"Not again!" Beatrix muttered, holding her balance as another earthquake shook the ground. But this time, there was a huge blue light that flared up the skies.
Hence, Zera and Beatrix knew it wasn't one of those ground shaking for distraction that the system releases from time to time. Someone fired something, and it most likely called the other re-animated dead.
"Okay, now we know where they are! Come on!" Zera pumped her legs to run faster. If she had an upgrade, she'd wish for more endurance in the running.
Beatrix glanced back and spotted a few more zombies running after them. She huffed beside Zera, tapping her shoulders.
"We might want to hurry up," she stated, catching Zera's gaze. The latter glanced behind them and took note of all the open routes.
She nodded at Beatrix.
"Right now, I wish we had Astrid's speed upgrade."
"Ugh!" Beatrix muttered beside her. "Don't remind me. I wish we could figure out how to get our own upgrade."
"Well, we have time for that later," Zera replied. "Hopefully. But right now, we need to get back to them. Or we're all screwed."
–
"Yes!" Jaspreth bellowed, dropping the cannon right after. It left a few singes on his fingers. "Ow, ow ow."
Jaspreth danced a little before he heard the snarls coming in all directions.
"Uh-oh,"
"Yes, Jay!" Astherielle angrily called out, pulling the remnants of the super mega zombie's tentacles from her ankle. "Uh-oh! I mean, what the hell?! Why didn't you aim for the big dumbo?"
"Well, excuse you! I was trying to save your ass!"
"HEY!" Nayowmi called out. Both Jaspreth and Astherielle turned towards her. "You can argue all you want later, but we have bigger issues to deal with right now!"
Astherielle grunted, glaring towards Jaspreth.
"Even if the world falls apart, I will always save my friends first."
Astherielle stared after him while Jaspreth flinched when he tried to grab hold of the cannon. The five-minute cool down was yet to be done.
She debated whether to apologize or save it for later. The loud snarl beside her helped her make a decision.
"Take this, you crappy monster!" Astherielle plunged the edge of her crossbow on the head of a zombie. Pulling it out in time to make it a defense from another one that followed.
She was letting out her frustration, and Astherielle had to admit she actually felt better. The thought about apologizing and her feeling guilty.
"Hey, Jay!"
"Yeah, what?"
"I'm sorry!"
Jaspreth snorted.
"You owe me more than sorry, A!"
"When we make it out of this freaking game, I'll give you an ace card!"
"Yes!" Jaspreth replied. "Now we're talking!"
Astehrielle rolled her eyes. An ace card was a rare item in a deck card game she and Jaspreth played. It was when they first met, and Astherielle has always been lucky to win ace cards.
Jaspreth loathes them.
All throughout the game, each player can give ace cards as gifts.
"You guys are weird!" Nayowmi called out.
"When we make it out of this game, come play with us sometime, Nayowmi!" Astherielle invited, squashing another zombie's head.
"I'll think about it!" Nayowmi answered. She wasn't even sure if they would want to talk to her if they made it to the end.
The idea was already eating at Nayowmi inside and out. But she needed to keep in mind that the money she'll win would be for her sister.
That was enough to keep Naywomi going. It was her way of making herself forget what she was supposed to do.
Nayowmi just needed to focus on saving her sister.
"Oh hell!" Jaspreth exclaimed, his eyes widening as the super mega zombie took his attack personally. Its two-heads had zeroed in on their trio, its tentacles pulling back, and started to group together.
Its eyes had turned bloodshot as it opened its mouth, ready to bellow a death-defying scream.
"We need to get away from it! A-S-A-P!" Astherielle belted out, running ahead to find a hiding spot. Jaspreth and Nayowmi were left to fend off the remaining zombies that kept throwing themselves along their way.
Rounding up to retrieve his cannon, Jaspreth kept glancing at the super mega zombie who was about to let out a loud growl which he knew would gather every other zombie present in the entire game.
Covering his ears, Jaspreth urged Nayowmi to run faster. They were closing in on a building. Minutes before the loud, revolting growl, the trio was able to take cover as saliva, and a strong wind had passed by them.
"Gross!" Astherielle complained a few feet away.
"Okay, now what?" Nayowmi asked.
" Hey, big, ugly fella!" Zera's familiar voice rang out. The trio got out from their hiding place, catching sight of two silhouettes rushing towards the super mega zombie. "Is that all you got?"
A fire of bullets rained on the zombies and the tentacles combined to double their size from before.
"Guys!" Beatrix called out. "A little help here, please!"
"A! I think it's time!" Jaspreth called out, urging Nayowmi to follow Astherielle while he ran towards Zera and Beatrix.
"On it!" Astherielle shouted. "It's the final showdown! Come on, Nayowmi!"
Astherielle started rapidly firing, shouting, and screaming as loud as she could, running in all directions like she was a siren. Nayowmi fired at the zombies that approached them, dodging a few as she slowly followed Astherielle's trail.
"Do those two even know what the new plan is?"
Astherielle smirked, glancing at her friends.
"Jaspreth will take care of that! To add, Zera and Beatrix pretty much are adept at analyzing situations! If you happen to meet us in the real world, you'll understand why."
While Astherielle and Nayowmi took care of calling out to the remaining zombies hiding in buildings, the other three players were leaping and dancing with the tentacles from the super mega zombie who had stopped chomping on the other zombies.
To their dismay, it seemed that attack from Jaspreth had changed its mind about finishing off the rest of its kind. Instead, it made use of them as its minions.
"Care to explain what's going on here?" Beatrix called out upon spotting Jaspreth.
"Super mega zombie appeared. Earlier, it chomped on the other zombies, probably for more energy, or I don't know! It almost got A! I used this kicker weapon to save her, blasting at its tentacle, gripping her ankle. And now, it somehow upgraded its tentacles and is set out to kill me."
"The big explosion was the cannon rifle?" Zera asked to which Jaspreth nodded.
"Well, damn!" Beatrix replied, shooting at the super mega zombie, which they had no way to tell whether they were making a difference or not. "We'll need to think of a new strategy and make use of that powerful weapon right under our noses!"