CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39 – CLOSE

Chapter 39 – Close

The group rushed out of the building in a hurry; the horde was already approaching rapidly and closing off the entire main road as they did so. Even after the continuous assault, their numbers didn’t seem to have reduced much — they were still countless.

This was, after all, a major part of the city, and this particular city had almost two million people living in it. The number of undead was immense. The group knew that, and their plan was never to wipe them out completely, but rather to guide them far away from the base where they wouldn’t pose a threat anymore — at least for a while.

However, even this task was becoming harder and harder the longer they prolonged it. Their speed wasn’t much faster than the undead’s, and their time atop each building grew shorter and shorter.

"We won’t be able to keep doing this for long. These things will catch us sooner or later," Evan said coldly as he looked over his shoulder. "This might be the farthest we can go."

"No, keep going. We must bring them farther away," Luna replied. "Even if it means I’ll have to continue alone. You three can make a run for it while I keep the horde focused on me."

"What?!" Emi blurted.

"Absolutely not. I’m not going anywhere," Evan said firmly.

"We can’t just leave you alone, Luna. We work as a team."

Seeing the looks on their faces, Luna sighed before nodding. "We must make sure the horde won’t be able to sniff its way back to the base. We’ve pulled them a great distance, but I’m not sure if it’s enough yet."

And Luna, of course, had no room for error here. If her judgment was wrong, the horde might come back quickly — and if that happened, it could truly be the end for the base and everyone inside it.

After running for a while, the group reached their next target — a building at the corner of a neighborhood. It had the high ground they needed to attack the horde. Rushing inside, they climbed to the top. After repeating this process several times in a row, they grew familliar with it and it became something they could do without speaking a single word or wasting a single breath. They quickly took their positions, ready to attack the monsters.

Luna’s arrows formed rapidly as she sucked in a long, tired breath. Her heart was racing and her head spinning from exhaustion, but she bit her tongue, giving herself a jolt of focus as she launched her first arrow.

The assault began again, and for the first minute or so, everything seemed to go according to plan. Until—

"Hm?" Alex suddenly heard a faint noise behind him. He frowned and looked over his shoulder. There, he saw a small dot in the distance, flying above their heads. For a moment, he thought it might’ve been a bird of some sort.

But as it grew closer and closer, his eyes widened.

"Guys! Something’s flying toward us!" He pointed upward with a worried look.

"Huh?"

"What?"

They all instinctively looked up — and as they stared, the creature came into full view. It was a bird, but a grotesquely large one. It looked like a hybrid between an eagle and an owl, with distorted, unnatural proportions that made it appear more like a nightmare than a bird. Its wide, unblinking eyes stared at them.

The creature locked onto them before letting out a piercing screech, then dove down at terrifying speed.

Luna was the first to react, shouting, "Move out of the way!" She rushed forward, using her Gravity Manipulation to push everyone aside a split second before the monster slammed into the rooftop.

BANG

The impact was powerful, sending chunks of concrete flying in every direction as the group hit the ground roughly.

"Agh!"

Rolling several steps, they came to a halt and stared up at the rising cloud of dust. Their eyes were wide with shock, unable to process what had just happened.

Luna was the first to recover. She quickly pulled out her sword and charged without hesitation.

’Not now. We don’t have time to deal with monsters like this.’

She rushed through the dust and swung her sword, trying to kill the bird as quickly as possible. They barely had any time left before the horde arrived — and they were completely trapped inside the building.

CLING

Luna felt her sword clash against something hard — metallic, almost. As the dust cleared, she saw the monster’s claw rising into the air, deflecting her strike.

Clenching her teeth, Luna jumped back and attacked again without wasting a breath.

CLING

"REEE!!" The bird screeched as it deflected her strike again before thrusting its sharp beak toward her.

Luna’s free hand moved, a purple halo surrounding it. She clenched her fist, and the monster’s head froze for a moment.

She used that instant to grab its beak and thrust her sword into its throat. A gush of blood burst out like a fountain, spraying across her face. She didn’t flinch — instead stabbing it again, then a third time, before letting it collapse to the ground.

Staring at the dying creature, she wiped her face with the back of her hand, then turned toward her friends, her expression dark and urgent.

"We need to leave, now!" she said, hurrying to the edge. Looking down, her eyes widened in horror — the horde had almost reached the building.

"Run!"

The trio didn’t stop to look; they bolted for the exit. They had lost precious seconds in this sudden encounter — and though it had lasted barely thirty-five seconds, that was the difference between being on the top floor and being outside the building.

The group sprinted down the stairs as the monstrous noises grew louder outside the gates. Their steps shook the entire building, and their grunts deafened the ears.

"We are so screwed!"

"They’re outside!"

"Don’t think — just run!"

Jumping several steps at a time, they descended multiple floors in seconds. But by the time they reached the lower levels, they heard the shattering of glass as the horde burst in, flooding the building.

As they reached the floor, a wave of monsters rushed toward them. The group didn’t stop — they turned sharply and sprinted toward the back doors.

But because they were late, and because the horde’s numbers were overwhelming, the distance closed rapidly.

"Don’t look back!" Alex yelled. "Never look back!"

"I’m so scared!!"

"Don’t stop — just run!!"

Reaching the back of the building, they came face to face with the locked exit. Luna quickly kicked the door with all her strength — once, twice — until it finally gave way. But even those two seconds were enough for the horde to close the distance to just a few feet.

The undead leaped forward, reaching for them. Alex, Emi, Evan... and Luna...

’We’re not going to make it!!’

For a split second, everyone thought it was over. Even if one escaped, one or two from the group wouldn’t make it out in time. For a moment... everything stopped.

Then—

SIZZLE

"As I thought... this is a huge mess." A cold voice spoke out of nowhere, before a flash of red light blinded everyone.

BOOOOM