May Peace Grace Us

Chapter 51: Her purpose

Aila knows that she is no leader. She prefers to be a pioneer and let others take over the things she created. This was the reason why she has no problem handing her literary works to others and only waits for the royalties to come in. Other creators might find her attitude quite contrary, they cannot find fault in her decisions. Freedom of choice was hers and, no matter the outcome, it did not affect them much.

So the moment the embryo of a structure had come to take shape, she did not hesitate to plug in people to take care of it. Her father liked being on the front line, so he was the one who led the patrols and security of their base. Travis is obsessed with medicine, so Aila just lets him be head for anything related to it. Felix was a fixed figure in regards to training matters, but there was also Bella who helped out once in a while.

The rest of the hyenas also found somewhere they could fill in. The people with them are also more or less accepting and comfortable with their policies. Aila’s shoulders were more comfortable for a while now. It was simply an ideal situation she had always dreamed of back in her second life.

To simply put it, their little base is like a small tribe now with their own laws and regulations. Aila could proudly say that they are unique in all the other bases out there for this society they built. Everything that can be used and can be utilized is promoted well for the advancement and development of theirs as a whole. Honeylet and Jemma’s intermittent news tells Aila that the world outside has yet to fully understand the real impact of the changed world.

Aila cannot blame them for not adapting to it well. The visual changes and the immediate things they observed are only a fraction of the horror the world has to bring. The recognition of what they used to be and what they had before them is hard to adapt to, even with them getting used to it. They still subconsciously use the standards they are used to. Thus, the huge strain on their minds and effectively the killing of not just a small number of peace-loving people.

The old servants who became subordinates of Travis, have more or less allowed the existence of the enhancers to be circulated among them. Especially when Aila told them of the hard winters they would be experiencing later. They need strong people to survive and from the data they gathered, they ultimately allowed it.

Other than being on the patrols, Stephen was also very involved in reinforcing the walls alongside Eugene and Harry, who had his fire ability. Eugene had not done much on a daily basis, as he was focusing on the production of metals while Stephen and Harry were in charge of tempering the metal for their use. Although Eugene himself could do the tempering himself, it was soon found that the fire from an ability user gives his metals unusual attributes, so whoever awakens fire as an ability, they are pulled over to them to help out.

Due to the amount of energy they use, they are the main receivers of the transparent enhancers—they haven’t had any suitable crystals for their attributes yet— as well as the main priority to be given. Eugene alone can consume all of their stock just to continue making metals for two days straight. If they did not deliberately control and exercise a form of equality of distribution in their team, perhaps they might really have great depression with the circulation of the supplies.

So Aila has no choice but to create another team to set out to hunt down zombies to keep up with the demand. She and her default team during the patrols(Henry and Billy) have to recruit people to have enough numbers for a hunting team. They strictly limited those from the patrol department to joining their ranks because the guarding team must not be empty. Though it did not cause much trouble for them, as most people in their community were more or less aware of the significance of their trip outside.

Due to the training and subtle influence Aila has done during the past weeks, she has more or less planted a seed in each and everyone within their population. She let them think that they need to be adventurous and courageous for them to live well and that they need to know how to defend the last heaven they knew. That the current peace and stability they had is not everlasting if they don’t work hard to maintain it.

So when the notice about going out was issued, there were many who approached and wanted to join the team. But due to the nature of their purpose out there, Aila was strict in her criteria on who she should bring. She did not allow those who were weaker and those who had not passed Felix’s standards to be with them. This was to minimize the casualties as much as possible.

So, in the end, there are about 20 or so people in the final draft. Most of them are supernaturalists, which is no surprise, as they are indeed stronger, both power-wise and physically-wise. It might be due to the fact that the outside was indeed dangerous, there was no dissatisfaction or something that arose from those who weren't chosen.

Judith was among those who came with them. Stephen is a paranoid man, regardless of how he often shows himself, the man Judith calls her husband has done his best to equip her with all the necessities for her to last long out in the open. She was personally trained by her husband and was taught exclusively skills that are otherwise not taught to upright people. Despite her still amiable appearance, she has indeed grown to be someone worth being frightened about.

As a space supernaturalist, Judith was no doubt a great assistance to their expedition. With her around, they can be sure that they will not lack anything while they are out. From medicine to their food, most of these were hidden in her space and can only be taken out when it is needed.

Without much orientation, everyone had taken Judith as a priority they had to protect. Aila was so relieved seeing this subconscious reaction in their team. Selfish it sounds like, she wanted to make sure her loved ones were okay and all. So she is so happy to see things turn out like this. Aila just knew that everyone was just concerned about their rations more than the person, though she thought her father also had a factor in the subconscious reaction as well.

With Stephen in charge of training, who knows what sort of brainwashing he is doing while he takes care of his trainees? Aila did not doubt that her father had done something like this without her knowledge of it happening. And even if she did know, Aila did not care much anyway and would just let things go the man's way.

They then went to the nearest town to find the zombies they needed. The town should have a decent number of zombies for their trip, but it could also mean they will also meet other survivors. And this could bring them bad things and possibly danger.

Wherever there are people, there is bound to be some conflict of sorts. The town itself is not too big and supplies are estimated to be not too much. If there is a group of survivors there, they might see them hostile because of the virtue of not having enough for their own needs. And even if this is not the purpose of their expedition, these people will not take any chance too lightly.

So, when they arrived at the edge of the town, Alia was not surprised that they met some thugs who attacked them at first sight. The moment they were ambushed, the supernaturalists in their reflexes counterattacked. Prompting that episode short and possibly too anticlimactic.

“I think I killed something, not a zombie.” Said Billy, who had used the wind to slice the arm of their attacker. “Zombies, after all, do not scream when they are hit.”

“Well, those are indeed not undead,” Aila said nonchalantly. “I have reminded you all that the enemies nowadays do not limit the monsters our former fellow humans have become. The remaining humanity is both a friend and foe at this very moment.”

In a distance Aila could see a man holding over the remains of their severed limp. She could vaguely see one of them securing the other as they retreated to safety. A display that Aila greatly appreciated, as there were really too few people who would take the risk of rescuing their companions. She was more used to people using others as bait and shields to get away from trouble.

Seeing that they are more or less harmless, Aila commanded her people not to bother with them as long as they do not do anything more stupid against them. Judging from their look of helplessness, Aila knew that the bunch would not risk anything for now. Though the future is a different matter, Aila wants more people to live for now, to consider putting them to rest.

Aila has killed so many in the course of her decade-long survival in her second life. What she is imparting is something she has personally experienced and understood. Thus, she was more or less indifferent to the violence that typical people react towards people who try to harm them.

If, by chance in the future, these people do something drastic towards them(a distant future wherein someone would emerge in this group—someone powerful), Aila is confident to be able to handle them well. A savage confidence and pride she has hidden deep in her bones is telling her that these people will not trouble her and her loved ones, no matter what time or happens in the foreseeable future. The blood inside of her let her know that she would reign as a triumph no matter the enemy before her.

“The world is indeed so strange now.” Judith sighs as she tries her best not to see the mess Bill has made. “It was ironic just before all this had happened, everyone was clamoring for world peace and something trivial like an animal or for minority rights. Now everyone has lost their qualms about killing their fellow men.”

Billy shifted uncomfortably in his position as he had once tried to do something stupid that was more or less connected to killing others without mercy. Hearing someone about this topic has made them feel deep-rooted shame in him. And thankfully, he was stopped in time and is being reformed to the best version he could be.

“Let’s not talk about that now.” Aila said. “Let’s head deeper into the town, the number of zombies here should be less because of the existence of people here. There is no need for us to waste any more time here.”

Everyone followed her words and they casually harvested some zombies on the way. And for some reason Aila could feel a presence so familiar, yet so repulsive to her.