Warm blood flowed down the sink drain as Daniel finished butchering the animals. The porcupine had been more troublesome, since it had to be killed while still inside the cage.
With a simple mental command, the black mist swallowed the bodies, the bones, and even the bloodstains scattered across the counter, leaving behind not a single drop.
[Reward: 260 Silver Coins. 3 Skill Points. 2 Attribute Points.]
His balance jumped to 1,550 coins. Still far from the coveted 5,000, but it was something.
The real surprise was the attributes.
Two points? That's one more than the billy-goat gave me. Looks like today is my lucky day.
After putting away the knife, Daniel started whistling under his breath. He was convinced the rest of the day would be uneventful, leaving him free to collect profits from his newest monopoly.
Like almost everything in that place, the peace didn't last long.
In less than an hour, residents from Colony House and the town began forming a small line outside the motorhome. The problem was that none of them had animals to offer.
"This is pure gold, kid. White gold," said a man in his fifties, pressing a heavy wristwatch toward Daniel's chest. "Worth at least ten gallons."
"What am I supposed to do with a Rolex in the middle of the apocalypse? Check if I'm late to get eaten?" Daniel shoved the watch back without hesitation.
"Live animals. That's the currency. Next."
The desperate parade continued. People offered jewelry, genuine leather jackets, and even small family heirlooms.
When material possessions failed, the emotional appeals began. Sad stories, restrained tears, and worst of all, elderly people.
One white-haired woman tried playing the respect-your-elders card, arguing that the young had a moral duty to respect and support their elders.
Daniel didn't even blink. His expression remained as motionless as a statue's.
If that had been the town's only source of clean water, he might have given in a little. After all, he wasn't a monster.
But Jim and Jade were already building the improvised filter. The two seemed determined to solve the issue quickly so they could return to building the tower.
The crisis was temporary.
So he didn't budge.
Hours later, Daniel closed the door and dropped onto the couch.
His throat was dry from saying "no" so many times, and the most irritating part was that not a single person had shown up with a damn chicken.
"Why doesn't anyone raise animals at home?" he grumbled, sinking deeper into the upholstery.
[Consider the food shortage. If they started raising chickens, they'd probably starve before they became soup.]
"Damn. I hate it when you're right."
And things were only going to get worse.
Especially with the arrival of the bus packed with new victims.
Daniel didn't know the exact day the vehicle would appear on the road. In the original timeline, it would happen within the next few days, once the tower was completed.
But considering all the recent changes, there was no way to know for certain.
The sound of the door opening interrupted his thoughts.
Julie stepped inside, her jeans stained with dirt around the knees. She stopped in the middle of the room, studying her boyfriend's sour expression.
"What's got you in a bad mood?" she asked with a small amused smile. She had seen the residents bothering him from a distance.
The irritation vanished from Daniel's face the moment their eyes met.
Rising from the couch, he walked over and pulled Julie into a tight embrace.
"Hard to stay grumpy when I have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world."
[Cringe levels exceeding operational limits.]
Julie let out a soft laugh and lightly pushed against his chest.
"Stop that. I'm covered in dirt and sweat," she protested, though her pleased expression revealed how much she liked hearing it.
"Doesn't matter to me." He pulled back just enough to take her in before resting a hand on her waist.
"So? How did the filter project turn out?"
"It's done already," Julie replied as she stepped up to the sink to wash her hands. Water ran over her dirt-covered fingers as she continued,
"With everyone's help, it got done way sooner than I thought. People from Colony House and the town started taking turns fetching water from the lake, boiling it, and hauling it back."
"Sounds exhausting," Daniel commented, leaning a shoulder against the counter as he watched her.
"Yeah..." Julie dried her hands on a kitchen towel before letting out a sigh. "But after the shortage, a lot more people got motivated to help with the tower."
"Everyone keeps saying things are getting worse here every day. Before, it was just surviving the creatures. Now even the environment seems to be changing."
If they knew this is only the beginning… Daniel remained silent, his thoughts growing heavier.
More and more, this place seemed like a living organism trying to maintain its own balance.
Demanding that people stay in line, grazing like obedient livestock.
The more someone tried to challenge the town's invisible rules, the more violent the response became.
That was exactly what happened when Boyd started exploring the forest in the original timeline. Then came the provocation against the creatures... and the town responded.
Deaths.
Traps.
Chaos.
The death of Kenny's mother was still one of the clearest memories in his mind.
And Daniel was fully aware that he was stirring up the hornet's nest as well.
Maybe even worse than Boyd.
"Those idiots bothering you?" he asked suddenly, pushing the worries aside.
Julie shook her head, knowing he meant Dilan and his followers.
"No. And how did your business go?"
Daniel let out a small nasal grunt before shrugging.
"Boyd showed up with a few chickens and a porcupine. Other than that, my day consisted of turning down charity requests."
Julie stifled a laugh. "Some people came to talk to me too. They tried to use my 'influence' to convince you to hand out water for free."
"I set them straight."
A smug smirk appeared on Daniel's lips. "That's my girl."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a thin black cord. A pale stone pendant swayed gently between his fingers.
"Here. I got a gift for you."
Julie's eyes lit up instantly.
When she'd seen it earlier, she hadn't paid much attention. But now, looking at it up close, she realized the stone possessed a strange beauty, almost hypnotic.
"It's beautiful..." she murmured, running her thumb across the cool surface. "Will you put it on for me?"
Julie turned around and swept her hair out of the way.
Daniel stepped closer, slipping the cord around her delicate neck.
"Listen carefully." His voice came out lower and more serious near her ear. "You can't take this off under any circumstances. Understand? It'll keep you safe."
Julie looked at him, noticing the intensity hidden in his eyes.
This wasn't just a gift.
She saw concern there.
Holding the pendant against her chest, she nodded slowly.
"I won't take it off. I promise."
Only then did some of the tension leave Daniel's shoulders.
Ever since the incident with Rick, he'd been hiding everything behind his usual sarcasm and a calm facade.
But all it took was imagining something happening to Julie for an uncomfortable tightness to form in his chest.
Part of him wanted to keep her close all the time.
Protected.
Safe.
But he knew feeding that kind of obsessive behavior wasn't healthy.
Not for him.
And certainly not for her.
The rune had been his solution.
Despite its limitation of only blocking attacks proportional to his own level of power, there was still a way around that.
He could continue feeding it with Spiritual Energy every day.
Over time, the rune would accumulate so much condensed energy that it would be capable of withstanding attacks far beyond its original limit.
Of course, it wouldn't protect Julie from physical harm.
But considering the kind of horrors that existed in this place, that was already better than nothing.
Besides, it was only a matter of time before he unlocked a rune focused on physical defense.
Dry knocks pulled Daniel back to reality.
Outside, Jim was balancing a large metal bucket filled with water.
"Why this?" Daniel asked as he opened the door, casually leaning against the frame.
Julie appeared right behind him.
"I asked my dad to bring it," she explained, pointing at her dirt-stained clothes. "I wanted to take a shower and wash all this off."
Daniel's attention lingered on the bucket for a moment before he let out a short laugh.
"You don't need that." He jerked his head toward the interior of the motorhome. "The tank's got more than enough water."
"You can bring Tabitha and Ethan too. The three of you can use the shower normally."
Jim frowned. "Given the shortage we're dealing with, that doesn't seem very smart."
"I guarantee we won't run out," Daniel replied without hesitation.
Julie opened her mouth, ready to protest as well.
But Daniel turned toward her before she could say a word.
"Trust me."
It was simple.
Calm.
But it was enough.
Julie felt a small shiver run down her spine as her heart sped up without permission.
In the end, all she managed was a quiet, almost inaudible "Mm-hm" before nodding.
Jim watched the entire exchange without saying a word.
One eyebrow slowly rose as he noticed how easily his usually stubborn daughter gave in whenever Daniel spoke in that tone.
After a few seconds, he let out a resigned sigh.
"Alright. If you're that sure, we won't argue."
...
It was already late afternoon by the time the Matthews family finished using the bathroom.
By then, Daniel had parked the motorhome beside their house.
Jim, Tabitha, and Ethan stood near the door, holding several plastic bottles filled with water that Daniel had set aside for them to take home.
"Before you leave, there's something I should mention," Daniel said. "I've got a plan for tonight."
"I'm going to try killing one of those creatures."
The light atmosphere vanished instantly.
"What?!" Julie's eyes widened as all color drained from her face. "Have you lost your mind? That's insanely dangerous!"
"Not at all," Daniel replied with almost offensive nonchalance. "I don't even need to get close to them."
Jim narrowed his eyes. "And exactly how do you plan to kill something that ignores bullets like mosquito bites?"
"I have a grenade." Daniel shrugged.
"You have a what?!" Jim blurted out. "You're keeping military explosives in the same place where my daughter sleeps?!"
Without losing his relaxed posture, Daniel simply raised his right hand.
A grenade appeared out of thin air in his palm.
Then vanished a second later as if it had never existed.
"I keep it with me. There's zero risk. Accidents are impossible."
Jim was about to argue.
But Tabitha spoke first. "I'll never get used to that..."
"And I still think it's awesome!" Ethan said excitedly. "I wish I had powers too!"
Ignoring the boy's enthusiasm, Jim looked back at Daniel.
"What's the plan?"
"Simple." Daniel rested a hip against the counter. "I open the door, wait for one of them to get close, pull the pin, and toss the grenade into the middle of the group."
"Then I'll sit back and watch the pieces fly on the monitor."
"That's insane!" Julie protested. Her voice came out louder than she intended.
Just thinking about it made her stomach twist.
The memory of the Colony House massacre was still fresh in her mind.
"What if it doesn't work?! You don't know if explosions can kill those things!"
"That's why it's just an experiment, shorty." Daniel flashed a half-smile. "And if it fails, I have more than one grenade."
Tabitha shook her head. "Julie is right. One mistake could turn this into a tragedy."
"I've already made my decision," he said firmly. "I'm only telling you so you don't think the world is ending when you hear an explosion later."
Jim remained silent for several seconds.
You could practically see the gears turning inside his head.
As an engineer, he understood the difference between the limited force of a bullet and the destructive shockwave of a military explosive.
In theory...
It could actually work.
It was probably the best possible test to discover the biological limits of those creatures.
"...It's a good plan," he finally admitted reluctantly.
Tabitha and Julie snapped their heads toward him at the same time, staring at him as if he had gone insane as well.
"But," Jim continued, pointing at his daughter, "it's still far too risky."
"Julie is sleeping at the house with us tonight."
"What?! No!" she protested immediately. "I'm staying here with him!"
Daniel evaluated the situation mentally.
With his current speed, the chance of a creature getting inside before he closed the door was virtually nonexistent.
But night was already approaching, and dealing with a family argument wasn't part of his plans.
"Julie, go with them."
She looked at him as if he had just stabbed her in the back.
"Are you kidding me?"
"Your parents are just doing their job," Daniel replied, keeping his voice steady. "Nothing is going to go wrong."
Then he tilted his head slightly. "Think of it as a family visit for one night."
Julie reacted instantly. She marched over to the couch, crossed her arms tightly, and threw herself onto the seat.
The stubborn look she shot at her parents practically screamed:
Try to get me out of here. I dare you.
Tabitha let out a long, tired sigh. She knew that expression very well.
"Then we're not leaving either," she decided, setting the water bottles on the floor. "We'll all sleep here."
"Yes!" Ethan cheered, grinning from ear to ear. "I've wanted to do that for a long time!"
Jim rubbed his forehead, defeated by his own family.
Then he gave Daniel the hollow stare of a man who had already accepted that he had entirely lost control of the situation.
"You don't mind if we go get our blankets, do you?"
"No," Daniel replied, hiding his amusement behind a casual tone. "Make yourselves at home."
As soon as the three left, he walked over to the couch and sat beside Julie.
"I like this rebellious side of yours."
She looked away, still huffing in irritation.
Without any hurry, Daniel raised a hand and gently held her chin between his fingers, making Julie meet his eyes.
"Don't be like that," he murmured softly.
His thumb slowly brushed across her lower lip.
"I didn't want you to leave either."
Julie tried to maintain her annoyed expression, but his touch made that nearly impossible.
"But I need to score a few points with my in-laws," he continued with a small teasing smile. "Especially after they let their daughter move in with me."
She let out a muffled grumble, a blush spreading across her cheeks as she held his gaze.
"We've got a few minutes before they come back."
Before Julie could respond, Daniel tilted his head and captured her lips in a kiss.
Her body stiffened for a second.
Then her hands automatically rose to the back of his neck, and the irritation vanished.
By now, the kiss had become dangerously familiar.
Warm, intense, and absurdly easy to get lost in.
When they finally pulled apart for air, Daniel was wearing a shamelessly satisfied smile.
"Think they'll let us share a bed with them right out here?"
Julie shoved his chest hard.
"Don't even think about saying that in front of my dad!" she whispered in horror. "If you make a joke like that, I swear I'll actually get mad at you."
"I'm kidding," Daniel replied between laughs, raising both hands in surrender. "I'd never upset my girlfriend."
"For your own good, I hope not."
She quickly adjusted her shirt as soon as she heard footsteps approaching from outside.
When Jim, Tabitha, and Ethan returned carrying blankets, Daniel gestured at the front seats.
"You can leave everything there. I'll set up the sofa bed later."
He pointed at the foldable table.
"And that folds into a smaller bed for Ethan."
Jim dropped the blankets and seemed to think about something briefly.
"Wouldn't it be better to warn the sheriff about your plan?"
"There's no need," Daniel replied immediately. "If I tell him, he'll come up with fifty different reasons to try to stop me."
He'll probably want to confiscate my grenades too.
None of them seemed inclined to disagree with that possibility.
To help pass the time, Daniel turned on the television and put on Dragon Ball Z for Ethan to watch.
The boy became completely mesmerized, while the rest of the motorhome settled into a comfortable silence.
Outside, darkness had already fully swallowed the town.
The external camera picked up the first smiling silhouettes slowly emerging from the forest.
Daniel watched the monitor for a few seconds before standing up.
"Alright," he said calmly.
"It's time for the experiment."
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