Savior! Enemy!! and Ally?

"Aghhh," Vincent felt an excruciating pain in his left shoulder.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. At first, he could see only darkness, but his eyes quickly got used to the darkness. 

'What? I'm alive?' Happiness surged through his whole being, and for a second, he forgot about the pain in his left shoulder. Of course, the next second, a throbbing rush of pain attacked him, reminding him of the reality.

Thud!

Instinctively, Vincent tried moving his hands but found himself unable.

Now that he slowly came to himself, he started feeling the situation of his body. He felt immense pain in his left shoulder where the monster bit him, but he also felt that his arms were behind the chair he sat on and something was tightly wrapped around his wrists. He also felt something tightly wrapped around his legs and chest.

'I'm tied. Who could have done this? I doubt a monster can tie ropes.' The joy of being alive immediately faded, and Vincent became alert.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, before his eyes, a blue window appeared.

[You awakened the Zombie Apocalypse System]

[Do you wish to initiate the zombie apocalypse?] - [Yes/No]

'What's this?'

To add to Vincent's confusion, now this appeared.

Clack! Clack!

Before Vincent could think about the window before his eyes, the sound of a lighter rang.

Clack!

The small fire of the lighter revealed a figure standing a few meters from Vincent. But the light of the fire was too weak to reveal the face of the person.

"You're finally awake,"

A familiar voice reached Vincent's ears. "You are..." His eyes widened in shock.

Swuuuush!

Suddenly, several candles around the room lit up, lighting the room. As the room lighted, it revealed four men before Vincent.

The man with the still burning lighter. But surprisingly, he was still far from the candles. He couldn't have lit them. It was as if the candles lit themselves.

"Vincent, oh Vincent," A man spoke.

This man sat backward on a chair, resting his arms on the chair's backrest. A face Vincent was rather familiar with.

Behind this man stood Finn and a bulky, mean looking man.

"Marin!" Vincent gritted his teeth. "What's the meaning of this?" He glared at Marin hatefully.

"Now, now!" Marin reached into his pocket, taking out a pack of cigarettes.

He took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

"Boss," The man with the lighter ran to Marin and lit his cigarette.

"Hooo..." Marin took a puff and exhaled. "Is that the way you talk to your savior, Vincent, my old friend?"

"Savior?" Vincent looked at him, puzzled. "You saved me? How? And Why?"

Marin calmly took another puff before answering. "You see, Vincent. I killed the monster that attacked you. If not for me, you would be already dead."

"Impossible!" Vincent shouted in denial. How could he believe that a human killed a monster like that?

"I know what you're thinking. How could a mere human kill such a monster? But if you don't believe me, you can ask my new henchman." Marin looked at Finn.

"Henchman? Finn, what is he talking about?" Vincent looked at Finn with disbelief.

"Finn has joined me." Marin extended his arm.

Clap! Clap!

He slapped Finn's cheek. "Isn't that right, Finn?"

"Y-Yes!" Finn lowered his head.

"I saved him from the monster. I killed the monster. Did I do it, Finn?"

"Y-Yes, Sir!"

"Good boy," Marin slapped Finn again and turned his attention to Vincent. "See?"

Vincent's face turned purple in anger. Though they had only known each other for a week, he and Finn risked their lives and searched for supplies together. He didn't want to see Finn treated this way.

"Marin! You bastard! What do you want from me?!" Vincent roared in anger.

"Hahaha!" Marin laughed as Vincent tried escaping the ropes.

Thud!

The bulky man standing behind Marin slammed his fist into his hand. "Boss, I can't let him disrespect you like this. Do I teach him a lesson?!"

"Boss?!" Vincent looked mockingly at Marin. "Marin, you don't really think you are their boss? You are just someone's dog, running here and there to collect debts for the Shark."

"I'll teach you a lesson!" The man didn't wait for Marin's reply and raised his fist, stepping forward to teach Vincent a lesson.

Swoosh!

Marin extended his arm, blocking the man's way. "Dorvin, get back," He ordered, his expression dead serious as he stared at Vincent. He barely held back his anger.

"Vincent, the circumstances changed." Marin dropped the half-smoked cigarette on the floor. "The Shark is dead. I killed him,"

'Dead?' Vincent's heart jumped in happiness. 'If he's dead, doesn't that mean my dept is gone?' However, he quickly realized the absurdity of Marin's words and returned to reality.

"Hmph! You killed him? Don't make me laugh. You were just one of his lackeys. He had several more men like you and a whole underground gang under his command.

How could you kill him? If you did, his men would've torn you apart by now."

"Hahahaha!" Marin laughed hysterically. "Vincent, oh Vincent. You see, we are all that remains from the organization," He pointed at the two men with him, excluding Finn. "Most died when the towers descended while I killed the rest. Those two are only alive because they are loyal to me and hate the Shark. The rest who were loyal to him, I let them die together."

"You see, Vincent, whatever that dimensional rift is in the sky, it didn't only bring the monsters. It also brought something else. It brought forth an evolution."

Swush!

As Marin extended and opened his palm, fire erupted. A small fireball danced an inch above his palm, completely under his control.

"Vincent, I awakened the ability to command fire," Marin revealed. "I used this gift to conquer the Shark and kill him and his lackeys."

Swoosh!

Marin threw the fireball down. The fireball hit the cigarette on the ground, incarnating it instantly and disappearing.

...

Several hours ago.

"Aghh!!" Vincent roared in pain as he lay on the ground, the monster above him. The monster bit deep into his shoulder, causing him immense pain.

Vincent struggled, hitting the monster and trying to reach for his weapon, but nothing worked. It didn't budge from his punches, and he couldn't reach the knife.

"Finn! Help me!! FINN!" Vincent roared in pain, but as he glanced to the side, he saw Finn standing frozen in fear. He stood several meters from them, holding his knife before his body. But his hands trembled as he watched in disbelief and terror. His body refused to react, and deep down, he didn't want to.

Vincent smashed his fist against the monster, but futile. He lost all hope as his vision started fading, turning dark.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Loud footsteps rang behind Finn as a man ran from the building.

Finn didn't even notice as his life flashed before his eyes.

Swoosh!

The monster instantly let go of Vincent and sharply turned to Finn. It showed its razor-sharp teeth stained with Vincent's fresh blood as it growled at Finn.

"Don't just stand there. Make yourself useful!!"

A voice roared from behind Finn.

Thud!

Before Finn could come to himself and turn back, a strong kick landed on his back, throwing him forward at the monster.

"Grrahh!"

The beast instantly bit at the incoming Finn.

Finn's eyes widened as he saw his reflection in the monster's eyes, as if in slow motion. He fell forward while the sharp, bloody teeth closed to his head. His heart beat out of his chest as he saw his death incoming.

Swoosh!

The figure hidden behind Finn jumped to the side, revealing itself to the monster. It was Marin.

But the monster saw him too late. It couldn't retract its bite.

Marin held a big cooking knife in his right hand, one of better quality than Vincent's.

Swoosh!

Instantly, he extended his left arm and opened his palm.

Swi-Swis-Swuush!

A few sparks flashed in his palm. A small flame emerged, but in just a second, the flame instantly erupted into a decent fireball slightly larger than the size of his open palm.

"DIE!"

Swoosh!

The fireball flew out of Marin's palm.

THUD!

Just an inch before the monster bit Finn's head, the fireball hit it in the right side of the face, throwing its head to the side, saving Finn in the last second, intentionally or unintentionally.

ROOOAR!

The monster let out a roar as it swung its head back.

THUD!

As the monster swung its head, it hit Finn in the abdomen, throwing him several meters away.

Thud! Thud! 

Finn hit the ground, rolling several times as all the air left his lungs.

Swoosh!

The monster immediately dashed at Marin.

Fearlessly, Marin ran at the monster.

Swoosh! Thud!

Several inches before the monster reached his head, Marin jumped to the right, rolling on the ground. He rolled and immediately jumped, throbbing the knife down at the right eye of the monster.

As the fireball had hit the right side of its face, it damaged the skin and the eye. Not enough to blind it but just enough to deceive its sense of vision, balance, and distance. Enough to spill the doom of the beast.

Sensing the threat, the beast tried retracting its head and succeeded, but its sense of distance was temporarily confused at that side. It misjudged for a few millimeters.

SHLUUCK!

The knife pierced into the eye of the monster.

Roar!

The monster roared in pain, struggling to the sides and throwing Marin around. But Marin tightly held onto the knife imbued into the monster's eye.

He pushed down hard.

The knife went deep into the eye and touched his brain. Marin pushed with all his might until his fist reached the eyeball and slightly entered.

ROOOOAR!

With one last roar and resort, the beast used its whole being to struggle. Marin couldn't hold on anymore and flew to the side, but too late for the monster. The knife had already pierced the brain, causing damage beyond repair.

Thud! Thud!

Marin rolled on the ground several meters away.

He immediately jumped on his legs and turned at the monster.

The monster stood unmoving.

Thud!

It collapsed to the ground, dead.

"BOSS!!"

Marin's lackeys ran from a building, rushing at him.

"Ahhhh..." Marin's legs trembled as weakness attacked his whole being.

"Boss, are you alright?" Dorvin grabbed him, helping him stand.

"I'm alright," Marin muttered. "It's the side effects of the fireball. It exhausted me."