Honkai impact 3rd: [The Mission - System]

Ayin tried to steady his breathing, forcing himself to stay calm. His mind raced for a plan, and then it hit him. He had to get back inside the house he had left earlier. If he could lock himself in, he'd have time to think.

_Alright... just get inside... lock the doors... think later_ he said to himself in mind, trying to calm and reassure that everything was fine.

He took a slow step backward, eyes locked on the zombie ahead. His muscles tensed with each movement. Every time his foot brushed against the ground, even the faintest sound made his heart pound.

_Just stay quiet... don't mess this up..._

The zombie twitched slightly every time he made noise, its head shifting in response. His nerves frayed with each passing second.

Then, his foot landed on something sharp.

Crunch.

His body froze. His breath hitched.

"Shit-"

The zombie's head snapped toward him.

"Oh, come on-!" Ayin barely got the words out before it charged straight at him.

His instincts kicked in. Even before the zombie fully turned, he spun on his heel and bolted toward the house.

Behind him, he heard its guttural snarls. The sound of feet pounding against the ground grew louder.

"No, no, no why the hell is it so fast?!" Ayin gasped, pushing himself harder as the creature closed in.

Ayin sprinted into the ruined house, barely making it through the entrance before lunging onto a sofa. He hoped it would slow the zombie down, just enough to buy himself a few extra seconds.

"Trip on that, you bastard!" he muttered under his breath as he pushed forward.

He dashed toward the stairs, his hand instinctively grabbing a thin chair along the way. His mind screamed at him to keep moving, but something made him turn back and what he saw made his stomach drop.

The zombie had tripped over the sofa, just as he planned. But before he could even take a breath of relief, the creature pushed off the ground and jumped straight at him.

"Shit-!"

Without thinking, Ayin swung the chair with everything he had. The impact sent the zombie crashing into the left wall, its body slamming hard before it collapsed onto the floor. Its limbs twitched, its mouth letting out a guttural, horrific noise.

"Oh, come on, just stay down already!" he cursed, adrenaline surging through him.

The Zombie was still moving.

Ayin didn't waste another second as he turned and bolted up the stairs, his breath ragged.

Reaching the second floor, he barely took in the mess around him. It was a dust-covered floors, broken furniture, scattered debris. To his right, a section of the house was completely destroyed, exposing a view of the distant cityscape.

The towering buildings in the distance stood eerily against the sky, a haunting reminder of the world's collapse.

But there was no time to admire the view.

His eyes locked onto the hallway ahead. Three doors.

He didn't think as he just ran for the closest one.

Ayin yanked the door open but his body froze. A deep, instinctive feeling screamed at him.

Something was inside.

His breath hitched and without hesitation, he let go of the door and sprinted toward the next one. As he ran, he risked a quick glance back and his stomach twisted.

From the first door, a nearly skeletal body slumped onto the floor. It barely had any flesh left, just rotting remnants clinging to bone. Its head lolled unnaturally, facing him directly.

Then, its remaining eye socket, empty and black and seemed to lock onto him. But from the right side of its face, where decayed flesh still clung, a lone, milky eyeball opened.

"Oh, hell no!" Ayin hissed, tearing his gaze away as he reached the second door.

He grabbed the handle, twisted but it was Locked.

"Shit, come on!" He yanked at it, frustration turning into panic.

Behind him, he could hear it now. The first zombie, the one that had chased him from outside, was climbing up. The wood creaked under its weight.

It was almost here.

Ayin kept yanking at the handle, his fingers slipping as he tried again and again. He even kicked the door in frustration, but it wouldn't budge.

"Damn it, open!"

His mind spiraled in panic. He was out of options.

Fighting the zombie was an idea that flashed through his head at this moment, but he immediately shut it down as he recalled what he had seen, how this one moved wasn't normal.

"This thing isn't like the zombies I've seen before... It's faster as It can also jump."

Even though its body looked frail, its movements were anything but. And worse, he had made too much noise. If this one had found him, how many more would follow? The thought sent a chill down his spine.

Seconds ticked by as he stood there, breath ragged. The locked door in front of him was useless.

That left one final option. The last door.

But doubt gripped him.

He already know what's at the first door and now, he was doubting at the last door.

_What if this one was the same?_

His heartbeat pounded in his ears as fear clawed at his mind. Am I going to die here?

But there was no time to think.

A deep, guttural sound reached him.

Ayin snapped his head to the stairs.

He was the zombie had arrived.

Its head twitched as it locked onto him. Strands of long, shredded hairs fell to the floor, some still clinging to its face.

Then without hesitation, It charged.

"Shit!" Ayin cursed, tearing away from the locked door and sprinting toward the last one.

He didn't care what was behind it anymore. Anything was better than what was chasing him now.

Ayin sprinted toward the last door, his heart pounding as the zombie chased after him.

"Come on, come on!" he muttered in panic, reaching for the handle.

He twisted it, and it opened.

A brief, fleeting relief washed over him, but he didn't stop to think. He threw himself inside and slammed the door shut, locking it in one motion.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The zombie crashed into the other side, shaking the door violently. Ayin stumbled back, breathing heavily. His hands trembled as he braced himself, his mind still racing.

"Shit... shit...!" He forced himself to take deep breaths, trying to calm down.

He glanced around, quickly taking in his surroundings.

BANG! BANG!

It was a bedroom-a large one. Judging by the size, it was probably the master's bedroom. The space was bigger than the other rooms he had seen, with multiple cabinets and furniture scattered around.

But none of that mattered.

He needed a weapon.

Ayin frantically searched the room, yanking open drawers, scanning every corner.

Then, a terrible realization hit him.

"The pipe... I dropped it outside."

His stomach twisted. In his panic, he had let go of the only thing he had to defend himself.

Ayin clenched his jaw, frustration bubbling up, but there was no time to dwell on it. He needed something to fight with.

BANG! BANG!

He turned back to the room, scanning every inch, and rushed toward a small wardrobe next to a large cabinet. Just as he reached for it.

Clink-clank!

The sharp sound of metal hitting the floor made him freeze.

His eyes snapped to the door. His breath hitched.

The screws were falling.

The repeated slams from the zombie were rattling the door so hard that the hinges were barely holding together.

"Oh, no-no, no, no!" Panic surged through him. He had seconds before the door gave in.

Desperate, his gaze landed on the large cabinet beside him. An idea struck.

Without hesitating, he shoved his weight against it, tipping it over with a loud THUD as it hit the floor. He quickly pushed it against the door, blocking the lower half. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing.

His breathing was erratic. He could still hear the zombie slamming against the door, but now another fear crept into his mind.

"How long will this even hold?"

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The door continued to shake violently as the zombie slammed against it, each hit making Ayin more anxious.

He didn't waste any more time searching the bedroom. Instead, he rushed into the bathroom.

The air was stale, the walls stained with dried blood, but there was no body. He barely spared it a glance, his focus locked on finding something anything to defend himself.

Then, his eyes landed on a broken pipe jutting from the wall.

One end was still intact, but the rest looked loose. Without hesitation, he grabbed it and pulled.

BANG!

The zombie's relentless pounding echoed through the room, its distorted groans sending shivers down his spine. Ayin gritted his teeth, yanking at the pipe as hard as he could.

Then.

CRACK!

The sharp sound of wood splintering.

His stomach twisted. His barricade was breaking.

"Shit, come on!" He yanked harder, his palms scraping against the rough surface. The pipe had already loosened, and now it finally started to come free _Faster!_

BANG! BANG!

More wood snapped, chunks of the door falling to the floor.

With a final pull, the pipe detached.

Not even taking a second to breathe, Ayin spun around and sprinted back toward the bedroom.

As Ayin rushed back into the bedroom, his breath caught in his throat.

The zombie was halfway through the door.

It had torn a hole through the wooden frame, forcing its way inside. Its grotesque, half-decayed face twisted toward him, its empty eye socket fixated on its prey. Long, bony fingers clawed the air, desperately trying to grab him-but its body was stuck.

Ayin's chest tightened.

"Shit!"

Without thinking, he charged forward, gripping the pipe tightly.

The zombie lunged, swinging its arms wildly.

Ayin dodged the first strike as he barely shifting his weight in time, But the second.

RIP!

The zombie's nails tore through his uniform, catching the fabric at his side. Cold fear gripped him, but it hadn't touched his skin.

"That was close!"

He had no time to hesitate as the zombie's missed attack left it open.

Ayin swung the pipe with full force, the heavy end slamming into its skull with a sickening crack! The impact sent its head snapping to the side, but it was still moving.

It's Growling, Squirming and Reaching. But Ayin didn't stop as he cursed under his breath and swung again, and again, and again.

The zombie gurgled, trying to claw at him, but every time it moved, he hit it.

"You're not-!" CRACK!

"Using-!" THUD!

"Those damn hands-!" CRUNCH!

He slammed the pipe down with every word, his body shaking from adrenaline and rage.

The zombie's decayed flesh splattered, staining his uniform, but he didn't care.

His mind was blank, his only thought: kill it before it kills him.

He raised the pipe one last time and brought it down....

Honking impact 3rd: [The Mission - System]

Ayin stood there, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling with each ragged gasp. His arms ached, his uniform was stained with filth and blood, and his hands trembled from the sheer force he had just exerted.

His gaze locked onto the headless corpse slumped against the broken doorway.

Even though it was already dead (truly dead this time) his body refused to relax. His grip on the bloodied pipe tightened again as if his instincts screamed at him to keep going.

His muscles burned, but he still raised the pipe one more time.

Without hesitation, he swung it down.

CRACK!

The first strike shattered the zombie's shoulder joint.

Another CRACK!

The second blow severed the other arm.

Both limbs collapsed to the floor with a dull thud, now nothing more than lifeless chunks of rotting flesh.

Ayin staggered back, his legs barely holding him up. He exhaled sharply, using the pipe to keep himself upright. His entire body felt heavy, drained.

But for the first time since this nightmare started, he felt a sliver of relief.

He dragged himself toward the bed, practically collapsing onto it. His breathing remained uneven, but at least he could rest even if just for a moment.

His mind slowly cleared, no longer consumed by the desperate fight for survival.

"I need a plan..."

His eyes flickered toward the broken door, toward the distant ruined cityscape beyond the window.

He had to escape. He had to find a real shelter.

Because this place, this ruined house. Was only temporary.

As Ayin sat there, catching his breath, his eyes remained fixed on the headless corpse sprawled across the floor. His mind raced, still fueled by the adrenaline that had yet to fully fade.

"This thing... it's not like the zombies in movies."

It ran. It jumped. It moved with an unnatural speed and agility despite its frail, decayed body. That kind of behavior didn't match what he expected.

Ayin frowned, his fingers gripping his knee as he thought.

"It's... abnormal."

That was the only way to describe it. If normal zombies were slow and predictable, this one was something else entirely.

His gaze drifted across its remains, taking in every disturbing detail. Then, something caught his attention is some kind of a pattern.

The body had vein-like structures running across its skin, but they didn't spread like an infection. Instead, they looked almost... constructed.

"Please it's not what i think it is..."

Ayin leaned forward slightly, his exhaustion momentarily pushed aside by curiosity. Something about those veins felt off. They weren't chaotic like a disease spreading through a body. They had a form, a strange and unnatural structure.

The sight sent a chill down his spine.

This wasn't just some random mutation. Because he recognized it as he continues to recall what the chats from the community is saying.

Ayin sighed, rubbing his temples as he let himself sink slightly into the old, dust-covered mattress. His mind was all over the place, unable to focus. The exhaustion weighed down on him, but it wasn't just physical, it was mental.

"What the hell am I even supposed to do now?"

His eyes scanned the dimly lit room, but no answers came to him. His brain refused to cooperate, too drained from the overwhelming chaos of everything that just happened.

Then, a loud grumble from his stomach.

Ayin groaned, his head falling back onto the bedframe.

"Right. Food. Great."

As if things couldn't get any worse, now he had to worry about starving to death. It wasn't like he had supplies on him, and staying here any longer wouldn't do him any good. He needed to move, preferably before nightfall.

"Can't exactly go running around in the dark when I don't even know what else is out there."

He sighed again, dragging a hand down his face before muttering sarcastically under his breath, his voice dripping with dry humor.

"Fantastic. First thing I experience after getting thrown into this world? Pain. First thing I experience before getting thrown into this world? Also pain. Love that for me."

A bitter chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head.

"Seriously. Did I piss off some god before all this? 'Cause at this point, it's starting to feel personal."

Ayin let out a dry laugh, shaking his head.

"At this point, it's like death gave me a second life just to use me as some kind of entertainment."

The thought lingered in his mind, heavy yet oddly amusing in its own twisted way. He sighed, letting his head hang low as exhaustion settled deeper into his bones.

"Honestly... what's gonna kill me first? Starvation or stress?"

A short chuckle left his lips, though there was no real humor in it.

He slowly lifted his head again, his tired eyes sweeping across the room once more. Even if the situation was miserable, sitting around and feeling sorry for himself wouldn't help.

As Ayin's eyes continues sweeping across the room, his breath hitched as his gaze landed on the small wardrobe, its door slightly ajar.

"When... did I open that?"

The question echoed in his mind, a creeping sense of unease settling in his chest. He tried to recall as he was retracing every action, every frantic movement he had made since entering the room.

But no matter how much he thought about it... he never touched it.

A sharp chill ran down his spine. His body tensed, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten as a new thought forced its way into his mind.

_I'm... not alone, am I?_

His grip tightened on the metal pipe, his pulse hammering against his skull. The room that once offered a brief moment of safety now felt suffocating, the air thick with the unknown.

Ayin's breath grew uneven, his chest rising and falling in quick, shallow movements. His mind raced. Someone else was here.

The realization sent a jolt of panic through him, his grip tightening around the metal pipe. He tried to steady himself, to think, but his breathing only grew faster. His body felt trapped between exhaustion and adrenaline, his senses screaming at him to react.

Then, a sound.

A faint creak. The soft protest of wood beneath weight.

His entire body froze. His breath caught in his throat. The noise hadn't come from the door... it was close, Too close.

Someone was right behind him.

His heartbeat pounded against his ribs, a surge of fear clawing at his mind. His thoughts spiraled in every direction _Who was it? A survivor? Another kind of infected? Could i even fight back in this state?_

He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to move. His lips parted, a curse escaping before he could stop it.

"Sh-"

Pain exploded across the side of his head.

His vision blurred as his body lurched to the side, the world spinning out of focus. His grip on the pipe loosened, his balance thrown off as he stumbled. The impact wasn't enough to knock him out, but it rattled his senses.

Someone had just hit him.