Sebastian made a beeline to his room to fetch almost all of the weapons on his table and changed into a black combat suit that hugged his body perfectly like a second skin, his jaws tightened and every step he took was oozing with keenness to fight.
For the first time, Shalei saw him wearing something that wasn't long sleeved. In one glance, she could perceive the unusual material of the suit, it was fit, durable and soft. Shalei wouldn't be surprised if it was designed to be waterproof, fireproof or even radiation proof. The suit covered Sebastian's entire body save for his arms, displaying his bionic limbs in all their glory.
If the situation wasn't so chaotic, Shalei would definitely find the chance to steal some glances and appreciate this gorgeous creature. Alas, she was currently too distracted by the uproar up front.
When they found their way to the rooftop, Meagan and Patricia were already there, holding each other in silent comfort. As soon as they caught sight of her, they immediately exclaimed. "Your Excellency! Alpha!"
"How is the situation?" Sebastian asked as he assembled the rifle gun.
Meagan's face was somber. "It's not looking very good. There are twice as many Infected as last time and the first line has already collapsed. They are barely holding up with the second line."
The rims of Patricia's eyes reddened, helpless. She forced out through gritted teeth. "Why are there so many all of a sudden?!"
Shalei took in the information as she leaned the railing, pushing her upper body forward to have a better look at the current situation.
The fact that the mansion was built on the top of the hill gave Shalei a perfect vision from the highest vantage point. Rows of towering, thin, black trees stretched as far as she could see and on the very front was a chunk of uprooted trees that laid messily on the ground as if a small tornado had just passed by.
A ruined beacon stood a few distance away, followed by what seemed to be a destroyed gate. That must be the first line they were talking about, Shalei guessed.
Not far from the wreckage was the source of the chaos. There was a lot of… fighting. Shalei squinted her eyes. Dust and dirt cooked up around them and Shalei could just make out a faint outline of something… neither human nor animal.
They were small and standing on two legs, however the curve of their back was too low, as if a heavy weight laid upon their shoulders and in return, it made the line of their necks look abnormally long as they threw their head back and let out the animalistic growls that she had heard before. Their skin was uneven; bumpy, clustering with something she couldn't make out due to the distance and fuck, was that a second head?!
Terror seized Shalei's mind as she stared wide eyed, palms clammy where they were grabbing onto the railing. What—What the hell were those creatures?!
"The infected." Sebastian's voice echoed close, warm breath spilling onto her ear. Shalei didn't even realize that she had said the question out loud.
Before she could react at their sudden close proximity, the man's arms wound around her waist and tugged her down from where she was almost hanging off the railing.
Shalei staggered back into the cocoon of his arms, sensing the vivid hardness of metal tightening around her. "It's dangerous, Your Excellency. Please don't get too close." After making sure that she was standing firmly on two feet, Sebastian let go and grabbed the rifle gun, slinging it across his shoulder.
Shalei grabbed onto his elbow without realizing. Surprised, Sebastian's eyes snapped to her. She swallowed thickly, antsy. "Are you… going there?"
She cursed as soon as the question fell out of her lips. Of course, he was. He had been fully prepared. He was definitely going to join the fight. However, the notion that Sebastian was going against those creatures was strangely unsettling. It sent waves of sickness up to her throat. What if he was infected too? Would he turn into… terrifying creatures like them?
"Yes," he answered quietly, eyes determined.
Shalei let out a shaky exhale. A strong urge to hold the man back surfaced out of nowhere, nearly paralyzing her on spot. Her entire body was screaming for him: don't go, don't go there. Shalei didn't wish to see Sebastian to be near those creatures. Damn it, why was she feeling so protective over him all of a sudden? It was unreasonable.
She suppressed the turmoil and offered him a thin smile. "Be careful, Seth."
The tightness around Sebastian's lips softened for a split second. "...As you wish, Your Excellency.." He turned to Meagan and demanded. "You know what to do."
The woman nodded. "Shall anything happen, Your Excellency will be my first priority."
Shalei didn't even have the chance to protest before Sebastian turned to grab a bag of grenades, giving her one last look before swinging over the brick balcony and disappeared from sight. Shalei's eyes abruptly widened when she recalled that this was the fifth floor!
She scrambled to the edge and looked down in time to see the man dashing swiftly straight to the eye of the storm. Sebastian's figure was getting further and further away and almost all of Shalei's focus went to him. He was very quick, his footsteps light and brisk as he zigzagged across the land of trees. Shalei was so absorbed in trailing after his figure with her eyes that she didn't even hear Meagan calling for her.
Please be okay, she murmured. Please don't get hurt.
As soon as Sebastian joined the battlefield, something strange happened immediately. Two of the Infected who were fighting another directly turned to his direction, intending to engage him in a fight. No, not only two, Shalei could see more, stalking in and surrounding him from all directions as if they could sense who was the strongest among all and chose to eliminate him first.
Shalei's heart rose to her throat when an Infected's claw brushed past Sebastian's side, so close that it must have dealt a blow if Sebastian didn't counter the attack with his arm and kicked the Infected a few meters away.
Without even looking, he threw the bag containing grenades to the nearest man then pulled his rifle gun and began to aim. For the next few seconds, echoes of gunshots rang out in the air, matching with the intensity of Shalei's heartbeat. The air carried the smell of blood and gunpowder to her.
Each shot hit the Infected with a terrifying precision; on their foreheads, chests or legs. But to Shalei's horror, they got back up right after being shot as if they couldn't even feel the pain! Not only that, their movement became faster and wilder instead, attacking mindlessly with blood pouring down their bodies.
Zombie, the word popped up in her mind. Those undead beings, what could they be if not zombies?
Goddamnit, Shalei indeed liked to read action and thriller novels, especially the one with apocalyptic or dystopia themes but it didn't mean that she would appreciate one that happened right in front of her eyes!
It took a while for Shalei to realize that Sebastian was moving with intent. He and a few others — presumably the members of his pack — deliberately led all of the Infecteds to crowd in one area. But it meant that they were fighting a close combat with each other!
Shalei's voice was raspy when she said, "Please tell me that his suit can withstand the Infected's attacks."
"It can," Meagan answered and relief flooded Shalei's chest like a bursting dam. "Their suits are designed especially to go against the Infected. It is very strong and durable."
Sebastian gave some signal and they increased the force of the offense, pushing the Infected further and further into one small circle. Then Sebastian shouted a command and they all scrambled into different directions. The Infected paused for a moment, befuddled at the sudden disappearance of the enemies before they decided to chase after Sebastian. They took not even a full second in responding, much to Shalei's chagrin.
Yet before the group of Infecteds could disperse, another man emerged from behind the trees and threw three grenades in their direction simultaneously!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The ground beneath Shalei's feet rumbled and she held tightly onto the railing, unwilling to take her eyes off the battlefield even for a second even though the area was covered in thick smoke and burst of fire. Painful shrieks whistled out and Shalei grimaced at how they made her teeth itch even from such a far distance.
For a moment, there wasn't any sound except for the lingering rumble and crashes of trees toppling down. Now Shalei finally found out what yesterday's earthquake was all about. She covered her nose and mouth and coughed, nodding at Meagan's concerned inquiry.
"I am fine, Meagan. Don't worry." Shalei's eyes skimmed through the area for the familiar figure. Anxiety gnawed on her when she couldn't find him. "They are okay, right?" She couldn't help asking even though she knew that Meagan wouldn't have known more than her. "Is everything over?"
However, to her surprise, Meagan answered in a somber tone. "No, Your Excellency. It couldn't have been over so easily. The Infected are… very resilient. It's very hard to kill them. No matter how badly destroyed their bodies are, as long as they can still move, they will keep attacking."