The sun bled into the horizon, dripping down the mud path like spilled fire. The air was thick with dust and sweat, the cries of crows echoing overhead. Jeff stood with his blade trembling faintly in his grip, his back to Carla, while the shadows of forty men closed in from every side. Their eyes glimmered like wolves circling prey.
Jeff gritted his teeth and raised the blade. His muscles screamed from exhaustion, but he stood his ground. Carla clutched her chest behind him, unable to move, her breathing shaky as fear swallowed her whole.
The first thug lunged. Jeff's sword hissed through the air, slicing the man's stomach open. Another thug's arm flew off in a spray of red. Jeff twisted, kicking one in the chest, sending him crashing into the mud.
Jeff (shouting): Carla—run!
Carla's feet froze, her legs refusing to obey. A thug grabbed her by the hair, yanking her head back until she cried out in pain and fell to her knees. Jeff's eyes widened.
Jeff (desperate): CARLA!
The mob surged forward. Blades slashed his back, his chest, his legs. Blood sprayed across the mud as Jeff collapsed, groaning, his fingers clawing at the dirt. Still, he dragged himself forward, crawling toward Carla, who was trapped under the thug's grip, her face twisted in terror.
Thug 1 (grinning, raising his blade): You thought you could run?
Chroni Guardianz
Episode 7: The Plan Below the Ash
Jeff's hand stretched toward Carla—fingers brushing against hers. The thug's blade swung down toward Jeff's hand. And then—
A flash. A scream. The thug's hand dropped to the mud, still clutching the blade. Blood jetted from the stump like a fountain. The man's scream rattled through the clearing. All forty thugs froze, eyes darting around. The air grew heavier, darker, as if the sun itself had drowned.
Another thug staggered back, his throat opening in a silent gasp before he collapsed. One by one, bodies dropped, their screams echoing through the trees. The thugs clutched their weapons, shivering.
Thug 2 (shaking, yelling into the dark): Who the fuck are you?! Come out and fight like a man!
The grass shifted. A glow spread, faint at first—then brilliant, burning. Blue light bled through the field, illuminating a shadow. The figure's eyes burned with an unearthly glow, and in his hand was a blade of pure light, pulsing like a living flame.
It was Adrik. The thugs recoiled. Some stumbled back. But Adrik didn't wait. He blurred forward, his sword carving arcs of blue fire, cutting men down faster than their screams could leave their throats. His blade sheared through steel, bone, flesh—each strike was so fast it left afterimages, glowing trails hanging in the air like ghostly claws.
Blood sprayed the grass. Men fell in halves. Heads rolled. Panic spread through the mob. But as Adrik swung at another thug, a shadow loomed behind him—one thug raising a rusted axe to cleave his spine.
Another flash. The thug froze—then split in two, his organs spilling into the mud. Behind Adrik stood Draxil, his massive twin blades dripping red, steam rising from the fresh kill. His face was calm, cold, but his eyes burned with madness.Then Adrik and Draxil moved together.
Adrik lunged forward, his glowing blade slicing through three men in a single arc. Draxil spun behind him, his twin blades crossing, carving an "X" through a thug's chest so violently that his ribcage exploded outward.
A thug swung a chain at Adrik. Adrik caught it, yanked the man forward, and drove the blade through the thug's mouth, pinning him to the ground.
Draxil ripped through two more, each strike accompanied by bone-crunching cracks. He kicked one thug so hard the man's spine bent backward, his body folding like broken wood.
Adrik and draxil moved like predators—silent, fluid, unstoppable. Their blades gleamed in the dying light, their strikes echoing with wet thuds and screams. Together, they tore through the mob like wolves in a slaughterhouse.
By the time the last thug hit the ground, the mud path was nothing but red. Blood ran in streams, organs steaming in the cooling air. Silence lingered—broken only by Carla's shallow breathing.
Adrik and Draxil rushed to them, dropping to their knees.
Draxil (concerned): Are you guys okay? Are you hurt?
Adrik, Jeff, and Carla all slowly turned their heads toward him with the same expression—an annoyed glare.
Adrik (snapping): Bro, seriously? Jeff's bleeding out and Carla just got dragged around like a rag doll, and you ask if they're okay?!
Jeff chuckled weakly, clutching his wounds.
Jeff (struggling): It's okay… I'm fine. We need to move.
Carla (worried): But you can't even walk!
Adrik pulled a small spray can from his jacket. He crouched beside Jeff, spraying the deep cut across his back and legs. Jeff flinched hard, biting down a scream, but stayed quiet.
Adrik (softly): It'll sting, but it'll close the wound. Stop the bleeding for now. You'll be able to move again… at least a little.
Jeff tried to push himself up, but Draxil immediately hoisted him onto his back.
Jeff (protesting): No, no, no, no, no, it's fine—I can walk on my own!
Draxil (firmly): Not a chance. Let me help.
Carla pressed a hand to her chest, tears still in her eyes.
Carla (quiet, emotional): Thank you… without you both, we'd already be dead. You saved us again.
She leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on both their foreheads. Adrik and Draxil froze, completely stunned. Their bodies locked up as if time itself stopped.
Adrik & Draxil (whispering in unison): …Mom.
Jeff (confused, blinking): What?
The two brothers snapped back to reality, shaking their heads quickly before they starts walking. Draxil carried Jeff on his back while Adrik picked up their gear, leaving Carla free to walk.
Adrik (embarrassed, scratching his head): Sorry… we didn't mean to call you that. It's just… we never had someone kiss us like that before.
Carla (softly): Why not? Didn't your mother ever kiss your forehead?
Draxil's lips curved into a sad smile.
Draxil (quietly): We don't have a mom. She abandoned us before we were old enough to even remember her face.
Adrik: Yeah. We grew up in the same orphanage, and from then on, we've been together. Always.
Jeff watched them with quiet sympathy.
Jeff: That must've been so hard for you both. How did you even survive?
Draxil: well...We worked part-time jobs, lived in a small rented place. Later I had to move to an apartment for a temporary job… but no matter what, we always stayed connected. Even if we weren't living together, we saw each other every day at college.
Adrik (smiling faintly): He's my only family.
Carla lowered her eyes, her voice soft with sorrow.
Carla: You tell me such a painful past like it's nothing more than a bedtime story.
Adrik (smirking gently): That's because we don't want to make others cry over us. We might be dumb, but we're not dumb enough to spread our sadness.
Carla smiled warmly, touched by their strength. The four of them continued back toward the restaurant under the quiet stars.
Adrik (teasing): You know, Draxil, I've never heard you open up like that before.
Draxil (grinning faintly): That's because there's still a lot about me you don't know, bro.
Adrik (rolling his eyes): Yeah, like how you change your entire personality every few hours.
They all laughed together, the sound fading into the night sky.
The scene shifted. Outside Outpost 17, the forest groaned with the sound of thousands of zombies. Their heads snapped in unison as footsteps echoed. From the shadows walked Colt, his hands in his pockets, his expression colder than death itself.
The horde parted before him like dogs before a master. One zombie, braver—or dumber—than the rest lunged at him. Colt didn't even flinch. His eyes burned with contempt.
The other zombies turned on their own, ripping the foolish one apart, devouring him until nothing but bones remained. Colt smirked faintly.
Colt (muttering): Tch. Trash.
He kept walking until he reached an old, ruined lab. The metal doors groaned as he entered. Inside, he sat at a broken desk, throwing his boots on the table. Lighting a cigarette, his eyes glimmered in the dark.
Colt: I spotted some suspicious guests at Outpost 17. From the reports… it must be them. Draxil and Adrik. I haven't met them yet, but I can already feel it. They'll be trouble for our plan.
A deep rumble filled the room.
The camera panned to reveal a towering beast, nearly eight feet tall. Its body was a grotesque mass of muscle and torn flesh, veins glowing faintly red beneath its skin. Its arms ended in monstrous claws of bone and steel, each finger like a butcher's blade. Its legs bent like a wolf's, built for inhuman speed and silent killing.
The monster's voice boomed like thunder.
Rex (low, powerful): I don't care about your old friends. The only thing I want—
Colt (interrupting, calm): I know. Revenge. I know, brother. Let me handle them. And don't worry, I haven't forgotten the plan.
Rex stared at him with cold, inhuman eyes before turning back to the table.
Colt (lighting another cigarette): Maybe we attack Outpost 17 next week. Draxil and Adrik will move to Outpost 25 soon. It'll be easier to strike after they leave.
Rex (growling): Maybe? Are you scared of them? You're my younger brother. Don't live in fear. Become the fear. As for Draxil… if he stands in our way, I'll crush him myself. The plan happens in tonight. Let the countdown begin.
Colt exhaled smoke, saying nothing more as he turned to leave. Colt didn't answer, only nodded. He stepped into the night. As he walked out, a group of zombies dragged in a bound human, gagged and trembling. They threw him on the table before retreating.
Rex loomed over the man, his shadow swallowing him whole.
Rex (mocking): Dangerous, isn't it? Walking alone in the forest.
The man whimpered, trying to crawl away. Rex's massive hand closed around him like a child gripping a doll.
Rex (grinning): Lunch time.
The man screamed behind the gag. Rex lifted him up, opened his jaws wide, and bit down. The man's skull cracked like glass. Blood sprayed across the walls, coating the screen red before fading to black.
TO BE CONTINUED…