Chapter 9: Zonbies

"Creak... crack." The door trembled violently, hinges whining under pressure—like it could shatter any second. Betty swallowed hard, inching toward the peephole. Her breath hitched. A middle-aged man stood just outside... or what was left of one. His jaw hung at a sickening angle, shattered like it had been smashed with a sledgehammer. His skin was an ashen gray, veins dark and bulging beneath. She staggered back, grabbing the iron rod with trembling hands, heart thundering in her chest. ’I need to get out of here—now.’ Turning quickly, she rushed to the window and forced it open. Cold air bit her face as she climbed through, careful not to make a sound. Landing on the iron stairs on the other side of the main door, she crouched low, feet tiptoeing across the metal, trying not to alert whatever horror now stood just a few feet behind that door. As Betty stepped onto the stairs, the metal rod strapped to her side scraped against the railing. "Ting." Her eyes widened in horror. ’Crap—’ "Graaaa!"A guttural growl came from the side. A decaying face suddenly peeked around the corner—gray skin stretched over broken bones, cloudy eyes locking onto her. Without hesitation, Betty bolted down the stairs, the iron rod clutched tightly in her hand as the zombie gave chase, its movements jerky and unbalanced. Reaching the next landing, Betty didn’t stop—she jumped straight to the level below, hitting the metal with a painful thud. But behind her, the zombie missed the step and slipped— Thump! Crash! It tumbled down, its limbs flailing wildly before it slammed into the wall with a sickening crunch. Betty turned in time to see its legs twist unnaturally beneath it. Her heart pounded as she pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady her breath. ’That was too close...’ She didn’t wait. Turning sharply, she darted down the last flight and landed on the street. Just as her feet hit the ground— A cold hand reached toward her shoulder. Reacting on instinct, Betty ducked to the side. Riiip! Fingers tore through the sleeve of her shirt, exposing her bare arm. Her gaze whipped around—and a woman, twisted and undead, lunged at her with sharp, snarling teeth. Without thinking, Betty gripped the iron rod and swung— Crack! The rod slammed into the zombie’s waist, sending it flying several meters away. It hit a wall with a heavy slam and crumpled to the ground. Betty froze, panting. Eyes wide, she stared down at her trembling hands. ’W-What... was that? That strength...’ She looked at the iron rod in disbelief, her fingers tightening around it. ’Did... did the phoenix magic already start working?’ Snapping out of her daze, Betty took off running—feet pounding against the cracked pavement, breath ragged. Her eyes locked onto a parked pickup truck just ahead. The driver’s side door hung open, and the keys were still dangling in the ignition. ’Thank god... if I didn’t have that space, I don’t know how I’d keep Sophia safe.’ She leapt inside, slammed the door shut, and jammed the keys forward. "Kheeech!"The engine sputtered loudly, groaning to life. "Graaaa!" Her head snapped toward the side mirror—nearly a dozen zombies were barreling down the street, drawn by the noise, their arms flailing and mouths gaping. ’Shit!’ Without a second thought, she slammed her foot on the accelerator. The tires screeched. The truck jerked forward, lurching down the road with a roar of the engine. In the mirror, the zombies shrieked and gave chase—but she was already speeding away, the distance between them growing with each second. Betty gripped the wheel tightly, eyes sharp. The roads were eerily silent—no cars, no people. Only the distant, guttural growls of wandering zombies echoed through the still air. Betty gripped the steering wheel tighter. ’Looks like most humans have either been rescued... or worse—they’ve already turned.’ "Creak—!" The car screeched to a halt as she slammed on the brakes. Her eyes widened in disbelief. A thin, glowing red line was streaking through the sky—headed straight toward the city hospital up ahead. Her jaw dropped.’Is that... a missile?’ Without wasting a second, she threw the truck into reverse, tires spinning as she backed away at full speed. ’Is the government out of its mind?! Why would they bomb a hospital?!’ "BOOM!" The explosion rocked the ground, a deafening roar filling the air as the hospital erupted into a fiery cloud of debris. Betty watched in the rearview mirror, stunned, as the entire building crumbled, flames licking the sky and sending black smoke billowing upward. ’That wasn’t for rescue... They’re trying to erase infection zones.’ She pressed harder on the gas, pushing the truck forward down the empty street. ’If they’re bombing hospitals... no place is safe anymore.’ Stopping in front of a large shopping mall, Betty jumped down from the truck and slammed the door shut. She locked it out of habit, even though law and order were quickly becoming things of the past. She glanced down at her torn clothes and sighed. ’I guess... I’m robbing this place now. No morals. No police. Just survival. Sounds fair to me.’ With that, she jogged toward the broken glass doors, gripping the iron rod tighter in her hand. Inside, it was dim, cold, and filled with the faint groans of the undead. "GRRAA!" A zombie lunged from the shadows—but Betty swung her rod hard. CRACK! The creature was sent flying across the aisle, crashing into a display shelf with a heavy thud. She blinked, then smirked. ’Yeah... I have super strength now. I need to find more of those special zombies to awaken my powers like the FL in the novel.’ Suddenly, her eyes locked onto something—among the groaning undead was one with glowing green eyes. Her heart skipped. "Lucky!" Without hesitation, she charged and slammed her rod straight into its skull. The zombie collapsed. Betty wasted no time—she pulled the knife from her thigh holster and crouched down, grimacing. ’Ugh... why does this feel worse now that I’m doing it?’ She made a face as she carefully sliced along the creature’s neck, gagging as the blood oozed out. ’I’m going to throw up... This is so gross.’ She held her breath and peeled back the skin—and then her eyes lit up. Embedded beneath the surface, just under the collarbone, was a glowing green marble. ’There it is.’ With trembling fingers, she pried it out, cradling it in her palm. It pulsed with faint energy, warm and humming softly. A grin spread across her face.