"Huff… huff…"
The sound of frantic footsteps echoed in the narrow street. A group of survivors ran for their lives, their shoes splashing through puddles of blood. Behind them, a swarm of people—no, not people anymore—chased with inhuman screams. Their eyes were hollow, their movements jerky, their hunger endless.
A woman on the left stumbled and fell.
"Crack!"
"Ahhh!" she screamed, reaching out to the others. "Help me!"
"Leave her! Run!" shouted a young man in a blue shirt. He didn't look back—he just ran faster.
The others hesitated for a moment, guilt flickering in their eyes, but fear won. The thought of being eaten alive was more terrifying than the idea of abandoning someone.
Only one person stopped.
A young man gripped a fire axe, the kind found in school hallways, and turned back toward the fallen woman. A shadow lunged at her. Without hesitation, the young man swung his axe.
Thunk!
The sickening sound of metal cutting through flesh echoed in the air. Blood splattered across his arm, but he didn't flinch. There was no room for hesitation—not anymore.
Then, a voice rang inside his head.
「Congratulations on getting another kill. Eight more kills required to unlock the System.」
The young man, Ethan, reacted calmly—as if he had expected it. He swung again, finishing another zombie in one clean strike.
"Thanks, Ethan!" the woman gasped, scrambling to her feet before running ahead.
Ethan followed quickly. Together, they reached a small building where the others had taken refuge.
"Quick, get inside!" someone shouted.
They slammed the door shut behind them, breathing heavily.
"Wait," said one of the men, "we need to scout this place. Make sure there aren't any zombies inside."
"John, then what are you waiting for? Go check. I'll guard the door," said another man.
"Mike, why the hell am I the one doing this suicide job?" John shot back.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" asked a young woman nervously.
"Alice, this is your chance to prove women are equal to men," Nathan said with a smirk. "Don't be shy about this opportunity."
"Shut up, Nathan. No one asked for your opinion."
The woman who had tripped earlier looked at Ethan. "Ethan, can you check the place? Please?"
Ethan glanced at the group. Everyone's eyes were on him—the only one who had dared to fight back against the monsters outside.
He sighed. "Alright, Emily. I'll do it. But I need two helpers."
After a brief argument, Mike and Nathan reluctantly volunteered.
"Why us?" Nathan grumbled. "Alice is always talking about equality, but she suddenly disappears when danger shows up."
"Less talking," Ethan said flatly. "If you've watched any zombie movie, you know they react to sound. So keep quiet."
Nathan and Mike shut up immediately.
"How do we start?" Mike asked in a low voice.
Ethan scanned the hallway. "We'll need something long and heavy—something that can smash hard."
They looked around and began walking toward the nearest room, Ethan leading the way with his axe raised.
He gently knocked on the door. A moment later, faint shuffling echoed from the other side. Something moved toward them—slowly, unnaturally.
The door creaked open. The moment the zombie was within range, Ethan swung his axe, splitting its skull in one clean motion. The body dropped.
Mike and Nathan, who were ready to bolt, exhaled in relief.
They entered the room carefully, searching every corner. They found some walking sticks and kitchen knives, then tied the knives to the ends of the sticks using rope. Ethan tested the makeshift weapons with a few swings.
"If you see a shadow move or hear something that doesn't sound human," Ethan said quietly, "attack first and ask later."
Both nodded seriously.
They moved down the hallway, passing six doors. The second room looked quiet, but Ethan knocked anyway.
Thud… thud…
Two adult zombies and one smaller one appeared, shuffling toward them.
Ethan tightened his grip on the axe. "I'll take the big ones. You two handle the small one."
Before they could respond, he swung. The first zombie dropped instantly, but his axe got stuck in its skull. Without wasting a second, he pulled out his improvised spear and thrust it into the forehead of the second zombie.
The body collapsed. He retrieved his axe and turned to see Mike and Nathan standing over the corpse of the small one, breathing heavily.
"Good work," Ethan said.
They searched the room again, confirming it was clear. Finally, Ethan let out a tired sigh. "Let's go back."
The group waiting outside looked at them anxiously. Beyond the door, chaos still ruled the world.
"You guys, come with us," Ethan said. "We didn't check every room, but two are safe. We can stay there for now."
Alice glanced at Emily, then followed Ethan to the second room.
Everyone sat in the small living area, exhaustion painted across their faces.
Emily broke the silence. "What should we do now?"
"I'm starving," Mike muttered. "We should find something to eat."
"Don't only think about food," Alice said sharply. "We need to figure out what's happening. The world turned into hell overnight."
Nathan crossed his arms. "Still, we'll run out of supplies fast. We should search for food."
Mike leaned forward suddenly. "Hey… did anyone else hear that voice? Like, inside your head, when you kill one of those things?"
Everyone turned to him.
"No," said Emily. "I've never killed one. I was just running."
"Same here," said Alice. "I didn't have the energy to fight."
Nathan frowned. "But I hit that small zombie earlier—why didn't I hear anything?"
Ethan looked at Mike. "Wait. You got the last hit on that zombie, right?"
"Yeah… could it be—" Mike hesitated, then widened his eyes. "Did you hear it too?"
Alice's voice trembled. "What sound are you talking about?"
Ethan's tone was quiet, but every word carried weight.
"A voice that said… If I kill ten zombies, I'll unlock the System."
The room fell silent. No one moved. Outside, distant screams echoed through the night.
And from somewhere deep in the building—A low growl answered.