"It was love at first sight! That day, I walked into the wrong hall and missed my accountancy exam, but I found her! She was so breathtaking… so dreamy…"

"Tyler. I said 'do you feel okay', not introduce your fiancee." Theodore mumbled as he munched on another bag of sour cream chips that he confiscated from Gary. "Damn this shit is addicting. The producers must have laced drugs in it!"

"Ew! Stop licking your fingers you vile man!" Flinching at the sight of Theodore passionately sucking his thumbs, Qi Rui brandished her knife warily as Theodore began wiggling his nasty fingers towards her direction. "Get away you foul beast!"

Nestled on his office work chair, Idris was still stuck in his daydream. He caressed the picture frame in his front suit pocket, reminiscing his past.

After Gary's unexpected twist, Idris had managed to trick his zombified coworkers into falling down the shaft. Now, they had retreated back to safety, strategizing their subsequent actions.

Admittedly, Idris was lost. He had no ambitions, no goals and no one to care for. Stranded on a secluded island on his own, Idris's decision was to tail behind the man kind enough to be his only friend— Theodore. Without his soul to properly guide him, Idris settled on protecting his friends.

"Can I follow you Theodore?"

Qi Rui was surprised by the gentle giant's heartfelt question. Other than when bringing up the subject of family, Idris always presented vacant stares, dissociated from reality.

"What's up with the formality Tyler? I'd never abandon the softy of our group." Laughing, Theodore draped his arm across Idris's shoulder. "Us trio will conquer the land and slay these monsters!"

"Hey! I never said I'm part of this weird ass group!"

"Well you are one of us now! Welcome to my guild Qi Rui!" Snatching her hands, Theodore broke into a nifty dance. "We are gonna be on the top of this world under my leadership!"

Pireroutted to Theodore's dance, Qi Rui broke out from his grasp instantly after realizing that Theodore has yet to wipe his slimy fingers. "I knew you weren't this romantic you dumb slob!" She berated, rubbing the sticky crumbs and saliva residue on Theodore's shirt. Unintentionally, Qi Rui's ears picked up on a particular word Theodore had chosen.

"Have you been playing too much fantasy games lately? Hahaha! Calling our little party a guild is absurd!" Qi Rui inquired jokingly, leaning against an office table opposite to Idris while she cleansed her hands with a napkin.

"I made no mistake there Mrs Qi Rui! Everything that used to be absurd will soon become the norm!" Twirling to an invisible tune, Theodore's hair fluttered in the air as a crafty smile cracked open. "I know it's arriving soon! The next stage will change the outcome of Terra!"

Facing Qi Rui and Idris, Theodore's fairly average frame was silhouetted against the blinding light detonating outside the skyscraper. Seeping through the laminated architectural glass, the stimulating brilliance casted the shadows of all life and object.

A massive obelisk assembled under the subsiding pillar of light, towering over the surrounding skyscrapers. The unparalleled, alien structure claimed its position as the King amongst all of humanity's infrastructure, exuding a domineering presence.

"Compared to that monstrosity, guilds no longer sound preposterous anymore, do they?" Snicking with glee, Theodore straightened his back and began equipping himself with weapons. "We should hurry! A head start over others is always vital!"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Theodore…" Qi Rui has run out of words to describe the shock value acquired from the absurdity occurring in one day.

First zombies? Then meteors? Now alien infrastructure?

Stuffing Gary's secret stash of junk food into some unknown employee's work backpack, Theodore dashed by Qi Rui and Idris while motioning them to pick up the pace.

"We're racing with time guys!"

Heading to the elevator, Theodore rounded the corner as he barked out his excitement. But after a few seconds of tranquility, he scurried back to the office workplace in a fit of embarrassment. "To be honest, fear of heights isn't something I plan on conquering today… Why don't you guys try it out instead?"

Ashamed by Theodore's relentless begging, Qi Rui sighed as she pulled out several equipment from her magical luggage bag of goodies.

"You know what. As a leader, you need to show us your drive and your passion! Be the leader our guild needs!" Giving a rousing speech to Theodore, Qi Rui passed the coil of rope, a flashlight and various equipment to him before encouragingly patting him on the back. "I just happen to have a climbing equipment here Theodore. It must be a sign from the gods!"

"Fuck you." Theodore mumbled, pointing a middle finger behind her back. "Let's go Tyler, your leader might need a little help conquering his fears."

Nodding, Idris laid a gentle kiss on the cardboard picture frame before inserting it snuggly in his front suit pocket. He stood up, releasing the tension exerted on his seat. Without the uproar of zombies, the creaking of his work-chair was amplified, reverberating desolately. Moments ago, Idris had just transported his coworkers' bodies to a remote part of the building where they might at least decompose in peace. The normally bustling office now felt lonely, covered in blood and flesh stains, as if it had been abandoned for years.

As Idris and Theodore rounded the corner, they both exchanged a glance of suspicion.

'Why would an ordinary police officer have climbing equipment and elite climbing skills? She's either a spy, or some kinky weirdo who carries cosplay uniforms and bondage gear wherever she goes.' Theodore's mind drifted a little further than Idris's as he tied the nylon rope into knots on a support pillar swiftly.

"Where'd you learn these techniques? Never knew you were the type to rock climb." Idris asked as Theodore clipped on the rappel devices and ascenders onto his harness. He tossed the other end of the hefty rope down the shaft until it eventually hit the lowest level

"I actually have never rock climbed before." Tightening the straps around the belay system, Theodore inched towards the elevator shaft reluctantly. "But I hope I've seen it enough times to put it to practice."

Giving the rope a hard tug, Idris gave Theodore a thumbs up.

Taking a glimpse into the endless abyss, Theodore responded with a quivering thumbs down. "On second thought, perhaps practicing first would be a better idea."

"That's not very leader-like, Theodore."

"'Unofficial leader." He reciprocated frantically, losing the confident he had been building up.

"Still a leader Theodore. As your friend, I would love to push you down." Idris tucked sleeve higher to reveal his bulging muscles. "Don't worry. I got you!"

"Fine! Hopefully this won't be my funeral." Regretting his life decisions, Theodore began his descend while Idris provided emotional support.

"Theodore, you good so far?"

"Other than shaking legs and sweaty palms, I'm alright!" Theodore's cries echoed throughout the shaft as Idris felt the rope in his right grasp wiggle.

It was the signal they had settled on. Whenever Theodore arrived at a new level, he would shake the rope tied to him to notify Idris.

Landing his footing on the shaft ledges, Theodore would furiously bang against the elevator panels. Whichever level receives no response from mindless zombies, would be the floor they alight at.

He has descended at least 10 stories by now, but none of the stories so far welcomed them with silence. Those were floors that most likely have been all been overrun with undead, leaving no survivors behind.

But finally on the 18th floor, just when Theodore was on the verge of losing hope, he received an unexpected answer on the other side.

"Hello?" A frightened voice called out from inside the 18th floor.

After all the grueling torture he has endured, Theodore has finally found a floor with survivors.

"Hello! Whoever is in there, I shall offer you a trade!"

With a sneaky snicker, Theodore revealed his presence. Despite his outwardly cordial demeanor, his trembling arms were still fearfully wrapped around the rope fastened onto him.

"You can join my glorious guild, and in return, I will provide protection! How does that sound? Deal?" Theodore made his best attempt at stabilizing his tone.

"Deal!" The people inside agreed instantly with delight, not knowing that they had entrusted their livelihood with an utter goof ball.