The Goodwills: Adventure in an Apocalyptic World

Chapter six

 

“Ness." Victor whispered as he gently shook Vanessa.

Her lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I need to go.” Victor said as he pointed using his head towards the patrol sitting on his own.

Seemingly understanding what Victor meant, she hummed softly as she lifted her head from his chest.

He kissed her forehead while standing up and said “Don't miss me too much.”

Victor moved towards the patrol whose eyes were closed as he took measured breaths. As though trying not to disturb, everyone tactfully gave a certain distance from the patrol.

As Victor got closer, the patrol opened his eyes but Victor was undeterred. 

He continued walking until he was at arm's length from the patrol then he sat on the grass. 

“I am Victor Goodwill,” Victor began.

"And the fourteen of us over there belong to one family.” Victor pointed as he continued, the patrol listening to him.

"We will be sending four volunteers for the watch tonight but before that I thought to speak with you.” Victor said as he paused.

Having introduced himself and the manpower he leads, he knew he definitely got the patrol's attention. And he was right.

The patrol looked at him intently, understanding that the man before him is no fool. 

“You can call me Karl.” The patrol said, then paused, "Before going further, I do not possess anything valuable so what exactly do you want from me?” Karl, the patrol, said after giving it some thought.

“Don't overthink it Karl, I obviously have an ulterior motive but it's going to be mutually beneficial." Victor said, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

Karl, obviously not convinced, stared at Victor's face.

“It’s just information sharing and mutual alliance. We have the numbers, if you need support for a decision, we can be your support, all we ask in exchange is information.” Victor said plainly as he awaited a response from Karl.

Karl kept quiet for a while, considering the pros and cons, mainly the pros.

"I'll be counting on your support moving forward.” Karl said after much pondering. 

"Same here Karl.” Victor said with a smile.

"What exactly is the frontier?” Victor asked without missing a beat.

The air smelled of grass and damp earth. Karl sat putting his hand on his chin as he processed his answer. 

Karl began, "Let's start from the zones.”

“There are three zones,” he said. “Everything falls into one of them.”

Victor leaned forward slightly. “Alright”

Karl nodded once. “The Safe Zone. That’s where we were before. Camps, settlements, whatever you want to call them.”

Victor looked at Karl intently. “So these places just… exist?”

Karl snorted softly. “No. Nothing ‘just exists’ anymore.”

He gestured towards the path they took here. “Safe zones are kept clean. Regular sweeps. Superpowered humans go out, clear the area, kill anything that wanders too close.”

Victor frowned. “So the camps survive because someone is constantly fighting for them.”

“Exactly,” Karl said. “Stop the cleanup, and the place won’t be safe for long.”

Victor absorbed that in silence.

“What about outside the safe zone?” he asked. “I guess that's where we are now.”

“This is the In-Between,” Karl replied. “It’s the stretch of land right outside the safe zones.”

“How big is it?”

Karl shrugged. “It depends. If there are several strong safe zones close together, the in-between is smaller. If there’s only one weak camp around, it spreads out.”

“Beasts exist here,” Karl said. “Animals that have always existed but are more deadly. Bigger. Meaner. Dangerous.”

Victor stiffened. “Are they as strong as superpowered humans?”

Karl shook his head. “Not yet. That’s the difference. They’re dangerous, but they’re not evolved.”

“And if one evolves?”

Karl’s eyes hardened. “Then it doesn’t stay alive for long.”

Victor looked up sharply. “You hunt it?”

“No,” Karl corrected. “Everyone hunts it. The moment an evolved beast shows up in the in-between, it draws attention. Fighters move in fast and wipe it out before it can spread.”

“Why?” Victor asked.

“Because if evolved beasts multiply near the safe zones,” Karl said calmly, “there won’t be any safe zones left.”

Victor swallowed.

“And the third area?” he asked. “The frontier right?”

Karl exhaled slowly before answering.

“Yes, the frontier.”

The word alone carried weight.

“That’s where the real fights happen,” Karl continued. “No camps. No protection. Just superpowered humans and evolved beasts killing each other.”

Victor’s voice dropped. “That’s where the strongest ones are.”

“Yes,” Karl said. “On both sides.”

He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “The frontier is also where you’ll find meteor crystals.”

Victor’s brow furrowed. “Those are what give powers.”

Karl nodded. “Crystals change things. In humans, they create superpowers. In animals, they cause evolution.”

“So the frontier is the source of everything,” Victor said.

“Power,” Karl agreed. “And death.”

Victor sat back, letting the weight of it settle.

“And people still go there?” he asked quietly.

Karl gave a thin smile. “People always chase power, especially in this broken world. Some people, like us, are forced into the frontier, others in a bid to change their destiny go”

Victor looked at the night sky, feeling really small and powerless. 

This world will know Goodwill.