Chef in the Apocalypse

The next day, Dion woke up abruptly, feeling his heart beating out of his chest. He quickly looked around to make sure that there was no danger, only to find out he was alone in his bed as usual.

After a few moments his heart calmed down, going back to its regular rhythm. With how much Dion’s body had improved, it was almost impossible for him to have a heart attack through natural reactions such as high cholesterol.

There was only one thing that could bring such a reaction, and that was fear.

Once he finally calmed down, he stared at his hands which were still shaking.

"What’s got me so worked up?" Dion muttered, trying to understand his body’s reaction.

When he had first heard about the invasion while Jayce was away, he would often wake up with this tremendous sense of fear and dread, eventually turning him into a nervous wreck.

However these things had stopped upon Jayce’s return a couple of weeks later. With his recent rise in strength, he was more confident than ever before. So what could make him so fearful and nervous at such a time when nothing had changed?

"Is it because of the Summit?" He couldn’t help but wonder. Unfortunately, no amount of wondering would be able to pry into his subconscious, at least with his abilities.

Therefore, he hopped off his bed and began to get ready, trying to ignore the lingering dread in the back of his mind.

"I wonder if they’ll actually listen to him?" he remarked.

***

Within the Central Square, a stage had been put together by the tradespeople of the town. They had almost 6 months to prepare for this moment, and they did not disappoint.

Not only was there a grand stage, there was also demountable seating arrangements which folded out like bleachers, allowing for many people to view the proceedings comfortably.

The brains behind the operation was Kane who majored in engineering, despite looking like a lawyer who had walked straight out of a courtroom.

The bleachers fanned out through the Central Square, looking like an outdoor auditorium. Thankfully, the weather was clear and moderate, despite it being winter.

"It’s finally happening huh?" Colin said, staring at the seats beginning to fill up gradually. He had forgone his tight apron and was now dressed fully in his Guardian battle gear.

"Yeah, it took a lot of work to get here. But it’s finally time to increase the strength of all humanity..."

Jayce was garbed in his Chef’s attire which wasn’t anything new. He couldn’t help it, the tier 4 set was currently the best and comfiest equipment that he had.

Kane had offered to lend him a suit but he had declined. Kane was almost a full head shorter than him so there was no way such a thing would fit him. Yet as he stared at all these people gathering, he started to have second thoughts on his outfit.

Yet he shook his head in the next moment, ’It’s my trademark look anyway. Surely they’ll listen to me if I can make enough of an impact... Right?’ he thought inwardly.

Just as he was feeling a little nervous, a two arms wrapped around his chest from behind holding him tightly. Jayce smiled, he could always count on Lianna to cheer him up in this situation.

Yet just as this thought appeared in his mind, he saw a woman waving at him from one of the bleachers. She wore a beautiful clean green dress, with her hair tied up in a ponytail.

"Lianna?" Jayce’s heart stopped. He slowly diverted his gaze down to the muscular arms that were embracing him tightly, suddenly feeling a shiver run down his spine.

"It’s okay Leader, I belie—" Colin’s words were cut short, as he suddenly saw the world turn upside down. He felt weightless as his large frame was sent flying through the air towards one of the buildings.

The sound of a large collision rang out within the central square as Colin bounced off the ground and into the side of a building. Luckily the bricks upon the ground took most of the impact, sparing the building from any significant damage.

"What just happened?" One of the audience who was on his way to be seated had looked up after hearing the loud noise.

"I don’t know? I missed it as well."

Most of the crowd had been oblivious to the altercation, too busy finding a good seat in order to view the Summit.

However there was a short man and buxom woman who had been coincidentally watching the whole affair. They stared with wide eyes at the man who was garbed in the chef’s attire, as if looking at a monster.

"Dave, did you see what happened?" A middle-aged man wearing a hooded cloak walked up to the brother and sister pair, his steps as light as a feather.

The short man named Dave was startled for a moment, before recognizing the person. He carefully explained what had transpired, in a tone that almost sounded like he didn’t believe what happened.

The hooded man was silent, turning his head towards Jayce in thought. "I guess he’s as strong as the rumors." He muttered to himself.

"Leader, do you know who that guy in the Chef outfit is?" Sophie asked, her usual airy and innocent tone now replaced with a serious one.

"Mmm. That’s Let me Cook, the man who invited all of us here for the Summit." He replied nonchalantly.

Dave was shocked. Was this the owner of that Hell’s Kitchen restaurant that the older man had told him about yesterday? It would make sense, considering he was wearing his Chef uniform.

"Are you sure this Summit is not just a farce to show off his strength and make us submit?" Sophie seemed to be a little suspicious of the whole affair.

Dave’s gaze hardened in response to these words. This was his sister’s real personality, cold and calculating. Her usual ditzy and airhead personality was a facade, created as a way to protect herself.

"We’ll see." The leader said simply, moving past them and finding a seat.