Huff! Huff! Huff!
Exhaustion took hold of Ethan as he descended staircase after staircase, feeling like he could collapse from fatigue at any moment. Occasionally, he would cast a nervous glance upward, making sure Jason wasn't charging at him unexpectedly.
Fortunately, it didn't seem like he was pursuing them, which provided him with a little bit of relief.
"...Should've... exercised... instead of... watching movies," he muttered breathlessly.
Each step felt heavier than the last, and worry consumed him as he struggled to stay on his feet and keep up with the others.
The worst part was that his sweat mixed with Ashley's blood, creating a nauseating odor. He despised having to descend more than eighteen floors!
He truly missed the simplicity of using the elevator as he used to, taking barely a minute and a bit more to descend from the top to the bottom.
Sadly, those luxurious times seemed to have come to an end...
"...I really... and my delusional... fantasies!"
There was one thing he no longer took pride in: ever fantasizing about a zombie apocalypse.
Back then, he would get carried away by those awe-inspiring protagonists who always overcame every difficult situation with ease. But now, he deeply regretted ever longing for something so horrifying to happen.
He would prefer the days when he was bothered by his brother's group over fleeing from a terrifying, almost three-meter-tall giant zombie!
Huff! Huff!
Finally, after a few minutes, he reached the first floor. Scanning the surroundings, he found no trace of zombies, only spotting Matthew's group.
"Is everyone here? Where's Rebecca?" Garrett asked as he realized that only Megan, one of the three women accompanying them, had descended with them.
"Probably dead," Matthew stated coldly.
"Ugh, how disgusting!"
Megan, with a disgusted expression at the sight of her blood-soaked skin, let out a seemingly indifferent comment: "Never imagined both Ashley and Rebecca would fall to Jason, the one we used to ridicule for his silly behavior."
"Life can be surprising at times, don't you think?"
However, she quickly ceased to care about the dirt on her body and moved closer to Matthew with a loving expression, demonstrating unwavering trust in him.
Ethan approached cautiously, keeping a safe distance, aware of the disturbing nature of these individuals.
It was somewhat surprising to realize Brandon's presence beside him, who seemed to avoid the company of his friends, making it clear that he might no longer consider them as such after discovering they were a group of ruthless killers.
"By the way, did anyone else hear a voice when we finished killing the zombies earlier?" Garrett asked curiously.
Matthew shook his head and replied, "I didn't kill mine, so I didn't hear anything."
Garrett turned his gaze to Brandon and asked, "And you, Brandon? Did you hear anything?" seemingly unaware that he didn't want to speak to them anymore.
Nevertheless, he pursed his lips and began to speak, "...Well, there was a voice in my hea-"
Thump...
But before he could continue, a strange noise interrupted his words. Everyone tried to locate the source of the sound but saw nothing around.
Thhump!
This time they heard the noise clearly, even the ground trembled slightly!
"I-I think we should go-" Megan was speaking, but this time she fell silent herself as she saw the ceiling slowly cracking.
Everyone took a few steps back, but finally, something happened that left them stunned!
Crash!
The ceiling shook, creaking and yielding to an unknown force from the other side. A shower of debris fell from above, mixing with the thick dust rising in the air.
Fragments of concrete and metal collapsed, creating a cacophony of deafening noises and an opaque cloud enveloping everything around.
Boom!
Amidst that storm of destruction, a blurry figure descended at an alarming speed, crashing through the floor with a thunderous impact!
The ground trembled under the force of the impact, vibrating like a macabre echo.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
From the dense curtain of dust, a grotesque and monstrous figure emerged slowly. Jason revealed himself to everyone, his body riddled with wounds that would have been fatal in another time, if it weren't for the fact that he was now a zombie.
His dead, lifeless eyes scanned the surroundings, emanating a great thirst for blood and destruction.
"Plaff!"
To make matters worse, something fell from the hole like a ragdoll. It was a mutilated zombie, missing an arm, slowly rising.
"Plaff! Plaff!"
Within seconds, more and more zombies began to fall until their numbers became overwhelming, sending a chilling shudder through the skin of everyone present!
"Nnggggggh!"
"Grrrroooooan!"
Everyone's mind went blank as they witnessed the chaos that unfolded in the blink of an eye.
On one side, the towering figure of the gigantic Jason stood, overwhelming in his strength, while behind him, an endless horde of zombies gathered, their numbers growing second by second.
Wooosh!
Matthew quickly surged forward, running towards the door that led to the exit of the Royal Towers.
"Wait, please!" Megan shouted urgently as she saw Jason lunging towards her. Her heart raced as her legs moved at an astonishing speed, perhaps never having run so fast in her life.
In the blink of an eye, she caught up to Matthew, who was a few meters ahead!
"Shit!"
Matthew, running desperately, noticed that Megan had caught up and was right behind him. He looked back, and his heart sank as he saw Jason getting closer, his imposing and menacing figure advancing at an unrelenting pace.
He knew that if he didn't act quickly, Jason would catch up to him, and it was evident that his fate would be to be mercilessly torn apart!
Pah!
"Huh?"
In a moment of quick decision, he turned towards Megan and without hesitation, propelled her with a strong kick towards Jason. Megan looked at him with eyes filled with surprise and disbelief, unable to comprehend why the man she loved had committed such a horrendous act.
Crack!
Instantly, she felt each of her bones shattering into pieces, the pain so intense that it blurred her vision. However, all her eyes could reach was the back of Matthew.
"Grrroooaarrr!"
Crunch! Crunch!
Unfortunately, that was the last thing she witnessed as Jason wasted no time in burying his repugnant and blood-soaked mouth to devour her head.
"Matthew! You heartless bastard!" Brandon shouted with such intense anger that his eyes turned red. He ran alongside the others towards the exit, but he never expected to witness that beast he once called a friend take Megan's life!
He launched himself with all his strength towards Matthew, determined to put an end to this threat to humanity.
"You know, you've been quite annoying for a while."
Bam!
But suddenly, Garrett appeared by his side and, with those words, unleashed a swift and forceful punch to Brandon's face!
"Don't take it personally, kid, but it's clear you'll become a hindrance."
Plaf!
Brandon could only see in slow motion as he was thrown backward, his nose bleeding profusely. His body slammed violently against the ground, rolling repeatedly before coming to a sudden stop.
"Rraaagghh!"
"Grrrrooowwrrr!"
"Rrrooarrr!"
"T-This can't be real! This can't be happening... please, someone, stop them. I don't want to die like this!"
"Matthew, you damn bastard! I curse you!"
"Aaarrgghhh!"
With sadness in his heart, Ethan realized there was no way to save Brandon. It was a heartbreaking sight to see the horde of zombies surrounding him. He could only let out a deep sigh in the face of the cruel reality before them.
Soon, Brandon's cries of pain faded away, indicating that he had become the sinister feast for those hungry zombies...
Huff! Huff! Huff!
Ethan, just a few steps away from the exit and with his strength nearly depleted, was shocked to witness how the situation had drastically worsened in a matter of minutes.
After all, only three of the original seven remained alive.
"Eh?"
Ethan had no time to react as he saw Garrett and Matthew closing the doors in front of him!
Bump!
His body collided with the imposing and elegant glass doors. Although the impact would normally have shattered almost any door made of this material, this time they proved surprisingly resilient, as if they were bulletproof.
"Ugh, w-what happened? My head... hurts..."
Ethan's mind felt momentarily disoriented, but quickly regained clarity. However, as he turned his gaze behind him, he was met with the terrifying sight of Jason and a sea of zombies relentlessly closing in on him!
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Ethan started pounding on the door in fury, feeling the pain in his fists with each impact.
"Matthew! Please, open up! Let me out!"
His words were pleading, with tears in his eyes and hope rapidly fading away.
Bam! Bam!
"You can't leave me out here! We're brothers, Matthew! Open the door!"
"Hahaha, how foolish!" commented Garrett with laughter as he walked away alongside Matthew, as if what they had just done was routine.
"Nooo!"
But instead of hearing a compassionate response, all he heard were the malicious laughs of Matthew and Garrett walking away without looking back.
"No! You can't do this! Come back!"
"..."
Ethan, with tears streaming down his eyes and his nose running, looked back and saw the horde of zombies closing in on him.
"Nooo! G-Get away from me!"
"Grrraaaahh!"
"Arrrghh!"
Desperation consumed him as he struggled to find an escape route. The unsettling growls of the creatures grew closer, pushing him to the edge of madness and causing him to lose his composure.
Sadly, he found no corner to escape to; he was left with only one option: to face his inevitable fate, death.
"Please, h-help me! Anyone!"
Ethan screamed with a trembling voice, desperately imploring whoever was on the other side of the door to open it, seeking a miracle that could save him.
His bloodshot eyes glistened with tears, and his trembling voice reflected overwhelming despair!
"Arrrrrggghhh!"
"Brraaaghh!"
The terrifying sounds of the zombies echoed around him, roaring with a thirst for blood and flesh. They drew nearer, enveloping him in a claustrophobic sensation.
"...Why? Are you really my brother? No... you're not my brother, you're a despicable monster!"
He descended into madness as he watched his fate being sealed before his eyes.
Swoosh!
The imposing figure of Jason loomed in front of him. In a devastating motion, he raised his enormous fist, which descended with inhuman force!
"Grrrroooowwww!"
Crack!
His head was crushed like a watermelon, with brain matter, flesh, and bits of bone splattering everywhere...