NOVGO.NET Chapter 58 Going home II
Chapter 58: Chapter 58 Going home II
At last, the vehicle landed safely.
Its tires slammed against the cracked road before stabilizing, and it quickly sped away from the abandoned city, taking a different route altogether. Only after putting a considerable distance between themselves and the collapsing ruins did it finally slow down, giving everyone inside a chance to catch their breath.
No one spoke.
They simply stared through the windows.
Far behind them, the once towering buildings and magnificent skyscrapers continued collapsing into the enormous fractures that had torn the city apart. Entire structures disappeared into the dark chasms while others leaned dangerously before crashing onto the broken streets, sending clouds of dust soaring into the sky.
The earth itself seemed alive.
It groaned and shifted as if swallowing the entire city whole.
The sight was so ghastly that everyone instinctively held their breath.
Had they been even a few minutes slower...
They would have been buried beneath those ruins.
Or worse.
Ethan didn’t wait another second.
The moment the vehicle came to a complete stop, he threw open the door, stumbled outside, and collapsed onto the dry ground. Rolling over several times, he hugged the earth before planting an exaggerated kiss against it.
"I’ve never been so happy to be alive," he muttered between breaths.
His heart still hadn’t recovered.
First, Luna had left him hanging on the front of the vehicle as punishment.
Then came the insane jump across the gigantic fracture.
And just when he thought they had survived that...
A flying nightmare had nearly dragged the entire vehicle into its mouth.
If Kai hadn’t regained his powers at the last possible moment...
They would all be dead.
Thinking back on everything that had happened made Ethan shiver.
Being strapped helplessly to the front while clinging on for dear life was easily one of the most terrifying experiences of his life.
Although...
He had to admit he probably deserved it.
His earlier actions had almost gotten everyone killed.
Compared to that, Luna’s punishment had actually been merciful.
"So..." Ethan breathed deeply before looking toward the others. "Are we catching our breath here... or moving on?"
Personally, he wanted to stay exactly where he was.
Just for five minutes.
Maybe ten.
Luna immediately shattered that dream.
"Nope."
She didn’t even hesitate.
"We’re moving. I’m not taking the chance of another creature finding us. At this point, we could be ambushed from anywhere."
She folded her arms.
"So stop getting comfortable and get back inside."
Ethan’s expression instantly fell.
Without another complaint, he dragged himself back toward the vehicle.
Kai had already slid the door open for him.
Ethan climbed inside before quietly taking a seat beside Adrian in the back. This time he wisely chose the seat closest to the door instead of volunteering for any heroic positions.
Once everyone was seated again, Luna glanced behind her to make sure no one had been left outside.
"Everyone stay alert," she said while looking at each of them. "Keep your eyes open. We’re heading straight to my place."
Despite everything they had just gone through...
Ethan couldn’t deny he was excited.
From everything he had seen so far, Luna’s house sounded like the safest place left in this nightmare.
More importantly...
There would be food.
A proper place to sleep.
Actual security.
Under normal circumstances, he probably would’ve felt embarrassed relying on a woman for protection.
But this wasn’t normal anymore.
The world had ended.
Pride couldn’t fill an empty stomach.
Nor could it stop monsters from tearing someone apart.
Forget pride.
Survival came first.
"I can’t wait to see this house of yours," Rowan said while gently rubbing the bandages wrapped around his arm. "I wonder how big it is."
Luna simply kept her attention on the glowing control panel.
Everyone could now clearly see the holographic map floating above it.
The interesting part wasn’t the map itself.
It was the fact that Luna wasn’t even driving anymore.
The vehicle had completely taken over.
It navigated the ruined roads by itself while avoiding obstacles with incredible precision.
Without looking away from the display, Luna reached into a nearby compartment and pulled out several cans of soda.
She tossed one toward Rowan.
Another to Kai.
Then Ethan.
Finally she extended one toward Adrian.
He shook his head.
"No thanks."
He rubbed his stomach with an awkward smile.
"My stomach feels funny. Maybe once we get to your house and I use the bathroom, I’ll feel better."
Before anyone could respond—
Prrrrt!
A loud fart echoed through the enclosed vehicle.
For exactly one second...
Silence.
Then the smell arrived.
It spread with terrifying speed until every corner of the vehicle was completely flooded.
Kai’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"What in the world was that?" he shouted while pinching his nose. "Did you seriously just release a biological weapon?"
He began laughing so hard he almost dropped his drink.
"I honestly thought you were too calm and classy for something like that."
Adrian’s ears turned bright red.
"I... I couldn’t help it."
Kai was still laughing.
"So you actually fart?"
The words escaped his mouth before he could stop himself.
"I thought only some people did that."
The entire vehicle became quiet.
Every single person slowly turned to stare at him.
Luna closed her eyes.
She genuinely wanted the ground to open up and swallow Kai whole.
Sometimes...
He said things that no human being should ever say out loud.
Rowan rubbed his forehead.
"...Kai."
"What?"
"Everyone farts."
Kai blinked.
"...Seriously?"
Ethan looked completely speechless.
"You’ve been alive all these years and you’re only finding that out now?"
Kai scratched the back of his head.
"I don’t know..."
"I just never really thought about it."
Luna sighed heavily before opening another compartment beneath her seat.
She pulled out a can of air freshener.
"Move."
She sprayed the inside of the vehicle from one end to the other, making sure every corner was covered.
A fresh citrus scent slowly replaced the horrible smell.
"There."
She took a relieved breath.
"Now I can breathe again."
She shot Adrian a playful glare.
"Please don’t release another gas attack."
"We might actually turn into zombies before reaching my house."
Her joke earned a few chuckles.
Then something occurred to everyone almost simultaneously.
Zombies...
They hadn’t seen a single one for quite a while.
Instead...
Every encounter had involved bizarre monsters.
Creatures that looked nothing like ordinary undead.
Luna quietly frowned.
Low-key...
She would rather fight zombies.
At least zombies made sense.
These monsters...
They felt like demons pulled straight out of someone’s worst nightmare.
As the vehicle continued speeding away from the abandoned city, everyone slowly noticed something else.
Their abilities.
The strange energy inside their bodies had begun returning.
It was still unstable.
Their powers flickered on and off every now and then.
But unlike before...
They could actually feel them responding again.
Perhaps leaving the area around the meteor had weakened whatever force had been suppressing them.
No one complained.
Anything was better than being completely powerless.
The ruined landscape continued rushing past the windows.
Along the roadside were countless scattered legs and bones buried beneath dried mud. Mixed among them were cracked skulls belonging to creatures no one could identify.
Some looked vaguely human.
Others...
Definitely weren’t.
The sight alone was enough to make Ethan uneasy.
"Good thing we’re not walking," he said while staring outside.
"If we were..."
He pointed toward the horrifying remains.
"We’d probably become breakfast for whatever made that mess."
No one argued.
For once...
Everyone completely agreed with him.
The journey back surprisingly didn’t feel long.
Little by little, the remains of the ruined city disappeared behind them.
Ahead...
The scenery changed.
The massive body of water surrounding the area came into view once again.
Only this time...
It seemed much closer.
The flooding had expanded even farther than before.
The water stretched endlessly across the horizon.
Luna leaned forward and pointed toward the distance.
"My house is on that island."
Everyone followed her finger.
They squinted.
Looked harder.
Still...
Nothing.
Rowan frowned.
"I’m just speaking for myself here..."
He paused.
"...but I can’t see anything."
"So pointing isn’t exactly helping."
Luna slowly turned and glared at him.
Before she could reply—
A low groan echoed outside.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds, dozens of figures emerged from both sides of the road.
Their bodies staggered unnaturally as they sprinted forward with frightening speed.
Rotting faces.
Torn flesh.
Cloudy white eyes.
Zombies.
An entire horde.
"They’re back," Ethan whispered.
The creatures charged toward the vehicle with mindless determination.
Luna didn’t panic.
Instead...
A grin spread across her face.
She slammed her foot on the brake.
The vehicle skidded before abruptly changing direction.
Then—
Without warning—
It dived straight into the enormous body of water.
As the vehicle plunged beneath the waves, Luna looked at the horde gathering along the shore and smirked.
"If you’ve got the guts..."
She laughed.
"Then follow me, fuckers."