"Now, while I am at my strongest," Arthur said as he checked his fatigue level, which was practically empty, "something big is happening, and we need to escape before it arrives."
David chuckled lightly, clearly acknowledging what Arthur had just said.
"Something big like ninety-five Tier-2 awakened zombies on the fourth floor."
"What", Caleb suddenly screamed."Tier two?! Ninety-five?!" Even Arthur was momentarily shocked by what David had said, but his expression remained calm.
Tamsin stared at David in disbelief.
"Wait a moment. A Tier-1 monster fly nearly claimed our lives just a few hours ago. Now you're saying there are not one, not two, but ninety-five Tier-2 zombies above us?"
"Don't you see the smile on his face? He's joking," Noah added, clearly refusing to believe the claim.
David simply looked at them, then he asked a simple question. "Why are you still alive after walking into this death zone?"
The squad paused. Arthur met David's gaze before answering."Because you already battled the first awakened or tier two zombie."
The former head boy nodded slowly.
"You see, when a person fails to complete their awakening, they die and fade into particles of energy. If they complete the awakening successfully, congratulations. They become one of the few humans guaranteed to survive."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"However, if for any reason they are bitten while still undergoing the awakening process, or just before completing it, they rise again as an awakened or tier two zombie."
Tamsin gasped softly.
David continued, "The first person thrown into the middle school was a junior. The same boy you beat moments before this apocalypse began."
Several eyes shifted toward Arthur, who returned the glance without reacting.
"After he suddenly lost consciousness, his body was disposed of with the others. A few hours passed before the rest of us began developing the symptoms of awakening."
David's voice lowered slightly as he recalled the memory. "When we were thrown into the middle school, the junior's body couldn't be found. No one paid attention to that."
He shook his head.
"A mistake that would cost us dearly in the coming minutes." David folded his arms as he continued recounting the events.
"All I remember is waking up inside the middle school after helping the principal dispose of some bodies earlier. I was surprised. Shocked, even."
He paused, "But those feelings disappeared the moment I noticed something else." His expression turned sour and those of his cohort darkened with fear.
"A zombie. It was crouched over the pile of disposed bodies… feasting." The room grew silent. "I stayed completely quiet. I ignored the system prompts appearing in my vision. I didn't even breathe loudly."
He looked at the others.
"That lasted until a few more people woke up, twelve of them, at the time.They were confused. None of them understood what was happening."
David sighed, "And then someone groaned,that was enough. The zombie noticed us." He let out a tired breath.
"You should have seen the horror on my face when I realized it was the same boy I stopped you from beating earlier."
David looked toward Arthur briefly.
"His grey eyes were staring straight into my soul." David rubbed the back of his neck."I was lucky he didn't target me first, because his speed was terrifying, Five girls died immediately. Their screams gave away their positions."
His voice grew grim.
"To be honest, if Blessed hadn't realized her Bullet Time ability at that moment, we would all be dead."
He gestured toward the group.
"All seven of us had to figure out our abilities quickly, or we would die. Mark's superhuman enhancement helped him distract the zombie long enough for the rest of us to react."
David gave Mark a brief nod. "The battle slowly began to tilt in our favor once everyone started understanding their abilities."
"But even then…" He exhaled slowly. "It still wasn't enough and I was the last one left with no knowledge of his ability." David's voice dropped slightly. "My ability would determine whether we lived or died. But the problem was… I didn't even know if I had one.
So the fight dragged on, our opponent was simply too strong. Its speed was overwhelming. Its strength unmatched. Its durability nearly impossible to break." David looked down at his hands.
"I could only watch as everyone else was beaten to the brink of death." His voice remained steady, but the memory clearly bothered him. "I wasn't given an instant death. Instead, the zombie threw me straight through the headmistress's office… and into the courtyard."
He lifted his head again. "That's when I discovered my ability…, not through instinct. Through a title, the title that would changey path for ever. The zombie followed me outside into the courtyard, and we fought there."
David's lips curved into a faint smile. "I didn't win because I was stronger. I didn't win because I was smarter. I won because I learned how to use my Astral Rain ability before it killed me."
He finished the story there.
Arthur coughed lightly.
'So his ability is Astral Rain, Mark's Superhuman Enhancement… and Blessed's is Bullet Time. Why did heake it sound so heroic.'
Then Arthur spoke again. "So apart from that, is there anything else you know about Tier-2 zombies… or zombies in general?"
This time Mark answered. "Tier-2 zombies can use abilities or that is what we think. I suggest that they are just infused with elemental traits." He hesitated slightly before adding another statement."And all zombies are practically immortal."
Everyone turned toward the curly-haired boy at once."You say they are what?!" David exclaimed. "What the fuck you say kid." Noah added. "It's only a possibility," Mark replied defensively.
Arthur crossed his arms."It might actually be true." Everyone turned toward him now. "While we were here earlier, we killed several child zombies. After clearing the second floor, I looked down into the courtyard."
He paused."The bodies were gone." David stared at him. "Wait. You all fought zombies?" Arthur nodded. "We cleared them out completely."
David looked genuinely surprised. "That's strange. The child zombies in the courtyard died during our fight with the awakened zombie."
"I noticed something similar," Mark said immediately. He swallowed hard before continuing."I saw the zombie you killed last night climb up to the fourth floor using the pillars."
"At first I thought I was hallucinating, but then it happened again. With other zombies." Eli grabbed Mark's arm suddenly. "And you didn't tell us?"
Mark quickly defended himself. "If I was wrong, you would have all laughed at me. And I wanted someone else to confirm it first."
David sighed deeply, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Here I thought this apocalypse couldn't get any more fucked up." He laughed bitterly.
"The sun burns what moves. Monsters evolve, and now zombies might be immortal?" He shook his head."Fantastic."
The group fell into silence as they processed everything that had just been said. Several minutes passed. Finally, Mary spoke. "Well, it doesn't—"
A massive bang slammed against the door. Everyone froze, their eyes locked onto the barricaded entrance. For a moment they all silently prayed that whatever had made that sound would simply leave.
Then the second impact came. CRACK. The door splintered slightly. The barricade began shifting as chairs and desks scraped loudly across the floor.
"There are lots of them," Jonah said quietly, removing the hand that had been pressed against his temple. Arthur stood up immediately.
He pointed toward the door and prepared to activate his force manipulation to reinforce the barricade. But before he could act—
A system notification appeared.
[ Time Up. ]
[ The Lesser Walkers Have Converged. ]
[ A Higher Threat Lurks Nearby. ]
[ Confrontation Is Now Mandatory Or Death Follows. ]
Arthur's breath caught in his chest. He slowly turned toward his squad.
"Mission complete," he said calmly.
"Let's get going."