My Undead System

Ch. 17 - Weakness

Growl!

There must have been four or five undead, one after the other, walking at a steady and sluggish pace next to Jin and the others. They kept going through the stiff group, attacking no one.

Growl!

Once they passed, a teenager sighed in relief. Soon after, the other followed in the same mannerism. What he didn’t expect, though, was that teen’s arrogant outburst. “That’s right, keep going, you mindless freaks!”

Jin pleaded with him to keep it down, without success. Kroll, who was the closest to him, grabbed his hand and pulled him towards him. The teen forced his hand out of Kroll’s and maniacally shook it at the undead, who walked away.

“Yeah!” He celebrated, laughed out loud and shouted at the top of his lungs. “Get going!”

That’s when another undead came from behind and grabbed him. It bit his neck and tore his flesh out with its teeth. Blood poured out of its mouth like an endless stream.

His screams forced the others to look the other way. “Nooo! H-Help please…”

Jin couldn’t stand it any longer and swung his bat, destroying the undead’s head. Its teeth ejected into the ground. Some even impaled the now incapacitated teen.

He lay on the ground. The young man struggled to breathe as blood gurgled in his mouth. With the rapid movements of his eyes, he begged them to help him. When Rena was about to move towards him, more growls came from behind them.

Rena pulled back and stood still. They watched as the approaching corpses bared their teeth at the injured young man on the ground. Jin clenched his bat, ready to strike, when Kroll shook his head.

The undead then sat on top of the already dying young man and chewed on him as he struggled and screamed. Jin and the others remained still, which apparently worked.

The undead completely ignored their presence. That’s when they realized. The undead tracked them based on sight. Jin pondered over this detail for several seconds when he realized.

When he roamed around aimlessly, his vision already suffered because of the black membrane. It was only natural that during the night, the effects would magnify.

After the undead ate the young man but a few pieces, they got up and continued walking away from Jin’s group. They all sighed in relief when it was over, though losing one of their own still got to them.

Through the darkness that prevailed for a few more hours, Kroll, his son, Rena, and the others shivered. Those who were in the Juvenile Detention Facility with him even shed tears. The entire group’s sorrow weighed on their hearts.

Jin felt the most conflicted of all. In the other world, they praised him as the hero who saved them. He always went in and helped those that needed him, but in that moment, he considered for the first time the needs of many over the one life he couldn’t save.

His mind went into overdrive, beating himself up internally for not having thought of such a weakness since he knew the restrictions of that poor eyesight. He even tried to make himself feel better by finding excuses. “My case was different. How should I know…? It’s not like it came with a user manual…?!”

Of course, no one blamed him. Even if they knew what happened, that still wouldn’t be the case, but for Jin, the pain and guilt he felt at that moment, no amount of cheering would help.

That night, they all stayed awake. The pain in their heart and the adrenaline pumping through their veins kept them from shutting an eye. They decided to not let his death be in vain since they gained valuable information.

Now down to three alive teenagers, with Krish being one of them, the following day, they covered more ground, hoping to get closer to the hospital, all the while keeping an eye out in case they could spot their stolen vehicle, even though it was a longshot.

After picking up the pace, they might have a day out of reaching the hospital. For as long as they could, they pushed forward to get back. Even if their legs gave out, they wouldn’t stop moving, but their mental exhaustion far exceeded their physical one.

In the meantime, back at the hospital that same morning, the patrols surveyed the area as usual. A party with Jorge as group leader was getting ready bright and early to venture down the hill and into Colby.

Whenever someone was on guard duty, they would check and reinforce the broken wall with materials they gathered from inside, or barricade the gate further, making it more secure.

They kept lookouts at the highest points of the building for a better view of their surroundings. One guard stationed as a lookout noticed movement in the far distance.

He called out to the people below to have a look. A couple of guards went down the hill to scout, while Jorge and his group waited for their return.

As a precaution, Jorge ordered his people to make their walls and gate more secure, just in case. Not long after, the guard on lookout shouted at the top of his lungs. “They are coming back!”

Jorge and a few others opened the gate for them. The guards rushed in and dropped to the ground once inside. They panted and sweated profusely. Having a hard time catching their breath, Coral brought them a glass of water.

They gulped it down in one go. One pointed in the direction they came from. His hand trembled and his voice cracked. He appeared unable to get the words out of his mouth. After a few deep breaths, he closed his eyes.

When his eyelids fluttered open, he mumbled. “Corpses…!”

Jorge placed his hand on the guard’s shoulder. “Speak clearly man…”

The guard stood up and walked towards the gates. His lips trembled as if he was afraid to even speak the words. “Corpses… A bunch of them are coming through the town…”

The moment Jorge and the others heard his words, they jumped out of the gate. Since they were far away, they squinted their eyes, trying to get a glimpse. Through the illusion of scorching asphalt, blurry figures walked towards them.

The other guard who scouted ahead sighed. “It’s a horde…!”