Trash in the Apocalypse

Not all heroes wear capes; some wear simple shirts.

***

Jun got tackled by the young infected, causing both of them to fall on the ground. He landed on his back, and the infected fell on top of him. He got disarmed and was forced to let go of the baseball bat when he got pushed down by the infected.

Hearing the commotion, Adrian and Sheila hurriedly ran towards the office just in time to see another infected limp out of the door.

The infected was a beautiful woman wearing a blood-stained white t-shirt and a mini-skirt. Her legs were bent backward, and she could only limp forward slowly. Her nose was missing, and blood kept flowing out on its surrounding area.

Adrian ran as fast as he could to intercept the infected, but someone else managed to reach the infected first.

A figure pounced on the infected, and they rolled on the ground, accumulating dirt and grass on their bodies.

Jun used his 12 points in power to dominate the infected. Since he had no weapon that he could use, he grabbed the infected's mouth that was trying to bite him with his bare hands.

With each hand holding the lower and upper jaw, he used all of his strength and pulled as far as he can.

A sudden ripping noise could be heard, and when it stopped, the infected's mouth had been stretched by at least one foot.

Blood kept dripping on Jun's face, and he had to tilt his head a bit to avoid some from falling on his face. He shoved the body aside and sat down on the ground.

Adrian pulled his knife from the infected's head and helped the bald guy up.

When the man sat down, a visible bite mark can be seen on his right shoulder.

"I'm okay, I-I'm okay. You guys don't have to worry. I'm okay."

***

"You're fine," Jun stared coldly as he circled a bald guy sitting on a chair inside the office.

"You're lucky you're fine. What's your name again?" Jun asked menacingly as he stopped in front. "I didn't hear it clearly since I was staring at this!"

Jun placed his hand on top of the guy's bandaged shoulder and kept staring at him. The wound was cleaned, and it received [Minor Healing] and [Cure] from Sheila. Jun only got [Cure] since he wasn't really injured. Afterward, Sheila then tried using [Cure] on herself, and it actually worked.

Now they're just resting inside the office trying to calm their hearts.

When Jun touched the bandage, a small panel appeared and made a brief description of the wound.

[Shoulder - Slightly wounded] (Bandaged)

[Description] The user is now infected. When the user dies, the body will reanimate and become a carrier.

"My name's Edward. I'll become a hero who can protect the innocent by using one punch to subdue all enemies. I-"

"Stop talking!"

Jun exclaimed as he fought the urge to strangle his savior. It was thanks to his warning that he was still alive, and the cost wasn't something that could be taken lightly.

He was glaring at the man in front of him.

Edward could be considered good-looking from modern standards. Although his head had no hair and his eyebrows made him look a ferocious egg, the charisma he exuded was unique.

"Can you move your arms?"

"My arm can feel the strength coursing through it. Although the speed I can produce got reduced, there seemed to be no problem when it comes to basic movements." Edward stretched his arm then noticed that Jun was glaring at him.

Jun glanced to the side and asked Adrian, "What's he talking about?"

"Dunno." Adrian shrugged, then walked to the door, keeping watch of the surroundings.

Seeing that no one can understand what Edward said, he then chose to ignore it.

"I don't know why you saved me, but I don't like owing favors. What do you want?"

Edward scratched his head. "You don't know me, but I know you. You saved me! Ever since your group was formed, this town became more peaceful. Your group helped people!" he exclaimed.

He then told how they met and how Jun saved him. There was reverence in his eyes as he narrated his story.

Edward was a college freshman student. On his way home after the welcoming party, he was stopped by a group of people. Their intentions were clear, and it isn't something good. They demanded everything he had, including his clothes.

As they were merrily toying with him, a man appeared behind them. A band-aid was on his nose and left cheek. Behind him, a guy wearing a black beanie and a windbreaker was munching on peanuts.

He charged into the group and fought them alone. The peanut guy just kept watching even when the reckless guy got punched in the face or when he got pummeled in the back of his head.

He bled and got injured, but he never backed down. He fell down uncountable times, but he always managed to get up.

His tenacious attitude frightened the other side, and their fighting spirit waned. It was then he fought like crazy and managed to be the only man standing.

Before he could celebrate, a police officer was seen approaching from a distance, being followed by an old aunty. He ran and never looked back, leaving a stunned naked student.

Sheila was staring at Jun with confused eyes. Adrian remained undisturbed as he watched the gate's entrance.

After hearing the story, Jun's mood finally calmed down.

"Let's go; we're moving. We need to reach the bank before the people there chose to leave."

***

Sheila chatted with Edward as they walked outside the entrance. The infected were at least three blocks away, and so their group was at ease.

"Why did you do it?" Sheila suddenly asked. "You could have died before Adrian killed that infected. I don't believe that you saved him because he saved you once, so I'm really curious. Why?"

Edward glanced at her after hearing the word infected and then sighed before he replied, "Do you guys know that you saved me too? Those strange people also chased me. Fortunately, I found a dumpster to hide. They kept on hitting but never tried to open the cover."

"Then I heard a gunshot, most of those people left, but one stated. Then I heard voices and fighting. When I finally gathered my courage to come out, you're already gone."

"By the way, you guys call those people infected?"

"Long story short, they're just zombies. Oooohh~" Sheila jokingly scared Edward, which won a few chuckles.

"I get the feeling that you're actually normal, so why do you talk like that?"

Edward smiled as he answered her question.

He put his hand in front of him and made a fist. Yellow light slowly appeared inside his clenched hand. The yellow light flowed smoothly and covered his hand.

"It's because I gained superpowers!"