"Blaaaaaaargh!"
"Wurrrrrrrr!"
"Rarghhhhhhhh!"
Without hesitation, Matthew grabbed a nearby unknown man and threw him into the packed elevator full of zombies without a second thought!
"Eh?"
The man could only witness how, within seconds, he went from feeling safe to facing death head-on...
"Aaaaahhhhh! Please, help me! Noooo... Leave me alone! Aaaarghh..."
The zombies surrounded the unfortunate man with voracity, and within moments, mercilessly tore him apart, leaving only scraps of skin and flesh hanging from his bloodied bones.
Although this caused a congestion in the elevator, temporarily preventing their escape.
"H-He's completely deranged!"
"That bastard is even more dangerous than the zombies themselves!"
Blergh!
One of them couldn't take it anymore and vomited at the horrifying scene.
No one expected the man they were following for his strength to commit such an atrocious act!
But when they looked back at Matthew, he and his friends were already far away. Ethan was also with them, although he was just as scared as the others by what had just happened, but his body moved unconsciously.
He truly didn't know what he was doing in this moment, but he knew he had to survive at all costs!
"They're gone. What should we do now?"
"Well-"
"Uuuurrrrrgh!"
"Hnnnnnnnngh!"
"It hurts so much! P-please, stop!"
"Forgive me! Forgive me for everything! Please, let me live!"
Their faces turned pale as they directed their gaze toward the source of the commotion, and a chill ran down their spines as they realized what was happening.
"Shit! We can't believe we were chatting so casually next to these zombies!"
"Come on, let's move, we can't stand still!"
The group of over ten people who had been left behind completely overlooked the presence of zombies in the elevator, as their attention was fully focused on Matthew.
However, as expected, once the zombies finished devouring the previous man, they pounced on them without hesitation!
"I-I'm going in the opposite direction!"
A woman in her thirties shouted. However, she had only traveled a few meters when she encountered a small group of zombies that instantly lunged at her.
It was evident that there was no safe place left on this floor!
"Uuuurrrghhh..."
"D-Don't bite me!"
"Gaaaaahhhh..."
"My legs, they're biting me! Ahhh..."
A few members of the group who chose a different path shared the same tragic fate as the woman!
The rest were forced to run aimlessly, unsure of where to go.
Although each of them tried to escape on their own, their unfortunate choice had sealed their fate from the beginning.
Huff... Huff...
After a brief period, near the stairs that led to all the floors of the Royal Towers, Matthew's group continued to advance without pause. Ashley, Ethan, and several other members of the group struggled to breathe, exhausted and breathless.
"Matthew, what on earth have you just done!?" exclaimed Brandon angrily as he ran alongside everyone.
Upon hearing the furious shout, Ethan was bewildered. The one who had just spoken was his brother's best friend, and surprise took hold of him.
Ethan didn't expect anyone in this strange group to show a glimpse of sympathy for others, something that clearly wasn't common given how they killed zombies as if they were insects.
He understood that, even though they were zombies now, they were humans not long ago. To him, that was equivalent to committing murder!
"What do you mean, what did I do? Ahh... Using that guy as bait. Well, he served his purpose by following us. He should be happy in the afterlife, ha!"
His response lacked any emotion, as if killing humans to achieve their goals was completely normal for him.
Each word uttered by Matthew struck Ethan's heart, making him realize that his brother had possibly lost his humanity a long time ago and was now following in the footsteps of a ruthless villain that only appeared in zombie movies.
A chill ran down his spine as he realized the darkness that resided within him.
"How can you say that!? Even though we've done illegal things, we've never killed anyone, right!?" Brandon shouted in fury, his veins visibly pulsating, on the verge of bursting.
"Hahahaha!"
Suddenly, Garrett burst into laughter that sent shivers through the people. He turned to Brandon and said, "Kid, you turned down that golden path when I offered it to you, but that doesn't mean everyone thinks like you."
"What?" Brandon looked at his best friend, searching for any sign in his gaze that this was a joke, but upon seeing his indifferent expression as he continued running, he finally understood the truth.
His eyes fell upon the faces of the girls, and seeing that they shared similar expressions, he felt his world crumbling. The friends he had known for so many years were now revealing their true nature as killers!
"The stairs! We're finally getting out of this horrible place!" Ashley exclaimed joyfully.
Without hesitation, she hurried down the stairs, closely followed by the others.
Only two people remained who hadn't descended yet: Brandon and Ethan. Brandon approached Ethan and, with a look of remorse, whispered, "I'm sorry..."
Ethan's mouth hung open wide as he heard Brandon's sudden apology, coming from his arrogant and materialistic best friend of his brother. For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating!
"D-Don't worry, there's no need to apologize!" Ethan responded, with a puzzled expression on his face.
Brandon gently shook his head and continued speaking: "I have to do this. I've been playing Matthew's game and caused you a lot of trouble in the past three days, but now I realize I've been on the wrong side all this time..."
Seeing Ethan staying silent, Brandon misconstrued that it was already too late to seek his forgiveness. With a resigned sigh, he also descended the stairs.
Of course, he couldn't have been further from the truth. What actually happened was that he was so nervous that he didn't know what to say or how to act in that moment.
"W-Wait for me!"
He whispered as he noticed some staggering figures approaching from a distance, deciding to descend along with the others.
Upon reaching the next floor, he witnessed a chilling scene. The area was overrun by an overwhelming horde of zombies, their moans and growls echoing everywhere.
It was evident that everyone on that floor had succumbed to death!
Though terrified, he moved with utmost caution, trying not to make even the slightest sound. The smell of blood permeated the air, and the gruesome sight of limbless zombies sent shivers down his spine.
The zombies, with sunken eyes and bloodied bodies, moved aimlessly, driven by their insatiable hunger for human flesh.
He quickly noticed Brandon descending in silence as well, venturing into the next floor. Now, only Ethan remained to leave this horrible place.
With each step, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The tension in the air was palpable, as if any sudden movement could trigger a swarm of the undead.
Sigh...
A long sigh escaped his lips as he found himself in a slightly safer place. Curiously, he approached Matthew and his friends, who seemed to be focused on something.
Just half a meter away from them, he noticed Ashley breaking away from the group and heading towards someone he instantly recognized.
"Jason... What are you doing here? It's dangerous, come with us-"
Ashley approached him, oblivious to the danger, even though the others kept their distance. She let her guard down and got closer, calling out his name. However, the words got trapped in her throat as she beheld Jason's bloodied body.
It was a horrifying sight, his body disfigured by dozens of wounds, with even a part of his face missing!
"Jas-"
Swooosh!
Bang!
Time seemed to stand still for a moment and then, in an instant, a viscous substance fell upon all of them. It was a warm substance that left a sticky and repugnant sensation on the skin.
As they turned their heads to look at their bodies, they discovered they were completely drenched in a red, viscous liquid!
When they looked back to where Ashley was, only the lower half of her body remained, taking a few trembling steps before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Everyone was paralyzed with shock, their hearts filled with terror.
Bleergh!
One of the girls couldn't hold it anymore and vomited upon witnessing her friend reduced to a pile of shredded flesh.
"Run!" shouted Matthew, who was already descending the stairs as he issued the warning.
"Grrrrrrraaaaahhhh!"
Jason, his fist drenched in blood, began to slowly advance towards them. However, with each step he took, his speed rapidly increased!
"Ah..."
The others instantly sprinted away, wasting no time. However, the girl who had vomited was feeling dizzy and failed to react in time.
Crack!
When she finally realized what was happening, she could barely look for a second before experiencing the worst pain of her life! Although she didn't have time to let out a scream, her consciousness plunged into absolute darkness the very next second.
Crunch-Crunch-Gulp!
Thud!
Jason dropped the lifeless body once he finished devouring her head, his mouth corners stained with blood and bone fragments.
"Raaarrgghhh!"
Without hesitation, his imposing figure moved toward where Ethan and the others had fled!