Zombies ambushed from all directions, their rotting forms advancing relentlessly. Avyan grabbed a sharp, long piece of broken metal from the ground, wielding it like a makeshift sword. With swift, precise strikes, he sliced through the undead, their decayed limbs falling to the ground in a gruesome dance of death. Beside him, Anirudh, despite having a rod impaled in his side, moved with an almost superhuman speed. He darted past the zombies, his hammer smashing their skulls with brutal efficiency. Anirudh did not let even a single undead creature get close to Ishan, who lay unconscious and vulnerable on the ground.

Anirudh had slowed down largely due to his injury and exhaustion. Therefore, Avyan could react to his movements. Avyan, attuned to Anirudh's movements, synchronized his attacks with an unspoken understanding. "I can cover these three directions myself," Anirudh commanded, his voice filled with resilience despite the pain. He raised his head, determination burning in his eyes. "You just look for the ones coming from the tower's side." Avyan nodded and took his position.

Unlike Anirudh, Avyan had conserved his energy, having been less engaged in the initial onslaught. He used this to his advantage, cutting down the zombies with relative ease. Their bodies, weakened and slow, crumbled under his attacks. "They are dying like fodder," Avyan thought, slicing through another undead. "If this goes on, there will be no zombies left here. We might just pull this off."

The zombies kept coming and dying like rats. The boys felt a huge difference in their and zombies' power levels due to their sudden unnatural growth.

The zombies fell off rather quickly. The tide of zombies slowed, and soon there were no more in sight. Anirudh, in a final act of defiance, tore the limbs from the last zombie, watching it writhe helplessly on the ground. Exhausted, Avyan lay down, letting the rain wash the blood from his body. His clothes were torn and dirty, clinging to his skin. He thought, "This wasn't very hard. I think even I have improved. I can handle more myself, if they come now. We don't need to worry"

Though the rain had stopped, the sky remained dark and foreboding. Anirudh clutched the cold, rusty rod embedded in his side, his face contorted in pain. He tried to pull it out, his cries echoing through the empty buildings, but it wouldn't budge. Defeated, he dropped his hands and sat on the ground, tears mingling with the rainwater on his cheeks.

Avyan stood slowly and walked towards him, feeling the weight of Anirudh's pain. He knelt beside him, examining the wound, which was bloody and gory. Taking a deep breath, Avyan gripped the rod firmly. Anirudh, realizing what was about to happen, took a deep breath and bit down on his hand to stifle his screams.

Avyan glanced at Anirudh one last time. Anirudh's eyes were closed, his face calm despite the agony. Avyan, trembling with the responsibility, tightened his grip on the rod and pulled. It didn't move. He took another deep breath, determined to succeed. Using his entire body weight, he pulled again, shouting with effort. He used his arm strength, leg drive and his own body weight this time. The rod began to slide, Anirudh's muffled cries of pain filling the air. Blood poured from Anirudh's mouth as he bit down harder, trying to endure the pain. With a final, desperate yank, the rod came free and flew across the road.

Avyan collapsed on the ground, spent, as Anirudh lay crying in pain amid the hundreds of undead bodies.

Since the rain stopped, the place smelled like rotten pieces of flesh. Anirudh's sense were off due to the excruciating pain. His body became numb, he did not feel any pain now. He looked at the sky, filled with crows flying around in erratic circles, under the dark clouds. Their feathers, tattered and worn, clung desperately to their gaunt frames, giving them an almost skeletal appearance. Each beat of their wings seemed laboured, as if the very act of flight required more effort than they could muster.

The crows' hollow, beady eyes glinted with a predatory hunger as they scanned the ground below, anticipating the macabre feast that would soon be theirs. Their harsh caws echoed through the air, a cacophony of unsettling sounds that heightened the eerie atmosphere. Occasionally, one would break away from the group, swooping down with a raspy screech before returning to the formation, restless and impatient.

A peculiar green tint permeated the air, casting an unnatural glow over the barren land. It clung to the twisted trees and withered grass, making everything appear sickly and otherworldly. The ground below, littered with decaying remains and scattered bones, told a grim tale of desolation and death. The scent of rot and decay lingered, mingling with the metallic tang of an impending storm.

As the crows circled above, they seemed almost like ghostly sentinels, harbingers of doom in this forsaken place. Their presence was a stark reminder of nature's relentless and unforgiving cycle, a prelude to the inevitable end that awaited all living things beneath the dark, brooding sky.

Anirudh finally stood up, he said, "Come on, we need to get Ishan and Soham somewhere safe. We don't know what else lurks out here". Avyan, although tired, understood the importance of leaving this place, he asked gently, "Can you move?".

Anirudh removed his jacket, revealing a body that had grown muscular and sharply defined. "I don't feel anything anymore," he replied, his voice tinged with both pain and determination. Avyan's eyes widened as he saw the worsening wound. He rushed towards Ishan, determined to get him back to the city.

As he was lifting Ishan, a shadowy figure emerged from behind a large building, about a hundred meters away, moving slowly but deliberately. "I think one's left," Avyan said to Anirudh, then bolted towards the figure, intent on killing it.

Anirudh looks up towards the creature. His eyes widen as he experiences strong goosebumps. His sense tingling. He shouted in desperation, "Wait!!", Avyan stopped, "Come back!!"

Anirudh's eyes widened with a sudden sense of dread. "Wait!" he shouted desperately, "Come back!"

Avyan hesitated and looked back, confusion evident on his face. Suddenly, he felt a powerful grip on his waist. Looking down, he saw a hand the size of a watermelon, green and unnaturally clean, wrapped around him. He swung his metal weapon at it, but it shattered upon contact. His eyes filled with fear and confusion as a piercing voice spoke, "I lost the bet. I thought they would be enough to kill you. Let's finish the job. You all are strong; give me your strength."

As Avyan struggled to push the hand away, it flicked him aside like a ragdoll, sending him flying towards Anirudh. He hit the ground hard, gasping in pain.

Avyan couldn't believe the power that he had felt. He touched his obliques which felt numb. He cried out in pain as he grunted, "I think my ribs..", he creaks in pain, "are broken"

He looked up, Anirudh frozen, his teeth tightly clenched and his hammer up in air. Anirudh was confused, "A zombie that can talk?". Avyan looked forward, towards the shadow. He shook in fear as he saw an 8 foot monster standing in front of him. It's back was highly arched, his waist was very thin, about the size of a saucer plate but his chest and rest of the body was largely buffed like a bodybuilder. Avyan froze in fear as he looked at it's face. It looked like a giant troll with long and lime green hair. He wielded dual sickles which were uniquely large.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"He is not a normal zombie," Anirudh whispered, his voice trembling. "I can sense his power. It's unbelievable. Even at our best, we don't stand a chance."

Avyan shook his head. "We need Soham!"

The creature looked up at the sky and sighed. "Perhaps you haven't realized yet," its sharp voice cutting through the air, "You don't even stand a chance if the Marshalls were present."

Avyan was shocked. He realized that it could hear everything. His senses were very sensitive.

Avyan's shock deepened. It could hear everything. Its senses were incredibly sharp.

The creature started spinning its sickles, perhaps out of boredom. "I don't want you all to die without knowing who bestowed the divine punishment on you," it chuckled. "I am Kanghis, a upcoming Shadow"

"Shadow?" Anirudh asked hesitantly.

Kanghis continues, "Oh, you boys are so ill-informed. Humans were not the only one increasing their strength.", he laughs, "The Shadow Council of the 8 divine beings. We are the most powerful beings on the planet. We are the true descendants of nature. We are the truly pure."

He excitedly points towards the boys and shouts, "If I kill you all, I may get into the council"

Avyan and Anirudh exchanged horrified, confused looks. Avyan scanned for escape routes, while Anirudh braced for the inevitable fight. He wrapped his shirt around his wound to stop the blood from flowing out. Avyan shouted, "Are you a human or a zombie?"

Kanghis went on, "I was a normal peasant just like you. I lived out in the south-east. I feared the dark like everyone, worried that no undead lurks in the shadows near me. I was raised this way.

My mother and siblings did not survive the apocalypse. It was only me and papa. He himself was a weakling. A fight between him and a child? The child would probably win. But he did not let me be the same. He pushed me to become strong so that what happened to our family, wouldn't happen to me"

Anirudh coughed up blood and fell to the ground. Despite his fear, he shouted, "Why are you telling us this?"

Kanghis sat down, crossed-legged, and placed his sickles on the ground. "We were happy. I lifted weights, helped my father in farming during the day and slept at night. He always loved me for this and said that he would do anything in the world to protect me. I never believed him. I knew he would fail at protecting me, just like he failed with mother. But I was fine with it, after all I loved him more than anything else in the world. I vowed to protect him instead for the rest of our lives"

Avyan slowly started standing up as Kanghis was looking down on the ground, trying to get out of his sight and make a run to Soham. He moved, his pace was slow but swift. He thought, "He's busy babbling. Maybe I can reach Soham". He looked towards the house Soham was in and felt confident that he could reach it in time. His pace quickened. He started sprinting. He looked back to check on Kanghis. A deep bang hit him as he saw the space empty. Suddenly, he felt a firm grip on his hand. Kanghis threw Avyan back towards Anirudh. "My elbow", his eyes dilated, "it's broken". Anirudh takes a step forward in order to rush at Kanghis but injuries get the best of him. He collapses to the ground. He thinks, "I can't move. What's happening?", he calms himself, "I should not get anxious. Remember what Lector taught, control your breathing"

Kanghis gets back to his spot and again sits down, "Our lives were going fine. We were happy in each other's company. Until one day", he lifts his ugly head and looks directly towards the boys, "one day he was coming back with his labours from the farm at night. They were talking to each other. But their steps stopped as they heard a peculiar voice from the corner.

It was a zombie that had somehow entered the supposed area that the Monarch claimed to be completely green, void of any zombies. But here it was, standing in front of them. They both ran towards the town. It followed them. They reached our house where I was standing out on the road, looking at the stars. My father saw me and shouted to run but I didn't hear them due to the headphones in my ear", Avyan gasped, intrigued by the story.

"To save me, he pushed the labour which resulted in him falling on the ground. My father ran and held my hand. We both rushed inside the house and locked the door. I could hear the labour banging our door and shouting in pain as the zombie started biting him, eating him alive. My father held onto me and we hid in a corner, waiting for the screaming to stop". Anirudh and Avyan looked surprised and in disbelief.

"We were very happy that we survived. I was laughing. It was the happiest day of my life, my father was with me. He survived from the brink of death". He stopped, as if remembering something. Avyan and Anirudh grew more and more agitated. They couldn't think of any way out. He was just too FAST.

Kanghis picked up his sickles and stood up, "The next day, the town head ordered execution of papa", Avyan's eyes widened in shock as he realized what Kanghis went through. Anirudh was flabbergasted that a zombie remembered all of his past and had a functioning brain. He whispered, "Is he even a zombie?"

He continued, "I stood underneath the tree where he was hung by the townspeople. I stayed there for many nights. There, I realized how weak and frivolous this society was. How insecure the people were. Their fake sense of security. Their fake judgement. Their fake governance.

One night, I decided to change it, I went to the town head's house. Everyone was asleep. All lights were out. I decided to kill him. I broke his lock but as it turns out. He had set up alarms and shit. The neighbourhood' lights turned on as everyone headed out of their home. they chased me till Ganga. I saw them heading towards me with weapons. The head was leading them. There was no where left to run. I was stuck.

I rushed the other way, towards the mob. I sliced the head's throat and before anyone could get a hold of me, I jumped into Ganga. I did not wanted the people to get the satisfaction of killing me", Avyan blurted out in shock.

He started to rotate his sickles again, this time the pace was very quick, "Lord Raezi saved me. I was scared at first but his stare was so calm, so gentle. He was much better than mere humans. He is godly. He is truly a perfect creation of god. He looks so divine in his black suit and hat.". Anirudh and Avyan get shocked by hearing the name of Raezi. They grow curious as to what happened.

"He helped me leave my humanity behind and helped me evolve into a being of greater purpose- The destruction of humanity as it stands", he stops spinning the sickles and smirks, "The talk is now over. You may die now". Avyan took a few steps back, trying to increase the space between him and Kanghis.

Kanghis jumped and threw a sickle directly towards Avyan. Avyan saw it coming but his body couldn't react to a projectile this quick. It shattered through the space like a rocket. Avyan saw his demise in front of his eyes. But Anirudh quickly came in clutch and pushed Avyan out of the sickle's path.

Kanghis laughs menacingly, "That's it. Show me this. You are good little one."

He jumped in air, coming towards Anirudh. He aimed his sickle towards him in mid air and threw it. It flew through the air, spinning at a horrifying speed. Anirudh rotated his hammer, trying to gain momentum, compensating to his lack of strength. He hit the sickle which sent it flying away.

Kanghis landed in front of Anirudh. He threw a barrage of attacks at him. Each blocked accurately by Anirudh. Anirudh took a step back and crouched. It shocked Kanghis as he got hit by Anirudh's hammer. He fell to the ground. Avyan rushed at him with the broken piece of metal.

Supporting himself on his hands, Kanghis swung his legs around and struck Avyan. Avyan looked down to see his chest pierced by sharp claws. From his blind spot, Anirudh emerged our and landed a hard blow aimed directly at his head. It sent Kanghis flying into the tower. Even Anirudh went a few steps back in recoil. Although he was severely injured but the adrenaline rush in his blood pushed him past his physical limitations.

Kanghis jumped out of the building, unharmed. He laughed, "You think this is power", he picked up his sickle and threw it again at Anirudh. Anirudh was confident that he could block it again. But this time, as the sickle made contact with the hammer, it sliced right through it. The hammer, broken in two pieces, slipped out of Anirudh's hands. Kanghis stopped and outstretched his arms wide and open. he shouted in a cranky voice, "Let me show you what power truly is"

Anirudh and Avyan embrace themselves. Anirudh looks around and covers all his openings in anticipation of any incoming attack. He also focussed on diverting any focus from Avyan since he knew Avyan wouldn't be able to handle any serious attack himself.

Kanghis folded his hands and placed them on his eyes. Then, he extended them, making several hand signs. Avyan looked around. Nothing changed, "What is he doing?". Anirudh tried picking up his hammer but his injuries worsened and he fell on the ground, unconscious.

Avyan gasped in fear as Kanghis suddenly stopped, "Shadow art: Divine scales"