In the days that followed, Zane was chilling at home, living it up like some spoiled rich kid. This dude was all about that meat-lover life and got a real kick out of training his zombie crew. They were picking up skills crazy fast, from swinging long swords to popping off crossbows.
Over these three days, Zane was chowing down like it was Thanksgiving every day. His appetite was like a black hole, scarfing down what must've been ten cows' worth of meat.
His body was beefing up big time, getting stronger every day. Now, Zane's skin was tough as old tires; even a dagger just left a scratch. Regular weapons? Forget about it, they weren't touching him.
"My brain's buzzing like it's cooking up something wild..." Zane thought, swirling his wine glass as he stretched his neck.
This was his cue that he was leveling up from Class C to Class B. Hitting Class B meant a crystal core was about to pop up in his skull. This little rock was going to crank his strength and unlock some freaky new power.
Each zombie had their own freaky skill—some could heal super quick, spread nasty bugs, or sprout bone weapons, while others could mess with your head, sneak into dreams, or mess with minds.
These special zombies could wipe you out from miles away, unseen, giving living folks a real headache.
Zane wasn't sure what power he'd get, since he hadn't hit this level in his past life.
He took a classy sip from his glass, feeling the energy soak into his system. After some taste tests, he decided beef was his go-to, then lamb, with chicken at the bottom.
But for blood? Chicken blood was top shelf. Drinking it got his cells jazzed up, sped up his energy boost, and even gave his pale face a bit of color.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Noise blasted from the street outside.
Zane was lounging on the sofa, sipping his "juice," when his zombie super-hearing caught the racket. "What's the deal out there?" he wondered, heading to the window to check out the street.
He saw a bunch of humans, armored up with newspapers and tape, looking scared stiff of a zombie bite. They were armed with whatever they could find—wrenches, crowbars, and even a frying pan. The big guy leading them, a real heavyweight, was going to town on a rolling door with a firefighter's axe.
Each hit sent sparks flying. The door they were after? It was the supermarket Zane used to run.
These folks were desperate, starving. "This supermarket's loaded. If we bust in, we're set for food and drink!" the big guy yelled, hammering even harder. They knew the noise would draw zombies.
"Liam Johnson, move it! The zombies are coming!" one of the guys shouted, panicked.
On the blood-soaked street littered with bodies, about half a dozen zombies were already charging toward the noise, roaring like mad.
Driven by extreme hunger, the zombies looked even more nightmarish and fierce, enough to give you the chills.
"Hang on, I'm almost in!" the big guy shouted, struggling with the lock.
"Alright, let's take these zombies down!" another guy yelled, swinging his crowbar as he rushed in. The humans clashed hard with the zombies. Even though the zombies were stiff and clunky, the humans were quickly getting overwhelmed.
Blood flew, bodies dropped. But the zombies just kept coming from every direction. The humans were running out of steam.
"It hurts... I've been bitten! Help!" the previously scared guy screamed as a zombie bit into his hand.
"Victor!" The others wanted to help, but they were outgunned. Once bitten by a zombie, a human would turn—one of the cold, ruthless ones. They could only watch in horror as he was swarmed and devoured by several zombies.
His screams cut through the night.
Up in his crib, Zane was sipping on his red drink, peeping the wild scene below with a cool, detached vibe. He was baffled why these folks were going ham on his supermarket when he'd already stashed all the goods in his secret hideout.
The dude's screams got swallowed up by the zombie mob, but the big boss, Liam, was all hyped up. "The door's open! Let's roll!" His shout seemed to magically lift the door.
To the scared crowd, that sound was like a heavenly choir. Smiles popped up on their faces like they just got a glimpse of daylight after a long night. They stampeded towards the door like it was their only shot at escaping a disaster.
But just then, one of the guys tripped, snagging his ankle on a zombie part on the ground. He was freaking out, trying to break free and make it to the door. "Yo, help me out!" He was desperate.
A few of the guys who had already dashed inside came back to yank him up. But the zombies, smelling dinner, piled on like there was no tomorrow.
They yanked and pulled, but no matter how hard they tried, the dude caught by the zombies couldn't make it all the way in.
Even worse, his body got stuck in the rolling door, keeping it from shutting tight. A few zombies squeezed through the gap, their claws slicing the air, bringing the promise of doom.
"Liam, what's the plan?" Two of the guys were freaking out as they watched their buddy fight off zombie bites, their emotions all over the place.
But in this crunch time, the big boss didn't flinch. He lifted his firefighter's axe and went to town on the zombie heads. Clenching his teeth, he said, "We can't save him! Kick him out, we gotta shut the door now!"
It was a harsh call, but the two guys got it—it was the only way. They let go, watching in horror as their friend was dragged off by the zombies.
"You guys... save me!" the dude on the ground screamed, grabbing the edge of the rolling door like it was his last hope.
But the big boss showed no mercy, swinging his axe and chopping off the dude's hand. With a scream, the guy was totally pulled out, swallowed by the zombie roars.
Finally, with a heavy thud, the rolling door slammed shut.
Zane, chilling by his window, thought to himself, "Not bad, not bad at all..." He was kinda impressed with the big boss's tough call. Too bad there was nothing left in his supermarket anymore.