The warehouse's air thick with the stench of decay—dust that had settled for years, that clawed at the back of Muchen's throat and made his stomach churn.
It was the smell of death, of rot, of things that should never have been.
The oppressive atmosphere pressed down on him, closing in.
From their precarious perch atop the rusted metal shelf, Muchen and the others watched the nightmare unfold below.
The horde had grown, a writhing mass of grotesque figures that twisted and jerked in unnatural ways. Their gnarled hands clawed at the air, their hollow moans echoing like a chorus of the damned.
Among them stood a figure that made everyone's heart seize in his chest.
Huiyan.
Her once-pristine school uniform hung in tatters, the fabric stained with dirt and blood.
Her bright eyes, which had always sparkled with life, were now sunken and bloodshot, devoid of anything human.