15. Torn

As the two undead ceased their deafening cry, the free went to the last caged zombie, while the other charged against the iron bars. With a few incredible attacks, the bars were torn apart, and it climbed out of its cell, growling incomprehensible words.

I stood guard with the two daggers in my hand. I dared not move, for this time I was not on the offense, but rather the defense.

The now-freed zombie turned its head toward me and let out a cry. Then, it broke into a run with incredible speed.

“Shit!” I put my blades between us. The monster impaled itself, not stopping bowing to the pain. It raised its hand for a clawing attack, and at that moment, I noticed a terrifying detail.

First, I saw the monster’s health.

[ Elite Zombie (Lv. 3) ]
[ 22/24 HP ]

Second, I noticed a change in its hands. The small human nails grew into large, purple claws the size of scissor blades.

It raised its hand. Readied its claws. And swooped at me.

And at that moment, I felt a terrible fear pierce my heart.

I was frozen, like the corpse of a fox amid Siberia. I could not move, but witness as the claws came crashing down on me, making contact with my face, then tearing into my flesh.

Something in my body activated and I moved instinctively, but it was already too late. The zombie’s attack connected.

I backed away and made a safe distance between the two of us, but the thing did not follow. It was munching on something in its hands. Tearing chunks of it with its sharp teeth.

I looked into its hand. And my heart beat harder than before, pounding like it wants to escape my chest. Slowly, I raised a hand to my face. And as the realization struck, I began to feel a growing pain.

Half of my face was missing. The coldness of air touched my tongue, and the muscles in my face were now exposed.

And then it hit me. The pain. The most incredible, violent pain I have ever felt. My thoughts clouded, and I could do nothing but scream.

From the shock. From the pain. From the realization of my mortality.

The fun of the dream was gone, as it suddenly turned into a nightmare.

An indicator appeared in the corner of my vision.

[ 8/15 HP (Poisoned!) ]

Things just kept piling on. The undead’s attack left me poisoned, draining my health continuously. Even worse, it finished the feast on my flesh and stared at me with hunger. It was ready to attack again.

“No!” I yelled with tears, “Get away from me!”

The daggers before me swoop the air, as I tried to scare the zombie away like a bear. And at first, it seemed to work, but this monster was intelligent. It stepped closer, and adjusted its stance, searching for an opening in my frantic flailing.

And suddenly...

“Graah!” The thing jumped forward with a cry!

I dodged out of the way, but it quickly turned and clawed at me again. This time I managed to hold off the attack, impaling its palm upon the sacrificial dagger.

[ -3 HP ]

When it saw clawing won’t work, it leaned forward to bite me.

“Get away from me!” I yelled and kneed the zombie in the head.

[ -1 HP ]

My attack staggered it, and once again, I managed to put some place between the two of us.

In the heat of the moment, I could only see the enemy before me. I failed to recognize in time that the other two zombies were done with their vomit ritual, and the free zombie now looked for the nearest thing to consume. Or rather not thing, but living being.

Me.

When I finally recognized the threat, it was already too late. From the corner of my eye, I could see it pounce into the air and right toward me.

I tried to fix my blade towards it, but I was already too late.

And just as it was about to pounce on me and push me to the ground...

BOOM!

A flail came crashing through the tent and blowing the zombie to the ground!

[ -14 HP, Critical Hit! ]

The blow generated a wind that nearly pushed me aside. I looked up in disbelief to meet my savior.

A knight, dressed in full-body steel of grey. A piece of garment hung from her waist, a torn flag of a clan, the Ironbark, a mighty root now tattered by harsh condition.

Above it all was the face of no woman, but a girl, smiling sadistically.

“Emma?” I spoke in disbelief.

Suddenly, I felt a warmth flow through my body. A strange sensation, much the same as when I gained my first title.

Healing. Her attack on the zombie healed me.

[ +3 HP ]

I could feel my pain soothe. I raised a hand to my face, and the bleeding was nothing like before.

I turned to her, shocked. “What... What did you do?”

She noticed me, and her sadistic smile became bubbly again. “Oh, I took off my glasses! You see, I don’t actually need them, but they make me look smart.”

“That’s not what––”

She did not hear me. Her sadistic grin returned, and with newfound bloodthirst, she stomped on the zombie’s head with her large steel boots.

“DIE, MOTHERFUCKER!”

[ - 8 HP ]

She raised her flail, and as if its head was a whip, she threw it at the zombie before me. It tried to defend itself with its hands, but the flail decimated it, tearing a hole through its torso and the tent.

[ - 16 HP ]

The tent broke apart and onto us. I was sent to the ground, where it covered me like a blanket. Only my head could see out, continuously healing with each of Emma’s attacks.

“I’M NOT DONE WITH YOU, SHITHEAD!” She yelled, and swiftly appeared before the undead. Grabbing the chains coming out on the other end of the zombie, she tied them around its neck and began suffocating it.

Despite needing no air to breathe, the zombie still took damage from how hard she squeezed its neck.

“BEG FOR ME, BITCH!”

The zombie’s tried clawing at her, but she got behind the undead where she could not be reached.

The zombie’s throat was squeezed more and more, until finally...

BANG!

Its bones broke apart into tiny pieces and its head blew up. A fountain of blood squirted out of the undead’s throat hole. Emma stood before the raining blood and rejoiced.

“Yes!” She screamed like a madwoman with happy tears in her eyes. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! YES!”