"Sh*t! There's too many of them!"
"Just keep running! We need to get to the second floor first!"
"Damn it! Get away from me!"
"eeeiikk"
A high-pitched shriek escaped the throat of one of the Lurkin as it was blasted by a jet of fire from Ella's weapon. She didn't even flinch—her arms steady, her glare burning just as fiercely as the flames she wielded.
The trio's plan had succeeded—at least for the most part. They'd managed to slip away undetected, or so they thought. But they had underestimated the creatures' awareness. Despite their calculated movements, some of the Lurkin had noticed them fleeing, and now a swarm was hot on their trail.
Their only option was to keep moving, sprinting through the blood-smeared corridors toward the auto service bay. But as their footsteps echoed through the flickering halls and the shrieks of the Lurkin grew louder behind them, Ella couldn't shake the gnawing feeling in her chest. She glanced at their surroundings, calculating their odds. Something wasn't right. The deeper they went, the more exposed they became.
Then it hit her—if they stuck to the original plan without adapting to the current threat, they were barreling toward disaster, one misstep away from being surrounded and torn apart. This route, this timing—it would only lead them into danger unless they made a change, and fast.
"Thino! I don't think this is the right time to head to the auto service!" Ella called out, her voice rising between short, labored breaths. She was starting to lose stamina, and her words made both Thino and Summer glance back at her.
"W-What do you mean?" Thino asked, his voice strained.
"We need another distraction!" she replied firmly. "We can't just rush over there while they're chasing us—we're going to get cornered at this rate!"
She wasn't wrong, and Thino nodded in agreement, though his expression remained tense. Creating another distraction inside this hellish campus was easier said than done. The place was crawling with monsters—appearing from every hallway, stairwell, and shadow.
"I-I might have a suggestion," Summer interjected timidly, having kept mostly quiet until now. Her voice broke through the panic, drawing the group's attention right as they finished incinerating another Lurkin that lunged at them.
"Where!?" both Thino and Ella asked in unison.
Summer adjusted her glasses, straightened up, and composed herself.
"We need to get to the radio station," she explained. "If we can power it up, we can activate the loudspeakers across the campus."
"Oh—that's right!" Ella exclaimed. "We could distract them using the broadcast system! That might actually work!"
"Exactly. You take the lead, Summer," Thino said quickly. "We'll follow and clear the way."
Summer nodded, and the three of them set off again. It didn't take long before they spotted the station—it was, in fact, located on the second floor. How they had overlooked that detail earlier was beyond them.
"Here it is—the radio station," Summer said, her tone steady but alert.
The moment they stepped inside, the two others gave a nod of approval, and immediately started working on setting up the power system. They flipped on the power buttons, each light flicking to life as the console warmed up. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
Thino stepped forward, ready to speak into the microphone. "For all the—"
But before he could finish, a loud, frantic banging on the station door cut him off, echoing like gunshots through the enclosed room.
Everyone froze.
They exchanged glances, and instinctively moved into defensive positions. Before anyone opened the door, Thino raised his voice.
"Who's there!?"
"T-thino? Thino, is that you? Please, let us in!"
The muffled voice came from the other side—a man, panicked and breathless. Ella frowned. Whoever it was knew Thino's name, but she didn't recognize the voice.
And then the man cried again, louder this time, more desperate.
"Thino! I know it's you! Please open the door, let me in!"
There was something about his tone that struck Thino. Genuine fear. Recognition. Without another word, he moved to unlock the door.
Ella didn't stop him. She had heard the same thing—whoever was out there still spoke clearly, not like someone infected or turning. She kept her weapon ready but didn't interfere.
"L-Light?" Thino's eyes widened as he swung open the door.
Standing outside was Light—his expression equally stunned upon seeing Thino.
"Yes, I—Agh!"
"Move!"
Light's sentence was cut short as another figure suddenly shoved him from behind, forcing their way into the room before slamming the door shut with all their strength. Heavy, rapid thuds followed—claws scratching, fists slamming—but the door held firm.
"AAARGHH!!"
Thud! Thud!
Frustrated growls echoed from outside as the Lurkin failed to break through the barricaded door. At the same time, the stranger—Rian—let out an aggravated breath, then turned sharply on his heel and stalked toward Light, his frustration simmering just beneath the surface.
"If you were so eager to become their meal, you should've just let them eat you from the beginning!"
"And who told you to follow me!?"
"What, you think I wanted to be here too!?"
"How would I know!? It's your body—you're the one controlling it!"
"You're a f*cking idiot, you know that!? If you hadn't screamed like a lunatic, I could've easily slipped back without bringing them with me!"
Rian's words came in a furious burst as he grabbed light by the collar, ready to punch him across the face—but before he could land a blow, the others stepped in to break it up.
"Hey, hey, can you two please calm down?" Ella said sharply, stepping between them and holding Rian's arm. "This isn't the place for a shouting match. We're not the only ones who can hear you in here."
"She's right," Thino added, standing between them and meeting their eyes with quiet intensity.
"We need to stay focused."
Eventually, Rian let go of Light's collar and stepped back, adjusting his clothes and trying to collect himself.
"F-Fine. I'm sorry. I just…" Light trailed off, breathing heavily. "When I saw Thino… and Summer… I thought I was hallucinating. I didn't want to believe I was losing it, so I called out. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining it."
"…Be careful next time," Rian muttered coldly.
Ella clapped her hands once, drawing everyone's attention back. "Now that we've got that out of the way—let's return to the plan."
"Right," Thino said, regaining his composure. "As you can see, we're inside the radio station. According to the plan, we need to create a major distraction again."
"Just like you did in the basement?" Light asked.
"Yes, exactly. Since the loudspeakers are spread out across the campus, we'll use them to—"
He paused, noticing Summer frozen in front of the control panel. Her expression had shifted—she looked worried. Troubled.
"…What's wrong?" he asked, stepping closer.
"T-The electric power just suddenly went out…"
"What do you mean?" Ella cut in, rushing over to try the panel herself. She tapped the controls and pressed the switches—but nothing responded.
"It's… it's dead."
"It was working just a moment ago!" she exclaimed. "Don't tell me… they damaged the wires?"
She turned toward the window, her companions following her gaze.
In the distance, just outside, they could see them the monster with big wings swarming the campus power lines, clawing and gnawing at the cables. Sparks flew as the wires snapped and collapsed.
"…That also means the generator must've been destroyed," Summer added grimly.
The realization hit them like a punch to the gut. One by one, they all exhaled sharply, their faces falling.
"What the fudge do we do now?" Ella muttered, her voice tight with frustration.