Chapter 23: Echoes of Strength and Sorrow
After clearing the last floor of the girls' hostel, Sam's group regrouped at the base of the B8 building. The sun was starting to dip low in the sky, casting a golden hue on the broken campus.
Sam crouched beside a shattered window, peering into the building's mess hall. He gripped a mana grenade in one hand and whispered, "Get ready."
He pulled the pin and lobbed it through the opening.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the silence. Flames and dust burst out of the mess hall, and the muffled groans of zombies erupted from within.
Without waiting, Sam transformed Ira into its dagger form and vaulted through the window. Max, Emmy, Roy, and the others followed swiftly behind.
As they landed, the group unleashed a volley of attacks—Mana Blades, Wind Slashes, and glowing Mana Arrows filled the air. Screams and snarls of the Zombies echoed through the smoke.
In midst of this a piercing roar shook the walls.
BANG!
The kitchen door exploded outward, and from it came a grotesque zombie, clutching a bloodstained butcher's knife. Muscles bulged unnaturally beneath its grey skin, and its eyes glowed with a crimson haze.
"Hold the line!" Sam shouted.
Sonia, the petite girl who had assigned most of her free points to Strength, Vitality, and Mana was closest to the Zombie , She stood her ground. Her mana shield flared bright as she met the charging zombie head-on.
"HYAAAH!" she screamed, slamming her shield into the monster.
The impact sent a shockwave through the room, staggering the beast for just a moment. But the zombie's raw power was overwhelming. It retaliated, slicing downward with terrifying force.
Sonia blocked once—twice—then staggered.
"Help her!" Sam yelled.
Peter and Bella rushed forward, raising their own shields. They interlocked with Sonia's to form a wall, bracing against the zombie's relentless strikes.
Max stepped back, his shield raised, positioning himself near the newer, weaker survivors. Roy and Mona took strategic positions behind them and began firing mana arrows with calm precision.
"Circle it!" Sam ordered while running towards it. "Look for openings!"
The close-range fighters obeyed. They moved like wolves around prey, waiting for a moment to strike.
Every one was striking the zombie from different angles and positions but the Grey zombie skin was not bothered.
The zombie was only Dodging or blocking the attacks on key parts like head and its neck was covered with heavy amount of fat
The mana arrows struck the zombie but the fat stopped most of the impact.
In midst of this Sonia managed to use a skill of her shield the impact forced it to stumble. Emmy on the back of the zombie spotted her chance.
"Wind Slash!"
The blade of air shot forward, carving into the zombie's neck and damaged its spine. Another attack forced zombie fell side ways
Everyone fell still as the zombie finally collapsed, twitching once, then going limp.
"I've got the kill notification!" Emmy called out.
A collective sigh of relief passed through the group.
Peter kicked the corpse lightly. No response.
Roy lowered his bow. "It's over."
Everyone gathered around as the blood pooled and the last flicker of red left the zombie's eyes. Lying beneath it was a faintly glowing yellow orb.
"You earned it," Sam said, nodding to Emmy.
She picked up the orb
The rule was simple—whoever got the kill notification had claim over the orb. But if others contributed significantly, they were to be compensated fairly.
Sam pulled out several grey orbs and distributed them.
"Two for Mona. One each for Peter, Bella, and Chloe" he announced according the highest damage dealers "You all did great."
There were no complaints—only nods of approval.
They secured the rest of the B8 building with practiced coordination. By the end of the day, over fifty survivors stood among them. The group had grown—stronger, more confident, more united.
That night, after a simple dinner of scavenged rations, everyone settled into the empty rooms. Some laughed softly. Others cleaned weapons. Many simply stared at the ceiling, the weight of the day pressing down on tired minds.
Sam opened the door to one of the empty rooms, and as usual, Emmy followed him in.
He didn't say anything, just walked toward the bathroom and took his turn first. The running water helped wash away some of the blood
When he came out, towel around his shoulders, he tapped on his phone to check in with Garry.
A video call connected.
"We secured our target" Garry said, wiping sweat from his brow. "But it wasn't easy."
"What happened?"
"There was a mutant Zombie. Moved like a lizard. Crawled on walls and ceilings. Caught us off-guard. No one died, but several got hurt—mostly friendly fire."
Sam frowned. "you need to train more coordinated formations. your numbers are working against you."
"I agree," Garry replied. "We're over a hundred now. We cleared the hostels, but the lecture halls, staff quarters, the main admin block—they're still full. Thousands more out there."
"We'll need a strategy," Sam murmured.
After exchanging some more details, he ended the call and opened social media out of habit. His heart sank. Post after post—video after video—people begging for help. Blood. Screams. Chaos.
The government had posted new coordinates of army bases. But from what Sam had seen today… he doubted conventional weapons were enough anymore.
The bathroom door clicked.
Emmy stepped out, dressed in a light yellow t-shirt and black joggers she'd picked up earlier. Her damp hair framed her face, and for a moment, she just stood there in silence.
Luna and Ira glanced at her, then went back to playing with a rubber ball on the floor.
Without a word, Emmy climbed onto the bed and curled up beside Sam. She stared at her phone, trying once again to call her sister.
No signal.
Her throat tightened, and she switched to voice mail.
"Hi, Mia… If you get this, please… please share your location. I'm okay."
She hit send and tossed the phone onto the pillow. Sam turned to her and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"She'll be all right," he whispered.
Emmy didn't respond. She just pressed her face into his chest and let the tears come. Her breath shook, the quiet sobs muffled by his shirt.
Sam held her tighter saying nothing more.
In the silence of that dim room, two tired souls sought comfort from a world that had turned upside down.
Sleep came slowly, but eventually, it came.