Thomas groaned as his body hit the floor. The foul stench of the rot hit him like a truck. It was unbearable.
I can’t even see anything!
He wasn’t alone. Everyone who was left behind by the enforcers was there. Blindfolds were wrapped over their eyes as they were dragged to someplace else.
Soon after the second spire appeared, the zombies overwhelmed them. However, this time, the undead didn’t kill any of them.
Some of them were bleeding, and some even had a missing limb or two, but all of them were alive. They couldn’t understand why.
The humans had fought hard. They wiped out skeletons and around fifty zombies. Yet, the undead didn’t even try to kill the humans.
It’s not out of mercy. They must be after something.
Thomas wondered what he should do.
Defiance wasn’t an option. Only about a hundred zombies overwhelmed them before. Now, judging by the intense smell of rot, he guessed there were over a thousand of them around.
However, for him, their number wasn’t a problem.
[The Heretic’s Plight] was off cooldown now. Yet he couldn’t use it. After all, he had to join his hands for that. It was absolutely necessary.
Sadly, the zombies had restrained his hands to the sides. Thomas didn’t want to believe it, but it was done deliberately to prevent him from using any ability.
Since when did these zombies get so intelligent?
It was a well-known fact that the undead possessed some intelligence. Yet, it was thought to be merely animalistic intelligence.
They hunt, they feed, they get better at it. Rinse and repeat.
But this horde was different. Something about them felt eerily human.
I need to get out of these restraints somehow...
The restraints clanked as Thomas tried to free himself. That’s when someone yanked the blindfold off him.
He froze upon seeing the towering zombie before him. He wasn’t the only one who reacted like that after seeing Breaker.
They thought they were dead, but it didn’t attack them because it didn’t need to. Its presence alone was enough to instill fear in them.
If there was a freak of nature, it had to be the zombie before them.
That’s what they all thought until they looked around.
All the humans had been dumped before the spire like offerings. The same structure they were instructed to investigate.
Now, they were in front of it. Their mission was a success, but their faces were void of any joy.
Out of nowhere, some of them began gagging as they tried to vomit. The density of rot was too much for their weak bodies to handle. That was the case for some of them.
Especially the young man nearest to the spire. He rolled over and retched over and over, but nothing came out except the tears from his eyes.
Thomas ignored the man and looked around. Because of his ability, he still felt he could escape from there. But before that, he wanted to gather as much intel about the strange zombies as he could.
That way, the cult would not only accept him back, but they’d most likely promote him for his effort.
Once that happens, I’ll turn that woman into my bitch! How dare she leave me behind to suffer?
He ignored the vengeful thoughts and turned around, but what he saw twisted his stomach even more than before.
Massive pits were scattered all across the place. It was some sort of structure with big chunks of flesh around it. Some zombies were busy placing these chunks in neat piles.
Beyond the pit stood rows of crude structures built from bone and rotting flesh. They appeared to be walls and barricades, with the undead moving around like they were patrolling the area.
Just how many of them are there?
Thomas thought as he felt the presence of more zombies and installations beyond the walls. He swallowed hard.
This isn’t a nest. It’s a base. No, it’s a fortress!
Even the shelters run by the cult weren’t as organized as the zombie lair. That realization brought unimaginable terror to him.
How were we supposed to fight monsters like them?!
Only now did he realize the purpose they were brought there.
To crush their will to live.
"That’s not it," a hoarse voice echoed through the lair.
The zombie stopped doing their tasks and bowed in the direction of the voice. The humans turned and froze in fear.
Out of all the things they had seen, a mask-wearing zombie in a three-piece suit was the most bizarre of them all. Even more bizarre than the skin-cloak that the cultists wore.
"Despair? What will I do with that?" Blaze scoffed, taking his throne that had become one with the spire.
"Y-You can speak?!" Thomas yelled in disbelief.
He even tried standing, only to be forced down by Breaker.
"It’s one thing I’m capable of," Blaze replied, tapping the armrest. "I’ve heard you’re quite a problematic individual."
"I’ve also heard you were abandoned by your group."
Suddenly, Thomas snapped.
"I know what you’re doing!" he yelled. "You’ll get nothing out of me!"
Blaze nodded, gesturing towards Breaker. The next second, Thomas was grabbed by the nape and tossed towards Blaze.
The human fell at Blaze’s feet.
"I’ll get nothing out of you?" Blaze asked. "Shall I consider it as a challenge?"
Tendrils shot out of his back and wrapped around Thomas, lifting him in the air. The latter struggled to free himself, but failed, even when Blaze wasn’t paying attention to him.
"I have many ways to make you talk," he said, addressing the rest of them. "I wouldn’t even have to touch you for it."
He smiled as the humans lowered their gaze, not that they could see him. However, they wouldn’t be able to ignore what happened next.
Thomas let out a small squeak as the tendrils crushed his body. His eyes popped out as blood gushed out of his mouth, eyes, and ears. Blaze kept increasing the pressure until a small golden orb spilled along with the blood.
"There it is," Blaze mumbled. "A human’s nucleus."