100 Systems Invasion

18. The More Brains He Ate…

Seth was about to get his hand on a signed, limited edition CD album of Queen when he heard loud footsteps from the front.

He turned to see Marnie hiding between one of the seats and a questionable furry blanket. “Where’s Amy?”

“She’s out,” the six years old said, showing her missing teeth to him. “The strange man is here too.”

Fingers wrapped around his metal baseball bat, Seth carefully went to the front, seeing that Amy was far too close to Wade, the infectore. He didn’t know that the blonde salesgirl was this suicidal. Though, he should be picking the signs up from the night they spent together.

After all, it wasn’t like she offered a ride and tagged along with him just to win a bet, was it?

Oh. She did that, alright.

“What are you doing?” Seth stalked behind her, knuckle-white hold around the metal bat.

The blonde turned her body to face him, standing between him and her infectore cousin. “It’s not like what you’re thinking.”

“What do you think I think?”

“I didn’t release him from your measly bondage.”

“That’s the point, you don’t tie your partner like a kidnapped hostage. It’s a common misconception, but Wade is not the kind of lover I want to tie.” Seth sighed through gritted teeth, “Enough about that. If you want to be like your cousin, please, I urge you. But don’t waste my time on it.”

Amy shook her head vehemently. “I said it’s not like that.”

From his experience dating his ex, Sarah, he should know that girls would debate everything, even if that was wrong. As long as they felt right, they would argue their way out. “Then what?”

“He’s not an infectore.”

Loud groans from the drooling ashen mouth behind her should be proof enough, but it wasn’t. Apparently, Amy wouldn’t work her arse off as a salesgirl if she was bright.

“Wade is not an infectore.” Amy repeated as if he didn’t hear it in the first place.

“You likes to hear yourself that much?” Seth narrowed his eyes at the hunched form of her cousin. “What part of him that look human to you?”

“He recognise me.”

“As a meal.” Seth said in a flat tone. “He wants your stupid brain.”

“No, no, no. You got it wrong Seth,” she waved her hand, diverting his attention to the van’s windshield. “He write this.”

‘HELP’

Seth didn’t waste time stating a damning fact. “He use blood.”

“Yes, but, he write it. He know how to write, and he recognise me. He’s not entirely gone!”

“… gggrrraaaahh … bbrrraaaaaaiiinnnssss …”

“Yes, listen to him.” Seth huffed indignantly. “He wants your brain. What part of that sentence you don’t understand? Oh, wait. Don’t tell me you already feed him your brain?”

From the look of her eyes, backing down was the last thing on Amy’s mind. She brushed aside his snide remark. “What if that’s not it? What if, by consuming brain, he can regain his humanity back?”

Seth furrowed his brows, eyes darting back and forth to Amy and the hunched infectore behind her. Wade was still groaning about brains like a chant, a bit different than the infectore’s usual unintelligible sounds.

But, on second thought, “You sure he’s not just trying to recruite you as his slave?”

“He’s not, you have to believe me. Wade wants us to help him to cure–“

Seth dashed forward and swung a hit with his metal bat, startling Amy, who stood frozen with their head tucked under her hands. But his target wasn’t her.

Wade groaned louder than before as pain struck his hand. “Ggrraaaaah!”

He didn’t cease. The bulging eyes, the drooling mouth that showed Wade’s yellow teeth, and the ashen skin were clearly a sign that he was farthest away from being human. At least, a healthy human. He guessed a junkie on the verge of OD resembled all those infectores.

Seth launched another attack, and Wade didn’t stand around anymore. The infectore also seemed to gain a little agility, even if one of his legs bent awkwardly. This makes the fight less boring. He brought down the metal bat, targetting his head.

Amy screamed for her cousin, and much to her relief, Wade evaded just in time.

This time, his evasion was followed by shooting his ashen hand forward. Wade tried to grab the metal bat, but Seth managed to pull back and swung it hard against Wade’s arm. Unlike his prediction, it didn’t break. There was no sound of a broken bone, only a simple thud as the metal connected with flesh. Still, it was enough for Wade to lose his balance.

Seth sent a heavy blow to Wade’s back without wasting it, leaving his head unharmed. Once the infectore was on the ground, Seth sat on top of him, pressing his metal bat against the back of his neck, rendering him unable to get up.

Only then that he look up at Amy. “Now, do you want to work with me?”

“On what?”

“We feed Wade some brains. You can see if your theory is right and I get to collect some cells.”

It was against what she said earlier, but Amy didn’t have any other choice. She just wanted to bring Wade back to normal. As long as Seth did the dirty job, she would be fine just being a witness. He would make a controlled farming ground with Wade as the main trigger. It was a win-win situation.

“We have to keep him on a leash.” Amy grumbled as she returned to the modified van, looking for something to tie Wade again.

“And while you’re at it, how about getting me some snacks, I’m, hungry.”

The blonde sales girl turned Seth’s accomplice huffed but did as told. “Just make sure to tie him properly this time.”

Surprisingly, they both worked well with each other. After they were done securing Wade and his grabby hands, they dumped the infectore back into the trunk. They agreed to abandon Amy’s second-hand car for the modified van as it got bigger space.

Once again behind the wheel, Amy stepped on the accelerator, deeming the road empty enough to let loose once in a while. However, her guest was not entirely correct. After a particularly steep hill and a sharp turn, a row of infectores ambled slowly on her path.

“Shit!” Amy was about to evade them, but Seth was jerking the wheel back, a manic grin on his face.

“Get them all!”

Her shocked yelp and Marnie’s whimper became a background as the car hit the unsuspecting infectores. She felt sick when the tires bulldozed their brainless bodies, splatting gooey blood and crunching bones.

“Yes!” Seth quickly took out his phone, expecting the resounding ‘dong’ from the System. But nothing happened. Only silence beside Amy’s thundering heartbeat. “Where’s the cells?”

The reply came in an instant.

[No kill. No cells.]

“But–“

[Only Systemist and registered Ally can earn from killing infectore.]

Seth frowned at that, “Ally?”