Earth Tactics Advance: Volume 1

by Scottie Futch

  Daniel muttered something that no one else could quite make out, and Scott ignored it. He assumed that the man was still sore about being dropped to the floor the day before.

  Scott helped everyone get out of the building. There was a staging area that he had cleared during his hunting earlier that night. “Just up ahead, there is a convenience store with steel shutters. We can try to get there and hole up for a while.”

  No one had a better idea at the moment, since the group did not want to split. They formed up with the weaker people in the center, Scott at the front with two of the officers, and the other two officers at the back.

  Several ghouls began to shamble into the area, and a few people became skittish. Just before the group left two people broke off and ran back into the arcade then tried to pull the doors shut.

  Daniel and Frank shouted for them, but they refused to come out once they managed to close the doors. In the end, they were forced to leave them behind. The remaining fourteen people moved swiftly toward their goal. Scott, Martin, and Craig acted as the head of their moving people spear and punched through the random shambling monsters in the area. The convenience store they were heading for was just up ahead.

  They made it inside and secured the place with a few minutes to spare. People were frightened, but spirits were high. The ones who had rushed back into the store were together as a group to begin with, so no one was particularly worried about them beyond the fact that they were fellow survivors.

  “Hey!” hissed the tired woman from the night before. She waved at the group. Several people, Scott included went to see what she wanted.

  They peered through a slit in one of the metal shutters. It required a proper angle, but if they looked out of the hole just right they could see the shopping area in the reflection of a nearby window. The reason that the tired woman had called to them was what she had seen in that window reflection.

  The two people who had ran back inside earlier were now outside, and surrounded by dozens of monsters. The big one from the day before had returned as well. Scott watched quietly as one of the two was smashed under the broken street lamp that the thing wielded.

  “It- One minute it was empty there and in the next the things just appeared, poof!” said the tired woman.

  “You serious? Poof? They didn’t walk in there?” asked one of the girls nearby.

  “Yeah, just poof. The same thing happened with those two poor people who went back inside. They just appeared out there.”

  Scott sighed. “It’s a reset or a respawn, has to be.”

  “Respawn?” asked the tired woman. Scott had to learn these people’s names at some point.

  “I heard that monsters just appeared out of nowhere when this all started. Today the monsters from yesterday reappeared here at dawn even though they had been drawn away,” he said.

  “Like a game, right. It’s like the levels and the stats?” asked the girl he had given the fifty coins to earlier.

  “Seems so, everything that’s happening… It’s like some asshole wants to force us all to play some sick game,” he said.

  “You seem to know a lot about it,” said Daniel in an accusatory manner.

  Scott glanced at him. What was his problem, anyway? Did getting his ass kicked a little really cause him to turn into a dick? “I don’t know much of anything outside of what I picked up here and there. Most of that is stuff that everyone should know by now if they were brave enough to go outside.”

  “Right,” said the officer.

  “You got a problem with me?” asked Scott. “Do we really need to have a conversation about that sort of thing in the middle of an escape attempt?”

  Daniel snorted then looked like he was about to say something, but Martin put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Let it go.”

  “Fuck that. This asshole has fucking armor and had more money than all of us combined. He should hand it over,” said Daniel after a brief moment of angry reflection.

  Scott’s eyebrow quirked. “Are you serious?”

  “Damn right. Why the hell should a civilian have better equipment than the police?” growled Daniel.

  “Why should a civilian give a flying fuck about the police anymore? These people had to fend for themselves, where are all the civilians you helped? I only saw the four of you,” asked Scott.

  Daniel gripped his weapon, a solid looking baseball bat, in his hands so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “Think you’re so damned smart?”

  “No. I think this is a waste of time. Stop waving your damned dick around, so we can figure out our next move,” said Scott quietly.

  “Fucking punk,” growled Daniel.

  “Five or six hundred,” said Scott coldly.

  “What?” asked Craig, trying to get into the conversation and calm things down.

  “That’s why I get this fucking armor. That’s about how many of those things I've killed on my own." Scott snorted at Daniel then shook his head.

  "You got a problem with that? Well, it ain’t my problem. The best items go to the people who earn them, otherwise they’re wasted on useless self-entitled assholes,” replied Scott.

  A blue battle light flared out as Daniel ran forward with his bat upraised ready to strike Scott down. The cheerful announcer called out, "Mr. Badass VS Daniel Souros! Fight-O!"

  Scott watched impassively as Daniel's movements slowed to a halt. The angry man was forced to walk forward three steps at a time until he got within range. People all around them cried out for them to stop fighting.

  The bat whipped forward with bone-crushing force, but all Scott did was snort and let it hit. The result was an anemic grey number zero floating up from his head.

  The sound of a loud smack echoed through the building. Scott looked at the surprised man then slowly shook his head. “A shotgun blast to the face barely irritated me, and you thought your weak ass would do better with a bat? How about I cut you in half and tell your family that you died an idiot?”

  “You leave my family out of this!” snapped Daniel before he attacked Scott with another useless strike.

  “Your family is alive because I rescued them. I’m the one who saved their lives and led them to safety. Most real men would be thankful for someone doing that,” said Scott, not the least bit phased by Daniel’s anger.

  A few days ago an angry police officer would have been a serious issue, and even possibly warranted depending on the situation. Now, he was just an asshole in a uniform. The world had moved on, but Daniel had not realized that the power of authority had moved on with it.

  The enraged officer's turn came around and he attacked once more. This time, however, Scott chose to act. He deflected the bat with ridiculous ease then casually whipped the back of his hand around to slap Daniel hard across the mouth. The man was sent sprawling from the blow, an action some might refer to as a bitch slap.

  "Counter!" cried the announcer voice, as the casual blow tore twenty-seven hit points away from the man.

  Daniel looked up at Scott through bloodied lips, confusion welling up in his eyes. He coughed once then spat into his hand, several broken teeth fell into his palm. For a moment he stared at the broken pieces of his teeth in shocked confusion. His confusion turned to rage. He looked as though he was going to attack again.

  Fortunately for the hot-headed man, his companions had been steadily drawing closer in order to try and break up the fight. They managed to arrive in time to drag him away. The other nine people in the room were left shocked and distinctly uncomfortable.

  Scott heard grumbling among the various groups. Several of them agreed with Daniel. The police were obviously well-trained and should have the best equipment. The fact that some random guy could do that to an officer of the law terrified them. If they had realized just how close to death Daniel had come from that one casual slap, they would have been even more frightened.

  Only a small handful agreed with Scott, if someone earned something they should keep it. In fact, only four peopl
e agreed with him out of the entire group. The middle-aged man and his two girls, the people he had shared his healing potion with, plus the girl that he’d given the fifty coins were the only ones who actually agreed with him. Had he not chosen to share his personal loot with them their situation would have been worse. If he had tossed all his stuff to a hot-head like Daniel, who knew what would have happened?

  The group began to segregate itself into two camps. Slowly, the people who sided with the police out of habit migrated to their side of the store, while the other five people were left on the opposite side.

  That division was a serious issue as far as Scott was concerned. Most of the people with the other group had a level of at least three, while the highest leveled person in his group other than him was only level two. There was a single level one straggler over with the police, and a level two person. Everyone else was slightly better off.

  Daniel regained his cool then noticed the numbers. He could not keep the smirk from rising up. “Looks like most of the people here agree with me.”

  “That’s nice. I don’t agree and that’s what counts,” said Scott.

  “Just give them the armor and stuff. You can get more!” snapped the level one guy from earlier.

  “No,” said Scott. “That just ain’t happening. I didn’t hunt all night just to turn over what I earned to an asshole that sat on his thumbs and pretended he was in charge.”

  “I am in charge! All you’re doing is confusing people,” snapped Daniel.

  “That badge is confusing people. Those people with you haven’t figured out that it doesn’t mean a damned thing anymore,” said Scott.

  Before Daniel could open his mouth, Scott continued, “What’s your game plan, Mr. Leader? Where are you planning to take those people that’s safe?”

  Daniel glared hatefully at Scott. “Like there’s anywhere safe.”

  “My house is safe enough for your family. Steel-reinforced doors, metal shutters, concrete walls, and it’s out in the suburbs,” said Scott.

  “Yeah, across the fucking river! You can’t cross the damned river, remember?” People started to murmur and move closer to Daniel. Crossing the river was suicidal, most people knew that.

  “I’ve crossed it twice. It’s dangerous as hell, but doable,” said Scott.

  “Maybe with the shit you’re wearing, but what about these people? You won’t share, so what are they going to do?” asked Daniel.

  Scott shook his head. “I crossed the first time wearing nothing but a t-shirt and jeans. That was a little over an hour or two after all this started.”

  “You got lucky! These people will die if they follow you,” said Daniel.

  “Probably,” said Scott. Honestly, he did not care much if anyone followed him. He was tired of this conversation. “I can make no promises, but unlike you I won’t even try to claim that I can. No matter what you say, most of us will probably be dead inside a week.”

  Scott’s admission made everyone in the room uncomfortable, especially the handful of people who had gravitated toward him.

  “Some fucking leader!” said Daniel with a laugh.

  “Who said I was a leader?" asked Scott. He snorted at Daniel then pointed at the man with his kaiser blade. "I said I know what it takes to survive longer, and I refuse to give a useless asshole my stuff."

  Daniel’s face turned bright red and he gripped his baseball bat tight in his hands. “Think you’re so smart.”

  “No. A smart man wouldn’t argue with a mentally challenged fucktard who didn't even know about basic shit that everyone should know by now," said Scott.

  Before Daniel could reply Scott laughed obnoxiously at the man. "You didn't even know that you had a fucking status screen until I told you, and you want to act like I owe you something? If it wasn't for that stupid badge, no one would even be on that side of the room."

  “Do you have to talk like that?” asked the tired woman from last night. Several other people nodded. What was his problem anyway?

  Scott glanced at her then snorted. “What I do is my business. The same with you. I’m not special. I’m not the fucking messiah or whatever. I’m at the level that I’m at because I went out and fought.”

  That got everyone’s attention. “I put my life on the line to become stronger because I did not want to lie down and die. That’s what you have to do to survive now, and there is a strong chance that you won’t survive even if you do that. I can’t even count the number of times that I nearly had my throat torn out.”

  He looked around at various people in the room. “You let a shiny badge and a uniform dictate what you do, and you better hope the one wearing it is worth a fuck.”

  Daniel snorted. “Fucking puke. I bet you have a criminal record a mile long.”

  “Probably. Since this started I’ve killed hundreds of former people, looted several abandoned houses, and shoved my finger in a mermaid’s ass. Gonna arrest me? Try it. Just remember, I’ve let the shit you do go twice now.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean, huh?” asked Daniel before he dabbed a bit of cloth at his bleeding mouth. It didn't help stem the flow of blood in the slightest. He needed gauze or a healing tonic.

  “There ain’t a third chance for you. I don't want to hurt other human beings. There are far too few of us left, and we've all been through enough shit since all this started. However..." Scott pointed his kaiser blade at Daniel once more to emphasize his point. "If you come after me again, I’ll treat you just like anything else that comes at me.”

  “Hey, hey! Calm down, damn!” Craig lifted his shotgun and pointed it at both men, though he lingered more on Scott than Daniel. “We don’t need to do this, shit.”

  “The fuck we don’t,” muttered Daniel.

  Scott stared at him impassively. Everything that needed to be said, had been said. He had promised to look for the man, and he had found him. Whatever happened now was up to him. It was hard to believe that the man acted this way, though. It was almost like he did not give a damn about his family.

  "Please, just... Just give him your stuff," said one older woman fretfully.

  Scott glanced at the older woman. He took several steps back, since they were all still inside of a battle field, and then did something surprising. He started to take off his chest plate.

  For a moment, Daniel wore a smug expression. It was obvious that he thought that Scott had given in and would be handing over his items. The truth was a different thing altogether.

  Scott put down his chest plate, took off his tunic and then his sleeveless bubba jacket. All that was left behind was a tattered shirt. "You think I'm going to give this stuff to some random asshole? It's not happening."

  "You can just get more!" called the whiny level-one guy.

  "To get what I have, I had to endure this..." Scott took off his shirt and revealed his naked chest. His body was a mass of angry red scars.

  Several people drew back from him in shock. He merely looked at them impassively and said, "These scars are what earned my gear. I was alone when I earned each one of them. I've fought alone this entire time. No one with a badge came to hold my hand, or tell me it'll be alright."

  He put his shirt back on then re-equipped his items. "Anyone who wants to tell me to give up my items can save themselves the trouble. It is not happening."

  “I’m heading to the South bridge area to see if it would be easier to cross than the one nearby. Anyone who wants to come with me is welcome, but we’re moving out soon,” said Scott.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” growled Daniel.

  Scott shook his head. It was like the man had lost all sense of reality. “I’m done with you. Come with me if you actually give a fuck about your family. Otherwise, I don’t give a damn.”

  Daniel looked like he was chewing rocks for a moment, or perhaps it was the remnants of his teeth. If looks could kill, the battle would be over.

  Craig spoke up. “What about these people? They need to get to a safe place. Ther
e’s no way we’d all make it there and then to wherever your house is if we tried to move in a group like this.”

  Scott rubbed his chin for a moment. “There are fourteen of us. If we split into three groups, each with at least one or two higher leveled people in a group, we could leave here one group at a time and make our way down to the bridge. There’s a large fenced in house near there. We could meet there.”

  “What if it isn’t safe?” asked Craig.

  “Strongest group goes first and clears the area. The weakest group goes second, and leaves here about a half-hour later. Second strongest group goes last about fifteen minutes after that group,” said Scott.

  “Why have the weakest group go second?” asked the tired woman.

  “The strongest group will have cleared most of the way. Unless something terrible happens, the second group will have fewer obstacles to deal with. The third group will act as a bit of a rear-guard in case more monsters show up.”

  “Sounds like a good idea, but…” began Craig.

  “Bullshit. It’s bullshit!” said Daniel.

  “Of course it is,” said Scott sarcastically.

  “Yeah, it is! We should not be splitting up. We need to all move together,” said Daniel. Several of the people on his side of the room agreed.

  “Fine, let’s all go then,” said Scott with a shrug. “Either way, we need to get moving.”

  Another argument broke out then due to the fact that some people thought that moving at all was a bad idea. A few of the people in the room also had other people that they needed to meet up with.

  Finally, Scott made a suggestion. “There are still people known to be around here. One group of people should head out toward the bridge to clean up and check out the area. Another can go round up people here. The third would hold the fort.”

  Daniel automatically disliked the plan if for no other reason than it had been Scott who had suggested it. However, for once more people liked something that Scott had said than disliked it.

  “How will we know to come to the bridge?” asked Craig.

  “The group that heads there will have to secure and scout the area and then at least two of them has to try to return here. Only people who are willing to take the biggest risk should go as there will be a lot of fighting.”