At the training grounds, the faint light of the setting sun cast long, distorted shadows across the gruesome scene.
Brad's massive body lay still amidst the shattered wooden spears.
The Exalted One approached the fallen guard. He stopped and looked down with a dismissive sneer. "A pathetic display. You couldn't even handle a few children," he taunted.
A dark, viscous energy coalesced around his hands.
The Exalted One placed his glowing palm on Brad's cold back. "You could still be of use," he remarked.
In an instant, a wave of dark energy surged into the corpse.
Brad's body convulsed violently. The sound of bones snapping and resetting reverberated. Fresh, dark blood pumped from his wounds and sealed them shut. His grayish skin regained a hint of its former color, though it remained pale and clammy. His eyes snapped open, no longer vacant but burning with a malevolent, intelligent glow. He let out a guttural roar, but it wasn't the mindless shriek of a zombie. It was a roar of power and recomposure. He rose to his feet and towered over The Exalted One. He clutched his head and groaned softly. His movements were no longer the clumsy shamble of the undead. They were fluid and controlled. He stretched his limbs, and a series of loud cracks echoed through the training grounds. He flexed his muscles, and they bulged with a newfound strength.
"Much better," The Exalted One commented with a cruel smile. He circled Brad, like a sculptor admiring his work, and alleged, "You are no longer a mindless drone of The Covetous Queen. Now, you are my own creation. My general."
Brad lowered his head in a gesture of submission. His once-proud guard uniform was now tattered, underlying his betrayal. "This power. I am... reborn. Thank you," he growled, and his voice was a deep, resonant rumble. "I will not fail you, my master," he proclaimed. He looked towards the school building, and his burning eyes scanned the windows. "The brats... I will make them pay," he declared with a scowl.
The Exalted One chuckled. "Patience. I have a different goal in mind," he asserted. He gestured towards the school. "My real goal is not their demise, but their capture," he paused and added with a menacing tone, "And I want to see their potential when pushed to the brink."
Brad's brow furrowed. "Capture? Why can I not simply destroy them," he questioned with a hint of frustration.
The Exalted One's smile widened, and he explained, "True power lies in control. These children... They are pieces of a grand puzzle, and I intend to collect them all for my grand plan."
Brad nodded, though the concept was still alien to him in what remained of his brain.
"Go," The Exalted One commanded and pointed towards the main building. "Hunt down the survivors. Corner our rats, our little test subjects. Let us see what happens when they are given a glimmer of false hope."
Brad cracked his knuckles. "As you wish, master," he muttered. He turned and walked towards the school. Leaving visible footprints in the dirt, his steps were heavy. He pushed through the remaining zombies as they were mere obstacles. He placed a hand on the main door and pushed it with a grunt.
The heavy wooden door swiftly swung open.
Brad stepped into the darkened hallway, and a predator's grin stretched across his face.
In the hallways, the scene was a chaotic nightmare. Dim, flickering lights cast long, dancing shadows on the walls. The sounds of the undead, shuffling feet, and the wet tearing of flesh were a constant, terrifying presence.
Matteo and Benjamin ran down the hallway. Their feet splashed through puddles of congealed blood. They kept their eyes peeled for any sign of the others.
Suddenly, a classroom door to their left burst open. A zombie, a former student with a broken calculator, lunged out.
Benjamin reacted instantly. He pulled Matteo behind him and delivered a powerful kick to the zombie's chest.
The zombie flew back and crashed into the wall.
"Thank you," Matteo remarked.
Behind them, more zombies came out of a junction and sprinted towards them with a loud guttural cry.
"Keep moving," Benjamin ordered. He pulled Matteo down another corridor. The shuffling of the horde behind them grew closer. He skidded to a halt in front of a large spectacle.
The hallway's windows cracked and shattered sporadically.
From outside, zombies jumped through the windows and fell hard. Pieces of glass embedded into their bodies as they rose and charged.
"We're surrounded," Matteo blurted out.
"We have to fight," Benjamin proclaimed and readied his knife.
In an instant, a zombie lunged forward.
Benjamin met it head-on. He ducked under a clumsy swipe, grabbed the zombie's arm, and twisted. With a sickening tear, he sliced the limb with his knife. He used the severed arm as a makeshift club to knock another zombie back.
Matteo, inspired by Benjamin's ferocity, grabbed a shard of glass from the floor. He jabbed it into the eye of a zombie approaching from the side.
More zombies poured in through the broken windows.
One of them, the former lunch lady, pounced on Benjamin's back and tackled him to the ground.In a swift motion, she bit his arm.
"Benjamin," Matteo yelled.
Benjamin groaned in pain and attempted to shake her off.
The zombie, unrelenting, flailed around and kept her hold.
Benjamin sliced her jaw apart and threw her towards another zombie. "Let's go. Now," he urged.
Matteo and Benjamin ran through the horde, and they weaved out of their reach.
After a while, Benjamin grabbed the blood mark on his arm, and his face darkened. "I'm sorry, Matteo. Go without me. I'm going to turn just like Ms. Lily said," he confessed with a shaky breath. He looked at Matteo with a somber expression. "You need to go. Save yourself. Find your brothers," he pleaded. "I'll hold them off," he volunteered as his last resort.
"No, I'm not leaving you," Matteo refused with conviction.
A zombie rushed forward to Matteo, and his jaw opened impossibly wide.
"Go," Benjamin exclaimed and pushed Matteo away. He engaged the zombie with a look of fury. He pushed the zombie to the ground and turned to the horde. "Come get me," he roared and charged. His battle cry echoed in the narrow corridor as he disappeared into the swarm of the undead.
Matteo watched, and a single tear traced a path down his cheek. His heart pounded, not with fear but with a burning courage. He looked at the bite mark on his own arm and found nothing. His wound healed by itself. He would not let Benjamin sacrifice himself. "Benjamin," he screamed and charged back into the horde.
Zombies turned to the source of the scream, but there was no one.
With a determined look, Matteo zoomed by in a blur. He weaved through the horde and punched a zombie, who stumbled to another.
Benjamin was on his knees, and his body trembled. He gritted his teeth.
All over him, zombies bit his body, and their teeth broke apart with every attempt.
Energy seeped between the crevices of the undead and flowed into Benjamin.
With a loud growl, Benjamin pushed them away with a peculiar wave of energy.
Zombies were flung back, and they broke multiple bones in their crash.
"Benjamin," Matteo shouted and finally reached him. He extended a hand.
Benjamin looked up. "Matteo," he gasped, and then, he grasped his hand.
Matteo pulled him up with a struggle, and he panted afterwards.
Benjamin leaned against the wall for support. "I don't understand. I thought I was done for," he stammered, and he looked at the blood marks on his arm. He wiped it. There was no break in his skin, relieving his thoughts and the pain from the pinches.
"Are you a zombie now," Matteo asked with worry. His chest heaved, and he winced as multiple bite marks layered him.
"I don't know," Benjamin answered, and he examined himself. "I don't feel hungry for flesh. I feel stronger," he noted with a puzzled look. His gaze drifted to Matteo's bloody wounds, and he questioned, "What about you?"
Matteo looked at his own hands and responded, "I don't think so. Sorry, I wanted to help."
The zombies, previously thrown, began to stir. With a collective moan, they shakily got to their feet.
"We don't have time for this," Benjamin warned. He pushed himself off the wall and took a defensive stance. "We need to find the others and get out of here," he proclaimed with purpose.
Matteo nodded.
Together, the two of them carved a path through the re-risen zombies. They fought their way deeper into the school.
Losing the zombies, Matteo turned a corner and saw three figures running towards him. His eyes widened.
"Matteo," Stark yelled with relief.
Elaine and Jasper trailed behind.
"Stark," Matteo cried and ran. He hugged his brother.
Benjamin quickly followed. "They're coming. We need to keep moving," he pointed out.
Suddenly, a new wave of zombies flooded the corridor from the opposite end. They blocked their only way to the classroom for the intermediate studies.
"What do we do now," Elaine stammered in a panic.
"I'll fight them," Stark declared and stepped forward. He raised his wooden sword.
Jasper's jaw tightened, and he, too, took a step forward. "We'll hold them off," he affirmed and stood beside Stark. A faint, shimmering energy crackled around his hands, and the memory of his surge in the fight against Brad flashed in his mind. He looked at his hands with a mix of fear and wonder.
Stark glanced at him. "Ready," he asked.
Jasper nodded.
The zombies shambled forward, and their groans grew louder.
Stark and Jasper took a deep breath and charged.
At the same time, Brad passed by the corridors near the cafeteria. He halted as he heard the battle cry and the shuffling of many zombies. A cruel grin stretched across Brad's face. He immediately changed his path and followed the sounds of fighting.
Nearby, a zombie with broken legs feasted on a recently bruised corpse.
What happened to Hafen and Pepe?