Power Fantasy

by Scottie Futch

  “That’s right. Praise me,” he said lightly while flexing his muscles. He performed several different flex moves, taking her to see quite the gun show. As one might say.

  She laughed at his antics for a moment, then took a drink of her orange juice. It was good to laugh. There would not be much time for it later.

  They finished their breakfast, then Saiko helped Scott wash the dishes. It felt rude not to do so after they had already fucked on someone else’s bed like two rabid squirrels trapped in a hot wool sack. They could not take the time to do the laundry and clean those sheets, but the least they could do is put the kitchen back in order. The owner of the place was probably long since dead, but it did not feel right to disrespect their hospitality. Filthy sheets aside.

  Breakfast complete and dishes washed, the duo soon decided to search the area more thoroughly. Saiko was not going to be able to get far wearing her borrowed shrine maiden robes. They would come loose easily, and there was too much real estate to grab onto, so to speak.

  While they had already searched the shrine during their first hour there, they now did a more thorough job. They found a few odds and ends, but nothing of note until Saiko accidentally shoved a box back into one of the closets. A wood panel broke loose to reveal that there was actually a storage compartment behind it.

  “Oh? What’s this?” she asked curiously.

  Saiko took out a box hidden inside then opened it. Her eyes practically lit up. “Will it fit?”

  “What did you find?” asked Scott as he wandered into the room. He was eating from a bag of chips that he had discovered.

  She took out her discover and showed it to him. His eyes widened. “Please tell me it fits!”

  “Pfft!” Saiko laughed and teased him for a moment then did her best to squeeze into the tight outfit. It was a black and red leather bodysuit similar to what one might wear as a cosplay item, or perhaps ride a motorcycle.

  She twisted and turned then hopped up and down. “Oh. Wow. It’s like it was made for me…”

  “How convenient,” said Scott, his eyes still glued to the glorious scene that had unfolded before him. “Let me have it a moment.”

  Saiko shimmied out of the skin-tight ensemble causing Scott’s blood pressure, among other things, to rise. She grinned at him then threw one hand to her mouth and tried to fight a giggle. “Was it really that strenuous?”

  “Huh?” asked Scott in a daze.

  She rubbed her upper lip a little, just under her nose. Realizing that she was suggested that he do the same, Scott rubbed just below his nose then blinked. He drew his finger away then squinted. “No. I did not just get a damned anime nose-bleed…”

  He looked over to completely naked Saiko and then blinked again. She laughed and rubbed the space below her nose.

  “God dammit,” muttered Scott. He looked up to the ceiling and shook his fist at god or whatever might be up there listening. “I’m not a virgin, you bastards! Don’t fuck with me!”

  Saiko laughed at him again then framed her breasts with her arms and twisted from side. Scott sniffled at her and did his best not to look, but such a thing proved impossible. What man would not look at such a scenery of natural bounty?

  “Well, if you’re going to tease me… I won’t try to convert your new outfit into a system item,” said Scott.

  Her eyes widened and she lunged forward thrusting her new outfit toward him. “Tease you? I would never!”

  It was his turn to laugh, though when he checked the cost of the outfit he grunted. “Twenty-four hundred equipment points… Should be good.”

  “So…?” she asked him excitedly. “Gonna do it?”

  “Hell yeah!” He pulled her close and kissed her on the lips while his hands roved down to caress her beautiful ass.

  She moaned into his mouth briefly while he had his way with her body, but soon he pulled away. “Did you mean this thing instead?” he asked while showing her the bodysuit.

  Face red, and lips slightly parted, she slowly nodded to him. “Y-yes.” She tried to look cool by casually placing her hair back over her ear, but it was obvious that Scott’s protagonist aura made her engine start to purr. Served the sexy thing right for making fun of his nose bleed earlier.

  Scott spent the equipment points then checked the status of the new item.

  Leather Bodysuit

  A medium weight full-body leather armor suit capable of withstanding the rigors of daily life and short-term combat.

  Item Type: Armor – Medium

  Scaling Attribute: Endurance

  Rarity: Common

  Aura: Grey

  Defense Power: 10 | (25) [Waifu Only]

  Damage Reduction: 290

  Durability: Pristine

  UPGRADE COST

  Equipment EXP: 4000

  Item(s): (3) Tiny Soul Gems

  “Not bad!” exclaimed Scott. “First real piece of armor I’ve seen.”

  Saiko’s eyes practically lit up. She took the bodysuit back from him and slipped it on once more. She zipped up the front then experimentally twisted and turned in place. “This fits even better now…”

  Scott relayed the information for the suit, and she nodded lightly. There was no way for her to comprehend what the numbers meant, but he assured her that the suit would come in handy. It would negate ten points of damage, twenty-five if the wearer was a waifu, and the damage reduction bonus would be nearly three times her endurance attribute. It was possible that she could shrug off attacks that would flat out kill most people.

  Saiko cracked her knuckles then grinned at him. “You sure now how to treat a woman…”

  “We don’t have time, or I’d show you how right you are,” he replied with a grin of his own.

  She pouted at him cutely, then rubbed her hands together. It was time to hit the road.

  The duo left the little shrine house, but Scott took her up to the little tower and let her see the lay of the land, so to speak, and they discussed their plan of attack. The zombie hordes seemed scattered, so they opted to try to head directly to the police station.

  Scott made a quick save before they left their little shrine on the hill, there was no going back. It was time to move forward. There were people waiting for them, after all.

  The streets of the city were still filled with the dead, but it was clear that the hordes had thinned. The overnight storm had scattered the zombies and they had yet to reform into a proper horde once more.

  Scott itemized a few things along the way, to give them an easier way to escape should they need to run for it. While some vehicles or large slabs of material could not be itemized, they were left with a generous amount of room to make their escape.

  Saiko threw a hand up to get Scott’s attention. He saw it and stopped to see what she wanted, and she gestured for him to follow her.

  She led him down a nearby alley. It was always nerve wracking to go down such a tight corridor, but she was determined. Thankfully, they broke through to the other side and found their way to a street that overlooked a steep hill.

  Scott looked askance at her, and she smiled. Hand raised, she pointed to an official looking building that sat across a narrow valley and atop another hill.

  “Wait… is that?” asked Scott quietly.

  She nodded to him. They had reached the police station. “Think we should cut across? That will save us a lot of time, and I don’t see many of them down there.”

  Scott made a quick save then nodded. “Yeah, sounds good.”

  The crossed the street slowly, then hopped the railing. Their movements caught the attention of a few dozen zombies down the street but, the hill was steep. If they came for them, they would fall and rolled to the bottom easily breaking their limbs. In fact, on their way down the hill the duo saw that very outcome as several zombies in a small pile tried to crawl toward them.

  They worked their way across the valley, briefly stepping along some flat rocks that allowed them to cross a small stream at the center of it al
l. Scott noticed something nearby and waved at Saiko to get her to stop.

  She looked to where he gestured, and her eyes widened. They were milling around, but there were dozens of zombies lingering in the tunnel under the overpass.

  Scott placed a finger to his lips and nodded. She agreed with him, and they continued forward at a slow, quiet pace.

  The zombies up at the street level reached the place where they had heard the duo running earlier, but they continued moving down the street. They had no way to know that their prey had given them the slip.

  Eventually, they made it up the side of the hill and crawled over the railing to reach the next road. The police station was dead ahead.

  “I don’t see the truck,” said Saiko.

  “I don’t see any police vehicles, either…” said Scott.

  They looked at each other briefly, then nodded. There was nothing else to do but to investigate the area. The doors to the police station were left unlocked, which was a bit confusing to Scott. Such a building would normally be locked if the police left, and hopefully a note posted. There was nothing outside.

  The scene immediately inside the station was bloody, but there was a sense of order to it. Desks and various errata had been erected as a barricade and shooting gallery. Scott immediately began to itemize the dead, not taking the time to search the corpses. They were not going to be there long.

  Saiko spotted something useful against the back wall. It was a large sign written in magic marker, but obviously scrawled in a hurry.

  Nothing left here. Evacuation at the Elementary school! Hurry.

  “Think that’s from them?” asked Saiko.

  “Yeah. Must be. Though, you’d think they could have written a better note… Must have been in a real hurry not to mention either of us,” said Scott. Though, he admitted to himself reluctantly that it might have been slapped up there by the police department when they pulled out.

  “Might have rolled up just as the police were pulling out,” said Saiko. “If that was the case, we’re lucky to get this much information.”

  “Do you know where that school is?” he asked.

  “I don’t live around here, but I’ve been through the area before,” she said, “I think I can find it.”

  No time to waste, Scott made a quick save, and the duo headed out. That bit on the end of the note had filled them both with a sense of urgency. They had lost the entire night because of the hordes.

  They practically sprinted down the street, Saiko leading the way. The numbers of the dead began to increase, but they could still maneuver around them.

  A sound from up ahead caught their attention. It was a helicopter lifting off from a parking lot up ahead.

  “Shit!” snapped Scott as he leapt to the side to avoid the grasping fingers of an undead emergency worker.

  “We’re not going to make it!” cried Saiko desperately.

  They moved with all possible speed, throwing caution to the wind. They managed to break through the throng of the dead amassed ahead of them and saw one last helicopter on the parking lot in the distance. Gun fire echoed loudly as the dead were held at bay.

  A familiar set of twintails were attached to a young woman about to climb up into that helicopter. Scott called out her name and Saiko echoed it. The others were there. Momoko had made it at least!

  They hopped a waist-high fence then used and old truck nearby to hop the chain link fence that led into the school yard. This allowed them to get away from the horde and gave them a free pass to reach the fence that separated them from the parking lot beyond. There was a fence surrounding that as well, but it was only closed off by a weak gate held fast by a chain and lock. It was already starting to give.

  At the helicopter, a soldier started to call out that everyone was on board, but someone cried out for them to wait. Surprisingly, it was Tosh. He had spotted the duo as they leapt for the second fence.

  The entire group suddenly appeared near the door and had to be reprimanded by the soldiers. Everyone had made it and chosen to wait for the second helicopter in the hope of seeing a miracle. As it turned out, they had!

  “What’s the situation?” called the pilot.

  “Two more inbound!” cried the soldier.

  “We can’t wait much longer. If that gate goes, we go!” cried the pilot.

  “Understood!” called back the soldier.

  Now it was all up to Scott and Saiko. They were running against the clock.

  “We can’t leave them! That’s my husband and his mistress!” cried Summer fretfully.

  A purple haired woman sitting next to her asked, “Oh wow. So, it’s really like that?”

  Summer suddenly clung to the woman’s chest and cried out, “Don’t tease me Keiko! I’m too young to be a widow!”

  “What’s that guy wearing?” asked one of the soldiers.

  None of the onlookers felt like they could properly explain that outfit, and they were finally silenced. What exactly did one say about that outfit?

  Neither Scott, nor Saiko, knew of the conversation happening in the helicopter. They knew only that it was their ticket out of this place, and possibly their only chance to find the others.

  They leapt up and grabbed the chain link fence then did their best to climb over it. Saiko managed it well enough, but Scott had to chuck his axe over the fences before he could get a good grip. By the time he made it over, the gate was near to bursting. Hundreds of the dead had gathered due to the noise and they all wanted to try something tasty.

  “Keep going!” shouted Scott. It was obvious that the helicopter was waiting for them.

  “Same to you!” cried Saiko, a bright smile on her lips. It would be good to see the inside of that helicopter!

  Scott updated his quick save since they had just enough time for him to do that, and he set out at a dead sprint. This was the climax! The race to the finish. At this point, even if the zombies broke through, they would still make it to the helicopter first.

  “Come on!” cried Jade, tearfully. Hands waving excitedly, she continued, “We’ve almost made it out!”

  Scott grinned at her as he ran. It was good to see that she had made it. That probably meant that the others were in the helicopter as well! Of course, they had been too busy avoiding zombies and climbing fences to see everyone when they had briefly crowded around the door.

  By some miracle they had made it! Scott caught up to Saiko as they reached the halfway point to their destination. All seemed well. Jade was smiling. The soldiers were motioning them to run faster. The zombies were crowding around the gate but had not broken in, and the car that was flying toward the helicopter looked to be some sort of compact vehicle.

  Scott blinked as he realized what he had seen but did so just before that car smashed into the side of the helicopter with enough force to knock it over. The rotors rapidly struck the concrete sending up sparks, even as everyone started to scream. A sudden explosion rocked the area and Scott barely had the time to blink before a large piece of shrapnel pierced his skull and killed him on impact.

  He awoke in the white room and looked around wild-eyed. “What the hell?”

  It took him a moment to piece everything together again, but once he realized what had happened, he grew livid. “Fucking zombie!”

  In hindsight, it was obvious that all the noise would draw zombies. If that many were in the area, then one of the big bastards had to be around somewhere.

  “Shit!” His eyes were locked on his choices. Did he return to the morning auto-save, or did he use his quick save?

  If he returned to the morning save, there was no way to guarantee that they would be able to arrive on time. Having spent the majority of the morning trying to reach the police station, he knew the way would not be any clearer.

  He could not go to Nowhere and train or gather resources, either. One day would pass, and he could not spare even one minute. Less time than that had passed since they crossed the second fence and when the car destroyed the hel
icopter.

  Scott rubbed the bridge of his nose and tried to think. The loading area had done its best to calm him, but it took longer than usual. Perhaps there was a limit to its calming effect? At the moment, he could only think of what had just happened. The mysteries of the loading area would have to wait.

  Where had the car come from? What could he do to stop it?

  The entire thing smelled like a boss fight, and a way to force his separation from the rest of the group for a while. The helicopter absolutely needed to take off and carry everyone away, but that big bastard would kill everyone if someone did not stay behind to keep it at bay.

  “Damned system… Is it responsible for this?” asked Scott. Honestly, it made no sense. While, he might have thought that way a few days ago the system had not acted that way in the end. So far, everything that happened through the system had been entirely voluntary except for the first mission. There was no mission involved in this escape, which made even less sense.

  “A coincidence? I’m supposed to think this last-minute bullshit is just some coincidence?” asked Scott incredulously.

  He spent a few moments thinking through the situation. He considered his options and tried to come to grips with what passed for reality in his life. In the end, he came to a single conclusion. There was no mission, because the system did not want to direct his actions.

  Whenever a mission procced, he felt obliged to accept and complete it. If no mission procced then he was on his own. He would get nothing out of this event other than the survival of his friends. This was not about points or rewards. It was about who he would choose to be.

  “It’s not really much of a choice, either way,” said Scott. He would not abandon the group, especially not after they had waited for them to arrive. Given that there was another helicopter that took off earlier, it was obvious that they had waited for the prodigal duo for as long as they possibly could.