But now... he had beco Ivy’s husband.
And Ivy? She had almost beco... a goddess in this broken world.
And Isla...she let out a hollow breath.
’I beca... a zombie king...’
Jealousy twisted violently within her, sharp and consuming.
’I’ll destroy her... no matter what it takes ...’
Without wasting another second, she retreated, vanishing into the distance before the guards could reach her.
Ti passed. And obsession led her to observe. To learn. To search for weaknesses.
Eventually...she found one. The base’s outer defense.
The hunters.
From atop the walls, they targeted zombies using specially designed arrows.
Once the arrow pierced through a zombie’s body, a rope attached to it would be used to drag the corpse inward.
Or sotis they used so balls to restrain the zombies.
’They’re... pulling them inside ...’
Her eyes glead. ’That’s my way in ...’
Soon, she positioned herself near one of those hunting zones.
Lowering her posture, dulling her presence, she mimicked the sluggish movents of a mindless zombie.
’Act natural... don’t think... don’t feel ...’
An arrow whistled through the air and pierced her stomach.
A sharp, burning pain exploded within her.
A curse nearly escaped her lips, her body trembling violently.
’Endure it... don’t react ...’
Blood mixed with water as she let out a low, controlled groan.
The rope tightened, and she was dragged to the boundary.
The mont her body passed through, sothing changed. A strange pressure enveloped her.
Her connection to power...vanished. Her breath caught. Her eyes widened in pure horror.
’My powers ...’
Her fingers trembled as she tried to summon even a trace of strength.
Nothing. ’They’re... gone...?’
A cold realization settled deep within her bones.
’What... kind of place... is this...? This base... it nullifies zombies’ powers. ...’
A strange, invisible pressure wrapped around her like chains.
’So kind of... magic...?’
Her thoughts trembled.
"No... no... this isn’t how it’s supposed to go!" she tried to shout, her voice breaking into distorted, inhuman sounds.
But to the guards...it was nothing more than a zombie’s aningless growl.
They ignored her.
Without hesitation, they dragged her deeper inside and threw her into the prison.
For the first few days, Isla refused to accept it.
She clawed at the walls. She struck the bars. She observed every inch of the prison, her mind racing endlessly.
’There has to be a way out... there has to be ...’
But no matter how much she thought, no matter how hard she pushed herself...there was nothing.
No loophole. No weakness. Her breath grew heavier with each passing day.
’How... how is this place even structured...?’
Slowly, her attention shifted. She began to observe the others.
The zombies.
One by one, they were taken away.
So were dragged toward bright, sterile rooms where strange devices humd softly.
Others were restrained as needles pierced their veins, drawing out darkened blood.
So had their heads examined, their expressions blank and hollow, while others were forced to provide saliva samples.
Those who remained calm... were treated gently.
Those who resisted... were subdued without rcy.
Isla watched everything, her eyes flickering with unease.
’What are they doing...?’
Then she understood.
"They’re... identifying them..." she whispered under her breath.
A system. A database.
Each zombie’s identity was being matched with records, old identification data, and fragnts of their past lives.
And when a match was found...families were contacted.
She saw it with her own eyes.
A woman rushed forward one day, tears streaming down her face as she saw a zombie restrained behind glass.
"My son...!" she cried out, her voice trembling.
The guards spoke calmly.
"If you wish to proceed... you may purchase the antidote."
Antidote.
The word struck Isla like lightning. ’They can... turn them back...?’
Her fingers trembled. ’Then everything I did... everything I built ...’
Her breath hitched. ’It can all be undone...?’
Regret hit her all at once, heavy and suffocating. She sank to the floor, her shoulders trembling.
’I shouldn’t have... I shouldn’t have fought ...’
Tears welled up in her eyes, though they felt strange, almost unfamiliar.
A broken thought surfaced. ’If I die... maybe... I can start again ...’
She clenched her fists. ’I just need to die...’
But...no matter what she tried...she couldn’t.
Her body refused. Her eyes widened in horror. ’So I can’t even end this myself...?’
A cold truth settled in. ’Unless soone else kills ... I’m trapped ...’
Ti passed slowly. Painfully.
And then, one day, she noticed a familiar na in the system.
’Benjamin...’
Her chest tightened. ’Uncle ...’
He was her mother’s brother. A man who had once cared for her.
Her lips trembled. ’Please... recognize ... and get out ...’
But fate did not grant her even that small rcy.
Before Benjamin could arrive... soone else ca first.
A man stepped forward, his shadow stretching across the floor.
He stared directly at her. A slow, unsettling grin spread across his face.
"Finally... I found you."
Isla frowned, confusion flickering across her face. ’Found... ...?’
Then...her eyes widened.
’No... He’s not here for ... He’s here for... the original body ...’
A chill ran through her. She tried to move. To resist. But her body wouldn’t obey.
The man took out a vial. Inside it...a faintly glowing liquid.
The antidote. Her instincts scread.
’Don’t take it...! This man... he’s dangerous... he’s not here to save you...’
She shook her head violently. "No...!"
But it didn’t matter. Zombies... had no right to refuse.
As long as soone paid...they would be "saved."
The man’s grip tightened as he forced her jaw open.
"Don’t worry," he murmured, his voice laced with satisfaction. "You’re coming with now."
She clawed at him weakly, her nails scraping uselessly against his arm.
’Stop...! Don’t!’
But the liquid was already poured down her throat.
It burned. Her body convulsed as sothing inside her began to collapse.
Darkness crept in. And then, silence.
When she opened her eyes again... she was no longer in prison. She was floating.
Endless darkness stretched in every direction, a void so vast it felt like it could swallow existence itself.
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