Beast Taming In The Apocalypse

Chapter 8: Fragile Team

To be honest, Esau and Jacob didn’t fear the man himself. What they feared was the gun tucked into his waistband. They were stronger now, but not strong enough to tank bullets or dodge them at point-blank range.

---

Kingdom and Chaser were just leaving the water when Chaser looked upstream and began to growl, his ears standing straight up.

“What is it, Chaser?” Kingdom asked, trying to see what had upset him.

The sound of footsteps answered him. Four men appeared. They were older than him, covered in grime, and looked dangerous. They carried goblin clubs, and the one in front held a club studded with sharp nails and spikes, making it look like a crude mace.

The leader’s long, greasy hair made him look unhinged, and his face wore an arrogant, vicious smile.

When they first appeared, they didn’t even look at Kingdom. All four sets of eyes were locked on Chaser, who they clearly saw as the real threat between the two.

Grrrrrrrrr!

Chaser’s growl grew louder as the men came closer. They stopped, gripping their weapons tighter. If they took another step, they felt the beast might just attack.

“Calm down, Chaser,” Kingdom whispered.

The men heard him and looked shocked.

“Hey, brat,” Esau said, his eyes still fixed on the dark wolf. “You own that thing? How’d you get it to listen to you?”

“He’s my dog. He mutated,” Kingdom answered evenly, though his heart was hammering against his ribs. Everything about these men screamed danger. He just wanted to leave peacefully.

“Your pet, eh?” the leader said with an evil grin. “Alright. Hand him over to me, and I’ll let you run away alive.” As he spoke, he pulled a handgun from his waist and pointed it straight at Kingdom.

Sweat beaded on Kingdom’s brow, but he kept his voice steady. “Not going to happen. I suggest we go our separate ways peacefully. Or I might have to ask Chaser to rip your throat out.” He tried to keep his tone calm, but by the end, a cold, hard edge had crept into his words.

Chaser had been his since he was thirteen. He would never hand him over, especially not to lowlife bastards like these.

Grrrrrr!

Chaser, sensing his friend was being threatened, growled in support, his eyes locked on the armed men.

“Well, let’s see what’s faster. Your mutt, or my bullets,” the leader smiled, aiming the pistol squarely at Kingdom’s head.

“Trust me,” Kingdom said, his voice low. “You don’t want to go that route.”

Time seemed to freeze for a split second as their eyes locked. One side unwilling to yield, the other cold and ruthless.

“Go!” Kingdom yelled.

He and Chaser exploded into motion, splitting apart in opposite directions. It was an old game they used to play, and Chaser recognized the command instantly. They both bolted for the cover of the trees.

Bang!

A sharp, burning pain seared across Kingdom’s side, nearly making him stumble. Gritting his teeth, he regained his footing and dove behind the thick trunk of a pine tree.

He looked down at his side and let out a shaky sigh of relief. The bullet had only grazed him, tearing away a chunk of flesh. It bled freely and hurt like hell, but it was superficial. Hearing the men crashing through the brush after him, he pushed the pain aside and ran deeper into the forest.

---

“Damn it, Boss! How could you miss? He wasn’t even that fast!” Scarface yelled, spit flying from his mouth.

All you had to do was shoot straight, you incompetent fool, Jacob thought angrily, but he kept his mouth shut.

“You little shit! Shut your mouth, rat, or I’ll kill you myself!” the leader—Tiger—snarled, his face red with anger. He was furious that this lackey dared talk back to him.

Scarface, the scout, just laughed coldly. “Kill me? Go ahead. You’ve only got one bullet left in that thing. The second you fire it is the second these two turn on you. That is, if I don’t survive the shot.”

Tiger was shocked into silence. He looked at the two brothers. They were watching him with smiles that didn’t reach their eyes—the look of vultures waiting for the lead bird to stumble.

These… these white boys dare threaten me? A Mexican?

Forcing himself to calm down, Tiger put on a placating face. “I made a mistake, treating you all like lackeys. From now on, we’re equals. We vote on every move.”

“Right!” Jacob chimed in loudly, nodding to his brother and Scarface. “Together, we can have all the women and money we want! No need to fight!”

The other two seemed to agree. Tiger gave them all a friendly smile, though inside he sneered. Dumb shits. You’ll all be dead the second I’m strong enough to manage it.

He looked down at the trail of blood on the forest floor. “He’s injured. We need to finish him before he heals. We don’t know his class or how high his Vitality is. Let’s follow the blood. Scarface, can you go ahead and scout while we follow?”

The four of them agreed a fragile, temporary alliance and started chasing after Kingdom.

If only they knew they were overestimating him. His stats were still pitifully low. He didn’t even have a class yet, he was still on the mission to earn one.