The night passed in uneasy silence.
No attacks. No groans. No scraping of claws on concrete.
But Liam couldn't sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the broken skull of the Aberrant zombie. Its eyes had glowed red. Not white like the rest. Red. Alive. Aware.
The system had said it was an "evolution."
That meant things were getting worse.
And fast.
By the time the sky lightened, Maya was already on her feet. She hadn't removed her jacket. Her boots were laced tight. Blade already sheathed.
"Wake her," she said, nodding at Lila curled on the floor, hugging Liam's old hoodie like it was a stuffed animal.
Liam gently shook her awake.
Lila blinked, then smiled sleepily. "We made it…"
Maya glanced at the northern evac site again. Still visible through binoculars. Still surrounded by the undead.
"They're not moving," Maya muttered.
"That's not good?" Liam asked.
"It means they're waiting."
Liam frowned. "Since when do zombies wait?"
"Since now."
[SYSTEM ALERT – NEW ZONE STATUS DETECTED]
> Zone Classification: Contaminated Zone Red-7
Threat Level: Aberrant Cluster
System Warning: Do not approach evac zone until system integration reaches 25%. Survival rate below 12%.
> Would you like to view the map of safe routes? [Yes] | [No]
Liam tapped Yes mentally.
A glowing digital map projected across his vision. Red zones. Yellow caution lines. A green blinking dot: "Survivor Cache: West Sector 12 – Underground Shelter."
He showed Maya.
"We'll never survive that evac zone, but there's a hidden shelter west of here."
She nodded. "Then we go west."
Lila clutched her blade nervously. "Will there be more of… those things?"
"Definitely," Maya said without missing a beat.
They moved through narrow alleyways, careful to avoid main streets. Liam carried Lila's backpack, letting her keep both hands free.
They passed rows of cars—some overturned, some melted. Once, they crossed over a burned playground, where swings creaked in the wind.
The deeper they went, the more wrong everything felt.
The rot was thicker. The air felt heavier. And then—
The silence broke.
A scream.
High. Human. Female.
It was close.
Maya hesitated. "It could be bait."
Liam didn't hesitate. "Still a person."
Before she could stop him, he bolted.
They found her in the middle of a collapsed church.
She was pinned beneath a fallen beam, surrounded by twitching corpses.
They weren't attacking.
They were watching.
Five zombies knelt in a perfect circle, heads tilted toward the girl. Their hands twitched, mouths opened slightly, as if… waiting.
"What the actual hell?" Liam breathed.
[System Alert – Aberrant Behavior Detected]
> Zombie Subgroup: Deviants
Status: Ritualistic Dormancy
Warning: Unknown contagion pattern.
Action: Engage with extreme caution.
Maya cursed under her breath. "That's new."
The girl—tall, pale, dark curls—saw them. "Please—don't let them—!"
One of the Deviants turned its head slowly. Not toward her.
Toward Liam.
Its mouth twisted into what could only be called a grin.
It stood.
And pointed at him.
Then the others did the same.
[Mini-Boss Encounter: Deviant Congregation Initiated]
"Liam, we have to run," Maya hissed.
"We can't leave her!" he shouted.
Maya didn't argue. Just threw a blade.
The lead Deviant dodged.
Fast. Too fast.
Liam rushed forward, pipe ready.
"Cover me!"
He slid over broken pews, leapt the altar, and drove his pipe into the shoulder of the first Deviant.
It didn't flinch.
It laughed.
Then bit him.
[ALERT – Bite Detected]
> Infection Rate: 3%
Delaying antibodies in effect. Bonded network suppressing spread.
Liam screamed and kicked the creature off. Maya was already beside him, slicing the head from another.
Lila, from the entrance, screamed and threw a piece of metal, hitting one Deviant in the eye. It shrieked and fell.
Maya stabbed two more.
Liam lifted the beam off the pinned girl with a grunt.
She was bleeding. Badly.
"Can you walk?" he gasped.
She nodded, barely.
"Then move!"
Together, they ran.
By the time they made it to a half-collapsed pharmacy two blocks west, the Deviants were gone.
Or hiding.
Or waiting.
The new girl—Artemis—sat against the wall, pale and quiet.
Liam wrapped her leg with torn bandages.
She looked at him, eyes wide. "They were praying."
"What?" he asked.
"The zombies. They were kneeling. Whispering. Like a cult."
Maya looked shaken for the first time.
[Candidate Detected: Artemis]
> Bond Type: Fear-Based Imprint
Trauma Level: Critical
Bond Level: 0
Compatibility: High
Liam sat beside her. "You're safe now."
"No one's safe," Artemis whispered. "Not since the Red Moon."
He blinked. "Red Moon?"
Maya stared at her. "What do you know?"
Artemis looked between them. "I heard them chanting it. In my head. In my dreams. 'When the Red Moon returns, the flesh shall rise and feed.'"
Lila shuddered.
Liam stood, dizzy.
A screen blinked in front of him.
[QUEST CHAIN UNLOCKED – "The Red Moon Prophecy"]
> Objective: Investigate the origin of the Deviants.
Optional: Strengthen bond with Artemis to unlock prophetic vision chain.
Reward: +500 XP, Infection Immunity Buff Tier I
Night fell fast again.
This world didn't want them to rest.
Maya took first watch.
Lila curled beside Artemis, hugging her softly.
Liam sat alone, watching the shadows.
The system pinged again.
[System Update: Infection Delay Timer Resets Every Time Bond Progress Occurs.]
> Stagnant bonds will cause rot to advance.
The only way to live is to love—or lie—well.
He sighed.
Then glanced at Artemis—her haunted eyes. Her trembling hands.
And wondered how many more broken souls he'd have to gather before he earned the right to escape.