The ground by the door got busted open quick.
"Roar!"
Jake was the first to storm in, grabbing a chunk of granite and chucking it at the crowd.
That rock flew like it had a rocket attached, knocking two folks flat.
"Hehehehe~~~"
Zoe followed, and some goon tried to take her out with a cleaver.
But Zoe was too quick.
With a quick flick, her nails slashed right through his arm.
"Ah—"
The dude screamed, dropping the cleaver.
But Zoe, still in the air, snagged it.
Flashing a wicked grin, she took a swing at his neck.
"Shit!"
The guy was shook—first time he'd seen a zombie do the chopping!
Zoe, trained and deadly, sliced through his neck like it was butter.
Everyone watching was floored.
"This zombie's got knife skills!"
"Man, this is wild!"
"What now?"
"..."
But then, things got even crazier.
While they were freaking out, a crossbow bolt zipped by, nailing a guy in the head.
Looking over, they saw Nathan with the crossbow, loading another arrow.
"This is nuts!"
The fighters lost their mojo real quick.
They were outclassed.
This was a bloodbath waiting to happen!
A bunch bailed, ditching their weapons and running.
By the time Zane walked in.
The fight was pretty much done—bodies everywhere, the place looked like a horror movie set.
Zane stepped through.
His zombie crew stopped their rampage and lined up behind him.
They could still smell the living.
In a room, they found a burnt-out fire pit and a pile of bones with human bite marks!
No need to guess what went down here...
And from a corner, weak breathing.
"Roar!"
Jake roared towards the sound.
Approaching, they found a woman on the floor, legs gone.
Her stumps were crudely bandaged, keeping her alive just a bit longer.
Once dead, she'd turn too.
Her face was ghostly, breath barely there.
Hearing the noise, she opened her eyes and saw Zane and his zombie squad.
No fear in her eyes, just a flicker of relief, like she was seeing saviors, not monsters.
Zane got her message. She saw Joe's crew as worse than the zombies.
Without a second thought, Jake did what she wanted.
With the fortress having only one way in, Joe and Loki, along with their crew, were cornered in the last room. No escape.
"Yo, Joe, what's the game plan? Those Zombies are gonna crash our party any sec!" Loki was freaking out.
Joe kept his cool. "Look, if those zombies can handle weapons and even rock an excavator, they gotta have some smarts. Maybe we can chat 'em up!"
"Totally, totally!" Loki was all in, feeling a spark of hope.
"And check it," Joe added, "I've dealt with that Zane dude before everything went sideways. He might cut us some slack."
"Sweet!" Loki was all about Joe's connections. Even in this crazy new world, knowing the right people still paid off.
Just then, they spotted Zane and his crew stomping down the hallway, their steps thundering like doom.
'Gulp!' Joe's mouth went dry, and he swallowed hard, his nerves on edge.
"Hold up, Mr. Zane, don't ice me, remember me? I'm Joe!" He hollered, standing about thirty feet away.
Zane closed in, eyeing Joe and recognizing him.
"Oh," was all Zane said, nodding.
The zombies held back, and Joe saw a sliver of hope.
He kept talking, trying to cash in on their old ties.
"Mr. Zane, you recall, right? I snagged your industrial farms and even floated you some serious cash..." Joe was digging deep, hoping their history might save his skin.
"Ah, a creditor..." Zane pondered, then snapped to a decision. "Guess that means you gotta go."
Joe nearly gagged on his words, realizing he might've just goofed big time.
Loki, right next to him, was losing it, thinking, 'Dude, why drop that bomb now?'
Joe wanted to backpedal, but it was too late.
Three of Zane's goons rushed in and quickly finished the job. No one left breathing in the fortress.
...
Zane scooped up all the valuables, leading his trio out of the joint.
Emma was still in the van, having caught the echoes of screams from inside—chilling, blood-curdling screams that told tales of horror beyond words.
As Zane walked up, his white shirt was still pristine, almost making it seem like nothing wild had just gone down.
"Mr. Zane, what's our next stop?" Emma inquired.
"Home," Zane answered, short and sweet.
The van kicked into gear, heading back to Zane's pad.
...
With Emma now part of the crew, she got the house next door to Zane's.
Her daily grind was laundry, cleaning, and dishes. She hustled, knowing any slip could mean curtains.
But Zane wasn't a monster to her. He kept her fed with real human grub—rice, flour, and sometimes, when he was feeling good, even some frozen steak or fish, giving her a taste of the good life.
Over time, Emma got used to her new digs. Compared to other survivors braving the wild, having a roof and regular meals was pretty sweet.
Meanwhile, Zane was chowing down a ton of meat. As he evolved, his meat-craving shot through the roof, easily wolfing down 100,000 pounds of beef, not to mention chicken. Zane felt his power surging.
As for how buff he was getting, even he couldn't tell...
Ten days later, Zane hit another level-up, feeling a major boost. Inside his noggin, a crystal core formed, and a red glint flickered in his eyes.
"My head's buzzing, feels like I'm about to unlock some new powers..."