War God of the Apocalypse

Chapter 6: The cost of survival.

 The creature forced its way through the rusted gate, sending a shower of rust flakes and broken metal onto the ground. Will stumbled backward as its claws scraped against the concrete, and the sound made his already aching head throb harder.

 He could barely see clearly. Dark spots drifted across his vision, and every time he tried to focus, a sharp pain stabbed behind his eyes. The creature was smaller than the one he had encountered on the expressway, but its movements were quicker, and its narrow body allowed it to twist through the damaged gate without slowing down.

 Will clenched his jaw and forced himself to move.

 He couldn't afford another fight like the last one.

 The creature lunged before he could reach the end of the narrow passage. Will threw himself sideways, feeling its claws tear through the sleeve of his coat as he hit the ground. Pain shot through his shoulder, but he rolled away before its teeth could close around his neck.

 His right hand struck a broken brick, and he grabbed it without thinking.

 When the creature turned toward him again, Will hurled the brick at its head. The impact made it recoil for a fraction of a second, giving him enough time to scramble to his feet and stagger toward a half-open service door.

 He slammed his shoulder against it, forcing the swollen metal door inward, then squeezed through the opening and pulled it shut behind him.

 The creature struck the other side almost immediately.

 The door shuddered in its frame, and a low, furious growl vibrated through the metal.

 Will pressed his back against the wall, struggling to catch his breath. His shoulder burned, his palms were scraped raw, and his eyes continued to blur despite his efforts to keep them open.

 He had survived the first disaster wave in his previous life, but that didn't mean he remembered every detail of every creature or every road that led to safety. The apocalypse had never followed a perfect script, and the longer he remained exposed, the more dangerous his incomplete knowledge became.

 He looked at the service door as another impact shook it.

 "Not today," he muttered, forcing himself away from the wall. "I'm not dying here again."

 The corridor beyond the door smelled of damp concrete, old oil, and something rotten. A row of emergency lights flickered overhead, illuminating abandoned maintenance equipment and pipes that ran along the ceiling. Will followed the corridor until he found a staircase leading to street level, then climbed it carefully, keeping one hand against the wall whenever his vision threatened to betray him.

 When he emerged, the cold struck him immediately.

 The temperature had dropped further while he was trapped inside the building. Wind swept through the ruined street, carrying loose paper and fine particles of ice across the pavement. Several cars had been abandoned in the middle of the road, their doors hanging open, while a delivery truck lay on its side near a shattered traffic light.

 Will checked the time on his phone and swore under his breath.

 He was losing too much time.

 His original plan had been to reach Sector D, Zone 3 before the roads became completely impassable. He had already abandoned his car, wasted precious energy fighting two creatures, and injured himself using telekinesis. If he continued at this pace, he might not reach the bunker before nightfall.

 He pulled up the map on his phone, but the screen froze before the route could load. After several seconds, the signal disappeared altogether.

 Will shoved the phone into his pocket and studied the street ahead.

 He recognized the intersection. A service road ran behind the abandoned commercial buildings and connected to a smaller route leading toward the outskirts. It wasn't the fastest way to Sector D, but it avoided the expressway and most of the traffic that had trapped him earlier.

 The problem was that he couldn't remember whether the service road remained accessible after the first wave.

 He had two choices: risk the main road and potentially run into more survivors, vehicles, and mutated creatures, or take the service route and hope his memory was accurate.

 A distant explosion shook the buildings, followed by several screams.

 Will didn't waste another second.

 He turned into the service road.

 As he moved, he kept his eyes on the windows and doorways around him. The creatures weren't the only danger anymore. Desperate survivors could be just as unpredictable, especially when they saw someone carrying supplies or believed another person had something they needed.

 He had learned that lesson the hard way in his previous life.

 His mind briefly returned to Jason and Isolde, but he pushed the thought aside. He had already made his decision concerning them, and whatever happened on the northern expressway would not change his destination.

 He needed to survive first.

 A notification appeared at the edge of his vision.

 [Herem System: Host's physical condition has deteriorated.]

 [Warning: Telekinetic ability usage is not recommended until the host's condition stabilizes.]

 Will glanced at the message with irritation.

 "I know what happened," he muttered. "You don't have to keep reminding me."

 [Herem System: Acknowledged.]

 [Current Objective: Establish a genuine connection with a compatible individual.]

 [Objective Status: Incomplete.]

 He stopped walking for half a second, his expression hardening.

 "Is this really the time?"

 The system offered no further explanation.

 Will continued along the service road, but the message remained in his mind. The Herem System had given him the spatial storage he desperately needed, yet its other functions remained frustratingly unclear. It spoke of meaningful connections, compatibility, and rewards, but it hadn't explained what it expected from him beyond the obvious objective.

 He wasn't going to risk his life trying to please a system whose rules he barely understood.

 Still, he couldn't ignore the possibility that the objective would become important later. If he wanted to exploit every advantage available to him, he needed to understand the system before it became another problem.

 For now, survival came first.

 The service road eventually opened into a narrow stretch of land bordered by abandoned warehouses. Will recognized the area and felt a small measure of relief. Beyond the warehouses was a drainage channel, and on the other side lay a road that would take him closer to Sector D.

 He crossed the channel using a damaged maintenance bridge, testing each section before putting his full weight on it. The metal groaned beneath his boots, and the icy wind made his injured shoulder stiffen, but the bridge held long enough for him to reach the opposite side.

 Then he heard an engine.

 Will immediately crouched behind a concrete barrier.

 A dark utility vehicle approached from the far end of the road, moving slowly between abandoned cars. Two men sat in the front, while another leaned out of the rear window with a weapon in his hands. They were watching the road ahead, but their attention shifted toward the warehouses when something crashed inside one of the buildings.

 The driver stopped.

 Will held his breath as the men exchanged a few words he couldn't hear. One of them pointed toward the warehouse, and the vehicle began reversing toward the entrance.

 He didn't know whether they were armed survivors looking for supplies or people fleeing the disaster. Either way, approaching them would be a needless gamble.

 Will waited until the vehicle disappeared behind the building before rising from his crouch. He continued along the road, keeping his injured shoulder close to his body and avoiding unnecessary movements.

 The cold was becoming unbearable, and his fingers had begun to stiffen despite his gloves. He needed shelter, but stopping in an unfamiliar building without knowing whether it was occupied could leave him trapped.

 Then the outline of a low structure appeared beyond the next bend.

 Will slowed down.

 At first, he mistook it for another abandoned utility building. Its outer walls were covered in grime, and weeds had grown through cracks in the surrounding concrete. A damaged metal fence enclosed the property, with part of it collapsed beneath a fallen tree.

 However, the structure had no ordinary windows, and its entrance was positioned below ground level.

 Will's pulse quickened as he studied it.

 He remembered this place.

 In his previous life, he had heard rumors about a reinforced bunker somewhere in this area. The shelter had supposedly belonged to someone who understood engineering and had prepared for the apocalypse long before the first disaster wave. Few people knew its exact location, and fewer still knew whether it had remained intact.

 Will had never found it himself during his previous life.

 He had only learned about the bunker much later, after the people who controlled the surrounding territory began discussing its defenses and unusual construction.

 Now, standing in front of the property with an injured shoulder and a failing body, he realized that his incomplete memories had finally brought him somewhere useful.

 He approached the fence cautiously, examining the ground for footprints and signs of recent activity. There were marks near the entrance, partly covered by frost, but he couldn't tell how old they were. A narrow trail led from the gate toward the bunker door, where a small section of the surrounding concrete had been disturbed.

 Someone had been here recently.

 Will's relief faded.

 He couldn't assume the shelter was empty, and he certainly couldn't assume its occupant would welcome an armed stranger arriving during the apocalypse.

 He searched the fence until he found a gap wide enough to squeeze through. Once inside, he moved toward the entrance and examined the heavy metal door. Its surface was scratched, and the locking mechanism appeared more sophisticated than anything he would expect from an ordinary storage facility.

 He pressed his ear against the cold metal and listened.

 At first, he heard nothing but the wind.

 Then came a faint metallic click from somewhere inside.

 Will straightened slowly.

 Someone was in there.

 He could turn back and continue toward Sector D, hoping to find another shelter before his condition worsened. Alternatively, he could investigate the bunker, risking a confrontation with its occupant but potentially securing the safest refuge available in the area.

 His gaze dropped to his trembling hand.

 He wasn't in a condition to fight another creature, let alone an unknown survivor who might be better armed than he was. Yet continuing down the road without shelter could be just as dangerous, especially with the temperature falling so rapidly.

 Will drew a slow breath and raised his hand toward the entrance.

 Before he could knock, a voice came from the other side of the door.

 "Who are you, and why are you standing outside my bunker?"