Stronghold In The Apocalypse

Chapter 23: Worries

Stronghold Camp, United Kingdom. Six minutes earlier.

It was pretty peaceful inside the camp and with the protection of the walls, they felt very safe.

Everyone is doing chores assigned to them by Leo's mom, she practically took the temporary role of a leader in her son's absence.

Inside the Kitchen of Main Hall, Amanda and Michelle are discussing something in low voices.

"Do you think Leo and the others will be fine?" Amanda asked Michelle as both of them prepared food for dinner later. Fortunately, even though both of them are fashionista. They at least know how to prepare food even before all of these zombies epidemic happened.

"I'm not really worried about Leo, you already saw how he easily destroyed those 'things'. What I'm worried about is my dad instead, he's already old now. I hope nothing happens to him" Michelle said in a worried tone.

"Uncle Tom is still strong despite his age so cheer up and with Leo there, I'm pretty sure that he won't let them get into harm's way" Amanda smiled as she Michelle's back trying to comfort him.

"Is my brother really that good at fighting those zombies?" suddenly a woman's voice sounded behind them which made both women startled.

"Ah! Aria! We have told you this many times already but yes your brother is really great and valiant and with his cool looking armor. He looks like a knight that came from the distant future" Amanda said to her with shining eyes, with a face of infatuation and full of love while Michelle repeatedly nodded on the side, who also had the same expression like Amanda.

Watching the expression of both these women who certainly fell into the abyss of love made Aria's beautiful face twitch with a dark look. After all, Amanda and her group just appeared out of nowhere from a portal that suddenly appeared in the middle of the stronghold which shocked her and her parents, especially when they saw people coming out from it and when they asked who they are. They were shocked to find out that they actually came from the distant US and was sent here by Leo through a device they called Portal Stone.

The first meeting made the two groups vigilant with each other especially when Amanda and the rest saw the rifle being always carried around by Leo's father but because they were pretty much the only people around, they really didn't have any choice as they slowly got to know each other especially when talks about Leo is being discuss and in next to no time, the awkwardness around them slowly disappeared especially the three mothers as they got along with each other so fast.

Aria was just about to open her mouth when they suddenly heard a commotion outside. The three girls looked at each other before they dropped everything they were doing and hastily ran outside.

They just left the Main Hall but immediately saw a portal appearing in the middle of a vacant land in the middle of the camp with the rest of the group already in there in addition of Tom and the three brothers along with Laura and her little daughter.

The eyes of the three girls immediately lit up when they saw the portal appeared.

"Leo and the others are finally coming!" Michelle shouted and excitedly ran towards it while the two girls followed suit.

"Dad! "Brothers!"

"Amanda!" "Michelle!"

They hugged each other with smile on their faces, relieved that their families are all safe and sound. Then Amanda noticed the mother and daughter and asked "Who are they?"

Tom was the one who answered her and said "Look Michelle! This little one here has the same name as you and this lady here is her Mom, Laura and this is Austin who...wait where's Austin?" Tom looked around and didn't saw Austin with them.

"And Boss isn't here too!" "They are still back there!"

"Wait! What happened to my son!?" This time, Leo's mother, Rachel ran up to them and shouted as she held Tom's collar with an angry look.

"This." Tom was shocked as he wasn't expecting someone to treat him like that and was about to berate her but then nervously gulped down when he saw Leo's walking towards them with a rifle in hand with a face, like he was giving Tom a warning.

The rest of the group just looked on confused and didn't know what to say as they didn't expect that Rachel was this overbearing when she's angry, especially the latest addition to the group as they just arrived here and doesn't know who was in charge.

"Auntie! Mom! Calm down and let him/uncle talk" Amanda and Aria immediately went forward and pulled Rachel away from Tom.

Rachel didn't resist them and forcefully calmed herself and look at Tom menacingly and said to him in a very "calm" tone. "Speak, why is my son still here yet!?". The others also looked at Tom who was already beside his wife, especially Laura who would glance at the portal from time to time seriously worried about her husband.

Tom is already very experienced in life but being stared at by this many pair of eyes made him nervous and carefully looked at the three brothers who was whispering about something while looking at Rachel which made his mouth twitch "These three idiots!...." he thought and took a deep breath and said "All of us were about to go back here but suddenly the gate the keeps the zombies at bay suddenly collapsed when Leo...." while Tom was telling them about what happened earlier back at US.

On the side of the three brothers.

They were actually not paying much attention about what's happening in front of them and instead discussing something in low voices.

"Hey, Leo and that lady over there looks so much alike, is she his mother?" Michael said to Joe and Josh in a low voice.

"Yeah, she just said "my son". Damn, she just grab Tom's collar up. How doomering!" Josh said carefully.

"Uhmm..Leo probably got his doomineering genes from her mom. I still remember how Leo forced us to fight those groups Zombies earlier this morning and still makes me shudder in fear just remembering all of it" Joe said as his shuddered like he just suddenly remembered something unpleasant.

Both Michael and Josh nodded repeatedly with arms crossed while wearing a dark look.

"But could some mishap happened back there? I'm not really that much worried about Boss though as he can surely take care of himself but what I'm worried about is Austin instead, even though his a soldier but he doesn't have the same means of protecting himself like Boss and we don't need to guess that our place is probably crawling with those bastard right now" Michael said in a low voice that they can only hear.

His two brothers also agreed and they stopped talking and just looked at the portal with serious expressions and at the same time, Tom also finished telling them what happened as he wiped his sweat in relief, that Rachel didn't blame them for leaving his son back there while they themselve are safe. Of course, Tom and the rest three brothers also felt guilty about leaving Leo and Austin back there that their fist already turned pale from being clenched so tight, angry that they can't go back and help them because they already saw Laura trying to go back by herself but sadly it seems that there's like an invisible barrier preventing her from going back.

Rachel, Aria, Amanda and Michelle, has their eyes turned red even Aria cried earlier when she heard that her brother is probably fighting for his life right now against a swarm of zombies. Rachel also shed tears earlier. After all, no matter how domineering of a woman she is, she is also a woman and a mother, and mothers can't help but always worry about their children while Henry hugged his wife by her shoulder as he would whisper comforting words at her.

"Dammit! There's only less than a minute left before the portal closes! What's keeping them so close!?" Josh yelled as he stomped the ground in anger as he wasn't able to keep himself back due to the stifling silence even Laura is already crying on the corner with her daughter Michelle also crying besides her while Michelle and Amanda went to comfort both the mother and daughter pair with their eyes are also on the verge of tears.

Unfortunately for this them, they weren't able to know or see what currently going on on the other side because if they see how Leo made a slaughter at those of swarm of zombies like a predator feasting on his preys, they probably wouldn't be like this, gloomy, worried, in tears and some already in despair.

They would instead be slack jawed in shocked watching the scene of Leo's showing his tyrannical abilities while their blood would boil in excitement just from watching it!