The Arrival of the Golden Zombies
The afternoon was peaceful at the high school, everyone going about their activities, unaware of what was about to happen. Hayden, absorbed in reading an old novel, didn't even hear the first heavy thud echoing through the hallway. William, lounging under a tree, let out a sigh, his eyes closed, Bach's music filling his ears. Flora, engrossed in a botany book at the library, didn't even lift her head. Katie, in the gym, was fully focused on her strikes, unaware of the imminent danger. As for Mary, she was outside, testing her drone's new features, ready to experiment with Eye of Truth.
Everything changed in an instant.
A cold shiver ran down Mary's spine when an alert popped up on the drone's interface. The device's sensors had detected an abnormal presence. She activated Eye of Truth, and immediately, data appeared on the screen.
Reanimated zombie by Sol.Initial Level 1 → Level 2 (boosted by a golden aura).Strength: Enhanced.Resistance: Enhanced.Speed: Enhanced.
Mary felt her breath catch. These creatures weren't like normal zombies. They were stronger. Much stronger.
— "Shit..." she whispered.
Her first thought was to alert the others. But before she could act, a piercing scream echoed through the school courtyard.
The Attack
William was the first to be struck. A golden silhouette burst out before him, shattering the tree he was leaning against with a single blow. The shock sent him flying backward, knocking the wind out of him. Struggling to get back up, he finally saw his attacker: a corpse with glowing eyes, bathed in a sinister golden light.
— "What the fuck is this?!" he gasped, heart pounding wildly.
Without giving him a second to recover, the zombie charged again. William rolled to the side, grabbing his steel chain, but his opponent was frighteningly fast.
Meanwhile, in the library, Flora felt the air grow heavy around her. A gigantic shadow dropped down from the shelves ahead, raising a cloud of dust. A golden zombie stood there, staring at her with hollow eyes.
She jumped up, staff in hand, but fear twisted her stomach. It was the first time she was facing one of these creatures. Every instinct screamed at her to run—but there was nowhere to go.
The zombie charged. She barely dodged, feeling the air vibrate from the force of the blow. She retaliated, striking its head with all her strength. The impact was solid... but the creature didn't even flinch.
— "Fuck..." she muttered, sweat pouring down her temples.
In the gym, Katie was surprised when a metallic thud echoed through the empty hall. The punching bag she was working on had just been pierced by a withered hand. A golden zombie had entered.
Her heart raced, but instead of backing away, she tightened her fists, her steel gauntlets gleaming. A nervous smile spread across her face.
— "You knocked on the wrong door, buddy."
She launched a fast strike, her right fist smashing into the zombie's jaw. The crack echoed—but the creature absorbed the blow without reacting and countered with frightening speed.
Katie couldn't completely dodge and felt a searing pain as she was hurled against the gym wall. Blood trickled from her lip.
— "Okay... this is gonna be tougher than I thought."
Hayden Faces the Past
In his room, Hayden hadn't moved since Blue's alert. He hadn't quite believed it. But when the door was violently smashed open, he realized it was all real.
The zombie stepping through made him shudder. He recognized it immediately. It was one of the ones he had put down at the karaoke bar. But now, it was different.
Its body was wrapped in golden light, its movements fluid, more dangerous.
Hayden felt his stomach twist. He had killed zombies before. But now, he had to face one he had personally sent to the grave. Was it still just a monster? Or something more disturbing?
He drew his katana, but deep down, a new tension grew.
The zombie lunged, faster than expected. Hayden barely managed to raise his blade to block the attack. The impact was brutal, forcing him to step back. His breathing quickened.
He couldn't afford to hesitate.
With a shout, he counterattacked, his blade slicing through the air in a sharp arc.
A Battle for Their Survival
All over the school, chaos erupted. Mary, observing everything through her drone, felt a wave of anxiety overwhelm her.
— "These things... they're too strong..." she whispered, clenching her fists.
Blue, calm within the digital consciousness, analyzed the situation methodically, but even he knew this fight wouldn't be easy.
For the first time, the group was facing a threat that outclassed them.
Their survival would no longer depend only on strength but on their ability to adapt.
An Inevitable Battle
The school trembled under the impact of the fights. Students and teachers, powerless, watched in horror. Screams and sounds of struggle echoed through the corridors, the ground scarred by the signs of chaos.
William – The Strategist's Trick
The golden zombie charged at William, its massive silhouette radiating overwhelming menace. Despite his fear, William didn't let panic win. He knew he couldn't beat this thing head-on. He had to use his wits.
— "Alright, let's do this smart."
Chain wrapped around his wrist, he sprinted around the surviving trees after the first attack had felled one.
The zombie, fast but brainless, chased after him. William, running, glanced at the overturned benches and broken trunk debris. An idea formed in his mind.
— "C'mere, buddy!" he shouted, luring the monster toward a line of trees.
Once in position, he threw his chain, wrapping it around the zombie's arm, then ran the opposite way, circling a tree and pulling hard.
The zombie, unable to stop, slammed violently into the tree. William seized the moment to entangle it further, using the toppled benches and fallen branches as leverage.
— "Constriction."
A strange sensation ran through his arm, and suddenly the chain seemed to come alive, tightening around the monster by itself. The zombie struggled violently—but the more it fought, the tighter it was bound.
William collapsed to his knees, panting, exhausted. He had won... but had no strength left.
Flora – The Deadly Dance
Flora dodged brutal attacks that shattered the library around her. Every missed blow destroyed shelves, flinging books into the air, raising dust clouds.
One solid hit could break her. She needed to be fast, unpredictable.
Using the surviving shelves, she leapt from one to another, her staff slicing the air as if it was part of her body.
— "You wanna catch me, huh? Come get me then!"
The zombie leapt too, smashing a pillar as it came. Flora's heart skipped a beat when she lost her footing and crashed to the ground. An agonizing pain shot through her arm.
— "Shit... it's broken."
But there was no time for pain. Using her agility, she rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.
One last plan formed in her mind.
Using the debris, she lured the zombie into the weakest part of the library—a precarious pile of stacked furniture.
At the last second, she jumped onto an overturned desk and struck a weakened beam with all her strength.
The impact collapsed the structure, burying the monster under hundreds of kilos of wood and books. Just to be sure, she stabbed down with her staff like a stake, pinning the creature into the rubble.
Lying on the ground, panting, her arm ablaze with pain and some ribs cracked, she still smiled.
She had won.
Katie – The Beast of the Ring
In the gym, the battle resembled a supernatural boxing match.
Katie traded blow for blow with the golden zombie. Her breathing was rapid, her body covered in sweat and blood, but her mind stayed focused.
Every move was calculated. She dodged, pivoted, struck. Her gauntlets gleamed at each impact.
But the monster tanked everything.
— "You've got a fuckin' chin of steel, huh..." she grunted, spitting blood.
The zombie countered with a blow so powerful that it hurled her across the hall, slamming her into a wall. Pain exploded in her back, but she pushed herself up.
— "I'm not done with you."
An ancient instinct awakened inside her. Her body moved on its own, unleashing a flawless series of strikes. Fist. Elbow. Knee. Foot.
Rush Combo.
Each strike was faster, harder than the last. This time, the zombie stumbled backward, unable to keep up.
With a final roar, Katie smashed its skull with a devastating knee strike.
Silence fell over the gym.
She smiled, victorious.
Then passed out.
Hayden's Battle – A Personal Challenge
Hayden, dazed after being thrown out of his room, felt his senses screaming. His thoughts were muddled by the violence of the attack. He realized too late he wasn't facing just one golden zombie—but two.
He stepped back once, then twice, katana gripped tightly in his hands. The situation was worse than he imagined. The weight of his responsibilities and the uncertainty of his role crushed him with doubt. He felt disconnected from his usual instincts.
Adrenaline alone wasn't enough anymore.
— "Fuck..." Hayden muttered, gritting his teeth.
Memories of the past, fear for the future, clouded his mind. A silent question lingered inside him: Am I really made for this?
Then, Blue's voice echoed firmly in his mind, shaking him from his turmoil.
— "You're doubting yourself, Hayden. You think protecting others is a burden. But that burden defines you. It's what you choose to make of it."
Hayden froze, staring into the void, seeking an answer. The zombies advanced—but he no longer truly felt their presence. He wasn't just a desperate boy anymore. He had a responsibility. A choice.
Blue's voice continued, calm but determined.
— "If you choose to abandon your doubts and fully commit, you'll know what to do. Everything you've been through has led to this moment. Remember who you are."
The realization cut through him like lightning. He closed his eyes for a second, feeling every heartbeat. He realized he had always been more than he thought. More than just a student. He wasn't just a soldier, not just a survivor.
He was the protector.
He reopened his eyes. The anxiety, the confusion—all gone. A new determination took hold.
"The way of the samurai," he thought, standing tall, conviction burning through him.
The Fight Against the Zombies – A Test of Resilience
The zombies lunged at him with blinding speed.But Hayden, with his newfound vision, no longer saw them as uncontrollable monsters.He analyzed them like enemies to defeat, obstacles to overcome.
He dodged the first blow from the zombie on the left, his katana striking with precision to push it back.He immediately pivoted to face the second, rolling to avoid an arm swung with superhuman strength.His legs moved instinctively, each step calculated, each gesture precise.
He could feel the energy flowing through his body.There was no more doubt.He had to protect.
The first zombie got back up, enraged.Hayden leapt toward it, slashing horizontally with his katana.The blade cut into the creature's flesh, but it wasn't dead yet.A violent kick to its stomach hurled it against a wall, where it lay motionless.But already, the second zombie was charging, more furious than ever.
The blows rained down.Hayden absorbed the attacks, parrying with the grace of a dancer.He struck again, harder, faster.The two zombies were now backing off.But he couldn't afford a single mistake.They were strong, strengthened by Sol's golden aura, and every misstep could cost him dearly.
With renewed focus, Hayden gathered himself.He moved in—this time faster—and in one fluid motion, deflected a blow from the zombie on the right, slid behind it, and struck at the neck, his katana slicing cleanly through the flesh.The zombie collapsed, lifeless.
The last zombie, furious and wounded, charged one final time.Hayden, taking a deep breath, sidestepped the deadly strike.He raised his katana, focused, and with one swift, final movement, severed the enemy's head, ending the battle.
The End of the Fight – A New Resolution
Breathless, bloodied, Hayden dropped to one knee, sweat pouring down his face.He had triumphed.But it wasn't just a victory against the zombies.It was a victory against himself.He had overcome his doubts.He had found his path.
He turned toward Mary, who was still safe outside the dormitory, her eyes filled with palpable relief.He gave her a faint, uneven smile.
— "You know... everything in life comes down to a choice. The choice to fight for what matters. Today, I made mine."
Then, in a quieter, almost philosophical voice:
— "Protection isn't a burden. It's what gives our existence meaning."