19

Reverend Apocalysis: Reality Surpassed Fiction

Chapter 19: Authority

When the first ray of sunlight outside the window illuminated the room where they were, Anton opened his eyes and soon saw that everything seemed to be as good as possible. He had been analyzing the cube and discovered that it was not symmetrical; it had various parts sunken inward and lines where light shone continuously.

Looking at Emma, who was sleeping on cardboard, Anton frowned. Now that he had checked everything and confirmed that they were not infected carriers, he felt it was time to bring some order outside. Regardless of what happens, at least they have proven that they are not infected and are not carriers, so in this way, if anyone seeks trouble, they can simply act as they see fit.

The cube, on the other hand, did not light up again, so Anton simply hid it in a bag behind a jacket he had found. Besides, for now, he needed to analyze the situation outside and how everything was unfolding to make decisions.

"When do you think it would be convenient for us to move?" Emma, who immediately opened her eyes, asked.

"We shouldn't move easily, mainly because the door of this small building connects directly to the street. The carriers have direct access to us, making it a big problem." Anton pointed out as he pondered his options.

Emma looked at the food they had and said, "Let's eat this first; it would be better to consider our options after we eat."

After Anton looked at the food, he took some cookies and ate them very slowly. He wasn't very hungry, but he needed to consume food since he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday, and it was better to do it now than later.

"We can't be harmed under any circumstances by the carriers, and we also shouldn't have much direct contact since we don't know how we might get infected," Anton said, thinking about facing a carrier.

Emma became a bit serious and said, "We don't know if they are just sick, so we shouldn't assume quickly to defend ourselves aggressively."

"I can understand that, but do you think it's time to think about those things when our lives are in danger?" Anton asked in a direct tone. One is supposed to defend themselves when their life is in danger, which is happening now.

Anton walked to the window they had and said, "We are in this together, Emma. I want you to understand that the carriers are not humans until proven otherwise. If we allow them to attack us, we will die, just like everyone outside."

"I understand that; I'm just confused." Emma shook her head and sighed. She was really bewildered, just thinking about what was happening and the magnitude of it all.

"We won't put ourselves in danger. If we can avoid them, it's better, but now and later, we must defend ourselves with everything we have, regardless of anyone else. Selfishness tends to arise in these kinds of situations; the same happens with people outside, so we have no choice." Anton learned something from his father: be ruthless and eliminate the enemy before it becomes a lethal threat.

Emma felt that Anton was more than mentally prepared to act; she would follow him wherever they went, but she still had to carefully consider everything they needed to do. Thus, she asked, "Don't you think they've taken a bit long to send rescue?"

Anton, who had his back to Emma, said, "Do you think we'll be a priority in this situation? The world is in chaos; military bases may have also suffered outbreaks, and due to the confusion, many may have fallen. Thinking logically, we won't be a priority now and never, simply because they will ensure the protection of a state. That's the best-case scenario, and in the worst, they might try to save the chosen ones first."

Emma understood this a bit and murmured, "The chosen ones are those selected for shelter, right? That would be possible if we had received something; all that is possible unless our status has been discarded due to the uncontrollable outbreak."

"You've understood it quickly," Anton smiled and said. "Towns might be saved faster due to their small number of inhabitants, but for big cities like ours, we will be discarded indefinitely until they can devise a plan for what is happening."

Anton then held his gun and said, "I have fourteen bullets in this gun and an extra magazine with the same capacity. I think in our situation, it would be better to use it on people rather than the carriers; only then can we stay safe."

Emma looked at the food wrappers and said, "I think we should have waited a bit, don't you think?"

"If we don't have food, we'll go out or take it from others. We can't stay here forever because we have to meet your mother." Anton had thought a lot about his options, so he thought about everything he could do, and this was the most optimal.

Anton didn't expect to stay here forever until he died of starvation; he didn't want to linger in this place because that meant they would die. They needed to know what was happening outside to know how to act, and they also needed to go to Emma's mother as soon as possible so that she didn't do something reckless.

"If you're hungry, I'll look for something for you to eat; we just need to find it in the right place." Anton smiled as he helped Emma up with his right hand.
"Will those people make a fuss if we go out now?" Emma didn't want Anton to get into more trouble, so she asked first.

As Emma had said, Anton would have various options with the people outside, and the best he could think of was to use them in a certain way. If they deserve a second chance, he will give it to them. They are just scared, but that is an important weakness to consider for the future.

Anton was not an angel; he would have acted cautiously if two new people entered the building because he would have doubts about whether they would become carriers of the virus that was rapidly consuming the world.

"It's time for us to go out; apparently, everything is fine with the others, so we won't have any problems going out. But just in case, never leave my side, and under no circumstances trust others; they will only try to use you for their benefit." Anton looked at Emma sternly to make her understand the meaning of his words. All he could do was directly shape her character to be strong.

"I understand; we will do what you believe is best." Emma wanted to find her mother; none of these people would be above her priority, and she followed Anton out of the bathroom.

Anton walked out of the bathroom and looked at everyone who had been alarmed by his sudden exit. Seeing that they were okay, everyone sighed in relief, but naturally, there would be those who were still unconvinced, as if they were somehow guilty of their fears.

"What?" Anton looked at a man about his height and asked, "Is there any problem you want to inform me about?"

Emma had studied people's behavior and knew that Anton now wanted to assert his position through intimidation, which was normal when dealing with frightened people.

The man named Carlos looked at Anton and frowned. He remembered seeing him with a weapon, so he didn't want to be disrespectful. He said, "It's a misunderstanding; we were all scared yesterday, so we did something by mutual agreement. What problem would I have now that we're all okay?"

Emma, who seemed to be trying to dissuade Anton, said, "We'll leave here sooner or later. We shouldn't waste our energy on people who aren't worth it."

The other people didn't dare to speak; they all looked at each other, unsure of what to do because they firmly believed that Anton was infected. Psychologically speaking, instinctively, the people in this place had developed a sense of leadership towards the elderly man who was the manager of this place and who helped when he was in danger.

But Anton still felt that gaze bothering him from Carlos, so he walked towards the manager and said in a friendly tone, "I must thank you for your help yesterday. If you manage to somehow come up with a plan to get out of here, I'll lend a hand. But I'm afraid I still need to calm down a dog that can't stop looking at me with a gaze I hate."

When Anton finished these words, he turned to Carlos and, holding a hammer from a wooden table, hit the man's shoulder in front of him.

In this situation, it was obvious that Carlos wouldn't stand still; immediately, he extended his hands to stop the attack coming his way through brute force. However, Anton precisely halted his advance with the help of his feet, lowered the hammer, and hit Carlos's knee, who initially wanted to hold his hand.

After the initial not-so-strong blow, rough enough to make him bend his knee and kneel, Anton delivered the real blow to Carlos's shoulder almost instantly afterward.

Crack!

Anton didn't want to kill him; he also didn't use the sharp part of the hammer, so the blow was impactful but not lethal. Carlos only suffered a dislocated shoulder, some bruises, and possibly contusions, but nothing mortal.

"Ahhh, he wants to kill me!" Carlos roared as he fell to the ground, looked up, and shouted in panic, "Is anyone here going to do something to stop him?"

Of course, these cowardly people wouldn't do anything because they saw Anton holding the gun, so they preferred to stay on the sidelines.

Anton, on his part, approached, grabbed Carlos's neck with his left hand, and aimed at his head with his gun. He looked at him coldly and asked, "Will you keep looking at me with those eyes full of garbage? I thought I saw a moment ago that you wanted to eat me with your gaze. You better give me a satisfactory answer, or I wouldn't mind killing you right now."

The manager also explained aloud at this moment, as if trying to control the situation: "Sir, you must understand that we all acted out of fear, and all we're doing is avoiding becoming one of those things outside this building. Besides, you must be aware that if you shoot right now, you'll attract the attention of many carriers outside."

With Anton's deterrent force and Carlos's torture, the people around him fell silent. After all, they weren't so foolish as to confront a man with a gun who seemed to be anything but normal while keeping calm in this situation.

"At least you're smart; we don't deserve to put ourselves in danger by killing this idiot. But I want to understand that you understand that I will kill you, even if it means attracting the attention of the carriers outside. I don't care." Having control of the conversation, Anton didn't find it difficult to lie.

Emma remained silent; she looked at everyone else and held an iron bar ready to repel anyone if they decided to attack Anton as a group. Although that was a crazy possibility, everything is still possible nowadays.

Carlos, who was brutally beaten, feared for his safety. His body felt severe pain, and he begged for mercy, "Friend, I was really wrong. I wouldn't dare look at you like this again. Please forgive me just this once!"

Anton pointed his gun at him and said, "Just remember that I let you live. If you dare to point me in the back, think about these words and make your own decision."

"I will; I will absolutely remember your words!"

Boom!

But at the same time, a dull noise came from the door, to which the man on guard said, "Carriers are everywhere in this place. It must be because you made noise that they are now trying to get in."

Anton immediately began to shift his attention and said, "There are more important things than this. Can anyone here set his shoulder?"

"I will!" Before Emma made her presence known, an elderly woman stepped forward to set Carlos's shoulder.

By then, Anton had reached the door and looked through the peepholes. On the other side of the door, at least fifty carriages were crowding the street. Those closest scratched the door, as if they were sure someone was on the other side.

Anton muttered to himself, "The Carriers aren't dead; they are alive but have completely changed their way of thinking and acting. They have no relation to the zombies we see in movies, so those infected in some way are the worst scum a man can face from another."

"[Target identified: Mutant-class Carrier...]"

Just at that moment, the cube on Anton's chest spoke in a robotic tone, and after that, it began to explain what it knew about the carrier on the other side of the door.