Tolu stared at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
She had thought she was strong. Thought she was in control.
But she had let the darkness consume her.
She had almost lost herself.
Her hands trembled as she gripped the edge of the sink. The things she had done—the people she had hurt—flashed through her mind like a haunting reel of regret.
She could still hear the screams.
Feel the weight of the dark magic coursing through her veins, twisting her thoughts, feeding on her pain, whispering promises of power.
And she had listened.
Tolu shut her eyes tightly.
"No more," she whispered.
She needed to stop this. All of it.
But before she could face the Council of Magic, before she could confess everything, there was still one last thing she had to do.
The zombie plague had to end.
2:37pm
Tolu found Moses and Sunmi after school, pulling them aside into an empty hallway.
"I'm done," she said. "With dark magic. With all of it."
Moses raised an eyebrow. "Just like that?"
She met his gaze. "I made a mistake. And I need to fix it before I go to the Council."
Sunmi frowned. "Fix what?"
Tolu took a breath. "The zombies. I did a locator spell—it led me to an abandoned warehouse. That's where the original zombie is."
Moses crossed his arms. "And you want us to come with you?"
"I need you to come with me," Tolu corrected. "If we kill the original, every zombie created from it will die with it."
Sunmi sighed. "So one last mission before you clean your hands of all this?"
Tolu nodded.
Moses rubbed his temples. "Fine. Let's go before I change my mind."
3:17pm
The warehouse was even more ominous in person.
Broken windows, rusted metal, and an eerie silence hung over the structure like a tomb.
Tolu held out her hands, muttering a quick incantation. A faint golden thread appeared before her, leading them inside.
"This is the place," she confirmed.
Moses rolled his shoulders. "We need to track the zombie's exact location. Give me a second."
He took a deep breath and called out:
"Hound."
The shadows shifted.
A massive black dog emerged, stepping out of the darkness. Its glowing red eyes flickered with something unnatural, its huge frame tense with power.
Sunmi immediately stepped back. "You didn't say anything about summoning hellhounds, Moses!"
Moses smirked. "Hound's tame. Unlike the fire spirit."
The beast sniffed the air, then let out a low growl, its head turning toward the far end of the warehouse. Without hesitation, it padded forward, leading them deeper inside.
They followed, weaving between abandoned machinery and decayed crates until they reached a hidden metal door.
Tolu felt her pulse quicken.
"This is it," she whispered.
But before she could touch the handle—
The air shifted.
A deep, inhuman groan echoed through the warehouse.
Tolu turned.
Her breath caught.
The shadows were moving.
Emerging from every dark corner, dozens of zombies crawled into view.
Their sunken eyes locked onto the group, their bodies twitching in unnatural spasms.
A trap.
Moses didn't hesitate. "Sunmi, get back!"
His body glowed as a warrior spirit surged into him.
His form changed.
When the glow faded, he stood clad in spirit-forged armor, a shield and sword appearing in his hands.
"Hound, attack!" he commanded.
The monstrous beast lunged, tearing through the undead.
But Tolu wasn't about to stand aside.
She raised her hands, summoning her magic.
"Iná burúbúrú, má jẹ wọn!
Omi didì, dá wọn dúró!"
("Fire of destruction, consume them!
Frozen water, stop them!")
Flames erupted from her palms, setting zombies ablaze. The ones that pushed forward were hit with a blast of ice, freezing them solid before shattering.
Moses sliced through them, his sword cutting down anything in his path. Hound ripped into the undead, leaving nothing behind.
But the zombies kept coming.
Tolu gritted her teeth. She had to end this.
Gathering all her power, she lifted both hands.
Fire and ice merged in a violent burst, exploding outward.
A wave of scorching heat and piercing cold tore through the horde, disintegrating them instantly.
The warehouse fell silent.
They had won.
---
Tolu turned to the hidden door, pressing a hand to its rusted surface.
"This is where the original zombie is."
She pushed it open.
Inside was a coffin, its wood rotting but pulsating with an eerie green glow.
Tolu swallowed hard.
Moses stepped forward and drove his sword through the lid without hesitation.
A terrible screech rang through the air as dark mist poured from the cracks, writhing violently before vanishing into nothingness.
Then—silence.
The plague was over.
4:05pm
Tolu stood by the river, the book heavy in her hands.
She stared at it for a long moment.
This book had given her power. Had made her feel unstoppable.
But it had also poisoned her.
She took a deep breath—
Then threw it into the water.
It hit the surface with a soft splash, drifting along the current.
She watched it float away, feeling lighter than she had in months.
It was over.
She turned to leave.
But she didn't see it.
Didn't see the book rising from the water, as if pulled by an invisible hand.
Didn't see it disappear into the shadows.
10:17pm
Far from the river, in a dark alley, a boy lay dying.
Blood pooled around him, his chest rising and falling in weak, uneven breaths.
The thugs who had beaten him were gone, laughing as they left him to die.
His vision blurred.
He was slipping.
Dying.
Until—
His eyes snapped open.
A bright crimson glow burned in his irises.
A deep, haunting cackle echoed through the alley.
His body trembled. His wounds closed.
Still laughing, he sat up, licking the blood from his lips.
Then, in a voice that was too familiar, he whispered:
"I'm back, bitch."
His grin widened, his glowing eyes burning with dark hunger.
"And I'm coming for you, Tolu."