Kane stared, silent. In front of him was a scene straight out of a horror movie. Beasts roamed the courtyard, eyes, limbs, and heads randomly broken and dragging They looked like the corpses from physical contests raised back to life, seeking vengeance.
For a moment he thought that was what they were, and he shivered. He had dealt enough killing blows himself that he was likely the target if they were coming for this school.
But then he shook his head. That couldn't be. After all, their bodies had been burned in homage to their families. Not that their families would ever know. It was safer this way for their families' well-being, both mentally and physically. Insurance was a lot more likely to fork over some of their precious cubits if they thought that the death was due to an accident rather than a deliberate attempt to climb the ranks in a criminal organization.
But whatever was happening here was more important.
He turned on his heel and shoved open the door behind him back into the third-floor chemistry lab, intending to extract his allies from the class.
When he saw the already empty room, he frowned, then he looked up at the loudspeaker. If the creatures had made it to the broadcasting office already, then they must have come in from the other side. The only explanation was that they took the path of least resistance, around the courtyard. That made his job that much harder. But first, he had to find Zoe, Lauren, and Mike.
The door on the opposite side of the room rattled. Something was being smashed against it. Kane took a step forward, then stopped. Any closer, and it might be too late for him to react once they got through, if they were horde creatures like he assumed.
The door was thrown open, and only a single beast fell through, its head severed, lying on the ground at the feet of the figure standing in the hallway.
Zoe.
She took a deep breath, then cursed loudly.
"Cracked fists! Where are you when I need you?" she scolded him, crossing her arms. Her sword was already back in the sheathe at her waist.
"You didn't need me," Kane pointed out as he approached her. "And besides, I don't have a weapon."
"I feel more secure when you're around," she huffed, her face scrunching into something vaguely resembling a pout.
Warriors generally didn't pout, so she didn't have much practice when she was young. In fact, she had only started after meeting Kane. He was the one person who was bound to obey her, and yet the only person who didn't listen the first time.
It was infuriating.
"Why did it have to be you when you're the most useless protector a senator could have?" she demanded as he approached, his presence, though he was only a few inches taller than her, looming over her like a shadow thanks to his serious nature and powerful muscles.
Zoe had never been one to blush or bow before strength, like some other girls did. That was why she had taken up the sword. Her only love was the katana at her waist, and perhaps her old master, if she was forced to pick a human.
"I swear, since we came here you've been nothing but trouble with the other girls," Zoe complained as she led him down the hallway, not even bothering to order him to follow. She knew he would.
"Even Lauren has trouble looking at you for an extended period of time," she muttered after a few seconds of silent travel.
The hallway was splattered with blood, gore, and fallen bodies, heads, and limbs. She had had to cut her way through, and unfortunately, the creatures hadn't been nice enough to give her any time to prepare between attacks, and the second she had exited the room she was attacked, so she had to hack her way through like a butcher, rather than the sophisticated warrior that she was.
Zoe patted the sword on her waist, barely stopping herself from wincing at the memory of how she used the wonderful design of the blade as a bludgeon rather than to its fullest extent as a weaver of deadly beauty.
She huffed again. At least her annoyance at both Kane and the situation that had caused her to disrespect her blade were distracting her from the gore. She may be a killer, but she still didn't like such disgusting sights.
Zoe wrinkled her nose. The smell wasn't that great either.
She could practically hear the eye roll from behind her as she did.