Guldrin’s Gluttony: Family Bound by Speed & Food

(Bonus Chapter Due to Power Stones, Thank You to all who support my work! Special Thanks to all who have given me reviews. Thank you, your support keeps me going.)

The city outskirts were a patchwork of decay and danger. Abandoned vehicles clogged the once pristine roads, their windows shattered and frames destroyed. Shadows danced ominously in the pale moonlight, and every broken storefront or alley seemed to hold its breath, waiting for something to emerge. The convoy moved cautiously but steadily, their headlights slicing through the darkness.

Guldrin tightened his grip on the wheel, his eyes constantly scanning for threats. The silence inside the truck was oppressive, broken only by the occasional clinking of Saeko's katana as it shifted against her lap. In the backseat, Saya adjusted her grip on the bag of red crystals, her knuckles white. Shiro leaned her forehead against the cold glass of the window, her fingers lightly tracing the feathered shaft of an arrow as she practiced wrapping it in mana threads. Kohta was on high alert, his finger seemingly itching for some action as it tapped the outside of the trigger guard.

Yuriko's voice crackled over the radio, breaking the tension. "We're nearing the outer edge of the city. Roads are clear for now, but don't get comfortable."

"Copy that," Guldrin replied, his voice steady. "Keep your eyes open."

As they advanced, the outskirts gave way to the city's edge, where desolation turned to a more menacing kind of ruin. Skyscrapers loomed overhead, their jagged silhouettes like broken teeth; the meteors having done one hell of a number on the city, not to mention the rogue missiles. The streets here were narrower, lined with the remains of what had once been bustling life, overturned carts, abandoned luggage, and forgotten bicycles. The oppressive sense of being watched grew stronger with every block.

Yuriko's SUV took point, her sharp eyes scanning the route ahead while Miki manned a spotlight they had rigged and mounted onto the roof, sweeping it across alleys and storefronts. Shizuka's Humvee brought up the rear, its powerful engine a reassuring rumble. Inside, Rei loaded spare magazines while tending to her weapon, her expression a mixture of focus and fatigue. 'This is our life now, death at every corner, humans become monsters, nothing is the same… Mom… Dad… I hope you are okay.' She thought to herself as she continued reloading the spent magazines.

The first sign of trouble came just as they turned onto a long, straight avenue. A single figure staggered into the headlights, its movements erratic and disjointed. Guldrin slowed the truck, his hand instinctively going to his sidearm.

"Just one," Saeko murmured, her eyes narrowing. "Too easy… Pull up next to it and I will remove its head."

As if in answer, more figures emerged from the shadows, their numbers growing rapidly. They moved with the unsettling speed of the infected, their guttural snarls audible even over the idling engines.

"Ambush!" Guldrin barked into the radio. "Hold formation!"

'Damn, they are getting smarter… I wouldn't be surprised to find a zombie that can talk soon…'

The infected surged toward the convoy, their wild eyes glinting in the headlights. Yuriko's SUV was the first to react, Miki opening fire from the roof with a burst from her rifle. The sharp cracks of gunfire echoed through the narrow street, cutting down the first wave. Behind her, Kohta leaned out of the truck bed, his rifle barking as he picked off targets with deadly precision. The shots from his rifle made the ears of everyone in the truck ring, but they couldn't do anything about it and had to grin and bear it as it felt like their heads were splitting open.

Saeko pushed the passenger door open and stepped onto the running board, her katana gleaming in the moonlight. As the infected closed in on their truck, she leaped down, moving with deadly grace. Her blade, carved through the swarm, each strike precise and efficient.

Guldrin kept the truck rolling, matching Saeko's pace. "Back in the truck, Saeko!" he shouted, her reckless actions shocked him to the core, while a part of him was impressed, the rational part screamed that this was a bad idea. "What in the fuck are you doing!?!? We can't risk losing you here."

She didn't reply immediately, focused on dispatching a particularly large infected that had lunged at her. With a final slash, she turned and vaulted back into the passenger seat, her breathing steady despite the exertion. "Hahaha, that was SOO much Fun!" She laughed like a madwoman as the truck sped up.

The convoy accelerated, plowing through the remaining infected. Bodies thudded against the vehicles, but the reinforced grills held firm. As they broke free of the ambush, the group's collective tension eased slightly, though no one let their guard down.

"125/500 Zombies have been slain! Keep up the good work, the world is not what you think." Guldrin had no time to contemplate the message as he felt another zombie crushed under his tires.

"Everyone okay?" Yuriko's voice came over the radio, clipped but concerned.

"All good," Kohta replied, reloading his rifle. "That was fucking awesome! We just plowed right through a horde of fucking zombies!." No one chided him, but Guldrin chuckled lightly and lit a cigar in celebration.

"Keep moving," Guldrin ordered. "We're not stopping until we hit the bridge." He blew out a plum of smoke as he hung his hand out the window; the cherry on the cigar blazing to life.

The city grew denser as they approached the river that separated the docks from the rest of the urban sprawl. The towering buildings seemed to press in on them, the shadows between them darker and more foreboding. Every now and then, the convoy passed hastily constructed barricades or burnt-out military vehicles, grim reminders of failed attempts to stem the tide of the infected.

The bridge came into view, its steel frame silhouetted against the faint glow of the rising moon. It was their last obstacle before the relative safety of the docks. However, as they drew closer, it became clear that crossing it wouldn't be simple. The entrance was blocked by a makeshift barricade of cars and debris, and figures moved behind it, illuminated by the flickering light of a burning barrel.

Guldrin slowed the truck, signaling the others to stop. "We've got company," he said grimly over the radio. "Kohta, attach your silencer, and take aim at whoever appears to be the leader." Kohta didn't need to be told twice as he took aim.

Saeko leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Not infected. Survivors." Guldrin nodded, "Yup, now we get to see how much humanity remains."

"It doesn't mean they're friendly, I hope we don't have to shoot our way out," Shiro added, her voice low but firm.

Yuriko's SUV pulled alongside them, her window rolling down. "What's the plan?"

Guldrin considered their options. The bridge was the only viable route to the docks, but any interaction with other survivors was a gamble. The group's supplies, and the crystals, made them valuable targets.

"We approach cautiously," Guldrin decided. "Weapons ready, but don't fire unless they do or if I give the signal… Do not hesitate and let a single one of ours die due to inaction."

The convoy advanced slowly, the vehicles forming a tight formation. As they neared the barricade, one of the figures stepped forward, raising a hand to signal them to stop. He was a tall man with a rifle slung over his shoulder, his face obscured by a mask.

"This is a toll crossing," the man called out, his voice firm but not hostile. "You want to pass, you pay."

"Toll, my ass," Kohta muttered, his finger twitching near the trigger of his rifle.

"Let me handle this," Guldrin said, stepping out of the truck. He approached the barricade cautiously, his hands visible but his stance firm.

"What kind of toll?" he asked, his tone neutral.

The man chuckled. "Food, ammo, medicine. Whatever you've got to spare. Women would be welcome as well."

"We don't have anything to spare," Guldrin replied flatly. "We're just passing through."

The man's companions began to shift, their hands inching toward their weapons. The tension was palpable, and Guldrin knew they were seconds away from a standoff. He glanced back at the convoy, meeting Saeko's eyes. She gave a slight nod, her hand resting on the hilt of her katana.

Before the situation could escalate further, a shout came from behind the barricade. "Wait!"

The man stiffened, turning toward the voice. A familiar figure emerged from the shadows, his shotgun slung over his shoulder. It was Takashi, his face hard with anger. Flanking him was Koichi Shido, his smirk as smug as ever.

Guldrin's eyes narrowed as he faced them. "So it's you," he said, his voice cold. "Didn't think we'd cross paths again this soon."

Takashi's glare was icy. "Neither did I. But I'm not here to help you."

Guldrin paused, blinked, looked between the two, and burst out laughing, "Bahahaha, holy fucking… You teamed up with the murdering, Pedo-Sensei? You hated the way I did things, left on your high horse, and joined someone 10 times worse than me? God that is gold…" He stopped laughing, assumed a serious expression, and placed his cigar in his mouth to free his hands, his MK 23 held in one hand, and his combat knife in the other. "So, how is this going to go?"

Takashi's glare hardened, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Don't talk about things you don't understand!" he snapped, stepping forward with barely concealed rage. "I'm doing what's necessary to survive, and to protect the people who still matter!"

"By teaming up with him?" Guldrin gestured toward Shido with a dismissive wave of his knife. "You think he's going to protect anyone but himself? If you think you're doing the right thing, then you're more of a fool than I thought."

Shido stepped forward, his ever-present smirk widening. "Now, now, let's not be hasty. We're all just trying to survive here. Takashi saw reason. Perhaps the rest of you should too. Resources are scarce, and this bridge, well, it belongs to us now. If you want to cross, you'll need to leave something behind."

"Resources, huh?" Saeko's voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it. She stepped out of the truck, her katana resting casually against her shoulder. "How many innocent lives did you crush to get your little toll operation going? Or are you still just leaving people behind as bait?"

Shido raised his hands in mock innocence. "Survival of the fittest, my dear. Surely you understand that. It's a shame you're wasting your talents with this ragtag group when you could thrive with us."

"Spare me the sales pitch." Saeko's tone was cold, her eyes locked on Shido like a predator sizing up prey.

Takashi's patience snapped. "I don't need to explain myself to you!" He lunged toward Guldrin, his fist swinging in a wide arc, aiming for the smug grin on Guldrin's face.

Guldrin didn't even flinch. His cigar hung lazily from his lips as his hand moved with brutal precision, deflecting Takashi's punch and stepping inside his guard in one fluid motion. Before Takashi could react, Guldrin's knee shot up, driving into his gut with enough force to knock the wind out of him.

Takashi doubled over with a gasp, but Guldrin wasn't finished. He grabbed the back of Takashi's head and drove it down toward his rising knee. The sickening crack of bone echoed across the tense silence as Takashi held his bleeding nose.

Takashi staggered back, blood pouring from his broken nose, his hands clutching his face. His breaths were ragged, punctuated by low, guttural growls of rage. Yet, even as he stumbled, he refused to back down. His pride, his anger, it all burned too brightly.

"You should stay down," Guldrin said coldly, his voice carrying an edge of finality. He flicked the ash from his cigar, barely acknowledging the blood now dripping onto the ground. "You've already lost, and this is your one chance to walk away."

Takashi's glare was venomous as he straightened, his shoulders heaving. "Like hell, I'm backing down to you!" he snarled, rushing forward again with renewed fury. His form was wild and undisciplined, his fists swinging with reckless abandon.

Guldrin moved like a shadow. He sidestepped Takashi's first swing, his body fluid and calm, his eyes locked on every opening. Takashi's second punch came hard and fast, but Guldrin caught his wrist mid-strike, twisting it sharply. The crack of bones popping filled the air as Takashi howled in pain, dropping to one knee.

"Still not learning, huh?" Guldrin remarked, twisting Takashi's arm further until the teen's head was forced downward. With his free hand, Guldrin delivered a sharp elbow to the back of Takashi's shoulder, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Takashi rolled to his feet with a snarl, but Guldrin was already advancing. The younger teen's movements were surgical, calculated, and devastatingly efficient. A swift kick to Takashi's shin knocked him off balance, and before he could recover, Guldrin closed the distance again. His fist shot out in a blur, slamming into Takashi's ribs with enough force to elicit a sickening crack.

Takashi wheezed, his legs giving out as he dropped to all fours. "You think… you're better than me?" he gasped, spitting blood onto the ground. His voice was weak, but the hatred in his eyes was undiminished.

"No," Guldrin said, standing over him. His voice was low and steady, devoid of any humor. "I know I'm better than you. Because unlike you, I don't fight out of some misguided sense of pride. I fight to end things. What do you fight for, huh?"

Takashi surged upward with a desperate shout, attempting a clumsy tackle. "FUCK YOU!" Guldrin pivoted effortlessly, using Takashi's own momentum to hurl him to the ground with a brutal judo throw. The impact left Takashi gasping for air, his body splayed out in the dirt.

"Stay down," Guldrin said again, this time with a chilling edge to his voice. "This is your second warning. There won't be a third."

But Takashi, fueled by humiliation and rage, refused to yield. He clawed his way back to his feet, wobbling but determined. "I'll kill you! You took everything that should have been mine! First, my best friend takes her, now she chooses you! Plus all the other girls, Saeko, Saya, and Shizuka! THEY SHOULD BE WITH ME!" he screamed, launching himself at Guldrin once more.

Guldrin's patience finally snapped. His body moved with frightening speed, closing the gap before Takashi could land a blow. A palm strike to Takashi's chest sent him reeling back, followed by an elbow that struck his jaw with a sickening crack. Blood sprayed from Takashi's mouth as he crumpled again, but Guldrin wasn't done. He moved in like a predator, seizing Takashi by the collar and delivering a punishing series of knee strikes to his ribs, each blow accompanied by the sound of more bones breaking.

The others watched in stunned silence, the sheer brutality of the fight leaving them rooted in place. Saeko's grip on her katana tightened, her expression unreadable, but if you looked close enough, you could see a faint blush and heavy breathing. While Rei stared with wide eyes, torn between sadness that her once best friend was now reduced to this, angered that Takashi could dare team up with Shido, and morbid fascination. Shido, for once, seemed at a loss for words, his usual smug demeanor replaced with something akin to fear.

Takashi collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood, his body trembling from the sheer amount of punishment he had endured. Guldrin loomed over him, his eyes cold and merciless.

"You're done," Guldrin said flatly, dropping his cigar and crushing it beneath his boot. "That made my cigar taste awful, that's a first. And just so we're clear, this isn't personal. You wanted to prove something, and you failed. Miserably. All you had to do was shut up, let us through, and don't involve yourself with us. But no, you wanted to poach our members and get back at me for your hurt pride."

Takashi tried to rise one last time, his hands trembling as he pushed against the dirt. Guldrin shook his head, stepping forward and planting a boot squarely on Takashi's back, forcing him down.

"Stay down," Guldrin growled, his voice like ice. "You've lost. Every breath you take from here on is me letting you live. Remember that." His MK 23 was placed at the back of his head, he was tired of this mess, if it wasn't for what he planned to have Rei do when she got more comfortable, he would have killed Takashi and Shido right here.

With one final, sharp kick to Takashi's ribs, Guldrin stepped away, leaving Takashi broken and humiliated on the ground. His gaze swept over Shido and the others, daring them to make a move. When none did, he turned back to his group, his expression hard.

Shido's smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered, gesturing to the armed men behind the barricade. "You've made your point, but there are more of us than there are of you. Perhaps we should settle this another way."

"Yeah," Kohta's voice cut in, his rifle aimed squarely at Shido's head. "The way where you back the hell off and let us through."

The men behind Shido hesitated, their confidence visibly shaken as Kohta's aim never wavered. Behind him, Yuriko and Miki stepped out of the SUV, both armed and ready. Shiro nocked an arrow, her mana threads glowing faintly as she drew the bowstring. Saeko stood by Guldrin, her katana gleaming in the firelight. Even Rei had her weapon trained on the group, her determination overriding the unease of facing off against her former classmate.

Shido's smirk faltered completely as he realized the odds were no longer in his favor. "Now, let's not do anything rash," he said, raising his hands in a show of false surrender. "Surely we can come to an agreement."

"I've got an agreement for you," Guldrin said, his voice low and dangerous. He knelt next to Takashi, who was still groaning on the ground, and grabbed him by the collar, hauling him to his knees. "You leave, now. And you take your little lapdog here with you. Because if I see you again, I won't bother with warnings."

Shido hesitated, his eyes darting between the armed group and his own men. Finally, he took a step back, his hands still raised. "Very well. We'll let you pass. But don't think this is over."

"Oh, it's over," Guldrin replied, dropping Takashi unceremoniously to the ground. "Unless you want to keep pushing your luck."

Shido motioned to his men, and they began to dismantle the barricade, clearing a path for the convoy. Takashi stumbled to his feet, his face a mask of pain and humiliation. He shot Guldrin a venomous glare but changed the target of his rage to Rei after Shiro aimed her bow at his head.

"Is that it, REI!?!? YOU HAVE ABANDONED ME?!?!" Takashi shouted and Rei faltered before facing him with a calm gaze, "No, you have abandoned us, you left. You acted like our choices were evil, but you joined the most vile person you could have. We, us two, have no association left, you are no longer the Takashi I knew, you have changed, How dare you question the way Guldrin has done things if you are okay with this." 

She pointed at Shido, "MONSTER! He tried to force me to sleep with him at school, to be his pet like all the other girls! I refused and he had me held back… THIS IS WHO YOU CHOSE!" She was huffing, her anger apparent, and Guldrin placed a hand on her shoulder, "Come on, let's go, he isn't worth it." She nodded, cast one last gaze at Takashi, and turned away returning to the vehicles.

"FUCK YOU REI! FUCK YOU GULDRIN! I FUCKING HATE ALL OF YOU! HOW DARE YOU JUDGE ME! I AM BETTER THAN YOU!" Takashi shouted and Guldrin just lit a blunt and haphazardly waved at him, "Keep telling yourself that."

"Let's go," he said simply. Without another word, he climbed back into the truck, slamming the door shut. The convoy began to roll forward, the vehicles maneuvering around the remnants of the barricade.

Behind them, Takashi collapsed and lay motionless on the side of the bridge, his pride shattered alongside his body. Shido watched him with a mixture of disgust and wariness, his lips curling into a faint sneer.

"Looks like you've got some healing to do," Shido said mockingly, but Takashi didn't respond. His body trembled with pain and humiliation as the sound of the convoy's engines faded into the distance.

As the convoy began to roll forward, Saeko glanced at Guldrin with a wry smile. "You certainly have a way with people."

"Diplomacy is overrated," Guldrin replied, taking a long drag from his cigar before flicking the ashes onto the ground. "Sometimes you just have to make your point crystal clear."

All this time Yuriko and her group were silent, even the bubbly Shizuka knew Takashi had pushed his luck and deserved this beating. Grabbing the radio, Guldrin spoke, "Let's go, stay aimed on them till we are through to the other side, but I don't think they will try anything else. Cockroaches like them will relocate and find smaller prey to pick on." With that, they drove over the bridge and finally entered the dock's industrial area, nearly home to their new base at the warehouses.

If only he knew how right his words were and the effects they had brought to an innocent girl.

(Give me your POWER, Please, and Thank You! Leave reviews and comments, they motivate me to continue.)

[Thank You to everyone for providing suggestions, I couldn't find a way to make it fair on one spin since I had so many choices. So, I spun it 20 times, and I added each double I got to a second list, then spun those. Congratulations to DuskRav3n for his suggestion of Innovator. It came down to Demon King, Black Mage, Necromancer, and Innovator. Once again, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE RND ASPECTS OF THIS STORY.]