Inside the main building of the compound—

The reinforced glass didn’t hold.

Not anymore.

Cracks had already spread across its surface from repeated impacts, thin lines branching and intersecting until the structure itself gave way under the pressure—

KRRR—KSHH—!

The entire section burst inward.

Shards sprayed across the lobby in a violent wave, spinning through the air as the infected poured in behind them, bodies forcing through the opening without pause. Some were cut immediately—glass slicing into faces, arms, torsos—

SKRRCH—!

—but they didn’t slow.

They pushed forward.

Toward the elevator.

Their feet slammed against the floor in uneven rhythm.

Some dragged limbs behind them, others lunged ahead faster than the rest, climbing over those that stumbled or fell.

Their eyes—blank.

Their bodies—damaged.

Barely holding together.

And still—

They rushed forward.

As they were doing so, the elevator—

DING—~

Opened.

Right into them.

Redstar stood inside.

Still.

One hand lowered from her ear as the call ended, the phone slipping loosely between her fingers before being tucked away without care.

The towel around her neck shifted slightly as she rolled her shoulders once, then tilted her head to one side—

CRK—~

A slow stretch.

She didn’t even open her eyes.

The infected closed the distance in seconds, not even hesitating for a moment.

One leapt first, arms outstretched, jaw snapping wide as it aimed for her throat—

Others followed—

Claws, fists and hands raised.

Bodies angled forward.

Some already beginning to manifest distorted abilities—limbs swelling, skin splitting as something underneath tried to push through—

And then—

Redstar moved.

A single step forward.

Her body straightened.

Then her arm drove out to throw a punch.

Not into flesh.

Into air.

BOOM—!!!

The impact didn’t stay where it landed.

The air itself reacted.

It compressed—

For a fraction of a second—

Then it tore outward.

A violent shockwave erupted from the point of contact, distorting everything in its path as the pressure expanded in a brutal surge—

The first row of infected didn’t even register what happened.

Their bodies folded inward— 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Then came apart.

Skin split instantly, tearing open as the force ripped through them, muscle separating from bone in wet bursts—

SHRRK—!

Limbs were torn free mid-motion, spinning away as torsos collapsed inward, organs forced outward under the sudden pressure—

Bodies behind them weren’t spared.

The wave continued.

It didn’t slow.

Didn’t weaken.

It slammed into the incoming mass, lifting them off their feet as their forms twisted violently in mid-air. Some snapped at the spine, bodies bending backward until they broke—

CRK—!

Others were torn apart entirely, reduced to fragments that scattered across the space, blood spraying outward in thick arcs that coated the walls, the floor, the ceiling—

The elevator—

Didn’t survive it.

The interior ripped apart instantly, metal panels peeling back as if struck from the inside, cables snapping free.

The entire structure collapsed inward, then outward, as the shockwave tore through it, leaving nothing intact.

Redstar stepped forward.

Out of it.

Calm.

Unharmed.

Behind her—

What remained of the elevator fell apart completely.

CLANG—! CRSH—!

She walked into the lobby at the same steady pace, bare feet touching down across a floor now slick with blood and debris. Her expression hadn’t changed.

Around her—

Bodies hit the walls.

Hard.

Some struck the reinforced glass panels that hadn’t shattered completely, their forms slamming against it with enough force to leave dents before dropping—

THUD—!

Others hit the floor in broken heaps, limbs bent at angles that no longer supported movement.

A few—

Still moved.

Barely.

Dragging themselves forward through what remained of their bodies, fingers clawing across the blood-slick surface as they tried to reach her again.

One pushed itself up on a shattered arm, half its torso gone, ribs exposed as it lurched toward her—

Another followed, jaw hanging loose, teeth snapping uselessly as it stumbled forward on a ruined leg—

Redstar didn’t stop walking.

Didn’t even look down at them.

They got closer.

Within reach.

She brought her hands together.

Clapped.

CLAP—!!

The sound alone carried force.

But what followed—

Was worse.

The air around her compressed instantly, pulling inward for a fraction of a second—

Then—

It exploded outward.

BOOOOOOM—!!!!

A full radial shockwave tore through the lobby, expanding in a perfect circle with her at the center. The pressure didn’t just hit this time—

It crushed.

The remaining infected didn’t just get thrown back either.

They were erased.

Bodies collapsed under the force, flesh tearing away in layers as the wave passed through them, leaving nothing intact.

Bones shattered instantly, fragments scattering as the rest of their forms disintegrated under the pressure—

Blood and matter sprayed outward in all directions, coating every surface as the wave continued—

Through walls.

Through support structures.

Through everything.

The building—

Couldn’t hold.

Cracks split through the floor and ceiling simultaneously, racing outward from her position as the entire level gave way—

KRRAAAK—!

Pillars buckled.

Walls caved.

The shockwave tore through the structure without resistance, ripping apart foundational supports as sections collapsed inward on themselves—

The upper floors lost stability—

Then dropped.

CRAAAAASH—!!!

Concrete, steel, and debris came down in a violent cascade, crashing into the level below as everything above followed in sequence.

Outside—

The impact didn’t stop at the walls.

The shockwave burst outward from the building’s frame, blasting through windows and openings as it expanded into the surrounding grounds—

WHOOOM—!!!

Nearby infected were caught in it mid-motion.

Some were thrown off their feet, bodies launched backward as debris followed, chunks of concrete and twisted metal slamming into them.

Others weren’t thrown—

They were crushed.

Pinned under falling debris as sections of the structure broke apart and scattered outward, burying them beneath weight they couldn’t escape.

Dust moved outward in thick clouds, rolling across the ground as the building continued to collapse inward, folding into itself layer by layer.

Within seconds—

It was gone.

Reduced to a massive pile of debris.

Unstable.

Shifting.

Still settling as smaller sections slid and fell into place.

The infected that remained outside—

Stopped.

Their movement halted mid-step.

Heads turned.

Eyes fixed on what was left.

No sound.

No motion.

Just—

Stillness.