บท 25: Chapter 25: It wasn't a Misunderstanding

"Guys…it's all a misunderstanding," Henry spoke, his voice trembling slightly, betraying his nervousness. He didn't entertain the thought of moving from his current position lest he somehow became the target of attack. Noah was in the same predicament, but he knew for certain that blood would be spilt if he were to make any sudden moves when the false implications hadn't been addressed, zombie or not. Even though the opposing group could now tell that Noah is most likely not a zombie, it didn't minimize any of the tension between them; especially considering Noah's current appearance and demeanor.

He coldly stared each one of them down, his empty eyes barely settling on each one for more than a few seconds. Those brief lapses of seconds gave rise to an unsettling sensation in their hearts; their sense of danger cried that something wasn't right, while the source of that danger didn't match the terror that they were being induced to.

Noah paid no heed to what his lack of decorum gave rise to as he first took notice of the one who could possibly be the one called Ken, the one he gathered to be the leader during the earlier conversations. He wasn't hard to spot since he was the one leading the group as the other two gravitated behind him. Not to mention that he recalled Ken prompting the two to follow him.

Backtracking his gaze once more, Noah took note of Ken's physique, which at this point in time could still be considered a good representation of someone's strength. He knew that in the future it would be redundant to presume someone's strength based solely on their appearance since, as of now, stats didn't reflect on one's image.

Ken didn't appear to possess a muscular physique, although he could be said to have a solid build, most likely from his genetics. With short brown hair and a full, neatly trimmed beard, he appeared very mature, a description that meant little in Noah's eyes. What he really cared about was only their physique and what weapons they wielded.

That brought his attention to the two alongside him. Their appearance was that of delinquents; obviously, they were Ken's muscles, or a better term would be lackeys. One would question how people of such low standing could make it through college, especially one of good quality as the one they were in. However, education is an illusion in the face of money; money could do anything for the right price.

Returning back to the two questionable characters, Noah wasn't able to differentiate which person was Dave or Phil, granted he didn't put much effort into matching a name to a face. All he took in was that one was tall and overweight while the other was short, well-built, and held a slight domineering presence.

After assessing the first issue of the opposing danger, he then observed their weapons. Ken wielded a two-handed battle axe; even though he still had to hold it with two hands, he didn't appear to be struggling with its weight, which Noah took account of. He could only assume that Ken managed to level up at least once or twice while dividing points into his strength.

The shorter figure of the three, coincidentally also wielded an axe, but unlike Ken, he held two one-handed battle axes. His stance exuded confidence, each muscle was already tense, ready for combat. His attitude and combative gaze instilled a certain image in Noah's mind; he couldn't help but assume the person's build path, a fact he knew couldn't be trusted. This wasn't a game; there weren't any rules that enslaved oneself to follow a certain path. And for all Noah knew, the people confronting him could also be stupid. Being able to use magic is tempting; who knows if they wasted their points early on, investing their points into their magic without having an ability to exploit it.

Lastly, he looked upon the bigger guy of the bunch. His eyes became suspicious when viewing the figure's choice of weapons. The most common monster they have all been fighting lately were zombies, while the weapon the guy chose to use were two metallic gloves, fitted with an extra metal layer around the knuckles. It would either take a special kind of stupid or someone with some ability to choose to embrace such weapons while making it this far.

A dangerous glint shone in his eyes while eyeing their weapons; he felt reluctant. He wished that they would try to attack him so he could increase his stash of weapons, yet at the same time, he wasn't sure if he could take them on at once. One, he couldn't be sure what level they were on, and two, there was always the chance that one of the three obtained a unique skill, a skill as deadly as the one Derrick had obtained.

However, even though he knew that there's a chance he couldn't take them on, that didn't mean he would go without a fight. Death didn't scare him; it never did. But now he had something he wanted to live for, and he didn't want to lose that chance to experience it.

As he observed the three, he chose to stay quiet, his attention shifting to Henry, silently urging him to take charge and resolve the issue. While he was waiting, he channeled his soul to his spider to stir it awake, readying it for a potential fight. The air was thick with anticipation for violence, Henry in the middle had to share the brunt of it all from both sides.

"Guys…it's all a misunderstanding. When me and Zack went to check on the situation, we couldn't see properly and got caught up in the moment. Look for yourself, he's definitely not a zombie, he just wants to take shelter here for a little while." Henry tried to be the voice of reason. Noah watched intently, hoping Henry's explanation could diffuse the tension. Yet beneath his hopeful thoughts, he remained vigilant, ready to act if the need rose.

After Henry spoke, he waited for the others to respond. He saw the three look towards one another before all three simultaneously looked towards Zack, who still stood on the next floor. He instinctively shrieked before attempting to cower away from their line of sight.

The cringed action was enough to deter their attention away, but they still needed to address Henry. Before that, they cast one last questioning look over to Noah. You would think that it should be easy to tell a human and a zombie apart, but when they observed his appearance once more, even they believed that it made sense as to why Zack mistook him as such. They all killed zombies too, each of them got a taste of the show of blood. And yet Noah's appearance was as if he bathed in it.

It was logical why they would be wary; fear was instinctive when it came to the unknown. However, that fear wasn't enough to curb the trio's aggression. He was still alone, and the only weapon he wielded was a miniature mallet. They didn't have to have a conflict with him, but Ken also wasn't worried if the conversation led to them conflicting with each other either.

"I see, I see…well, we wouldn't mind anyone staying here…but there's a couple of things that we need to cover. First, you need to pay up if you want to stay here, and I don't mean money, I'm talking about the gold, you should know what I'm talking about. Second, I was told that you broke through one of the windows to get in here, and you also let in a beast. You've basically endangered us for future attacks now, as well as potentially letting a dangerous creature inside that could've harmed us if you couldn't put it down.

I think we deserve some kind of compensation, don't you think? And I don't mean just gold…I want whatever it dropped."

A fake smile generated on Ken's scheming face, soon after, his two followers also wore the same expression of a smile. Noah was sure that this group did these things before the apocalypse.

Thankfully, he planned ahead; his spider was now conscious of what was going on. It wasn't able to perceive what was happening visually, but its owner's combative and bloodlust feelings were enough to ensure that something was wrong.

The tense atmosphere was a tall tell that a fight was gonna occur. Noah's internal excitement for violence was evident; he was already desperate for weapons, and this confrontation would be just what he needed. But he also had to be sure of one thing.

"And what will you do if I say no?" His eyes narrowed as he asked the most important question.

He didn't mind teaching them a lesson and taking their belongings since they were also trying to do the same thing to him.

However, what Noah needed to know the most was, would they stoop low enough to want to kill to get what belongs to him? 'An eye for an eye, tooth for tooth' Noah was particular when it came to this verse. He always wanted for others to feel the suffering that they put him through, and now he can just do it himself.

After voicing his question, silence soon followed. The smiles on two of the group members' faces, including Ken's, turned into a scowl while the shorter member's smile became one of excitement and eagerness. His smile signaled a warning to Noah that this may not be the first time that they've experienced a similar situation. He didn't have to imagine too much about what that smile signified.

While the four stared each other down, there was still one person who wasn't a part of this staring contest, yet he was the most affected.

Henry's eyes quickly darted back and forth between the two opposing groups. He didn't want to be a part of what was happening. If they ended up confronting one another, he would also become caught up in the crossfire. He wanted to leave and just become a bystander, but whoever drove away the other would surely take out their frustrations on him afterwards, wouldn't they?

Although Henry understood he had to choose a side, he didn't have the courage to do so. Noah was able to kill that dog-like creature by himself. And his group…Well, he's seen what happened to the last group that declined their "tax" to stay here. He still regrets being a part of their group ever since then. Everything happened so fast, the zombies, the blood, and especially the way some people adapted. He was sure that Ken and his group had blood on their hands long before this chaotic change in the world transpired. Their inhuman treatment towards the others, the brutal mess was worse than they would inflict on the zombies they killed. It was also why he didn't want to go against them the most. Henry didn't have long to think about his options before Noah finally got an answer.

"I don't think you get it… I wasn't asking you, look around." Ken nodded his head towards the door leading into the cafeteria. When Noah looked in that direction, he saw more groups of people fearfully looking in their direction. But when he observed their faces, he didn't notice even a hint of curiosity about what was happening; all he saw was traumatized fear. Even then, he noticed the deep bruising on some of the men and women's faces, their injuries didn't appear as wounds inflicted by animals nor zombies.

He didn't become worried seeing their battered and traumatized appearance, but his solemn expression deepened. Ken seemed to enjoy the small change in his demeanor, making him feel encouraged to talk more.

"What, it's been two, three hours, and help still hasn't come? Phones aren't working either? It's now everyone for themselves. If you want to get out of this mess, then you should be obedient, or you'll end up just like them. Besides…" The smile Ken wore disappeared, and he also became serious.

"Chest doesn't only drop for monsters…"

"!!"

That was all Noah needed to hear. Unlike the sorry act they assumed he would display like the others, he wore a playful smile, and his eyes that lacked life held a crazed desire within them. He didn't have to ask what Ken meant by saying that because he has had this thought ever since he was going to kill Derrick. The revelation that chests would drop from killing people made Noah more thoughtful for the future.

'What happens to the gold? Does that mean all of it will drop too??' The thought of obtaining lumps on lumps of gold morphed his playful smile to become as crazed as his eyes.

If at first Ken and his group were confused about Noah's decision, now they fully understood what was about to happen next as they positioned themselves for a fight.

They weren't afraid of Noah since they outnumbered him one to three. But they were still wary of someone who showed no ounce of fear or hesitation in this situation. Their wariness intensified even more because Noah's deranged eyes loomed over their bodies with insatiable greed. In their eyes, he wasn't just crazy, he was a mad-man.

"Hahahaa… You know…" Everyone's wariness deepened when they heard Noah speak up, Henry, who already decided not to be a part of what was happening also became tense even though he wasn't being addressed. Noah's tone during this heated moment came out to feel unpleasant. The mood was heavy, and everyone knew someone was about to die, and yet everyone couldn't ignore Noah's irregular behavior, they all could see that the heavy situation was further stimulating him with each moment passing.

"I wanted to come here to fix the misunderstanding that I was a threat to you, but…. It turns out it wasn't a misunderstanding after all!"