Chapter 6

Adrenaline coursed through my veins, momentarily pushing aside the pain and the fear that gripped me. The Elite's claws were almost within striking distance, its eyes gleaming with malicious intent. My instincts screamed at me: run!

Seizing the trash can, which had miraculously survived its airborne journey against the wall, I lunged at the crowd of zombies that stood between me and freedom. With a mighty shove, I used the trash can as a battering ram, plowing into the horde. The zombies recoiled, momentarily disoriented, but their sheer numbers made progress agonizingly slow. Each step forward felt like wading through molasses, as hands clawed at me, attempting to pull me into their decaying embrace.

The Elite roared behind me — a sound of utter fury and frustration. I could almost feel its hot breath on the nape of my neck. Fear added momentum to my feet, and I pushed harder, my muscles burning with exertion. I slammed the trash can against zombie after zombie, clearing just enough space to squeeze through.

Finally, I broke through the wall of undead and started sprinting down the corridor. I heard the Elite give chase, its heavy footfalls reverberating through the floor, drawing nearer with every stride. My eyes darted from door to door as I sped down the hallway. A classroom, I needed a classroom, a place to hide, something — anything to lose this abomination tailing me.

Up ahead, I spotted a door ajar. A classroom. Summoning the last reserve of my energy, I sprinted for it. A glance over my shoulder told me the Elite had lost sight of me, if only for a moment, as it fought its way through its minions. That moment was all I needed. I slammed into the classroom, shutting the door behind me as quietly as I could manage.

Panting, my back against the door, I listened intently. The sounds of the Elite's pursuit seemed to slowly wane, then vanish altogether. For a split second, relief washed over me.

Every muscle taut, I strained to listen. Just when I thought I might have evaded the Elite, a soft sound echoed from the storage closet across the room. My heart pounded in my chest, the thuds drowning out rational thought. What was that?

With agonizing slowness, I crept across the classroom floor, my eyes locked on the nondescript closet door. I reached for the doorknob, hesitated, then wrapped my fingers around it firmly. My breath hitched as I turned the handle and pulled the door open.

I was met with wide eyes and tense faces — two girls and a guy, all fellow students, huddled together amongst a clutter of textbooks and cleaning supplies. Instantly, I saw recognition flash in their eyes, followed swiftly by suspicion. They were from a different class, but they acted as if they knew exactly who I was.

"Hey," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "What are you guys doing in here?"

There was a moment's pause before one of the girls pointed an accusing finger at me. "You're the one everyone's been talking about, aren't you? The one who ruined the mural?"

Confusion swept over me, mingling with a surge of adrenaline-fueled irritation. The school's beloved mural — defaced not long ago — had been the center of countless whispers and rumors, and now here they were, eyeing me as if I was the culprit.

"No, that wasn't me," I replied quickly, firmly. "But seriously, we don't have time for this right now."

They looked at each other, the tension in their faces giving way to a reluctant acceptance. It seemed the urgency of the moment was enough to overshadow the rumors — for now.

"Anyways," I finally managed to say, "What are you guys doing in here? Where is everyone else?"

One of the girls, her eyes red from what looked like tears, spoke up. "We were in class when those...things showed up. They just came out of nowhere and started killing everyone."

The guy chimed in, his voice shaking slightly. "We started running as fast as we could. We searched the classrooms. This one was empty and it had a storage closet so we've been hiding in here ever since."

"How long have you been here?" I asked, my eyes darting back to the door as if expecting the Elite to burst through at any moment.

"Feels like forever, but probably only around 30 minutes or so," the second girl replied. She looked like the most composed of the trio but had a tired, and resigned look in her eyes.

"Do any of you know what's going on?" I asked, shifting my gaze between them, looking for any sign of understanding.

The guy sighed, leaning against a wall. "No. All I saw was a blue screen that said something about Earth being integrated into a 'System.' Whatever that means."

My eyes widened at his words. "You saw that screen too? About Earth being integrated?"

"Yeah," the first girl said, her eyes meeting mine. "It just appeared out of nowhere. It said some weird things, and then everything changed. Monsters started appearing, and people started...dying."

"And what about a status window? Did you get that too?" I pushed, hoping to find some common ground.

The second girl nodded, her eyes curious. "I thought I was hallucinating or something. Did you get one too?"

"Yes, I did," I said, feeling a bit of relief wash over me. If they were experiencing the same phenomena, then maybe we could figure a way out of this together. "I also managed to increase my stats a bit after I fought with some of those monsters."

The atmosphere in the room changed palpably at my words. Their eyes, already wide, seemed to grow impossibly larger.

"You fought them?" the guy blurted out, disbelief painting his features.

"Yes," I said, feeling a little self-conscious at the sudden attention. "Well. Kinda."

The first girl looked like she was struggling to digest this. "And you're still alive? You didn't get...turned into one of those things?"

"No," I answered, "I guess I just got lucky."

I turned my attention back to the System that was the cause of everything that happened. "Since you guys all have status windows, you must all have a level, right? What level are you guys at?"

They exchanged a quick look before the guy responded. "Level 1. I think we're all Level 1."

I nodded. "Oh. Well, I managed to level up some by fighting a few of those monsters."

"And what level are you now?" the second girl asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

"Level 13," I answered, without thinking too much about it.

For a moment, there was complete silence. If a pin had dropped, it would've sounded like a thunderclap. The trio stared at me as if I had just sprouted another head.

"Level 13? Are you serious?" the first girl finally stammered, her voice laced with incredulity.

"Yeah, I'm serious," I affirmed. "Why? Is it that shocking?"

"Shocking? That's an understatement," the guy retorted, his voice tinged with envy. "Here we are, barely scraping by, huddled in a closet, and you're out there leveling up like it's some kind of game. I mean, how are you even alive? To be honest, it's not just shocking; it's almost unfair how you're already so high leveled while we were stuck hiding here."

The second girl stared at me as if seeing me for the first time. "Hmmm," She said, her eyes narrowing slightly but filled with a new kind of awe. "That's amazing if it's true. Anyways, earlier you said you didn't deface the murals, but according to the rumors, your name is still Kei, right?