Zombie Slaying System

Chapter 5: The Voice Behind the Door

Jonah stood still, listening closely. A faint cry for help echoed from somewhere nearby, bouncing off the cracked walls and blood-smeared tiles of the fifth floor. He didn’t recognize the voice, but he didn’t need to. Someone needed help. That was enough.

He tightened his grip on the axe. “Where are they?” he muttered under his breath, stepping carefully over a torn backpack and shattered glass. His eyes scanned every corner, every door, every dark hallway.

Oddly, he felt light on his feet, faster, stronger than before. He was covering ground easily, moving almost without effort. It felt strange, like the building itself had shrunk or he had become something... more. Each step came with speed and balance he didn’t remember having before.

Jonah looked down at his hands, then back at the hallway. “I’m changing,” he whispered, half to himself. “But I’m not stopping now.”

He rounded a corner and halted. Just ahead, a group of zombies stood outside a half-open door. They twitched, their heads jerking in unnatural ways as they sniffed the air. Their skin was pale and stretched, with dark veins crawling up their necks. They hadn’t seen him yet.

His fingers curled around the axe. “Let’s test this again,” he said, narrowing his eyes.

This time, he would control it, whatever it was that gave him the edge before. He didn’t want to black out again or lose control. He needed to master it.

He charged.

The first zombie didn’t even flinch before its head flew sideways, cleanly severed. 

The second tried to swing at him, but Jonah spun beneath the arm and cleaved through its chest. 

His body moved without hesitation, like he was dancing through death. Left, strike. Right, dodge. Leap, slice. Again and again.

He was a storm of motion, swift and unstoppable. The seventh and last one fell at his feet, a pool of black blood spreading beneath it.

Jonah stood panting, his shoulders rising and falling. He looked down at the bodies, then up the hallway. A larger group waited farther ahead, maybe a dozen, maybe more.

And he grinned. “I never thought I’d say this… but I’m actually happy to see more zombies.”

With a wild shout, he dashed forward like a bull chasing red.

The fight was faster than he expected. He didn’t count, not until it was over and his axe dripped thick with gore. 

Around him were scattered bodies, arms, legs, heads… at least forty in total. Some still twitched, some groaned softly before going still.

Jonah stood in the center, blood on his face, chest heaving. He wasn’t tired.

He was thriving. “What level am I now?” he asked out loud, half-joking.

The system’s voice rang in his head like a whisper made of metal.

System Analysis: Level upgraded. You have unlocked skill use – Level 1.

Jonah blinked. “I unlocked something already?” His voice trembled with excitement.

You can now use powers enhanced by the system. For beginners: ‘Shock Blast’ and ‘Weapon Cry’ are available.

“Shock Blast? Weapon Cry?” He smiled again. “This is like a game. Except…” He glanced at the torn bodies around him. “There’s no respawn if I die.”

Suddenly, the voice cried out again, louder now. “Please! Someone help us!”

Jonah spun toward the sound and followed it down the hall. It led him to a small janitor’s unit tucked in a corner.

He stepped up to the door and knocked. “Are you guys okay?”

A pause. Then a voice, cautious and firm, answered.

“Are you human? Or one of them that just… knows how to talk?”

Jonah blinked, unsure whether to laugh or feel insulted. “Pretty sure zombies don’t hold conversations.”

Another pause. Then the voice replied, “Okay. I’ll open the door. Don’t attack us when I do.”

“I promise,” Jonah said softly. “I’m not a zombie. Just a human... trying to help.”

The door handle wiggled. Slowly, the door creaked open.

Out stepped a woman.

Jonah stared for a moment. She had golden-blonde hair tied back in a messy ponytail, with soft freckles on her cheeks and worried eyes. In her arms, she held a small boy, no older than seven.

He looked frightened, burying his face in her shoulder.

“You’re... a person,” the woman said, sighing with relief. “I didn’t think I’d ever see another human again. Not after today.”

Jonah nodded. “I understand. No need to explain. You were protecting yourselves. I’d do the same.”

“I’m Lisa,” she said, her voice soft now. “And this little one is Kelvin.”

Jonah looked at the child. “He’s your son?”

Lisa shook her head. “No. I found him… holding on to his mother.”

Jonah frowned. “Where’s she now?”

Lisa looked down. Her voice trembled slightly. “She was hurt. I thought I could help her. But the wound was… it turned her.”

Jonah lowered his eyes. “She turned?”

Lisa nodded. “I didn’t even have time to react. She attacked us, and I had to…” She clutched Kelvin tighter. “I couldn’t let him get hurt.”

Jonah didn’t speak for a moment. He watched Lisa’s hands trembling. The boy hadn’t looked up.

“You’re brave,” Jonahh said finally. “You didn’t run. You stayed to protect someone else.”

“I just did what anyone with a heart would do,” she whispered.

“No. Not everyone would.”

Lisa looked at him closely now. “And you? What’s your name?”

“Jonah.”

She smiled faintly. “You’re strange, Jonah. But I don’t see anything scary in your eyes. I’ll follow you.”

He returned the smile. “Then let’s get out of here.”

But as they turned to leave, a sharp bang echoed from below, then another.

Footsteps. Fast. Heavy. And not human.

Jonah pushed Lisa and the boy behind him, his grip tightening on the axe once more. “Something’s coming,” he whispered.

And this time, it didn’t sound like a normal zombie.