Dried leaves crunched beneath his sporty shoes as Feng Xiao ran through the concrete road of St. Peter Street. He stopped in front of his white-painted two-story house. He looked at the doorstep and fell down on his knees when he saw his parents lying on the floor. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
"Mom! Dad!" He shouted, running toward them. "I will never forgive those who killed my parents!"
Feng couldn't believe that his parents were dead. If only he knew they would die today, he wouldn't have gone to school and instead would have spent the day with them. He heard gossip about zombies and monsters attacking the people around. Yesterday, he saw on TV how the monsters slaughtered people like animals. Feng knew it was the monsters that killed his parents.
Suddenly, Feng heard some weird sounds behind him. As he looked back, he saw a bunch of zombies coming. Feng stood up; his knees shook in fear. I have to escape, but my parents... He thought. They are dead already. What's more important is that I escaped. I can't avenge their death if I die too.
So, Feng picked up his black backpack and ran as fast as he could. The zombies chased after him. Everything blurred around him. The buildings, the cars, the traffic lights. It was like an apocalypse.
Everywhere he'd look there was blood: on the walls, on the street, and even the sky was painted with blood, and his name was written on it.
Soon, Feng reached a building and entered there. He walked through the dark corridor without making a sound, except for his light footsteps.
Then a door suddenly opened and a bunch of huge squeaky rats flooded out. Feng climbed the stairs as fast as he could until he reached the rooftop. It was a dead end. His backpack fell down from the rooftop of the building.
There were zombies and monsters down there. The flying monsters blocked the sunlight. Feng'd die if he jumped, and he'd die if he didn't. The rats were going to chew him with their razor-sharp teeth. He had only seen these in movies before but never expected them to be real.
The rats squeaked as they ran toward Feng. They were about to feast on him when someone came and used exorcism to purify them. A blinding blue light came out from his palm, and the rats vanished into thin air without a trace.
Feng opened his eyes and saw the hero who saved his life. It was a man in a black robe. He stood like a warrior, his shadow falling behind him, and his long, straight black hair tied together swayed with the wind.
The man turned toward Feng and approached him. He stopped in front of the scared boy and asked, "Are you okay?"
"Who... who are you?" Feng asked, his eyes sparkling with tears.
"Call me Shin," the man replied. "Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine." Feng stood up. "Thanks for saving me, Shin. I owe you my life."
"Please don't mention it. I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do. We can't let those filthy creatures win. We can't let people die. We have to protect them as long as we can," Shin asserted. "Tell me, do you want to know how to fight too?"
"Fight zombies and monsters?" Feng asked. Then he thought about his parents. In order to avenge their deaths, he knew he had to become stronger.
"Yeah. You can go with me if you want to. I can bring you to the academy of The Saviors. They train people how to fight against zombies and monsters," Shin said.
"That's amazing!" Feng exclaimed. "I want to. Please bring me there. I want to become stronger! I want to avenge my parents from those monsters!"
"It's decided then." Shin extended his hand toward Feng, who also held it. "Let's go."
"Nooooo!" Feng shouted as Shin jumped from one building to another. They were flying like birds. They stopped in front of a well-guarded building. The academy of the Saviors. The place where people were trained to fight zombies and monsters.
Feng's eyes sparkled as he watched the people around harness magic and swords. There were healers, attackers, magicians, combatants, summoners, assassins, and knights, among others. Feng followed Shin through the corridor. Shin stopped in front of the door and knocked on it.
"Come in," said the voice of an old woman.
Shin turned the knob and opened the door. An old woman with a wrinkled face, wearing a violet robe, pointed hat, and eyeglasses, sat at the desk with a pile of books. She fixed her eyeglasses and stood up. "Shin, where have you been?" she asked.
"Professor, Grendel." Shin bowed his head. "I went around the city and found that the zombies have invaded it."
"You went out again?" The old woman asked in a worried tone. "And who is this boy?"
"I'm Feng Xiao," Feng introduced himself. "Shin saved me from the bunch of monsters."
"He wants to study in the academy," Shin added.
"I am Grendel Bald," the old woman said. "I'm Shin's professor, a magic major. I taught Shin exorcism. I can also teach you if you want."
"I am honored, ma'am," Feng replied.
"It's decided then," the old woman said. "But first, you'll have to rest. Can you show him his room, Shin?"
"I will, professor," Shin replied. "Follow me."
Feng followed Shin. They walked through the wide corridor and stopped in front of a door. Shin opened it, and they entered the room.
"This is your room," Shin said. "You have your own bed and toilet. Just call me if you need anything. Here." He handed him the key.
"Uh, um, thank you so much, Shin," Feng said.
"You're welcome. Just make yourself at home. Your training will start tomorrow, and about the food, you'll have to go to the dining hall to eat with other students every time the bell rings," Shin said.
"Um, I got it," Feng replied.
"Alright then. I should go now." Shin left the room.
Feng lay down on the soft bed and groaned. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. The loud ringing of bells woke him up the next day. The sunlight passing through the window caressed his face. He stood up and stretched his arms and legs a little bit before going out.