15. Common Sense (2)

Crunch.

Broken glass underfoot.

“Grrrk?!”

Their heads snap toward me.

Acceleration.

[Auto-cast: Acceleration]

The world slows.

I leap through shattered glass, grabbing the stair rail to swing myself up.

Five seconds flat to reach the second floor.

The infected snarl below, confused by disappearing prey.

Fourth floor – kendo dojo and pilates studio.

The glass door reveals two female infected behind the reception desk.

Nice figures. Probably pretty before the turning.

Now with half their faces missing.

I burst in.

Two quick thrusts.

Brain matter sprays across yoga mats.

The changing room holds seven more.

Their blackened blood sticks like tar.

[Level Up]

Sixteen in the main studio.

Disappointing – one short of a clean sweep.

No matter.

I exit as the acceleration fades.

Back at the boarding house, Eunseo jumps at my blood-drenched appearance.

“S-sorry! You’re just… covered…”

“You’ve seen me fight before.” I wipe gore from my cheek. “How are the injured?”

“Better. The nurse helped all night.”

By noon, we’ve relocated groups to the cleared house across the street.

Suhyun works miracles with her angle grinder, installing makeshift locks.

The male skaters look like swollen pumpkins but finally have space to recover.

Burning corpses takes all afternoon.

Plague would finish what the apocalypse started.

From the rooftop, I watch the megamart.

Fourth floor cleared.

One floor per day…

Possible?

I flick my cigarette into the street.

Rest now.

Raid tonight.