Away from the school premises, the damage done by the dark substance entering earth was even more extensive. Half of the buildings had collapsed leaving piles of rubble and debris in their wake. In one such building, half of the upper floors had crumbled, its windows shattered and broken. Close to the building were packed with zombies and mutants, their numbers far too many to count. A quick estimate put their number at well over two hundred, a sight that would cause even the most courageous person to falter.
There was something strange and unsettling about these particular zombies and mutants. Unlike the others, these creatures were surrounded by a dark, faint energy that seemed to emanate from their very core. The intensity of the energy varied from one creature to the next, but it was clear that the stronger the energy, the more powerful the creature was. Their expression was more ferocious than normal mutants, even the low-level zombies here gave off a large amount of ferociousness.
At the top floor of the building was shrouded in darkness, the air filled with a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere. In the center of the room, a man-shaped silhouette sat motionless in the only chair in the room. There was no light source in the room, making it impossible to make out any details of the figure.
"Row, row, row your boat," the figure sang in a low, raspy voice, "gently down the stream of sin. Hahaha," He let out a raucous laugh, a chilling sound that sent shivers down anyone's spine who might hear it. "Gaily, merrily, woe is me," he continued, his voice taking on a sing-song quality. "For life is but a dream and dreams can be nightmares. Hahaha!"
He laughed again, the sound of it grating on anyone's nerves if they ever heard it.
"What's the point of life if you can't make everyone feel emotional?" the figure asked, his voice tinged with a sinister glee. "What's the point of living if you can't entertain your audience?"
He paused for a moment as if listening for a response. When none came, he let out a disappointed sigh. "It's no fun when no one wants to play with me," he said, his voice taking on a petulant tone. "I suppose I'll just have to let my zombies out to play and entertain you all instead. Hahaha"
Another sinister laugh followed, sending chills down their spines.
As the figure let out those words, the sound of soft sobbing drifted from behind him. The source of the sound was barely visible, a group of shadowy figures hanging upside down, bound by ropes could be seen. The sight was enough to send a chill down the spines of even the bravest of souls.
"Please... please let us go," a woman's voice begged. "We won't tell anyone, I promise!"
"Hehehe hahaha!"
The man let out a cruel laugh, his voice filled with unknown intent.
"I could let you go... if you would just make my zombies happy, hehehe you get it?" the figure said, a taunting note in his voice. "Oh wait, what would even happen if a human and a zombie had children together? That would be one interesting experiment. Hahaha!"
His laugh was cold and mirthless and the figures behind him couldn't help but begin to cry out in terror, their pleas becoming more and more desperate. The tension in the room was palpable and the air was thick with fear and uncertainty.
"Wh... wha... what do you want fro... From us?" one of the women, braver than the rest, managed to ask, her voice trembling. The figure tilted his head to the side, his expression hidden behind the darkness. "Hmmm, that's a good question," he mused, almost as if talking to himself. "I can't say I really want anything, I'm just having fun. Yeah, just fun besides what will I be doing with what I want when I can get anything hehehe"
His finger came up to his lips, tapping them thoughtfully. "Though I guess I wouldn't say no to some entertainment," he said, his eyes raking over the women.
Such action was enough to frighten them and some even started struggling in the rope tying them. Their soft sobbing increased to the point of wailing, the silent room devoid of any house equipment was suddenly filled with cries.
"Quiet, quiet now," the figure said in a disturbingly gentle voice. "If you keep up all this crying, my zombie friends might get upset. And you wouldn't want that, would you?"
The words were spoken softly, but their meaning was anything but kind. The captives fell silent, their bodies shaking with fear. It was clear that the last thing they wanted was to anger the creatures that were holding them captive.
"Mmm, it's been a while since I had some... fun," the figure mused, his voice suddenly taking on a darker tone. From his pocket, he pulled out a small device and clicked a button, causing a bright light to fill the room.
The light revealed the figures bound to the walls, some of them gagged with rags. The ones who were not gagged began to sob and beg, their voices shaking with terror.
"Please, please let us go," one of them begged.
"You think I'd be interested in someone like you?" the figure scoffed. "Even my zombies wouldn't want to touch you."
He turned the flashlight onto a different woman, who was bound separately from the others. "This one here is much more... appetizing."
If Morningstar could see her, he would recognize her immediately. The mere thought of her being in danger would be enough to send him into a blind rage, why won't he when the person being tied is his mother!
Some parts of her clothes were ripped off, revealing her skin under the flashlight.
"Ah, what a lovely MILF, zombie buddy can you please go entertain her? I will video you two hehehe." The voice said and a zombie who stood close to him motionless throughout time suddenly raised its head, its purple eyes shone as it moved towards the woman who started trembling.
As the silhouette reached into his pocket for his phone, the flashlight slipped from his fingers and tumbled to the ground. It bounced off the floor and spun around, its beam of light shining in every direction.
For a moment, everything was still. Then, the light landed on the silhouette's face, and what it revealed took everyone by surprise.
The silhouette was none other than Jayden, someone whom Morningstar had known for years!
Someone who hated him to the core!
The Jayden that stood before them was different. His skin was so pale it seemed to glow with an unearthly light and so were his lips, black as pitch. There was something otherworldly about him, a sense of mystery and danger. Jayden current looks were not entirely human!
****
Somewhere in the school premises, hidden behind a towering heap of broken buildings.
Bang!
Morningstar slid backwards, blood dripping from his lip as he looked at the three-meter-tall zombie.
Without stopping, he dashed towards it again and just when the zombie lifted its huge fist to punch Morningstar, he suddenly yelled "Now!"
Kofi sprinted forward, his sword transforming into a bow as he ran. With lightning speed, he drew the string back, pulled an energy-imbued arrow, and released it with deadly accuracy.
The arrow struck the zombie's left leg, and with a cry of "Explode!", Kofi caused it to detonate. The force of the explosion sent shrapnel flying, and the zombie's leg was blown to pieces.
Morningstar and Kofi worked together, their movements seamless and in perfect sync even though it was just of recently they met.
Seizing the opportunity as the zombie was off-balance, Morningstar let out a sharp roar. Every muscle in his body tensed, and he launched himself toward the massive creature. As it fell, he kicked off the ground with all his might, his feet smashing into the floor with such force that a large amount of dust scattered.
His fist, now covered in a spiked gauntlet, connected with the zombie's head with a sickening crunch.
The impact was so powerful that half of the zombie's head got smashed apart.
Even in death, the zombie continued to struggle, its primal instincts driving it to fight back. With its last vestiges of strength, it lifted its massive palm and slammed it down on Morningstar, who was still in mid-air.
Morningstar's eyes were calm as if he already expected such retaliation.
As the palm came hurtling toward him, Morningstar twisted his body midair to face it head-on. He raised his arms, crossing them in front of his body in an "X" formation. The blow landed, but his arms absorbed the force, protecting him from the worst of the impact even though he was sent flying a bit.
Kofi who was gasping heavily suddenly saw the zombie's head squirming again like it was about to heal, not only the head but the leg too, after being daze for some seconds he quickly rushed towards the zombie with his sword propelled himself towards the head, without hesitation he struck his sword towards the Zombie's head who was still alive. Morningstar who had finally regained his balance saw this and didn't stop instead he also used his explosive speed to close the gap with the zombie and send a punch towards the head, both of them reached the zombie at the exact time. Morningstar has a feeling that the zombie's soul might be useful for the necklace on him while Kofi wishes to gain a lot of souls to awaken his sword's next form.
Bang!
With both forces the zombie was not able to re-stand it as its head exploded, leaving blood and brain fluid spreading on Morningstar and Kofi
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