Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night

Chapter 240: It's Showtime!

At the crack of dawn, Zane rose from his bed and quickly got to his feet. He no longer suffered from things like fatigue or drowsiness. Even if he wasn't a morning person by nature, this was merely expressed by a means of habit, rather than actual, genuine exhaustion.

And today was not a day for such frivolities. Instead, he quickly accessed his inventory page of the system, where he equipped all of his gear. His stats were displayed on the screen, instantly raising as he did so, clearly reflecting the significant bonus that his equipment had on his performance.

After doing this, Zane left his room to see Maya standing in the doorway. She had a smug look on her face, as if she knew the outcome of what was about to happen even before it began.

When she spoke to Zane, it was in a voice filled with motherly affection, which was slightly unnerving considering it came from an elementary school aged girl, and with a matching voice.

"If I were you, I would reserve Gwen's blood crystal for yourself… There is no use giving those little strumpets who follow you around like trained hounds a third skill before you yourself get one…"

Zane sighed heavily. Despite all the time Maya, or should I say Death, spent around them as a family, she still disapproved of the women in Zane's life. Perhaps a mother would never see eye to eye with the bride(s) of her son. It was a common enough trope across all cultures after all.

But ultimately Zane left it be, as he pat the girl's head, causing her to pout, before walking off to the individual rooms of the women who made up his party. A quick knock, followed by a callout, was all that was needed to wake the women, if they had not already done so.

"Oi, fifteen minutes, mess hall, be there or get spanked!"

It was clearly Madison's room that Zane was knocking on, judging by his provocative statement. Zane continued this trend until he had knocked on all the doors before finally sitting down in the mess hall.

He had no need for breakfast; it had simply become a tradition for him to engage in, and one that signified the luxurious nature of their settlement, considering it was the end of the world, and maintaining a constant food supply was still a difficult thing for the majority of remaining human settlements to achieve.

One by one they arrived, each of them taking part in making a short breakfast. And by a short breakfast, I mean a simple matter of oatmeal and milk. Something to get their stomachs full, despite the anxiety which they all currently felt.

After all, Gwen was the only Horde King which they had encountered thus far that had nearly killed them in the process. Other than Eliza, that is. But they were at a really low level when they first encountered her, a sort of poor luck on their part.

Zane did not say a word over breakfast, nor did the girls make a remark of their own. They all just sat there in silence until they could eat no more. Whether because they finished the meal, or because their nerves prevented them from doing so, it varied per woman in the group.

Once they had fully eaten their food, Zane stood up and walked towards the entrance, leaving only a short phrase of encouragement before exiting the bunker and entering the garage of the mansion that sat above it.

"Remember the plan…."

This wasn't very comforting, despite its attempt. After all, the plan was to cause as much chaos as possible, and take out Gwen during the middle of it. But by now, each of the women had been by Zane's side long enough, and endured countless life or death battles, that they fully trusted him and his ability to command the team.

---

Gwen sat in silence. She was once more in the act of putting on makeup. After all, today was the big day. She could feel it in her bones. Not only that, but she, like several of her other siblings, had been watching Zane's movements closely, very closely, especially after he took out Jett and Lawrence in a single night.

By now, his horde would have reached its maximum size. And all of their ranks would be Tier IV. By sheer terms of quality, Zane's forces would overwhelm hers in a protracted battle.

Especially since he seemed to have the weird ability to equip and organize his horde into a fully capable fighting force. Gwen had no doubt that today was the day, the day she suffered her second death. Unlike Beatrix, there was not a silent hint of resentment in her eyes as she prepared for it.

But rather there was a sense of excitement, as if for inexplicable reasons she wanted to die. But she wanted to look her absolute best for the part. Like a corpse that had been prettied up by a mortician in preparation for its funeral.

And soon enough she could hear the roaring engine of the armored Humvee, which carried Zane and his party into her territory. With a gleeful smile on her face, Gwen finished applying her lipstick before blowing a kiss to her mirror with a slight wink. After which she spoke her thoughts aloud while standing up and turning towards the direction where Zane was now speeding towards her.

"It's show time!"

Gwen stepped out of her residence, which was a modest home. The home which she had grown up in during life. And when she entered the streets, she dispersed her horde. Quite literally sending them away to a pocket dimension where she could call upon them at any given moment.

She had no desire to fight a long and protracted field battle with Zane. No…. This was a deeply personal day for her, and she wanted to challenge her big brother one on one, to see if he truly possessed the strength to take her life.

And thus when Zane and the girls stepped out of their Humvee they were surprised to see the streets of Fernley completely empty, empty that is besides the lone cheerleader waiting for them all in its center with a pretty smile on her face.

Gwen instantly greeted Zane, and Zane alone as she posed an offer to him, all the while assuring that she had not prepared a trap for him.

"Relax, big brother… I sent my horde away, take my life, and they are all yours to command. I propose to you a simple offer, you versus me, 1v1. Leave the pretty little things by your side to wait for our little competition to be over. This is how it is meant to be….. Just the two of us? A lovely little date, don't you think?"

Zane looked over at the others at his party. They all shook their heads, silently conveying their thoughts on the matter. They did not want him to take such a risk, sure his skills had improved by leaps and bounds after becoming a Horde King. But… Was Gwen really something he alone could handle?

Yet, Zane heard that voice in the back of his head… That voice which he now knew belonged to death herself, his mother. It was soft and gentle, confirming that this was how things should end between him and his "sister."

"Go ahead Zane, it will be alright, I promise you…"

With a heavy sigh, Zane raised his hand, signalling the girls to stand back. He wore a confident grin on his face as he expressed his desire to accept Gwen's offer, bewildering the five of them in the process.

"It's fine…. She's right. This is how it is meant to be…"

Elena wanted to protest, but was held back by Olivia and Angelica, both of which shook their heads, forcing her to remain quiet, as Zane equipped his two sickles, resting one on his shoulder, as he pointed the other in a challenging gesture to Gwen, asking her a simple question before they began their fated duel.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I am much more powerful now than I was during our last encounter…."

Gwen smiled as she nodded her head, taking a slight curtsy, as if displaying her respect to her opponent before confirming this was indeed what she wanted.

"You know as well I that so long as this damn crystal remains in my head, there can be no peaceful resolution between the two of us. So let's just get this over with. It will be my honor to fight you, big brother… I promise you, when I see our mother, I will let her know the man you have become!"

Zane could only smirk and shake his head. Their mother knew all too well the man he had become. She was, after all, near constantly by his side in the form of a little girl. With this said, Zane took an aggressive stance, as did Gwen. The two of them vanishing into thin air as they began their assault on one another.