(Lirean Province- Capitol City)
(Inner District- St. John's Private School)
A faint cloud of white smoke hung in the air as a handsome scarred man inhaled deeply and then exhaled.
He rubbed his fingers against the lit cigarette in his hand before tossing it on the ground with callous indifference.
Wu Jing could smell the blood in the air and rotting scent of meat.
This was the hideout of a mutated zombie, and it was clear that the monster was nearby. His instincts could sense that the creature was inside.
The former soldier grinned slowly as he looked up at the sky and saw large fluffy clouds moving slowly across the heavens.
The power inside his body was getting stronger by the day. With every zombie core that he absorbed, Wu Jing could feel his confidence grow.
The lightning that flowed through his fingertips was now easier to control and the sheer amount of destruction that he could cause was equivalent to a bomb exploding.
Wu Jing was now capable of disintegrating a normal zombie from a distance of twenty feet away from his body.
Even that strange boy Qin Wei seemed to be impressed by the fast rate of progress that he was making.
And it was all for one purpose…
A face briefly surfaced in Wu Jing's mind and just for a moment, his hands slightly trembled as he remembered the bloodthirsty look on her face.
"No… no… I have gotten stronger… I… I don't need to be afraid," Wu Jing hoarsely whispered as his fingers curled up into a tight fist.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtWhy?! Why?! WHY?!
He still felt fear and for a soldier… that was a weakness.
Wu Jing took in a few deep breaths in order to steady his agitated mood and then pushed off against the wall that he was leaning against.
He needed to focus on the mission.
St. John's private school was a rich all girls high school that was located in the middle of the inner district of the city.
This school educated girls from ages ten to eighteen and was known as one of the best educational institutions in the country.
The end times had come too quickly for anyone to react, and Wu Jing was sure that most of the young girls inside the school were now dead.
A school only had a limited number of exits and there would not be enough food left for the survivors in the cafeteria.
Wu Jing stepped over a few rotting corpses and noticed the white uniform and plain black skirts on the bodies.
Each corpse found in the apocalypse would usually be missing quite a few body parts.
This was either because of the zombies roaming around the city or the survivors who had already resorted to cannibalism in order to survive.
Wu Jing shuddered as he remembered dealing with a gang of thieves who would kidnap weak members of nearby bases and then roast them alive for meat.
He threw those unpleasant memories to the back of his mind and focused on the bodies that were in front of him.
Curiously enough the corpses on the ground were all missing their right hands but were otherwise fairly intact.
That was a bit strange…
Wu Jing furrowed his brows and faint blue sparks of lightning danced around his fingertips as he walked through a broken door.
The interior of the school was completely dark since the power had long been cut off. Wu Jing reached into his pocket and pulled out a flashlight.
He shone the light in the corridor and discovered more bodies on the ground with each missing their right hand and nothing else.
Dried bloodstains were splattered across the walls, floor and most of the lockers that were lining the corridor.
The doors that led to the classrooms had been ripped from their hinges by someone or rather something…
A cold breeze blew through the quiet school and sent a chill down Wu Jing's spine. It was like he was the only living person in the world.
Seeing all the corpses of young girls on the ground was an incredibly unnerving experience.
It didn't help that some of them had open eyes that seemed to follow his movements as he walked through the school.
Wu Jing knew that a mutated zombie was nearby, and he had been feeling confident at first but now… he was a bit more cautious.
He softly tip toed through the corridor and used his flashlight to carefully inspect all the hidden nocks and crannies.
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
Something hairy brushed against his leg and it took all of Wu Jing's courage not to flinch as he looked down and saw a large rat staring at him.
Its beady yellow eyes seemed almost human-like but Wu Jing was sure that must just be his imagination at work.
The former soldier gritted his teeth and used his foot to stomp on the rat's body over and over again until the animal was just a mushy pile of blood.
The cool breeze inside the school seemed to get even colder as Wu Jing jumped up and down on the animal's corpse.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Come out! Come out you son of a bitch!" Wu Jing screamed loudly, and his voice echoed through the empty school.
In ordinary circumstances, Wu Jing would have noticed that his reaction was overexaggerated as if something was influencing his mind.
"Why? Why did you hurt me?" a voice softly replied to his screams.
Wu Jing froze in terror as he felt a warm hand grab his ankle. He looked down and saw one of the corpses staring at him.
"Don't you know? I only wanted to be your friend…" another soft voice whispered as the corpse of a young girl rose up from the ground.
"You'll leave me… they always do…" a third voice cried out in pain and this time it was a teacher who dragged her half-eaten body towards the former soldier.
"Look at me… look at me… tell me that I've hurt you…"
Cold chilling laughter filled the air and the heavy scent of blood lingered around Wu Jing's nostrils. The corpses on the ground were slowly coming back to life one by one.
Each appeared to retain some level of their humanity since they spoke in full sentences with clear words.
This was despite the fact that some were missing their vocal cords, or their throats were partially destroyed.
"Get back!" Wu Jing growled darkly as he extended his palm outwards, and sparks of blue lightning danced around his fingertips.
"Mister… do you really want to hurt us?" a little girl holding a teddy bear appeared at the far end of the corridor and spoke.
"We love you mister… love… love…"
The little girl didn't have time to finish her sentence before a bolt of lightning fell on her body and she was instantly disintegrated.
Wu Jing furrowed his brows as he felt the warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest get stronger as he used his gift.
The corpses of the schoolchildren and the teacher opened their mouths simultaneously and their voices echoed through the corridor in an eerie low pitch.
"Love… we love you…"
"Love… love…"
"Love."