Dorian had just concluded interacting with the system and was prepared to rest when the commotion began, causing him to rush out of his room to see what was happening. As the leader, he was naturally responsible for everyone.
Standing outside his room, he was greeted by a dark hallway. He also heard other doors opening; the students in each room were probably trying to see what was going on as well.
"Go back to your rooms. If anyone steps out, you'll deal with whatever comes yourselves," he reprimanded firmly.
Although they were curious about the cause of the commotion, they couldn't disobey Dorian, so they reluctantly returned to their rooms.
"The commotion is coming from the 5th floor, directly above this. What might be happening?" Dorian muttered as he began tracing his steps along the wall, making his way to the staircase.
Walking through the hallway at night was extremely difficult, but Dorian had no other choice. He found the staircase and carefully made his way up.
The commotion kept getting louder as he got closer. He could hear voices, and it seemed to be a heated argument rather than a zombie attack or something else.
Dorian heaved a sigh, wondering who would be foolish enough to argue so loudly at such an hour despite all his warnings about zombies being attracted to noise, especially at night.
He finally arrived at the fifth floor. Luckily, the commotion was happening in the hallway, and one of the onlookers, a pyro mage, ignited a small fireball in his hands to provide light.
The hallway was crowded with students, and two of them were in the middle—Milan and a young lady with short blonde hair and mean blue eyes. Both of them seemed to be at the center of it all.
"Why should I hand them over to you? I was the one who found them and they belong to me."
"Why are you so selfish, Jessica? Hoarding so much for yourself despite knowing how dire the situation is for others?"
The hall was so rowdy that no one realized the presence of Dorian. Dorian, on the other hand, listened to the heated conversation between Milan and Jessica.
Jessica appeared to have found something important and was determined to keep it for herself. Milan tried to persuade her otherwise.
"What did you find, Jessica?"
Dorian's question cut through the noise, and instantly everyone in the hallway turned their heads toward him, surprised by his sudden arrival.
Jessica was startled by his voice, staring at his approaching figure with a deep frown on her face.
"I asked a question: What are you two arguing about in the middle of the night? How important is it for you to endanger everyone's lives?" Dorian's voice grew colder with each word.
Milan stepped up and decided to answer for them.
"Jessica found a large supply of snack, enough for the group at least twice over, in her room. But she won't share with the others," Milan narrated.
Other students chimed in, calling Jessica a greedy bitch and questioning why someone would be so self-centered.
After hearing the cause of the dispute, Dorian directed his attention at Jessica, asking why she had made such a decision.
"No one knows when we're going to find something to eat again in this damned world, or what monstrosity we might face outside this dormitory. I plan to stay here with the food I've found and survive as long as I can, away from the trouble of fighting disgusting zombies and scavenging for food," she replied, her expression twisted in defiance.
It was clear she had already made up her mind, and nothing could change it easily.
Meanwhile, the others protested in the background against at her absurd explanation. They hurled even more insults, questioning her humanity, and some of her friends regretted ever associating with someone like her.
But Jessica didn't seem to mind the insults. She kept a straight face, staring only at Dorian.
While she was adamant about keeping everything to herself, she was aware that Dorian could easily take the supplies from her if he wished.
She wanted to prevent that outcome as best as she could.
Dorian, on the other hand, could only shake his head in pity before asking a very important question. "How long do you think you'll be able to survive on the supplies you found?" he asked.
"A month or two," Jessica replied without hesitation.
"And after that?" Dorian followed up.
Seconds passed without a response.
"Answer?" he prompted, his tone edged with impatience.
Jessica could only gaze back at him. She wracked her brain for a logical answer, but none came to her.
"Not much figured out, I see," Dorian scoffed.
"In a week or two, the zombies around this dormitory will grow in numbers and strength. They would raid all the dormitories and tear them to the ground in search of prey. Do you really think you'll be able to handle a horde of starving zombies alone?"
Jessica remained silent, as did the others, as they imagined the grim scenario Dorian painted, envisioning themselves in such a dire situation.
"With your current strength, even dealing with the weakest zombie would be life-threatening. Now think about a week from now, when the zombies have evolved?" he pressed on.
She still offered no answer.
Dorian shook his head pitifully—it wasn't as if he cared what happened to Jessica. He could easily kill her right now and take the food she is hiding, but doing so would only make it more difficult for the others to trust their safety with him.
He needed many people by his side, but not weak and stubborn ones like her.
"You have two options: keep the food and pray to survive another week, or come with me. I can guarantee your safety and see to it that you grow stronger. Your choice."
The hall fell silent as everyone turned to look at Jessica, waiting for her response.
Jessica's eyes were fixed on Rowan, considering her choices.