New Dawn Chapter: 097

Tysone took in the scene with a quick, appraising glance: the nervous officer, the terrified civilians, the flimsy barricade. He ignored her question for a moment, his helmeted gaze sweeping over the survivors.

"Protection?" Tysone's voice, amplified slightly by his helmet, was flat and devoid of warmth. "Doesn't look like much protection. Who's actually in command here?"

Asami flinched at his tone but puffed out her chest slightly. "My superior, Officer Matsushima, is in charge! He… he went to get help! We are to wait here!"

One of the male survivors, a lanky man with a scowl, scoffed. "Matsushima's been gone for days, Officer Nakaoka. And 'help' ain't coming." He eyed Tysone's group, their gear, their weapons, with a mix of fear and something else—perhaps hope, or greed.

Tysone's attention remained on Asami. "So, you're in charge until he gets back? Are these barricades secure? What's your food and water situation? How many zombies have you had to deal with inside?" His questions were rapid-fire, direct, leaving no room for evasion.

Asami stammered, "W-Well, we… the barricades, they're… we haven't had any… any of 'Them' inside yet. Food is… we're rationing." She wrung her hands. "Officer Matsushima said…"

"Officer Matsushima isn't here." Tysone cut her off, stepping closer. The other survivors watched, silent and tense. "And wishful thinking won't keep anyone alive." He was about to press further, to gauge if this 'Officer Nakaoka' was a complete liability or someone who could be managed.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from deeper within the mall, followed by a series of frantic, terrified screams.

Asami jumped, her face paling. "Wh-what was that?!"

The lanky survivor swore. "They're in! I told you those back shutters wouldn't hold!"

Chaos erupted among the huddled civilians.

Tysone's head snapped towards the sound. His hand tightened on his halberd. "So much for no zombies inside."

Immediately, the survivors scurried away behind Officer Nakaoka like rats.

"Formation!" Tysone barked, his voice sharp enough to cut through the rising panic of the civilians. He didn't waste breath on reassurances. His team snapped into action.

Saeko instantly shifted, her wooden sword held low, eyes scanning the direction of the screams.

Kohta raised his rifle, finger hovering near the trigger, already trying to pinpoint the source through the interconnected layout of the mall.

Takashi hefted his own weapon, a grim look on his face. Rei stood close to him, her spear pointed towards the darkness.

Saya stood ready, flexing her hands. She didn't know what to do, but she looked determined.

Asami Nakaoka looked utterly lost for a split second, her face white as sheetrock. She was momentarily paralyzed.

Then, some ingrained training, however shallow, kicked in. "E-Everyone, stay back! Get behind the… the tables!" She yelled at the civilians, her voice cracking but audible. She fumbled for the service pistol holstered at her hip, drawing it with trembling hands. It looked pitifully small compared to the hardware Tysone's team carried.

"Which way did they breach?" Tysone demanded, his attention fixed on the corridors leading deeper into the mall, ignoring Asami's flustered commands to the civilians for now.

"Sounded like the east wing! Near the loading docks!" The lanky survivor yelled back, already crouching low behind an overturned kiosk. "Matsushima swore those shutters were reinforced!"

"Reinforced means nothing if enough of 'Them' push." Kohta muttered, adjusting his aim. "Or if something bigger makes the hole."

Tysone's eyes narrowed behind his helmet's visor. 'Something bigger.' Exactly what he was looking for, though the timing couldn't be worse. "Kohta, secure this position. Use the barricade, flimsy as it is. Don't let anything get past you to the civilians. Saeko, Saya, Rei, Takashi with me. We're going to plug the hole, or at least see what we're dealing with."

"Understood." Saeko replied evenly, already moving towards Tysone.

"Hm!" Rei nodded. 

"Right behind you!" Saya added hastily.

"W-Wait! You can't just–!" Asami started, taking a step forward, her pistol still shaking.

Tysone didn't stop, just glanced back at her over his shoulder. "Officer Nakaoka. Your priority is them." He jabbed a thumb towards the terrified civilians huddled behind her. "Keep them quiet, keep them down. If anything gets past my rear guard, shoot it. Can you do that?"

Asami swallowed hard, her knuckles white on the grip of her gun. She looked from Tysone's imposing, helmeted figure to the whimpering group behind her. "…Yes. Yes, I can." Her voice was barely a whisper, but it held a sliver of resolve.

"Good." Tysone turned back to the task. "Let's move."

Kohta glanced briefly at Asami, and pointed a sharp, confident finger at himself. "Don't worry, Officer. Nothing is getting past me. Keep calm and keep 'em quiet, and we'll be fine." He flashed a quick, reassuring smile, then turned back to the corridor.

Asami smiled weakly in his direction. 

Meanwhile, Tysone led Saeko, Saya and Takashi and Rei at a fast jog, boots splashing through shallow puddles on the polished mall floor. The air grew heavier, tinged with the coppery scent of blood.

They rounded a corner lined with darkened storefronts. Ahead, the corridor opened slightly near what looked like a service hallway intersection. Debris—shattered plaster, bent metal shelving, scattered merchandise—littered the floor. And then they saw them.

A stream of common zombies, maybe fifteen or twenty, were shuffling out of a wide, darkened service tunnel. The source of the breach was obvious: a heavy-duty metal shutter door had been violently torn inwards, its edges ragged like chewed tin foil. These weren't just shambling through; they were being pushed from behind by the sheer pressure of more bodies in the tunnel.

"Standard zombies." Saeko observed, her voice calm. To the current them, normal ones would hardly pose a threat.

"Yeah, but look at that door." Tysone said, pointing with his rifle barrel. "Regulars didn't do that."

As if summoned by his words, a new sound emerged from the darkness of the tunnel—a deep, resonant thump… thump… thump, like a monstrous heartbeat. It was followed by a low, grating roar that vibrated through the floor tiles. The stream of zombies pouring out suddenly intensified, pushed faster, some even stumbling and falling over each other as if fleeing something behind them.

"There." Tysone breathed, a grim satisfaction warring with the immediate danger. "That's our target."

He brought his rifle up. "Saya, watch our flank, back the way we came. Saeko, Takashi, Rei, engage the zombies. Thin them out, create space. I'll see if I can get eyes on whatever's making that noise."

"Understood!"

"Acknowledged." Saeko was already a blur of motion, her bokken whistling through the air as she intercepted the closest zombies with brutal efficiency. Each strike landed with a sickening crack of bone, precise and deadly.

Saya nodded, nervously but resolutely taking position to cover their rear, peering back down the corridor they'd just traversed.

Tysone used the momentary chaos Saeko created to edge closer to the breached tunnel opening, using a large overturned planter as cover. He peered into the oppressive darkness beyond the mangled shutter. The rhythmic thumping grew louder, closer. The air felt thick, charged with a strange energy he was starting to associate with the Evolved.

Then, a pair of eyes ignited in the blackness. Not the vacant, milky white of the common dead, but a piercing, malevolent crimson glow. They were large, set wide apart, and fixed directly on him.

The thumping stopped. A low growl rumbled from the tunnel, and a hulking silhouette began to detach itself from the shadows, stepping into the dim light filtering from the mall corridor.

It was massive, easily eight feet tall, its body grotesquely swollen and misshapen. Patches of what looked like riot gear—cracked visor, torn vest—were fused haphazardly into its grey, leathery flesh, suggesting it had once been some kind of security personnel or heavily armored officer. Its arms were thick as tree trunks, ending in mangled claws.

But the most striking feature, aside from the glowing red eyes, was embedded in the center of its chest, pulsating with the same crimson light: a jagged, crystalline shard, easily the size of a small fist.

'This one's bigger!'

Jackpot. The thought flashed through Tysone's mind, sharp and clear. This was exactly what they needed.

The creature let out another guttural roar, swatting aside a couple of regular zombies blocking its path like flies. It locked its glowing eyes onto Tysone behind the planter.

"Saeko!" Tysone yelled, switching his rifle for the halberd on his back. "We've got company! Big one's here!" He braced for the inevitable clash, his grip tightening on the weapon.

Saeko, in mid-swing dispatching a particularly gnarled zombie, flicked her gaze towards the tunnel entrance. Her eyes widened slightly at the size of the monstrous creature emerging, but her voice remained steady. "Understood."

She redoubled her attacks, her sword a blur as she began carving a wider perimeter around herself, aiming to clear a space for the larger fight to come.

Takashi, who had been covering her other flank with efficient shots from his bat and pistol combo, paused and looked at the emerging monster. He swore under his breath, quickly reloading. "Damn, that's a big one."

Rei chanced a glance at the monster and gulped, a nervous drop of sweat running down her face. 

The hulking, armored zombie took another thundering step forward, the ground trembling slightly under its weight.

Tysone saw the amount of zombies that still remained and shook his head. They couldn't afford to get swarmed during the big fight. "Don't! Get rid of the small ones first, I'll keep lil' Hulk busy. Just be quick—Saya, help them!" 

His eyes were fixed on that beautiful crystal embedded in the creature's chest.

Author's Note:

If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at P@treon.com/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.