Thanks to surviving numerous rounds of avoiding the shrinking poison zone in past missions, Eric's driving skills have seen a remarkable leap. Amidst the congested island overwhelmed by zombies, she expertly navigates her vehicle in search of an escape route. On one occasion, she even rammed through a roadside stall, slipping away from the horde relentlessly pursuing them.
As night began to fall, their car rumbled along the road, its noise drawing even more undead.
Many survivors still remained scattered across the island; some concealed themselves within buildings, while others fled in vehicles like theirs.
Midway, Eric switched drivers with Tyler.
Yet holding out until the plane's arrival was far from easy.
"Damn it! There's another zombie horde up ahead!" Tyler wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Look to the side! The alley there is swarming too! How can our car possibly get through?" Dennis panicked, voice trembling.
"Unless this car's a tank, we won't have the power to crush them." Eric's expression darkened. "We have to get out."
"N-no, I'm not getting out…" Dennis turned pale, gripped by terror. Surrounded by so many zombies, without the car's steel shell to shield him, he'd be torn to shreds.
Eric grabbed his collar, hauling him backward. Locking eyes with him she said firmly, "You still owe me a medkit. Don't you dare die."
Tyler jerked the steering wheel sharply. "There's a small clearing ahead. I'm stopping! Get out, now!"
"Wh-where do we run?"
"Run anywhere there aren't zombies. When you hear the plane, head straight for the hospital!"
The vehicle screeched to a halt. Eric, feeling the NPC's invaluable contribution, didn't want to abandon him, and dragged him along. Fortunately, despite his ghostly pallor, his stamina was sufficient to keep pace.
Running toward a nearby building, Eric dashed up to the second floor and pushed sofas and tables to block the stairway. When Tyler and the others arrived, they quickly teamed up to shove the furniture down.
"Ugh!" The zombies snarled, clawing as they tried to climb over the barricades.
"To the rooftop!"
The shop had three floors. Repeating their tactic, they blocked the stairs again, buying precious breathing room.
Dennis's clothes were torn off by the undead. Had Tyler not yanked him just in time, he would have been dragged into the horde. He barely escaped death, but his spirit broke; sobbing uncontrollably, clutching his mouth in sheer terror. The stench of rotting flesh had almost been palpable!
"Move, now! Or we'll leave you behind!" Tyler snapped.
Eric assessed their situation, smashing a chair to break a window, then flinging it across the alley to the neighboring building's window.
Glass shattered noisily everywhere, but the other side was clear. Seeing the corridor free of zombies, Eric leapt across immediately.
Upon landing, she swiftly stored all furniture in the hall within her spatial pocket, then hurried to the stairwell to unpack and barricade it. This method was highly efficient; in mere seconds, the dining chairs and tables were wedged to block the stairway securely.
"Jump over here!" she called urgently, gripping the window frame.
The NPC pursed his lips. "I can't."
"You can. It's less than two meters. You're at least 1.8 meters tall. You're capable." Eric fixed him with a determined gaze.
"...Alright, I'll try." The NPC climbed up the window ledge, steadying himself before summoning all his courage and leaping forward.
He made the distance but misjudged the landing, nearly stumbling. Quick as lightning, Eric caught him. "Grab on! Climb up!"
Below, the zombies pressed onward. Tyler threw the last chair down but noticed a few undead already scaling the stairs to the third floor. Swearing, he cursed, "Damn, these things sure know how to climb!"
Turning back, he hauled the exhausted Dennis toward the window. "Hurry up. I've done you more favors than I can count. If you can't pull yourself together, you deserve to become zombie bait! Everyone starts as a newbie; you've already been lucky once!"
Having done his part, he jumped across.
"Phew... that worked out well. We're damn lucky!" Tyler exhaled, relieved at the solid barricade. He hadn't suspected Eric had engineered it.
"That must be another survivor's doing. We got lucky by chance." Eric sank to the floor, catching her breath after pulling up the NPC.
"Where's Dennis?" she scanned anxiously.
"He won't jump." Tyler wiped his brow. "We gotta wait for him a bit. At least this spot is safe enough. He needs to build resilience, but this mission... he swings between moments of strength and weakness. I just don't know if he can make it this time."
Eric gazed toward the window, hoping to see Dennis's figure leap into their sanctuary any moment now.
The next moment, a piercing scream echoed from the adjacent building.
Eric rose abruptly and dashed to the window. She saw Dennis grasping the ledge, stretching out a trembling hand. His tear-streaked face was marred by the zombies clutching his head, mercilessly sinking their teeth into his neck.
Amidst the gloomy twilight, vivid scarlet blood spurted forth.
"Help! Somebody save me!" Dennis cried out one last desperate plea before more zombies surged forward. He was dragged downward, his hand clutching the windowsill until it finally slipped away. Eric's gaze faltered, and he vanished from sight.
Frozen in disbelief, Eric was unaware that tears welled up in her eyes.
Though she had only known him for a few days without deep affection, witnessing his death before her was unbearably painful.
For Dennis's fate, and for the uncertain future that lay ahead for herself.
"He didn't make it this time." Tyler stood beside her, his expression somber. A minute or even a second's delay could have changed everything. Last time, Dennis had been galvanized by peril to survive, but this relentless horde had afforded him no such reprieve. He was gone.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo!"
Drawn by the scent, the zombies converged on the building, roaring as they surged upward. Blocked at the stairwell between the second and third floors, they frenziedly squeezed through gaps between tables and chairs.
A small fire flickered on the upper floor, blackening the walls with soot.
With a soft plop, Eric expressionlessly withdrew her staff, which had plunged into a zombie's eye socket. Pulling it free, it bore clots of red and white viscous matter emitting a stench fouler than rotten fish fermentation.
Tyler jabbed with his baton, felling one zombie after another as they held the floor's defenses.
"Is the plane almost here?" His anxiety was palpable as he glanced at the wall clock. "It's already half past eight."
"I don't know, but the plane will come." The NPC unobtrusively touched his wrist, where a chip was embedded. His family surely knew he was alive and would have dispatched the plane to retrieve him.
Eric exhaled wearily, switching the iron rod to her other hand. She cast a glance at her overstrained, twitching right hand, then toward the staircase—
The zombies came unceasingly, writhing and squeezing through the interstices of furniture. Their bodies contorted grotesquely, yet their gaping mouths harbored a singular, insatiable hunger. They sought to seize them, devour them, or transform them into kindred monsters.
Thankfully, the building was sturdy. Otherwise, Eric feared its collapse beneath the relentless pressure.
Yet even so, she felt this stronghold unsustainable for much longer.
"Since the zombies have been drawn here, why not burn the place down?" Eric proposed.
"I'd love to, but there's no gasoline," Tyler replied, wiping his sweat.
"I'll go find fuel and return quickly. Watch over him," Eric instructed the NPC.
"T-then be careful. If you can't find any, we'll just retreat."
"Understood."
Eric climbed out the window. The pile of zombies beneath reached desperately toward her. Their clammy hands, like deadly seaweed, grasped eagerly to drag her down for their feast. Steeling her resolve, she climbed steadily, first to the rooftop, then hopping across to the neighboring building's roof.
Scanning the surroundings, she saw no sign of Rui — both good and bad news.
Good: They would not be beset on two fronts by zombies and the tentacled monster.
Bad: Rui had perhaps abandoned his pursuit and returned to the hospital — a dire predicament.
The island's largest hospital towered above all else. At night, Eric could discern its red illuminated name atop the main building, easily locating its position.
She cast her eyes skyward — no trace of the plane.
Upon returning, Eric bore two cans of gasoline. Tyler's relief was evident. Together, they methodically doused the zombies surrounding the building, saturating the stairwell as well.
"You two go ahead. I'll set the fire," Eric declared.
"Alright, I'll bring him closer to the hospital."
Eric taught the NPC how to ascend to the rooftop, demonstrating before moving ahead to prepare.
The NPC climbed with effort, but a sudden danger made Eric glance back. In the darkness loomed a massive shadow — Rui!
At that moment, the long-awaited sound of rotor blades reached her ears. She hastily raised her eyes, spotting a helicopter approaching!
Amidst the exhilaration, an idea crystallized in Eric's mind.
"What are you doing?" The NPC, just having reached the top, was seized by Eric who slashed his wrist.
"Shh, Rui is here," she silenced him. The NPC looked around bewildered.
"But I don't see him."
Blood gushed forth, quickly filling a half-bag. Eric feigned ignorance of its dark crimson hue and the stale metallic scent. Using cloth strips from a torn bedsheet, she swiftly bandaged the wound.
"There. Over there." Only then did she point toward the direction.
Though still unable to see, he murmured, "I smell him."
Watching him in the darkness, Eric noted the deepening bloodshot veins in his eyes — the human part of him fading, succumbing more to the zombie side. Steeling herself, she said, "From your tone, you know him well. I intend to use your blood to lure him away. Look, the plane's here; once Rui is drawn off, we can head to the hospital to board."
The NPC said no more about Eric's cutting his wrist and letting it bleed.
"Let's move. It's time to ignite the fire."
Leading the NPC to the adjacent building, Tyler lit the stairwell ablaze, then climbed to the rooftop to ignite the encircling zombies.
Boom!
A blaze erupted in brilliant light.
"Hoo! Hoo, hoo!"
The zombie horde writhed and howled amidst the flames.
Tyler pocketed the matches Eric had given him and leapt over to join them.
Eric shared her plan, urging, "Protect him at all costs. I believe he holds the key to our flight!"
Still haunted by the tentacled monster, Tyler nodded resolutely at Eric taking charge. Beating his chest, he vowed, "Trust me, I'll safeguard him! We'll be waiting for you at the helipad!"