The wind howled down the shattered stairwell like a fury of angry ghosts. Kael Zhou clung to the railing , knuckles white as his lungs burned. Below him, the first floor of the dorm had been turned into a horror diorama—ripped furniture, blood sprayed in frantic arcs, and at least three things that were students but were now. other.
A message flickered in his line of sight:
[Survivors Remaining: 17%]
"Well, that's reassuring news," Kael growled. "Only 83% of us are dead. Just fine. Absolutely—oh god."
Something crawled through the blackness.
Kael froze. The creature—ex-human? mutant insect?—had too many legs. And eyes. And teeth. So very many teeth.
It attacked.
Kael reacted instinctively, diving to the side. Wind broke his fall ahead of him, barely preventing him from crunching his skull open. He flipped over, leapt up wielding the fire extinguisher as a club, and—
Clang.
The beast hissed back, recoiling.
[Improvised Weapon Proficiency: +2%]
"Yeah, yeah," panted Kael. "Give me a gold star later."
The creature recovered faster than he expected. It charged again, and this time Kael wasn't able to step aside.
Then—
A trash can lid slammed into the side of the creature, which whirled into a wall.
"Move, idiot!"
Kael blinked. A dark-haired girl in the doorway, her hair plastered to her face with rain and sweat, stood brandishing a mop as a spear. She looked as though she'd been dragged through hell backwards—and then asked for a rematch.
"You're welcome," she growled.
Kael's words ran faster than his brain. "I had it under control."
She raised an eyebrow, looking at the fire extinguisher gripped in his hands. "Uh-huh. You're welcome again."
The creature quivered.
"Run now. Argue later," the girl commanded him, grabbing his wrist and hauling him for the door.
Kael lurched after her, the wind in his face like a shove. "So, what's your name? Or should I be referring to you as 'My Hero'?"
"Li Na," she growled. "And if you don't shut up, I'm leaving you for the next monster."
Kael grinned. "Noted."
Behind them, the monster roared.
[New Objective: Don't Die (Again)]
Kael Zhou ran as if demons chased him, the storm at his back, some strange girl clinging to his side, and the System cheerfully counting down the seconds to the next disaster.
This was fine.
Dramatically fine.
The wind howled through the shattered stairwell like a choir of tormented spirits. Kael Zhou clung to the banister, his knuckles pale as a bone, his lungs burning. The bottom floor of the dorm beneath him was a hellish scene—a furniture overturned, blood splattered in crazed curves, at least three of what had once been students now. something else.
A message flashed in his vision:
[Survivors Remaining: 17%]
"Great, thanks for that information," Kael growled. "Only 83% of us are deceased. Fine. Absolutely—oh, man."
Something scuttled over the blackness.
Kael froze where he stood. The thing—ex-human? mutant roach?—had too many legs. Too many eyes. Too many teeth.
It came at him.
Kael acted by instinct, throwing himself to the side. The wind responded ahead of him, breaking his fall just in time so that he didn't open his skull like an egg. He rolled up, came up swinging the fire extinguisher like a bat, and—
Clang.
The creature hissed and backed away.
[Improvised Weapon Proficiency: +2%]
"Yeah, yeah," Kael gasped. "Give me a gold star later."
The object healed faster than he expected. It hit again, and this time there was no space to get out of the way.
Then—
A trash can lid smashed into the creature's side, knocking it against a wall.
"Move, idiot!"
Kael blinked. There was a girl in the doorway, dark hair plastered to her face with sweat and rain, grasping a mop like a javelin. She looked as though she'd been dragged through hell backwards—and then asked for a rematch.
"You're welcome," she barked.
Kael's words stumbled out in front of his brain. "I had it in hand."
She cocked an eyebrow at the fire extinguisher still held in his arms. "Uh-huh. You're welcome again."
The creature convulsed.
"Go now. Debate later," the girl commanded, tugging his wrist and hauling him towards the door.
Kael staggered along behind her, the wind at his back like a shove. "So, what's your name? Or do I get to call you 'My Hero'?"
"Li Na," she growled. "And if you don't shut up, I'm leaving you for the next monster."
Kael grinned. "Documented."
Behind them, the creature shrieked.
[New Objective: Don't Die (Again)]
Kael Zhou ran as if his soul were ablaze, the storm in his wake, an enigmatic girl holding on to his elbow, and the System ringing in with affection for countdowns of seconds to the next disaster.
Great.
Absolutely great.
They stormed through the dorm doors into the courtyard—or at least what was left of it. The rain had turned the ground into a shallow lake, reflecting the red emergency lights like a wavery funhouse mirror.
Li Na didn't wait. She dragged Kael into the biology building, where some survivors had found refuge inside.
"In here," she ordered, shoving him into a side door.
Kael barely had time to see the dozen pairs of eyes looking back at him before someone slammed a chair against his head.
"Whoa!" He ducked, involuntarily allowing the wind to carry it away. "What the hell?"
A wide-shouldered man with a split lip came forward, holding a fire axe. "Prove you're not one of them."
Kael's eyes widened. "Uh. I'm joking rather than screaming? I think the monsters aren't. Usually, at least."
Li Na nodded. "He's clean. Mostly."
The man—Zhang, if the one stitched onto his lab coat was to be believed—glared but put down the axe.
Kael scanned the room. Fifteen people, students and staff, held onto each other like survivors of a sinking ship. Some were injured, bandages soaked through with blood. There was one girl who walked back and forth, muttering to herself.
"Charming," Kael muttered. "Do we get to do the trust fall next?"
Li Na poked him in the ribcage. "Please don't be an asshole for five minutes. Please."
"I could," Kael said. "But where's the fun in that?"
A new warning flashed in:
[Safe Zone Found! Temporary Reprieve Activated.]
[Next Evolution Wave in: 22:14:09]
Kael's stomach dropped. "We have less than a day before the next wave."
Li Na's teeth gritted. "Then we move fast."
3. The Plan (Or Lack Thereof)
They huddled around a lab bench, using a whiteboard to sketch out a crude map of campus. Zhang indicated the dormitory sector.
"We'll require provisions. Rations, water, meds."
"And weapons," a skinny girl named Mei added, twirling a scalpel on her fingers.
Kael shoved his chair back. "Great idea. 'Get stuff.' Very creative."
Li Na glared at him. "Got a better one?"
"Actually, yeah." Kael grabbed a marker and drew a circle around the engineering building. "The robotics lab. If the System's granting superpowers, perhaps there's equipment we can hijack as well."
Zhang guffawed. "You expect a robot to rescue us?"
"No," replied Kael. "But a flamethrower-wielding drone can."
Silence.
Then—
"I like him," Mei said.
Li Na rubbed her temples. "We break up. Zhang's unit claims the cafeteria for gear. Kael and I claim engineering."
Kael bowed. "Adventure time."
The drizzle had all but stopped, but the air still crackled with static. Kael and Li Na moved through the darkness, avoiding the things that lurked in the light.
"So," Kael breathed. "You ex-military or something?"
Li Na didn't answer.
"Secret agent? Underground fight club? Oh—were you bitten by a radioactive—
"Shut. Up."
A low, growling warning from behind a hedgerow.
Kael tensed up. "Or we could just keep talking. That's cool too."
The thing that emerged was the size of a wolf, with too many elbows and a mouth that split its head in two.
Li Na leveled her mop-spear. "On three."
"Three," Kael replied, and knocked it off its feet with a blast of wind.
The creature stumbled. Li Na charged, striking it in the side with her weapon. It shrieked, flailing—
And then Kael swung the fire extinguisher down onto its skull.
Crunch.
[Teamwork Bonus: +10% XP]
Li Na wiped her face with the back of her hand. "You're annoying. But helpful."
Kael smiled. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."
The engineering building was eerily quiet. They found the robotics lab unlocked, tools strewn about as if the occupant had fled in a panic.
Kael made a beeline for a prototype drone on the workbench. "Jackpot."
Li Na stared at a blood splatter on the floor.
"You okay?" Kael inquired.
She didn't respond. "My brother was in this lab."
Ah.
Kael hesitated, then nudged a toolkit her way. "Help me set this up to blow. It'll be cathartic."
Li Na's lips curled. "You're awful at pep talks."
"But explosive at it."
For the first time, she nearly smiled.
[Bond Level Increased: Li Na (Tolerates You)]
Kael scoffed. "Rude."
Outside, something screamed.
The break was over.