"Looks like I am not late."
Immediately all eyes turned toward the source of the voice in shock and surprise.
Just twenty meters away from them, within the darkness of the forest a feint light was shining and with that light, Kalsie's figure emerged from the midst of the horde of monsters.
In one hand, he gripped a sword, while in the other, a blazing log of wood illuminated his surroundings.
"Wha-!?" At first, disbelief clouded their eyes as they watched Kalsie navigate fearlessly amidst the monsters. However, it soon turned into shock as they saw him skillfully repel and kill the monstrous creatures which they struggled against.
"GROWL!!" Whenever the Dead Walkers drew near, Kalsie jerked his burning torch at them, and to everyone's surprise, the mere touch of fire made them recoil in terror and immediately burst into flames.
With stern, focused eyes, Kalsie easily capitalized on this opportunity, swiftly dispatching them and beheading each one of monsters with ease.
"Kalsie!!!" Those who knew him all called out to him, their voices tinged with a mixture of surprise and relief.
"Don't stop!! Keep running in the same direction!! Don't worry about me!!" Knowing the urgency of their dire situation in the dark forest, Kalsie opted not to engage in conversation and quickly warned them.
He then directed his words at Job, who was in the midst of rescuing Nick. "Job!! Grab that burning log and use it to repel them!! Fire is their weakness!!"
"O-Okay!!" Job immediately replied, snatching the torch from the ground that Kalsie had thrown to save Nick.
"You guys heard him!! RUN!!" Wendy yelled as she shifted her surprise gaze from Kalsie to the group.
"Thank goodness I followed the strong growling sounds. I'm relieved everyone's safe," Kalsie thought.
He paused during their escape and shouted at the monsters, "Look at me, you monsters!"
His goal was to divert their attention away from Job and the others.
"GROWWLLL!!!!"
"Hah..." Kalsie let out a small yet tired chuckle as he noticed that the monsters were not following the others and now completely focused on him, although their sheer number made it seem like a dangerous idea.
Despite the danger and the presence of multiple monsters, there was no fear on his face as he tightly clutched the burning torch.
Earlier, when he was searching in the dark forest with the torch he made, he was worried about attracting the monsters since he became a beacon within the dark forest. Fortunately, when he encountered a few, he found that they were incredibly weak against fire. This boosted his confidence and strength to face multiple monsters.
"COME" Kalsie shouted toward the incoming Dead Walkers.
Some of the monsters lunged at him, but Kalsie deftly dodged their attacks, careful not to be caught in their tight encirclement. The reason Kalsie didn't aim to kill them but rather dodge their attacks was to keep them occupied, allowing Fred and the rest to make their escape safely. This was only possible because Kalsie had noticed that they were slower compared to before.
'No... I have become stronger!' Kalsie thought as he remembered the white orbs he had absorbed after killing multiple monsters.
Thankfully, Kalsie had his torch, a potent weapon against the creatures, which he wielded with skill to fend them off and made his plan even more effective.
'Is it about time?' he thought after a while, his heart pounding as he waited for the moment when Fred and the others would have distanced themselves far enough from danger.
"GROWLLLL!!!!"
"Ah shit." However, as Kalsie was considering how to stall the monsters further, his eyes caught sight of an unending stream of glaring red eyes within the dark.
Multiple Dead Walkers were approaching from behind, though they were still some distance away.
"Where the heck are they even coming from!? There are just way too many to deal with…" Kalsie's eye widened and his heart almost shook, realizing that the sheer number of monsters was beyond his capacity to handle.
Recognizing the dire situation, he wasted no more time and swiftly made his way in the direction where his friends had fled at an incredible speed while ditching the Dead Walker behind with ease.
****
As Fred and the others continued to run, their bodies were drenched in sweat, and their breaths grew heavier with every step.
Some among them felt the urge to stop and rest, but the risks of lingering in this dangerous place, coupled with the lingering scent of blood clinging to their bodies, kept them moving forward.
After Kalsie's timely assistance, they felt relieved but remained anxious about his safety. However, they also knew that Kalsie was a strong individual from what they saw, which helped them gather the courage to heed his advice.
Fortunately, their worries were short-lived as they soon spotted Kalsie quickly sprinting towards them from behind. Given their moderate pace, Kalsie quickly caught up to them, leaving the pursuing monsters behind in the distance.
Kalsie was about to continue to run but as his eyes spotted a familiar figure, he exclaimed in surprise, "Fatty!?"
Fred, seeing Kalsie's surprise let out a bitter smile on his sweat drenched face and said, "Things happened..."
"Sigh... I know the situation is rather bad but honestly, I am really glad that at least we are together." Kalsie told him, his words masking the relief he felt at reuniting with his friend in this dire situation.
"You bet! I didn't think you'd be stuck here too!" Fred replied as he too felt genuinely pleased to see Kalsie in this unfamiliar place.
However, Kalsie's surprise didn't end there.
He had observed Nick, who was skillfully firing arrows, and Nicole, who was bravely assisting her brother with her spear. It amazed him to see their transformation from fearful individuals to courageous fighters, despite the traces of nervousness still visible on their faces.
"I have a lot of questions to ask, but for now, we'll have to set them aside. We don't have much time," Kalsie addressed them.
Seeing a few unfamiliar faces among the group raised even more questions about their situation, especially the strong smell of blood from their clothing. However, the urgency of their situation took precedence over curiosity.
"There's a massive, unending horde of Dead Walkers on our tail, in addition to the ones I temporarily stalled. I don't think we'll be able to shake them off easily. So, it would be better that all of you increase your pace and run even faster," he urgently warned them.
"What?" Their expressions turned grim as they absorbed the gravity of the situation. They all yearned to escape their predicament, but their exhaustion weighed heavily on their bodies.
Even Kalsie, who had been on the move since morning, felt the strain in his legs and his breath haggard.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for them to sustain their relentless pace, and they were well aware of this fact. However, they couldn't help but ponder the inexplicable source of their endurance—the white orbs that had been absorbed into their bodies.
Nevertheless, they all understood that their lives depended on their speed and endurance, and the consequences of a single misstep could be fatal.
"Hey, Kalsie!" Jack gasped, trying to catch his breath. "Are we heading back to the beach or somewhere else?"
"Forget about the beach," Kalsie replied between breaths, "it's in the opposite direction, and it would be swarming with even more monsters than here. It's way too risky!"
Wendy chimed in, curiosity evident in her voice, "Then can you tell us where we are going?"
Kalsie momentarily inspected the double-headed axe Wendy in slight surprise carried before responding, "I found a suitable resting place this morning. You don't need to worry about us running aimlessly."