I have made the terrible mistake of underestimating these zombie humans. These little shits are as fast as a sports car and as nimble as a fox. No matter how many mana blades I throw at them, they dodge them with ease! It’s like trying to hit a fly with the world’s smallest fly swatter. They are quite adept at using their weapons too, like seasoned warriors. The worst part about them isn’t their speed, looks, or even numbers...

As I turned a corner to my left, still running for dear life from my blood-thirsty pursuers, I caught a glimpse of a pair of elevators and a stairwell to the right side of the wall. Taking the elevator was out of the question since the time window is way too small. I’ll just have to take the stairs that lead upward and hope Fiey and the others are upsta-

Sol screeched. A zombie human crept up behind me, their four limbs scraping against the ceiling. Its head swerved at 180 degrees like an owl, and in its mouth was a sickle double its size. With a guttural snarl, it propelled itself off the ceiling and catapulted toward me like a loose cannon. I sidestepped away and stabbed at the zombie human’s chest, aiming for its heart. The creature’s whole body crashed through a closed door, spraying splinters all over the floor. I dared not to look back, knowing it was useless. While I aimed for its heart, it won’t kill the zombie human because of the one troublesome ability they all share: they cannot be killed.

I heard the loud, screeching sound of the creature behind me, as it fiercely battered the door that blocked its path. The other zombie creatures joined their brethren and continued their chase, swinging their weapons around in a frenzy. No matter how many times I poke holes into the zombie humans like they were pin cushions, they would shrug them off like they received a slap on the wrist. So, all I’ve been doing is running, evading, and counterattacking while I thought of a plan.

It took me three seconds to reach the stairwell that led up and down. Naturally, I took the stairs leading up. I bounded over the stairs five steps at a time while I fling some more magic at the fiends behind me. Instead of using the stairs, they squirmed along the walls, every single one of them clenching their weapons in their jaws. For carrying weapons like sickles, twin hooks, and hook swords (which were oversized), they dodged my attack with ease.

“Annoying bastards,” I said through gritted teeth. I continued sprinting through another set of hallways, the same as the previous one, except in a different layout. When I passed a different corridor to my right, I could’ve sworn I saw the flicker of a dark robe at the end. I stopped dead in my tracks and walked back.

I changed courses and ran down the hall to where I last saw the fluttering fabric. On the way, I passed down a flight of stairs, which confused me. Why did the figure not use this set of stairs? Or did they arrive from another set? I don’t really know the layout of this hospital, so it’s all guesswork, but they may be searching for something... or someone.

I saw the mysterious figure from earlier turn the corner.

I said internally.

I shook my head, unable to provide an answer. When I reached the end of the hall, I turned another corner to my right. I took one peek behind me just to see the zombie humans still pursuing me. For a bunch of zombies, they sure are persistent! If I wasn’t faster than they are, I probably would’ve died in a battle of attrition...

Sol yelled. She pointed at a short figure who was just about to enter a stairwell. They wore an all-black robe with a hoodie draped over their head. Whoever this person was, they were slender, almost feminine. The mysterious figure sensed our presence and whirled its body around. They had a white mask that reminded me of an Oni- two curved horns sprouted from the top, and their presence was made menacing by the jagged teeth. On the person’s hip were two curved daggers that gleamed from the ceiling lights.

“There was still some alive on this floor? I thought I did a clean sweep of the premises...” a female voice muttered. Slowly, the woman lowered her hand to retrieve her daggers, but I proved to be quicker. I summoned a mana blade right behind the woman and willed the blade to stab her in the leg, intent on interrogating her before those zombie humans caught up. If I had to guess, I had about forty seconds tops.

Before I knew it, the woman had already figured out my plans. She sensed the blade zipping right toward her and went for a graceful backflip as if she’d done it a million times. Was she a world-class gymnast? The woman landed softly and straightened her back.

“Interesting magic you got there. Since you’re here, are you acquainted with Sam?”

As if I’ll tell you...

I tried to do my best impression of a girl obsessed with a celebrity. “Sam? THE Sam of The Six Hunters? I wish!”

I even added in a little eye roll for pizzazz, but all that served was a dragon cackling wildly in my mind.

“Really now...” The Oni-mask woman sounded dubious, but I didn’t care. I’m running out of time, and I need answers fast. Fighting this woman and the zombie humans will prove too difficult for me to handle, since I’ll be trapped between the two. I’ll have to either run away by jumping out the nearest window or defeat the person in front of me.

I chose the most obvious option.

The woman unsheathed her daggers and prepared for the upcoming fight as the glint of twenty katana blades illuminated the air as they formed a circle around her. I blocked the stairwell by having two more swords stand guard at the entrance. There was nowhere for the Oni-mask figure to run.

“What exactly are you looking for?” I said, inching closer. The trapped lady silently bobbed her head around as she surveyed the situation.

She must be thinking of a way out, I thought. The blades around her got closer, the sharp edges nearly a few meters away from stabbing her. Behind me, the sound of clicking and metal clashing against wood grew louder. The zombie humans were getting closer.

“Since you mentioned Sam earlier, you must be looking for him. That mean’s he’s in this building, correct?”

The woman stopped scanning the area and finally faced me. Since she was wearing a mask, I had no idea what her face was like. Is she nervous? Smiling? Calm? I went to examine her posture instead but got my answer when the lady piped up.

“Like I’d tell you,” she dryly replied. In quick succession, she aimed both daggers at my head and threw them. I easily deflected both daggers with my rapier.

Sol growled.

“...!”

When I looked up, I heard a faint splash and saw the woman’s body submerged in a viscous, dark liquid.

“I don’t have time to waste on you, girl. Have fun with those Undead Ghouls you’re having trouble dealing with! They are quite hungry...”

Before her head could fully submerge, I ordered the blades to stab her in the skull, but I was too late. The mana blades hit solid wood just as the black goo disappeared. At the same time, the zombie humans emerged from the corner behind me and made a beeline toward me.

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I muttered a slew of curses for letting the woman get away. I should’ve known that she must’ve had safety measures on hand for a quick escape! The daggers in her belt, the long, dark robes, and the mask covering her face- she is the perfect portrayal of an assassin! I really need to find Fiey’s group! I can’t have that assassin woman killing them when I need to exchange information with them!

I bolted straight toward the stairwell to my right and leaped across the railings. Using the stairs was troublesome. On the wall was a sign that said I was on the seventh floor. For a split second, I thought the others might be on the higher floors, but beyond the metal door to the seventh floor was the sound of yelling. Human yelling.

“HISSSSS!”

The zombie humans all leaped from the sixth floor railing and pounced at me. I spring forward and clasped my hand around the metal handle, and pried the door open. And with all my might, I slammed the door shut. I hastily looked around the seventh floor. I found myself in a wide facility with a polished marble floor. A nursing station stood in the middle with two long couches in front of it. At the far end of the area was another stairwell. The human shouting I’ve been hearing was coming from the right-side hallway and not from the left...

The zombie humans pounded and scraped against the metal door with their grimy hands and large armaments. This door would not hold them for long...

Oh shit! What am I thinking? I’m just luring these undead creatures to the others, and I do not know how to kill them!

Sol suggested.

“I thought about that too, but we’re in a hospital,” I said to Sol. “Greek Fire is very volatile, and I don’t want to burn this whole hospital down when we’re all still here…”

I felt a thud near my head, and when I looked up, I saw a large, fist-sized dent on the door. As the seconds passed, more appeared all over. Holding them back was futile, so I let go and sprinted away. Instantly, the horde busted through like confetti, almost kicking the door off its hinges, and dashed toward me. When I turned the corner, I spotted a tall red-haired woman barking orders to a group of superhumans with swords and shields. They were all hacking away at even more of those zombie humans, in which I counted ten of them.

A superhuman lopped off one of their heads, but a tendril of flesh from its neck arced toward the head and clasped the thing back on, good as new. A flash of annoyance flicked across the superhuman face, but he continued hacking away. The superhumans formed a wall, shoulder to shoulder with Fiey at the back yelling in their ears. She had a nasty gash across her cheek and her blazing hair was let down. The rips and tears on her clothes gave the impression that she had been in a savage battle with a gang of tigers. Though she looked exhausted, she still had the energy to fight. I was quite impressed by her iron will.

The woman noticed me running toward her. Relief flickered across her eyes, but was quickly replaced with agitation. She must’ve spotted the horde of zombie humans bounding right behind me. As I reached closer to the group in front of me, like a long jumper, I hopped across the wave of creatures and landed right next to Fiey.

The woman’s nostrils flared. “You appear now of all times and bring a fresh new batch of Undead Ghouls? Are you insane?!”

I ignored her contempt. “Where’s Sam and Chen Ling?”

She pointed to her right. At the far end of another hallway was a door with a glass window in the middle. Flickers of movement passed by.

“We tried to fit as many as we could in the rooms in the back. I would like to tell you how we got in this situation, but we have a huge problem on our hands.”

Fiey nodded at the Undead Ghouls pushing the superhumans back. More were crawling along the walls, while a lot of them were still on foot. They resorted to using their teeth and limbs since they couldn’t swing their weapons in this cramped hallway, especially when there were about twenty of them. One superhuman shouted back at Fiey, exasperated.

“Officer Fiey! We can’t hold them off for much longer!”

“We can’t have them breaking through, Dillion!” Fiey snapped back. When I first met Fiey, she was a proud but confident woman who wasn’t afraid of speaking her mind. Now, she was at her wit’s end- scared and desperate, hoping for some kind of miracle.

Fiey tried to suppress the terror in her voice. “I don’t suppose you have a plan, do you?”

I glanced at the horde of Undead Ghouls and the room where the others were stashed at. I then settled my eyes on the glass window on the door.

“Fiey, is there a window in the room in the back?”

Fiey narrowed her eyes. “Yes. Why?”

“Do you trust me?”

Fiey stared hard into my eyes, probably wondering what the hell I was thinking, and so was I. I don’t know if the plan I had in mind would work, but there’s nothing else I can think of other than this.

“Why the hell not?” She shrugged. “What are your orders?”

“Tell your men to back off at my signal. After that, tell them to run like hell.”

I said no more and concentrated on summoning three longswords about five feet long.

“Now!” I yelled.

Fiey nodded and screamed, “FALL BACK AND RETREAT!”

After one last shove and cutting as many heads as they could, they all pushed off and retreated to the room. After confirming no one was in front of me, I willed the longswords to spin as fast as an airplane propeller. The blades cut through the throng of Undead Ghouls like wet clay. They all shrieked in terror as the flying blades went on a rampage, turning them all into a smoothie of rotting flesh, black blood, and organs.

“C’mon! Let’s go!” I urged, hiding the queasiness in my voice. Fiey and I sprinted down the hallway. Glancing behind me, some of the Undead Ghouls managed to escape out of my magic range and chased after us. I summoned a handgun and released a volley of bullets at their heads, momentarily slowing them down. One superhuman was waiting for us with the door wide open. After we entered, he slammed it shut and threw chairs at the front. I spotted Chen Ling and Sam a few feet to my left, wide-eyed at the sight of me. Behind them were civilians huddled together, all with sullen faces. This patient room was a lot bigger than the rest...

“Now what?” Fiey asked, wheezing.

I walked to the nearest window. It was about five feet long and three feet wide, enough to fit everyone here. I cocked my arm back and ran my fist through the glass, completely shattering it. Everyone’s body jolted in surprise. I turned around and faced them.

“Who here wants to live?” I asked them. Everyone’s arms rose in unison. “Alright then. Don’t be alarmed by what I’m about to tell you. I will carry everyone here with my magic and drop you off on the ground. We’ll have to do this quickly, so I won’t hear any refusing. If you refuse, I’ll kick you out anyway. I ain’t got time for that. Any questions?”

One adult male spoke up. “Will it-“

“No questions? Great! Chen Ling, you’re first!”

The Chinese man practically skipped to me gleefully. He had scratches and bruises all over him too, but he seemed fine.

“Long time no see!” He grinned with that wild troublemaker glint in his eyes. “How are y-“

I grabbed the man by the arm and tossed him outside like a rag-doll. A little girl screeched at the heartless display. One old lady fainted in the arms of her husband. Fiey just face-palmed as she shook her head.

I poked my head out of the window to see Chen Ling lying on a wide shield made of mana. Shields can be considered armor, but they can also be used as a defensive weapon, too. I found this out during my training in South Osmen.

The shield drifted onto the ground and plopped Chen Ling right off. Seconds later, it returned right back to the window.

“Don’t worry. He’s not dead. NEXT!”

I thought it would take much convincing for these poor folks, but I was sorely mistaken. One by one, like a pleasant group of well-behaved kids, they strolled on top of my shield without a single word of protest. They still had a look of fear on their faces, but they figured this was better than dying to the jaws of Undead Ghouls. I had Chen Ling dropped off first, just in case a horde of monsters attacked them on the ground, and I proved to be right. A group of demogre’s ambled toward the civilians on the ground, but Chen Ling dispatched them with a swing of his sword.

It took about a minute for all the civilians to be dropped off. Now, it was just me, Sam, Fiey, and Dillion guarding the door. The Undead Ghouls were bashing their entire bodies through the barricade. One of them broke the glass window and stuck their little head through the opening with a vicious snarl. Dillion bashed its head with his shield.

“Screw it,” I muttered. I summoned two more shields, each one reserved for the leftovers. “Dillion, Fiey, Sam. Get on.”

“What about you?” Sam said as he reluctantly hopped on a shield much bigger than the rest. Sam had a stout build, so I had to create a shield that would hold someone of his caliber. Every single one of my weapons made from mana has a weight limit to it. The heavier the object or person, the more mana is needed. Fiey and Dillion joined their respective spots.

“Don’t worry. I got a plan.” I pulled out the Greek Fire vial I bought. Sam and Fiey’s expressions shifted as they slowly began to understand my plan.

Sol asked excitedly.

Fiey was the first to speak. “Wait! Don’t tell me you-“

Her voice was muffled as the shields descended, ending her sentence abruptly. I clenched the vial tightly as I faced the swarm of Undead Ghouls. The make-shift barricade gave way with a resounding boom, and they all swarmed in like a torrent.

“Please let this work!”

I muttered a small prayer before tossing the Greek Fire into the surge of vile creatures.I held my breath, my heart racing as I quickly spun around and leapt out the window, headfirst. I had just left the area when an immense boom reverberated throughout the hospital building, shaking it to its core.