Rodric drew his sword, revealing a golden blade that glinted under the fading evening sun. The hilt was black and sturdy, perfectly gripped in his hand. Come to think of it, Eira had never actually seen his weapon before. Somehow it felt like an extension of him.
Rodric swung his sword with sharp precision, slicing through five zombies with one smooth motion. Their heads rolled across the broken ground, and he wiped the greenish blood off with a quick flick.
But more zombies started to pour in. It was like killing one only summoned ten more. Eira, Jareth, and Rodric scrambled for cover, ducking into the remains of a crumbling building. The air was thick with decay and the sounds of distant groaning.
Eira collapsed against the wall, breathing hard. Her chest rose and fell as the adrenaline finally caught up to her. Jareth wasn't much better, hunched over and wheezing.
Rodric stepped in a moment later, his red eyes narrowed, clearly pissed. He stomped straight up to Jareth and slammed him against the nearest wall.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Rodric barked. "You almost got us all killed because of your stupidity."
Jareth opened his mouth, but Rodric didn't give him a chance.
"You're so damn careless it's a miracle we're not dead."
"Keep your voice down," Jareth hissed back, his tone low and sharp. "Unless you want to bring them straight to us."
Rodric gritted his teeth and raised his voice even more.
"You've got a real death wish, don't you?"
"Rodric!" Eira cut in, stepping between them. Her voice wasn't loud, but the tension in the room shifted immediately. Rodric stared at her, caught off guard, but slowly stepped back.
Then something shifted. A faint sound echoed from beneath their feet. It was low, guttural. Eira turned just in time to see a zombie burst from a hole in the floor and sink its teeth deep into her leg.
She screamed as the teeth tore through skin and muscle. Blood poured out of the wound, pooling around her ankle. Before Rodric could grab her, the ground gave way entirely beneath her. She fell with a scream, disappearing into darkness.
Rodric moved to the edge, but more zombies clawed out from the ground, forcing him and Jareth to retreat. The horde surged forward, and there was no time left. They had to leave her.
Eira hit the ground hard. Her body felt like it had been slammed by a truck. Everything hurt. She couldn't move. She could barely even lift her head. Around her, faint groans and shuffling feet echoed.
More zombies.
They weren't attacking her though. They just... stood there.
Then something strange happened. A glowing blue screen popped into her vision like some weird augmented reality display.
[Parasytic organism detected.]
[Neutralizing Parasyte...]
[Mutation has occurred].
[Kaleidos attempting to merge with host body].
[Mutation complete].
[New ability acquired: Zombie Queen].
[You are now undead. Pain has been disabled].
Eira blinked. Her leg didn't hurt anymore. She sat up slowly. The zombies stood motionless around her like statues. A low groan hummed through the air.
They weren't attacking.
She scanned the area again. The zombies weren't just standing still they were waiting.
Then something even weirder happened. The zombies began piling on top of each other, forming a sort of staircase. Eira stared in disbelief, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She had a system. It wanted to protect her. And this new ability—Zombie Queen—was giving her control over the undead.
Cautiously, she climbed the heap of zombies, stepping from one motionless body to the next until she pulled herself out of the pit. The other zombies at the surface turned to face her but didn't move. She tested a command.
"Kneel."
One zombie dropped to its knees and bowed its head.
Her jaw dropped.
She grinned to herself, the adrenaline finally shifting into something like excitement. Then another screen appeared in front of her, killing the mood instantly.
[Mutation lasts 24 hours. Body will revert to normal once time has expired.]
Eira groaned.
"Are you kidding me?".
---
She wandered through the city searching for Rodric and Jareth, but it was like finding a needle in a haystack. After what felt like hours, she stumbled on a stronghold surrounded by electric fences. Guards stood at the gate holding whatever weapons they could scavenge.
Eira raised her hands carefully.
One of the guards, a young man with messy black hair and a face that looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks, stepped forward.
"Are you Eira? We've been expecting you."
She blinked, confused.
"Wait, how do you know my name?"
He didn't answer, just smiled and waved her in.
Inside the stronghold, everything made sense. She spotted Rodric and Jareth sitting at a table, looking like they hadn't slept in a day. As soon as they saw her, their eyes widened.
"I thought we lost you," Jareth said, standing to hug her.
She side-stepped him without hesitation and gave him a push.
Rodric didn't say anything, just nodded and looked away, his expression unreadable.
Before they could talk more, a woman approached and invited them to a feast. Jareth jumped at the chance, and soon all three of them were seated at a long wooden table packed with food.
Eira sat between Jareth and Rodric. The same young man who met her at the gate now sat at the head of the table, watching her.
"So how long have you been in the city?" he asked.
"Only since yesterday," Eira replied.
"And you're trying to get to the other side, huh?"
"Yeah. That's the plan."
He shook his head. "Not possible. There's a horde blocking the way. Hundreds of them. Unless you've got an army, you're not making it."
"I told you so," Jareth muttered in her ear.
Eira was about to argue when she heard it.
Zombies. Groaning. Close.
Inside the house.
Her stomach twisted.
No one else seemed to hear it. She stood up quietly and slipped away from the table. Something wasn't right.
She wandered through the house, following the sound. It led her to a storage room in the back. She opened the door.
Her heart stopped.
Bodies. Human bodies. Stripped, skinned, and hanging like meat in a butcher shop.
She stumbled back, trying not to throw up. Her hand covered her mouth, but it was too late. The horror was too real.
Then everything went black.
A figure had appeared behind her. Before she could turn around, they knocked her out cold.