A tiny sword emitting a faint glow appeared out of thin air, standing upright. The sword was minuscule, merely the length of a finger, seeming to be conjured from the very air itself.
The moment the sword appeared in mid-air, it was as though time had frozen. The zombies suddenly halted, their actions slowed as if something was inhibiting their movements. This change brought a brief relief to those under immense pressure.
It was nothing short of a miracle. Officer Patton and Sheriff Louise were dumbstruck. They saw the sword that materialized out of nowhere and then the zombies, their movements rigid and frozen.
"Oh, God, this is..." Officer Patton started to say, but stopped mid-sentence as Joseph retracted his hand. Instantly, the floating sword vanished into thin air.
The zombies, rejuvenated, lunged at them once again. Officer Patton swallowed his unfinished sentence and yelled, "What the hell, they're alive again! Jesus, Joseph—damn it, run...Sheriff Louise..." He didn't forget to tell Louise to run as well.
Amid the exclamations, nearly all the police officers descended into chaos. Their brief respite made the returning threat even more alarming. With shouts and screams, they were nearly on the brink of fleeing.
After a brief relief, facing danger again left them devoid of any will to resist. Even Captain Sean R. Jimmy's loud orders to reassemble for a new assault bore no fruit. He himself narrowly avoided being tackled by the zombified John Cole.
"Joseph—"
While Officer Patton was running and shouting at Joseph, who was scrambling to get up and flee, he abruptly fell silent. Joseph had tripped over a tree root and a zombie was speeding towards him, its grotesque mouth ready to bite into his shoulder.
"Oh god—" Officer Patton froze. His gun was out of bullets and he didn't know how to help.
"Die, you disgusting bastard!" Suddenly, a woman's voice sounded from his side. A figure flashed past him and a dull thud was heard as a thick stick smashed the zombie, poised to pounce, in the head.
It was Sheriff Louise. In the heat of the moment, she didn't think twice. Her forceful strike made the zombie's head lurch sideways, its body wobbling. However, she also successfully drew the zombie's attention. It slowly got up, staring at Louise with its empty, black eyes.
"Run—" Just as Officer Patton was about to shout at Sheriff Louise, the zombie charged at her. It was only a couple of steps away. If the zombie grabbed her, Louise wouldn't be able to escape. Joseph had managed to get up, but he was too late to make any move to save her.
Officer Patton grabbed a tree root and tried to rush over but the distance was too far. No, not far, but far enough compared to the distance between the zombie and Louise.
"Damn it—" Officer Patton groaned in despair.
The zombie's repugnant mouth was wide open, its blood-stained teeth and hideous face visible. Its eyeballs were almost touching Louise's face. Just another step forward and its sharp teeth would sink into Louise's neck.
But at that moment, the zombie's actions froze as if rapidly frozen. Louise hurriedly retreated, clumsily falling. But this time, the zombie didn't move. Instead, a flash of light, swift as lightning but not as blinding, was visible in the air.
The flash of light swept across, passing through the zombie's chest. Then, as if guided, it vanished in a flash in front of all the frozen zombies, then quickly reemerged.
The flash then suddenly converged into Joseph's palm, disappearing into thin air. Almost simultaneously, the six zombies slowly fell to the ground, their bodies convulsing on the ground. The zombie about to bite Louise fell on top of her, its head landing on her abdomen.
"Oh god—get off, you disgusting thing!" Louise kicked the writhing creature off her. The zombie flipped over, its body twitching violently before going still.
Everyone knew the zombies were done for, but they didn't understand what the flash of light was. After witnessing too many unbelievable things that night, they didn't have the energy to ponder over it. All they wanted was a break, and to dispose of the zombie bodies. "Hey, buddy, thank you!" Officer Patton limped over to Joseph, gave him a pat on the shoulder, and said, "If not for you, we would be finished. What was that thing just now? How did you do it?" He was incredibly curious about what had just occurred.
When Officer Patton was preparing to rush over to save Sheriff Louise, he had twisted his ankle and now hobbled as he walked. However, he didn't seem to mind it at all. He walked over to Joseph out of pure curiosity.
Joseph extended his hand, but the small sword that Jason had drawn onto it was no longer there. His palm was empty. Clearly, the radiant light and that sword were the result of Jason's drawing. It seemed like it was a one-time object, and once used, it disappeared.
"I don't know what it was," Joseph told Officer Patton. "Jason drew it on my hand. I didn't know what it could do, but it seems that he is the key figure tonight. I don't know where he went tonight, but I think...he has his reasons."
Sheriff Louise, adjusting her clothes nearby, glanced at Joseph and said, "Don't worry, I get your point. Rest easy, I won't cause him any trouble. It's clear now, he was right about all of this being because of the zombies. Now, Officer Patton, get Captain Jimmy, let's gather the victims. If we can get a hold of Mr.Jason, it would be great to ask his opinion on how we should proceed."
"Yes, ma'am!" Officer Patton saluted Sheriff Louise with a smile, then winked at Joseph. "Don't look at me like that. I admit, I misunderstood Mr. Jason before, but...this is all new to us, no one has ever experienced something like this. So...misunderstandings are possible, but now...it's all clear. Or at least, clearer!" Saying this, he turned and left.
"You heard her, buddy, Mr. Jason won't face any trouble!" Officer Patton grinned at Joseph, now practically a fan of Jason. Even though it was through Joseph's hand, he had shown his incredible power, "Just like a superhero."
"No, Jason is not a superhero, that's all movie talk!" Joseph furrowed his brows, glanced at Officer Patton, and said, "Let's end this matter here, can I go home now?"
"Of course, why not? But...we may need to take your statement later, we will contact you then. You must be tired now, go get some rest. What a night...my God...everything is a mess." Patton spread his hands, chuckled, and said, "I need to clean up this mess."
Joseph nodded at him, turned to leave but paused after a few steps, looked back at Officer Patton, "Do you mind if I drive your car home? You have plenty here, and my place is quite far from here."
Officer Patton tossed him the car keys, watched Joseph get in the car, and yelled, "Hey, buddy, drive it to the station tomorrow!"
Joseph stuck his hand out of the car window, waved, and then drove off.
Yes, the night was almost over, and a new day was about to begin. The daylight always allowed people to completely relax. Six bodies laid in the morgue, security had been increased, and they planned to keep a close watch.
However, everyone seemed to overlook one issue, where were the woman in red and Luke Prescott?