3:45 pm
The school grounds were quiet, the usual post-class chatter fading as students left for the day. But Sunmi and Moses remained behind, seated in an empty classroom with notebooks spread out before them.
They had one goal: figure out how to stop the zombie plague before the Council of Magic intervenes.
Sunmi tapped her pen against the table. "We need to act fast. If the Council steps in, they'll wipe everything out. They don't care about collateral damage."
Moses nodded, jotting something down, but his movements were restless, his thoughts elsewhere.
Then, something strange happened.
Sunmi's eyes turned white.
She stopped moving. Stopped thinking.
Moses frowned. "Sunmi?"
She stood abruptly, her body rigid. Without another word, she walked out of the classroom, her steps eerily steady, as if something unseen was pulling her forward.
Moses watched, confused. "Sunmi?" he called again, but she didn't react.
She kept walking.
Down the hallway.
Past empty lockers and darkened classrooms.
Straight toward the indoor basketball court.
Inside, the dim lighting cast long shadows over the polished wooden floor. The faint smell of sweat and rubber lingered in the air. The court was supposed to be empty.
But someone was there.
A body lay motionless at the center of the court.
The moment Sunmi stepped inside, her eyes cleared. She gasped, her body shuddering as if she had just woken from a deep trance. Confusion crashed into her like a wave.
"What...?" She glanced around, disoriented. How had she gotten here?
Then she saw the figure on the floor.
Her heart skipped.
She ran forward, falling to her knees beside him. He wasn't moving.
"Hey! Can you hear me?" She grabbed his shoulders, shaking him.
No response.
Panic surged through her. Was he—?
A deep, guttural growl tore through the air.
His eyes rolled back.
The body jerked violently, fingers clawing at the floor. Then, with a horrifying lurch, he came back to life.
As a zombie.
He lunged.
Sunmi barely had time to scream before a wave of fire erupted behind her.
A sudden blast of heat swallowed the gym, and in an instant, the zombie was incinerated.
Sunmi gasped, her breath coming in short, sharp bursts. The flames died down, leaving only a pile of charred remains. The stench of burnt flesh filled the air.
She turned—
And froze.
Moses was standing in the fire.
But it wasn't Moses.
His entire body was covered in flames, ancient markings glowing across his skin. His eyes burned with a light that wasn't his own. The air around him crackled with power.
Sunmi felt it—something vast, something old. It wasn't just magic. It was something bigger. Something stronger.
Moses had lost control.
The flames flickered, twisting around him like living things. Then, as if sensing her presence, the entity inside Moses turned toward her.
And attacked.
A stream of fire exploded toward her.
Sumi barely had time to react—
Then, she heard it.
"Omi."( water!)
Suddenly, a powerful wave of water crashed over her, shielding her from the flames. Steam hissed as fire met water, filling the gym with thick mist.
Sunmi gasped, whipping around.
Tolu stood at the entrance, hands raised, water swirling around her fingers.
Her face was set in a deep frown. "What the hell is that?"
Sunmi coughed. "I—It's Moses. But it's not?"
The fiery entity took a step forward.
Tolu didn't hesitate. She thrust her hands forward, sending another powerful blast of water crashing into it. The force of the attack pushed the entity back, causing its flames to flicker violently.
"Run!" Tolu shouted.
Sunmi didn't need to be told twice.
They bolted out of the gym, Moses—or whatever was inside him—roaring in flames behind them.
Sunmi and Tolu ran.
The heat from the fiery entity behind them licked at their backs as they sprinted through the darkened hallways of the school. Their footsteps echoed loudly, but they didn't stop. They couldn't.
Finally, Tolu spotted an open classroom and yanked Sunmi inside. She slammed the door shut and pressed her back against it, breathing hard.
For a moment, there was only silence—except for their ragged breathing and the distant crackling of flames.
Tolu turned to Sunmi. "What the hell is going on?"
Sunmi swallowed, still catching her breath. Then, without hesitation, she told Tolu everything.
"I know, Tolu," she said, her voice steady but quiet. "I know about Emeka. I know you killed him. I know about the dark magic."
Tolu froze.
Sumi continued, eyes locked on Tolu's. "I know about the resurrection. And I know the truth about that man you brought back—he's the one spreading the zombie infection."
Tolu's fists clenched. "How—?"
"I've been investigating. And now, Moses and I were trying to figure out how to stop it before the Council of Magic steps in. We just needed more time." Sumi exhaled shakily. "But then... something pulled me to the basketball court. I don't know how or why, but when I got there, I found a dead cleaner. And when I tried to check on him, he turned. He was a zombie."
. "This infection... it's like a curse. The people don't turn immediately. They stay normal—until they get hungry. That's when they change." Sunmi continued
. "Moses tried to save me. But now..." She looked toward the door, where faint orange light flickered in the hallway. "Now he's out of control."
Tolu took a deep breath before speaking. "That's not Moses."
Sunmi blinked. "What?"
Tolu sighed. "Moses is special, Sunmi. His mother is a medium. You know what mediums are, right?"
Sunmi nodded. "They communicate with spirits."
"Exactly. But Moses is more than just a medium. He's a gate. A bridge between the spirit world and the physical world. And that thing you saw? That's not him. That's one of the guardians of the bridge."
Sunmi's stomach twisted. "A guardian?"
Tolu nodded. "They only come out when Moses is scared or stressed. They're meant to protect him. But right now, that fire spirit isn't protecting Moses—it's consuming him."
Sumi felt her pulse quicken. "Then we have to stop it. We have to calm him down before it's too late."
Tolu exhaled. "Yeah. But how do you calm a fire spirit that's already burning?"
A loud boom echoed from down the hall.
The flames were coming.
Tolu turned to Sunmi, her voice unusually steady despite the chaos raging around them.
"I have to use dark magic," she said. "I know it's wrong, but it's the only thing strong enough to hold our ground against the Guardian."
Sunmi hesitated. The energy around Tolu was shifting, dark tendrils creeping up her arms like living veins. Her breathing grew shallow as her eyes turned completely black, and for a brief moment, her skin seemed to crack like porcelain, revealing something darker beneath.
Then, she stepped forward, facing the Guardian head-on. The fire spirit loomed over her, its flames flickering with a strange intelligence, as if it recognized the power she was drawing upon.
Tolu lifted her hand.
"Ẹwọn, dì í mọ́!" (Chains, hold him down!)
From the ground, shadows erupted, twisting into thick black chains that shot toward the Guardian like vipers. The chains wrapped around its flaming form, sizzling as they clashed with the fire, but still, they dragged it down, forcing it onto its knees.
Tolu exhaled and stretched out her arms, bowing slightly as if performing a ritual. Her voice rang out again, layered with something unnatural.
"Afẹfẹ, pa ina!" (Wind, quench the fire!)
A gust of wind howled through the basketball court, carrying with it a dark mist that swallowed the fire. The flames flickered, dimming for a moment as the Guardian struggled against the shadows.
But then, the fire reignited.
It tore through the chains like they were nothing, roaring back to life, rushing straight toward Tolu.
Tolu's heart pounded, but she didn't flinch.
"Dá duro! Má gbe ara rẹ!" (Stop! Do not move!)
The Guardian froze mid-charge. The flames flickered violently, its body trembling against the unseen force keeping it still. But Tolu was pushing too hard—her nose started bleeding, dark energy crackling around her like shattered glass.
She clenched her teeth and screamed, "Sunmi, now!"
Sunmi ran forward, stepping cautiously between Tolu and the Guardian. Her voice was gentle but firm.
"Moses, you have to take control. You're stronger than this."
The Guardian's fiery eyes flickered.
"I know you're scared," Sunmi continued. "But this isn't you. This thing is feeding on your fear. Fight it!"
The flames pulsed erratically, shrinking and expanding as Moses battled for control. Sumi kept talking, her voice steady, reaching out to whatever part of him was still inside.
Finally, with one last violent tremor, the fire was extinguished.
Moses collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily. His skin was slick with sweat, and his clothes… well, there weren't many left. His shirt and pants were burned to ashes, leaving him practically naked except for the remnants of his waistband.
There was a long silence.
Tolu let out a breath, her eyes fading back to normal. The dark energy seeped away, leaving her looking… exhausted. She turned away without another word, walking toward the exit.
Sunmi and Moses hurried to the boys' locker room, grabbing a spare uniform for him to wear. As he pulled it on, Sunmi sat down on a bench, still catching her breath.
Then, she turned to him. "So… this is why you don't use your powers?"
Moses sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yeah. If I don't keep them in check, I lose control. That thing you saw? It's one of the spirits guarding the bridge."
Sumi frowned. "The bridge?"
Moses nodded. "My mom is a medium, and so am I. But I'm a little different… I'm not just a medium, Sumi. I'm a gate—a bridge between the spirit world and the physical world. That thing? It's one of the guardians of the bridge. It only comes out when I'm scared or stressed."
Sunmi watched him carefully. "So you're the bridge, that creature is meant to protect you?"
Moses chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah. It as lays been like that , so I try my best to minimize the usage of my powers ."
Sunmi thought again." So do they like talk to you or something? Because when we were little you'd always talk to your self saying you were talking to your imaginary friends."
Moses laughed ." Yeah . I always thought the were figments of my imagination. Then I realize they were real and dangerous. So my father had to send me to Winston high . A school for the supernatural abroad , so I'll learn how to control them."
Sunmi sighed ." So that's why you left without a word . I'm sorry it must I've been so hard for you."
Moses cleared his throat. Well I better call my dads to come clean up this mess before tomorrow's school.
And they both laughed .