Lagos City, Nigeria
Year 2500
The atmosphere was thick and morbid, almost unbreathable. The skyscrapers were run down; the streets were torn and filled with destroyed vehicles and wreckage, as if World War 3 had taken place.
Numerous skeletons and skulls lay on the ground. The stench of blood and rotting corpses added to the morbid atmosphere.
It was an apocalypse.
Mutated vultures and crows feasted on the corpses like it was a morning breakfast.
The aura of death filled everywhere.
It was silent, yet filled with regrets from lost souls. It was also so lonely that anyone who dared walk this place alone would be doomed to mental insanity.
Suddenly, a group of silhouettes were seen traveling on the lone street of the Lekki–Epe Express Road.
Gradually, their figures started to take shape. One could see they all had masks on their faces; clearly, they knew the atmosphere was not all that safe.
They had advanced guns and basic clothing on their bodies, all filled with blood.
Their faces were sharp and filled with the will to survive. Obviously, they had faced hardship and torment ever since the apocalypse began. They were eight in number, and a mini tank, possibly from 100 years back, was seen driven by them—some were in the tank while most were walking on foot.
At the front was their leader. He had black hair styled to resemble a type of hairstyle popular in the streets—dread. But his was shabby and lacked care.
His eyes, on the other hand, were different from the rest. His, for some reason, were blue. He was also of medium height and had a thick build.
"Awakened Olamide, this place is filled with thick mana of death. I am afraid we have entered the deepest part of the Red Zone. This place hasn't been explored ever since the war between the Awakened, the mutated beasts, and zombies," a girl with long hair and pretty eyes said.
Her name was Nancy, Awakened Olamide's personal assistant. She was responsible for the management of supplies and other relevant matters that Olamide had less time to attend to.
"I know, but we must push forward. You of all people should know the supplies we have now won't last three months," a calm and bold voice full of authority said.
Saddened by the situation, Nancy nodded. "But isn't this going too far? We haven't explored this place in two years, and it's unknown which danger lurks here," Nancy said in a low voice.
The others looked at Olamide with sad expressions; clearly, they understood the situation.
"It can't be helped. We are already at the brink of extinction. If not for the Awakened, I am afraid humanity would have been wiped out long ago," Olamide sighed.
But still, humans were mostly the reason for their extinction.
Following Awakened Olamide's order, the group known as the Crows Group followed him deeper into the Red Zone.
The Crows Group was primarily founded by Olamide. It was a shelter at the far side of Lagos City, in the middle of a forest.
In the past, Lagos State was filled with a population of 17 million people, but now it had turned into a city of chaos and death.
Among the Crows Group, only three people, including Olamide, were Awakened. There were six men and two women.
Only the men were Awakened, while the rest were mundane (ordinary).
Three hours passed, and the group still pressed on in the streets. They were still on the Lekki Expressway, and their target was the shopping mall named Shoprite.
"Hmm, this place is quieter than usual. Normally, we would have been overrun by zombies or at least a mutant beast," Olamide thought. Something was wrong.
This place was a Red Zone, so normally there should be danger.
They were soon nearing their target. It was said there were two years of supplies in this particular store; that was why they were willing to risk everything.
"We are approaching the target. Crows, prepare your gear," Olamide said.
It was just a few blocks away. The surroundings were war-torn and destroyed, but about a ten-yard radius from the mall, it was unexpectedly clean.
Olamide drew his double daggers, each tied with a chain. It was a relic that emitted evil mana.
Slowly, the group drew near the mall.
Entering the clear space, an ominous scent filled the air. Olamide and the rest knew danger lurked here.
"To your leeeeefft!" the man mounted on the armored tank pointed the machine gun towards the left as he sprayed it with bullets.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
The others immediately drew back. "Fuck, that was close!" Olamide shouted.
The bullets the man was firing did little to no harm.
Three men, including Olamide, flew to the beast's front.
A beast with pale skin, rat hair, and large mandibles stood like a human, blurring like a shadow.
Riiipppp
It hit the machine gun, bending and ripping it from the armored truck.
Slash.
The beast sliced, and the man's head came off.
"Fuck, a Grade 4 mutated rat!" Nancy shouted as she and the other female, Jennifer, hid behind the men.
Olamide and the other two men, Yusuf and Demi, charged at the beast.
Groooooaaaaaaassrrrrrrrr!
It shouted as saliva and blood spurted out of its wide-opened mouth.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
They immediately engaged the beast in battle. The mutated rat used its huge claws to defend itself against the three relics.
Demi wielded a spear, and Yusuf wielded a katana.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The beast was fast as it parried the three fighters' attacks.
Zing! Slash!
Performing his martial arts technique, the Eight Trigram Technique, Olamide sliced one of the mutated beast's arms.
Groarrr!
The beast groaned in pain as the dagger sliced clean through.
Infuriated, the beast charged at Olamide.
Booooom!
Flying like an arrow toward Olamide, Yusuf used his body to smash the beast hard until it hit a wrecked bus.
Immediately, Demi and Olamide rushed forward and pinned the beast to the bus, giving Yusuf an opening to land a hit.
Manipulating mana, Yusuf transformed half of his body into rock as he charged.
"Take my most powerful attack, rat!" Yusuf shouted with anger as he struck the mutated rat's head.
BOOOOM!
It shattered as a yellow, stony object flew out.
"Ah… ahahah…" Yusuf collapsed on the ground as he sobbed.
Obviously, he was pained by the man this beast slaughtered. It was his father.
"I told him not to follow," Yusuf sobbed.
Olamide came near him and placed a hand on his back.
"It's okay. At least he got what he wished for," Olamide said sadly.
"Yes. He died fighting a threat to humanity, just as he wished," Yusuf steadied himself as he stood up and cleaned his face.
"We've slaughtered the beast. This place must have been its territory," Olamide said.
"The place has been cleared of beasts. Let's pack supplies before more danger arrives," Nancy said hurriedly.
Everyone nodded as they rushed into the mall. Upon seeing the abundant supplies, they were filled with joy as they began packing.
The three Awakened went around the building looking for any danger.
"I am sorry for your loss, Yusuf," Demi said in a low tone.
"Thank you," Yusuf replied heavily. By this, one could tell the close bond between him and his father. In fact, everyone knew, so they felt deep sorrow.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Two hours passed, and the Awakened were still searching for danger. The mall was huge, so scanning everywhere took time.
"Ah, thank God. With this much supply, the shelter can last for at least two years," Yusuf said, his mood lightened.
"Yes, I just pray the storage relic we brought is big enough to hold all the supplies," Demi said, smiling.
"Yes, it will. In fact, the space is about the size of three football pitches, so be rest assured," Olamide said.
Olamide was communicating with the supply team from time to time through the walkie-talkie, so he knew they were not short on storage.
After walking for a while, the trio stumbled upon a massive black hole in the ground. It was located at the far end of the mall near the generator house.
It was about 100 meters in radius and emitted a rotting stench.
Surrounding it were dead corpses of different times—some were fresh with blood still on them, while some were old and turning to bone.
"Look… Yusuf… isn't that your dad's corpse?" Demi stared in horror.
"..." Yusuf was stupefied.
"But… how?" Olamide was horrified too.
How did the body teleport from the mall gate to the back of the mall? There were no signs of danger when they were checking.
"Scavengers, this is Crows One. Do you copy?" Olamide called through his walkie-talkie.
"Chhhhhhh." Dead silence.
"What? It must be the signal. Try again—increase the bandwidth," Yusuf said frantically.
Olamide obeyed and called again.
"Scavengers, this is Crows One. Do you copy?"
"Chhhhh… aghhhhhhh! Help! We are going to die!"
Horror filled the atmosphere. They had made a mistake.
"No, it's not possible. We killed the boss," Demi trembled.
Groooooooaaaaassaar!
A loud roar came from the black hole. It was so chilling that the trio sniffed death.
"Everyone, fall back!" Olamide shouted.
BOOOM!
They sprinted with speed that surpassed human ability.
"No, no, no! We've made a terrible mistake!" Yusuf cried while running.
Booooooooooom!
A massive explosion rang out behind them.
Looking back, Olamide spotted two arms emerging from the black hole. They were so long they spanned over 50 meters.
"Fuck."