Chapter 25

My knuckles rap softly against the wood.

"Hey, it's me," I call out, keeping my voice low. "It's Kei. I'm back."

There's a moment of silence, then a flurry of movement from inside. The door swings open, revealing Tim, Sara, and Lily. Their expressions shift from caution to relief in an instant.

Tim narrows his eyes as he takes in my battered appearance. "Kei? You're back. What happened?"

"I did it," I smile tiredly. "I beat that crazy Elite Zombie Boss."

Sara's hand flies to her mouth in surprise. "Really? You actually defeated it?"

I nod, feeling a surge of pride despite my fatigue. "Yeah. I cleared the dungeon. We can finally leave now."

Lily, who had been quiet until now, steps forward. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," I reply, my grin widening. "Pack your bags, guys. We're getting out of here."

Sara rushes over, her arms outstretched. As she wraps me in a sudden, tight hug, I feel a jolt of surprise running through me. Her voice quivers slightly as she speaks into my shoulder, "Kei, that's amazing! We were so worried, but I knew you could do it!"

I feel my cheeks grow warm, and after a pause, I tentatively return her embrace. "Thanks, Sara." 

Lily's brow furrows as she regards me. "That's seriously impressive, but how exactly did you pull it off?"

"I knew I couldn't take that thing head-on," I explain, keeping my voice steady despite the memory. "So I lure it in front of the restroom, where it couldn't get past that invisible barrier."

"Once I led it there, I started throwing javelins at it from behind the barrier. But that thing just threw them right back at me! I dodged what I could, but some still got me good."

Sara's hand flies to her mouth, her eyes wide. "Oh Kei..." Her voice is barely audible.

"But I didn't give up," I press on, recalling those desperate moments. "Eventually, it made an attempt to retreat, and I chased after it. But, it turned out it was a trap, and I was almost…"

"It was super close," I admit. "But in the end, I somehow managed to take it down right before it could finish me off."

A heavy silence falls over the group as they process my story. Tim breaks it with a low whistle, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Wow, that's intense. I can't believe you solo'd that thing." 

"I can't believe it either… but first things first! The dungeon is cleared, so we can finally leave this place."

A buzz of excitement ripples through the group at the thought of leaving the school. Sara's voice is soft, hesitant. "Do you think...could we be the only ones left from the school?" 

I pause, considering her question carefully before answering. "It's possible. We never saw anyone else. Most of the other students and teachers... they were probably killed by those zombies when the dungeon first appeared." The words feel bitter on my tongue.

An uneasy quiet settles over us as the thought of that possibility sinks in. 

After a moment of tense silence, I slap my hands against my thighs, the sudden sound jolting us into action. "Anyways! The dungeon's toast, so let's just focus on finding out if we can actually leave now or not!" I try to inject as much enthusiasm into my voice as I can muster.

Tim, Sara, and Lily nod, their expressions a mix of determination and apprehension. 

We gather our few belongings and file out of the classroom. The hallway stretches before us, and we start making our way towards the main entrance, our pace quickening with each step.

As we approach the front doors, a mix of anticipation and apprehension fills the air. 

We pause for a moment, exchanging glances.

"Everyone ready?" I ask, my hand hovering over the door handle.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just go already." Tim taps his foot impatiently against the floor.

"I'm ready," Sara says softly, her hands clasped tightly in front of her.

Lily nods, her jaw set and eyes focused on the door.

And with that, I finally place my hands on the entrance doors. 

This is it. The moment of truth.