A technomancer's journey in an apocalyptic world

"How are you feeling Ryan?"

A voice came to his ears as Ryan opened his eyes and was greeted by an anxious-looking Nikita as he tried to sit up he was pushed back on a bed as she spoke, "Easy there you took a nasty hit, so tell me how are you feeling, is there any part of your body that is hurting badly?"

"A bit sore all over my body, and my head hurt a bit otherwise I am fine."

"There is no need to show false bravado bro, you took a hit from a shotgun and fell from a three-storey high building if you have any problem feel free to speak."

Nikita rolled her eyes as she began to speak, "Michalina, Ryan is a responsible boy and he knows if he had some problem he would speak out now give him some space."

"How long was I unconscious?"

"Five hours Ryan."

"So what happened?"

Nikita smiled at him as she spoke, "Well after you fell your older sister went berserk and pounded your assailant to paste with her bare hands."

Ryan let out a whistle of appreciation as Michalina simply turned her head with a huff, as Ryan spoke with a small smile on his face, "Thank you, sis."

Michalina simply blushed at that as she tousled Ryan's hair as Nikita spoke in a strict voice, "I will bring something for you to eat and then you can sleep."

As Nikita went to make something for him Michalina took her position by his side when all of a sudden Ryan covered his face with his hands as he let out an anguished gasp as he spoke, "Shit I killed someone.", and soon he began to hyperventilate.

Michalina quickly held his hands as she spoke, "Ryan look at me, just look at me and open your eyes.", she could see her brother crying as tears from his eyes.

By then others had already moved in but waited for Michalina to speak and comfort him before they would join in as well.

"Ryan looks at me, please look at me."

As a red-eyed Ryan looked at her Michalina spoke with a grim look on her face, "Ryan I cannot tell you to forget about the incident, I cannot tell you how the death does not matter but I will tell you how you saved our lives. The person who attacked us would have killed us if you had not noticed it, we are good but we are at present severely handicapped and trying to kill him with only our present guns would have been difficult, I never wanted for you to deal with this I never wanted you to take a life, but it was necessary, if not for you we would have died, do you know we found charges primed and ready to blow us sky-high, you prevented him from using that on us."

Nikita was now wishing her mother was here to give Ryan the pep talk, at the same time she understood why her mother referred Ryan as an 'asset', it was her way of telling her to prepare herself from when she will have to force Ryan to act as such, and it did happen a few hours ago she forced Ryan to lose the last bit of innocence.

A few hours ago Ryan was asleep when all of a sudden he woke up with a start upon hearing sounds of gunfire, as he sat up with a jump he hit his head on the top bunk heard before he fell on the floor of the trailer with a wince as he held his head for a minute cursing aloud he stood shakily.

He could hear shouts and curse from outside, he could hear his sister's voice as well as others, a fight was raging on outside.

He closed his eyes for a moment gathering himself before he moved towards the turret part of the trailer when all of a sudden the door was opened as two unknown adults stepped inside with a girl.

"LOOK OUT!" a shout came as a figure barreled inside his trailer grabbing the adult female as he stood out and spoke with a smirk, "Surrender or she dies."

The smug look on his face did not last as his head was removed from his shoulder courtesy of Ryan who stood with his sword drawn, a Molotov hit the side as it lit the side of the trailer as Michalina and Angela stepped inside fast.

As a hail of bullet hit them as they closed the door, as Michalina stepped inside Ryan could see cuts and bruises as she spoke, "You three go into the rear section sit down on the bed and hold it with your life we are getting out of here now move fast.", she raised her hand as she pointed towards them to the second half of the trailer before she turned her attention towards Ryan as she spoke with a soft look on her face, "Ryan go with them and help them, there a few of this mongrels left and I would be done dealing with them soon enough, and sorry for waking you up."

Ryan waved his hand as he spoke in a gloomy tone, "No problems are, just take care not to get hurt."

As he went towards the family of three, the little girl she assumed as a daughter shrieked in fear as the man stood protectively making Ryan stunned for a moment before his eyes fell on a mirror and he blushed, he was covered with splashes of blood and his sword was still drawn and in the low light, he looked like some deranged serial killer.

He gave an uneasy smile as he stored his sword back as he spoke, "Well I will switch on the lights if you do not mind, so please take a seat big sis and her friends will deal with them easily."

Ryan then quickly switched on the light before he made his way to the washroom after all who knows what someone else's blood might carry after the mutations started who knows how the diseases themselves have mutated.

He returned from the washroom only to find Michalina, Jessica sitting on the opposite side of the trio while Nikita working on them, checking their injuries as the trailer moved on towards their new destination.

"Brother let me introduce you to the Gallagher family.", as she pointed towards the family of three Ryan simply gave a curt nod, as Michalina continued, "Doctor Harrison Gallagher along with his wife Doctor Florence Gallagher and their daughter Annie Gallagher."

"Nice to meet you.", he smiled at his sister as he spoke, "Well I hope you would join us, after the apocalypse every bit of help is appreciated."

Harrison nodded before he frowned as he spoke, "I was told that you all are members of the army."

Michalina quickly realizing amended her words with a slight blush, "I am sorry but as Ryan has been helping us since that dreaded day he is more or less a member of the regiment, although if this apocalypse would not have taken place he would have already moved to another country to pursue higher studies. He is only fifteen yet he was offered a scholarship in some of the prestigious universities in the world."

The doctor husband and wife duo looked at him with favoured light upon hearing that from Michalina.

Nikita looked at Ryan as she frowned, "Where did you get the gash in your head?"

Ryan winced at that as he spoke, "Well the sound of gun firing woke me up with a start and I ended up colliding my head with the upper bunk."

Ryan found himself on the bed blinking owlishly, as Nikita fussed over him.

"Is something wrong with him?"

Hearing Florence's words Michalina spoke with a grimace, "We were searching for resources and we got attacked in the army hospital and my brother ended my falling from a three-storey building."

Florence gasped as she stood up as she spoke, "Is he alright? If you want I can do a quick check."

"I am alright they are fussing too much.", Ryan tried to sit up only to be pushed back by a glaring Michalina, "You will rest Ryan."

Ryan simply pouted as he laid back on the bed as he spoke, "I am alright okay, there is nothing wrong.", his eyes then fell on Florence as he spoke with a frown, "Now can you tell me what happened? Why and who were fighting against?"

Michalina sighed as she began to speak, "They were trying to kidnap the family of three and when we approached them, they tried to kidnap us again and rest is history.", her eyes then fell on Florence as she spoke, "So do you know who they are and what they want."

Florence took her seat pulling her daughter close to her as her husband placed a comforting arm on his wife as he spoke, "The people who were trying to kidnap us work for a local tyrant, and he calls himself 'The King'."

"He and his group at the first announced shelter and food for people and when they reached him he using his powers enslaved them and are making them work for him, the men are mostly for working till they die and the females and children are treated as sex slaves, the elderly are all killed as they useless."

"Big Sis, what are we going to do?"

Michalina did not reply to Ryan as she spoke with a frown on her face, "How does he enslave them?"

Harrison bit his lips as he spoke, "I do not know but he somehow uses his power to enslave people, once enslaved they are forced to obey his orders, no matter how they do not want to their body will obey him not to mention he can cause the insane pain, pain enough to cause death."

"Does he have any range?"

"Ryan lie down on the bed, now!"

"I will big sis, just a couple of harmless questions please, pretty please."

Michalina huffed as she turned her head as she spoke, "Whatever."

Jessica simply shook her head in exasperation, as Ryan looked expectantly at the Harrison who was silent for a moment before he spoke with a tired sigh, "Yes he has a range at least a couple of kilometres from what we have deduced."

Ryan nodded at that as he spoke, "I see that is why you are running with your daughter."

His words made them look like a dear caught in headlights as their daughter shook from fear as Harrison spoke, "I do not know what you mean?"

"Those tattoos on her wrist are they just for some show? I think not, the look like handcuffs to me not to mention why would someone so young have tattoos I believe it is illegal for someone of her age to have as such."

Both Harrison and Florence gained a heartbroken look on their face as Florence spoke as she spoke, "Our community was attacked by his followers, we were not there at that time and most of us were taken in that attack."

"The survivors of the attack decided to rescue the members of the community but when we reached there they were all marked, it took us some time and we freed them but it was all a trap, one of us was a spy, and the King was allowing us to stage a rescue out of sheer amusement, but we succeeded in free our daughter and now we are in the run from them."

Michalina's brow furrowed as she spoke with a sigh, "I see."

Jessica frowned as she spoke, "Your orders."

"We will move far away from them and set up a temporary base, Ryan can you do something about."

Ryan bit his lips as he spoke, "I will try."

"Good we will scout them and rate their danger level before proceeding with necessary plans, but I will say here and now, if they are too much for us I will not endanger my soldiers and my family, I hope you understand."

The doctors nodded solemnly at that, while Ryan narrowed his eyes at them, 'I hope they are genuine not some fraud that would trap us, for now, I will keep an eye on them as would the rest of us would.'