Bab 5: Just a Bad Dream
Dante's dream was vivid, almost too real to distinguish from reality. He found himself walking through a fog-drenched forest, the trees around him towering like twisted sentinels. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and the ground beneath his boots felt damp and unsteady. Ahead, shapes began to form—people he recognized. His companions.
Alicia, Frederick, and the others who had volunteered for the mission stood motionless, their faces pale and lifeless. Blood seeped from wounds that shouldn't be there, soaking the earth beneath them. Their eyes, glassy and vacant, stared into nothingness. Panic gripped Dante's chest as he called out to them, but no sound escaped his lips.
As he took a step closer, their bodies began to crumble into ash, carried away by the breeze like dust. The world around him started to collapse, and from somewhere in the distance, he heard a voice.
"Dante..."
It was faint at first, barely audible over the wind and the disintegrating landscape. He turned frantically, searching for the source.
"Dante…"
The voice called again, a bit louder this time. His pulse quickened, and sweat trickled down the side of his face. The world around him was falling apart, but the voice was persistent.
"Dante!"
This time, it was a shout, clear and piercing. His eyes flew open, and he jolted upright, his body drenched in sweat. His heart pounded in his chest, and his breathing was ragged.
Alicia was kneeling beside him, her hand resting on his shoulder, her eyes wide with concern. "Dante, are you alright?" she asked softly, her brow furrowed in worry. "You were thrashing around in your sleep, yelling... Are you sure you're okay?"
Dante wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still trying to shake off the remnants of the nightmare.
"Yeah," he muttered, his voice hoarse. "It's nothing. Just a bad dream."
Alicia didn't seem convinced but didn't press the issue.
"What time is it?" Dante asked, trying to distract himself from the lingering horror of what he had just seen.
Alicia glanced out the window, where the sky was still tinged with the faint hues of pre-dawn. "It's time," she said quietly. "We should go."
Dante nodded, pushing himself to his feet. He cast a glance around the camp, where most of the others were still asleep, curled under blankets or resting against makeshift walls. The fire had died down to embers, casting an eerie glow on the scene. The camp was peaceful, quiet, but the weight of his dream clung to him like a shroud.
Silently, Dante walked to the outskirts of the camp, where the makeshift kitchen was set up. A bucket of water sat beside a crumbling stone wall, and he knelt beside it, dipping a ladle in and bringing it to his lips. The cold water soothed his dry throat, but his mind was far from calm.
As he finished, he heard footsteps behind him. Alicia appeared, offering him a piece of dried meat. She wore light clothes—an old jacket and worn pants, with sturdy boots—and in her hand, she clutched a kitchen knife.
Dante looked at her, incredulous, raising an eyebrow.
"A knife?" he asked, half-amused, half-worried. "What are you planning to do with that?"
Alicia smirked, her eyes gleaming mischievously.
"It's a weapon, isn't it?" she said, twirling the knife between her fingers. "Who knows, I might save your life with this."
Dante couldn't help but chuckle, though the unease from his dream still gnawed at him.
"You're unbelievable," he muttered, shaking his head.
Alicia smiled and shrugged.
"Better than going out there empty-handed. Besides, I'm not going to let you take all the glory."
She took a bite of her own dried meat and glanced at the distant horizon where the first light of dawn began to break through.
"Come on, we've got work to do."
Dante took a deep breath, steeling himself for the mission ahead. He couldn't help but glance back at the camp, the quiet stillness of it a stark contrast to the chaotic battle that likely awaited them outside. The dream still lingered in the back of his mind, but he shoved it down, burying the fear with the focus on what lay ahead.
"Let's go," he said finally, gripping the strap of his pack.
As they walked together toward the meeting point with the others, Dante couldn't shake the gnawing feeling that this mission would be different, that something was waiting for them beyond the safety of the campfire's glow.
Dante and Alicia approached the camp's main gate, the worn wooden beams creaking slightly under the early morning chill. A few members of the team had already gathered, their faces lit by the faint light of dawn. Tension hung in the air as more arrived, including Frederick, who carried an old rifle slung over his shoulder.
Within a few minutes, the entire group was assembled—Alicia, Dante, and five others stood in a loose circle, awaiting Frederick's briefing. The air smelled of earth and the faint scent of smoke from the campfire. Frederick's gaze swept over them all, his sharp eyes betraying years of weariness.
From his coat pocket, Frederick pulled out two identical maps and handed them to Dante and another volunteer, a tall man named Samuel, who nodded in acknowledgment. The maps were crude but detailed, with rough sketches of the surrounding terrain and areas already scouted by previous expeditions. The path they were about to take was marked by a jagged red line that stretched beyond the explored zones, leading toward the unknown.
Frederick cleared his throat, speaking in a low, gravelly voice. "This point here," he said, jabbing his finger at a location near the far edge of the map, "we haven't been past it yet. Rumors say it was once a military base, long before the bombs dropped. If we're lucky, we might find some supplies… maybe even weapons."
His tone was heavy, laced with the unspoken threat that lingered over every word. Dante looked down at the map, tracing the red line with his eyes. The area was far, isolated, and likely dangerous, but the possibility of finding something valuable made the risk worth it.
Frederick continued, his voice quieter now, more personal.
"My team's going in a different direction. We're looking for somewhere to move the base. With the Annihilators getting closer every day, it's only a matter of time before they find us. Hell, for all we know, they already know we're here, and they're just waiting for the right moment to strike."
Dante's mind raced as he considered Frederick's words. In his last life, the Annihilators had never had a chance to attack. The real threat had come much sooner—mutants, grotesque and ravenous, had descended on the camp without warning. He had watched them tear through everything, leaving nothing but carnage in their wake. And now, he had been given a second chance, a slim window of time to prevent that catastrophe. By his count, he had two days before the mutants arrived. Two days to get supplies and return.
Frederick glanced around at the group.
"If we don't move soon, they'll come for us. But this mission, it's crucial. We need whatever's left in that base, whether it's food or ammo. We need every edge we can get."
Dante's hand tightened around the map as Frederick's words settled in. Alicia stood beside him, her expression focused, yet calm. He couldn't help but think back to the nightmare—the image of her standing among the dead, lifeless. He swallowed hard, pushing the thoughts aside.
"I'm trusting you all," Frederick said, his voice firm but tired. "Don't take any unnecessary risks. If it looks bad, you turn back. Understood?"
There was a collective murmur of agreement from the group. Dante exchanged a look with Alicia, her usual mischievous grin replaced with a more serious expression.
Frederick then added, "One more thing—watch each other's backs out there. And if you come across the Annihilators… you run. You hear me?"
Dante nodded, though deep down he wasn't sure he could follow that advice. If the Annihilators showed up, running might not be an option.
"Alright, let's move out," Frederick said, slinging his rifle over his shoulder and turning to head off in the opposite direction with his own team.
As the gate creaked open, the outside world felt colder, harsher. Dante cast one last look at the camp, at the flickering flames and the few souls left behind.
As the heavy gates groaned open, Dante and his group moved out into the decaying remnants of the city beyond. The sound of their footsteps was the only noise cutting through the eerie quiet of the deserted streets. Dante kept his head low, eyes scanning the ruins, but his thoughts were far from the crumbling buildings around them.
Alicia walked beside him, her knife casually resting in her hand as she glanced at him every so often. She had noticed the way he was acting—more withdrawn than usual, his eyes constantly darting as if expecting danger at every turn.
"What's going on with you?" Alicia finally asked, her voice a quiet murmur. "You've been off since we left. You can't keep something like this in. Not now."
Dante sighed, hesitating for a moment before answering, "I'm just... thinking."
But the truth was far more complicated. In reality, Dante's mind was consumed with thoughts of the coming storm—the mutants. He knew they were out there, waiting, lurking. And he had no idea how to stop them when they finally descended on the camp. Last time, everything had happened so quickly. They hadn't been ready, and they'd paid the price. Now he had a chance to change that, but the task felt insurmountable.
He couldn't move everyone from the camp in time. The elderly and the children—there was no way they could survive a fast evacuation. They needed more time. Time to gather their things, to find somewhere safe, and to escape before the mutants arrived.
But time was something they didn't have.
What they needed was a way to fight back. Dante's gaze dropped to the map Frederick had handed him. The military base marked on the map was their best hope. If they could find weapons there—anything, really—it could buy them enough time to make a stand. The first wave of mutants, he remembered, were tough but manageable. A few well-placed shots and a strong enough group could take one down. But after that… the real horrors began.
They wouldn't be able to win a prolonged battle. They didn't have the numbers or the firepower. What they needed was a way to hold out—at least long enough for the systems to initialize. Dante clenched his jaw, determination setting in. He had to make sure they were prepared for when the real chaos began.
He glanced at Alicia, who was walking silently beside him. Her presence grounded him in the moment, a reminder of what was at stake. The last time she had volunteered for this mission, she hadn't returned. This time, he wouldn't let that happen. He would make sure she survived. He had to.
Dante's thoughts kept circling back to the mutants. Even with the knowledge he had, it still felt like an impossible situation. He knew their patterns, their weaknesses, but that didn't change the fact that they were relentless, powerful creatures. Without weapons, without a solid plan, the camp wouldn't stand a chance.
Alicia's voice broke through his thoughts.
"You're doing it again," she said, giving him a sideways glance.
"Doing what?"
"Thinking too much," she replied with a small smile. "We've got enough to worry about without you overloading your brain. You're not alone in this, you know."
Dante chuckled softly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, I know. Just trying to figure out how we're going to pull this off."
Alicia nodded, her expression serious now. "We'll figure it out. We always do."
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Victorie3
Victorie3 Hey everyone! :)
I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for reading the fifth chapter of this story. It means the world to me to know you're following Dante, Alicia, and their journey through this unpredictable and dangerous world. Writing these characters has been such a ride, and I'm so glad you're here to experience it with me.
Things are starting to get intense, and there's still so much more to come. I can't wait to share the next chapter with you—there are twists, turns, and maybe a few surprises waiting!
Thanks again for your support, and feel free to share your thoughts, theories, or just a quick hello. It keeps me going! See you in the next chapter.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
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