SWY 25

Creeeeak.

The door opened with the groan of twisting wood. Sharhan flinched and froze for a second before cautiously stepping outside. Fortunately, there were no monsters right outside the door.

Still, they had seen some on the opposite side through the window, so they needed to stay alert. Unless they were completely surrounded by dozens of those things, Sharhan and Lestel could hold their own. The real problem was noise. If the sound of fighting drew in more of them, things could quickly get dangerous.

Come to think of it, the sudden surge in their numbers yesterday had probably been due to people screaming. The townsfolk who had managed to flee through the city gates had been incredibly lucky.

‘No, maybe not. There was that man whose ear had been bitten off among the first ones to run.’

Since everyone who was bitten eventually turned, that man had probably become one of those moving corpses and ambushed the others when they let their guard down. Feeling a mix of dread and regret, Sharhan clicked his tongue and pressed forward.

The three of them stuck close together as they headed toward the city gates. By now, the sun was fully up, and daylight flooded everything. Under the bright sun, the monsters looked even more grotesque.

Their exposed skin bulged with black veins, their eyes were blank, and their gaping mouths were blood-red, driven by hunger alone. Derry gasped at the sight of the carnage and quickly slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from screaming.

And it wasn’t just the monsters. The inside of the city was in an even worse state than the day before. Several corpses still twitched even after half their bodies had been torn apart. Others had been eaten so thoroughly that only bones and skulls remained. The ground was slick with blood that had seeped into the earth, and the stench in the air was enough to make one dizzy.

Just yesterday morning, this place had been filled with the bustle of early risers, the laughter of children, and the savory smell of breakfast. Now, the silence was chilling. Even the birds that fed on corpses had vanished. The entire Luhas territory had become a giant grave.

Sharhan moved forward cautiously, always watching his surroundings. His pace was understandably slow. He wanted nothing more than to escape this hell, but this wasn’t something he could rush. Carefully stepping around scattered debris, he felt cold sweat trailing down his back with every step toward the gates.

They did everything they could not to provoke the monsters. Their progress was painstakingly slow.

The only relief was that they’d stayed in a house near the city gate. It didn’t take long to reach it. Unlike yesterday, the area around the gate was eerily quiet. The swarming creatures had scattered during the night, likely drawn away by the screams of other survivors. That realization brought a mix of relief and bitterness.

But then, when they spotted the corpses in front of the gate, a heavy silence fell. Among the remains of those who had made it that far, there was a child. Derry stifled a sob with another sharp inhale. There was something especially tragic about the corpse of a child who had died before ever getting the chance to grow up.

Their fear and desperation were easy to imagine. They hadn’t realized the night was even more dangerous. It was heartbreaking, but they had to keep moving if they didn’t want to meet the same end.

Sharhan tightened his grip on his sword and checked on Lestel and Derry. Lestel remained calm. Derry was visibly nauseous but clenched his fists, clearly determined not to cause any trouble.

Seeing that, Sharhan gave a silent smile and pointed forward with his finger. It meant: Get ready, we’re about to deal with them. Lestel and Derry nodded. Just as Sharhan raised his sword and took a step.

He locked eyes with one of the creatures, which had been aimlessly circling in place. It bared its teeth at the sight of living flesh and charged forward with frightening speed. The others turned in unison, as if they were one body, and let out a chorus of awful screeches as they rushed in.

“Shit, I was going to strike first, but we were a second too late.”

“Be careful, Shan.”

“Worry about yourself.”

Sharhan swung his sword. He took off the head of the first monster, then turned immediately to strike another nearby. Each time his blade sliced through a creature’s neck, thick, black blood spattered everywhere. With no time to wipe it away, he kept swinging.

Lestel, visible out of the corner of his eye, was also moving quickly, cutting down enemies with practiced ease. Derry, unarmed, could only stumble behind the two, dodging the creatures as best he could to avoid getting caught.

“What are you doing?! Get outside the gate! But be careful, there could be more out there!”

Derry nodded at Sharhan’s shout, waited for the right moment, then took off running. Somehow, he had a stick in his hand, when he’d picked it up, no one knew.

Several monsters reached for him. Just as one’s blackened fingers were about to catch the edge of Derry’s hood, Lestel kicked it hard in the back. It staggered, and Sharhan sliced its neck.

“Don’t these bastards ever sleep?”

Squelch, squelch.

The sound of footsteps slapping against blood-soaked ground grew louder. More of the monsters were racing toward them, drawn by the noise like a pack of wild dogs. In no time, they were surrounded again. Sharhan and Lestel cut their way through the oncoming creatures as they pushed toward the gate.

“Derry, are there any of them outside?!”

“N-no, none!”

Derry answered Sharhan’s urgent shout right away. Thankfully, the area outside the gate seemed clear.

“When we go out, be ready to close the gate right away!”

“H-hurry and get out!”

Just as Sharhan was about to pass through the gate

“Shan!”

Lestel’s urgent cry rang out as Sharhan’s body was suddenly shoved hard. He lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, and at that same moment, something fell from the top of the wall straight onto Lestel. A moving corpse.

“Lestel!”

The force of the fall knocked Lestel over. The thing, dressed in a guard’s uniform, landed right on top of him, baring its vicious teeth, ready to bite. It was just a breath away. The sight made Sharhan’s vision darken with panic.

Without thinking, Sharhan leapt to his feet and drove his sword deep into the creature’s neck. He stabbed with such force that the blade nearly grazed Lestel’s throat. It might’ve nicked him, Sharhan’s heart clenched, but there was no time to worry about that.

He kicked the limp corpse off Lestel, grabbed him by the collar, yanked him up, and shoved him behind. For some reason, he was so furious that his vision went white. He couldn’t hold back the fury boiling over.

“Shit, you crazy bastard!” Sharhan shouted, gripping his sword with both hands and swinging hard. He didn’t even know whether his rage was directed at Lestel or the monsters.

The neck of the corpse lunging at him, teeth chattering eagerly for living flesh, was nearly sliced in half. The creature staggered a few steps to the side before collapsing. Then, another moving corpse in a guard’s uniform dropped from the wall, right next to Sharhan’s foot.

Thud.

The heavy impact made Sharhan flinch and jump back. He barely avoided being crushed. His heart pounded in his chest. Even with its limbs twisted, the thing was still clacking its teeth, trying to bite him.

“Shan! What the hell are you doing?! Get out of there, damn it!”

Lestel’s voice was filled with rage. Sharhan stabbed the fallen creature in the neck, kicked another in the chest, then spun and dashed toward the gate.

The moment Sharhan had fully passed through, Lestel and Derry pushed the gate together. Sharhan quickly joined Derry, and the three of them shoved the massive gate with all their might. It groaned loudly as it slowly began to close.

Just as one of the monsters reached out an arm toward them, the gate slammed shut.

Crunch.

A sickening sound of bones breaking was followed by a severed arm falling to the ground, and twitching. It was grotesque and horrific. Derry turned around and retched, unable to take it anymore.

Sharhan kicked the severed arm away and immediately grabbed Lestel by the collar.

“You insane bastard! Are you out of your mind, shoving me like that?!”

“What about you?! Were you thinking straight?!”

Instead of an apology, Lestel snapped back with outrage, throwing it right back at him.

“What?!”

Sharhan hadn’t really expected Lestel to apologize, but this reaction still caught him off guard. His eyes wavered, confused, but he was still too angry to let it go.

“Were you planning to show off your swordsmanship while surrounded by those things?! Is that it?!”

Lestel grabbed Sharhan’s collar in return and shouted back. They stood there, both holding each other by the front of their shirts, glaring with blazing eyes. The tension crackled between them.

“You idiot! You almost got bitten! Do you even realize that?!”

“And you–! If you’d hesitated even a second, we would’ve been surrounded by dozens, no, hundreds of those bastards! Damn it, you totally lost your mind back there! You didn’t even notice something falling from above and just kept swinging your sword!”

“You think I’m dumb enough to lose myself in that mess?! I was going to cut down a few more and pull out right after!”

“That kind of overconfidence is exactly what gets you killed! How many times have I warned you in sparring matches?! Don’t let your guard down! Don’t lose your head! When your vision goes white, you charge in without thinking! You forget front from back! I told you, if you ever get hurt or die like that, I’ll never forgive you! As long as I’m alive, you have to stay alive – right beside me!”

“So what, you’re saying you were right?!”

“And what exactly did I do wrong?!”

Why the hell would you risk your life just to save me?! The words rose to the back of Sharhan’s throat, but before he could say them,

Boom!

A loud crash echoed from inside the gate.