A man, possibly in his early to mid twenties, lay curled up on the bed. Rough beard and grubby workman clothing. Two empty pill bottles lay on the small table beside the bed, their lids discarded to the floor.

  Presented with the end of the world, some chose to escape via their own hands.

  “Oh, shit.” Sally nudged past me and entered the room.

  I kept my eyes around for anything out of place. There was a dirty gym bag over by the bathroom door, but otherwise, the room looked just like any of the others. Context clues put him as the driver of the beat-up pickup truck. There were no signs of a struggle in here. No notes left or even a phone.

  “Doesn’t look like he even went to the bunker,” the waitress said, leaning over the body slightly. “No option to loot or inspect him.”

  “Let’s leave him be, then. We can at least dignify his desire for peace.” Even if the System had corrupted his belongings, I didn’t feel the need to loot dirty clothing and miscellaneous bits of this man’s life.

  Sally nodded and came back out. I shut the door and locked it. Looking over to the right, Bucky was sniffing around the door to room six.

  “Something bad, bud?” I brought Threadcutter back out and stepped over. “One more room and then I’ll look, okay?”

  The waitress called him over and he listened - now seeing her commands as worthy enough to obey. I unlocked room five and was unsurprised to find nothing interesting within. All it did was make me feel more tense over what could be in the next room.

  I tried to peer in through the window as we approached room six, but just like the others, the blinds were closed. Without the sun providing any light, the interior was just too dark to gain any information from the brief gaps in between the slats. I turned my attention to the waitress, and she gave me a nod of readiness.

  Key went in, but the door was already unlocked. I gripped my axe a little tighter and turned the handle.

  The door swung open as we stepped forward with weapons raised. My eyes scoured the seemingly empty room for… anything. Bucky squeezed in past us and went to the left side of the bed, where two travel cases sat idle.

  “Room for one of the other cars,” Sally said. “They must have gone to the bunker?”

  I wasn’t so easily convinced. The dog was sniffing around the cases, so I stepped into the room and over to him. Bathroom door was closed, so my eyes were fixated on it.

  “Do you think this could be the people who own Bucky?” the waitress asked from the doorway. “He seems interested.”

  “Hard to say.” I looked down at him as he started to paw at the side of one of the cases.

  He looked neither happy nor anxious to be here. Some basic interest in a smell, but if this was who had owned him, then he would be a lot more energetic. It could just be some discarded food or something.

  “Come take a look,” I told her. “I’m going to check the bathroom.”

  Sally glanced to her left and right first, making sure we weren’t being watched from outside. Either my paranoia was rubbing off on her, or she really was more natural at this than I’d given her credit for. Even without the buff, she had no problem with corpses, and had grown used to the violence relatively quickly.

  If it wasn’t for her positive attitude, I’d believe she could be a serial killer.

  While she walked over to the dog, I approached the closed bathroom door. If there was anything or anyone in there, they would have heard us by now. Especially my plan of investigating. Half of me expected to find another early checkout laying in the bath. The other half figured a monster might be trapped in there. Or Rico.

  I shook my head briefly, aligning my few marbles into their proper place. With a quick step forward I leveled my boot at the door, easily bursting the unlocked—and rather fragile—blockade away to reveal whatever was inside.

  No dead bodies or sinister beings ready to destroy me. I crouched down beside the bath and picked up a bottle on the side.

  “Huh, some decent shampoo here. Whoever was staying here has some actual standards.” Despite staying here, anyway. The bottle vanished into my Inventory. “And they were here before the System hit.”

  “Looks like two guys,” Sally called from the other room.

  I gave the bathroom one last glance over before returning to her. “How do you know it is two?” Maybe two luggage cases gave it away, but I’d seen plenty of solo travelers overloaded with as much as they could carry before.

  She held up a wide pair of underpants. “Either a shape-changer, or one is a little broader than the other. I think Bucky could smell out these… I think they’re tea bags?”

  I pulled a face at the way she was digging through the stacks of folded clothing as if she was searching for treasure. Neither luggage case was particularly overloaded. Orderly sets of clothing for… three to five days, maybe. Smart-casual rather than business, so maybe a short stay to visit family or something. Why anyone would stop here when the city was so close was a mystery to me.

  Sally threw the plastic bag on the bed. While it would have been amusing if they had been drugs and she was clueless… I wasn’t sure what it was either. I picked it up and sniffed at the side of the bag. It did have an odd odor to it. I couldn’t place it, but didn’t like it.

  “Let’s just leave it…” I paused before handing it back, and it vanished into my Inventory. “Hmm. System has labeled it as ‘unknown produce’.”

  “Some sort of unusual fruit?”

  I shrugged. The bag had been approximately the size and shape of a spray can. Enough layers around it to obscure the contents, other than looking like a collection of dark packets strapped together. I wasn’t about to open it and cause a bigger stink, but neither was I going to give it back.

  There was a possibility the owners could return. I stepped over to the blinds and peered through them. Desert beyond looked relatively calm.

  “Let’s check the final room and get this over with,” I concluded. “The longer we linger…” My sentence trailed off, my worries not needing to be vocalized.

  The pair followed me out, and Bucky seemed disinterested once more. Room seven, where the last of the guests had been staying. Sally was ready behind me again, and I unlocked it.

  As the door opened up, a lump rose in my throat.

  “What the…” the waitress began.

  I used Lightbulb to illuminate the scene, although that didn’t help me process it.

  The occupant had seen fit to graffiti the walls of their room. From top to bottom, every wall and flat surface had the same message repeating, over and over.

  Repent Sinners.

  Red, but it couldn’t be blood. It was far too much, even if you drained a whole body - and then there would be a mess across the floor. The dirtied carpet had no spot of red on it at all.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Isn’t it interesting?” Sally commented, her eyes slowly moving across the repeating message. “The motel has been a succinct microcosm of different reactions to the apocalypse occurring.”

  I pulled a face. Maybe she had a point, but I wasn’t about to agree. I was more worried that there was another asshole wandering around the area with a more macabre view of how current proceedings should progress.

  “Hopefully they got their brain beat in by an ogre or something.” I finished my rotating glance and shrugged. “There’s nothing else in here other than deranged scrawling. Go get washed up so we can leave.”

  “Having second thoughts about going to the other bunker?”

  Knowing that there were a few people around with more screws loose than me was concerning. That said, it was unlikely anyone able bodied and dealing with the apocalypse well would be hiding out in the bunker during the day. Their Guide would be pushing them to go and level.

  “No, that’s still our plan.”

  Sally nodded, and we left the defaced room. I locked it and indicated that I’d lock every room aside from number two - where she could go shower and wash the dog down. My eyes kept switching to the open desert, even when just through the reflection of the windows as I turned the key in each door.

  Eventually, the job was done, and we went into the designated room. After handing over the decent shampoo to the waitress, she led the excited dog into the bathroom and closed the door. Bolt went across. I considered locking the main door, but as it was our only means of escape, it seemed more prudent not to.

  As the water turned on in the other room, I brushed away my disgust at the dusty room and laid down on the bed.

  A mistake, as it was immediately draining. Exhaustion swept through me at the first sign of comfort. With a sigh, I placed Threadcutter on the floor, leaning it against the bedside table. Put my hands behind my head and looked up at the stained ceiling.

  Despite the health hazard the motel had been, this felt like a little reward. I briefly cursed the System for not allowing me to pocket a whole mattress, as it had been far too long since I’d been able to sleep in something that wasn’t the back of my van.

  Sally was singing to the dog, or otherwise just being excessively friendly with him - as I couldn’t place a tune. If I closed my eyes, then I could almost imagine that things were okay.

  My eyelids opened sluggishly, my brain moving at half speed as I clocked that I had almost fallen asleep. I blinked life back into my exhausted brain, still hearing the shower running and the badly-pitched warblings of the waitress.

  Five minutes at the most had passed. I was getting too soft, but at least it hadn’t been…

  The soft sound of footsteps from outside completely erased any relaxed muscle in my body. I rolled from the bed by instinct, hitting the ground in an awkward crouch as I grabbed at my axe.

  Heartbeat raced in my chest as I crept over to the window. As I slowly rose to the slight gap at the bottom of the blinds, I had to hold my breath to avoid swearing out loud.

  Five figures approaching this direction. Human.

  Head swam as my eyes darted to the bathroom door. Warning the waitress verbally would just invite trouble our way immediately. I could send a System message, but was she likely to check it in time?

  “Siren’s song draws me this way, lads.”

  My grip tightened on Threadcutter as I peered through the gap again. Now enclosing on the short barrier between the pathway and open desert, I could see the approaching group more clearly. They were oddly dressed, but before I could jump to any conclusions, my STAR told me something both relieved me and set me on edge.

  [Pirate Bounty Hunter (Level 5)]

  They were here to kill me - but they were monsters. Despite looking like they rolled off a theme park’s low-budget pirate ship, the cutlasses looked professional enough. Guy with an eyepatch at the front must be the leader, and there were two men and two women alongside him. At least three had flintlock pistols.

  That seemed rather unfair.

  As the head bounty hunter leaped over the divide, landing a few feet from our door, I realized something else.

  Their Morale was too high for me to use Deny Life right off the bat.

  The leader put his finger to his lips to tell the others to shush. I winced as Sally missed a particularly high note in whatever she was attempting to sing. As I lowered myself from the window, there were only a handful of seconds before we were found out.

  It seemed like a punishment I had earned for having the gall to relax.

  Neither Sally nor Bucky deserved to suffer due to my baggage. With my jaw clenched and breath held, I used my last Rat Juice. There was no chance to run, even if I had the inclination for it. I had to defend the others. If that got me killed… then so be it. I’d take as many of these fuckers down with me as possible.

  The door handle turned quietly, and a slim crack of light appeared as the opening widened. A flintlock pistol came through first, trained on the bathroom door. Before they could sweep and find me, I stepped over and swung my axe.

  With a crack, the glowing blade embedded in the edge of the opening door. The severed forearm of the pirate dropped to the aged carpet, splattering fresh crimson droplets all the way. I was enraged.

  My boot lashed out, kicking the door fully open and removing my weapon from the wooden frame. The pirate leader stood there in shock, other hand gripping at his stump as I pushed through and head-butted him.

  His troupe was quick to fill the space, and I twisted to block an incoming cutlass. Metal rang against metal as I took a few steps back, moving down the pathway toward the end rooms. A risk, but I had to be sure. Thankfully, it paid off immediately. I was correct.

  They only cared about me.

  If they had been actual humans intending on causing us harm, some would have moved in to kill Sally while I was out here and busy. All eyes were on me, weapons readied to-

  I hit the wall as the repeated blows from the curved sword found me lacking. Blood drawn from my arm. Before they could follow-up, I lashed out. An awkward strike, but the force caused them to stumble despite blocking it. As I raised Threadcutter to take advantage, a second pirate appeared from the side of their comrade, a flintlock pistol aimed right at me.

  Maybe investing in more Guile would have been worthwhile. I twisted the axe in my hands, using the flat head of the weapon like a shield. Not quite enough. I felt the weapon vibrate as the sound of gunshot filled my ears, and a warmth ran down my right thigh.

  I growled and twisted Threadcutter back into attack mode. “This is what he sends? Pitiful.”

  Three of the pirates were resolute, the one with the pistol taking a step back so that the others could weather me with a series of sword strikes again.

  But one of them wavered.

  The salty sea-wench at the back in dirtied leathers looked at their captain bleeding out, and then at how I was apparently shaking off a gunshot. It was the most minute granular change possible - but I could feel it innately. Her Morale dropped one point below mine.

  I barreled through the melee group using my temporary invulnerability and swung the sledgehammer down onto the stunned bounty hunter. Her head exploded, spraying cracked fragments of skull and shredded brain matter over all of us.

  My axe was back in my hands as I swung in a wide arc, clashing with one of the male pirates but knocking him back from the power. Follow-up gave him a shallow cut across the chest, while the third swing was blocked by his companion. I put my weight into the attack as our weapons pushed into each other - a test of strength that I’d probably eventually lose.

  Before I had the chance to make my move, the third pirate stepped up to me—mere feet away—their single shot pistol reloaded.

  I was deafened, my ears ringing as my eyes started to water. Pain washed through me in alternating waves of warmth and chills. I stepped back and lost the battle with the cutlass, allowing his weapon to slide down and away from me. I dropped Threadcutter and grabbed his wrist with one hand and his greasy hair with my other. Using his weight against him, I twisted and tripped him over my foot. His weapon clattered to the floor as he tried to catch himself on the way down.

  Second cutlass came in and I lifted up my left forearm in sacrifice. It bit through my thin bracer and into my arm, but didn’t hit the bone. It was enough of a pause for me to withdraw my next weapon.

  I swung at the bounty hunter with the hook of Doomchain like it was a dagger. He moved his sword away to try to block it, but didn’t have the force to waylay the attack. With a clang as the two metal weapons connected, and I ran the barbed metal down the length of the blade to shred through his hands.

  As he swore and dropped his weapon, I twisted and threw the hook at the pistolier. The chain slipped through my grip as the weapon extended, but my inexperience with it had the damaging part miss the mark. As the pirate dodged to the side, the hook cut through their bare arm before falling to the ground.

  I stepped forward to the man I had thrown to the ground and wrapped the loose end of the chain around his neck. Pulled him up to his feet as his hands grasped at the thick links biting into his skin. I twisted the chain around my wrist and put my weight into it, using him as a human shield as my shaking left hand brought up a Half Restore to my lips.

  “We can’t beat the bitch,” the one with the cut hands growled. “Grab the captain and retreat.”

  Oh, no no no.

  That wasn’t how this worked. The rage bubbled up within me.

  “She’s got Jake,” the woman trying to reload her gun again said.

  “He knew the risks,” the captain hissed from the side.

  I laughed. The bounty hunters froze in place, surprised.

  “There is no running,” I hissed. “You were dead as soon as you accepted the bounty.”

  Killing Blow activated on the man I was choking out, and the chain links ruptured through his skin. They cut through his windpipe and arteries, spraying out blood across the remaining pirates.

  The body slunk to the floor as I pulled a knife out into my hand. Rivulets of crimson ran down my face as I smiled at the failed bounty hunters.

  “That’s better,” I said, looking at the icons over their heads. “A little fear is a healthy thing.”

  Well, a lesson learned a little too late for them.