Jack hesitated, the bloody shuriken still impaled into his forehead, reflecting the light of the moon and stars. He’d lived a long life as a zombie, nearly two years since his infestation. Would this be his last hurrah? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

He limped forward, his right shoulder sagging noticeably below his left. His bedraggled tunic fluttered as the wind coursed through its rips and tears.

Jack carried no weapons. Superhuman strength invested his arms and legs. That was enough.

The ninja twirled his blades in a spinning fan that rose above his shoulder then near his torso then back up above his head. Each swipe would handily dismember Jack, tearing him limb from limb.

Ruin, Jack thought. This could be the end of him. As a zombie, his instincts were keener than most. He understood how to fight these shadow ninjas. Most of his infected companions simply fell to the skillful blades of these warriors, but not him. Still, a master swordsman like this would be more than he could handle on his own.

“I’ve been tracking you, Hiroku,” the red ninja said, holding open a locket in his left palm. There was a picture of some sort inside it but Jack couldn't make out. “You still resemble your former self even in your necrotic state."

Hiroku? Jack thought. What was this man talking about?

The ninja lurched, his spinning blades facing backward as he soared through the air, eyes focused on Jack’s.

Jack hobbled, struggling to keep his body straight. His movements were not as precise as these men’s but his strength and agility were far superior. If he could only coordinate himself enough to avoid the blades.

Slash, slash

Jack dove to the ground just in time. The blades missed him but he wouldn’t be in a position to lunge at the man with full strength.

Rot. The ninja was standing directly over him, raising his blade directly above Jack’s head.

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Jack snarled and used his arms to push himself forward. Even while crawling on the ground, he was superhumanly fast. All he needed was a single bite.

The ninja backstepped, avoiding Jack’s bite just in time. Jack responded by lunging again even while crawling on his belly. The ninja evaded his bites. Ruin, the man was fast.

“I’ll finish you,” the red ninja said, thrusting one of his blades downward into Jack’s back, impaling him through the chest before planting it in the ground. It didn’t finish Jack, of course, but it did trap him in place. He writhed, unable to free himself from the blade firmly fixed in the ground like a pole. “Hah, Hiroku. Now I shall have my revenge.”

Hiroku? Jack thought. It was the second time he said it. Was that some sort of pet name for zombies?

The ninja raised his other blade as if preparing to decapitate Jack — the only way to kill a zombie.

So Jack did the only thing he could — he acted on instinct.

Swish

A whirl of twisting light soared through the air. Hint — it wasn’t the ninja’s katana.

Jack had acted on instinct, not fully understanding what he was doing. He had removed the shuriken from his forehead and thrown it, quite deftly, at the red ninja in a final act of self-defense.

The red ninja stared, gaping, eyes wide, dropping his katana in shock.

The ninja star now dangled from the hand of the enigmatic attacker. The red ninja had caught the flying shuriken on impulse. Decades of practice had trained him to catch flying objects thrown in his direction. Likely it had saved his life countless times.

But not today.

The red ninja held the shuriken, examining the weapon in the moonlight, the sharp points forming metallic fractals that dazzled in the night. They dripped with blood.

“It appears you will have the last laugh, Hiroku,” the red ninja said, falling to his knees. He dropped the shuriken to the ground where it clanged against a rock. He’d caught the flying blade with all the skill of a master ninja but it had been his final mistake.

Removing his right glove, the ninja examined his hand in the moonlight. A single cut, not bigger than an eyelash grazed his palm.

“We were once blood brothers, Hiroku,” the red ninja said, laughing. “And it appears you have renewed that oath.”

Jack’s eyes glowed in understanding. Whoever this man was, he’d soon be turned. All it took was a single drop. The zombie blood-soaked ninja star would do just that.

“But sadly, I will not be joining you,” he said, signaling to two of his fellow warriors. "Finish me, after him."

The three ninjas held their katanas at the ready, clutched in a two-handed grip. They walked slowly toward Jack, eyes locked and focused on him.

Three against one? That was hardly fair. Jack's eyes glowed and the Crave took control. There was no fear in his eyes. No pain.

Only hunger.