Matsui strode down the silent street flanked by her companions, senses alert for any sign of threats. The morning sun cast its reassuring light onto boarded-up shops and abandoned vehicles. For now, their surroundings appeared devoid of movement.

A shriek suddenly pierced the stillness ahead. Matsui squinted to see a sedan peeling around a corner, nearly clipping a fleeing woman. She waved frantically at the girls as the car circled back around, clearly pursuing her.

Without hesitation, the group rushed to intercept the vehicle bearing down on them. As it veered closer, Matsui glimpsed the driver - pupils glowing white, the flesh peeling back from its snarling jaw. A zombie was at the wheel, fixated on running down its prey like a homicidal maniacal.

"I'll take control - be ready!" yelled Jayla. Sparks flew from her fingertips, magnetically hijacking the sedan's circuits and steering it off course from the terrified woman. Wrestling the wheel with lightning, Jayla slowed the car just enough for Matsui to act.

With an icy blast, Matsui froze the spinning tires solidly in their tracks. The sedan swerved wildly on momentum alone before slamming sidelong into a building. Jayla winced, releasing her hold on the electrical system.

Before the zombie could react, fiery energy engulfed the vehicle's interior, reducing it to a blazing husk. Reira stood back, hand still outstretched from her incendiary strike. Nothing would emerge alive from that inferno now.

Cautiously, the group approached the wheezing woman in a white lab coat, bent over her knees. She looked up, pushing her singed black hair back with a shaky laugh. "Oh, thank the stars. I thought I was zombie chow for certain." Standing slowly, she adjusted her cracked glasses. "I'm Dr. Yoka. Thank you all for saving me."

She spoke rapidly, frazzled nerves clear. But the credential caught Matsui's interest. "Doctor? What's your expertise?" She wondered if a medical professional might help them better understand the undead plague, although magic created the outbreak.

Dr. Yoka brightened, seeming to notice them fully for the first time. “Yes! I'm a virologist, currently studying the zombie virus, hoping to develop a cure. Maybe you three might possess unique anti-undead abilities out here.” She eyed Dorki curiously. "Fascinating! What is that thing? A mutant?"

Dorki glared his ruby eyes at the scientist. "I'm a Kubull!"

"A Kubull?"

"It's a long story, lady," Reira sighed. "He's helping us fight the undead."

"Oh! Well…Would you consent to some non-invasive tests back at my lab?" Dr. Yoka asked.

Matsui tensed reflexively. The prospect of being experimented upon, even by someone seemingly benevolent, struck deep unease within her. But the mention of a cure gave her pause. Preventing further loss of life could prove invaluable.

Sensing her conflict, Dorki interjected. "This doctor may provide insights useful for our cause. I advise accepting her offer, for now." His guidance solidified Matsui's decision - they would follow wherever this path led.

Turning back to Dr. Yoka, she asked, "What have you uncovered so far? A cure could save many." The scientist practically quivered with excitement. Beckoning eagerly, she set off down the street.

"It's not safe to discuss specifics out in the open like this. But come, I will show you my research! My lab is just a few blocks away." The girls followed cautiously in her wake.

“What were you doing out there alone?” Jayla asked.

Dr. Yoka shrugged. “I ran out of wine in my shelter. So I ascended back to the surface to find some more. Working without wine can be frustrating. Hehehe!”

Reira glared at her. “Don’t let alcohol sink into your head. Your work is probably more important than drinking.”

Matsui could tell Reira blamed alcohol for her abusive father. Maybe she won’t try any wine, even if someone offers a cup to her.

Approaching an inconspicuous townhouse barricaded with furniture, Dr. Yoka unlocked three heavy deadbolts before ushering them quickly inside. Matsui tensed, prepared to ignite her magic instantly. But the interior appeared simply a lived-in home, not a trap. Books and papers covered every surface alongside emptied food containers. Pinning their hopes on science felt oddly reassuring. But only time would tell if this mysterious doctor was truly an ally or harbinger of deeper danger ahead.

Dr. Yoka ushered them into a modest study lined with overloaded bookshelves. Matsui ran a finger over dusty astrophysics texts as the scientist stepped past her to a framed antique map hanging on the far wall. With a brisk tug, the map swung open to reveal a palm scanner.

"You'll have to excuse the cloak and dagger theatrics," Dr. Yoka said, letting the device scan her handprint. With a mechanical groan, one shelf slid sideways, exposing a small elevator behind it. "But when one is dealing with forces like these zombies, one can't be too careful."

The girls crowded inside the elevator with Yoka, exchanging uneasy looks in the confined space. Matsui kept one hand gripped tightly to her staff as they descended. She couldn't shake the vulnerable feeling of being ferried to an unknown destination.

When the doors finally slid open, they stepped out into a sterile gray corridor bathed in humming fluorescent light. Dr. Yoka led them onward through a maze of twisting passageways. Though no threats waited around any corner, Matsui felt increasingly anxious in the oppressive subterranean setting.

Noticing her discomfort, Dr. Yoka gave a sympathetic smile. "I know, it's ominous down here. However, they designed this facility for quarantine research on dangerous pathogens. My husband and I were part of the classified team tasked with developing failsafe cures to potential outbreaks." Her expression clouded briefly. "Just in case measures ever failed to prevent one."

Shaking off the grim memory, she guided them into a spacious lounge area outfitted with a kitchenette and seating. After the cramped elevator and halls, Matsui breathed easier in the comfortably mundane room. She realized they had been traversing an underground shelter this whole time.

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"Make yourselves at home. I'll prepare some refreshments, then give you the full tour." Dr. Yoka hurried to rummage through the small fridge and cupboards, placing packaged snacks on the counter eagerly.

Matsui studied a framed photo of the doctor standing with a kind-eyed man, the city skyline glittering behind them. This was her former life above ground before it all fell apart. Matsui had to turn away from the image, throat tightening.

They followed Dr. Yoka back into the winding windowless passages, munching on granola bars. "I sealed most of the wings off now to conserve power," she said. "The generators give me some basic lighting and utilities to live on."

Passing reinforced doors marked "Quarantine Zone," the scientist suddenly halted, expression growing solemn. "This way, please. There is something I must show you." Matsui braced herself as they approached the final unmarked door. Whatever lay inside held a heavy meaning. Wordlessly, Dr. Yoka pushed open the door.

Matsui's eyes widened at the expansive laboratory before them, cluttered with machinery blinking unreadably. Floating lifeless in a glowing cylindrical tank along one wall was a horrific, mutated figure - a zombified man outfitted with various cybernetic implants and tubes.

Dr. Yoka rested one palm against the glass, staring sadly upward. "This is...was...my husband, Dr. Chino Yoka. I've sustained his body as optimally as possible. He helps facilitate my research now." Her gentle tone belied the scene's innate horror.

Tearing her eyes away, Matsui noticed a small rack holding a single vial of neon blue liquid. Dr. Yoka followed her gaze, immediately crossing over to lift it with careful reverence. "This contains my latest developed iteration of a synthesized cure. I have such hope it may finally be the breakthrough if properly weaponized."

“How did you make it?” Jayla asked.

Dr.Yoka fixed her glasses on her face. “After days of research on the outbreak, I discovered the virus is pure energy. So I produced a liquid that can generate an energy field to disrupt the virus and dissolve it without harming the infected. I prayed it would turn the victims back to normal, even if they were dead. Or it can only cure flesh victims…”

“Mmmmmmmmmh, interesting,” Dorki whispered. “The virus is magic, but like most magic, it is pure energy connected to supernatural forces. This method could be possible.”

For the first time since their escape from Revena, Matsui felt a tiny spark of that same hope flicker within her. After an endless nightmare, science had perhaps led them to a solution at last.

Matsui couldn't tear her eyes away from the vial of neon liquid Dr. Yoka held carefully. The cure's soft glow seemed to symbolize the fragile hope she feared voicing aloud. Turning to the scientist, she asked, burning inside her. "Have you tested it yet? Or give it to... him?" She glanced meaningfully at the mutated corpse floating nearby.

Dr. Yoka carefully sets the vial down, moving swiftly to prepare an injection gun. "I have not yet had an opportunity for a live trial. But that moment is upon us now." Her words quickened with building excitement. "Please, observe."

They followed her to a heavy door marked 'Testing.' Inside, a uniformed corpse bound to an exam table thrashed against its restraints, mournful groans echoing off the sterile tile. The decaying maintenance worker paid their entry no heed, consumed only by its mindless urge to consume flesh.

Approaching with clinical calmness, Dr. Yoka administered the antidote into the zombie's vein. Leaping back, she watched expectantly as its violent contortions eased. Before their astonished eyes, the mutation slowly reversed - pallid skin flushed, milky eyes cleared to reveal human irises once more. In under a minute, an unconscious living being lay before them.

"It works!" Dr. Yoka cried triumphantly. "Human restoration with one injection! Do you realize what this means?" Her eyes shone with awe and elation. Matsui felt her hopes soaring, the impossible now within reach. This changed everything!

"If we administer the cure to the originator herself, the source," Dorki posited excitedly, "it may dismantle her entire undead army by cutting them off from her energy." For once, the creature seemed almost giddy at the prospect of victory. They all sensed the tide turning.

Wasting no time, Dr. Yoka rushed back to the lab, grabbing her husband's tank system control and inputting rapid commands. A mechanical arm lifted the vial, injecting its contents directly into the mutated flesh floating within. "Come on, come on," Dr. Yoka urged under her breath, observing intently.

At first, the corpse simply drifted aimlessly as before. Then its limbs twitched, writhing against tubes and wires. Muscles bulged and distorted grotesquely beneath translucent skin. Dr. Yoka's eager smile faded, eyes widening in dawning horror at the nightmarish contortions.

"Something's wrong!" she cried, typing desperately to cancel the injection sequence. But it was too late. With an explosion of glass, the heaving mutated figure tore fully free, globs of discharge oozing around it. It had no eyes, only gaping blackness sunk into tortured flesh. And it was expanding, still somehow growing.

Matsui ignited her staff, backing away slowly. But the light seemed only to draw the shifting mass of tissue toward them hungrily. They had tampered with forces beyond their control, foolishly unprepared for the outcome. Now hope itself threatened to smother their flickering lights forever.

Matsui looked on in dismay as the mutated figure continued expanding, its misshapen flesh bulging and contorting. She had allowed herself to hope Dr. Yoka held all the answers. Now they faced a nightmare of their own making.

With a final guttural shriek, the creature rippled into solidity. Matsui's gut churned at the sight - it resembled an immense cyborg tree of white and red biomass, sprawling cables plugged directly into pulsing organs. At its center blinked a massive bloodshot eyeball, rolling wildly to fixate on them.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Reira shouted disbelievingly at Dr. Yoka. But the scientist seemed beyond coherent thought now, staring up at her creation with dawning remorse and horror.

"This is what happens when you screw around injecting weird crap without thinking!" Jayla added, but the blame would solve nothing now. Matsui kept her focus solely on the looming threat.

Face contorted in anguish, Dr. Yoka stretched a pleading hand up toward the creature's eye. "Darling...it's me...I can help you..." Her deluded words trailed off as a low rumble vibrated the lab floor beneath them. Matsui's heart turned to lead - it was preparing to attack.

With shocking speed, cables shot out, entangling Dr. Yoka before anyone could react. It muffled her screams as it reeled her up into the pulsing biomass. "No!" Matsui yelled, blasting ice to try to sever the cables. But it was too late.

Within seconds, the mutant absorbed the doctor fully into its sprawling form with a sickening crunch. The girls recoiled in horror as it bloated larger, integrating its biomass. Soon no trace of the scientist remained.

Reira was the first to break the appalled silence, muttering darkly, "Well, now they can be together forever." Despite everything, a hysterical giggle escaped Matsui's throat at the twisted justice. Their hubris had unleashed hell like no other.

With a guttural bellow, the creature smashed through the containment chamber, looming over them and blocking all escape. Snapping back to the present danger, Matsui ignited her staff alongside the others. Grief would come later.

"Hit it with everything while we fall back!" she ordered. Together, they unleashed a blistering torrent of elements against the mutant. Under the vicious assault, it recoiled slightly, granting them room to retreat into the corridor. But their attacks barely damaged its bulk.

Glancing around as they fled, Matsui realized with a sinking dread that this monstrosity could easily smash its way up to the vulnerable city above if they failed here. And after everything else, she wasn't sure their flickering light could survive this consuming darkness. But they had no choice left but to try.