Zombie Domination-Chapter 38- Hungry

The morning light filtered softly into Julian’s room, painting the walls in a pale glow. Ms. Rei stood at his bedside, arms crossed, a stern but relieved expression on her face. "You’re lucky," she said flatly. "If treatment had been delayed any longer, you would’ve died. Good thing I hadn’t used my [Revitalize] skill yet, it saved your life just in time."

She exhaled, her tone softening. "Get some rest, Julian. And... thank you for saving everyone."

Turning her gaze to the four girls gathered closely around his bed, she gave them a pointed look. "Make sure he doesn’t try anything absurd while I’m gone," she said, before striding out of the room.

Veronica moved closer, her arms folded, her eyes narrowing slightly at Julian. "Don’t even think about moving too much," she warned. "The side effects of my ultimate skill are probably putting a huge strain on your body right now."

Emma nodded, her expression serious but kind. "You need complete rest if you want to recover quickly," she insisted.

Julian sighed in defeat, his face calm but resigned. "...Yeah. Fine."

After a moment, his eyes flicked between Clarissa and Veronica. "What happened... after I left you two?" he asked, his voice quiet.

Clarissa shifted closer, her expression grave. "We managed to rescue all five people who were taken," she began. "But... they were being kept in these... cocoons. It was like they were trapped or being preserved. When we freed them, one of them... he couldn’t speak anymore. His mind was gone, like he’d lost himself completely."

Veronica picked up the explanation with a frown. "There was something wrong with those cocoons. Maybe something the zombies used to... change them. Or learn about them."

Julian’s eyes darkened in thought. So the zombies are evolving... finding ways to study humans... He clenched his hand into a fist under the blanket.

He looked back at Emma. "What about the situation here in the shelter?"

Emma glanced at the others, then spoke. "Derrick was sentenced to forced labor. Brandon’s followers will face trial. And Brandon himself... he’ll be executed for what he did."

Julian fell silent, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the ceiling. "...Gabriel?" he asked, though he already feared the answer.

Aya lowered her head. "He’s gone," she whispered. "He didn’t survive."

Julian’s chest tightened. Even though he hadn’t known Gabriel for long, he had recognized his strength and heart. He would’ve made a great leader... Julian thought. I hope he can rest in peace.

Aya, trying to lift the mood, said, "Mr. Albert offered to teach me how to build a device that can convert crystals into energy. If I learn it, maybe we can make more modified weapons."

Julian managed a small, proud smile. "That’s... Wonderful," he said softly. "It’ll make a difference."

Julian’s stomach suddenly let out a loud growl, echoing through the room. The girls instantly froze.

Clarissa was the first to snap to attention. "I’ll go make you something to eat!" she blurted, already half-standing.

But Emma quickly grabbed her arm. "No way. I’ll do it. You stay here with the others," she insisted.

Clarissa frowned. "You’re still recovering yourself, Emma. Rest. I’ll handle it."

Watching them bicker, Julian sighed internally. Here they go again...

Veronica, crossing her arms with her usual haughty expression, rolled her eyes. "You two sound like children. Obviously, I should make the food for Julian."

Aya, cheeks pink, raised her hand timidly but determined. "W-what if we settle it with rock-paper-scissors...?" she suggested.

All four girls fell silent, their eyes darting between each other before nodding in fierce agreement.

Emma smirked confidently. "I’m undefeated at rock-paper-scissors. You’re all done for."

Veronica scoffed. "That’s only because your opponents were weak. Don’t flatter yourself."

Clarissa chimed in sweetly, "I actually agree with Veronica on this one."

"Wha—?!" Emma’s face turned red as she spluttered. "I’ll show you!"

Meanwhile, Julian watched them from his bed, wanting to point out he was still starving, but he couldn’t get a word in.

Aya and Emma squared off first, hands flying in a blur, and Aya won. She pumped her fist triumphantly.

Veronica immediately interjected. "Wait, the rules are three wins to decide the real champion."

"Three wins?!" Aya cried. "That’s cheating!"

Clarissa tilted her head with a serene smile. "That’s how it’s been since ancient times. Didn’t you know, Aya?"

Reluctantly, Aya threw again, this time, Veronica crushed her with a perfectly timed rock.

Veronica lifted her chin smugly. "Who was bragging about being unbeatable just now?"

Emma’s eyes blazed. "That was just luck! I’m getting serious this time!"

Julian watched with exasperation. Emma’s mental game is shot...

Another round. Clarissa slipped in with a sneaky win, her gentle smile hiding her competitive spirit.

She squealed with joy. "I won!"

But Veronica leaned in with a cold smirk. "You’re still far behind. Don’t get cocky."

Emma, practically vibrating, shouted, "Okay, NOW I’m serious!"

Julian covered his face with a hand. This is over. Emma’s done for...

The girls clashed again in a final, intense flurry of rock-paper-scissors, Aya emerged victorious, arms shooting into the air.

"I did it!" Aya cheered, glowing with triumph.

The others collapsed dramatically, groaning in disappointment. "We were so close..." they whined.

Then Aya blinked, her smile faltering. "...Um, wait. What were we playing rock-paper-scissors for again?"

Julian stared at the girls with a deadpan look. "I’m hungry," he said flatly.

Aya’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. "I’m so sorry!" she squeaked, then scrambled off to prepare his meal.

Moments later, the door swung open, revealing Luke and Vivi entering the room. Luke gave Julian a nod. "How’s the hero feeling?" he asked with a teasing grin.

Julian sighed heavily. "Half-dead."

Luke chuckled. "Well, you’ve done more than enough here. We really owe you."

Julian raised an eyebrow. "Then where’s my reward? I worked pretty hard."

Veronica immediately butted in, tossing her hair back haughtily. "Exactly. He deserves proper compensation."

Luke lifted his hands in surrender. "Relax. We’ve got your reward covered," he assured them with a laugh.

Vivi added brightly, "And don’t worry about the loot. We’ll split the zombie crystals as promised."

Julian nodded. "Thanks," he said, his tone still monotone.

"No," Vivi insisted, smiling softly. "We’re the ones who should thank you."

Luke stepped forward and patted Julian’s uninjured shoulder. "Get plenty of rest so you heal up fast," he said earnestly. Then they both excused themselves, Luke waving casually as they slipped out the door. "Lots of cleanup to do."

Once they left, Aya reappeared, carefully carrying a steaming plate of food. She set it down and took her place beside Julian, a proud sparkle in her eyes.

"Here you go! Eat up," she said.

Julian eyed the meal suspiciously. "Is this safe?" he asked, dead serious.

Emma leaned in with a reassuring smile. "Relax. We burned every single ingredient that was contaminated by Brandon’s blood. This is 100% safe."

Julian finally picked up a spoon, but Aya quickly grabbed it from his hand. "Let me feed you," she insisted. "Your hands are still injured."

She scooped a bite and gently raised it to his mouth. Julian sighed and accepted it, chewing slowly. Meanwhile, he couldn’t help but notice Clarissa, Emma, and Veronica glaring daggers at Aya, their eyes practically glowing with jealousy.

Aya let out a nervous squeak. "Hiii..."

Julian closed his eyes and let out a long, tired exhale.

-------×-------

Meanwhile, in a fortified military outpost several miles away, chaos reigned as soldiers scrambled to prepare for an oncoming assault. The air was thick with tension as officers barked orders and soldiers rushed to position heavy artillery and machine guns along the perimeter walls.

A grizzled commander stood atop a makeshift command platform, his eyes scanning the horizon beyond the fortified gates. "Hurry it up!" he shouted. "Move those cannons into position! I want those emplacements ready to fire in sixty seconds!"

His words sent a fresh wave of urgency through the troops. Teams of soldiers loaded crates of ammunition, others calibrated mortars, and squad leaders directed their units into defensive positions.

Outside the steel walls, a seething horde of zombies battered against the reinforced fences. Mixed among them were dozens of mutated zombies, hulking brutes and twisted abominations, that hurled themselves at the barriers with savage fury, shaking the walls with each impact.

"Steady!" the commander barked, gripping the railing until his knuckles turned white. "Do not let those monsters breach the perimeter!"

Suddenly, a massive crash echoed through the base as the main gate was smashed open, and the first wave of zombies flooded through. Alarms blared, red lights flashing across the compound.

"Commander! The side gate’s been breached too!" a panicked radio operator yelled from a nearby comms station.

The commander clenched his teeth. "Unit Titan Squad! Hold the western entrance!" he ordered. "Skill Division One and Two, fall in and protect the forward line!"

Skill users clad in specialized combat gear leapt into action, their abilities lighting up the battlefield. Blasts of ice froze dozens of zombies in place, torrents of flame swept through the charging undead, and bolts of lightning crackled, frying scores of them instantly.

But despite their fierce resistance, the waves kept coming.

"Focus fire!" the commander shouted. "Unit Omega! Hit them with your combined skill, take them down now!"

A coordinated barrage erupted from Omega Squad, massive lances of searing energy tore through the undead ranks, incinerating mutated zombies in blinding explosions.

"Unit Echo!" the commander roared. "Rebuild the barricades, seal those breaches before more of them get through!"

Teams of engineers and earth-manipulating skill users scrambled, raising fresh walls of steel and concrete to close the torn defenses. The ground shook as they slammed reinforcements into place, finally halting the tide of undead.

When the dust settled, silence fell across the battered outpost. Smoke drifted through the air, the scent of blood and charred flesh heavy on the wind. Dozens of soldiers slumped against the walls, exhausted, their weapons hanging limply at their sides. The bodies of the fallen littered the grounds.

The commander surveyed the devastation with grim eyes. His voice came out a hoarse whisper, almost lost to the night: "How long... How long can we keep surviving like this?"

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