Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Massive supplies
Zane kept on using his [Dead Zone] trick, hitting 'em where it hurts without making a mess or letting the blood smell tip off other Awakeners. They got noses like bloodhounds, you know.
After he took out those three, Zane crept into the next room where a lady Awakener was catching some Zs. He did his thing again, snagging her Brain Nexus.
Just like that, Zane had offed five Awakeners back-to-back, munching on their Brain Nexuses.
This whole scene got Zane feeling nostalgic, throwing him back to his kiddo days in the orphanage, chilling under a cherry tree in the backyard.
He'd hang with Olivia and a bunch of other rugrats, snagging cherries straight off the tree.
Decades later, those memories were still crystal clear, like it all went down yesterday. It was a slice of his childhood that had disappeared...
In the middle of all this chaos today, Zane found himself tripping down memory lane. Riding that wave of good old days, he was all set to keep on his spree.
But as he ghosted through another wall, he stumbled into a mega warehouse packed with all the goodies: salt, oil, rice, drinks, instant noodles, sausages, bread—you name it, it was there. Zane didn't waste any time loading up his stash.
Next up, he hit another giant warehouse, this one loaded with fresh goods—meats, shrimp, fish, all kept on ice thanks to a backup generator. Zane cleared it out with a flick of his wrist.
He kept moving, hitting warehouse after warehouse. Four in total, each one stuffed with everything from home appliances to brooms, mops, and detergents.
The only bummer was the veggie warehouse, which had gone bad. But Zane didn't sweat it. He was all about that meat life.
...
Meanwhile, outside, the two Awakeners on lookout started getting a bad vibe.
"Kai, it's way past two. Why hasn't Beckett shown up to relieve us?" one asked.
"Beats me!" the older guy answered, scratching his head.
"Think he got lucky last night and now he's all tuckered out?"
"I'll go check on him. Bet he's just trying to dodge his shift and sleep in," the younger one grumbled, clearly ticked off.
He marched over to the first room and started pounding on the door. "Beckett, rise and shine, man! Time to switch!"
"Yo, you hear me? Don't be playing possum!"
...
But no matter how hard he knocked, nobody answered. The dude's worry meter was off the charts.
He busted the door open with a shove.
Inside, he saw a guy and two gals lying there, all pale as ghosts.
They were stone-cold gone!
"Shoot! We got trouble! Somebody help!"
The guy's panicked yells broke the night like a siren, waking everybody up.
People stumbled out of their rooms, all groggy and rubbing their eyes.
"What's all the ruckus?"
"What went down?"
"Did a Zombie sneak in?"
"....."
A bunch of survivors huddled up, whispering like they were trading baseball cards. But nobody clocked the tall dude standing smack in the middle of them, just staring blank as a slate at the whole circus.
That dude, Kai, was the big cheese around here, a Core crystal Awakener and all. He was the go-to guy.
"Easton, spill it, what's the scoop?"
"Kai, man, Beckett's toast!"
The young guy blurted out, all jittery.
"What the heck?"
Kai peeped into the room, his eyebrows doing a tango.
The crowd behind him started buzzing like a disturbed beehive.
"Did he kick the bucket doing something dumb?"
"No way, those two ladies are history too."
"Maybe they caught some gnarly bug?"
"...."
Kai's scowl got even gnarlier. His spidey senses told him Beckett was drained dry, his Brain Nexus swiped clean.
But not a mark on him!
"This is whack. His noggin's all there, and the Brain Nexus has vamoosed. What about the neighbors? Drag 'em out here."
"I'm clueless, man."
Easton looked like he lost his last brain cell.
Kai eyed the four closed doors, his heart skipping a beat.
These Awakeners should've heard a pin drop with their sharp ears!
Unless...
Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!
Kai busted all four doors wide open.
Yup, as feared, more stiffs.
"Hisss..."
The crowd sucked in air like they were in a vacuum.
Dead. All of them!
Just then, a chick sprinted from the warehouse direction, her face all kinds of worried.
"Kai, the warehouse... it's cleaned out!"
"What?"
Kai felt the world spin, nearly hitting the deck.
He bolted to the warehouse doors.
The once stocked-up warehouses were now as empty as a politician's promises.
"This is some mind trick! I gotta be tripping!"
Kai was shaking his head, not buying any of it.
Some Awakeners mess with minds, sure.
But nope, this nightmare was for real.
"How is this even real?" Kai looked like he was about to melt into a puddle.
The crowd clammed up, over a hundred peeps, all mute.
From twelve Awakeners, now they were down to seven.
And the grub? Gone. How were they gonna grub now?
"We got an intruder!" Kai tried to keep his cool.
The lady next to him piped up, "Kai, what in the world can off five Awakeners and swipe a hundred mil in supplies without making a peep?"
"I'm stumped." Kai scanned the area, "But... it might still be creeping around here!"
"Ah?" The crowd caught a collective chill.
They were holed up in a six-story Walmart, lights off to avoid zombie or beastie attention. Just some dim lights, couldn't see past twenty meters.
Thinking some monster might be lurking in the shadows sent shivers down everyone's spine.
Eyes darted around, half expecting some horror to jump out.
But there, in the crowd, stood Zane.
Seven Awakeners left, five looking tough as nails...
He wasn't rushing; he'd toy with them a bit.
With all this drama.
Everyone was freaking out, worried sick about food and what might be out there in the dark.
"No chow left, what now?"
"Autumn, cough up that chocolate bar you snagged from me yesterday."
"Kai, can we head back to Quantum Leap Innovations? Or maybe get some backup?"
"....."
The chatter was non-stop.
Kai nodded.
"I'll think on it!" His brain was racing. He was out nearly a hundred mil in supplies and five bodies. Calling in the big guns from the company was no small deal.
If the company got wind of this, they might make him their next lab rat...
Best play was to keep the company in the dark for now, hunt down this 'monster,' and get back the supplies.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone