"Me too... I hate other students so Tanky is my only friend..."
Pati reminisces the time when he purposefully buy Tanky a treat from the local market, it was one of his happier times in the university during his Freshman year. Everyone in the university can't help but stop and pet Tanky because of the overwhelming cuteness.
But now that cute cat turns into a Zombie, a literal monster eating a Walker.
Upon seeing another Walker approaching it, Tanky leaped at it and started brutally biting it.
The Walker can't hope to fight against Tanky as it got overpowered to the ground and had its head bitten off, "So strong... let's not pet Tanky this time", Jeff mutters whisperingly.
With that, both of them sneaked behind Tanky before getting inside a room in the middle.
In the middle of the cafeteria just in between two shop counters are a door that will lead to the storage room where the cafeteria workers kept and store food and drinks.
Closing the door behind them silently, Pati then looks around before he was stunned.
Out of their expectation, the storage room is quite empty with nothing but steel cabinets with nothing in them. There are only a couple of boxes on the corner but that was it, this puts a frown on their faces.
"Wait a minute, what day is it today again?", Pati mutters while looking around.
Even after getting through the storage room and checking every corner and nook of the place, Pati didn't find anything except the boxes on the corner which are not even that big.
Jeff thought for a moment before he sighs, "It's Saturday, and it's also the end of the month. Fuck..."
Since this is the last active university day of the week and also the end of the month, all of the food and drinks inside the storage room have already been exhausted. The cafeteria is restocked at the beginning of each month, nothing was left except for these couple of boxes.
Which explains why the storage room doesn't have anything and is quite empty.
After realizing their mistake, Pati went to three boxes on the corner before opening them. The first box makes Pati sigh since it only contains cooking equipment, but he then stretches his hand into the box before throwing something to Jeff, "Catch!"
Jeff was surprised to see a machete flying toward him, he instinctively dodge the machete.
Clank!
"Why the fuck would you throw that? Are you trying to kill me?!", Jeff complained after successfully dodging the machete, but it hits the floor making a steely sound.
This made Pati instantly regret his decision and dashes at the door hurriedly.
Pati peeked out the window on the door before he saw Tanky who is still eating the Walker suddenly arched up, it seems Tanky heard the machete falling to the floor.
Looking at this, Pati ducked including Jeff who saw his concerned expression.
"Did Tanky hear that? But the storage room's door is quite firm so it should've been muffled, it's not possible for Tanky to hear that", Jeff said while inching closer to Pati with a drumming heart.
While hiding below the window on the door, "Tanky becomes a Zombie, everything can happen", Pati replied also feeling nervous.
From how Tanky moved earlier, it's obvious that it's quite strong.
In terms of strength, Pati doesn't know for sure if Tanky can fare against the Brawler he killed. But in a fight, he will definitely bet Tanky to win against the Brawler. Tanky is too nimble since she's a former cat-turned Zombie.
Although it's quite unlikely for Tanky to know they're in the storage room, Pati decided to just wait for a couple of minutes before seeing the condition.
"Stop... Don't take a peek right now", Pati whispers seeing Jeff trying to check the situation.
Hearing this, Jeff shrugs off Pati's hand stubbornly, "Relax, there's no way Tanky will know we're here. You're also here, you can just brawl it out and kill it", he replied nonchalantly.
It makes Pati a little bit annoyed since Jeff is putting all of the fighting on him.
Prior to the black wind, Jeff is definitely stronger than Pati since his body is bigger. To think that there comes a day when someone bigger than him asks for his protection never crossed his mind until today.
"Fine... just be careful", Pati whispers warningly.
But just after he said that Pati looks at Jeff weirdly when he suddenly ducked down again.
Jeff should've been checking the situation clearly but he only takes less than a second peek before ducking down again, he's now looking at Pati with a wry smile, "What is it?", Pati asks.
"You're right, I shouldn't have peeked", Jeff mutters back.
Hearing this, Pati becomes alert, "You fucker, did Tanky see you?!"
"Uh... Tanky is just by the window looking at me", Jeff replied before out of nowhere.
Bam!
The door on their side suddenly almost jolted open if not for Pati ready and hold it close, he's now in the same exact condition as the group of survivors before that are against a Runner. But his situation now is definitely way worst.
Pati puts everything he had into holding close the door including Jeff, "Fuck! I knew this would happen!", Pat clicks his tongue in displeasure, he had a feeling that something is wrong.
Without having no other choice, he opens the status window and adds 8 points to agility.
From how Tanky moves earlier leaping at the Walker swiftly, Pati knows that he needs more agility to fight Tanky. His strength stat is quite high but his agility is not enough.
150 Chaos was left in his pocket in case he needs to use the Hammer Fist skill.
After feeling his body change with the addition of the 8 points in agility, Pati slowly stands up while still holding the door that is getting hit multiple times by Tanky who is trying to get inside and probably eat them.
Looking at this, Jeff was confused, "What are you doing?!"
"Just get ready and run, I can stall Tanky long enough so your sorry ass can survive", Pati replied harshly but this makes Jeff feels touched, he can't believe that Pati is willing to do this and help him run away.
With that, Jeff steps away from the door sticking his back on the wall just beside the door.
Jeff then nodded his head signaling to Pati that he was ready.
Although his nervousness is starting to crawl up his brain, somehow a weird feeling devours that nervousness making his beating heart calm again. It's weird as if he was not in a dangerous situation like this.
Pati took a deep breath, he saw Tanky steps back intending to ram its body to the door.
But instead of holding the door like before, Pati jumps away when Tanky was about to slam onto the door. The door got flung away and destroyed by Tanky's power, the momentum also carried it crashing to the wall.
This allows a wide gap for Jeff to get out of the storage room hurriedly while Pati blocks the door with the butcher knife in hand, "Tanky, Remember me? I used to give you treats!"
Growl!
Just from that response alone, Pati nodded his head repeatedly with a hurting heart.
It's clear that Tanky has completely forgotten about him with this Zombified state, he then clenches his butcher knife in his hand before his eyes turn serious, "Come! Let's brawl then!"
"If you're not my friend, then don't mind me tasting your brain!", he added.
Meanwhile, after running out of the storage room.
Jeff heads towards the end of the cafeteria before hiding behind a thrashed table there waiting for Pati, he looks back at the storage room and heard the sound of a battle from inside.
Without even seeing the actual fight, Jeff knows that Pati is still fighting.
The sound of battle is a guarantee that Pati is not dead so this makes Jeff feel a bit at ease hoping that Pati will come out alive, but then his eyes were attracted to something.
On the side, just where the Brawler's corpse that Pati killed lies.
Jeff saw a couple of Walker seemed to be crowding it, and upon closer look, he finds that the Walker is eating the Brawler's corpse, 'They eat each other too? I thought Zombies only like to eat brains', he thought in confusion.
But then suddenly, one of the Walker that is eating the Brawler's corpse steps back.
There are about a dozen Walkers crowding the Brawler's corpse, when the others are still eating the Brawler's corpse this particular one steps back with a trembling body.
Under Jeff's eyes, its body even started to get twisted weirdly.
The racking of bones and the sound of flesh torn can be heard coming from that Walker as it fell to the ground almost as if it was having a seizure, Jeff looks at it inspectingly before his eyes widen seeing that Walker's muscles started to develop.
Even though it's still a mystery all that is happening to them, the scene in front of him surely shows that this Walker is kind of evolving after eating the Brawler's corpse.
'Oh my god! They can evolve?!', Jeff exclaimed inside his head.
Soon his eyes shifted again to a group of four people descending the stairs, the one leading them is a guy holding sharpen wood the size of an arm's length. Two girls and another guy is behind the guy holding the sharpened wood.
All of them are holding a similar weapon as the guy in front, but their faces show the fear they are feeling while they creep closer to the crowding Walkers.
Nearing the Walker that is having a seizure on the ground, the guy hesitated.
Since the Walker steps back from the others, it has quite a distance from the crowding Walkers.
But even if there is an eight or ten steps distance between the Walkers having a seizure on the ground with the crowding Walkers, it's still horrifying for them. What if the crowding Walkers suddenly turn around? It's going to be horrifying getting chased by a dozen Walkers.
Seeing the guy hesitating, one of the girls behind the guy gives him a nudge.
The guy looks back and finds the girl glaring at him, and this makes the guy looks back at the Walker steeling his resolve to kill it. Holding the sharpened wood tightly, the guy thrust it at the Walker's head strongly.
Out of their expectations, the sharpened wood didn't manage to pierce its skin.
Just like stabbing hard steel with a sharpened wood, that is exactly what it feels like. Realizing this, the guy tries to push the sharpened wood but it's futile.
No matter what he does, he doesn't have enough strength.
This shocks the guy holding the sharpened wood, the others on his back looks at him in confusion, "What are you doing? Quickly kill it before the others notice!", the girl whispers.
"I-I can't, it's too hard!", the guy defended himself.
Hearing this, the other guy approaches the Walkers, "Step aside, you're weak"
Jeff who is watching from the side silently stayed on his spot, but his eyes suddenly widen seeing the Walkers having a seizure suddenly stops and turns its head towards the group of people.
They're still arguing about something and didn't realize the Walker is standing up.
Without wasting any more time, Jeff ran at them catching the group of people's attention.
The group of people becomes alert seeing a machete in Jeff's hand, but soon they realized Jeff is pointing at their backs with a fearful look. But he can't shout lest the other Walkers' attention is brought to him.
Upon seeing this, the guy that is intending to try stabbing the Walker looks back.
His expression instantly turns pale when the Walker is already standing towering behind him opening its decayed and savage mouth. Before he can even shout, the Walker that is noticeably bigger bites the guy's head off.
Splash!
The other three looked at their clothes when they suddenly got splashed by something.
Soon they realized that they were completely drenched with red liquid, and when they looks back they saw the headless body of the guy that got his head bitten off by the Walker.
Blood gushes out of the headless corpse like a fountain with the Walker chewing the head.
All of the color on their faces got drained instantly seeing the guy who just talked to them a couple of seconds ago is dead with his head bitten off, one of the girls widen her eyes in fear before she shouted at the top of her lungs, "AAAHHH!!"
Growl!
Rarhh!
Because of that high-pitched scream, the other Walkers turn their attention away from the Brawler's corpse and turn around. A dozen Walkers are looking straight at them.
When the big Walker was about to strike at the girls,
Jeff manage to reach them and block big Walker's strike using the machete, the power of the Walker is no joke but he managed to parry it, "Run right now!", he shouted.
The girls' eyes turn starry seeing Jeff holding the big Walker's attack.
Her eyes turn bright like looking at a superhero that gives up his life to save the innocent.
For some reason, those eyes give Jeff quite a bit of pride as he puffed out his chest. But soon the group of three ran back into the entrance without saying anything and left him alone surrounded by Walkers.
Jeff blinks his eyes a couple of times realizing the situation he puts himself into.
"Motherfucker... why am I here?"