AOE : Age Of Extinction

Bitten but Unyielding

"Yes, we must retreat immediately or die!" Kai shouted back to Amelia in his resonant voice that carried over a long distance. Amelia was taken aback by Kai's response. She knew he had a deep voice, but she had no idea he also possessed exceptional hearing abilities.

"I will come to you, and together we'll clear a path through them!" Kai yelled once more. Amelia swiftly swung her sword, severing a zombie's neck. With the momentum of the strike, she used the force to decapitate another zombie before replying to Kai with a determined "Okay!"

Kai skillfully wielded his sword and swiftly evaded the zombies, skillfully beheading them as he carved a path towards Amelia through the densely packed horde. He was acutely aware that a single bite from a zombie would lead to his own transformation into one of them. Therefore, he deftly avoided their attacks and swiftly moved past any zombies that got too close, resorting to his sword only when necessary against the more formidable ones.

To Kai, killing individual zombies seemed futile, as the wave of undead appeared to be never-ending. It would be a waste of precious time to dispatch each one. A staggering eighty percent of the world's population had succumbed to the zombie plague, leaving only a mere twenty percent struggling to survive. However, even among that remaining fraction, not all managed to escape unscathed. Some fell victim to the zombies, turning into one of them upon being bitten or scratched.

Kai's heart pounded as he neared Amelia, the distance between them shrinking to just a few yards.

Amelia, too, noticed Kai and approached him with determination. Completely absorbed in her pursuit, she remained oblivious to the lurking zombie behind her. Just as she reached Kai, the undead creature seized her hand and sank its teeth deep into her arm, prompting a sharp cry of pain from Amelia. Summoning her final reserves of strength, she swiftly decapitated the zombie.

In her haste, Amelia's sword slipped from her grasp as she clutched her wounded arm. Vulnerable without her weapon, she would have surely been torn apart by the encroaching horde of zombies if not for Kai's timely presence. Sensing the imminent danger, he swiftly emerged from behind one of the zombies and delivered a powerful blow to its head, drenching himself in the gory aftermath.

"Rise!" Kai shouted urgently as he took hold of Amelia's arm, aiding her in standing upright. Despite her weight bearing down on him, he maintained his accuracy in fending off the approaching undead. Pressed on all sides by the encroaching zombies, Kai assessed their dire situation and realized that time was running out. It was imperative for Amelia to regain control of herself and make a swift escape.

"You've been bitten, but you're not paralyzed!" Kai exclaimed, his eyes darting around frantically as the horde closed in on them, leaving no visible means of escape. Overwhelmed with desperation, he lost his grip on Amelia, who managed to assume a defensive position on her own.

"What do we do now?!" Kai repeated, his voice fraught with urgency and fear. The Zombies had surrounded them, leaving them trapped with little hope of finding a way out.

It was a terrifying sight as the zombie began gnawing at them. Kai and Amelia knew that the zombies would soon launch an attack, and without proper help, their chances of survival seemed bleak.

"I never thought I would die like this. For God's sake, I'm still a virgin!" Kai screamed in agony.

Amelia was taken aback by Kai's revelation, feeling a sense of unease as she realized that Kai was still a virgin. However, she quickly dismissed her irrational thoughts, realizing that she herself was also a virgin.

A pang of sympathy for Kai washed over Amelia. If it weren't for her overwhelming fear, she might have been able to transform into a zombie, potentially saving Kai.

Suddenly, a shout could be heard in the distance, capturing the attention of the zombies. They turned their focus towards the source of the noise, a group of warbands charging forward, as if by some miracle.

Perplexed, Kai asked, "What just happened?"

The shouting continued, and Amelia and Kai scrambled up a small rock nearby. To their astonishment, they saw Duncan leading Logan's warband.

"How on earth did he manage to gather them again?" Kai exclaimed, his face contorted in surprise.

Amelia winced and clutched her arm where she had been bitten. Kai's attention was drawn to the sound of her moaning, and he quickly realized the severity of the situation.

"You've been bitten!" he said, noticing blood dripping from Amelia's wound.

Amelia didn't immediately respond to Kai's statement, her gaze fixed on the ground, her hand still pressed against her injured arm.

"You've been bitten" Kai said again, his voice filled with fear, this time speaking in a loud and authoritative tone. Amelia was certain that Kai would be terrified, thinking she would transform into a Zombie. However, Amelia knew she wouldn't turn because she had been bitten numerous times by Zombies in the past. Her immunity to Zombie bites was due to her being a Zombie shapeshifter, with the same Zombie blood flowing through her veins. Whenever she was bitten, she experienced a brief period of fatigue but quickly regained her strength.

"Yes, indeed! I was bitten!" Amelia responded, trying to maintain her composure. Kai's anxiety was growing as he spoke. "What? You're going to transform into a Zombie!" he exclaimed, becoming increasingly restless.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to turn into a Zombie," Amelia retorted firmly. She descended from the rock and approached her sword, which lay on the ground. Kai ran after her, wanting to grab her hand but quickly stopped, fearing that Amelia's transformation had already begun and not wanting to get bitten.

"What are we going to do now? What about the mission?" Kai inquired, his concern evident in his voice. Amelia snatched up her sword and strode away from Kai, muttering, "Forget it. I am not going to become a zombie."

Amelia immediately joined the fight once the effects of the Zombie bite had worn off. Kai stood back and watched Amelia fight, feeling a pang of pity for her. He was certain she would eventually turn into a Zombie, having witnessed other survivors succumb to the virus due to minor scratches.

Kai stood still, his body drenched in blood, sniffing the air with a grimace. "Oh, that's a terrible stench," he lamented, wriggling his nose strangely as he drew his sword. Before he could join the battle, Duncan came running towards him, his face glowing with a smile.

"You traitor! You abandoned us to die!" Kai protested, brandishing his sword in Duncan's direction.

"No, I did not!" Duncan quickly defended himself, raising his hand in surrender to Kai, even though he knew Kai wouldn't harm him and was only threatening. "I came to help you. You might have perished if I hadn't shown up!"

Gradually, Kai lowered his sword, beginning to comprehend Duncan's words. "Don't try to deceive me again, or I'll kill you without listening to your excuses!" Kai shouted, his voice filled with anger, and Duncan smiled.

Duncan was truly cunning, always finding a way out of any difficult situation. He had a remarkable knack for it. Kai stepped back and charged towards the zombies.

The battle raged on for kilometers, turning the wasteland into a graveyard of undead bodies. With the zombies reduced to ashes, the Warband grew confident of their victory. The growls of the dwindling zombies subsided, replaced by the triumphant shouts and cheers of the Warband, filling the air.

"Well, I guess that's another win for today!" Duncan spluttered, crossing his legs as he settled on a safe distance away from the battle, perched on a rock.

When he spotted Kai and Amelia approaching, he sprang to his feet and began to move around restlessly, his eyes fixed on the ground as if searching for something. Amelia giggled in response to Duncan's sudden action, while Kai looked at her with confusion, questioning silently, "She was bitten by a zombie and she's still laughing?"

Kai remained convinced that Amelia would inevitably transform into a zombie, and what perplexed him was that the process hadn't yet begun, despite her recent bite. Typically, it took up to five minutes for a human to undergo a complete transformation after being bitten, yet Amelia had managed to evade any signs of transformation for the past thirty minutes.

Approaching Duncan first, Amelia played along with his pretense of searching for something. "What are you looking for?" she inquired, matching Duncan's playful act.

Duncan found himself at a loss for words, knowing that both Amelia and Kai had likely witnessed him still seated moments ago. He couldn't help but wonder how foolish he must have seemed as he hastily rose and began pretending to search for something.

Kai joined them, frustrated, and forcefully struck the back of Duncan's neck with his hand. "You fool! You brought the warband and left them to fight the battle while you sat here, enjoying nature."

Duncan rushed to Amelia's side, clutching the back of his neck in agony, tears almost welling up in his eyes.

The Warband approached Kai, Duncan, and Amelia, their numbers significantly reduced after a fierce battle with the Zombies. They had taken a precautionary measure to eliminate any of their comrades who had been bitten by the infected, ensuring that the virus would not spread among them. As they stood before the trio, a man stepped forward, clearly the leader of the Warband.

"We rushed here upon hearing that you were engaged in a battle with the Zombies!" the gentleman declared, his words laced with urgency. With Logan absent, it seemed that he had taken up the mantle of leadership.

Kai swiftly responded, adopting a deep voice to project authority, "I sincerely appreciate your loyalty, and I extend my deepest condolences for the loss of your fellow comrades."

The Warband leader shook his head, a somber expression on his face. "No apologies are necessary. The fate of our world is sealed, and it's only a matter of time before we all succumb. We fight because we have each other now, and there might not be a tomorrow for us to lend a hand."

Concerned for the safety of his companions, the Warband's leader inquired, "I hope none of you have been bitten by the Zombies?"

Kai and Amelia exchanged a fleeting glance, a silent understanding passing between them. Kai was certain that Amelia had been bitten, knowing that there was no use hiding the truth, as she would inevitably transform into a Zombie.

Before Kai could utter a word, Amelia interjected abruptly, her voice resolute, "None of us have been bitten. Thank you for your concern."

Kai was taken aback by Amelia's unexpected attempt to defend herself, but he quickly recovered, adding, "Yes, that's precisely what I was about to say. None of us have been bitten."

Duncan's intuition kicked in, sensing that something was amiss from the tremor in Kai's voice. Despite English not being his native language, Kai had always been a smooth talker.

"I apologize, but we must conduct a search for any fresh bite marks," declared the Warband leader, implying his suspicion towards Kai and Amelia based on their reactions.

"No... no, there's no need for that; we're telling the truth!" objected Kai, defensively extending his hand.

The Warband leader remained silent, showing no regard for Kai's defensive stance. Instead, he motioned for two members of the Warband standing behind him to search both Kai and Amelia for any signs of recent bites. The leader was determined to ensure that no Zombies survived.

The two Warband members approached Kai first, instructing him to extend his hand for a thorough search. Initially hesitant, Kai reluctantly complied, his eyes fixed on Amelia, contemplating whether her secret of being bitten would be revealed.

After a few minutes of searching Kai, finding no evidence of bite marks, the Warband slowly shifted their attention to Amelia, preparing to search her.

Realizing the urgency of the situation, Kai knew he had to act swiftly or risk the Warband discovering Amelia's bitten state and putting her life in danger.

"How dare you search a lady in such a manner? Are you also planning to search her breasts ?" Kai exclaimed, his tone dripping with disgust.

"Oh!" As he reasoned with Kai, the Warband leader declared that men should not be searching for a lady. Amelia stood there, observing Kai engrossed in the game, uncertain of what would unfold next. Despite her trepidation, she managed to maintain a serene smile on her face.

"However, how can we be certain she hasn't been bitten?" The Warband leader directly addressed Kai.

Kai pondered the situation briefly, contemplating the best course of action to take without exposing the bite mark on Amelia. Suddenly, he swiftly turned to face Duncan, who stood behind him. "Duncan is Amelia's lover," he stated firmly. "He is the only one who has had the opportunity to intimately examine her, having seen and touched her naked body on numerous occasions!"