There was no escape there.
Jace was going to get trapped.
Grey desperately wanted to rush to Jace's aid, but the zombies blocked his path. Even worse, their grunts had attracted more of the others, and the hallway was starting to get flooded.
Grey had even lost his bat in the process, as the zombies were too much and there was no way he could get it back.
"Dammit."
Grey's fists clenched in frustration.
He unleashed punches and kicks to keep the zombies away and tried to get through, but it was futile.
The zombies were stubborn, driven by an unquenchable hunger for flesh, and they kept crawling toward him, no matter how hard he pushed back.
He also had to be wary of the zombie bites, as a single bite could turn him into one of them, but he had to save Jace.
He glanced around for something, a weapon to use, but he was in an accounting firm—not exactly a place known for holding weapons.
As he searched, his eyes caught sight of the axe hanging beside the fire extinguisher.
"Bingo."
With a frantic dash, Grey reached for the axe and shattered its glass cover with his elbow. In one swift motion, he gripped it and swung it down on one of the zombies chasing after him, digging into its skull.
Grey yanked the axe free, blood spewing out of the zombie's head as it fell to the side.
He turned towards the rest and charged at the horde, wielding the fire axe like a vengeful warrior.
The size of the axe was small, which made finishing them off difficult, but he focused on disabling their limbs and landing fatal head blows.
As he hacked and slashed, his movements became fluid and smooth, evolving in such a manner that he was systematically dismembering the undead with scary efficiency.
Then, Grey heard Jace's voice screaming, and a sense of urgency filled him.
He moved with more intensity and soon there were only three zombies left.
Grey wasted no time shoving them to the ground.
He didn't need to finish them off as his aim was to get past them.
He sprinted back to the office, praying in his mind that Jace would be alright, but when he entered the office, he froze.
Jace lay on the ground, his body covered in gore, chunks of flesh missing.
He was too late.
"Jace," Grey called out, his voice shaky. He reached out, stretching his hand, and the zombies noticed Grey and slowly began to walk towards him.
Grey didn't react to them, waiting for Jace to reply to his call, but then Jace's body convulsed, the transformation process beginning.
Grey's heart ached with guilt and regret.
If only he had been faster if only he had warned Jace sooner against using the elevator if only he had dealt with the zombies faster.
"No!" Grey shook his head.
He couldn't let these thoughts consume him.
Jace was gone, and he had to accept the grim reality and move on.
"Goodbye, Jace," Grey whispered with a heavy heart and turned away, narrowly avoiding a zombie's claw.
Fear, anger, and guilt swirled within him as he bulldozed through the remaining zombies and rushed toward the stairs.
Grey's eyes scanned the office through the glass wall, hoping to spot any other survivors, but there was no one.
Out of the number of people who worked on this floor, no one else had made it but him.
As Grey approached the door, a zombie blocked his path.
With a roar of fury, he hurled the fire axe with a raging motion, and with a crack, the deadly blow ended the zombie, and it fell to the ground.
Reaching the dead zombie, Grey stepped on its face and retrieved the axe from its skull before making a break for the stairs.
Growls of frustration echoed behind him as he entered the stairwell, and he shut the door with a slam.
The zombies rammed into it, and Grey stepped away, panting heavily.
The door then began to bend under the relentless assault, and Grey knew he had to leave before it gave way.
But as he was about to turn away, the familiar vibratory sound pierced his head, this time with searing pain.
Grey shut his eyes and clutched his head, which felt like someone was using a power tool on it.
Grey staggered backward and slipped, falling down the stairs.
He tumbled down until he stopped on the 5th floor.
Grey squirmed on the ground, groaning in pain.
His head still ached, and he was hurting all over from his tumbling descent.
Despite the pain, his brain warned him he was in danger as he didn't know the state of his surroundings.
And the zombies would soon breach the door soon, so he struggled to get on his feet.
As he stood, clutching his hair, he didn't notice the exposed wire on the ground, crackling with electricity, and inadvertently stepped on it.
Electric shocks coursed through him, convulsing his body, and he screamed in pain.
But then something surprising happened:
A notification appeared.
Ding!
[Element detected]
[Player is compatible]
[Element Saving]
[20%....50%...85%...100%]
[Successful]
[Congratulations on activating Element: Lightning.]