Dylan immediately pushed the locked door open with his bare hands.
As soon as they opened the door, a zombie rushed out, lunging straight at Dylan.
"F...ck!"
Dylan cursed and punched the zombie straight in the head. Under his superhero strength, the zombie's skull caved in, turning into a bloody, mangled mess.
"Watch out!" Major Kyle called as he swiftly maneuvered the knife in his hand, stabbing another zombie in the head with precision.
"There might be more zombies inside. Be careful," Major Kyle warned as he kicked away the lifeless corpse at his feet.
Dylan wiped the splattered blood off his face, grimacing. "Damn, I hate it when they rush at me like that."
Sylas, standing behind him, swept his gaze inside the dark storeroom, his focus sharp. His spatial ability was powerful, but in such close quarters, he'd have to be precise to avoid injuring his teammates.
"I'll go first," he said as he stepped forward and entered the dimly lit storeroom. The storeroom was cramped and was packed with metal shelves stacked with supplies. Broken cardboard boxes lay scattered on the ground, and spilled food littered the floor.
The stench of rot was stronger here, a sign that zombies had been trapped inside for some time. As the team moved deeper in, a series of guttural growls echoed from the dark storeroom.
Then, they heard a movement.
Suddenly, three zombies lunged out from the darkness with their claws aiming striaght at them.
Serena reacted first as she tossed a vine seed forward, and within seconds, the vine seed sprouted, and its tendrils shot out. The vine coiled around the legs of the closest zombie and yanked it backward. The zombie snarled and made noise, trying to break free from Serena's vine clumsily. But Serena clenched her fist, and the vines constricted tighter, snapping its spine with a sickening crack before another vine pierced its head and killed it.
Dylan also took two steps forward, charging at the zombie and drove his fist into the next zombie's torso. The force of his fist sent the zombie crashing into a metal shelf. The steel frame bends, and the zombie's body crumpled to the ground lifelessly.
Sylas, sensing movement to his right, immediately spun on his heel. A zombie was barely inches from him, its rotten fingers reaching out. Sylas narrowed his eyes, and without missing a beat, he flicked his hand. A thin, nearly invisible spatial blade sliced through the air.
Shing!
The zombie's head separated from its shoulders, its body dropping like a puppet with its strings cut.
Ahhg...
"Why are so many zombies trapped here?" Shuan complained as he killed the zombie that lunged at him and Leo.
"Looking at their clothes, they seemed to be the convenience store employees," Major Kyle said as he observed the zombies.
"Looks like we have cleared all the zombies," Sylas said as he glanced around the room looking for any more threats.
Major Kyle also carefully inspected the room before saying, "Good. Let's
grab the supplies and get out of here quickly."
Sylas nodded his head, and without wasting time, he strode to the shelves, inspecting the goods.
"Bags of rice, canned food, milks,
and some dry rations," Sylas uttered as he he looked at the rations.
"Perfect," Sylas said with a smile. Having food gives humans a sense of security, especially in this apocalypse.
When Sylas saw the milk, he immediately thought of Dudu.
Sylas waved his hand, and the supplies in front of him instantly disappeared. The shelves, which were once filled with foods, were now empty in mere seconds.
Dylan leaned against a shelf and whistled. "Man, I will never get used to that."
Shuan, wiping the sweat from his forehead, smirked. "At least we don't have to carry anything heavy."
"True, or else I will be the one in charge of transporting," Leo said half jokingly.
Major Kyle signaled toward the exit. "Alright, let's move out."
The team quickly retraced their steps, carefully scanning their surroundings as they exited the storeroom and made their way back to the main floor.
"Major, there is a movement from the east! More zombies are heading this way!" One of the soldiers who was just about to rush inside the store to inform them said anxiously.
Major Kyle cursed under his breath. "Everyone, to the vehicles! We're leaving- now!"
Without hesitation, the team sprinted to
their cars. Sylas swept his gaze at the back before hopping into his seat. He could see a group of zombies coming towards them.
As soon as everyone was inside, the engines roared to life, and they sped off just as a new horde of zombies came into view, their guttural cries filling the air.
"Why are they heading this way? What's going on? We didn't make any loud noise, did we?" Shaun asked as he drove, glancing at the zombies behind them through the car's mirror.
Leo scrunched his brows and replied, "Something might have happened."
"Didn't Major say there's a red zone nearby? I think the zombies are from there. Something must have triggered them to rush over here," Sylas said, narrowing his eyes. Because when he looked at the zombies behind them, he felt like they were running away.
Yes, they seemed like they were chasing them or coming after them, but it looked more like they were fleeing—something Sylas had never encountered before. He wasn't sure himself, so he didn't say anything to his team members.
"What's that?" Serena, who had been silent, suddenly sat up straight in her seat and spoke in a cold voice.
A massive green plant with thick stalks rose from behind the zombies, its enormous branches shooting out like vines. In an instant, the tendrils wrapped tightly around the zombies, constricting them before retracting, dragging the struggling zombies along.
Within mere breaths, the once-formidable horde had been reduced to only a handful.
The sight sent chills down the spines of the fleeing team members.
"What in the world is that? Is it controlled by another plant ability user, or is it something else?" Major Kyle muttered, glancing back at the horrifying scene.
Inside Sylas's car, Serena, usually composed and expressionless, suddenly shuddered. A deep, primal fear crept over her, something she had never felt before.
"Hurry," she urged, her usually frosty voice trembling. "I can sense immense danger from that plant."