The basketball court was rather large, and the bleachers had enough seating to easily accommodate a few thousand people. At that moment, students and teachers sat scattered, their eyes filled with fear as they stared toward the cafeteria.
"Amy, do you think something bad happened...?" whispered a small student, hugging her knees and pressing herself tightly in an attempt to keep warm.
"Joan, don't worry. You've seen how strong Sloane Whitaker is. Even if zombies appeared, they wouldn't be a problem for her," Amy said firmly, trying to sound confident not only to reassure her friend but also to convince herself.
Joan bit her lips hard as her body shook constantly. Eventually, she couldn't hold back her tears and began to sob: "Amy... I... I'm so scared... Chloe suddenly turned into a zombie, and April was bitten to death... So many people are dead, and I'll never be able to talk to them again..."
Amy, barely able to contain her own emotions, finally broke down and cried. She had just tried to contact her family but received no response; she already feared the worst.
"I'm cold... I want to wear dry clothes... I want to feel warm... I want to hear my mother's sermons again..." Amy whispered through her tears.
This kind of conversation could be heard all over the gym. The students were terrified, awaiting a dark and unknown future.
A few hours ago, they had laughed and chatted happily, worried about which clothes to buy to look their best. Now, they only wished for dry clothes to ease the biting cold.
Even the teachers, the responsible adults, could not take charge of the others when they themselves didn't know if a strange creature might break through the door at any moment and take their lives.
---
"What happened here?" The cold voice of Sloane was the first sound to break the silence.
Andrew didn't respond immediately but gathered several towels from the floor and tied them together, forming a huge square of cloth. Then, he carefully began moving the immobilized zombie bodies onto the cloth, explaining slowly:
"There's enough food in this cafeteria to feed about a hundred people for roughly a week. Also, I don't feel comfortable in the middle of a crowd, so I intend to turn this place into my temporary resting area… Therefore, I'll take care of these zombies."
"You said you've taken care of these zombies...?" Sloane murmured, her voice strange as she watched Andrew work.
After the first glance, he didn't look at them again and simply continued working tirelessly. Many thoughts constantly ran through Sloane's mind, making it extremely hard for her to understand him.
Chese wasn't thinking about so many things like she was; he simply looked at Andrew's back and asked, "Can I ask… Right, we still don't know your name. You are…?"
"Andrew Walker," he replied nonchalantly. Andrew wasn't trying to show off; this was his true personality. Even before the world went chaotic, he hadn't been good at connecting with many people due to past incidents.
"I see, Andrew. Nice to meet you. I'm Chase Sterling," Chese said with a smile.
Chese was extremely handsome, his grades among the top ten every semester. All these excellent qualities, combined with a wealthy family, made him the prince charming of countless girls; even among boys, he was popular for his charisma.
"Likewise," Andrew replied without much interest.
His absolute priority now was ensuring his own safety, then contacting home to check on his family's safety, and finally understanding the rules of the new world. He wasn't interested in making friends with anyone, just as he hadn't been in the past.
Chese's expression became slightly awkward at Andrew's obvious coldness, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.
"How did you kill them?" Sloane asked.
She noticed blood stains on the floor. However, that blood obviously came from the four large mosquitoes that had been killed and dismembered. Sloane was curious how this young man had managed to deal with the zombies without harming them.
"They're not dead. They're still alive," Andrew replied after finally finishing moving the fifteen bodies.
"What?" Sloane's cold, indifferent expression broke for a moment when she heard his words.
Andrew began dragging the large piece of cloth toward the exit with some difficulty but with steady steps. Although his total strength was 65 points, he hadn't yet reached a level where he could casually drag fifteen adults.
As he walked, he explained, "These zombies are still alive. I just destroyed all their connective bones, so even though the brain is intact, they're no different from dead zombies since they can't do anything… I didn't want to stain the floor where I'll sleep."
Sloane's eyes lit up, finally understanding why the zombie bodies were in such terrible condition… She had assumed Andrew was simply a barbaric and violent person, but after hearing his explanation, she realized she had been wrong.
Although she admired his strength in some way, that was all. From her perspective, there was no one trustworthy in this place. For Sloane, the only person she could trust a little was her childhood friend Chese; as for the rest, they were all useless.
Especially the men.
---
At that moment, Sloane was surrounded by men and women. Lucas, the vice president of the student council, and Chese, the skilled fencer, constantly tried to start conversations with her.
Jasper Flynn, the man with his enormous axe, observed the bodies of several students and teachers with casual indifference, unconcerned about the outside world.
After taking the fifteen zombies out and dragging them to a nearby building, Andrew returned to the gym. He simply ignored the looks he received and left quietly, with no intention of chatting with anyone.
Arriving at the cafeteria, Andrew used his fire manipulation ability to remove the blood staining the floor, making it evaporate.
Since the windows were broken, rainwater constantly entered, and the areas near the windows were wet. The cold was unbearable even though he didn't feel it thanks to his jacket.
After a few minutes of thought, Andrew removed the legs from several tables and used the tabletops to cover the windows, one by one. To prevent the wood from falling, he used various cabinets and refrigerators in the room, isolating the space from rain and wind and reducing the chances of a monster entering.
Then Andrew closed the door and locked himself inside the cafeteria.
He turned on a dim light and sat on a chair away from the window and door to rest. Five minutes later, he took his phone out of his backpack and, with trembling hands, called his mother.
…
"The number you are trying to reach is out of service or turned off. Please try again later."
Andrew took a deep breath to calm himself, unwilling to consider the worst-case scenario. With fear persisting, he dialed his little sister Anna's number.
…
"The number you are trying to reach is out of service or turned off. Please try again later."
Hearing the same message again, Andrew couldn't help but put the phone down on the table. He collapsed gently into the chair, and as he listened to the constant sound of thunder, his eyes darkened slightly, imagining the worst.
Although he didn't want to think about it, Andrew knew the probability that his family was dead was very high. After all, many people had turned into zombies without warning, zombies had begun attacking mercilessly, insects had evolved, and even pets had gone feral.
However, he wasn't truly willing to accept it. After all, the only thing he had left was his family.
Barely resisting the urge to scream, Andrew picked up his phone again and dialed his father's number.
…
Sitting on a nearby chair, Brunilde felt a bit sad for him as she watched him act like a small child on the verge of screaming.
Even when forced to fight for his life, even when he had no choice but to wield a sword and wade through blood, even when his whole world was collapsing, Andrew always appeared determined and unwavering. He fought when necessary and used his brain perfectly to survive.
Yet, facing the possible death of his family, his composure had completely fallen apart.
---