TO THE PLANES

Nhia breathes a sigh of relief, sitting on the floor of the elevator after narrowly escaping the horde. Mai's voice crackles through his earpiece, urging him, "Hurry to the top floor!" Nhia stands to press the button, but just as he does, a zombie's hand accidentally touches the elevator panel from outside. The doors open again, and to Nhia's horror, a flood of zombies pours inside.

Panic sets in as Nhia quickly pulls out his pistol, firing off rounds in the cramped space. One by one, the zombies drop, but in the chaos, a fallen zombie's arm snags a smoke grenade from Nhia's belt. The grenade's pin is pulled, and within seconds, thick smoke fills the entire elevator.

The sound of gunshots only attracts more zombies, and the elevator space quickly becomes a suffocating battleground. Nhia, now nearly blind in the smoke, pulls out a knife and fights desperately in close quarters. His heart races as he stabs and slashes at the incoming undead, but suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through his left hand—a zombie has bitten him.

Nhia lets out a scream of pain, throwing the zombie off him with his remaining strength. As he does, he fires off another shot, hitting another zombie in the head. The impact causes the creature to stumble backward into the control panel, pressing the top floor button in the process. The elevator doors finally close, trapping Nhia and the remaining zombies inside as the elevator begins its ascent.

Struggling to see and breathe in the smoke-filled chamber, Nhia fights on, determined to survive. His knife flashes as he continues to fend off the relentless undead, the elevator climbing higher with each passing second. The sounds of snarls and the clatter of his knife against bone fill the tiny space as Nhia battles for his life.

On the top floor, a dozen men with cat ear tattoos on the sides of their heads stand in formation, their rifles pointed on the elevator doors. A man among the group with sharp eyes and a cold expression, glances at the others. "Looks like we put too much faith in this group," he says quietly. "We thought they might have had a chance of making it past the horde, but it seems even they weren't strong enough. Only one made it up here... and from the looks of the cameras, that one is likely dead inside the elevator already."

Another man with a scarred face nods grimly. "We don't have a choice. Whatever comes out of that elevator is probably one of the infected now. We can't take any chances. We shoot on sight."

The group tightens their grips on their rifles, readying themselves. Tension fills the air as they wait in silence, the only sound being the distant groans of zombies echoing through the building. The elevator indicator dings softly, signaling its arrival. The men hold their breath, preparing to unload their rounds at whatever emerges.

The elevator doors open, releasing thick smoke and a couple of zombies into the hall. The men raise their rifles and fire repeatedly, shredding the zombies and unloading into the elevator. One of the men raises his hand, signaling the others to stop shooting. As the smoke lingers, he steps closer to the elevator.

Inside, Nhia sits slumped on the floor, riddled with bullet holes. He coughs up blood, his gaze falling to his trembling hand. Flashbacks flood his mind—those long hours on the phone with his girlfriend, Jasee. He had promised her, again and again, that one day they would meet in person.

The flashbacks fade, and Nhia mutters to himself, "I need to see Jasee before I die." Gritting his teeth, he grabs his knife and positions it over his left wrist.

The man with the rifle steps inside as the smoke clears and freezes in shock. Nhia turns to him, bloodied but standing, and says, "I'm here to see Jasee." The man stares, wide-eyed, at Nhia's severed hand and the multiple bullet wounds in his body.

Stumbling forward, Nhia exits the elevator, leaving a trail of blood. The other men stand in stunned silence. One of them raises his rifle, ordering Nhia to stop, but another man steps forward, calming the group. "He knows Jasee's name," he says quietly.

They watch as Nhia staggers down the hallway, leaving bloody footprints. He pushes through another set of doors and enters a giant room filled with dozens of people. Fear grips the crowd as a few riflemen point their weapons at Nhia. The group of armed men from the elevator follow, giving a signal to the riflemen, who lower their weapons.

Nhia continues onward, his strength fading. He pushes open another set of doors, revealing a woman sitting in meditation. With a heavy gasp, Nhia collapses to the floor in a pool of his own blood. Summoning his last bit of energy, he crawls toward her, his mind flashing back to a conversation with Jasee.

He remembered asking her over the phone, "If we were to meet....How do you look?"

Jasee's voice had come through the receiver, soft but clear. "Uhmm I'm quite short and I have green hair."

His mind flickers back to reality as he inches closer to the green-haired woman. "I've finally... finally... get to see you, Jasee," he whispers, his vision blurring as he loses more blood.

As his eyes start to close, another memory surfaces—a memory from when the war in Nemura City had just ended. A younger Nhia opens his eyes and looks around at the ruins. He spots his father, Mr. Dober, sobbing nearby. Nhia walks over to him and sees his mother lying dead in front of them. He collapses onto her chest, crying out in pain.

Footsteps approach, and Nhia looks up to see Shawn, heavily wounded but smiling. "The war is finally over," Shawn says, his voice weak but full of hope.

The memory fades, and in his mind, Nhia thinks, If Shawn can be a dreamer, then so can I. He grips the floor, fighting to stay conscious. I need to live... to meet Jasee. I need to be stronger... I'm not going out like this, not after all these years.

Nhia's eyes snap open, glowing with magic. He lets out a scream as a spectral doberman bursts from his chest, howling as magical papers whirl around the room like a storm. Jasee opens her eyes, startled by the sight of this unfamiliar magic. The group of armed men also stares in shock. One of them murmurs, "He does look familiar... He's the son of Mr. Dober, the overlord of Nemura City."

The swirling papers gather together, forming into a magical book. The doberman leaps into the book, and as it opens, the first page reveals a picture of Shawn with the word Dreamer beneath his image. The picture glows with magic, which radiates out, enveloping Nhia. Before their eyes, Nhia's bullet wounds begin to heal, and his severed hand regenerates. The magic surrounding him grows unstable, flickering before retreating back into the book.

As the energy fades, Nhia stands up, staring at his restored left hand. His gaze shifts back to Jasee, and in a rush of emotion, he runs to her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm so happy to see you," he says, his voice filled with relief.

Jasee looks at him, confused, her brow furrowed. Nhia smiles and says, "It's me, Nhia. You should know me by my voice, right?"

Jasee steps back, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You're... the son of Mr. Dober." She shakes her head and, with a distant look, mutters, "I'm getting sidetracked." Without another word, she walks off into another room.

Nhia stands frozen, devastated by her reaction. After everything he had gone through just to find her, to save her, this is how she responds?

One of the armed men approaches him, extending a hand. "I'm Andrew," he introduces himself. "Jasee... she's our leader. She's been meditating a lot, storing up huge amount of magic in order to save everyone here. But... in doing so, she's lost parts of her memory."

Nhia also introduces himself and Andrew points at the magic book lying on the floor. "That book... it came out of your body, what is it?"

Nhia bends down and picks up the book, flipping through it. Most of the pages are blank, but the first page shows Shawn's face, now greyed out. Nhia holds the book tightly against his chest, and it is absorbed back into his body, disappearing from sight.

Confused, Nhia looks up and says, "This is the first time something like this has happened. I'm still trying to understand my magic."

Andrew nods thoughtfully, his eyes lingering on Nhia, and takes out Nhia's earpiece. 

Andrew steps into the other room to find Jasee watching the airport security cameras. On the screens, she sees Megan and the others still locked in battle against the horde. Jasee folds her arms and says, "This new group is strong. Stronger than any other group we've seen in this city. They might be our best chance to get back to Nemura City."

Andrew nods, then adds, "Nhia is part of that group, and he... called you his girlfriend."

Jasee smirks. "We can use that to our advantage."

Andrew pulls out an earpiece and hands it to her. Jasee takes it, placing it in her ear as she walks out to meet Nhia. She asks, "Nhia, do you have another group outside the airport?"

Nhia frowns, confused. "I already told you a couple of days ago—my group and I came here to save you."

Jasee rubs her temple. "I must've forgotten. My magic... sometimes it erases memories to make room for more power."

Nhia blinks in surprise. "You never told me that before."

Jasee meets his gaze, her expression calm. "I only gained these new powers recently. There was no way to contact you." She holds up the earpiece, waiting for Nhia's response.

Nhia slowly nods, still processing everything. "Yeah, I have a group outside. We were planning to save you and get to Nemura City together."

Jasee smiles faintly, stating that her memory is now slowly returning in bits and pieces. "That was our plan, wasn't it? But as you can see, I have a lot of people here to protect. That's why I've been pushing myself so hard... to get stronger. We need to board a plane and get back to Nemura City."

Before Nhia can respond, Mai's voice crackles through the earpiece. Jasee puts it on, listening as Mai says, "The plan for the plane is abandoned. It's too dangerous for my group and yours. The A-Star zombie protecting the planes is too strong."

Jasee yells into the earpiece, "We don't have a choice! The roads to Nemura is too long and too dangerous. This is our best chance for a shortcut."

After a tense moment, Jasee offers, "Have your strongest person create a distraction. While they're busy, we'll make a move for the planes."

Mai's voice comes through the earpiece with a tense edge. "Jasee, you have no idea what will happen if our strongest person fights that A-Star zombie. The entire city will crumble from the battle. There will be so much destruction, we won't be able to do anything. That's why we came up with another plan—to get everyone out safely and come up with a better way to reach Nemura City quickly."

Jasee's expression darkens as she crushes the earpiece in her hand. "There's another way to the planes," she mutters. "With my new powers, I'll make sure of it."

Gathering everyone on the top floor, Jasee, Nhia, and the armed group take their positions at the center, while the unarmed survivors form a ring around them. Nhia notices the fear in the eyes of the survivors, their gazes darting between Jasee and her heavily armed followers.

Jasee's voice cuts through the silence. "Everyone, hold onto the person next to you. Don't let go."

One by one, the survivors obey, gripping each other's arms. Nhia turns to Jasee, worry creeping into his voice. "What are you going to do?"

Jasee flashes a smile, her eyes gleaming with determination. "I'll do whatever it takes to get us on that plane."

As Nhia watches her, a sinking feeling settles in his stomach. This... this isn't the Jasee he knows. Something is wrong. The fear in the survivors' faces, the cold confidence in her voice—it all feels off.

In an instant, Jasee casts her magic, teleporting the entire group outside onto the air plane tracks. Nhia looks around in shock as many zombies immediately begin closing in from all directions. Panic ripples through the crowd. The armed men shove the unarmed survivors toward the oncoming horde, forcing them into the zombies' path as the creatures tear into them.

Nhia's heart races as he realizes what's happening. "No!" he shouts, but Jasee is already casting another spell, teleporting her group—and Nhia—closer to the plane hangar. Behind them, the zombies devour the abandoned survivors.

Before Nhia can react, Jasee grabs him by the back of the neck, holding him still as she looks up at a drone hovering overhead. Her voice rings out, cold and calculated. "If you don't want Nhia to die, send your strongest people here—now!"

Mai, watching the scene unfold on her screens, slams her fists down on the desk in frustration.

she takes a deep breath and gives the order to everyone. Just then, Adam bursts out of the fat zombie's stomach, gasping for air. "I wasn't planning to use my full strength," he says, his voice strained. "I didn't want to attract that high-tier A-Star, but it looks like Nhia's plan didn't pan out."

With a surge of energy, Adam leaps through the giant glass windows, crashing down right in front of Jasee and her group. He moves with lightning speed, grabbing Jasee by the neck.

Jasee's eyes widen, but she quickly acts, using her magic to teleport herself and Nhia closer to the plane hangar gates. "Do your part!" she demands.

Suddenly, the gates swing open, revealing a zombie pilot who staggers out. Adam takes a deep breath, shaking his head. "This is a horrible plan..."

Without warning, the zombie pilot and Adam clash, both of them soaring upwards in a fierce battle. Meanwhile, Jasee turns to her group. "Hurry! Fill the tanks of the plane!"

The armed men scramble into the hangar, and Andrew hands Jasee a pistol. Jasee raises the gun, pointing it directly at Nhia. "You've done your part," she says coldly. "Now you're useless to me."

Tears stream down Nhia's face as he watches Jasee's finger tighten on the trigger. "No... please," he begs, desperation lacing in his voice. Jasee pulls the trigger as the bullet flies towards Nhia, who closes his eyes, remembering all the rough times he had those many conversations with Jasee over the phone and radio stations. Anger then sparks within Nhia's soul!