Chapter 13 - REMINISCING OF HER, IN A COLD NIGHT, WHILE THE WIND BLOWS SOFTLY. NIGHT

Azief and Tan take turns guarding the house. The house was one story house and it does not have the security like Tan previous home.

Neither could Azief look from a high position like in Tan house but he has to make do with the cards he has been given.

It doesn't have high walls or stone walls, like Tan house.

So, they take turns guarding it. It is now Tan turns. Tan look outside, sighing in relief. He survives another day in this new world.

He is also happy that he has reached quite high level.

Even though he is middle aged when he level up he could feel his body getting stronger.

From what Azief told him at level 10 he could class up. He had to thank Azief. If not he might have stay inside the house all the time waiting for the inevitable moment.

Tan took up his wallet and he opens it. In his wallet is a picture of a woman wearing a cheongsam. Seeing it he smiles a bitter smile.

The woman is the woman he loves. He….did not marry her. Both of their family objects to the marriage.

He then married his wife, and every day was unhappy. He married Joyce because Joyce was his father ideal candidates. Rich and come from a respectable family.

The world has turned to hell. And if he could only see her again…..that would be a miracle. Tan never knew where she goes, after he broke her heart.

Reminiscing of her, in a cold night, while the wind blows softly.

'Right now you must be as old as me' He said, reminiscing their childhood playing near the Pahang River.

He still remembers riding the boat to go to the city. He remembered the mango tree where he carved his name and hers.

He remembers the mischief they did.

He remembers it all, and each memory haunt him. People always say that to live a fulfilled life is to live with no regrets.

He has many regrets. But if anyone asks him about his greatest regret it would be his decision to leave her.

Since that day, he never truly felt content. There was something missing. That missing part was with her. He smiles bitterly and closes his wallet.

A what if? If he survives his hell, Tan is determined to search her again. This time, he will not regret. Tan then look back outside.

The outside was quiet and dark.

Tonight the moon is covered by the clouds and only silence, groaning of the walking corpse and the whispers of the wind accompany Tan as he look out.

A chill in the air with the smell of death.

Then Tan spotted something…something moving. It was fast and it was big. Tan heart almost leaps up.

Tan was about to wake Azief up but Azief has already waked up. Azief was taking a light nap for a while and his passive skills perception senses something.

Azief felt a tingle and he wake up immediately. He unsheathes his sword and stand at the ready.

Tan look at Azief and nodded.

'Is there something?' Azief said almost a whisper. Tan nodded.

'What is it?'

'I can't see. Too dark and too fast.' Azief nodded and he too looks outside. Around the house the zombie was cleared out.

But the other part of the residential area still has some remnants of strays zombies. Could it be there another beast?

Then suddenly something landed in the house roof and the sound was clanging. The house only has zinc roof not stone roof.

This time both Azief and Tan is in high alert.

'Prepare to fight' Azief said as he gripped his blade. This is not a zombie he mused. It is something else.

Then the roof gave out and with a booming sound something landed on the floor making the cement floor cracked by its weight.

When the dust settles the first thing Azief see was the big yellow eyes, shining in the darkness and slowly Azief eyes is accustomed to the dark and seeing in front of him a giant cat with fangs like the saber tooth in the prehistoric era.

It has sharp barbed claws, and vicious looking eyes.

There is a bulge in its forehead. It looks at Azief and Tan like they were its meal.

'Get behind me!' Azief said to Tan urgently.

Not a moment Azief said that the beast leap and tries to claw Tan. Azief with his speed dash forward and using his sword clash with the claws.

The clanging sounds sparks fire, lighting the house for a second.

It was powerful and overbearing, the pressure of the claws bearing down on him. The ground on where Azief is standing cracked and Azief almost coughed up blood.

Azief then push the beast away.

It makes Azief back away for 10 steps. And his vitality almost decreases by half.

'Heal me!' Azief ordered Tan.

Tan quickly activate his skill and heal Azief. The beasts who look at Tan change his gaze towards Azief.

Then it roars, like a howling of the wolf to the moon. The whole house vibrates.

Should I run? Azief mused. No he thought.

Considering that even I could not see it movement, if I run I might become an easy prey.

Its agility must be off the charts. I can't outrun it. It is good that the beast is trapped inside the house.

He must go on the offense.

This time Azief takes the initiative dashing forward with his feet, and appear inside the beast range of attacks but thanks to Azief own agility he managed to keep himself afloat in the barrage of attacks by the beast.

The claws of the beast nearly swipe Azief head but Azief is determined to kill the beast.

If not his survival is jeopardized. He could run but he is sure the beast would be faster than him.

If he fights the beast at an open place, he might not have a chance.

Each claws strikes make a dent at the house walls, and claw marks is scratched on the wall revealing the cements.

Then Azief lost a step when he was dodging and one of the beast claws swipe Azief arms.

'AAAAHHHH!' Azief scream in pain, blood drenched his shirt, red liquid drips from his arm. Claw marks in in Azief arms.

The pain is indescribable; chunk of meat was removed from his arm. One could not imagine such pain unless they experience it themselves.

Tan on the back is trembling, and dropped down his knees on the floor of the house.

'STOP LOOKING DAZED! HEAL ME TAN!' Azief yelled in his pain.

Tan who is screamed back to sanity, quickly get up and cast heal on Azief and Azief feels his wound is closing up.

The chunk of meat that has been swiped is forming itself. This is truly magic Azief mused. To even restore meat.

He could heal himself but that will distract him from the beast attacks. He could not afford to take the beast halfheartedly.

The beast did not stop its attack.

Even though the house is small and give little room for the beast to attack, the beast still manage to wound Azief who has quite the agility.

The house was a mess with claw marks decorating the house, the wall is just barely hanging on.

But at least this time Azief has understand it's attack pattern. In game the boss always has a pattern.

Some when in desperate situation will use combo attacks, some have programmed patterns.

And the beast also has certain patterns.

It always swipes its claws at right, right and then left. It sometime change the direction of these attacks but with Azief agility he could predict it now.

The counterattack begins.

Azief this time distance himself away from the beast and when the beast moves towards him Azief use his hidden blade and throw it lightning fast.

The hidden blade entered the beast flesh near its hind legs.

Yes! He celebrated in his heart

And Azief take another distance and is now outside the house. Before he is not confident of fighting the beast in the open but now he is.

The beast in injured. He has certain advantage in this.

His heart is beating hard; his concentration is pushed to the utmost. This is the most concentrated state he has ever been in his life.

Even in exams he was not this concentrated.

This is a life and death battle. One mistake and he is done. His brain is pushing his limits, urging him to survive, to overcome this obstacle towards its survival.

He look at the beast, analyzing its strength, its weakness, analyzing everything his eyes could see, and praying that his eyes did not miss anything.

Blood is flowing from the beast legs and it limps. Its leg are its weapons. Dismantle that, and his speed is not that frightening.

Tan on the back is providing heal. Every time Azief is in a pickle Tan will cast heal while conserving his SP when Azief dodging the attacks.

This is his advantage. The beast could not heal himself and there is no one would heal it.

The beast on the other hand is more incensed by the attack. Blood thirst surged inside the beast.

It wants to eat this homo sapiens badly. It then lunged with ferociousness and it roars with deafening sounds.

The roar could be heard 3 kilometers from all directions. The zombies near the gas stations, near the mall, near the elementary schools all heard the roar and begun walking .

The horde has started to move toward the roar, leaving the mall.

*******************************************************************

MEANWHILE IN THE MALL

A woman who is peeking from one of the windows that was boarded up, look in confusion as she sees the retreating zombies from the mall.

What happened? she mused to herself, while racking her brains out on how to survive. In her hand is a bow.

She looks outside and only a few zombies is prowling near the area.

'I have to gamble' the woman decide. She waited for the horde to go.

And then she moved outside, the sound of her opening the steel opening, attract the attention of the few zombies who was there.

They walked slowly to the sound. But the woman was prepared for it and she was ready for it.

Her hands holding the bow like a professional athlete and the first shot is fired to one of the zombies with pinpoint accuracy, hitting the zombies straight at his head, piercing the zombies head.

And her attack continues, and sometimes she could hear mid shooting the roar of certain beast not far away from her vicinity.

Each roar fills her heart with nervousness.

But she is focused at the task at hands. After she kills a few of them she close the door again and wait for an opportune moment again.

All the while she thinks of the roar.

What happened?

*************************************************************************