Before anyone could make sense of what had just happened, another figure shot out through the half-open warehouse door. The movement was so quick that it looked like a streak of black cutting through the dim light.
It was Evan Ran, gripping his blade tightly.
"Close the door! Close it now!" Tom Harlow shouted, signaling frantically at Leo Kent.
Maya Lin might be gone, but Tom was already thinking about the other young woman inside. As long as the door stayed shut and the zombies remained outside, the warehouse would continue to be his twisted little paradise.
Leo limped forward, ready to yank the door shut.
A cold voice stopped him.
"Touch that door and you will regret it."
Sophie Yu stepped directly into his path, arms tensed and eyes sharp with warning.
Leo sneered at her. "What, worried about your boyfriend out there?"
He leaned in closer, smirking. "Listen, sweetheart. If he gets bitten or scratched even once, he is done for. You should find yourself a new man. How about someone like me?"
Sophie did not let him finish. Her leg whipped up in a swift arc.
A sickening crack echoed through the warehouse.
Leo's left leg bent the wrong way at the knee.
He collapsed to the ground, screaming. "My leg! My leg!"
Tom Harlow dropped backward onto his hands, sprawling in fear. He stared at Sophie as if she were some rare predator.
This woman, stunning from head to toe, was far stronger than either of them had realized. Suddenly, all his earlier fantasies shriveled into something pathetic and distant.
No one in their right mind would dare make a move on her now.
Sophie planted herself in front of the door, waiting for Evan to return. She could not rush out. If she stepped outside, Tom could lock the door behind her, trapping both her and Evan in a sea of zombies.
As long as Evan was alive, she had to stay put.
Outside, Maya Lin had already given up hope. When the zombies dragged her out, her mind filled with despair.
"So this is how I die," she thought. "Will I turn into one of them after I am gone? I have never even been in a relationship. I have not lived at all."
She shut her eyes tightly. She waited for the teeth. The pain. The end.
Instead, a warm hand wrapped around her arm.
In the next moment, she was pulled into a firm embrace.
Maya's eyes snapped open.
Evan was holding her, shielding her with his body.
"Evan! Why did you come out here?" Maya cried, trembling. The shock of being saved hit her so strongly that her eyes instantly filled with tears.
He had come for her. Into danger. Into a horde of zombies. Just to save her.
In moments like this, even the faintest feelings could become overwhelming.
But the zombies were already reaching him.
They closed in from every side.
"Evan!" Maya's voice broke. "You are getting bitten!"
She knew the rules. Everyone did. One bite. One scratch. That was all it took.
Evan simply put a hand on her back, steadying her. "Do not be afraid."
Then he pulled out his blade.
Holding Maya close with one arm, he swung the blade with the other, tearing into the zombies around them. Blood and rot splattered across the pavement. Evan's movements were sharp and relentless, even though using only one arm made every hit more difficult.
Several minutes later, he finally staggered, planting the blade into the ground to catch his breath. The circle of zombies around them had already fallen.
The cost was obvious. His arms and torso were marked with fresh wounds.
More zombies were gathering from afar, drawn by the noise.
"Come on. We need to get inside." Evan leaned heavily against Maya as they walked back toward the warehouse.
Sophie nearly collapsed with relief when she saw them. She grabbed both of them, pulled them inside, and slammed the door shut behind them.
"He was bitten!" Tom Harlow shrieked. "He is going to turn! Are you trying to kill all of us?"
"Shut your mouth," Sophie snapped.
Tom wilted instantly, shrinking into the corner. He dared not say another word.
Evan placed a hand against the shelf beside him. "Sophie, take me to the corner. Something feels wrong."
Sophie and Maya each supported him to the home appliance section, where a small tent was set up. The moment Evan lay down, a wave of heat rolled through his body.
It felt as if fire was burning inside him.
Sweat soaked through his clothes almost instantly.
"Master, are you alright?" Sophie asked, panic filling her voice.
The last time she had bitten him, he had not reacted like this. Had he been attacked too many times this time?
Evan clenched his teeth. "I am fine. Just… strange."
Something within him was changing. Expanding. Awakening.
This was not what turning into a zombie felt like.
A few minutes passed.
The burning sensation faded, replaced by a rush of overwhelming strength. His breathing steadied. He pushed himself up, eyes narrowing in realization.
"I get stronger when zombies bite me," he whispered.
The idea was insane. Yet the proof was unmistakable.
"Sophie, bring me that refrigerator."
She obeyed immediately, sliding a heavy double-door fridge toward him.
Evan rose to his feet, drew in a breath, and slammed his fist forward.
A deep thud rang out.
The metal caved inward.
Evan stared at his unharmed knuckles.
Exactly as he suspected.
"Master, you really did get stronger!" Sophie's voice was bright with excitement.
Evan nodded slowly. "With this strength, I can handle myself outside now."
If he had not gone out to save Maya, he might never have discovered this ability at all. Being bitten by Sophie had strengthened him a bit before, but the change had been too subtle back then.
Seven or eight zombies biting him in one fight made the growth impossible to miss.
Sophie's cheeks flushed pink. "If you are stronger now… does that mean…"
Evan sighed silently. He knew exactly what kind of thoughts were running through her head. She was a mutant zombie with a dangerous obsession with him. If he had not become stronger, she might exhaust him to death one day.
Before he could say anything more, he noticed something odd.
"Maya… where is she?"
Sophie pointed toward the tent. "Master, she went inside earlier."
A cold feeling struck Evan like a blow to the chest.
If Maya had been scratched… or bitten…
A strange grinding noise came from inside the tent.
Evan froze.
He knew that sound.
"Maya has turned."
He stepped forward.
"Sophie, guard the outside."
With that, Evan lifted the tent flap and stepped inside.