Stronghold In The Apocalypse

Chapter 38: Recruit, Elite Warrior!

"Ughh" the man woke up but then suddenly held his head as he felt groggy and felt his body screaming in pain.

The hardly stood up from the floor but then he looked down on his body and noticed that his injuries had already healed which brought great shocked to him.

"How..?" he was utterly confused as he remembered that his body was full of minor and heavy injuries that could kill him 'How?' he kept asking that question within his mind over and over again as he gazed at his now scarred body.

Then suddenly alarm bells started ringing inside is head as he immediately backed up on the wall as he raised his weapon in front of him with shivering hands.

What he saw in front of him was a young handsome blonde haired man around early or mid twenties with an undercut hairstyle.He has deep blue eyes like the reflection of the sky at the sea, wearing just a simple black plain shirt and a denim pants and looking at him with a kind and friendly smile except...that he's pointing a gun at him.

"Who are you?" he said in broken words as he felt painful with his parched mouth along with his aching and weak body that he's barely standing up while holding his broken katana.

*****

Leo smiled at his question and returned the his question back at him "Who are you?" he said as he gestured with his rifle on his hand.

The man grinded his teeth in frustration while thinking 'Damnable brat, If I wasn't feeling so weak right now I would have killed you. I could even dodge bullets within this distance!' he thought with anger as his mouth was twitching like crazy.

"Oi, Old man, let me guess. You're a personal bodyguard of one of the royals, right? Or maybe Her Majesty herself?" Leo said, the man did not react first but when the man heard him mentioning about the Queen, a vein popped out on his head and looked at him with hostility and looked at Leo with rage as he said in gritted teeth "What did you do to Her Majesty!?" he said about to charge at Leo but sadly he immediately on one knee as he started coughing.

Cough! Cough!

"Don't look at me like that Old man. I didn't do anything to them but I did see them escaping from here" Leo said smiling while shaking his left hand with his palms showing towards the man in front of him, like he was denying something when he saw the wrathful look of the man directed at him.

Leo actually got nervous inside him when he saw that the man wanted to attack him and he was even about to pull the trigger to kill him. Fortunately the man is so weak right now due to him losing a lot of his blood, which made him sighed in relief inside.

"Hey Old Man!"

"Stop calling me old! I have a name, alright? Caleb *Cough* " Caleb tried to shout at him but his voice was like he was gurgling on some water and he started coughing hard.

"Relax. I helped you from dying by helping you heal your wounds. Now, how are you gonna pay me back?" Leo said with a very serious tone.

"Hmmp! Don't think that just because you helped me that I owe you a favor. I never asked you to help me, you did it on your own accord" Caleb snorted as he leaned on the wall taking some small rest.

"Also I'm her majesty's personal knight. I won't join you if you want me to join" Caleb said as he already realized that this man was probably watching his fight earlier and probably wanted to recruit him because of his skills.

"It seems you already found out huh? Yes, I want you to join me. Back at my camp there are already survivors living peaceful without fearing for their lives from the monsters that wants to devour them"

"Don't reject it right away. Yes, you "were" a knight but now you're not, the moment that you decided to hold off that monster earlier, your companions even your so called her majesty already deemed you as a dead person. Having the ability to kill a powerful monster and If.. I was your master, I would have asked you to escape with us while trying to hold the monster at bay. After all, the bodyguards of the other royalties would have at least some skills to hold their ground against "it", right? But right now, you're just another survivor who has some abilities, no more as a knight. The person whom you've sworn to protect had already left you behind. In her eyes, you're already a dead man.That's why your duties is already over" Leo said carefully, trying to convince him while telling him some facts.

"Carefully think about it. If you reject me again and leave you behind with your current conditions then you will truly die if another mutated beast discovers you here. Giving new a lease in life would be truly a waster now, isn't it?" Leo felt like the devil himself trying to tempt a naive human to accept a deal with him.

Hearing his long talk, Caleb couldn't help but helplessly sigh inside because Leo already pointed some cold hard facts. He was truly disappointed, when the person whom he sworn to protect didn't even hesitate to leave him behind. After all, he was the commander of the shadow knights and his title is already the testament that he was the best of the best of among the others but he couldn't just accept it but now hearing what Leo said also made him felt relaxed like a heavy burden was just lifted off from his shoulders.

Caleb looked down on the bloodied floor, smiling as he thought "He's right. I'm no more of a knight but just another warrior and another survivor is this apocalyptic world and I will survive!" he clenched his fist with determination as he had already decided.

Caleb looked up to Leo and said "I will join you to repay you from saving me but I won't do anything that challenges my bottom line like killing innocent people and doing some atrocities"

Leo rolled his eyes and said with a laugh "I'm not a crazy lunatic that would do those!"

Leo smiled as he stood up and walked towards him, stopping just a fair distance away and said cheerfully "Caleb, Welcome to Earth Federation!" Leo said laughing a lot when he mentioned the lame name of his group that he just copied from an anime.

"What? I didn't know that there is a group with a lame name like that?" Caleb looked at him surprised.

"I just..made it...right now" Leo said looking at him with a wide smile.

Then both looked at each other for a few moments before bursting into a laugh mixed with coughing sounds.

"Alright, I still haven't introduced myself. I'm Leo, Leo Wood. The leader and also commander in chief of my camp and a man of your skills is gladly welcomed" Leo said as he helped Caleb up from the floor.

Caleb's smile this time was just like a hawk freed from its cages that confines him and he said to Leo "Thank you for saving me, Si-"

"Call me Boss from now on" Leo cut him off and pointed at the clothes that he prepared earlier "Go and get changed immediately, then follow me after that. I'll let you meet one of my men"

"Right" Caleb felt embarrassed when he finally noticed that his suit is now in total mess as he slowly went and picked up the clothes and went to get change.

Leo smiled as he took out an orange, a couple of grape fruits and a carton of cold chocolate milk drink.

A few moments later, Caleb came out wearing a black pants, a pair of black shoes, a white t-shirt and a long black leather jacket almost reaching his knees.

When Leo saw his new outfit, he laughed out loud and gave him a thumbs up and said "Now, you look like character from an anime. Too bad, your sword is already destroyed"

"Come on, Here, eat it immediately and after that we'll leave immediately less this place got totally surrounded" Leo said as handed him the fruits and drink which Caleb didn't even hesitate to get it as he immediately started devouring all of it as he truly felt famished right now.

Leo smiled and didn't say anything before he walked over towards a nearby window and looked outside.

What he saw outside was zombies everywhere wandering around aimlessly, like the place was hosting a party with how numerous they are outside.

"Good thing this place is soundproof and the collapsed wall that I came in from is further away from or they would have already heard all the commotions inside here.

Leo then closed the curtains and looked at Caleb who already finished eating his food and taking a short rest with closed eyes.

"Come on, let's go" Leo said as he passed by him.

Caleb opened his eyes as he stood up slowly following behind him, still feeling a bit weak but he was already feeling that his was body was slowly recovering from its lost of energy. He was also fidgeting around with his clothes as he wasn't use to wearing something like these and would have preferred a suit. Fortunately, there isn't one around.

Both men are walking along the hallway, the same route where the royal family escaped from but Leo wasn't planning to follow them. Instead he was going to where Alex is, who already found the entrance of the rumored treasure vault.