Chapter 12: With them

The impact was brutal. Caius felt a sharp pain in his head, and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground, dazed and groaning. As his vision cleared, he saw a familiar face hovering above him—Derek.

Derek was lying on top of Caius, looking equally disoriented from the collision. He groaned in frustration. "What the hell, Harper?"

Caius's eyes narrowed as he realized who it was. Of all people to crash into… Derek. Just his luck.

"Get off me!" Caius growled, trying to push Derek away.

Derek smirked down at Caius, still not moving. "Are you seriously trying to take advantage of me? In this situation?" His tone was mocking, even though the situation was chaotic.

Caius clenched his teeth, anger boiling up. Without missing a beat, he reached up, grabbed a fistful of Derek's hair, and yanked hard.

"Hey! Don't pull my hair!"

"Take advantage of you?" Caius hissed. "Get over yourself.", he forced Derek off him and stood up quickly, glaring down at him.

"You're the last person I'd ever want near me," Caius spat, brushing the dirt off his clothes while keeping an eye on Derek, daring him to say anything else.

As Caius and Derek glared at each other, Aiden suddenly chimed in from behind. "Uh, we still exist, though." His tone was light and playful, trying to break the tension.

"Shut up!" Derek and Caius barked in unison, both clearly annoyed, though for different reasons.

Before Aiden could retort, a sharp voice cut through the air. "Are you all seriously this pathetic?" Serena sneered, her face twisted with disgust. "We're in the middle of a crisis, and you're acting like children!"

Her words dripped with irritation, and her sharp eyes flicked between Caius, Derek, and Aiden. "Do you even realize what's happening? Or are you too wrapped up in your stupid little drama to care?" She crossed her arms, her bitchy attitude on full display. "Honestly, you're all embarrassing."

Before Caius could even respond to Serena's sneering remarks, Mia suddenly grabbed his arm, her voice full of panic. "It's coming!" she shouted, her eyes wide with fear as she pointed behind them.

Without hesitation, Derek snapped into action. "Move, now!" he ordered, taking the lead without a second thought. The urgency in his voice made it clear there was no time to waste.

Caius shook off Serena's venomous words and grabbed Mia's hand, pulling her along as they followed Derek. Even Aiden, usually full of jokes, was quick to fall in line, his face serious for once.

The group ran, led by Derek, weaving through the chaos around them. As they ran, Caius couldn't help but notice the sword in Derek's hand. It was massive, gleaming, and eerily similar to the kind of weapon Caius had seen in his previous life. He muttered under his breath, "Where did he get that?"

Right beside him, Aiden, still managing to be light-hearted even in chaos, piped up. "Oh, that? It's from his inventory. Turns out Derek got the swordsman class. Lucky guy, huh? Good thing I didn't get a monster class. Though, if I did, I'd probably be the most handsome monster to ever exist." Aiden grinned, throwing a playful wink in Caius's direction.

Caius shot him a look. "Handsome? Please. You'd be the ugliest thing around. People would take one look and faint from shock." He muttered, keeping pace with Derek.

Aiden gasped dramatically. "Wow, Caius. Way to crush a guy's confidence. I'm wounded." He clutched his chest like he'd been hit, stumbling slightly for effect.

As Caius and Aiden exchanged their playful banter, Serena suddenly snapped, her voice sharp and filled with frustration. "Can you two stop acting like this is normal?! We're literally in a crisis!" Her tone was full of disdain, clearly annoyed by how nonchalant they were being.

Without missing a beat, both Caius and Aiden whispered under their breaths, almost in unison, "Annoying…"

Aiden turned to Caius with a playful grin. "Hey! You copying me now? I'm the annoying whisper guy here."

Caius rolling his eyes muttered. "Please, I'd never copy you. You're not that original."

Aiden feigned offense, shaking his head. "Oh, the betrayal. First, you insult my potential handsomeness as a monster, and now this? I'm starting to feel underappreciated."

Serena, still glaring at them, groaned. "I can't believe I'm stuck with you idiots."

As the group finally found a place to hide, they huddled together in a dimly lit room, their breaths coming out in ragged gasps. Serena, clearly stressed, shoved Mia aside and slumped into a nearby chair. She began massaging her legs with a mix of frustration and relief.

"Ugh, my legs feel like they're going to fall off," Serena muttered, clearly irritated. "Why do we always end up in these situations?"

Mia, who had stumbled but was otherwise unharmed, managed to regain her footing.

Caius, leaning against a wall, noticed something odd. While everyone else was sweating and exhausted, he felt perfectly fine. A small, cool smile crept across his face. "Guess I'm not as tired as I thought," he murmured to himself, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

Aiden's face appeared beside him, curious. "What's so funny?"

Caius, clearly annoyed, shot a terse reply to Aiden. "None of your business," he said, then moved to peek outside the room.

Aiden looked around, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and curiosity. "These zombies are nothing like the ones in the movies," he commented, trying to make sense of their situation.

Mia, still shaken but trying to keep calm, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they don't just shuffle around. They run fast, and it's really terrifying," she added, her voice tinged with fear.

Caius, glancing back into the room, nodded without speaking. They were in a small, dark storage room with dusty metal shelves, scattered crates, and broken equipment. The walls were bare and peeling, with a flickering fluorescent light casting eerie shadows. A small window near the ceiling was covered with metal bars, letting in just a sliver of light. The room smelled musty and old.