Matsui paused, cocking her head. Was that...crying she heard in the distance? The faint anguished sobs stood out against the city's eerie silence. "Guys, listen! Someone needs help."

Her companions hesitated. "I don't hear anything," Jayla said.

Reira scuffed her boot against the pavement. "It's probably just the wind. We shouldn't get sidetracked."

But the sound tugged at Matsui's heart. What if it was a survivor trapped, terrified, and alone? As the cries wavered in the breeze again, she set her jaw stubbornly. "I'm going to look. We have powers now - it's our duty to help anyone we can."

Before the others could protest further, she headed towards the sound. After a shared uncertain look, Jayla and Reira trailed behind her, Dorki gliding overhead. The sobbing led them several blocks to a looming archway carved with roaring lions. Signage identified it as the city zoo entrance.

Matsui frowned, pausing beneath the arch. "Who would be crying in an abandoned zoo?" The desperate wails continued floating from within the gated park. She couldn't ignore such anguish. Passing deserted ticket booths, she pushed through the turnstiles into the zoo.

Cages and habitats lined the winding paths, now empty of live animals. Matsui spotted monkey bars and play equipment - a children's zoo. The crying sounded close by, amplified by concrete tunnels. Stepping through an enclosure marked 'Primate Palace,' Matsui called gently, "Hello? We're here to help you."

Only echoes answered. The oppressive stench of decay hit their noses suddenly. Matsui gagged, eyes watering. Something was very wrong here. She stumbled back, her staff raised warily. Hissing whispers surrounded them, reverberating off the enclosure walls.

Jayla ignited sparks along her fingers. "Matsui, we need to get out of—" Her warning stopped as dozens of zombies dropped from the artificial trees above. The undead primates bore down on the girls, baring vicious fangs. The awful cries had been their hunting call.

Matsui reacted on instinct, blasting the nearest one back with shards of ice. More quickly swarmed in to replace it. The zombie monkeys were agile, evading strikes and slashing with hooked fingers. Their mouths gnashed ravenously near the girls' flesh.

Separated in the chaos, each girl fended off relentless attackers. But for everyone struck down, two more appeared. The horde was endless. A blur of matted fur and gnashing teeth hemmed Matsui in on all sides. This was a trap, and they were losing.

Nearby, Jayla cried out as three monkeys tackled her down. Her lightning barely held them off. Reira was faring better, but still being pushed back under the sheer numbers. Matsui struck left and right with her staff, movements growing frantic. The zombies seemed unfazed by injuries that would debilitate a living being.

A sudden weight hit Matsui's back, fangs sinking into her shoulder. She screamed as the monkey clawed its way onto her head, screeching madly. Icy fear washed through Matsui. They didn't stand a chance like this. The scourge would overwhelm them all in minutes.

Unless...the staff! Matsui still clutched it in one blood-slicked hand. She had to alert the others. Marshaling her fading strength, she slammed the staff against the concrete. A plume of frost burst outward, granting her a brief reprieve. Through the haze, she glimpsed Jayla and Reira's desperate struggles.

"The staffs...together!" she choked out before blacking out again. She prayed her friends had received the message. Their only hope was combining their magic.

A thunderous boom jarred Matsui back to her senses briefly. Light streamed overhead from a gaping hole blown through the cage wall. Recalling no details, Matsui slipped away again into the darkness.

When she came to, her bleary eyes struggled to focus on the blue sky above. Gentle warmth enveloped her, chasing away the biting agony in her wounds. As the soothing energy knitted torn flesh and muscle back together, strength gradually returned to her battered body.

Dorki's worried face appeared overhead. "Thank goodness. I feared we were too late. Just remain still." Matsui gave a weak nod, relief washing over her as the healing magic repaired the worst damage.

Nearby, she heard Reira asking, "What the hell happened back there?" Her voice was ragged. "It's like those freaks couldn't feel anything we dished out."

"The undead often enter a frenzied state impervious to pain or injury," Dorki replied. "Only complete destruction of their corpses can stop them once in that state. But you performed admirably under extreme conditions."

Matsui sat up once Dorki finished, flexing her shoulder experimentally. The bite wound sealed, though her tattered clothes evidenced the savagery. Nearby, Jayla was rubbing a leg while Reira probed claw marks across her ribs. All visible skin damage had vanished.

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Seeing Matsui awake, Dorki bounded over. "Your powers protect you from the zombie infection. But you three remain mortal. You must keep fighting to stay alive in this world." His words sounded sympathetic, but firm. As the reality sank in, Matsui felt suddenly heavy with that burden. Were constant battle and fear their existence now?

A bone-chilling roar shattered the poignant moment. The girls jerked their heads up to see zombies wandering through exhibits all around them. A rotted wolf snarled nearby, tugging desperately at its chain restraint. In the distance, a giant undead bear lumbered between enclosures.

The tiger roared again upon spotting them. Answering shrieks and howls arose as more zombies detected fresh meat. Hearts hammering, the girls broke into a panicked sprint towards the zoo gates. They couldn't weather another all-out brawl yet.

Pounding footsteps pursued them as they weaved around fallen kiosks and deserted food carts. The undead menagerie was startlingly quick, rapidly closing in. Before they could reach the exit, zombies emerged ahead, surrounding them.

"Dammit, not again!" Reira ignited whirling flames, eyes ablaze with renewed fury. Beside her, Jayla crackled with lightning as Matsui conjured her icy magic. Back to back, the trio turned slowly to assess the advancing threats.

Rot and blood stained the animals' mangy fur. Some moved on two legs as bones jutted at odd angles under the flesh. Their blank eyes reflected only insatiable hunger now. Step by shambling step, the nightmarish horde closed in.

Matsui's frozen grip on her staff never wavered as the first wave approached. She had to believe their combined powers could prevail. The alternative was too terrible to accept. Here and now, failure meant death.

With Jayla and Reira beside her, Matsui unleashed the magic building inside her, driving back the ravenous creatures with merciless shards of ice. Jaws snapped ferociously near her face as she fought on.

This was her life now - an endless war against the dark tide threatening to consume everything she held dear. As the staff glowed brightly in her hand, Matsui steeled herself for the relentless battle ahead.

*****

Matsui unleashed her power in a blitz of icy shards, slashing through the shambling animals pressing in on all sides. The staff vibrated in her clenched fists as she drew on every ounce of magic within her. They couldn't fall here.

Jayla's lightning stunned a giant reptile, making it release Reira from its coiled grip. But her hesitation was obvious as she aimed attacks only to maim, not kill. These had been peaceful creatures once.

"They're just monsters now - don't hold back!" Reira shouted, blasting fire at a snarling lion. The stench of seared fur filled the air. Jayla bit her lip but nodded, increasing her voltage enough to put the creatures down for good.

Driving her heel through a diving hawk's skull, Matsui glimpsed Dorki firing searing beams skyward to combat airborne threats. But many more beasts still emerged from habitats, flooding towards them.

Matsui spotted Jayla struggling in the grip of a zombie elephant's trunk. She reacted on instinct, shooting ice directly into its milky eye. Howling, the elephant released Jayla, who finished it with a lightning bolt through the skull.

"They just keep coming!" Reira panted, flames dancing wildly around her as snakes and lizards attacked from all sides. She unleashed a spinning torrent of fire, roasting the creatures to ash. "We gotta get outta here!"

Scanning for an escape route, Matsui spotted an open grassy area up ahead, free of enemies. "This way, hurry!" she yelled. The girls made a desperate push, Dorki blasting creatures back to clear a path.

Stumbling into the open field, Matsui finally caught her breath. The animalistic roars and howls rang out all around, but at least they had room to maneuver now. She turned to check on her friends. "Is everyone oka—"

She lost her question as the ground vibrated beneath monstrous footsteps. From the treeline emerged an undead panda bear standing over fifteen feet tall. Fresh blood matted its fur and dripped from savage fangs as it roared. Matsui's heart dropped - the beast could tear them apart on its own.

But with Jayla and Reira both depleted beside her, she had no choice but to stand firm. Gripping her staff in trembling hands, Matsui planted her feet and summoned her icy magic once more. She would shield her friends from the last frozen breath.

The panda lumbered towards them, each footfall shaking the earth. Matsui focused her energy like a chilling blast, ready to unleash it all in one blow. But suddenly Jayla grabbed her shoulder.

"Wait! I have an idea," she whispered urgently. Brow furrowed, Jayla explained her plan as the panda drew nearer. When she finished, Matsui's eyes widened at the bold strategy. It was risky, but they were out of options. This was their only hope now.

At Jayla's signal, the girls fanned out as the panda approached. With a blood-curdling roar, it reared up and swung massive clawed paws down towards the seemingly defenseless girls.

But at the last second, they dove aside in unison. Unable to redirect mid-swing, the zombie's crushing blow struck deep into the earth, jars shooting up its legs. Before it could yank its paws free, Reira unleashed a jet of flames beneath the trapped creature. The ground liquefied into a bubbling, scorching mud. Fueling on the fire, Jayla discharged sizzling lightning around the roaring beast.

Trapped and cooking inside the makeshift pit, the giant zombie thrashed wildly but only sunk deeper. Matsui aimed her staff, exhaling slowly. "Rest now," she whispered. The icy blast whipped straight into the creature's open maw, flooding its insides and dowsing the flames.

For a moment, the panda's glowing eyes met Matsui's, seeming almost grateful. Then the light faded as its body went still and crumbled away for good. Matsui lowered her staff, the exertion nearly making her sway. But determination kept her upright.

Dorki descended, surveying their handiwork. "You continue to demonstrate remarkable teamwork and quick thinking under pressure. Well done."

The girls traded weary smiles. The zoo felt peaceful for the first time since they entered this nightmare. But as distant roars still echoed, they knew the respite would be brief. At least they replenished their resolve for whatever lay ahead.

Together, they could walk through the valley of death and fear no evil. Once rejoined with their loved ones, this crucible of horrors would become their greatest conquest. But first, they had promises to keep, and miles yet to travel before sleep.