Chapter 8

• We left at first light.
• There were no goodbyes or speeches. Just the scrape of boots on concrete as we slipped out through the side door. I didn’t bother looking back at the safehouse. Reese stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, her cold eyes watching us go.
• Ash followed us, Anna kept Eli close, one hand gripping the boy’s shoulder, the other holding a kitchen knife. Mark carried the biggest pack, while Lily walked just behind me, her gaze darting at every shadow.
• The city was different in daylight. It was quieter but not in a way that felt safe.
• The System pulsed in my vision:
• > Active Mission: Evacuate to industrial park.
• > Distance: 3.7 miles.
• > Time limit: Before nightfall.
• > Reward: +500 SP, +4 MP.
• We made it two blocks before Ash stopped us with a raised fist. Ahead, a delivery truck had stopped across the intersection, the road smeared with dried blood.
• Ash crouched, scanning under the truck. “Two… maybe three bodies.”
• I stepped up beside him. “Moving?”
• He shook his head. “Not yet.”
• We took the long way around, cutting through an alley. The smell was terrible but halfway down, we saw why.
• Three infected were slumped against the wall, their skin gray and split. Their jaws twitched like they were dreaming about eating.
• Mark’s breath caught. “We could just… go back…”
• “No,” I said, already pulling my bat. “We can take them quietly.”
• Ash gave me a look. “You go left, I’ll go right?”
• “On three.”
• We cut through an alley, taking down three slumped infected quietly before they could make a sound. The sound wasn’t loud but the noise, however small, drew more of the infected toward us.
• From deeper in the alley came a low, guttural groan. We ran, the guttural groans chasing us until we ducked into an old laundromat to break the line of sight.
• After clearing a bus wreck and fighting through another small cluster, the industrial park finally rose in the distance. It had low buildings, wide lots, and a water tower. We went through the chain-link fence and found a warehouse near the edge.
• Mark dropped his pack with a sigh. “We made it.”
• But I didn’t relax. The System hadn’t confirmed the mission was complete. Instead, it flashed a new warning:
• > Alert: Infected swarm ETA — 4 hours.
• > New Objective: Prepare defenses or evacuate further.
• I looked at Ash in panic. “We’re not done.”
• He looked apprehensive. “What now?”
• “We need to block every open space around here and prepare for possible invasion.” I told him. He looked skeptical for some seconds but nodded.
• We worked frantically, blocking the main rolling door with wood and bracing the heavy side door with metal shelving. We were just finishing boarding up the high windows when the first real infected wave came.
• The system chimed:
• > Incoming Wave: Estimated size — 25 infected.
• > Door integrity: 85%.
• The wood we used to block the doors shook but held. When the first board broke, Ash fired a bolt through the gap, killing the first one. I smashed the arm of another that reached through, the crack of bone sounding in the warehouse. We fought them at every breach, the floor wet with blood by the time the noise outside began to fade.
• The system chimed again:
• > Wave Repelled.
• > Door integrity: 62%.
• We barely had time to catch our breath before more infected rushed to our location.
• “We’ve got a breach!” Ash yelled from the front.
• A gap had opened near the top of the wood, wide enough for one to squeeze through. It dropped down inside, snarling, and charged straight at Lily.
• I hit it mid-stride with the bat, the impact jolting up my arms. But two more were already scrambling through the opening behind it. They dropped to the floor and surged forward. Ash killed one, but the other lunged at Lily before she could recover.
• There was no time. And my bat wouldn’t be fast enough to stop it.
• In that split second of panic, I didn’t think, I just acted.
• The system’s interface flared in my vision.
• [Unlock ultra bronze defense skills for 45 seconds with 20 SP]
• [Unlock ultra silver defense skills for 45 seconds with 40 SP]
• I barely had time to think before I selected the ultra silver defense skill.
• A jolt shot through me instantly. It felt like my skin was tightening, turning to leather. In a second, I dashed toward Lily. Everything happened in a blur as I crossed the space between me and her. The infected’s claws raked across my outstretched arm to grab Lily. I felt the impact of its scratch, saw the fabric of my jacket tear, but there was no pain or blood. Just four shallow white lines on my skin that faded as quickly as they appeared.
• Before the infected could charge again, I struck his jaw with an uppercut. It staggered back, growling before charging at me once more. This time, I struck it on the head, aiming to kill. But it merely stumbled backwards. Finally on the third strike, he crumbled to the ground.
• Another infected was already coming through the breach and I rushed to it. Its teeth snapped at my shoulder, but I just twisted, letting its jaw scrape against my hardened skin. Then I twisted its head off its neck, my chest rising and falling.
• As more of the infected flooded in, I cleared the opening, shoving the bodies back out, my hand constantly moving.
• Then, as suddenly as it began, it was over.
• They were all dead, leaving my muscles weak. Exhaustion coursed through me and I realized my skin felt normal again. The 45 seconds were up.
• I leaned against the wall, chest rising and falling, sweat pouring down my face. The warehouse was quiet except for our ragged breathing. Ash and Lily were staring at me, their faces a mixture of shock and awe.
• The System’s voice chimed in my head:
• > Mission Complete: Swarm passed.
• > Reward: +500 SP, +4 MP.
• Ash finally found his voice, his eyes wide. “What… what was that?”
• I looked down at my torn sleeve, at the unmarked skin beneath. “I needed to save Lily.”