NOVGO.NET Chapter 45 Stranded II
Chapter 45: Chapter 45 Stranded II
Luna and the four guys walked across the broken grounds, their eyes fixed on the buildings ahead. The entire place was a complete disaster. Structures that had once stood proudly were now bent, crooked, and leaning at impossible angles, looking as though a single push would send them crashing to the ground.
Cars were scattered everywhere, lining the cracked roads in endless rows. Most of them had been abandoned by owners who were probably dead already... or trapped somewhere inside that dreadful death zone now crawling with monsters.
There wasn’t a single sign of danger.
Yet somehow, that only made the silence more terrifying.
It wrapped around them like an invisible blanket, so heavy that none of them dared to speak. Every footstep echoed across the deserted streets, each sound seeming loud enough to wake whatever nightmare might be hiding nearby.
Then—
Crack!
Something snapped beneath a boot.
All five of them spun around instantly, muscles tensing as their hearts nearly leaped out of their chests.
Kai stood frozen with one foot resting on a broken plank of wood. The awkward grin spreading across his face said everything before he even spoke.
"Sorry about that... my bad."
No one answered.
After a few seconds, they simply resumed walking as if nothing had happened.
It wasn’t like they had another choice. Without a vehicle, trekking through the ruined city on foot was their only option.
Minutes stretched into what felt like hours.
The exhausting walk was beginning to wear everyone down.
Adrain was the first to finally voice what everyone had been thinking.
"Can’t we check one of those cars around? Maybe one of them still works."
Luna stopped walking.
She slowly turned around to face them, crossing her arms as she looked from one face to another. She could already tell Adrain wasn’t the only one holding back complaints.
"Does anyone else have something to say?"
Silence.
Not a single person answered.
Luna narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, don’t suddenly become shy now. I know every one of you has something cooking inside that mouth of yours."
Kai scratched the back of his neck.
He wanted to speak but wasn’t sure how without offending her.
Adrain had already said his piece, so he figured someone else should take the risk this time.
Still...
No one moved.
Luna sighed dramatically.
"No one?"
She clicked her tongue.
"If you can’t talk, then at least stay quiet. I’m already annoyed enough that my system abandoned me and disappeared. Can you believe that?"
She was about to turn around when Ethan finally spoke.
"Fuck this."
His voice cut cleanly through the empty street.
"Nobody here can beat me, so what’s all this supposed to mean? You rescued us... just so we could suffer like this?"
He gestured around the destroyed city.
"Actually, why am I even speaking for them? This is about me. Why did you rescue me? Because from where I’m standing, we’re definitely dying here. I don’t see the home you promised us. I only see ruins."
Luna blinked.
Her jaw actually dropped.
For a moment she simply stared at the ridiculously handsome man standing before her. His angelic appearance made him look gentle and harmless.
Looks really were deceiving.
Rowan had been difficult.
But Ethan...
Ethan was simply a jerk.
"Oh..."
She nodded slowly.
"So because of this I’m suddenly a failure in your eyes?"
She spread her hands dramatically.
"Alright then."
She looked toward the others.
"Go ahead."
She pointed at Adrain.
"Do your magic. Open one of your portals and let’s all leave. Right now."
No one moved.
Not because they didn’t want to...
Because they couldn’t.
Adrain lowered his gaze.
"I... can’t."
His expression darkened.
"The moment I stepped into this place, my connection to magic disappeared. It’s like something sealed it away."
The others exchanged uneasy looks.
None of them had said anything before now, but the same thing had happened to each of them.
Their abilities...
Were gone.
Luna laughed bitterly.
"You see?"
She pointed at herself.
"I’m supposed to be the one protecting everyone here, yet I’m walking around with four powerless men in a city filled with monsters."
Her eyes locked onto Ethan’s.
"And somehow you think you have the audacity to talk to me like that?"
Her voice became colder.
"I saved your life, young man."
"You don’t get to speak to me that way."
"Trust me..."
"You do not want to get on my bad side."
She jerked a thumb toward Rowan.
"Ask Rowan."
"He was just as bitchy as you when we first met."
Her expression became dangerously calm.
"So respect whatever relationship we’ve got for now."
"Because if I decide to cut you off..."
She smiled.
"...you’re never recovering from it."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
No one knew what to say.
Kai watched the pair carefully.
It honestly amazed him that neither of them had tried strangling the other yet.
"It’s okay..."
He raised both hands.
"We’re all adults here."
Before Rowan could add anything, Kai coughed awkwardly.
"Well... I’m still young and fresh. Maybe in my early twenties."
He shrugged.
"I don’t know about you old people."
Three pairs of eyes immediately landed on him.
"What?"
Kai blinked.
Adrain frowned.
"What do you think we are? Old men?"
Before Rowan could even react, Adrain continued.
"Get over yourself."
"Being younger doesn’t make you special."
"If anything..."
"It just means you’ve still got a kid’s brain."
Kai pouted.
"...Rude."
He stuffed both hands into his pockets and quietly accepted defeat.
The conversation finally died.
As they continued forward, the sun slowly began sinking toward the horizon.
None of them knew how long they had been walking.
Time had become meaningless.
Orange light stretched across the broken skyline while long shadows crept between the ruined buildings.
Rowan glanced upward.
"I think we should find somewhere to stay before it gets dark."
He looked around.
"At least somewhere with a bit of shelter."
Ethan immediately shook his head.
"Right here?"
He pointed at the empty streets.
"Have you actually looked around?"
"This place looks like something out of a nightmare."
"We might get eaten alive while sleeping."
"Can we even sleep under these conditions?"
No one bothered answering him.
Instead...
The other four simply continued walking.
Ethan stared at their backs in disbelief.
"Hey!"
"I’m still talking!"
No response.
He stood there alone, rolling his eyes dramatically.
"Assholes."
He folded his arms stubbornly.
"I’m not moving."
The others continued walking.
Then—
Crack.
Another twig snapped somewhere behind him.
Ethan froze.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
He turned his head.
Nothing.
The empty street stared back at him.
Another sound echoed from somewhere deeper in the darkness.
Without another second of hesitation—
"I’m coming!"
He broke into a sprint.
"Wait for me!"
Within moments he had caught up to the others, pretending nothing had happened while the corners of Rowan’s lips twitched upward.
No one exposed him.
But everyone had seen it.
The deeper they ventured into what had once been a bustling city, the worse the destruction became.
More abandoned vehicles littered the roads.
Piles of debris had gathered together after the floodwaters receded, leaving broken concrete, shattered glass, twisted metal, and fallen signboards everywhere.
The streets themselves were completely dark.
The power grid had long since failed.
Streetlights stood lifeless, while dangling electrical wires swayed gently in the evening breeze.
Patches of moss spread across cracked walls.
Algae clung to sidewalks and broken vehicles.
But it wasn’t normal algae.
The growths were dark green with sharp thorn-like protrusions sticking out in every direction, making them look almost alive.
Even nature...
Was beginning to evolve.
"So..."
Adrain looked around cautiously.
"Where now?"
"Is there anywhere safe enough for us to sleep?"
His gaze drifted toward several abandoned skyscrapers nearby.
Most of their entrance doors were hanging open.
Dark hallways stretched endlessly inside.
He immediately dismissed the idea.
Walking into one of those buildings felt like volunteering to become monster food.
Kai followed his line of sight before speaking.
"I think we should clear one of the abandoned houses instead."
He pointed farther down the street where smaller residential buildings stood between the towering offices.
"If we secure one, we can stay there for tonight until we figure something else out."
Everyone quietly considered the suggestion.
"It isn’t a bad idea," Rowan admitted.
"But..."
He glanced toward the dark windows.
"What if something’s already living inside?"
"We’ve been dropped right into the middle of what could easily become a massacre."
"We might not even get the chance to react."
His words crushed what little optimism remained.
Another sigh escaped the group.
For a few moments...
No one had an answer.
Luna finally stepped forward.
"Then we prepare before going in."
The others looked at her.
"If I can get us some guns, we’ll be armed properly."
She continued calmly.
"We’ll move in formation."
"We clear every room one at a time."
"If anything is hiding inside..."
Her eyes hardened.
"We eliminate it."
"After that, we’ll decide who sleeps first and who stays on watch."
She nodded once.
"I think that’s our safest option."
Kai released a long breath.
Thank goodness.
At least the endless walking was finally over.
Even Ethan couldn’t hide his relief anymore.
His legs were screaming in protest.
He glanced toward Luna, only now realizing she had walked the entire distance wearing heels.
His eyebrows rose.
"You know..."
"You really shouldn’t be wearing those at the end of the world."
Luna didn’t even slow down.
Without looking back, she simply raised one hand...
And showed him her middle finger.
"Mind your business, Ethan."
"You’re not my father."
Ethan only shrugged.
"Suit yourself."
"They’re your legs after all."
Luna ignored him completely and continued leading the group toward the abandoned neighborhood, where the coming night waited silently between the ruined houses, hiding whatever horrors were preparing to welcome them.