CHAPTER 21 — The Quest For A Car
ELION — POV
The last of breakfast faded into clinking dishes and quiet talk. For a moment it almost felt normal—sunlight through the curtains, the smell of pancakes, Aaron laughing with his mouth full.
Almost.
Then Rea approached the table. She had been quiet all morning. Not speaking unless spoken to. Her hands clasped together a bit too tightly.
"Elion," she said, voice low. "Can we talk?"
I nodded once and grabbed a cup of coffee from the counter before leading her outside on the balcony.
The morning air held a cold bite—crisp, clean compared to the thick rot clinging to the city. The porch creaked under our steps. Rea stayed near the railing, arms crossed, face angled toward the rising sun but looking at the destroyed city below, as if she wasn't sure what to look at.
I waited.
She finally spoke.
"…Do you really want me to come with you?"
"I want the choice to be yours," I said honestly. "Not something I force. Not something Alexiy forces. If you're not going to be a burden then yes. However even if you are only going to be burden I still want you to come."
Her jaw tightened—just a little.
After a long quiet, she said, "I feel… safer here than I expected." A beat. "But I'm scared of slowing you down."
I took a careful sip of my coffee.
"You won't," I said. "Skills exist for a reason. People evolve fast in the apocalypse. Faster than anyone expects. You're not dead yet, that means you have potential." I said with a smirk
She let out a shaky little breath—half laugh, half disbelief.
"Besides I'm taking Aaron, and Sarah and I almost guarantee that will end up being more of a burden that you. So if you want to come then you're welcome to tag along."
"…So what's your plan? Really? I mean Longterm. Like a decade from now."
I looked past her. Out toward the ruined street. Toward the future.
"Simple, my plan from now until I die is to survive," I said simply. "And I don't mean hiding like a sewer rat. I don't hide. I'll climb. With my own two hands I'll crawl..." I glanced at her. "to the top or... I'll die trying."
Rea stared at me like she wasn't sure whether to be inspired or concerned.
"…Top?" she repeated.
"The strongest." My lips twitched. "Someone has to build something out of this chaos. Might as well be me."
She shook her head slowly. "You're… not normal."
"No," I agreed. And I let the smile slip—the real one. The sharp one. "But I honest don't think the old normal will survive long in this new world."
She went still. Really still.
"…That's insane," she whispered.
"No." My smile widened. "It's practical. This world is insane now. So if you want to survive? You match the world's level of crazy." I felt my eyes turn red and I released a bit of the mana I always held back.
Rea flinched, but didn't looked away, she was shaking, hugging her arms tighter to herself—but she didn't step back.
"The Earth of 2025 that you knew is gone. This is now day 4 of A.A. or after apocalypse. I might change the calendar system if I ever reach the top and make an empire."
After a moment, she said quietly:
"I think I want to come."
"Good," I said. And my eyes faded. My mana now tightly controlled. "But I'm still asking one thing."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Tell me your skill. I need more info, skills abilities rules, system laws." she was smart enough to know what I ment.
Her throat bobbed.
"…Eagle Eye," she admitted. "I can see in the dark, perfectly. And I can zoom my vision about ten times. Like a rifle scope."
My eyebrows lifted.
"Useful as hell," I said. "Especially for scouting."
She swallowed and looked down, almost embarrassed. "It's not really a combat skill."
"That's fine," I said. "Combat isn't everything. You kept alive long enough without a skill, having one is just another tool in the toolbox that you need to use right. And it'll keep the group alive later."
Something in her posture loosened. Just a bit.
She wasn't smiling. But she wasn't locked in that blank shell anymore either.
I finished my coffee and tapped the railing.
"Grab your gun. We're going out."
Her head snapped up. "Out?"
"We need a car," I said simply. "A good one. Something reliable, something fast. And there's a dealership two hours away on foot. Should be full of new cars. So help me god I will drive a new car off the lot! I'm not trying to find some keys to someones old minivan with half a tank of gas."
She hesitated only once.
"That actually makes sense…I'll go."
"Great!"
Before heading out, I went to find Alexiy.
She already stood near the kitchen doorway like she'd been waiting — hands fidgeting with the hem of her hoodie, eyes tracking every movement I made.
"Where are you going?" she asked, stepping closer.
"For a car," I said. "A new one. Something new, strong, and able to haul all of us across the mountains. I don't want to go digging trying to find keys for someone used car."
Her eyebrows pulled together. "Then I'm coming with you."
"No," I said immediately—but not harsh. Firm. "I need you here."
She froze.
"I want you somewhere safe," I continued. "In case something unexpected happens. And someone needs to help the others pack. Keep it light — clothes, essentials, whatever little personal things they don't want to leave behind… but nothing bulky or stupid."
Her lips pressed together.
"You sure?" she whispered.
I nodded. "Yeah. Trust me. I'll be with Rea, she knows how to use a gun so I'll have back up."
She stepped in and hugged me before I could even react—arms tight around my torso, cheek pressed to my chest. I wrapped an arm around her waist, feeling the warmth of her body against mine.
When she finally pulled back, I held her hands a moment longer.
"I'll be back," I promised quietly.
Her pink eyes softened. "You better."
I leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
Then turned to the others.
"Alright, listen up," I said. "Start packing today. Clothes, toiletries, meds, kitchen utensils, blankets—the useful stuff. When Rea and I get back with the car, we load it tonight, most will go in my inventory but we'll make things fit. Tomorrow at first light we leave, after breakfast for a safe house about 8 hours away."
Sarah nodded immediately with a worried expression.
Aaron saluted like this was a military briefing.
Lily gave a thumbs-up while trying to peek at Rea's gun.
Rea already had her backpack slung over her shoulder.
I headed to the door.
She followed.
*******************************
The city had changed again overnight.
It wasn't loud anymore. It wasn't chaos. It was quiet. I wasn't surprised, in knew the survival rate was low with the high population.
It was quiet in a way that made your skin prickle.
Wind brushing loose papers. Distant metal clanging against broken storefronts. A zombie groan echoing from somewhere you couldn't see.
Rea kept pace beside me, shoulders drawn but steady.
The first zombie stumbled out from behind a parked truck. I didn't slow—just grabbed its skull and twisted.
Snap.
The body dropped.
Rea didn't flinch.
We kept going, block after block, passing overturned cars, smashed windows, abandoned backpacks covered in dust.
A second zombie lunged from a doorway—slower, more desperate.I crushed its head with the bat before it even reached me.
A third crawled over a fence. A fourth wandered into the street.
At the fifth one—before I could step forward—Rea lifted her handgun and fired once.
The zombie's brain exploded against the sidewalk.
I looked at her. "Good shot."
She shrugged like it was nothing. "My dad ran the gun store. I was behind the counter more than half my life. Target practice was… normal."
"Good," I said. "You'll live longer."
We walked.
Ten, fifteen minutes of silence.
Then—
"Do you know what caused this?" she finally asked. "Any of it? The skills, the monsters, the… mana?"
"No."
She waited. Expecting a theory. A story. Something.
I didn't offer anything else.
"…That's it?" she frowned. "'No'?"
I turned toward her as we walked, meeting her eyes completely.
"No idea why it started, I'm as lost and in the dark as you," I said simply. "I have theories, ideas, guesses, but she it matter? I think the most import thing now is focusing onto next immediate steps to ensure our survival. Theories about that kind of stuff is above ym pay grade.... But I'm glad it did."
She stopped walking for half a second—just enough to show the hit.
I kept walking, and she scrambled to catch back up.
Her voice came out quiet, unusually vulnerable.
"…You're serious."
"Yeah."
There was a moment where she looked at me like she was seeing inside me instead of just at me.
Like she finally recognized the thing under my skin—the same way Alexiy had last night.
Not a flaw. Not a fracture. But a tool. A blade.
I wasn't broken, different. Insane to put it bluntly.
And instead of stepping away—
Rea moved a little closer.
"Maybe," she said softly, "you have to be like that now… with how the world is. What was it you said 'You match the world's level of crazy.' I think I get it now..."
I didn't answer.
I didn't need to.
Eventually a little after 2 hours of sneaking though the city killing zombies, we reached the dealership I knew about.
The dealership loomed ahead like a dead giant—tall windows cracked but unbroken, the interior cast in eerie gray light. A bunch of cars sat out front practically untouched, but I wanted value.
I wanted something with durability, storage, and power. A vehicle that could cross a country, not just a block. Rea walked beside me, gun raised, her breathing steady.
The glass door was locked.
So I kicked it open.
Zombies staggered inside—half a dozen. I counted seven.
Rea shot the first two before I even reached them. They were clean headshots.
I snapped the neck of a third with telekinesis.
Crushed the skull of a fourth with my trust old bat.
Rea drilled another with a —pop, pop— like she'd been doing it her whole life.
While I launched a icicle spear at the last one pining it through the head.
We stepped deeper inside.
Rows of shining cars reflected the broken world outside.
But my eyes went straight to the far corner—
A 2025 TitanVox Apex X
It was a top-tier SUV. a hybrid with all-terrain. It was a 7-Seater, black, beautiful. Untouched.
"Oh hell yes," I muttered.
Rea stared. "You're serious."
"That car cost over half a million, we're taking it." I said. "Help me find the key."
It took ten minutes. We searched the offices, kicked open the manager's door, and checked the key safe.
Empty.
But the backup safe behind the Managers desk? Not empty.
Rea's eyes widened when I pried it open with an ice blade, and a neat row of key fobs stared back.
I grabbed the Apex key.
The car chirped.
Perfect.