The group ran as fast as they could toward the escape path, which happened to be the same direction where Headless Horseman No. 1 and No. 2 were approaching with their small group of undead.
When they got close, Jack quickly launched his fire blast, aiming carefully so he wouldn't be caught in the blast. The explosion tore a wider gap in the zombie tide.
Without waiting, Jack sprinted forward. He moved so fast that the others were left staring in shock at the sudden blast, their faces showing a brief spark of hope. For a moment, they believed they might survive and avoid death at the hands of the zombies.
Jack was the first to charge into the loosened crowd of zombies. Using his large build and what strength he had left, he began shoving the zombies aside as more of them closed in on the group.
One of the survivors managed to slip past Jack and was about to escape the horde.
But Jack, seeing the person get ahead, grabbed him and shoved him back into the mass of zombies.
The zombies swarmed the fallen survivor at once, tearing into him while the rest of the horde kept chasing the group.
The others saw what happened. Fear and anger flashed in their eyes, but they were too weak and exhausted to fight back.
They all knew Jack was an awakened one, far stronger than any of them. None dared to confront him, even as the thought of what he had done burned in their minds.
With their remaining strength, the survivors finally escaped the danger.
Even though they got away, many had already died—some in the zombie horde and even more in the explosion at the building.
The zombies, maybe drawn by the heavy smell of blood, didn't follow for long. Instead, they turned back toward the building, where many dead bodies still lay.
Jack and the group found a small club building on the university grounds. They rushed inside and locked every door.
Jack collapsed in the middle of the room, breathing hard.
One of the survivors, a close friend of the man Jack had pushed into the horde, broke the silence. His voice shook with grief as he cried out, "Why did you do that? Why did you push him?"
Jack looked up and said, "What? What are you talking about? I didn't do anything like that."
The boy's anger flared. "You're a murderer! You killed him!" he shouted.
Jack met his gaze and said with a calm smile, "Look, I didn't do any of the things you're saying. You can ask anyone here—they'll back me up."
Though Jack didn't laugh, a smug grin crept onto his face.
The others stayed quiet. They wanted to confront him, too, but they all knew they needed his protection. None of them dared to risk angering an awakened one.
The boy who spoke looked around at the other survivors, but no one would meet his eyes. He hoped someone would stand with him and confront Jack, but everyone looked away. If someone did glance at him, they quickly turned their head.
Seeing this, the boy clenched his fists but stayed quiet. Jack did not say anything more and leaned back against the wall to rest.
The room stayed silent. Outside, the undead group moved closer to their location. On the way, the undead killed the zombies that had been drawn by the explosion and slowly cleared the area.
The group of undead reached the small building where the survivors were hiding.
One survivor was keeping watch for zombies, but when he saw the headless horsemen and the skeletons, he froze in fear. He ran back inside and told the others what he had seen.
The undead stopped in front of the building. Headless Horseman No. 1 and Headless Horseman No. 2 sensed several living beings inside.
They decided to investigate because the souls inside did not feel like zombies but instead felt human, weak, and tired.
The skeletons moved toward the door under the order of the headless horsemen. Just as they were about to break it open, a fireball shot out from inside and exploded, destroying two skeletons.
Seeing the blast, Headless Horseman No. 1 and No. 2 quickly jumped back out of its range. The attack would not have hurt them much, but they avoided it anyway.
The two horsemen then dashed inside before anyone in the room could react. They saw a strong man who had cast the fireball. No. 1 lunged at him and swung his sword, but Jack barely dodged with sheer luck.
The next instant, a heavy kick from the horseman smashed into Jack's chest, breaking his ribs and throwing him against the wall. Already badly injured, Jack's awakened body could not handle the blow and he died.
The other survivors panicked and tried to escape, but the doorway was already blocked by the remaining skeletons.
The skeletons rushed in with their bone weapons and quickly cut down the rest of the group.
Headless Horseman No. 1 sensed something different about Jack's soul. Since Jack had used magic, they decided to take his body back to their master.
The two destroyed skeletons were left behind, while the rest gathered the stronger bodies along with Jack and began their return to the construction site.
As they marched, the horsemen ordered weaker bodies to be left behind with the zombies they had slain earlier.
Soon the undead troop reached the construction site, where the gravel golem stood guard outside the building while Damien still slept inside.
The lion golem walked slowly near the entrance of the building. A golem always acted based on the thoughts its creator had when marking the core.
Damien had first imagined a human-shaped golem but later changed it to a lion, so it kept some of the smart traits of a person.
The gravel lion watched the undead group as they came back from their hunt. Its glowing eyes followed the headless horsemen and the skeletons as they carried the bodies inside, waiting quietly for its master to wake up.