Building a Safe Zone with My Harem In The Post-Apocalyptic World

Chapter 168: Trapped & Terror

Several members of Freebound scoffed openly at Henry’s words. It was obvious they had no belief in God at all.

Once the route had been decided, the traveling group quickly reorganized itself into two separate sections. One group would move at the front while the other stayed behind, allowing the members of Freebound to divide themselves more efficiently for protection.

As expected, Robert and his family remained near the front alongside the physically stronger members of the group. Meanwhile, the elderly, slower travelers, and weaker members stayed in the rear together with a handful of hunters and more members of Freebound that were assigned to guard them.

Just before the journey began, Henry suddenly approached Eugene.

"Thank you for always supporting me," he said warmly as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "You’re a good person, Eugene."

Eugene immediately grew awkward under the praise. He scratched the back of his neck and laughed sheepishly.

"Ah, it’s nothing really. You and the others are basically the future of this traveling group anyway, so I think fresh perspectives are important."

Henry chuckled softly. "You’re right. We’ll finally reach our destination soon."

Something about the way he said it felt oddly unsettling. His eyes looked hollow, completely empty of warmth.

But Eugene was too naive to notice.

After all, it was rare for him to have friends around his own age. Henry and the people around him had been kind ever since joining the traveling group.

They had fought against aberrants together with the others during attacks, helping everyone survive situations that had nearly wiped them out completely.

They even assisted in rebuilding the traveling group when morale had been at its lowest.

The entire group owed Henry and his companions a great deal.

Their numbers had even steadily increased thanks to him.

Eugene still found it hard to believe sometimes. Traveling groups like theirs were usually looked down upon by others.

Most people considered their wandering lifestyle pathetic and cowardly, mocking them for refusing to settle permanently in one place.

But Henry was different. He was capable, charismatic, deeply religious, and always willing to help others.

It did not take long for him, despite being a relatively new member, to become one of the most influential people in the group.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Eugene’s shoulder from behind.

It was Daphne.

Even in the darkness before dawn, her unhappy expression was impossible to miss.

"You shouldn’t trust him and his group that much."

Eugene sighed the moment he heard those words, again.

She always said the same thing.

"How many times have you been proven wrong already, Daphne?" he asked tiredly.

Daphne immediately frowned. "Hey, I know what hypocrites and dangerous people look like, okay?" she argued stubbornly. "It doesn’t matter how nice he acts. That mask of his will fall off sooner or later."

Then her expression turned more serious. "And... you should be careful about the route he suggested too. What if he’s leading us straight to our deaths?"

But to Eugene, her warnings sounded no different from all the other times. Henry had always been kind to them. More than that, he had helped the group countless times already.

"Daphne, just help your grandfather stay with the people at the back, alright?" Eugene said while waving dismissively. "Henry and the others will take care of things."

Then he started walking away, completely ignoring her.

"Are you serious right now?!" Daphne shouted after him in frustration. "Hey! Don’t just walk away while I’m talking to you! Arghh!"

***

At first, the journey went smoothly.

Even in the darkness before dawn, they could still see the silhouettes of their fellow members clearly enough thanks to the lanterns scattered throughout the group, though anything beyond that faded into blackness.

Robert, however, showed no signs of concern. He was a veteran when it came to tracking routes and reading maps, someone who had survived countless journeys across dangerous territories without making mistakes.

"How is it, Father? Is the route still difficult?" Eugene asked while walking beside him.

In his hand was an oil lamp that had been modified into a sturdier lantern. Several members carried similar ones so the group could continue traveling safely through the dark.

"It’s fine," Robert answered, though his voice sounded slightly strained. "But the texture of the ground changed... I think the color did too."

He frowned while staring downward. "Could you check it for me, Eugene? My back still hurts from the last aberrant attack."

"Understood."

Eugene immediately raised a whistle to his lips and blew into it sharply, signaling the group to stop.

One by one, the others repeated the signal, and soon the sound of whistles echoed throughout the dark desert as the entire traveling group halted at the same time.

But before Eugene could even crouch down to examine the ground, the earth suddenly trembled violently beneath them.

Panic spread instantly. Several people nearly lost their footing as the sand shook harder and harder.

"Everyone calm down!" Igor’s voice thundered through the chaos. "Do not scatter! Stay together!"

No one knew what was happening. It was too dark to see clearly, but the fear in the air became suffocating as something enormous moved beneath the ground.

Then suddenly, the sand exploded upward. Something massive emerged directly in front of them.

Eugene’s entire body froze.

The creature towered over them with overwhelming size and presence, so enormous that his knees nearly buckled from pure terror. It had erupted from the earth right before the front group as though it had been waiting beneath them the entire time.

Its hide looked as thick as iron plating, its fangs resembled sharpened swords, and its face carried a horrifying resemblance to a dragon.

Then it roared. The sound shook the air itself.

And in that moment, Eugene realized the horrifying truth. They had walked directly into its nest.

"It’s a Verdant Devourer!" Igor shouted at the top of his lungs. "Everyone run!"

The scream finally snapped Eugene out of his paralysis.

He quickly lit a red flare and raised it high into the air so the people in the rear group would understand the danger and flee immediately.

"Run toward the buildings!" Igor shouted again.

But his voice was suddenly cut short. The Verdant Devourer lunged forward with terrifying speed and bit directly through Igor’s body, tearing him in half instantly.

The upper portion of his corpse disappeared into the monster’s jaws while the lower half collapsed onto the sand in a spray of blood.

For one horrifying second, silence fell over everyone, then the screams began.

Pure panic erupted throughout the traveling group as people scattered and ran desperately toward the nearest buildings. Eugene immediately lifted his mother onto his back and abandoned all of their belongings without hesitation.

Behind him, the sounds of horror continued endlessly. People screamed for help while others screamed in pain.

Gunfire erupted repeatedly as the remaining members of Freebound fought desperately to slow the monster down, sacrificing themselves so the others could escape.

Every second felt like death was right behind him. Several times, Eugene became certain that he and his mother would be the next ones devoured.

Then he heard his father’s voice. "Don’t look back!"

Robert’s roar cut through the chaos sharply enough to pierce Eugene’s fear.

"No matter what happens, don’t you dare look back!"

And Eugene obeyed. He kept running without turning around even once, and because of that, he and his mother managed to reach one of the nearby buildings together with the remaining survivors.

The moment they got inside, Eugene’s legs completely gave out beneath him. He collapsed onto the floor, his face pale with terror as tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

Then he suddenly felt a hand grip his shoulder firmly. "Eugene, you need to stay strong!"

His father’s voice dragged him back to reality. "Don’t fall apart now, alright? Listen to me."

Robert knelt in front of him, breathing heavily but still forcing himself to remain calm.

"Calm down. Don’t panic. We’ll find a way out of this."

Eugene nodded quickly despite the terror suffocating him. Deep down, however, he already knew the truth, escaping from a Verdant Devourer’s nest was almost impossible.

They were nothing more than insects trapped inside a spider’s web.

When Eugene finally gathered enough courage to look outside through the window, he saw hell unfolding before his eyes.

The Verdant Devourer moved through the fleeing crowd. The creature would suddenly burst from beneath them, swallowing bodies whole or tearing them apart so violently that blood, organs, and shattered limbs rained through the air.

Eugene’s stomach twisted violently at the sight, and he immediately vomited onto the floor.

But even inside the building, the panic was no better.

People crowded around the entrances and windows, desperately trying to pull in the survivors who were still running toward them.

Some almost made it. Their fingers would touch, hands grabbing each other tightly as the people inside tried with all their strength to drag them to safety.

Then the Devourer would appear, it would snatch the victim away, sometimes so violently that only an arm or a severed hand remained behind in the grasp of the survivors.

The worst part was how deliberate it all felt as though the monster was intentionally toying with them.

It shattered hope piece by piece, forcing everyone inside the building to watch helplessly as the people they tried to save were ripped apart right before their eyes.

Like a cruel god entertaining itself with human suffering.

Some people had already begun breaking down completely. Others cried while praying desperately under their breath, and several simply sat frozen in shock, unable to process the nightmare happening around them.

But amidst all the fear and despair, Robert remained the only one who refused to give up hope.

"It’s alright!" he shouted loudly enough to cut through the panic. "We can survive this! We can get out of here safely!"

He turned toward the terrified survivors, forcing confidence into his voice despite the exhaustion and fear visible on his face.

"Trust me!"