A cold shiver crept onto Cayden’s spine. Pete help him take away the body of the beer bellied wryth.

“Man, you okay? Shit, what kind of zombie chose their target like this? Is he still bearing grudge on the other side?” Pete’s tone is casual. He acts like he doesn’t hear the voice of the green woman earlier.

“For a coward, I think you adapt rather quick.” Cayden shove the body of the beer bellied man aside, wiping his face from blood. Pete’s clothes are also soaked with blood. It seems he was about to grapple the wryth when Cayden slice his machete.

Pete shrugged. “Man, I’ve watched the whole 11 seasons of The Walking Dead for three months. You think I won’t know what to do?”

Cayden wipe the blood from his machete and sheathe it back to his waist. Then, without hesitation, pick up his knife and slice his palm. Blood ooze out from the wound. Before a drop can spill to the floor, Cayden pulled Pete closer to him and drip his own blood on Pete’s forehead. Letting the warm red liquid flow down to his cheeks.

“What are you doing?!” Pete is suddenly alarmed by Cayden’s sudden action. He tried to wipe it off but Cayden stop him.

“Don’t.”

“Are you crazy or are you trying to baptize me with your blood? Gross man.” Pete grimaced.

“You heard her.”

“What?”

Cayden turn his head in the direction of the woman above them. “She said there are three heroes and one is a rogue. Spill the rogue’s blood and you will be spared.” Cayden paused. Looked straight into Pete’s eyes as he explain calmly.

“In the glowing ball choice earlier, The other three who ingest it are considered heroes. I did not ingest it, then that makes me a rogue. To spill my blood means all of you will be spared. But sorry Pete, I’m not so damn heroic to sacrifice myself for the sake of others. I can’t afford to die now. There’s still something I need to do.”

Pete was the first to break the eye contact. He stared at the woman who was busy playing with her white hair that expands into bag of white dark clouds.

“Can you answer a question for me man?”

Cayden nodded.

“You knew this will happen didn’t you?” Pete pointed to his bag and knives strapped to his legs. “That would explain why you rummage through my stuff. How did you know?”

Cayden fell silent. He chose to sit out on this one. He absolutely cannot tell Pete anything about the regression clock he stole and him traveling back on this day from 10 years in the future. Noticing his reluctance, Pete did not press him any further.

“Man, you know we’ve been friends for three years and I really don’t want instances like surviving against zombies get in the way of our friendship. So if you plan on deserting me or leaving me behind I’m cool with it. We can part ways here. I’ll find a way to survive and you do your own thing. This kind of cliche plot is always common in Hollywood. Friends backstab each other, one left to be eaten the other one continued on ugh - I really hate those cliches. So -”

“You’re my best friend Pete.”

Pete’s face that was drenched with cold sweat froze. Cayden caressed the palm he sliced earlier.

“I want us to survive together. I can’t exactly tell you how I knew but my knowledge is limited. This - this woman coming here with her puppets - that I did not know. The only thing I know is we need to get out of here before 11:59pm.”

“11:59…Is that the predestined time that woman is talking about?”

Cayden nodded. “Pete, at 11:59pm everything we know will change. The old world we once know will be gone. And that scene with the mother and daughter killing off each other? Soon it will be the most common thing you will see between people who survive.”

Above them, rough footsteps stumped heavily in the corridor.

Cayden nodded his head sideways, pointing to the quiet staircase down to the fifth floor. “We need to go.” Together, they tried to run back to where they came from but a wave of wryths are coming from the adjacent building on the right. On the left are the faces of the daughter who shoved her mother aside and the other survivors. They are glaring at Cayden fiercely.

Cayden paused. He stared coldly at the survivors. Counting off how many they are. Only 25 people left. All body abled and physically fit. The child with the mother, the old man, the elderly - everyone who can’t save themselves fall prey to the wryth’s hands.

Now those weak individuals are chasing after them.

“Oooh, a face off?” The woman above the storm clouds mused. “Three are heroes and one is a rogue. Why don’t we spice things up to induce more drama? Hehehe” she snap her fingers and immediately after, the wryths stop moving.

Each face from the wryths staring at the survivors is morbid and horrific. Their eyes are cloudy, skin ugly, full of smelly open flesh that has dried blood all over it. Their mouths are still dripped with blood, some teeths have flesh between their teeths.

“You did a great job holding out for two hours. I’m very pleased.” For the first time, the green glow in the woman’s eyes disappeared. Replaced by two beautiful pair of emerald eyes. It shone brightly amidst the dark clouds.

Her features are those of cosplayer girls who portray anime characters. Her dress is full of green seams and white ribbons. Her gloves are white and her doll shoes are green. If only she has golden locks of hair and blue eyes, she can be called a living doll. She was beautiful.

It if wasn’t for the extension of her hair that commands the clouds to stir above them, they would not think this woman is scary.

“Three are heroes and one is a rogue. Find the rogue. Spill his blood on your body and you will be spared.” Her voice turn softer as the thunder above the stormy clouds rumbled.

“I’ll give you five minutes to find the rogue. If not…” She pointed her gloved hand to the wryths who are standing motionlessly on the right section of the building. “You will be joining them.”

The 25 people immediately took out knives, baseball bats, and metal pipes. They are made up of five women and twenty men. Most survivors are university students, just like Cayden and Pete. All of them are marching towards Cayden.

Pete immediately walks in front of Cayden. Cayden is slightly taller than Pete, hiding behind him gave Cayden a strange feeling, why does he need to hide behind someone who is scared of girls?

“That’s as far you can go.”

The man at the front is as young as them. But he was taller and more athletic looking with his tanned arms. Add that to the metal pipe on his grip encased with blood made him look even more dangerous than any of the survivors.

“Rabinton why don’t you step aside?”

“Yeah, we don’t want to hurt you, we just need to settle some score with that friend of yours.”

Pete did not budge. Cayden stared at their arms and feet. Blood grazed their legs and wrists. Until one skin caught his attention.

“If you don’t get out of our way…. You don’t want to imagine what we will do.”

“How can you be so sure that Cayden is the rogue?” Pete asked.

The men smirked. “Out of the four people, he’s the only one who refused to eat the glowing ball.”

“If you saw what the ball did to others can you blame Cayden for it?”

The survivors did not say anything to refute him. But one of the people behind suddenly asked.

“What if the glowing ball will not take effect if the four of them ate it all? She gave us a choice to ask her to leave or not. It was obvious what we need to choose, why didn’t you?”

Pete open his mouth to speak but Cayden stop him. It was useless trying to convince them. Besides, now he was one hundred sure. He is not the rogue. If he really is, then there’s no need to get on with this dumb conversation. He glance at the green woman.

There are three heroes and one is a rogue. If finding the rogue is really easy then why did the woman give them five minutes to look for the rogue? There are 25 people vs the two of them. It hardly takes a minute to kill him.

Cayden suddenly open his eyes. A thought suddenly entered his mind. Wait, if heroes are wryths that suddenly possessed the three humans and became the wryths themselves infecting others… then what about the fourth wryth that’s supposed to possess him?

“What are we still waiting for? Kill them!”

“Right! We just need to spill his blood. Humans naturally have 5 liters of blood. It’s enough to save all of us!”

Then unstoppable riot broke out. All twenty five of them are charging towards Cayden. Pete and Cayden turn around and run to the nearest staircase on the sixth floor. Pete is running in front, taking two steps at a time, when he was about to step foot on the seventh floor, an ax flew by. Almost splitting his head in half.

Cayden’s breath rushed. Adrenaline let him act fast, enabling him to pull Pete out of harm’s way. Just when they think they can let out a relieved sigh, another knife almost pierced Cayden’s arms.