Apocalypse: The Ice King Returned

Chapter 14: Pig Village

Luther found a map in his backpack and he looked around the street they were on, trying to figure out where they were. Constance stood behind him and looked over his shoulder. He pointed somewhere on the map, "Here we are, and the closest place we can take shelter is Pig Village. We can rest there for the night.”

They walked for a short while until they arrived at Pig Village. It was very quiet, and the houses all seemed to be built differently. There were no smells of dinner being made, no voices to be heard. It was as if something swept everything away from the area. It was almost completely silent.

A rotten smell wafted through the village as if it were warning visitors of the virus that spread there.

Luther pondered silently before informing his sister, "I don’t think there’s any danger here, it’s just empty. It seems there should be more infected people but I’m not sure there’s anyone here."

Constance nodded, "There must have been some people here. Maybe something led the zombies away?”

"It’s possible. Either way, we need to find a place to spend the night." Luther replied, picking up the backpack and heading into the village. 

Constance followed close behind him.

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In a hidden forest in the distance, there was a fat man with a toothpick hanging from his mouth. A pig three times fatter than him stood at his side. A skinny, bearded man in leather clothes was nearby but kept his distance from the pig.

He swallowed with a dry mouth, and flashed a nervous smile, ready to approach the much larger man. Just as he took his first step, the pig snarled loudly, its slobber dripping from its lips. It stomped its leg in a territorial way, not wanting the bearded man anywhere near it.

The bearded man was afraid, and his body trembled. His legs felt as if they were made of jelly and he wasn’t sure he could muster the courage to come closer.

The fat man patted the pig’s head and commended it, "Good boy! But he doesn’t have enough meat. Don’t worry, we’ll get you something tasty to eat later."

The skinny guy was frightened and said, "You’re right, I wouldn’t taste nearly as good as those two visitors headed our way.” He pointed to the street.

The fat man turned his head and saw Luther and Constance, who was walking the other direction. "Yeah, that’s more like it. Tonight is going to be a lot of fun for us. Well done. How do you want me to reward you for it?"

"Oh, no I couldn’t ask for a reward, I’m doing it as a favor." The skinny guy said. He thought for a moment before speaking further, "But…I think it would be nice for me to have some female companionship. So maybe if you don’t mind sparing your schoolgirl for me, at least for a little while…”

The fat man c****d his head, and the man suddenly felt a chill run up his spine in fear. He regretted asking this favor, knowing the fat man had had s*x with the schoolgirl before.

But the fat man's reply perked up his ears in excitement.

"I didn’t realize you’d be interested in that sort of thing. But it’s a fair request. She’s yours." The fat man smiled wickedly and continued, "Don't worry. Serve me well, and I’ll take good care of you."

"Thank you, thank you, Sir. I’ll remember to serve you the best I can." 

Luther and Constance entered the village at twilight. Luther found a bungalow nearby with a cement structure and a metal door. It was built on a solid foundation.

Luther took copper wire from his pocket and twisted it a few times. He inserted it into the lock and turned it, opening the metal door.

Constance looked at her brother in shock. She never knew her brother could pick a lock. But she knew that she was going to learn not to underestimate him anymore.

Besides his whole physical appearance, his character had changed as well. His enthusiasm had been buried, and he was cold. Was her brother changing completely because of doomsday, or because of his powers?

It couldn’t be from doomsday; she’s been going through the same thing as him. She was also an Erazer. But she continued to trust him. 

Luther, who are you turning into?

Luther didn’t know the things Constance thought about him. After he pushed the door open, he peeked inside. It was very dark in the house, and just as silent. But he was watchful knowing it could still be dangerous.

Luther stepped inside and softly called out, "Hello?" He was baiting any zombies that may have been hiding in the dark, knowing they’d come running if they heard his voice. Luther sighed. He was now even more worried of the remaining survivors than the infected ones. The living knew how to lurk, how to wait patiently. They could attack when he least expected it.

Even a mutant would have jumped out at the sound of his voice. They would have attacked as soon as he opened the door. Mutant creatures were dozens of times more sensitive to smell than humans and zombies.

They stood in the doorframe for a while, but there was no response to his call. Luther motioned for  Constance to stay still as he stepped into the house. After sweeping through the rooms to search for anyone else, he came back to the front door. “The coast is clear. You can stay here until I get back.” 

"Where are you going?" Constance looked worried. 

Luther smiled, "To go look for food and medicine. This is a large village, there must be some sort of medical center here." 

Constance wanted to say something but Luther interrupted. "Don't worry, I’m not going to just leave you here. Remember not to open the door for anyone. Don’t pity them if they beg, just stay put."

Luther nodded to her, then left.

As he was outside, he had become impossible to see. This was an assassin’s skill he learned a long time ago. His power of invisibility.

During doomsday, in addition to having a special power like invisibility, there were three properties in the natural system that could achieve this. They were light, dark, and water invisibility.

What Luther used was the water invisibility. A certain amount of water molecules needed to be mobilized to cover his entire body so it could mimic the surrounding scenery, giving the effect of invisibility. When Luther gained his water power, he had been practicing his invisibility until now, but his power was never strong enough to succeed. He was now stronger and much more proficient. As he tried it again, he was pleasantly surprised to see that he could cover his entire body now.

Although this skill was useless against beasts and zombies because of their sense of smell, it was perfect to keep safe from other humans.

Of course, Luther still wasn’t very skilled at this power, yet. He had been distracted every time he tried it, and he never had enough energy for it. But now he was rested, and alone.

Luther sighed. As hard as he tried, his power level was not high enough. 

Instead of pondering on this, he gave himself time to gain back his strength and energy as he explored the small village.

As he carried on, he noticed many houses and stores broken into with a large hole in the center of the door. Judging by the size and force that was needed to break in, he concluded that it must have come from a mutated beast. 

Luther stepped inside a store to investigate further and found that anywhere that had been broken into this way reeked of blood and the interior of the building had been destroyed. He also noticed that the food had all been taken.