Suddenly, Zombies

The bus, the people, and the surrounding area looked like big pixels. They flipped, only to show dark spots, eventually combining into a world of black. What was peculiar was that the full moon high in the sky didn't disappear; it seemed like only the immediate area vanished.

Rather than everything disintegrating, Louise thought that it was more like he had been encaged. And this place just felt familiar.

"The three doors? Again?" Louise muttered as he looked around him. However, there were no three doors this time. It was a familiar scene, but it seemed the circumstances were different.

At this time, something like a prompt appeared in front of his eyes.

[Eliminate enemies: 0/5]

As soon as this prompt appeared, his surroundings changed once again. From the ground up, the black pixels turned over, creating yet another scene.

He was now in the middle of the road. It was the highway, the same place his bus was traversing just a few moments ago.

He looked around, and what greeted him was an endless stretch of mountains. Turning around, he suddenly saw the bus he was riding just a while ago.

Smoke was coming out from the front of the bus, hiding the scene inside it. The two tires in front were busted; it seemed like the bus met with an accident.

"The hell is happening?" Louise was a bit perturbed and nervous. There was fear and excitement slowly brewing inside his heart, as if he was expecting something fun or terrifying to happen.

He once again observed his surroundings to check if there was anyone around him. In front was the rest of the highway with flickering lights illuminating parts of the road, while at the back was the same scene, only with the addition of the bus.

Then, he saw a metal pole on the ground. The prompt about eliminating enemies had yet to disappear in his eyes, and as such, he became vigilant. 'A quest like in RPGs?' This was the thought he had as he picked up the metal pole.

He slowly walked toward the bus and finally saw the scene inside. The driver was being eaten... literally.

There were three passengers feasting on the driver. Parts of his neck and face had already been bitten off. One of the passengers even had an eyeball inside his mouth.

The scene before Louise looked utterly disgusting, but somehow, he didn't even flinch. His time at the passage was filled with carnage and all kinds of death, so this scary scene didn't faze him at all.

He just observed what was happening for a moment before quickly dropping down in an attempt to hide. He sneakily moved toward the side of the bus, or at least, that was what he thought he was doing. Upon arriving near the door, he suddenly realized something. 'Why did I go here?'

Louise didn't understand why he just moved here instead of thinking more about what to do. His body just acted without thinking, as if he was being controlled.

His heart was beating madly, and the growing excitement inside his heart could not be contained anymore. His thoughts were replaced with the desire to attack as he swiftly lifted the metal pole and swung it on the door.

Fortunately, his mind cleared up just before he hit it, and the passengers inside were still busy with their feast. He slowly and cautiously took a few steps back and placed his back on the bus. He was appalled at how he had suddenly lost control of himself. Taking a few deep breaths, the desire to fight slowly vanished, replaced by a feeling of emptiness.

Now that he had calmed down, he finally had time to think. He thought back to the scene and muttered, "Zombies, I guess. Now, all I need to know is what kind of zombies they are. Enhanced senses and speed or the slow ones?"

He held the metal pole tightly as he prepared himself. He needed more information before doing anything. Firstly, although the number 5 was written on the prompt in his eyes, he didn't know how many zombies were actually there. In his memory, although the bus was far from crowded, there were at least more than 30 people inside it including himself.

Thinking of this, there were only two possibilities: 5 zombies had killed everyone inside the bus, or there were more zombies instead. Judging from how 3 zombies were feasting on the driver, the second possibility seemed to be more plausible.

"Luckily, I stopped myself. Now, what should I do?" Louise sighed. Fortunately, he was able to stop himself in time; otherwise, he could have landed himself in a dire situation.

He looked at the metal pole he was holding. He was thinking, was this enough to fight them off? Were there any other clues about what to do? "If only there was a sword..."

He thought back to the time with Muya in Baltac Fortress—the moment they were besieged by goblins, the extreme excitement of battle, and the dance of his sword as he hacked more than a dozen goblins to death. He was by no means an expert with the sword or skilled with it, but the instincts that came along with the thought that he could die at any moment gave him insights on how to wield it. If he had a sword now, then he would have more confidence in fighting them head-on.

Pushing that thought aside, he asked himself whether he had other options. And then it occurred to him. "Damn. Smoke! I can just make it go up in flames."

Louise didn't really know anything about the makings of a bus. What he knew, however, was that something was already wrong with this smoking bus, and he just had to take advantage of it. There must be a gas leak somewhere, and igniting it could immediately solve all his problems.

As for how, he already had a solution. Provincial buses like this one always had a compartment outside to store pieces of luggage. And if this scenario was the same as that in reality, then his two luggage should still be there. Inside one of his luggage was a lighter he always brought for emergency situations.

He walked toward the compartment and put in just enough strength to pull it open. As expected, his luggage was there. Reaching inside one of the zippers, he immediately found the lighter.

He walked to the front of the bus and observed the scene inside for a brief moment. The zombies were still busy feasting on the driver whose head could no longer be found. In addition, the three zombies became five. Soon, they would be done and search for another victim.

Louise felt a sense of urgency. The door of the bus was closed, so he should still have some time even if the zombies noticed him. The problem was, he didn't know how much time it was. He didn't know whether they were super zombies who could just break the glass of the bus and jump over. That would indeed be scary.

He rushed to the front and saw a liquid dripping down from the front of the bus. He dipped a finger into it and put it close to his nose. Realizing that it was gas…

"Warghhh!"

One of the zombies noticed him and immediately rushed over. It hit the glass of the bus and started thumping on it. Soon after, the other zombies also did the same.

"Fortunately, they're not as strong as I thought they were." Louise took a few steps back, lit up his lighter, and threw it toward the gas leak. He held the metal stick tightly in case something went wrong and continued taking a few more steps back.

Fortunately, no other incident occurred as the ignited gas went its way toward the bus. From below, the bus burst into flames that quickly covered it entirely.

The glass in front of the bus was destroyed because of the zombies' thumping, but it was already too late. Louise watched as the flames devoured them one-by-one, his feelings surreal.

[Eliminate enemies: 1/5]

[Eliminate enemies: 2/5]

…

[Eliminate enemies: 7/5]

[Eliminate enemies: 21/5]

After a few minutes, the prompt in his eyes changed. His assumption was right; there were more than 5 zombies inside the bus. Now then, since the task was done, why was he still here?

[Quest Accomplished]

[Rating: S]

[Returning in 30 seconds.]