A side quest

You decided to go upstairs and save your step-sister Natalie. As you go upstairs at full speed, you figure out the safest approach to reach the rooftop.

"There are 8 floors in this block, and I'm only on the 3rd floor. Just 5 more floors to go. I hope she's up there, safe and sound," you murmured to yourself as you climbed the stairs

You encountered a few more zombies on the 4th floor, but you managed to evade them and continued onward.

As soon as you stepped onto the fifth floor, a woman's desperate cry for help echoed through the corridor, "HELP…!"

The zombies scattered throughout the floor suddenly awaken, surrounding you in an instant. "Shit. There are so many of them. More than 20 zombies," you muttered. "They are slow, but this many will be hard to fight."

You swung your pipe with all your strength, fending off the four advancing zombies. Each strike drained more of your stamina, your muscles screaming in protest.

"Damn it," you muttered through gritted teeth, frustration mounting.

Again, a sudden cry echoed through the building, sharp and panicked. Your grip tightened on the pipe as irritation flared.

"Who the hell is making noise now?" you growled, blocking a zombie's lunge with a desperate swing.

You heard footsteps echoing from the floor above.

"More of these things coming down?" you muttered, swinging your pipe to keep the zombies at bay. Your arms burned with exhaustion, but there was no time to slow down.

Then, cutting through the chaos, a voice called out—calm, steady.

"Hold it, boss."

You turned, just in time to see a figure raising what looked like a gun. A sharp crack rang out, and a zombie crumpled to the ground, a nail embedded deep in its skull.

Before you could process what just happened, the newcomer swiftly took down the remaining undead with deadly precision. As the last one hit the floor, he reloaded and nodded toward you.

"Take down the ones near you. Aim for the head."

You swiftly dispatched the nearest zombies, their bodies collapsing in lifeless heaps. Only a few remained.

Then, without warning, one of them sprinted straight at you.

Your breath caught in your throat. Both you and the boy from the stairs froze for a split second, eyes widening in shock.

A running Undead?

You stood your ground as the zombie barreled toward you, its gaping maw eager to tear into flesh.

At the last second, you thrust the metal pipe forward with all your strength.

SHLUK!

The pipe rammed straight into its mouth, tearing through flesh and bone before bursting out the back of its skull. A sickening squelch filled the air as blood and brain matter coated the weapon, dripping onto the floor in thick globs.

The zombie twitched violently, its body convulsing before going limp.

In the chaos, your footing slipped. Before you could react, you crashed onto the cold, blood-slicked floor, the impact jarring your body.

Meanwhile, the stranger moved with deadly efficiency, taking down the last two zombies with precise shots. Thud. Thud. Their bodies collapsed, lifeless.

As you struggled to push yourself up, your gaze landed on the corpses—nails embedded deep in their skulls.

"A… nail?" you muttered in disbelief. A simple piece of metal had ended them so easily?

Footsteps approached. The man who saved you extended a hand, his expression calm despite the carnage.

"You good, boss?"

You grabbed his hand and pulled yourself up, still catching your breath.

"Thanks, brother. You saved my ass."

Now that you got a better look at him, he was a bit chubby, standing just around your shoulder height. His glasses sat slightly askew, and his curtain-style haircut made him look almost comically out of place in this nightmare.

He was the first to break the silence. "Hey, boss. You know me, right? We share Engineering Graphics class."

You squinted, recalling his face. Then it clicked.

"Yeah… You're Anh from Class B."

"Well, good thing you remember me, but Anh's not my real name. My actual name is Andy Hanks."

You blinked in surprise. "Oh, damn. Sorry about that. Your classmates always called you Anh—I just assumed it was your real name."

Andy chuckled, adjusting his glasses. You both exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between you.

Then, he spoke up. "Before we go our separate ways, how about we lend them a hand?"

You nodded firmly. "Absolutely. If they keep making noise like that, they'll just attract more of those things. It's a danger to everyone."

As you both approached the classroom where the desperate shouts echoed, you passed the corpses of the zombies you had already taken down. Any remaining threats were swiftly handled—Anh's nail gun fired with precise shots while you hurried to force the door open.

What you saw inside made your stomach drop.

More than ten zombies filled the room, their grotesque forms swarming toward three terrified girls huddled in a corner. They had flipped study tables to form a makeshift barricade, but it was clear they wouldn't hold for long.

"No time to waste!" you shouted, charging in.

You and Anh moved in sync—every strike of your pipe crushed undead skulls, while every shot from his nail gun dropped another. One by one, the monsters fell.

But then, as the last few bodies collapsed, something loomed over the chaos.

The final zombie stood apart from the others—towering over six feet, its muscular frame resembling a damn bodybuilder. The uniform it wore was unsettlingly familiar, similar to those worn by bouncers.

Its hollow eyes locked onto you.

And then—it moved.

Anh raised his nail gun and fired—but the massive zombie barely reacted. The nails embedded in its thick flesh, but they didn't pierce deep enough to take it down.

"Shit, it's not working!" Anh cursed, stepping back.

You studied the creature, analyzing its movements. "It's slower than the others, but its reach is insane. One grab, and it's over." You tightened your grip on the pipe. "But look—it's stumbling. Its balance is off."

Your eyes darted around the room, searching for something—anything—you could use. And then it hit you.

"Anh, the tables! We can use them to trip it!"

"Got it!"

You both rushed to grab a study table, each gripping an end.

"On my mark—charge!"

Together, you sprinted forward, ramming the table straight into the zombie's legs. The impact was brutal—the monster staggered, its bulk thrown off balance.

"Now!" Without wasting a second, you both lifted the table and hurled it at the creature, forcing it to stumble further.

Before it could recover, Anh took aim and fired—this time at the back of its neck. The zombie lurched, momentarily stunned.

That was your opening.

With everything you had, you swung your metal pipe—CRACK!—caving in its skull. But you didn't stop there. Fueled by adrenaline and pure survival instinct, you struck again. CRACK! CRACK! Each blow sent more blood and brain matter splattering across the floor until the once-mighty zombie was nothing more than a twitching, unrecognizable mess.

Panting, you exchanged a glance with Anh.

"Damn…" he muttered. "That was one hell of a team effort."

"We were just lucky," you replied with a nod, relief evident in your voice.

The girls, once hysterical, had gone silent, their faces pale with shock at the carnage before them. Though their fear was evident, at least they had stopped screaming.

Anh took a step forward, lowering his nail gun. "It's alright now. You can get up."

As the girls hesitantly rose, Anh's expression suddenly changed. His eyes widened in disbelief, and his voice shot up an octave. "No way! You're the idol—RENA?!"

One of the girls flinched at the sudden outburst. She had a delicate, pale complexion, a round face, and an effortlessly elegant figure that mirrored the models on magazine covers.

Anh continued, practically vibrating with excitement. "The news said you were on vacation!"

Rena, still trembling, forced a weak smile. "This... is my vacation. Spending time with my friends is what I love most." Her voice wavered as she glanced at the blood-soaked classroom. "But now, it's ruined."

You studied her for a moment. Was this just her idol persona keeping up appearances, or did she truly care for her friends? The fear in her eyes, the way she clutched their hands tightly—it wasn't just for show.

Anh scratched the back of his head, suddenly sheepish. "Ah… sorry. I kinda forgot we're in the middle of a damn apocalypse. That was dumb of me." He took a step back and gestured. "Anyway, you should all stand up. It's not safe to stay put for too long."

The girls rose shakily, still rattled. One of them hesitantly spoke up. "Can you take us to the safe room? We saw a message on the school Link group. They said it's a secure place to hide."

You exhaled and shook your head. "I'm heading to the rooftop. If you want, I'll help you get there first. But don't get your hopes up—nothing is guaranteed."

The girls nodded in agreement, and you turned to Anh. "What about you, bro? What's your plan?"

Anh adjusted his glasses, gripping his nail gun. "I'm heading to the ground floor. Got an idea, but… don't want to jinx it."

You smirked. "Then I hope we meet again."

"Yeah, let's hope for that."

As you all dashed towards the stairs, you glanced at Anh. "What's the situation upstairs?"

"Came from the sixth floor," he answered. "Fewer zombies up there, but keep quiet, and you'll reach the safe room without a problem."

Your eyes narrowed as you listened to the distant echoes of groans from below. "If that's the case… then the ground floor must be swarming."

Anh gave a short chuckle. "Don't worry, boss. I'll figure something out."

Before parting ways, a thought struck you. "Anh, can you do me a favor? There's a girl named Hina on the third floor. She and some others are hiding in the girls' washroom. The building's crawling with these things… They need help."

Anh raised a brow. "Is she your girlfriend?"

You scoffed. "Nothing like that. She saved me, so I just want to return the favor."

Anh grinned. "Alright, I'll see what I can do."

"Appreciate it, bro."

With that, you nodded to each other before splitting up—Anh heading downstairs, while you and the girls made your way up.

Just as Anh had mentioned, the sixth floor had only a handful of zombies. You turned to Rena and the others. "It should take us about 15 to 20 minutes to reach the safe room from here."

As you moved cautiously through the corridor, a question nagged at you. "By the way… how the hell did the zombies get into a locked classroom? What exactly happened in there?"

One of the girls hesitated before answering, her voice tense. "It was that big guy… the one you and Anh took down. He's the reason everything went to hell."

Rena took a shaky breath and began explaining, her voice laced with fear. "When it all started, the whole class panicked. I don't know about the other classes, but in ours… not a single one of us turned at first."

Her hands clenched into fists as she continued. "With those creatures running rampant outside, one guy risked his life to shut the door. Despite the zombies pounding on it—at least four of them—we thought we were safe."

She hesitated, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Then, after a couple of minutes, there was a knock. 'Miss Rena,' a voice called. It was my bodyguard. He had come to save me."

The weight of her words settled in the air around you.

"The whole class was against opening the door. They feared the worst. But they trusted me… and I let him in." Her voice cracked. "He was bleeding—his right calf was torn open. We treated the wound, and at first… he seemed fine. He told us to stay low, to hide behind the tables."

Rena swallowed hard, her body trembling as she recounted what happened next.

"Then, out of nowhere, he started vomiting blood. He screamed. Moaned. We didn't know what to do." Her breath hitched. "And then… he jumped at the nearest person. He tore into them with his teeth. The ones he killed—" her voice wavered "—came back."

The horror in her eyes was unbearable to witness.

"It all happened so fast. My classmates—my friends—they turned into those things, one after another. We couldn't stop it. It was over in minutes."

A single tear slid down her cheek before the dam broke, and she collapsed to the floor.

"It's my fault," she choked out. "I let him in. I killed them all."

Silent, gut-wrenching sobs wracked her body. She clamped both hands over her mouth, desperately trying to suppress the sounds, knowing that attracting more of them could be the end of all of you.

Her friends knelt beside her, whispering words of comfort, their hands gripping hers, grounding her in their presence.

After what felt like an eternity, Rena sucked in a deep breath and wiped her tears, though her voice was still heavy with guilt. "I'm sorry for breaking down like that… I know I don't deserve to be here after what I did, but…" She looked up at you, her eyes filled with desperation. "Please, help me."

SLAP!

The sharp sound echoed through the empty corridor as one of Rena's friends struck her across the face.

"It wasn't your responsibility to bear, Rena," she snapped, her voice thick with frustration and sorrow. "They chose to trust you like you were some kind of angel, but you're just human like the rest of us. It wasn't your fault!"

Tears streamed down all three girls' faces as their grief intertwined. One of them clutched Rena's trembling hands, her grip tight but comforting. "It was never your fault. It was theirs for putting everything on you."

For a few minutes, you gave them space, standing watch as they huddled together, grieving in silence. But that silence was short-lived.

From the hallway, faint but unmistakable groans and the dragging of feet grew louder—zombies were getting closer.

Your grip on the metal pipe tightened. "We need to move. Now."

As you guided the group towards the safe room, you found yourself walking beside Rena. Despite her global fame and the aura of someone seemingly untouchable, she looked just like any other girl in this moment—exhausted, afraid, human.

"She's just like the rest of us," you mused silently.

Breaking the heavy silence, you muttered, "The world we knew must be dead by now."

Rena's lips trembled slightly before she whispered, "I don't want that to be true."

Finally, the four of you arrived at the safe room. You knocked firmly on the door, hoping for relief. But as it creaked open, your stomach twisted.

Standing in the doorway was the last person you wanted to see—the most manipulative, detestable professor in the entire college.

Slyde, a man in his mid-30s with a slim build, good height, glasses, and a perfectly styled flow haircut, regarded you with an unreadable expression. His low bass voice rumbled through the tension in the air.

"Come in, students."

Rena and her friends stepped into the safe room, with Rena lingering at the entrance. She turned back, her brows furrowing in surprise.

"Why aren't you coming in?"

You met her gaze and said simply, "I told you, I'm going to the rooftop."

Concern flashed across her face. "But it's dangerous out there, and there's a chance that the person you're looking for—"

You cut her off with a dry chuckle. "What, you're worried about me now?" You scoffed, shaking your head. "The world-famous 'Rena,' the idol, concerned about a nobody like me? That's rich."

Her expression tightened, but you didn't let her respond.

"Listen, Rena. The world we knew? It's gone. It's not coming back."

She bit her lip, hesitating. You exhaled and softened your tone slightly. "You focus on keeping yourself and your friends alive. I'll handle my own business."

Taking a step back, you gave her a final smirk.

"Goodbye, Idol Rena."

As you finished your goodbye, Slyde let out a smug chuckle.

"That was a good analogy. We care about ourselves—you should remember that, MISS RENA."

Without hesitation, you slammed your fist into his face. A sickening crack echoed through the room as he stumbled back, blood trickling from his nose. The entire safe room went silent, students and professors alike frozen in shock.

You shook out your hand and scoffed. "Say one more word, and I'll give you another."

A tense pause. No one dared speak. You sneered. "What now? Who are you gonna call? The minister? The commissioner? The police? Suck-up piece of shit."

Slyde's face burned with anger, but he stayed quiet. He knew better.

Satisfied, you turned on your heel and sprinted toward the stairs. Every zombie in your path became an outlet for your lingering frustration. Each swing of your weapon felt cathartic, especially after decking that bastard.

"Three times," you muttered between strikes. "Three damn times I had to take Mathematics-1 because of him. No idea what his problem was, but damn… that punch felt good."

As the last zombie crumpled at your feet, you exhaled and steadied yourself. A moment of stillness.

Your thoughts drifted back.

"I hope Rena and the others will be alright."

But you couldn't dwell on it.

"Side quest over. Time for the main objective."

You took your first step up the stairs and whispered,

"Please, Nita… stay safe."