Zombie Slaying System

Chapter 3: System Host Found

Jonah stood alone in the hallway, his chest rising and falling with each anxious breath. The flickering lights above made the silence even more terrifying. 

Every creak, every faint gust of air made his skin crawl. The monsters could be anywhere. And he didn’t plan on waiting around to find out where.

“Why did Clara run off like that?” he muttered under his breath. “I know she’s scared. We all are. But splitting up? That’s a death sentence in a place like this.”

The tension in the air was thick, like a storm about to break. Jonah tightened his grip on the rusty axe in his hand. If he made one mistake, just one noise too loud, one step too fast, those creatures would be on him in seconds.

He bolted for the second fire escape.

The first one had been a nightmare, zombies crawling all over it like ants on sugar. But maybe this one… just maybe…

Jonah moved fast, nearly tripping as he rounded the corner. His heart pounded like a drum inside his chest. This was it. If this fire escape was blocked too, he didn’t know what he’d do.

The stairs were narrow and dusty. Part of the building was still under renovation. Exposed pipes jutted out from the walls, wires hung like vines, and broken planks littered the ground. It was a mess, but all Jonah could think about was getting out.

“I’m not dying here,” he whispered.

He darted through the sixth floor, breath shallow, listening for anything that might give away the monsters' presence.

Then he froze. The fifth floor.

It was supposed to be his chance to escape. But the hallway was a nightmare. Zombies crowded the corridor, hunched over a man whose screams had already gone silent.

Jonah stepped back slowly. The creatures didn’t notice him.

Wait… why not?

Then he remembered. The zombies hunted by sound. They didn’t see, they heard.

His thoughts drifted to home. Warm meals. His mom’s laughter. His father’s silent strength. His little sister’s playful voice. He hadn’t seen them in months. He had taken this job to help them, to give them a better life.

And now? He might not even live to say goodbye.

He shook the thoughts away and crept forward. Each step was torture. The groans of the creatures, the wet tearing of flesh, it all echoed around him.

Then he saw it. The fire escape door.

But three zombies were blocking it, gnawing on a half-eaten corpse. No way through.

Unless…Jonah took the axe and tapped it lightly on the railing.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

It wasn’t loud. But it was enough.

The zombies stopped eating. Their heads slowly turned toward the sound. A second later, they began to shuffle away from the door, hunting the echo like predators chasing prey.

It worked.

Jonah ran down the stairs, leading them away. But the lower floors were worse. Wires scattered everywhere, some sparking with electricity. Construction materials blocked parts of the hallway. He dodged around them, hoping to stay one step ahead.

He stopped to listen. Nothing.

He looked back. “That’s strange,” he whispered. “They didn’t follow me…”

But he didn’t have time to think. He reached the next door and pushed it open and froze.

More zombies.

Five of them.

They turned at once. Their heads jerked in his direction. Sniffing. Snarling.

Jonah tried to shut the door, but they were faster. Bony hands shoved through the opening. Groaning, growling, snapping jaws. The weight of them pressed against him as he struggled to keep the door shut.

“Damn it!” he yelled. “I’m not going to die like this!”

But he couldn’t hold it forever.

He let go and sprinted down the hallway, his boots slamming on the tiled floor. He didn’t look back. He didn’t need to. The sound of snarling behind him was enough.

He turned the corner, lungs burning, heart thundering.

Then he heard voices. Real human voices.

“Did you hear that?” someone whispered. “Someone’s out there…”

“He won’t last long,” another replied.

Jonah rushed to the door they were hiding behind.

“Hey! Are you guys from the company upstairs?” he shouted, desperation in his voice. “Please! I need help!”

A pause. Then a reply. “Who are you? Why are you talking to us?”

“My name is Jonah Summers! I work on the seventh floor. Please, let me stay with you.”

Silence.

Then the voice came back, hard and cold. “No way. I don’t know if you’re one of them. You could be tricking us.”

Jonah felt like the ground dropped beneath his feet. “I’m human! I have an axe, I’ve been running all day just to survive!”

“Don’t care,” the voice said. “You’ll lead them right to us. Go away before you get us killed.”

Jonah stood there, stunned.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to be.

In movies, people helped each other. But here? Everyone was too scared to care. Humanity was tearing itself apart, not because of monsters, but because of fear.

He turned away from the door. “I hope you all make it,” he whispered bitterly.

Then he ran again.

He found another room. The door was half open, and he slipped inside, not even checking to see if it was safe.

That was a mistake.

The room was a mess. Tools scattered across the floor. Live wires sparkled with blue electricity. Jonah stepped forward, and something clicked beneath his boot.

BZZZZZT!

A shock ripped through his body.

He screamed.

His muscles seized. The axe dropped from his hands. He fell to the floor, twitching, gasping. His vision blurred. Darkness crept in at the corners.

And then… he heard it. A voice. Cold. Robotic. Clear as day.

“SYSTEM HOST FOUND.”

 “INITIATING SYSTEM ACTIVATION.”

Jonah’s eyes flew open. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak.

But something inside him was waking up.

Something powerful. Something… not human.