears of gratitude streaming down their faces. Others hugged their loved ones tightly, their hearts filled with a newfound appreciation for life\'s fragility.
Richard watched those families have their moment, and he couldn\'t help but smile at the sight. Even though he had chided them for their actions earlier, he understood the nature behind their decisions.
If it had been him among the survivors, who were scared to die, he would have done everything to save himself and those he cared about. Survival instincts were a powerful force, and they often outweighed any sense of duty or honor.
As the survivors\' emotions began to settle, and a sense of normalcy started to return, Richard reached to his radio and spoke.
"This is Eagle Actual, give me a sitrep," Richard ordered.
"Blackwatch to Eagle Actual. All infected have been dealt with," Mark reported.
"Copy that, Blackwatch. Proceed to cleanup operation. I don\'t want the city to be filled with the stench of rotting corpses," Richard responded.
"Copy that, Eagle Actual,"? Mark acknowledged. "Do you need any kind of assistance?"
"Well," Richard glanced over his shoulder, looking at the survivors. They immediately lowered their heads down, not wanting to meet his gaze as they felt shameless for their actions earlier. "The survivors look hungry, bring down their rations to the university."
"Copy that, Eagle Actual. But what about you sir? A report from one of the soldiers that went with you said that you have a wound on your head. We have a doctor that could come over and take a look," Mark suggested.
Richard paused for a moment, considering the offer. He touched the gash on his forehead, which had been ignored earlier. It stung, and he could feel the warm stickiness of blood.
"Alright, send the doctor over," he finally replied, acknowledging the need to address his injury.
Ending the transmission, Richard turned around and faced the survivors. Still, no one dared to look him in the eye.
"Everyone, I apologize for my behavior earlier," Richard began. "I lost my composure over there and did something that scared you. I\'d like to announce to all of you that the threat has been eliminated."
Upon saying that, the survivors slowly looked Richard in the eye, their fear slowly dissipating.
"Thank you, sir," One of the elderly women spoke. "For protecting us. And we are also sorry for the loss of your men."
Richard nodded at the elderly woman\'s words acknowledging her gratitude and the recognition of the sacrifices made by his team.
The men that he had kicked in the face earlier stepped forward and spoke. "I would also like to apologize for locking the door."
"Sorry for kicking you in the face. I\'ll have a doctor check on your injuries," Richard said.
As things were going smoothly, Richard heard someone calling his name.
"Sir Richard!"
Richard and the survivors turned their heads toward the source of the voice. There they saw Andrea running towards them, waving her hand in the air to get his attention.
"Andrea!" Richard called back.
"Andrea?" Lisa tilted her head to the side, it was a familiar name. "Wait—that face. Isn\'t that Andrea Mcdonie?"
"Andrea? The young actress…" Denise gasped softly as she focused her attention on the approaching woman. Recognition and surprise flashed across the faces of those who knew Andrea from her life before the outbreak.
Andrea, still catching her breath, approached Richard and the group. She looked at Richard and the survivors. She waved a hand and spoke. "Hello!"
"Ehh?!"
They exclaimed Andrea Mcdonie was a popular actress in the Philippines, the arrival of such a well-known figure in the midst of this chaos left the survivors stunned.
Some even tried approaching her as if to take a closer look at the unexpected celebrity among them.
However, despite her getting all the attention, she had his eyes on one person, and that is Richard.
"How are you? Your wound, you should get that stitched up," Andrea said.
"I will, the doctor is on their way. How are you? Have you any injuries?"
"Nothing serious, just a few scratches and bruises," Andrea replied with a faint smile.
Richard nodded in understanding. "Thank you for helping us. If not for you, we would have been overrun."
"No problem."
Lisa and her classmates flickered their gazes between Andrea and Richard. Sensing something.
"Uhm, how do you know my brother?" Lisa asked with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Yeah, how come the famous actress in the Philippines met Sir Richard?" Denise added.
"Ahh…ehh," Andrea chuckled sheepishly. "The thing is…"
"We rescued her," Richard interceded. He can\'t tell them the truth about Andrea being mind-controlled or brainwashed, and having superpowers.
"Why do you have a sword?" Angela probed, and the survivors nearby noticed that she was holding a sheath of a sword.
"Okay, give her space everyone," Richard said, intervening before the questions could overwhelm Andrea. He knew it was best to keep certain details under wraps, especially those related to Andrea\'s abilities.
"Andrea, can we talk somewhere private?" Richard requested, guiding her away from the curious crowd. As they moved to a more secluded area within the university, Andrea kept her eyes on the survivors, who continued to cast glances in her direction.
Once they were out of earshot, Richard turned to Andrea with a serious expression.
"So, what\'s your plan?" Richard asked.
"After I eat all the pills from the mutated zombies, I\'ll leave. I have to search for my family," Andrea revealed.
"You know we can help you with that right? We have the assets," Richard offered.
Andrea shook her head. "You have a lot of things to do here, Sir Richard. It\'s best that you focus on rebuilding your camp. Besides, I can take care of myself."
"Well, I won\'t stop you, not like I have the power to do so as you are literally stronger than me physically," Richard chuckled.
Andrea giggled. "Don\'t make this like we are going to part ways. I\'m going back here once I find my family. This is the safest place they can be in this world."
"I have no problem with that," Richard said. "I can give you a radio which you can use to contact us if you find your family."
"Once I find my family, I will find the person who turned me into…whatever this is," Andrea said.
"The master," Richard mused. "We have a common enemy, it\'s best that we work together and defeat the one who caused all this mess. Oh, before I forget. Those pills, how do they affect you?"
Andrea placed a finger on her chin, contemplating. Moments later, she spoke. "I don\'t know but it\'s like food to me."
"I see," Richard nodded. Inwardly, he thought of possible countermeasures he could use should Andrea turn rogue.
"Okay, I have a lot of work to do. See you later."