LOGIN"Raarh!"The half-headed zombie lurched toward Hayley, stumbling as it charged.Hayley kicked the door open and stepped out. She didn't even try to dodge.A saber appeared in her hand. She lifted it and brought it straight down.She didn't go for the neck or split the skull the way she usually did. Instead, she followed the line where its head had already been hacked open and added a clean, precise slice.The blade slipped through the zombie's scalp like it was nothing. Pure force carried it through bone, through the mushy, rotted brain, through the upper jaw, the tongue, the lower jaw, the torn throat.The entire side of its head peeled open like soft tofu under a kitchen knife.A crystal core dropped out.Tap.The green zombie lost all motion and collapsed. Dark red and black sludge spread across the ground. Its bulging eyes stayed fixed on Hayley, lifeless but wide open.Too bad.It didn't even get a last bite before it died.Hayley didn't relax for a second."Raarh! Ra
June's group of four stuck with their own vehicle.Hayley looked at them. "You're coming down with me. Wait inside the station. When you hear my signal, start throwing explosives. Blow a path open and cover my exit.""No problem!"June and the others lit up with excitement.Hayley handed out the explosives, set the ambush points and timing, and everyone moved into position.Clark's team handled the initial distraction, drawing the zombies away while everything was being set up.Once that was in place, Hayley switched to June's vehicle and headed down toward the tracks.At that moment, Ben, still reeking from throwing up, climbed in after them."I'm going, too.""This is dangerous. We'll be stuck down there for a while. You shouldn't come," Fiona said."Who asked you?" Ben shot her a glare and shoved past her, taking the front passenger seat."Ben! You're not going!" Clark yelled. "Clark, stop trying to control me! If you keep doing this, I'll never grow up. That's on you!"
"Do you know anything about the giant zombies here? Are they only in Fairfield?" Hayley continued asking."Yes." Clark's answer came even more certain this time. "They only exist in Fairfield. I've been around this area for years. Fairfield's always been different. Zombie evolution here doesn't match anywhere else. Because of the giants and that toxic fog, we gave up on the city."Hayley went quiet after hearing that.A thought surfaced, heavy and unmistakable.Her expression turned serious.She used to think the toxic fog was just some accident from chemical plants. Now it was clear. That was not it at all.This was deliberate. Someone had been releasing that green gas on purpose, forcing the zombies here to mutate.A name rose in her mind, almost too obvious.Ascendant Creed.It had to be them.At that moment, the fog outside began to thin. The city slowly revealed itself."Raarh!"Below the ridge, the streets were packed with wandering zombies.As the haze cleared, a fe
"Seeing how close you and your wife are is a highlight of this trip for me," Hayley said. "Congratulations.""Let's talk about that when I get back." Clark looked a little embarrassed. He turned to the people behind him. "Everyone's here, so let's move out!"Right then, another voice cut in."Wait, Clark! I'm coming, too!"Ben came running over, a large mask covering his face. He went straight into the departing group.The moment Clark and Whitney saw him, their expressions darkened."What are you doing? Stop messing around!" Whitney snapped before Clark could even speak."I'm going out to help Clark on this mission. How is that messing around?" Ben retorted. "It's dangerous out there. You're not going!""Did you forget? When you were bleeding out back then, I carried you out myself. I'll be fine!"Whitney froze, caught off guard. Clark stepped in. "Cut it out. Stay at base and keep your sister company.""So you look down on me, huh? Don't think I don't know. You've alway
"Yeah."Hayley nodded."Then we're going with you," June said. She glanced at the others, excitement written all over her face."Yeah, take us with you!""We wanna fight alongside you again!"Hayley gave a small smile. "Fine, but you follow my lead. No exceptions.""Got it!"The next day came in a blink.At 8 a.m., Hayley and Griffin were already geared up, standing outside the building. The squad of elite Gifted soldiers Clark had assigned them had arrived and were waiting.However, Clark himself still hadn't shown. Without the man in charge, Hayley couldn't just take his people and leave."Pretty sure Clark took my advice last night and didn't get any sleep," Griffin said, stretching.Hayley turned and looked at him.He immediately grinned. "Alright, alright. That one's on me."Right then, a voice called out, brisk and apologetic."Sorry, I'm late!"Clark came jogging over, hurriedly fastening his jacket as he ran.For once, Whitney, who never seemed to have a kind ex
Hayley couldn't help but feel that Clark and Whitney really drew the short straw with Ben.Hayley took a slow breath, looking at him. "So you're saying you can give me a better life than your sister?""Of course. Every woman in this base envies her life. You'd be lucky."That did it.Hayley stepped forward and slapped him hard enough to send him flying."Are you blind, or just stupid? Anyone with eyes can see I'm living better than her already! And you want me to lower myself and live your sister's life? Does your brain connect straight to your gut? All that air moving through your head, and nothing else? No wonder you can't see straight with all that crap filling your brain."Ben hit the ground hard after the slap sent him flying. He looked up furiously as Hayley walked toward him step by step, clutching his face. "You actually hit me?""So what if I did? Go cry to your sister if you've got the guts. You're pathetic. Whitney must've had the worst luck having you as a brother. S
Liam and Kit's group dug nonstop through the entire night and managed to clear about 65 feet.The physical effort itself was brutal but manageable. The real problem was that they only had three bottles of water. By the next day, all three bottles were gone.Liam couldn't stop it even if he wante
Holding out for another minute or two wasn't going to change their fate.And then, they saw it. The metal spikes anchoring the wall were starting to loosen. Their massive wire net was on the verge of collapse.With a sharp snap, the first steel spike flew loose, and an entire cable tore apart. O
Liam's team threw open the gate. Nobody used guns. They switched to blades and abilities, moving fast and staying quiet. Within ten minutes, every zombie in the area was down.Everyone rushed back to their vehicles and pulled out.Milo left as well, carrying the battery-powered radio Hayley had
Milo looked at Hayley, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly as he quietly asked Liam, "Is she your girl?""No, you've got it wrong," Liam said right away. "She's the leader of Haylight Base. Her name's Hayley Reid. And she's tough."When Milo heard the words "she's tough", he showed a hint of interes







