Chapter 6

Shenzhou High School Gymnasium — 5:00 PM

The gymnasium of the high school had become an improvised camp. Nearly five hundred students were gathered there, huddled together on makeshift beds, with blankets scattered here and there. Some were sobbing, curled up in on themselves, while others stared blankly, their eyes empty, unable to comprehend the horror they had just witnessed. Many were desperately trying to call their parents, but the network was hopelessly down.

Meilin and Tiang were sitting in the bleachers, slightly apart from the distressed crowd.

— Tiang… If I got bitten… would you kill me?

Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. Tiang, surprised, looked at her.

— Huh? Why would you say that? I'd kill the monster first, you'll see.

A faint smile lingered on his lips. Meilin looked away, sighing.

— You're really clueless.

Before he could respond, a group approached them. The rugby team. The captain, a tall guy with a square face, grabbed Tiang by the collar and nearly lifted him off the bench. Meilin didn't move, but her sharp, dark gaze fixed on him like a blade.

— What are you two doing here? — Let him go, asshole! shouted another student, pushing the rugby player away.

But a mocking female voice rang out:

— Why are you defending them? Don't you see they're both monsters?

A chilling silence fell.

— It's true… another girl intervened, her face twisted with anger. Especially her. This girl let Mrs. Sun die right in front of us!

— She's cold and inhuman! How can she stay so calm after everything we've seen?!

Other voices rose.

— Who's to say she's not one of those monsters?! — She has strange powers… — This girl is a DEMON!

A girl spat at Meilin. Tiang immediately stepped in, his fists clenched.

— Shut up! he exploded. How is she responsible for all this, huh?! You're just a bunch of hypocrites! You've always rejected her, and now you want to throw her out?! What kind of monsters are you?!

A boy shrugged, a disdainful look on his face.

— If you care so much about her, take the door with her.

The silence was absolute.

Meilin placed a light hand on Tiang's shoulder.

— Let it go, Tiang.

Her voice was calm, but her eyes shimmered with contained sadness.

— Meilin…

She turned away.

— I'm leaving.

She walked down the bleachers, heading straight for the exit under the contemptuous gazes of the other students.

— Yeah, go die out there. someone sneered.

Tiang clenched his fists. His body was shaking with rage.

— You know what? Whether it's you or those infected… there's not much of a difference.

He cast one last glance at the group.

— You're all monsters.

Then he turned and left.

Shenzhou High School — 6:00 PM

In a dark hallway, a group of girls was crouched against a wall, paralyzed with horror.

One of them was on the ground, disemboweled, her intestines spilled across the floor. An infected person was devouring her throat, its fangs deeply embedded in her flesh.

— Help… another girl whispered, trembling, God, please…

The infected person suddenly straightened, ready to leap.

A swift kick sent it crashing backward, its body slamming against a wall with a sickening noise. Tiang stood there, fists clenched.

Then the infected leapt. Tiang barely had time to raise his arms before the impact was brutal. He fell backward, sliding on the warm blood that covered the floor.

The infected's claws sank into his shoulder. He felt the pain shoot through his arm, a sharp and tearing burn.

— AAAAARGH!!

The monster struggled, growling, its teeth snapping just inches from his throat.

Tiang fought desperately, trying to push it away.

He knew he was done for.

He had no weapon.

He had no strength.

The monster was getting closer, its rancid breath poisoning the air.

— No… not like this…

A tear ran down his cheek.

Then, a hiss.

In the next instant, the head of the infected exploded, warm blood splattering across Tiang's face. The lifeless body collapsed on him with a dull thud, while a voice rang out, cold and sharp like a blade.

Tiang looked up.

Meilin was standing in the middle of the courtyard, alone, facing a horde of more than three hundred and fifty infected. In her hand… a simple piece of wood.

— Meilin…?

He said, eyes wide.

She murmured calmly, her eyes glowing with a blood-red light:

— Demonic Arts: Bloody Dance of the Hundred Moons.

The world seemed to stop. In an instant, a scarlet whirlwind erupted around her. Dozens of bloody crescents of moonlight sliced through the air, tracing arcs of glowing red energy. The infected didn't even have time to scream. Their bodies collapsed into pieces, as rivers of blood flooded the courtyard.

Tiang, petrified, watched the scene.

— Meilin… he whispered.