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The corridor erupted into chaos. Zombies lunged from a room at the far end, their elongated limbs scraping against the walls. Nathan and Josh reacted first, their Summons charging forward.
Nathan's Summon—a hulking, sinewy creature with mottled grey skin—grabbed one Zombie by the arms. Josh's Summon, leaner and faster, latched onto the other. The two Zombies thrashed, mouths split wide with rows of needle teeth, shrieking so loudly the sound drilled into everyone's skulls.
"Hold them! Don't let them break free!" Nathan barked.
His Summon wrenched the Zombie's arms back. Josh's Summon did the same, but the creature twisted violently, nearly slipping its grip.
"Someone help!" Josh shouted, his voice cracking.
Frank, Nina, and two others rushed forward with their Summons, piling onto the struggling Zombies. Flesh tore. One of the Zombies sank its teeth into a Summon's arm, and black ichor sprayed across the floor.
Then, from the end of the hallway, a new sound—a guttural roar, deeper than the others.
A massive figure dropped from the ceiling tiles, landing on all fours like some monstrous beast. It was larger than the other Zombies, its spine curved, its arms thick with corded muscle. It charged down the corridor, knocking aside a fallen chair, closing the distance in seconds.
Nathan's face went pale. "Jin!"
The word had barely left his mouth when Fidex stepped into the creature's path.
The Zombie leaped, claws extended, aiming for Fidex's throat. Fidex didn't dodge. Its right arm snapped forward, fist connecting with the creature's ribs in a brutal hook. The impact cracked bone. The Zombie slammed into the wall, drywall exploding outward in a cloud of dust.
Fidex moved before the creature could recover. It pinned the Zombie against the ruined wall, one hand crushing its throat. With its remaining three arms, it seized the Zombie's twisted, blood‑red limbs and twisted. Bones snapped with wet, splintering cracks.
The Zombie howled—a low, pained sound that vibrated through the floor. It thrashed weakly, but Fidex held it fast.
Jin's voice cut through the noise. "Who's taking this one?"
The hallway went quiet. Most of the survivors stared at the Four‑Armed Corpse, at the way it had dismantled the creature in seconds. They'd seen Fidex fight before, but this was different. Efficient. Brutal. Almost casual.
A tall, thin young man with sunken cheeks pushed his way forward. Wade. His eyes were bright with a mix of fear and greed.
"I will," he said quickly, as if someone might steal the opportunity. "I'll take it."
Jin glanced at him. "Do it yourself. Kill it. It shouldn't be able to resist now."
Wade nodded, swallowing hard. He pulled a kitchen knife from his belt, stepping toward the pinned Zombie. Its eyes still moved, tracking him, its split mouth opening and closing. He hesitated for just a moment—then raised the knife.
Nathan, meanwhile, had already designated Nina for the other Zombie. "Nina, you go first. We'll stick to the order."
Nina nodded, her face pale but determined. She gripped a steel pipe with both hands.
The two prepared to act. The corridor seemed to grow darker, the only light coming from the flashlights and the crimson glow of the Crimson Book marks on their hands. The air was thick with the smell of blood and decay.
Nina approached her Zombie first. The creature was still held down by Nathan's and Josh's Summons, its limbs pinned, but its head twisted toward her, teeth snapping. She raised the pipe, her knuckles white.
"Hit hard," Nathan said. "Don't hesitate."
She took a breath, nodded once, and swung.
The pipe came down on the Zombie's skull with a wet crack. Blood sprayed. The creature convulsed, its shrieks rising. Nina's face twisted, but she didn't stop. She brought the pipe down again, and again, her movements growing more frantic. The steel pipe dented the skull, drove it into the floor.
"That's enough," Nathan said, catching her arm.
Nina staggered back, gasping. The Crimson Book mark on her hand flared, and red light enveloped the corpse. A prompt appeared before her eyes.
[Contract initiated. New Summon bound.]
On the other side, Wade had his knife at the larger Zombie's throat. He saw Nina finish and, with a grunt, drove the blade into the creature's neck. Blood gushed over his hands. The Zombie jerked, but Fidex held it steady.
Wade sawed at the flesh, his movements clumsy. The knife scraped against bone. The Zombie let out a final, gurgling hiss, then went still.
Wade stumbled back, panting, his shirt soaked red. He looked at his hands, then at the corpse, and a grin spread across his face.
[Contract initiated. New Summon bound.]
Jin controlled Fidex to release the body and step back. The Four‑Armed Corpse moved to his side, its posture relaxed but ready.
Nathan surveyed the hallway, taking stock. "We've got six rooms left on this floor," he said. "We need to move fast if we want to finish today."
Jin considered. "Two people guard the stairwell door. The rest pair up—one room at a time, two rounds. That way no one searches alone."
Nathan nodded. "Makes sense. George, you're with Jin and Lisa. Stick close to them."
George—a dark‑skinned, round‑faced man with an honest, earnest look—stepped forward, gripping a hammer. He'd been quiet since they started clearing, watching, learning.
"I'll stay with you," he said to Jin, his voice steady despite the tension in his shoulders.
They split into groups. Nathan took Frank and Yates. Josh took Chen Jun and Sheila. Nina and Wade, newly contracted, paired up with the more experienced contractors. Jin, Lisa, and George took the middle room on the right side.
As they approached the security door, George cleared his throat. "Thank you," he said quietly.
Jin glanced at him.
George offered an embarrassed smile. "I've seen how terrifying those things are. I know you're risking yourself to help us get Summons. I just… I wanted to say I appreciate it."
"No trouble," Jin said. "If there's a corpse inside, just stay behind us and do what needs to be done."
George nodded firmly. "I will."
Jin turned to Lisa. "I'll open the door. Send your Rat in first."
"Got it." Lisa's hand rested on her Summon—the Mutant Rat perched on her shoulder, its red eyes scanning the corridor.
Fidex stepped forward. Its claws extended, gleaming in the dim light, and sliced through the security door's lock mechanism with a screech of metal. Jin pushed the door open a crack, and Lisa sent her Rat through the gap.
They waited in silence. Seconds passed. Then a snarl erupted from inside—high‑pitched, furious.
"There's one," Lisa said. "Living room. It's chasing my Rat."
Jin didn't hesitate. "Go."
Fidex shoved the door open, and they followed. The room was a wreck—overturned furniture, shattered glass, dark stains on the walls. In the center, a Zombie lunged after the Mutant Rat, swiping at it with clawed hands. The Rat dodged, skittering up a bookshelf, then launched itself onto the Zombie's back, biting at its shoulder.
The creature spun, trying to dislodge it, but the Rat held on. It was fast, agile, keeping the Zombie occupied.
Then the Zombie saw Fidex.
It abandoned the Rat instantly, charging at the Four‑Armed Corpse with a shriek. Fidex met it head‑on. Its lower arms caught the creature by the waist; its upper arms seized its shoulders. With a single, brutal motion, Fidex slammed the Zombie onto the floor. The impact shook the room, cracking the tiles.
One hand pinned the creature's chest. Another held its head still.
"George," Jin said. "Now."
George stepped forward, hammer raised. The Zombie writhed, teeth snapping, but it couldn't break free. George's face was tight, his jaw set.
"Sorry about this," he muttered, and brought the hammer down.
The first blow caved in the Zombie's forehead. It kept moving. George struck again, and again, until the skull collapsed and the body went limp.
The red light of the Crimson Book flared. A cold, mechanical prompt appeared in the air.
[Contract available. Accept?]
George exhaled, trembling, and pressed his hand to the corpse.
[Contract initiated. New Summon bound.]
He staggered back, looking at his left hand, where the Crimson Book mark pulsed with renewed light. "I… I did it."
"You did," Jin said. He nodded to Lisa. "Search the room. Food, medicine, anything useful. We don't have much time."
As Lisa began rummaging through the kitchen cabinets, Jin moved to the doorway, watching the corridor. The sounds of other groups echoed from nearby rooms—thuds, shrieks, the occasional shout. They were making progress.
George came to stand beside him, still catching his breath. "What happens now?" he asked.
"Now we finish the floor," Jin said. "Then we figure out what comes next."
He glanced toward the stairwell, thinking of the floors above, of the water shortage, of the thing in the fog that consumed the corpses thrown from the building. Of Josh, whose ambition was becoming harder to ignore.
And of Room 7504, four floors below, where Simon's son was chained behind a barricaded door.
Josh had found it. He hadn't acted yet. But Jin knew it was only a matter of time.
One crisis at a time.
"Let's move," he said, and stepped back into the hallway.
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End of Chapter 17