Doomsday Pillars

D day +70

New Java city

The sun stood its highest as its piercing heat did now show mercy to anyone. A group of people was coursing through inside a thick forest south of the New Java city.

Alex walked in the front and his elite fighters followed behind him. All wore the same black uniforms except for two, a girl and a young boy.

Alex looked at the two teenagers. "Ok, we\'re going to test and see the extent of your abilities.. Let\'s start."

He then focused his gaze at the young girl. "Daisy, you first."

Daisy closed her eyes and began concentrating. Lights showed up in her mind. 

"I can sense five lifesigns 500 meters to our right and"—she stretched her range to the furthest she could reach—"another dozen more on the left. 1,000 meters more or less."

"Can you differentiate whether they are humans or something else?" Alex asked.

"Yes. Humans have a different light compared to the undead or animals. I can tell that they are either undead or animals, but I don\'t know which one."

Alex nodded in satisfaction. "Don\'t worry, that\'s good enough." He made a mental note to himself about Daisy\'s ability.

"They\'re moving right now. They\'re coming towards us. It\'s a mutated boar."

Alex looked at the young lad Tommy and said, "It\'s your turn, kid. Once they arrive, use your full power."

Tommy nodded and looked to the right. Concentrating his mind to unleash his ability, the ground shook as shadows started to rise up and mold itself into a human-sized figure, it then divided itself into two. Two human-sized shadow summons. 

Tommy grabbed two knives from his back and threw it to the two shadows. The shadows caught it.

A few moments later, five silhouettes blazing their way through the woods appeared. The five mutated animals charged at the shadows crashed the shadow body and the shadows scattered like water before forming up again. It appears to form the shadow back would took a bit of Tommy\'s energy. The two shadows picked up the knives that were dropped and started stabbing the mutated boars. 

Mutated boar is a peak stage one mutated animal; it\'s not that easy to deal with. The mutation made its fur hard as a rock and sharp as a razor. A knife is not enough to make a critical wound to it.

"Tommy, why not give the shadows a bigger weapon?"

Tommy was unable to answer Alex\'s question immediately because he was focusing intently. His ability required mental energy, but he answered with much difficulty, "I-I-It\'s just recently that I… made the shadows... hold weapon... knife... most I can... manage at the moment… sorry..."

"Haha, don\'t be sorry, kid."

The battle between the two shadows and five mutated boars went on for two minutes, and within that time frame, the shadow kept on getting disintegrated and reformed. Tommy\'s sweat ran all over his body and he was a little bit dizzy from the continuous use. Finally, before the three-minute mark, the shadows completely disappeared.

"Sorry, that\'s the longest time I can summon my shadows..." Tommy said while trying to catch his breath.

"How long \'til you can form it again?"

"I\'m not sure, maybe after a few minutes, but it\'ll last much shorter than before."

"Ok, that\'s good enough."

Alex turned around faced his fighters, Aria, Arief, the twins along with a few other fighters, and ordered them to fight the five mutated boars. 

Aria was the first to step forward and vanished. She used her fading ability and appeared at the side of the boars throwing four knives. 

Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!

The four knives stabbed the two mutated boar pairs of eyes. Her accuracy and the force of knives made the boars squeal in pain. The twins went in with their twin sabers managed to thrust the two injured boar in between its eyes causing the boars to die right away. 

Daisy noticed three boars targeting Arief and shouted, "Watch out!"

Alex said, "Don\'t worry."

Arief grabbed the two-meter blade from his back and held it with his two arms, the blade shone. Arief, nicknamed the silver warrior, shouted with excitement, "Come here!"

Three boar jumped at him simultaneously.

Slash!! Slash!! Slash!!

Three quick swings from his blade. The three huge mutated boars got cut in six different pieces.. blood splashing out. The battle over just within a few seconds.

"That\'s it pork barbeque for dinner. Is mutated pig meat still consider as haram?" Alex asked Aria with a smile.

Aria said with her usual cold face, "Not funny"

"Hahahaha."

Ever since hearing the conversation between Alex and her grandfather, Aria reverted back to her usual self again.

Daisy couldn\'t stop being amazed at the fighters brought by the guy named Alex. They were in a much different level than any fighters she had known.

Alex stared at Daisy. "Please check the position of the other dozen hostiles."

Using her ability again, she tried to extend her range; 1200, 1500 that\'s it past her range.

"I think they are leaving they are out of my reach, sir.

"That\'s ok, I think I already got the gist of both your abilities."

Alex thought their abilities wouldn\'t be that much useful. They both also didn\'t know much about martial arts, but with enough training and once the Doomsday Pillars gave them the right abilities, both would soon enough be important members of his team.

Daisy a psychic Spirit Enhancer and Tommy a shadow Spirit Enhancer, both were still very young. Especially Tommy, he\'s not even yet 15 and just a few years older than his older daughter. They still have more room for improvement. 

Alex decided to explain to both of them about the mission to Australia and its purpose.

Hearing it, Daisy looked conflicted.

Alex saw her hesitation and asked, "Is it the young boy? Adam, is his name isn\'t it?"

Daisy meekly nodded.

"I don\'t like forcing people. It will be your decision but please give it some thought. We really need you, the world\'s survival is at stake." Seeing that no word seemed to move her, Alex added, "And of course he could come along to Australia."

Her reaction brightened up with Alex\'s last statement. She did want to get stronger; she wished to improve her range. She had been blaming herself ever since the last village battle. She thought that if her range could improve, she could predict the enemy before they got surrounded and all of this would never happen. 

But her mind only had one thing in it now. It\'s been three days and Adam still hasn\'t woken up. She\'s worried about Adam\'s safety. 

"Your boyfriend can come along with us, but I\'ve heard that he\'s still unwell. The problem is we\'re really short on time. Our plan has been delayed for more than a week. In less than one month the pillars drop, we really need to leave the city tomorrow. Please make up your mind by then. It will be great if you can join us."

Daisy couldn\'t come to a decision. The doctor said Adam\'s condition had stabilized, but if they need to go tomorrow and Adam is still unconscious, she will not leave. That\'s the one thing she was certain of. She couldn\'t imagine life without Adam.

"What about you, Tommy?" Daisy tried to throw the ball to Tommy.

"I\'m going to follow you whatever you decide, sister Daisy." 

The group finished their training and walked to an outpost a few kilometers south of the city. It was said that this is the place where the Pillar will be drop.

The place was bustling with activities. Thousands of workers working together in harmony; some cutting out trees, some farming the fields, and some building simple constructions. This outpost was designated to become a small fortress; hence, the watchtowers around it.

The group then jumped into a jeep and started driving to the north of New Java. Along the way, they passed through roads and huge green fields of farms.

"!!!"

"What is that?"

"That\'s called the maduras ox. They\'re extremely useful as replacements for the tractors and heavy machinery."

These were the hundred maduras ox brought by Alex from Madura. Although these beasts were huge and looked intimidating with their huge horns protruding out of their heads, they were actually docile creatures.

From the workers of the outpost and the people working in the fields with the huge oxen. All of them were working with high spirits. Daisy didn\'t find the same energy from the survival base in Jakarta. 

Alex realized Daisy\'s amazement and said, "It\'s hope."

Daisy surprised by the unexpected notion asked, "Sorry, Mr. Alex. I don\'t understand what you\'re saying."

"These people are not only working for their survival, but they are working for hope."

As fighters, they had mostly spent their time fighting outside that they sometimes forget what are they fighting for. Daisy pondered for a moment and looked at the workers. This is what they had been fighting for. For the families inside the base, for the children to grow up and safe, for everyone, for everything to return back to normal. The fighters fought with their lives against the monsters that threaten to kill them all. 

She smiled thinking their efforts were not in vain. "Hope… it\'s quite contagious..."

After passing a lot of checkpoints, the jeep arrived in New Java city. Other than some broken and worn out buildings, everything else appeared like the Doomsday never happened. 

Ever since the city had been liberated from the zombies, within the last two weeks, more and more refugees have arrived in the city. Right now, they have almost a million survivors residing in this city.

A few minutes driving inside the city, Alex turned around and looked at Daisy. "I guess this is your stop?"

Daisy nodded.

She came down from the jeep and faced the medical center. 

"Tommy I—"

"Go ahead, sister Daisy."

There was only one thing that filled her mind. She rushed into the second floor, to the room where she had left him this morning. Her shaking legs, ragged breathing, all the practice they did earlier showed its toll, but she was able to reach the room. She opened the door.

"!!!"

Only to find an empty bed.