As we headed towards the cafeteria, we started to hear murmuring of the ghouls. When we stepped from behind the corner. We saw hundreds of ghouls trying to get to cafeteria entrance.
I looked towards Karla and spoke. "Wait here I will cut them down."
"Wait I will fight with you. Those bastards took my friends, and if I want to live, I will need to level up and get stronger. Since those fuckers won't be getting any weaker. And all it takes is one bite."
I nodded. "We will form a triangle formation with backs toward each other. If you see some weird ghoul, tell me right away. Those are stronger and much more problematic than these fuckers. Always aim for the head and they will go down."
"She nodded."
"If you get scratched or bitten tell me, I will end you quickly so you don't turn. Please do the same for me. Understood?"
She nodded.
"Let's do this."
We started to walk towards the big group of ghouls. As we came closer the ones on the outer layer closest to us started to notice our presence and started to peel of and attacks us. I let Karla to handle few to shake the nervousness and I could see that it helped her a lot. At first just groups of few ghouls peeled to us, then it was groups of ten to fifteen and after that most of them turned to us. By this time Karla dropped her nervosity and was chopping them like trees. With exception that she was taking several with one swing. So, both me and Sheela focused on our part of the job. I was stabbing the ghouls as fast as I could, and Sheela was doing her best to keep up.
Me and Karla had to be extra careful since the ghouls were very slow but just one bite was enough for us to be done for. Sheela didn't have this issue, since she was a spirit that was manifested by my mana, she could not get zombified. And she could heal anytime by sucking a bit of my mana.
That was also my biggest worry since both her healing and my fencing used my mana, I was scared that I am going to run out, level ups always top me off so I was hoping that it would hold. I had no choice I had to know if Jass is in there.
Like this we were chopping zombies nonstop. In front of me was pile of shattered ice and bunch of headless corpses, in front of Karla was a pile of chopped up mutilated bodies as she swung without stopping. And the pile in front of Sheela was not smaller.
About this time, I noticed two important things. First one was bad very bad. I noticed two jumping ghouls perched on the electric poles looking down on the fight, and second thing I noticed was that door of the cafeteria has opened and they also started to push ghouls back and kill as much as they could, using the opportunity to level up and clean up their doorstep.
Jumping ghouls were just observing for now so I was just keeping eye on them, as for reinforcements from the cafeteria. They were a welcome sight. I silently hoped that the jumping ghouls would go after them not us.
As I took a look at the fighters from the cafeteria, I noticed that they were mostly teachers and almost no students. I found that weird given the ratio of students and teachers on the campus but I didn't have the luxury to think too much about it.
As the numbers of the ghouls started to thin out jumping ghouls saw the opportunity to strike worn down prey. One of them jumped directly after me and second jumped into group of teachers. I quickly grabbed Karla and jumped out of the landing spot of the ghoul.
As the ghoul landed Sheela jumped and grabbed one of its hands with her jaws and pulled as hard as she could that threw ghoul slightly of balance and made him focus Sheela. And that created all the window for strike I needed and pierced his head with my rapier. His head froze and shattered right after that.
I looked over the dead ghoul and the moment it died a chest appeared on it. I quickly grabbed the small chest with a ribbon and stashed it to my bag.
Once that was done, I turned to Karla.
"Are you ok?"
She nodded.
"Fine, please mop up rest of the normal shits with Sheela, I will go help them." I pointed towards the teachers that were struggling with jumping ghoul, one of them had already his head smashed in and second was bitten. Rest was split between handling the special ghoul and normal shits.
I quickly ran up to the jumping ghoul and did the same as with before that. Once that was done one of the teachers quickly finished of the bitten teacher what told me that they were aware of the infection and then we mopped up the rest of the ghouls very quickly.
I didn't' touched the chest on the second jumping ghoul. They struggled with it most of the time and even lost two people to it, I saw it as fine to let them have the loot.
Once everything was clear teachers grouped while Sheela and Karla came to me.
"Hello Vic, glad to see you alive." Spoke my fencing trainer that was one of the teachers present. "I see your fencing came in handy."
"Hello Mr. Hoggard." I nodded towards. "Yes, indeed it's quite useful in times like this."
"First things first, you finished of the ghoul, loot is yours." He spoke.
"You lost two people to it; I think you should take it." I spoke.
"I won't argue with that one, we can indeed use any gear that wind blows our way. Thanks Vic, for chest and for the help. I don't know how long we would be able to hold them outside."
"Don't you have a massive number of people in there, it should be child's play to take out the ghouls, if everybody in there killed like 2-3 they would be gone in no time."
"Most of the kids in there are refusing to fight. They are just waiting for army to come and save us, or something like that. They are sure that they parents with money filled pockets will take care of everything." Another teacher spoke and shook his head. "Spoiled brats raised with a silver spoon in hand." Mr. Hoggard poked the teacher that spoke with the elbow and pointed at me and.
"I think I should introduce you. This is Victor Withworth. WITHWORTH!"
"And what, if even Withwort's heir is fighting than those brats could be doing the same.They should know that society as we know went to shit."
I chuckled. "Sad but true. May I ask you one thing?"
"Ask away Vic!" Mr. Hoggard spoke.
"Is there Jessica Hamilton inside?"
"Not sure, I know she is not between the ones that died while we moved here or during the defense. If you want go ahead and check if she is here. By the way, why is that tiger sitting next your leg?"
"That's Sheela, my companion. I got her from the skill that I received when I killed my first ghoul."
Mr. Hoggard nodded. "Go look for your Jessica, I hope you find her. We could use fighter like you."
"What do you mean Hank?" Teacher that spoke about the brats before asked.
"Don't you get it. He is looking for a girl, that was the reason he attacked the ghouls. To check if she is here. What do you think he will he do if she is not here? He just jumped into hundreds of ghouls for her."
"I see. Let's hope we have her here, safe and sound."
I entered the cafeteria to look for Jess.