Chapter 34: Blackout
"We were clearly the target," Nero said grimly, his voice low and tight. A solemn weight hung in the air, thick with unspoken dread.
Suddenly, Merek’s expression shifted. It had already been darkened by the death of two wraiths, but now a deeper shadow passed over his features.
Without a word, he spun on his heel and stormed toward the kitchen, his boots pounding against the tile.
The moment he entered, a sickening snarl erupted. Dozens of zombies turned from the blood-streaked freezers, their sunken eyes locking onto him. In an instant, they surged forward.
But Merek simply raised a single finger.
The effect was immediate and eerie. Every zombie dropped to their knees, bowing low with their heads pressed to the blood-speckled floor, arms outstretched as though in reverence to a king. The air grew cold. Still.
Merek’s eyes swept over the room, wide and trembling. Every freezer door gaped open, its contents ravaged. Blood stains trailed across the counters and walls like grotesque finger paintings.
Worse still, the power cords had been sliced clean, their frayed ends sparking feebly. Whatever remained of the food was now spoiled—contaminated by death.
Felicity stepped in behind him. Her breath hitched.
"I’m going to kill whoever did this," she whispered, voice trembling with fury.
Nero’s fists clenched at his sides. "We’ve got over a hundred people packed into the gym. The rations we stored there won’t last more than three days, even if we go sparingly. And—"