The rope, [Pinion], was dragging the Dream Slugger zombie from here to there.
It retaliated with dark tentacles coming down from its waist, trying to slaughter Pinion. But its strength was degrading with time. As the night darkness spread completely, its fighting spirit faded, and now it tried to escape as the pain from the night weakened it.
It screamed—
"Rahh! Rahh!"
Hawker, who came near the rhino, tried to wake him. Mr. Pinion could use his help. Hawker shook the soft toy with his body.
The rhino finally regained his senses.
He sat on his two legs and slowly opened his eyes.
Hawker said, "Mr. Rhino, are you okay? There is not much time. What you experienced before was a delusion through the dream. And the one who did that is the thing struggling with Mr. Pinion. You can help him."
The rhino's eyes shone.He got on his four legs and ran toward the zombie.
He struck it against a tree beside them.
Pinion rotated himself and wrapped the zombie tightly around the tree.
The zombie struggled, stretching its hands and shouting—
"Rahh! Rahh!"
Caeson, Hawker, and the rhino stood around it, forming a circle.
Caeson was extremely pissed off about what he had felt in the dream and how it dragged him back into his past memories.
He made a calm face, compressing his rage.
"Hey, Hawker. You summoned here—that means the emo-circle has reached its limit. You have to give something. Well, I'll give you the option—what do you want? How should we demolish this piece of shit?"
Hawker said, "Huh… I think there is an item with special abilities concealed inside me. If you say, I will—"
Caeson waved his hand.
The top of Hawker opened. A light came out, shining across a certain area of the forest.
Caeson dipped his hand inside and grabbed something.
He pulled it out.
Black and silver in color, bent at one end like a normal crowbar.
"A crowbar…? This item has special abilities?" Caeson asked.
Hawker said, "It has to be…"
Caeson replied coldly, "Leave that aside. I'm going to make it suffer."
He stormed toward the struggling zombie.
The sharp end of the crowbar plunged into the zombie's stomach, pushing deeper.
Everyone watched—Rhino, Hawker, and Pinion.
The zombie screamed in agony—
"Rahhh!"
It writhed and tried to move, but Pinion kept it stuck to the tree.
Caeson tried to pull the crowbar out, but it was completely stuck.
He placed one foot against the tree and pulled with full force.
"Rahhhhh!"
Caeson finally yanked it out but collapsed backward from the force.
Hawker and the rhino instantly rushed toward him, asking if he was okay.
Caeson lay on the ground, but something was glowing on the crowbar he was holding.
A blue flame.
It covered the silver part of the crowbar.
Everyone began making assumptions.
Caeson said, "It's zombie blood. I've seen this in movies."
Hawker replied, "but how this look like a buring flame, No. It looks like powers that were hidden inside its belly."
The rhino, in a chubby voice, said, "It was the soul."
Caeson looked at the rhino.
"Your voice sounds like a female."
The rhino twisted her neck shyly.
Caeson asked, "Are you a girl? How did you not know that, Hawker?"
Hawker suddenly noticed something.
Caeson and Pinion noticed it too and were shocked.
"…."
Hawker shouted, "How can Mr. Ohh! No Mrs. Rhino talk in human language?!"
The rhino coughed shyly and said softly, "Always."
Caeson looked amazed.
"Ohh… cute rhino can talk. And you, Hawker, couldn't even identify it."
He continued, "I wonder if Pinion can talk too, since we know his name and gender."
Hawker proudly said, "No, that was my transmission cloud."
But changing the topic quickly again to zombie, he said, "Soul… it could be purification done by the crowbar."
Caeson frowned. "Huh? That means the zombie can become a normal human again?"
Pinion rolled his body slightly, signaling that something was wrong.
The zombie was behaving strangely.
It made a faint sound.
"Emi…
Emi…"
Everyone moved closer to the zombie.
Caeson was confused. A zombie speaking?
"And what is 'Emi'… someone's name?"
Hawker tried to talk to the zombie.
Pinion loosened his grip slightly.
The zombie fell onto the ground.
Hawker asked, "Hey… can you speak? Can you see me?"
The rhino said, "Zombie eyes are already popped out. He can't see. And the injuries are too severe. The tentacles coming from his waist are gone now—it's an open wound. He doesn't have much time."
Caeson said, "What does it mean to become normal again?"
He looked at the zombie.
"Hey, Dream Slugger zombie… tell me what you are saying. Even when you weren't in your senses, you thrashed me. At least your last wish should be fulfilled."
The zombie struggled painfully. Blood spread across the ground from the open wounds.
With great difficulty, he said—
"Emily…
My daughter…"
"She was hungry… I was the only one in her family. I tasted the fruit first to check if it was infected or not. But when I got the symptoms… I had to run away from there."
"I could harm my daughter…"
Caeson looked serious.
"But it seems impossible for a girl to survive in a place like this without food."
Hawker said bluntly, "We have to find her."
But there was silence.
The Dream Slugger zombie died before telling them the address.
After some time, Caeson spoke quietly.
"We have to bury him."
He held the crowbar.
The blue flame was still burning along the bar.