Chapter 6 – The Descent Begins
The corridor lights flickered again.
Once, twice—then one bulb popped, showering the floor in glass.
Eliel froze where he stood, his back pressed against the chipped yellow wall. Sweat slid from his hairline down to the corner of his jaw, mixing with the grime on his neck. His fingers gripped the hilt of the Greatsword of the Fallen Dawn so tight that his knuckles turned pale.
The dormitory, once a place of lazy laughter and half-finished assignments, had turned into a tomb. The faded green doors were splintered, the air thick with the stink of mildew and burnt wiring. Somewhere down the hall, water dripped steadily—plink, plink, plink—like a clock counting down to something inevitable.
And above him, the ceiling breathed.
At first, he'd thought it was just settling concrete. But then came the thuds—slow, heavy, deliberate. Dust rained down. Something big was moving across the rooftop.
"...You hearing dat?" whispered Patoa, crouched near a doorway. The dim light caught his expression—dark skin gleaming with sweat, dreadlocks clinging to his forehead. He grinned faintly, though the tension in his shoulders betrayed him. "Sound like one fat man pacing, mi swear."
Eliel gave a short breath that might've been a laugh if his heart wasn't hammering. "A fat man doesn't shake the whole roof."
Patoa tilted his head. "True dat, mi boss. True dat."
The two men fell silent again. Every nerve screamed run, but neither moved. The air grew heavier, pressing against their lungs. The corridor seemed to narrow with each breath.
Then, a shadow shifted across the cracked ceiling tiles.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The noise was closer now—right above them.
Eliel took a step back, boots scraping against grit. "If it drops through, aim for the head."
"Yuh nuh haffi tell mi twice," Patoa muttered, raising a bent metal pipe he'd scavenged earlier. His hand trembled just slightly.
A hairline crack spread across the ceiling like a spiderweb. Dust fell in clumps. A low rumble vibrated through the floorboards, making Eliel's sword hum faintly in response.
Then—silence.
Eliel's breath hitched. "...Maybe it moved awa—"
The ceiling exploded.
Chunks of concrete and plaster rained down, the world shaking as something enormous crashed through. Both men dove aside as a mass of limbs and bone slammed into the floor, scattering debris.
Eliel rolled, coughing through the dust. "Status of the fat man confirmed!"
Patoa peeked through the haze. "Mi boss... dat no man."
When the dust finally thinned, the creature stood revealed.
Eight feet tall. Skin gray-black, like it had been charred. Its muscles twitched beneath layers of torn flesh, and its veins glowed faintly blue. Where its face should've been, a gaping maw split upward, dividing the head into four ragged flaps filled with jagged teeth. Its eyes were nothing but pits of flickering azure light.
The thing turned toward them and sniffed—no, felt—the air. The glow in its chest pulsed once, twice, before it crouched low like a predator about to spring.
[ Warning: Mutated Zombie Detected – Stage I ]
Eliel swallowed hard. "I think it's looking at us."
"Ya tink?" Patoa shot back.
The monster charged.
Eliel barely raised his sword before the impact hit. The creature's claws met the blade, sparks flying as steel screamed against bone. The sheer force of it sent Eliel skidding back, boots scraping across the dusty tiles.
"Holy—! This thing's strong!" he hissed through gritted teeth.
The beast swung again. Eliel ducked low, the claw missing his head by inches and tearing through the yellow wall like paper. Dust and broken plaster flew everywhere.
Patoa darted to the side, trying to flank it, his breath already coming fast. He could feel his pulse thudding in his temples. "Mi boss, mi can try mark it, but yuh need gi' mi space!"
"Do it!" Eliel yelled, parrying another swipe. His arms shook from the impact.
Patoa sprinted forward, sliding under the creature's outstretched arm. His hand brushed its leg for half a second before he rolled clear. "Mark set!"
"Then make it count!"
The monster lunged toward Patoa—but before it reached him, a muffled boom tore through the air. The explosion sent shreds of black flesh flying, the smell of rot filling the corridor.
The creature staggered, howling.
Eliel took the opening. He dashed in, raising the greatsword high, and slashed diagonally across its chest. The blade bit deep, glowing faintly as it tore through sinew. The cut sprayed dark fluid across the walls.
The creature reeled back, then roared—a guttural, trembling sound that rattled Eliel's bones.
"Nice teamwork," he said between ragged breaths.
Patoa grinned, chest heaving. "Yuh see mi work, mi boss? Boom clean!"
But the grin vanished when the creature's wounds began to glow.
Blue light crawled along its body, sealing flesh that should have stayed torn. The creature's claws twitched, and it looked down at them with something resembling thought.
Eliel's stomach dropped. "It's regenerating."
"Eh?"
"It's learning."
The creature straightened slowly, its movements smoother now. The glow spread across its body, veins pulsing like living lightning. Its fourfold jaws opened wide, releasing a sound halfway between a growl and a human scream.
The temperature in the corridor seemed to drop.
Eliel adjusted his stance, lifting his sword. His arms ached, sweat dripping from his chin onto the blade. His muscles burned, but there was no choice but to keep standing.
"Round two," he muttered.
"Mi boss," Patoa said quietly, his voice steady despite the fear in his eyes. "If we nuh live through dis... mi just wan' say—"
"Save it for when we do," Eliel cut him off, managing a grin. "You still owe me dinner."
The creature roared again—and this time, it moved.
It launched forward with terrifying speed, its claws slashing through the air like scythes. Eliel barely blocked the first strike, metal shrieking. The impact sent a jolt of pain up his shoulder. Patoa rolled away from the second swipe, feeling the gust of air brush his cheek.
Debris flew, walls cracked, and the ground itself trembled.
Each breath felt heavier. Each swing slower.
And in that chaos, Eliel realized something chilling—
The monster was smiling