Apocalypse: Generic System by Macronomicon (shoe dog free ebook TXT) 📕

“Nah, save it for an emergency. It’s my turn to grin and bear it.”

They watched the man slowly suffocate for a couple minutes, his struggles growing more and more intense, tearing at his own skin to try and free himself from the telekinetic lift.

“This feels awkward,” Jeb said into the silence.

“I think they left some booze behind.” Jessica said with a shrug. “We could play a drinking game. He’s got enough Body that it’ll take half an hour to actually suffocate to death.”

Jeb pursed his lips, meeting Eddie’s bloodshot gaze.

“Yeah, I’m down for that.” he said, hopping over to the fire and joining Jessica where they could both keep an eye on their enemy, and keep their feet toasty warm.

“Every time he scratches his throat, we drink.” Jessica said, handing him some of the booze. He had no idea where Eddie’s goons had gotten it, but it was a welcome distraction from what was essentially slow, calculated murder. It didn’t even have the in-the-moment desperation to it. Just a gut-wrenching sense of wrong.

Eddie had long since passed out when they heard a woman’s voice from the edge of the clearing.

“What are you doing!?” Amanda called, rushing out from the woods. The healer’s armor was torn to shreds, but she herself looked fine. Likely healed herself. From the looks of it, she’d taken quite the beating.

“…Suffocating Eddie to death so he doesn’t try to kill us anymore?” Jeb said with a shrug. Jessica nodded, expression icy.

“Well, stop!” Amanda said, her hands on her full hips. “You can’t just kill people. All life is sacred, and everyone deserves a second chance!”

“Where were you when I was thirty,” Jeb muttered. To be fair she was just starting college when he was discharged.

“You’re not seriously considering it, are you?” Jessica said. “He tried to kill us. We leave him alive, he’ll try again.”

“If you don’t let him go right now,” Amanda said, putting up her dukes. “I’ll fight you.”

“Alright, alright,” Jeb said, putting his hands up. “I’ll let him go…If you and Brett join my group.”

The healer gave him a squinty look. “We’ll talk about it.”

“That’s all I can really ask for,” Jeb said, hopping to his foot and hobbling over to Eddie, checking his pulse. It thudded away under his fingertips.

Still strong as a horse, huh? Body must be outstanding. That’s like, dolphin levels of breath-holding.

Mystic Trigger.

“He’s still alive,” Jeb said, backing away before freeing Eddie from his hold.

The Reckoner folded to the ground and gave a sharp inhale, but otherwise didn’t move.

“We should get out of here before he wakes up. Dude could punch a hole through my sternum.”

Ignoring him, Amanda went up and checked Eddie’s pulse herself. All the while, Jeb was biting holes in his pants, waiting for Eddie to come alive and use her as a hostage.

Thankfully that didn’t happen.

“Alright, let’s get moving,” Amanda said, rising to face them. “Ron and Brett are further North East.”

“They survived too?” Jeb asked, picking up his duffle bag and allowing Amanda to lead the way.

“Could I get a heal?” Jessica asked with a wince.

“Oh, Of course,” Amanda  said, tapping Jessica on the shoulder, a bolt of concentrated Myst arcing out and penetrating her body.

Jessica gave a shiver and unbelted her stomach, tossing aside the blood-crusted belt. She gave Eddie a long look, before glancing back at Jeb.

“It’ll be fine,” Jeb said, drawing his fingers across his neck while Amanda’s back was turned. “He won’t bother us again.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Jess said.

“Yeah, Ron, Brett and I met up here. I got sideswiped by something, and woke up to Ron splashing water on my face, a lump on the side of his head big as an egg!”

“Called it,” Jeb said.

“Then Brett fell out of the sky, covered in blood. I thought my heart was gonna stop.”

She glanced over her shoulder, looking Jeb up and down speculatively. “That was your good luck charm, wasn’t it?”

Jeb shrugged.

“Anyway, we didn’t think this safe zone would be safe for long, so we put as much distance as we could between ourselves and the Boss.”

>>>ALERT<<<

Safe Zones Have Expired!

Easy Zone automatically closed.

0/84,000 Normal zones active. Normal closed.

113/10000 Hard Zones active.

100/100 Impossible Zones active

The Hard Tutorial enters its second phase…

The Impossible Tutorial Enters its second phase…

“Well, that’s fucking ominous,” Jeb muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the Tortoise that dominated the horizon, blocking the fading glow of the sun.

The stars above it flickered as tens of thousands of monsters streamed out of the creature’s shell, drifting up and settling down into the forest beneath it. Their numbers were endless.

“I think we should haul ass,” Jeb said, picking himself up. Amanda and Jess nodded and started running like the wind, Jeb flying along behind them.

***Eddie***

“Boss?”

Eddie’s eyes flew open and he sucked in a sweet lungful of air, groaning as he sat up and held his hand to his throbbing head.

Throb, throb. It felt like someone was beating on the inside of his skull with a hammer

“Motherfucker,” Eddie muttered, glancing up. The three traitors were standing there, looking at him nervously. They’d returned in a tremendous act of bravery, considering what he was going to do to them for abandoning him.

No, wait. They’re the only ones left. Eddie reigned in his impulse to immediately punish them. They had the advantage of being some of the last convenient toys left, and their value was increased by scarcity.

“You okay, boss?” Kyle asked, offering him a hand.

“I’m fine,” Eddie said, ignoring the hand as he pushed himself to his feet.

That fucking bitch. The little tease had killed four of his men. And the other one…

Eddie felt an unfamiliar thrill of fear.

I almost died.