"No... Don’t." Alissa screamed.
Vroom! Vroom! William stepped even harder on the accelerator, shifting gears to pick up more speed. The zombies were just a few metres away from the bus, glaring blankly.
"Growl!" They screeched at the incoming bus.
"Brace for the impact," William uttered.
Thud! Bang!
Alissa’s mouth hung open as the windshield slammed right into the undead, blood splashing across it. Crack! Crack! The sounds of bones snapping echoed as the tires didn’t stop. Instead, they ran over the zombies, and many were flung into the air on impact. Some got under the bus as their bones snapped, organs ruptured, and blood flowed down onto the ground.
Alissa’s and William’s bodies were shaken due to the clash. Even after getting torn apart, the zombies crawled towards the speeding bus, which had sped through the undead like nothing, reaching the end of the road. Some zombies leaked internal organs as they dragged themselves forward.
"This..." The people who were hiding in stores had their eyes widened. They had witnessed something, normally shown only in movies. They had gained courage as they began to relax.
"If that kid can do it, so can I." They spotted other people and began gesturing to each other.
"Luckily, the glass didn’t shatter." Alissa sighed, patting her chest to calm her racing heart. "Did you know about that?" If it were an ordinary vehicle, the windshield would have broken upon impact, even if it were to hit a group of ordinary humans. But here it was perfect, except for becoming a bit bloody.
"Items in the store ranked as Tier 1 aren’t ordinary," William explained, pressing the wipers button. Two did the cleaning off fluids of the undead; the crimson windshield began to get clear, showing the street.
"How?" Alissa asked, slumping into the seat. "Tier 1?" She locked her eyes on William, clearly wanting an answer. William raised his brows. "Simply put, Ether is in it."
"Ether." She nodded. "So, what is it?"
William rotated the wheel to keep the bus steady. He didn’t care about the zombie in front of him, colliding right into it. Boom!
"Ether is energy."
"Energy?" Alissa tilted her head, not getting it. William smiled. "In simple terms, a power like aura, mana, or qi, you read about in novels or see in anime."
"Oh." Alissa nodded, understanding. William’s lips twitched. ’Now I need to come up with a reason.’ Before he could think of one, Alissa questioned, "How did you know about this?"
William grinned. "Trade secret." Alissa’s eyes turned cold. "Secret?"
"It’s info I got for killing fifty zombies." William clenched his hands around the wheel. "Somehow, I feel like you’re lying," Alissa muttered, leaning to get a good glance at him.
A few minutes later, Vroom! Vroom!
William reached the destination. The sounds had attracted everyone, and the faction members had arrived.
"He got a bus?" John exclaimed, his eyebrows rising in surprise.
"Wait, how?" Chris uttered. He glanced at the cars in the street; he wasn’t an idiot. He had tried to start them but failed. He couldn’t start them, so he turned towards the cycles, which were placed at the gates, ready to depart. Uncle John had everyone take them out, as they knew they didn’t have much time. They found together that the cycles were functioning properly.
"Guys, get in," William ordered, climbing down. Alissa followed.
Faction members rushed in, Grandma Jenny watching them from behind, taking slow steps. Many couldn’t control themselves as they pushed a few away in front.
"Get out." A young man shoved a young lady and ran past her. William yelled, glaring coldly at the guy, "There are more than 100 seats. Enough for everyone, don’t worry." His words calmed everyone.
The moment the man reached the bus, Alissa raised her hand. "You’ll get in last, Fen."
"Why?" The man’s voice rose. "And who are you to command?"
Alissa’s lips turned up. She pointed at herself. "I’m the deputy leader." She barked, "Unless the leader here..." She pointed at William. "...doesn’t object, my words are law."
Fen’s head turned to William, who was just leaning on a fence next to the bus, as if he hadn’t heard anything. Alissa snapped her fingers. "Now, you got it?"
Fen groaned, clenching his hands. "Fine." He moved to the side.
Alissa clapped her hands. "Now, one by one in line, first the old." She raised her hand, stopping the young lady who had rushed over. "Last or after the old folk?"
The lady clicked her tongue and stood next to Fen, who took a few steps aside as she smirked at him.
"Elisa, don’t get cocky," Fen hissed, his veins popping on his forehead. Elisa didn’t respond.
Alissa’s words made a difference as they lined up properly, letting the old go first. Grandma Jenny and Grandma Kin were helped by others to move swiftly. John stood next to Alissa and took a deep breath. "Now, there is someone who can keep them in check."
Leo and Henry murmured to themselves.
"Should we push through?" Leo scowled.
"Don’t you see William’s clothes? They have blood on them." Henry spat, his eyes filled with fear. His voice trembled. "Wait for a moment. Don’t make a move until we know everything."
"William wouldn’t lay a hand on us." Leo sneered. "He would just try to talk us out."
"Yes, that’s why it’s best to stay low for some time." Henry nodded. "But don’t act up near that brat Alissa, don’t you forget Tim."
"She’ll kill us for sure if we do anything wrong," Leo whispered. They came to a conclusion after some time.
All the old folks had taken seats; now the young and kids were going on.
"Big bro, how is the bus running?" Chris asked, his eyes scanning the orange decker. "All cars and motor engines failed to even start."
Before William could reply, "Ether." Alissa glared at William. "Isn’t it?" She flicked her ring finger. "Now, care to explain?"
"How would I know?" William shook his head, shrugging. "Oh, really?" Alissa patted William’s shoulder. William coughed. "Ether, an energy which replaced electricity, fuels like oil, petrol, and all."
"I see." Chris nodded, raising his thumb. "Also, bro, how did the cycle function?"
Alissa’s eyes glowed, showing interest. William’s head turned towards Alissa and Chris. He spread his palms. "I don’t know."
Alissa’s purple eyes didn’t blink. She moved closer and smiled. "You don’t know?" She tightened her grip on William’s shoulder.
"I found your eyes move away from me." William cursed himself. ’Damn my habit.’ He didn’t have the courage to lie with a straight face to Alissa. She had a sweet spot in his heart.
"All electrical chips were fried when the Apocalypse Game started," William answered under Alissa’s stern glare. "Mechanical objects can function. Cycles and old vintage mechanical vehicles can work."
"Electrical chips fried," Alissa whispered. She added, "This is why mobiles and all electric items stopped functioning."
"Yes." William nodded plainly. "Store items don’t use such electric-powered chips."
"I got it." Chris turned and entered the bus.
Game Master’s Room.
Von straightened his cuffs as he smiled at William on the feed, who started the bus. Felisia sighed. "He’s making them weak."
She stood up, her golden eyes not moving away from William. "Von, are you going to make a move?"
"He thinks he’s saving them," Von exhaled, his grin didn’t change as he rubbed his chin. "But, it’s not good in this Apocalypse Game."
He paused for a moment, his blue eyes glowing. "I have no choice but to force them now."
He raised his palm as it glowed with crimson light.
[ Ding! Game Master’s authority has activated! ]