The silence of the empty chamber was broken by a sound that would haunt the Z-Hunters forever: a sickening, wet crunch. The zombie's teeth sank deep into Lucy's hand, tearing through skin and muscle.
She screamed—a high, piercing sound that echoed off the cold glass of the Game Station. Gwen acted on instinct, swinging her heavy cricket bat in a wide arc that shattered the creature's skull, sending it collapsing into a heap of grey limbs. But the damage was done.
"Dr. Sugar! Lucy's been bitten!" Gwen cried, her voice cracking with a terror that no medical training could prepare her for.
Sugar's face went grim, the green light of the neon signs casting deep shadows in the lines of his forehead. "The virus... it moves fast through a fresh wound."
The Turn
Lucy began to tremble violently. Her skin, once flushed with life, turned a sickly, translucent grey before their eyes. Her breathing became ragged, a low, guttural rasp replacing her voice.
"I… I can smell it," Lucy whispered, her head lolling back. Her eyes, usually bright and Kind, began to cloud over with a milky film. "I can smell your… blood… friends…" Her voice dropped into a twisted, aggressive growl that sounded more like a snarl than a human sentence.
Richard stepped forward, his heart feeling like a lead weight in his chest. He looked at the woman who had shared a train seat and a dream with him just days ago. "I'm sorry, Lucy," he whispered.
With a surge of desperate strength, Richard pushed her inside the reinforced digital game stall. He slammed the heavy metal shutter down and turned the key, locking the God of Elements' teacher away in a tomb of flickering screens.
"You did the right thing, Richard," Sugar said, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder.
James turned away, his voice breaking. "I'm heartbroken… we lost her. We lost Lucy."
"No time to mourn," Richard said, his voice hardening into something sharp and cold. "We need to move. Now."
The Road to the Base
The remaining team retreated to the second floor, gathered the trembling civilians they had saved, and piled into the ZDT. James slammed the truck into gear, the Giant Bull roaring as it crushed a dozen snarling corpses beneath its armored tires.
As they sped toward the city's edge, Sugar unfolded a glowing digital map on the dashboard.
"The army base is at the Sydney border," Sugar explained. "It's an underground fortress, stocked with a year's worth of food and water. But getting in won't be easy. There are only two ways: the Commander opens the door, or a valid officer scans their print. I'm an officer. We're using the second way."
He paused, his eyes reflecting the burning skyline in the rearview mirror. "There's a scanner. It detects blood contamination and bites. If the system catches even a hint of the virus... the soldiers have orders. They shoot immediately. No mercy."
A heavy silence filled the cabin. "If anyone has a bite," Sugar added, "get out of this truck now."
No one moved.
The Metal Gate
They reached the perimeter. James drove the truck into a concrete tunnel where a metallic shutter hissed open. They stepped out cautiously, the air smelling of ozone and damp stone.
"The entrance is fifty meters ahead," Sugar whispered.
They walked through the narrow corridor until they reached the main security gate. Sugar placed his thumb on the glass pad.
Beep.
The heavy steel door slid open, but a thick, white smoke suddenly flooded the corridor, blinding them. Through the haze, the sound of a single, deafening BANG echoed off the walls.
When the smoke cleared, the team saw a body on the floor—one of the civilians they had rescued from the mall. He had a small, jagged nail mark on his arm.
Commander Jackson stepped out of the fog, his rifle still smoking. "Allen! You're alive!"
"I'm fine, Jackson," Sugar replied, looking down at the fallen man. "But who did you shoot?"
"He was infected," Jackson said coldly. "I had to act. I'm sorry."
James looked at the man's still form. "So… he's gone to Terra Mortis," he whispered, a nod to the legends of the afterlife.
Jackson turned to the group. "Allen, we're losing the city. You have to create an antidote. Now."
"I can't do it alone," Sugar said, his eyes meeting Richard's. "I need my partner. I need Dr. Steve Joseph. And he's all the way in Indonesia."