Chapter 17 - Survive

Mark remained silent with his eyes closed, getting treated by Mona by his side. He could feel his body slowly easing up. The pain was still present, but compared to before it was manageable. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the full moon and the empty sky.

There were still some more hours left before sunrise and the military to make its way here. He looked at Mona who was treating his injuries slowly and turned once again towards Denton by his side.

"How is the old woman?"

"She is fine now. Even though I do not know what happened to you down there, it is still good to see you in one piece." Said Denton while smiling at him.

Mark only nodded back and said, "So when can we expect the military to come?"

"It is still 3 at midnight. When can expect them in 4 to 5 more hours at most."

Mark understood and wanted to sleep for the 3 hours he had left. He looked over at Mona who was almost done with his injuries and said, "Thanks a lot for the help, Mona. I will get some sleep now."

"It is all right, Mark. You kept your life at risk for the old lady. This is the minimum we could do." said Mona while smiling.

Even though Mark had his own reasons to go down there risking his life, he did not stop her. He slowly stood up and walked towards the previous place he slept. He climbed the stairs to the small roof and slowly rested his head on his bag.

He was satisfied with the small adventure he had just now. The purpose of going was fulfilled, and he could gather some more valuable knowledge on zombies. He measured his fighting power and understood where he stood. He came to realize the need to get better.

He thought of the various online clips and his practice back in the day and decided to continue his swordsmanship and his proficiency in guns. Mark could practice formless swordsmanship which he came up by himself when he practiced together with his friend Kevin a few years back. Because of his interest in swords, Kevin took him to his grandfather, who practiced the way of a sword like Mona's grandfather.

Tagging along for fun, Mark could find talent in it and was better at formless swordsmanship than a particular stance. But later Mark slowly lost all interest he previously had and never touched a sword again. Mark was also a genius in guns. He had an excellent aim, which was easily passable for a soldier in the army.

Mark never thought the things he liked and tried as a hobby and interest due to the games he played can help him out like this. He continued to think about the various things he can take from the army as a compensation for what he did.

Remembering something, Mark lifted his body and took out the journal he had with him. Sitting down against the wall, he slowly took out the pen and opened the book. He noticed all the previous notes he made and started a fresh one.

He slowly noted down how sensitive the zombies can get and some measures he used and also thought up in process. After completing writing everything neatly, he slowly stood up and gazed over the city. He could notice some buildings darken while some others have lights lit up in them.

After some time, he sat back down and slowly drifted off to sleep trying to get some snooze before another probable eventful day.

Mark woke up the next day as he felt the sun rise. Slowly sitting, he noticed the sun slowly rising and stood up to get a better view. He could get a better view of the city and noticed it was silent. This was something he never expected to happen in the city.

Slowly doing some stretches as he felt the cramps he had yesterday already cooled down. He also checked all the bruises he got yesterday and noticed a few of them were yet to heal, while most of them were all right.

He took out a water bottle from his bag and sipped some water, feeling refreshed. Taking some energy bars out, he tried to replenish some energy. He sat back down and started planning for the day.

The first and most important thing he needed to do was go to his room after getting some weapons from the military. He needed some guns and ammo to be safe and if possible some armor too. He needed a change of phone and thought he could get it for free if he went into a shop. It's not like anyone would still guard the shops in the situation.

If anyone heard his thoughts some might think he is selfish and a thief. For those people, Mark only had one answer, "I will do anything to survive in this world. This is where my fresh life starts. This is where I belong."