Leveling Up Wives In The Apocalypse

'That's everyone,' Mathew thought after sending a quick glance over all the people gathered at the broken main entrance to the media building.

"Are you sure there is nothing else you want us to do while you are away?" Robert asked, taking a step out of the crowd of people that came to see Mathew's group off.

"That's right," Mathew replied with a nod of his head. "For now just stay tuned and enjoy your time with your girlfriend," he then added, sending the man off with a small smile.

"Will do," Robert replied before lowering his head and then straightening up in a small salute.

"I wish you safe travels," Daniel joined in right as Robert backed down to the crowd he emerged from. "It's not a long way to go, but try not to get too careless," he advised.

"What is this, a father-son moment?" Mathew asked, raising his eyebrow as he looked at the older officer with a mocking smile.

"We might have our differences, but that doesn't mean I wish you ill," Daniel replied while heaving a sigh. "And oldie like me will never be able to see eye to eye with youngsters like you," he then added only to turn around on the spot and head back to the hole in the wall that they were using as the entrance.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, man?" Mathew asked, right as the officer was about to leave the range of his voice. "It's safer for us to travel together rather than splitting up like that."

"No can do," Daniel said. He stopped in his tracks and then shook his head. "Someone has to stay with them," he explained his intentions with a wave directed at those who came to see Mathew's group off. "If we all leave, they will be powerless even against simple zombies."

'I know it's true, but still...' Mathew thought, only to grit his teeth and stop the entitled thoughts from fully forming. 'It's his decision what he wants to do. I'm in no position to tell him to do otherwise.'

"Fine, then," Mathew said, clapping his hands against the sides of his hips. "What about you, Norbert?" he then changed the direction of his attack on the actual target Mathew wished to convince. "Are you going to stay or come with us?"

On the surface, this appeared to be a simple question. A simple choice between going with Mathew's active party or staying with Daniel's passive option.

And yet, what Mathew couldn't really tell Norbert right now, his presence was necessary for an entirely different reason.

'If I don't tell him what we are going to do now, he is sure to take it the wrong way,' Mathew thought, holding his sigh back not to alert the other party. 'And there is no way I'm going to tell him now,' he added in his thoughts, glancing over at the whole group of people that gathered to watch them leave.

"I..." Norbert opened his mouth to reply, only to shut his lips closed as he glanced over at his mentor and senior. "I really would like to stay, man, I'm serious," he said with his eyes locked on Daniel's face.

Norbert then swallowed his saliva only to move his eyes over at Mathew's face.

"But I don't think I can afford to stay comfortable as no one but a watchdog," he said.

Norbert then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"If I want to contribute I need to raise my strength. I need the means to fight against the zombies," he stated, alternating his eyes between Daniel and Mathew. "And for that end, I have no other choice but to come with them," he finally revealed the answer.

Norbert's eyes locked on Daniel's face for a moment, only for the younger officer to turn them down and then away to the side. Whatever was the case for it, he clearly couldn't stand to keep looking at the man.

Not right after he plainly betrayed his obvious expectations.

"I understand, brother," Daniel said in a solemn voice. Yet, there was no sign of anger, fury, or even disappointment on his face. "You go and do what you need to do," he then added, right as he took a step forward and then slammed his hand on Norbert's shoulder. "You still have your sister to save, don't you?"

"I will return as soon as I'm sure she's safe," Norbert announced, raising his chin as he looked Daniel straight in the eye.

"It's okay," Daniel said, reaffirming his earlier words. "Now, stop stalling and just go already!"

And with as little as a small pat on Norbert's back, Daniel set Mathew's entire group out, back towards the dangers of the zombie-overthrown city.

'Now, this is pretty damn awkward,' Mathew thought a mere moment later when the last sounds coming from the media building gave way to the unnerving silence of the dead city. 'How the hell am I supposed to bring up Carol now?'

Mathew's ability allowed him to sense the stares that all three of the girls gave to his back.

'They want me to talk it through,' the young man thought, painfully aware of the girls' intentions.

Yet, rather than straining the fragile relationship he built with Norbert up to this point, Mathew opted to put this topic aside for now.

'It changed so much,' Mathew thought once he directed his attention from the topic of Norbert's sister to the sights around him.

There were no people walking down the streets. There were no animals running around happy to go on a walk with their owners.

Instead, after taking just a few steps away from the media building, the only presence beside his group that Mathew could spot on the street was that of zombies.

'And they surely don't look as weak as they were two weeks into my previous run,' he thought, squinting his eyes as an unnerving sensation welled up at the bottom of his abdomen.

It wasn't the lust that he already grew somewhat used to.

It was a chilling sensation of realization.

"Here you are doing it again," Nadia suddenly said, stopping Mathew from falling into the pit of depression caused by his recent realization. "If you thought of something, how about you share it with us rather than keeping it to yourself?"

Nadia's suggestion was as valid as it could get. Yet, it didn't make it any easier for Mathew to speak up.

"It's just a guess..." Mathew took a moment but finally attempted to speak up. "But don't you think those random zombies are getting stronger?" he suggested, only to turn his eyes towards the nearest group. "Like, isn't that kinda our fault?"