7 Humans Are Also Monsters

*Amanet's POV*

I wake up in the early hours to fierce banging on the walls. Rushing upstairs, I look out the windows and see a horde gathered around the house. Brutes amidst almost a hundred zombies, all making quick work of the flimsy house.

The boys downstairs wake up from the commotion and call out when they can't see me.

I can't help but think they should grow a pair. They can't let me out of their sight for five minutes without worrying.

"Grab the go bags and prepped Molotovs!"

The sound of them rushing around echoes but is soon drowned out as the creatures get more fierce after hearing movement inside.

Immediately I summon the assault drone and place it on standby.

Xander enters the room less than five minutes later and Sawyer is close behind. I distribute two cocktails each and send them to windows around the second floor.

"On three, we throw the bombs. Once the fire sets I will activate my new drone and it will fire energy weapons to clear a path. Now this next part is crucial. As soon as you guys chuck those Molotovs you need to get back here. I'll take care of getting you two over the surviving zombies. I will be right behind."

After a wave of my hand they go to follow my orders.

I count down and hear the explosion right on time. The guys make their way back to the room and I already have a few busted boards hovering to make a bridge. They see the situation and jump out the window without question.

They jump down the planks one by one, stumbling along the way. Thankfully they don't fall. Looking at my energy I see it took a lot out of me.

When I see they are clear it's my time to go.

My jump from the window is strong enough to get myself over the crowd, the drone shooting any zombies that chase after, and I join the men as we start to make our way iut of the suburbs.

The sun is barely edging over the horizon while we trek along the road that leads to the mountains. It's an old scenic highway that twists and turns with the landscape.

A few towns are scattered along the road with a small city at the base of the mountain.

There are cars obstructing the path making it difficult to move forward.

Despite having to handle zombies along the road they are all ordinary which poses no threat. A single [Assault Drone] is enough to keep us safe.

Three hours of walking later and all three of us are hungry.

A gas station comes into our vision and I send a [Security Drone] to investigate. We soon get the all clear which puts me at ease.

Inside we find some instant noodles. I quickly cook them and we sit down to eat.

Once my stomach is full I go around grabbing some supplies. One litre water bottles, two litre pops, beef jerky, anything that will be useful. Food items are in small quantities up front but I eventually find a locked door that says employees only.

Someone strong could have broken the door down however no one seems to have tried.

We are lucky.

I am about to smash open the door when Sawyer speaks up.

"Whoa there sweetheart! What is it with you and smashing shit? Calm down, I'll pick the lock."

I back up and roll my eyes. He may have a point but I can't tell him that.

Xander is beside me smirking. He is clearly amused that I got called out for my destructive behaviour. I glare back and am about to tell him off until the door clicks open.

Sawyer's smug smile wide on his face.

"There, easy. Now aren't you glad I'm here?"

Walking right past, I ignore him and enter the back room.

There are racks filled with extra product. Granola bars and nuts in large quantities, as well as enough candy to last a few years. To the side is toilet paper and hand sanitizer that are used for employees. I pick it all up. Bug spray, soap, and other small essentials that people ignored and are only bought by travelling tourists.

Outside the window we see it is close to noon and know we have to go.

We travel along with the same strategy and by nightfall we reach a small town on our route.

The town is desolate and clearly abandoned. Stores that we pass have long been looted. The occasional zombie roams the streets but with no people nearby they seem to have moved on.

After searching we find a good place to stay for the night.

The local hardware store ends up being our choice.

Even if there isn't any food we can use certain items as weapons like crowbars and sledgehammers. Other metal items can be reshaped by my skill to become daggers and guns. Using [Energy Manipulation] on a [Weapons Expert] crafted gun will allow me to fire bullets without gunpowder.

The wooden boards get nailed to windows with small sections left to watch through. The moon rises just as we finish setting up.

"Okay. Good day boys. Besides this mornings incident it went smoothly. It should be another two days to get to where we need to go."

They both smile proudly, obviously happy that we didn't have any major incidents after we escaped in the early hours.

Chuckling at them, I speak up to not let it get to their head.

"Don't be that proud of yourselves. My drones did all the work today. I didn't even draw my weapon."

They nod but their smile doesn't go away.

As the boys deal with heating up some canned soup I decide to handle my crystals of the day.

After the ones who perished from the horde this morning and the stragglers we took care of along the way I have 36 basic DNA crystals and 1 universal skill fragment. Ten basic crystals are used to get 2 basic skill fragments, they upgrade [Energy Manipulation] to level 5 which is the highest for basic skills. The other 26 go into stats. Lastly, the universal skill goes to the [Assault Drone].

Amanet Hunt: Level 7 (300/6400 EXP)

HP: 400/400

Stamina: 250/250

Energy: 500/500

Strength: 51

Agility: 37

Physique: 39

Intelligence: 37

Abilities: [Inventory (Lv. 3):Store things in a 1000 space inventory.]

[Appraisal (Lv. 2):View detailed information about items and people.]

[Marksmanship (Lv. 3):Increase shooting accuracy by 30%.]

[Map (Lv. 2): A digital view of the surrounding area up to 5 km. Supplies and people found by your drones will be marked. Red for enemies, green for friendlies, blue for neutral.

[Security Drone (Lv. 2):Summon 2 drones to search surroundings for materials and enemies.]

[Brawler (Lv. 3):Deal an extra 30% damage when fighting in close combat.]

[Silent Steps (Lv. 2): You move without sound. Duration: 10 minutes]

[Energy Manipulation (Lv. 5): You can sense an energy in the atmosphere inaccessible to normal people. This energy can be used freely to attack, defend, and move objects. Construct energy weapons for battle. Energy Regeneration: 50 units per second.]

[Perimeter (Lv. 1): Uses scrap materials to build a security perimeter. Types Available: Wood, Aluminum]

[Nanobots (Lv. 1): Advanced nanotechnology allows for rapid regeneration of cells at 10 HP per second.]

[Weapons Expert (Lv.1): Use materials to make weapons. Types Available: Pistols, Basic Assault Rifle, Dagger]

[Bunker (Lv.2): Create a bunker with capacity of: 5]

[Assault Drone (Lv. 2): Summon 2 assault drones equipped with energy weapons to aid in eliminating enemies. Zombies killed by drone give the appropriate experience.]

I summon the other drone mindlessly and focus on my other upgraded skill.

The advancement of my [Energy Manipulation] Now allows me to make physical weapons from the energy around me.

I think about a katana and a light blue one begins to materialize in my hand.

Once it is solid I think about changing it into a glaive and it shifts into the new shape.

I play around for a few minutes and let it dissipate naturally. It's easy to tell that at the max level my energy consumption rate is much lower than before.

With this I can even use basic energy bullets in my guns, no metal required for ammo. The metal here can now be stored for other uses.

The food is done just as I'm finished testing my new ability. The smell spreads through the room as we all dig in.

Sawyer looks over to me and I see a sly curiosity as he asks his question.

"How was the progress today? You must have gotten some benefits even from the small fry."

Of course he would be curious about that. It's true today wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.

"I did, but don't jinx our good luck. Those small guys raised my stats a lot and let me get one of my skills to the max level. Plus I levelled up, I'm now at level 7."

Xander lets his curiosity get the better of him and he chimes in.

"Do we have levels? I know we don't have a system like you but does it change our data or are we blank?"

The gamer boy looks over at the jock surprised with his question. Almost like it was too smart for a guy like Xander to think of.

The whole situation makes me laugh.

"Yeah, you guys have levels. I'm guessing there is a natural limit for you guys though. Also, I get benefits from the system that change me on a molecular level, you don't. So even if we were the same level there is a huge difference."

My explanation is the best I can do at the moment, though I may be wrong. Unless they change their genetic makeup there is only so far the human genome can take them.

Sawyer puts down his bowl, scooting himself closer to me and wrapping his arm around me waist.

"Us weaklings will try not to burden you with our plain genetics. Just stay feisty Red. We will find ways to be helpful to you so you can rampage all you like."

I lean my head on his shoulder which earns a jealous look from Xander. However, the look quickly vanishes.

"Rampage? Me? No..."

The boys both hold back their laughter as Xander speaks bluntly.

"Ama.... babe, you fight with a huge ass smile on your face. Walking today, you looked bored out of your mind with nothing to do."

Sawyer chimes in, unable to stop his opinion from leaving his mouth.

"I'm pretty sure I saw you actively searching for big guys a few times too. Not because you were worried either."

I think carefully about what they are saying and look back at the past few days.

After that huge fight to save Sawyer I certainly felt a change in my mentality. A desire to get stronger. To never be injured like that again.

A sigh escapes and I think to myself that maybe rampage isn't entirely wrong.

"I concede. I was craving some action after running from the horde this morning."

The boys grin and high five each other at the victory which earns them a fresh glare.

With all three of us done eating, I set the two assault drones near the door and the two security drones are positioned to look out the windows.

Sleeping bags from the inventory are spread on the floor and we all settle in for a good nights rest.

Though the occasional zombie passes by, none try to enter our temporary campsite.

The morning comes quickly with no events making a peaceful sleep. I am the first one awake. Xander is on one side and Sawyer is on the other. Both creeping closer during the night to the point I am almost squished between them. Their silence is angelic but I know it won't last.

As soon as I try to get out of my makeshift bed, the stir.

"Five more minutes Red. I don't do mornings."

I can barely roll my eyes before Xander cuts in on Sawyer's complaining.

"That's right Ama. We can just leave the geek here since he wants to sleep so much."

The comment makes Sawyer sit up quickly and he hugs me tightly from behind. In a taunting tone, he bites back.

"She wouldn't leave me behind meathead."

I lightly elbow him in the stomach and he pretends to be hurt. The simple interaction makes me smile.

"Okay, enough you two. No one is being left behind and no one is getting more rest. We need to reach the outskirts of Mountain City before nightfall today. So heat up some water, eat some oatmeal or something, and let's go."

Shimmying my body from between them, I stand up and get myself ready to leave. I use this time to shape some scrap into two semi-automatic pistols that immediately get put into the holsters on my combat suit. In 30 minutes we are all set.

Opening the door causes a rusty creak which draws the attention of the nearby zombies. Assault drones fly out and quickly take care of them. There isn't a need to draw my new pistols yet. Security drones scan the 5 km range so dozens of red dots pop onto my map.

They aren't concentrated and the path out of the town is relatively clean. Any zombie we meet in the next hour is quickly dispatched and we finally exit the abandoned area, walking down the decrepit highway towards our destination.

There are less cars crowding this stretch but still enough to slow us down. The occasional zombie group requires me to intervene. I just stand in place and manipulate both of my daggers to fly around slicing heads off.

The mid-day sun over us gets warmer and our stomachs begin to protest before long.

"Looks like we need a break."

With nothing nearby we just sit in the middle of the road, surrounded by walls of cars, and get out some snacks.

Jerky, crackers, and a refreshing pop is enough to recharge. With chocolate bars for dessert, we get up to move on only to be disturbed by the sound of motorcycles.

My eyes peek over the hood and see the approaching people.

Three men on motorcycles, behind them a large semi-truck. The large truck has been modified with a front piece to part the jammed cars in its path.

Our path forward is clear of cars but blocked by people.

"Should I go talk to them?"

Just as I think this, I hear the caravan screech to a halt. Those on the bikes park and begin to search the area before calling out to their allies.

"All clear! Time to feed the merchandise."

A heavy set man with a rough beard exits the truck cabin and makes his way to the open the cargo bin he is pulling.

The bikers enter and begin dragging out people in chains. Their bodies look frail and filthy, their eyes devoid of hope. Men, woman, even children were among them. Any that resisted where beaten and made to eat off the pavement.

The last to come out is a young boy, not more than 6 or 7 years old. His blue eyes still hold a little fight and the mud caked on his body does not hide his tan skin. Blonde streaks can be seen through the dirt in his hair. The boy kicks one of the bikers. When they try to grab him, he bites.

"You little bastard! Fucking orphan! I'll kill you!"

The barely injured man has no intention of letting this kid off the hook. A metal bat is raised above the criminals head, ready to crack the little boys skull wide open. The crook swings and I react before I realize it.

The drones are instructed to shoot while I activate [Silent Steps] and sneak close to the captives.

The first to get shot is the one with the bat, shortly after his two biker buddies. In the distance I hear more vehicles approaching so I quickly slit the throat of the trucker.

"There are more of these assholes?"

I feel a fury inside at the state of humanity. People taking advantage of the weak is disgusting.

Calling to the boys, I task them with freeing the people in chains while I focus on the new enemies.

A quick scan shows three vehicles with 4 people each.

Out of curiosity, I put my drones on standby and decide to fight them myself.

They exit their cars as soon as they stop and I draw my pistols in anticipation. This earns me glares from my enemies.

"This little bitch dares to interfere with our operation? Avenge our brothers!"

They all rush at me at once and I waste no time. The 30% increase in accuracy from my [Marksmanship] makes aiming easy. Each time I pull the trigger my energy bullet pierces my targets skull.

One by one they fall to the ground.

I don't even break a sweat.

Once they are all dead I look behind me at the people I just saved. They are all free from their chains and looking at me in reverence.

The young blonde boy approaches me slowly, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. His voice is horse. A result of being choked and deprived of water.

Despite his rough condition, he speaks up.

"Miss Savior, please adopt me..... I'm Finn. I don't have one so you can be my Mom, right?"

At first all I feel is confusion but then I remember that the biker called him an orphan. The criminals must have raided an orphanage when the world went to shit. I can't help but wonder how long this child had to suffer even before the apocalypse.

My silence must have made the kid nervous because his eyes show more fear than when he was about to die.

Bending my knees, I bring myself down to his eye level and hug him tight.

"Sure sweetheart. You can come with me and I'll be your Mom."

I bring him back to Sawyer and Xander who are waiting patiently. They both smile and nod at me. I can tell they approve. Looking down at Finn I introduce them.

"The taller one is Brother Xander and the other is Brother Sawyer. Get along with them okay?"

A wide smile spreads across Finn's face.

"Of course Momma."

His hand intertwines with mine and he squeezes tight. We all look over at the other captives and they are watching me expectantly.