21 Rear Catch

A brilliant blue flash lit up John's vision. A notification appeared:

[Chimera Killed]

[1.0 Agility Obtained]

[0.5 Energy Obtained]

John's lips curled into a grin. He glanced sideways and noticed Julia and Dalia staring into empty air. He assumed they must have received some boosts as well.

John turned to the team. "Great work, but we're far from done. Let's finish sweeping the-"

"John, wait," Dalia interrupted, stepping closer. "I just want to say... thank you."

She shifted awkwardly, vulnerability in her eyes. John blinked in surprise, then gave a reassuring nod. "Of course. We have to stick together in all this. Now come on, we've got a base to secure."

Dalia managed a tiny smile. John's warmth and faith were a lifeline, silencing her inner demons. She had a purpose again. 

With one last glance at the beast's corpse, John turned around and surveyed the store. 

It had nothing.

With John leading the way, they plunged deeper into the mall, ready to face the next threat together. They continued to explore stores around the perimeter they had decided upon. 

They encountered a few monsters during their scouting. John gained one more point in Strength and Julia and Dalia sharpened their skills as they gained confidence. Only Martin lagged behind, ineffective with his lack of weaponry.

They stopped at a mini-mart and decided to scour it for supplies. John was about to call for Julia when Dalia interrupted once more, "John..." she began, voice soft as silk, almost a whisper, "can I go with you this time?"

Dalia braced for rejection as John spoke, "Okay." Dalia's eyes lit up, she had been expecting rejection, but she couldn't be happier right now. She knew she was simple-minded, easily swayed by emotions. But right now, she was happy, and that was enough.

As they prepared to enter, John grabbed a bloody machete off the ground and tossed it to Martin. "Here. It's not a knight's blade, but it'll have to do." Martin caught the crude weapon gingerly, embarrassment flashing across his face.

"Wait for us here. Shout if you need anything." 

Before Martin could complain, John spun around and strut off with Dalia by his side. The mini-mart's lights flickered eerily, the duo's gazes swayed on alert. There was something eerie about an empty market, something the movies could not ever convey. It felt as though the air itself carried the will of evil.

"Grab a cart," John directed. The rattle of the metal basket echoed in the stillness as Dalia complied. The duo grew confident as they explored and inspected the stalls without encountering any monsters. 

"John," Dalia hesitated, her call more of a question, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he replied absently, his eyes still scanning for supplies. 

"You know when..." Dalia began, her voice fading into a whisper, "when we drifted apart?"

John quirked an eyebrow at her, "you mean when you ghosted me?"

Dalia winced. "Yeah. I just wanted to explain..." she trailed off as John threw up a hand, eyes fixed on the darkened rear of the store. A shadow flickered. Dalia froze, words dying on her lips. A chilling groan rumbled from the depths of darkness.

John's blade glinted as he shifted into a fighting stance. "You can tell me later," he murmured. "Right now, we've got company."

"Dalia. There's a monster in the dark," John said, expecting something from Dalia, but she was unresponsive. John sighed inwardly and continued, "don't you think this is your literal time to shine?"

"Oh!" Dalia exclaimed and focused inwardly, her hands conjuring a fireball and hurling it towards the darkness. As the fireball neared its target, a warm glow revealed a hideous humanoid creature.

The creature had eyes devoid of life, they were what children feared was hiding in their closets. It moved quickly, easily sidestepping Dalia's projectile. 

John lunged towards the beast. He swung his dagger as he neared the beast, but the clanking of metal followed. The beast revealed a katana and swung it towards John. He ducked, dodging the blade by a hair's breadth. 

Caught in a compromising position, he couldn't dodge the incoming kick. As the nightmarish bony foot connected, John was sent flying towards the wall. The wall cracked on impact and John winced.

"John!" Dalia shouted and the beast's deathly gaze whipped in her direction. The beast lunged towards Dalia and panic struck her. Unable to move, she stood still, her arms crossed. She saw death coming and she could not even properly apologise to John, even after he believed in her, despite everything. Oh, what a way to die, she thought. Filled with nothing but regrets.

Her life flashed before her eyes, memories pouring through like a flood. But most memories were about her childhood, about her friend, John, the one she abandoned. She remembered how he always wore a smile just for her. She remembered how she always complained to him and John listened and cheered her up every time, even though John had much bigger problems.

Dalia saw the reaper coming for her as the hairy humanoid neared her. She surrendered to inevitability, but then a loud blast snapped her eyes open. It was John, still battered, but shockwaves propelled him forwards. 

"Boom!" and then "Boom!" again, one after the other, John's figure drew closer. Dalia's irises glinted with hope as John plunged his dagger deep into the beast's skull. 

With a thud, it dropped dead. Dalia exhaled her looming death away as the colour returned to her cheeks. 

[Ratman Killed]

[1 Agility Obtained]

"John!" Dalia shouted, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes as she rushed to John's side, coiling her arms around him.

"Ouch!" John winced, his injuries still fresh.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just-" she stammered, but John cut her off, "It's fine, don't worry about it. Just don't hug me to death," he said, a chuckle escaping his lips.

Dalia smiled awkwardly, but just then, Martin and Julia caught up to them, drawn in by the noises. Martin seemed reluctant, but Julia quickly rushed to their side, shouting John's name.

As she ran, she tripped on her own feet and fell flat atop John, who caught her before she hit the floor. 

"Hehe, thanks John, sorry," she chuckled awkwardly before she realised what John was holding on to when he caught her. He had, quite literally, caught her by the ass. John smirked and squeezed the squishy mounds of flesh.