17 Changed Impression

"Where are we headed next?" James asked while looking at Kent. The others also turned their gazes to him.

Kent scanned the group and replied. "Like we discussed, let's visit our homes before leaving the city. Our first stop is Phillip's house since it's the nearest from here."

Phillip's expression turned serious upon hearing this. "I'll lead the way." He muttered while holding the handle of the steel dagger tightly in his hand.

The group followed him with alert gazes.

The men were positioned at the front and the rear, while the women were at the center.

They walked for less than five minutes before they arrived at their destination.

"We're here." Phillip stared at the collapsed house in front of them, feeling nervous and hopeful.

He gripped the dagger tightly as he walked with careful steps.

As he entered the familiar yet unfamiliar home, Phillip was afraid that he would see something that he didn't want to see.

As he was hesitating to enter one of the rooms, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and saw James giving him a look of encouragement.

Phillip took a deep breath and stepped inside. This was his little sister's room. The bed has been cut in half and was buried in large debris. The floor was messy and was filled with rubble and various broken items.

While he was searching every corner, he suddenly noticed a trace of dried-up blood on the cracked wall. The thought that his little sister might have fallen victim to an evolved monster crossed his mind upon seeing this. 'No! There's no way!' He shouted frantically in his heart.

He made his way to the other rooms, searching for more clues, but he found nothing but broken pieces of furniture.

"There are no traces of battle here. Your family might have escaped the initial attack of the evolved monsters." Kent said while adjusting his glasses.

Phillip found hope in his words.

"The military personnel in Lochwall should have escorted the surviving residents to Greyork. We can search for them there." Kent added.

Phillip nodded at his words. "Let's go."

"We are heading to our next stop," Kent informed the group.

They visited everyone's homes one by one, but they didn't find any of their family members.

At this moment, they were on their way to their last stop which is Ralph's home.

"Sir, are you alright?" Ericka asked.

Ralph forced out a smile and replied. "I'm fine. I'm just nervous."

Ericka stared at him in worry.

Soon, they arrived in front of a two-story house. Among all the houses they have been to, this was the most intact with only a few cracks on the wall. Other than those cracks, the house was still in good condition.

Ralph quickened his steps and walked ahead of the others.

He turned the doorknob, but he found out that it was locked. He glanced at the windows, but they were covered by curtains. "Honey! Sherry! Goldie! Are you there?" He called out with a shaking voice as he knocked on the door.

No one answered him.

This made him feel increasingly worried. He searched for the spare keys, but he didn't find them. Left with no choice, he kicked the door open and quickly walked inside.

Looking around, everything seemed to be in place. The floor was dusty, but their furniture was undamaged. "Goldie! Sherry! Honey! I'm here! It's me!"

He frantically opened the rooms, searching for his wife and daughters.

"Sir!"

Ralph stopped in his tracks when he heard someone calling him. He stepped out of the room and headed to his daughter's room.

Kent and the others were there, but his eyes immediately spotted the three people hiding inside the cabinet, shivering in fear. They were his wife and his two daughters.

The room smelled disgusting and there were traces of feces and urine, but he ignored the stench.

Seeing their emaciated bodies made him feel remorseful and sad, but he was also happy that they were still alive.

"H-Honey… is that you?" The thin and pale-faced middle-aged woman stared at him with her lips curled upward.

"Yes, it's me! I'm here!" Ralph hugged his wife.

She fell weakly in his arms and muttered with tears in her eyes. "Our daughter, please save them…"

It was only then that he noticed that his daughters were unconscious. He quickly grabbed them and felt their pulses. He felt their faint heartbeat which made him relieved.

"Where are the medicines? Please, I need them!" He shouted urgently to the others.

Ericka nodded her head. She put down her backpack and took out the medicine kit.

Just as she was about to give it to Ralph, Rendell suddenly said. "You can use this instead. These are lesser healing potions. They can cure light injuries."

Looking at the two bottles of red potions, everyone was surprised.

Rendell ignored them and handed the bottles to Ralph. "Take them."

Ralph stared at him deeply and nodded his head. "Thank you."

He grabbed the bottles and opened them.

"They taste horrible, but they work well," Rendell muttered.

Ralph read the description of the bottles on his status screen. When he discovered that Rendell was speaking the truth, he no longer hesitated.

'Please work! Please work!' He shouted in his heart.

"It may take some time to take effect." Ericka crouched and gently held Sherry's arm. "Her heartbeat is slowly returning to normal. She will be fine after some rest."

Ericka then held the other girl's arm. She felt the same thing from her. "She is also recovering. Just give them some time to rest."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Ralph muttered, his eyes tearing up.

Everyone's impression of Rendell changed after that.

Sensing their gazes, Rendell looked away and stepped out of the room.

"I thought that guy was just a crazy lunatic. It seems like he still has some humanity in him." James muttered.

The others didn't say anything, but they agreed with his words.