When we arrived back at the bunker's main hall, the area had turned into an absolute war zone.

The surviving civilians who had been with us downstairs had barricaded themselves behind tables, chairs, and other furniture. I could still hear the battle raging on outside. Several soldiers shouted as they rushed back inside to help the screaming civilians.

"Black Star, we have to help them!" I shouted, pointing to the civilians the zombies had penned in.

He shrugged, "Not my problem."

I turned and glared at him.

I grabbed his arm, "Not your problem? They need help! How can you be so cold?" I demanded.

Black Star shook his head and sighed, easily breaking my group. "Look, it's not my responsibility to protect them. It's the job of the Magical Knight Corps to protect civilians. Help them yourself, dude."

"The hell?" I shouted, "What kind of guy are you!?"

"Hey, I can be a nice guy, but I'm a realist," he replied, "I helped you because we were cornered with that faceless thing. Now quit wasting my time and energy unless you want to make a plan to get outta here with me. I'm bouncing the second there's an opening, but you can go ahead and play hero if you'd like."

I shook my head angrily, "Screw you."

I turned and ran towards the civilians, ignoring Black Star's scoffing. As I approached the barricade, I could see the people huddled together, clutching their loved ones tightly as they trembled in fear.

The fit and healthy men and women were armed with whatever they could find, ready to fight to the death to protect the elderly and children. Several of them had clearly watched their zombie movies and fastened makeshift armguards or pads to their arms and legs. They jabbed desperately at the zombies through the openings in the barricade with makeshift spears, taking zombies down only for another to immediately replace them.

The survivors were being overwhelmed by the zombies. The creatures were clawing and biting through the makeshift barrier, gnashing teeth and snarling growls filling the air. Without hesitation, I raised my hand and fired a bolt of energy at the nearest zombie. The bolt hit the creature squarely in the back, causing it to stumble back and fall to the ground.

Several people looked at me with a mix of confusion and hope, and I could feel the weight of their expectations on my shoulders. I had no idea what I was doing, but I couldn't just stand there and watch them die.

The survivors looked at me in surprise, but I didn't have time to explain. I fired another bolt of energy, then another, each one striking a zombie and sending it crashing to the ground. Dozens of zombies turned to me, and I gulped in fear.

Was I doing the right thing? Was I making a mistake? Black Star clearly wasn't going to help, and I could only rely on myself. Scrawny, awkward, unathletic Sienna. A sitting duck in the middle of an open area, surrounded by bloodthirsty zombies.

I heard screaming behind me and saw a zombie grab a little boy with light brown skin and dark hair, its teeth sinking into his shoulder.

"Help! Help us!" the boy's mother shouted. The boy screamed in agony as the zombie crunched down on his shoulder.

I fired a beam of energy directly into the creature's chest, and with a shriek, it toppled backward. The boy was knocked to the ground, but he pushed himself to his feet, whimpering.

I turned to face the zombie horde and fired another bolt of energy into their midst, sending another staggering back.

As I fired bolt after bolt of energy, I felt something stir within me. A power that I didn't know I had. It was like a warmth spreading through my body, and I felt stronger, more alive. I reached out to the energy I sensed within the boy, performing the same technique I used on Albert earlier. Then, with a shout, I unleashed all the power I'd gathered in one burst, slicing through a section of the horde in front of me.

[Level up! You have gained new abilities and skill points]

[Skill Acquired: Luminary Beam]

My panic and fear weren't with me anymore, replaced by focus and determination. I turned and began to sprint in the opposite direction of the boy, shouting at the horde to attract their attention. The mother shot me a thankful look and dashed toward one of the ramps leading to the underground bunkers.

As the zombies broke off the barricades and followed me, I turned around and fired energy beams at them.

I could hear the stray survivors screaming and shouting as they tried to escape the horde. I saw a man trying to hold them off with a long pipe, and I fired a blast of energy into the zombie clawing toward him. The creature stumbled back, and the man was able to push through the crowd and leap over the barricade.

I fired a blast of energy at another zombie, and my beam struck it squarely in the chest. The creature stumbled backward, shrieking in agony.

Black Star was jogging beside me, whistling and looking at me like I was crazy, "Are you sure this is a good idea, hero girl?"

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Before I could reply, he threw one of his knives past my head, dropping a zombie between us with a sickening splat. Then, he retrieved his knife in one smooth motion.

He cackled in glee, "Bwahhahahaa! I can't let you die like this. You are such an absolute moron."

...What the hell is up with this guy?

I spotted the faceless creature from earlier coming up from the ramp and focused my attention on it. I fired a bolt of energy, but it barely staggered the creature. It charged through my beam and sprinted toward us with a shriek.

"Joy," Black Star muttered as we both turned and made a break for the lobby, the creature and zombie horde hot on our heels.

As we ran, I could hear Black Star's laughter ringing in my ears. He seemed to enjoy himself, which was strange given the circumstances.

"Are you insane?!" I shouted, anger and fear coursing through me.

"Crazier things have happened while I apprenticed under Red Masque," Black Star replied, throwing a spread of caltrops behind us.

We burst into the lobby, still pursued by the faceless creature and the zombie horde. I saw the front entrance at the end of the hall, and I sprinted towards it with Black Star by my side.

"Say, aren't we bringing an awful lot of zombies straight behind those soldiers outside?" Black Star remarked. "I'm pretty sure that's a classic military blunder."

I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the fact that he was right. We reached the entrance, and I pushed open the door, the bright sunlight blinding me momentarily. I could see the soldiers outside, gunning down the remnants of a zombie horde and some flying monsters. They were outnumbered, but they fought with determined ferocity.

We sprinted toward them, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. As we drew closer, one of the soldiers spotted us and pointed his gun in our direction.

"Freeze! Stop right there!" he shouted.

I raised my hands, "We're not zombies!"

"Yeah," Black Star said sarcastically, "We just like to party with them."

The soldier lowered his gun, eyeing us suspiciously. "What in god's blazes are you two kids going on about?"

"All hell's breaking loose in there!" I shouted, "Some of the survivors were turned into zombies, and there's some kind of faceless monster chasing us with a horde of those things behind it!"

The soldier's face paled as he caught the desperation in my voice. He nodded and signaled to his fellow troops.

"Bogies incoming from the rear!" the soldier shouted, "Smith! Lopez! Take up positions with your platoons and prepare to engage!"

A dozen soldiers fell into formation, their guns, and aimed their weapons back at the shelter entrance. The sound of gunfire echoed through the air, and I saw zombies falling to the ground in droves. The soldiers were skilled, but they were vastly outnumbered.

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the air, and a massive figure emerged from the building. It was the faceless creature, chittering as its body contorted.

The soldiers opened fire, but their bullets seemed to have no effect on the creature. It charged towards them with incredible speed, ignoring their gunfire with contempt. I watched in horror as it leaped into the air, its thin, needle-like claws slashing through the soldiers like a whip.

I could feel my stomach churning as I watched the creature tear through the troops. I had to do something.

"Black Star, cover me!" I shouted as I ran towards the creature.

I could hear Black Star's laughter ringing in my ears as I charged toward the creature, feeling the energy swirling around me. I could feel the heat of the energy coursing through my veins, and I let out a primal scream as I unleashed the full power of a [Luminary Beam]. The beam struck the creature's body, and it screeched in pain.

The creature uttered a piercing shriek as the beam sliced through it, tearing it apart. Its body writhed and contorted, its chittering growing louder and more frantic. Then, with a final scream, it collapsed, twitching on the ground. As it fell, a dozen zombies collapsed onto the floor like puppets cut from their strings.

[Level up! You have gained additional skill points]

I fell backward onto the ground, panting and sweating. I could feel the energy within me slowly fading, and I gasped on the ground, exhausted.

"I...I did it," I whispered, feeling a sense of awe and power coursing through me.

One of the soldiers approached me, his expression serious as he checked up on me.

"Miss? You're a Magical Knight? Why aren't you transformed?" he asked.

"I..." I stammered, "I'm new. I got my powers today, and I don't know how to transform yet."

Suddenly, the sound of a thunderous roar filled the air. I turned to see an eight-foot-tall hulk of muscle charging at the main gates. Its eyes were glowing red, and its mouth hung open in a feral snarl. I scrambled to my feet, my heart pounding in my chest as I watched it barreling towards us.

"Now, what on Earth? Is that another monster?" Black Star said, his voice filled with wry amusement.

I shook my head, trying to think of a plan. The soldiers were already getting into position, but I knew they would be no match for the creature.

"Black Star, can you distract it?" I shouted, "I'll try to take it down!"

There was a brief pause, and I could feel Black Star weighing his options.

Then, I felt a gust of wind as I felt him move.

"Oh. Well. There's the opening! See ya, hero girl," Black Star's voice called, and I turned in surprise to see him rapidly climbing up the fence.

I scowled, "You know what, FUCK YOU!" I shouted, turning my attention back to the charging beast in horror.

The soldier beside me was already shouting into his communicator, calling for reinforcements at the shelter. The man-monster charged through the gate, toppling it over like it was made of straw.

"Everybody, fall back!" the soldier yelled as he gestured for the troops to retreat.

As we began to fall back, the monster roared again, its voice echoing through the air like thunder. It charged forward, its massive fists slamming into the ground with bone-shattering force as it ran. It rammed straight through the metal gate like it was made out of paper, sending shards of metal flying in all directions.

I could feel the ground shaking beneath my feet as the monster closed the distance in a heartbeat. I raised my hands, ready to fire another [Luminary Beam], but suddenly, someone tackled me to the ground. The next thing I knew, I was being dragged to the side of the building.

"What the hell?" I yelled, struggling to free myself from his grasp.

"Jesus Christ. Why am I doing this?" Black Star hissed as he pressed his finger to his lips. "Don't draw its attention, you absolute fucking idiot."

He pressed his back against the wall, and I followed suit, peering around the corner of the building. The monster was still charging forward blindly, its fists pounding into any object in its way as the soldiers fired their guns at it.

"I took just one look at that thing, and let me tell you. You wouldn't stand a chance in hell against it even if you knew how to transform," Black Star whispered, his eyes locked on the monster.

"Then what are we going to do?" I asked, my voice shaking with fear.

Black Star didn't answer, but I could see the wheels turning in his head. Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and pulled me over his shoulders with a fireman carry as I fought down a yelp.

"Welp, hang on tight," he said, his voice filled with exasperation.

Before I could respond, he jumped over the fence in a burst of red energy and ran.

"Hey! Let me go! What are you doing?!" I shouted.

"Saving your ass, or at least trying to," he said with a grunt as he carried me away from the battle.