Zombie Domination

Mr. Leighton gestured to a circle of chairs near the table. "Come, sit. Let's talk properly."

The group nodded and took their seats. Moments later, a young woman approached with a tray of drinks, tall glasses filled with cool herbal tea. She had short brown hair that curled just slightly at the ends, and her eyes were a striking, luminous yellow.

Clarissa's expression lit up. "Dori…?"

The girl looked up and smiled. "You still recognize me, Clarissa?"

Clarissa stood up halfway, surprised and delighted. "Of course I do. How have you been? You've grown even more beautiful."

Dori laughed lightly. "Maybe it's because I've been eating regularly for once."

Emma added, "You do look much healthier now."

Dori nodded, her tone warm. "And you too, Emma. It's good to see you both."

She set down the tray on the table and stepped back. "Please, enjoy the drinks."

Mr. Leighton gave her a brief nod before turning his attention back to Julian. "Now then… What brings you all here? What kind of help do you need?"

Julian leaned forward, voice serious. "We're preparing to fight something massive, a colossal whale that swims through the sky. It's not just a threat to us… it could endanger humanity itself."

Mr. Leighton blinked. "A whale in the sky…? Sounds like something out of a myth."

But then his expression hardened. He knew Julian wasn't the type to joke.

"I want to help you," he said. "But I worry about leaving the school. If something happens here…"

Without a word, Julian opened his inventory. A glowing array of weapons appeared midair, rows of modified assault rifles, all enhanced with embedded zombie crystals that pulsed with a faint, eerie glow.

Mr. Leighton stood slowly, eyes wide. "These… What are these?"

"They're powerful rifles," Julian explained. "Anyone can use them, even without skills. I'm leaving them with you. You can assign them to the defenders here. If anything attacks while we're gone, they'll be ready."

The older man was silent for a moment, staring at the weapons as if trying to process what he was seeing. Then he exhaled with a soft chuckle. "This is beyond my imagination…"

He looked at Julian with a firm nod. "Alright then. I'll come with you. Give me a moment, I need to pass on my responsibilities and prep the school's defenses before we leave."

Julian nodded. "We'll wait."

Julian and the others took a brief moment to walk through the school grounds, once their place of learning, now a fortified haven.

Aya glanced around and murmured, "The school looks… really clean."

Veronica responded with a thoughtful tone, "Probably to prevent disease. There used to be bodies, blood… everywhere. Can't risk an outbreak."

Just then, Mr. Leighton approached the group. Walking beside him were two women, Dori, now in a more formal-looking outfit, and another unfamiliar face.

The new girl had long blonde hair that flowed neatly over her shoulders, her fashion bold and attention-catching. A crimson choker rested at her neck, matching the intensity of her deep red eyes.

Leighton gestured to her. "Everyone, this is Lea Hilton. She'll be joining us."

Julian gave a respectful nod. "Welcome."

Then Lea, full of energy, said, "Nice to meet you all!"

Clarissa was about to introduce herself, "My name is—"

But Lea quickly interrupted, "Oh, I already know you. Who doesn't know Clarissa?" She smiled playfully. "And beside you—that's Emma, and Veronica."

She then turned to Aya with a curious look. "But I don't know your name yet. Mind introducing yourself?"

"M-my name's Aya..."

Lea nodded back in acknowledgment.

Next, Celestia stepped forward and said, "I'm Celestia."

And finally, the last one spoke.

"Zoe," said zoe, short and to the point.

With no time to lose, they began moving swiftly toward the exit. Leighton fell into step beside Julian. "Are we on a tight schedule?"

Julian nodded. "That sky-whale could appear at any moment. We need to be ready."

Clarissa looked around and said, "If we're using a vehicle, it's not going to fit all of us."

"No problem," Julian replied. "I borrowed a larger one."

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the vehicle from his inventory, sleek, reinforced, and easily large enough for the group.

Celestia raised an eyebrow as she recognized it. "Isn't that Kevin's group's transport?"

Julian nodded. "He let me borrow it." (Lied)

"Hmm… I see."

Leighton stepped up beside the vehicle, giving an impressed whistle. "Quite a machine. When this is over, may I keep it?"

Julian chuckled. "Be my guest. Use it whenever you want."

"Thank you, Julian," Leighton said with a smile, clearly meaning it.

Veronica, leaning against the vehicle, smirked. "Are you sure Kevin won't come looking for it?"

Julian waved it off. "He's got more. One less won't kill him."

With that, the team boarded and departed for the shelter, hearts steeled for the battle ahead.

That night, their vehicle rolled quietly into the outskirts of the shelter.

Julian leaned out the window, letting the guards clearly see his face beneath the pale moonlight. Recognizing him, they quickly opened the gate without resistance.

"Julian! Welcome back man!" one of the sentries called out.

He gave a quick wave in return, then drove further into the shelter toward the residence of Randoff. The air was quiet, heavy with the chill of night.

Then Leighton spoke up, "You seem to be quite well-known around here."

Julian nodded. "You could say I helped save the people here."

Lea's eyes widened with admiration. "Wow, that's amazing! You're like a hero."

Veronica chuckled. "You're really full of energy. Do you want to be a hero too?"

Lea tilted her head, smiling. "Hmm... not likely."

And in the back, Dori was chatting excitedly with the others.

Then Emma said softly, "I can't wait to see my mom and dad again..."

And they stopped in front of a modest home, and Julian stepped forward to knock.

After a moment, the door creaked open, revealing Eliza.

Her face lit up in surprise, but what caught everyone's attention was her appearance. Her stomach had grown, visibly pregnant.

"Mom!" Emma cried out joyfully, throwing her arms around Eliza before she could even speak.

Startled, Eliza gasped softly. "E-Emma…? All of you—?"

Clarissa gave a small wave. "Hello, Auntie."

Julian offered a polite nod. "Sorry to drop by this late."

Eliza shook her head gently, regaining her composure. "No, no, it's alright. Please, come in."

They entered the cozy house. Leighton, still polite and formal despite the informal setting, stepped in last. "Excuse the intrusion."

And Lea and Dori both said, "Excuse us."

They all took seats in the small living room.

Eliza looked around at them. "You all came so suddenly… is everything okay?"

Julian answered, "We need help. It's urgent."

Then Emma, eyes sparkling with emotion, looked at her. "Mom… You're pregnant?"

Eliza chuckled softly. "Yes, I am."

The room immediately filled with warmth as everyone offered their congratulations.

"Thank you," Eliza smiled, clearly touched. "Wait here, I'll call my husband."

Julian stood. "It's alright. We'll go see him ourselves."

Eliza paused, her expression turning more serious. She now understood this wasn't just a visit, it was something pressing. "Very well. But please stop by again once you're done."

Julian nodded. "We will."

The group quietly made their way through the dim halls of the shelter, heading straight toward the central office.

Julian stood at the door and gave it a firm knock.

From inside, a familiar voice answered, "Come in."

They pushed open the door and entered the room. Randoff looked up from behind his desk, and froze.

"…Emma? Julian? And all of you—?"

Before he could process it all, Emma was already in his arms, hugging him tightly.

Julian gave a small bow. "Sorry to disturb you at this hour."

Randoff softened and gently patted Emma's head. "It's alright. With this many people, I'm guessing something urgent has come up."

Julian nodded. "I need help."

Without hesitation, Randoff replied, "Of course. I'll summon my people."

Julian tilted his head. "You're not going to ask why?"

Randoff gave a tired but knowing smile. "If you're coming to me like this, it must be something serious enough that explanations can wait."

"Thank you," Julian said simply.

"And thank you, Dad," Emma added, still smiling against her father's chest.

Randoff quickly ordered Darius, "Go call the others"

And moments later, familiar footsteps echoed in the hallway, then the door opened.

Luke, Vivi, Rogan, and Rea stepped inside. All of them instantly recognized the group before them.

Luke gave a casual wave. "I didn't expect a late-night summon to be from you guys. You holding up alright?"

Julian nodded. "Still alive."

Rogan grinned as he leaned on the doorframe. "Hey Julian, your harem's getting out of control, man."

Rea folded her arms. "Seriously, how are you this disloyal?"

Vivi narrowed her eyes at Rea. "You shouldn't talk, crossdresser."

Rea twitched. "Stop calling me that, damn it!"

Emma sighed with a half-smile. "Still the same as ever, huh?"

Veronica nodded. "Exactly. Some things really never change."

As laughter and greetings filled the room, two unfamiliar figures appeared behind the squad.

The first was a striking woman with vibrant orange hair, bright blue eyes, and a confident smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Cindy."

Beside her stood a much more timid girl. small in stature, with soft gray hair and matching gray eyes, and round glasses perched neatly on her nose. She fidgeted slightly before speaking. "I-I'm Sefi… It's nice to meet you."

Julian's group gave their names in turn, and Leighton's team also introduced themselves.

Then Luke clapped his hands together. "Alright, so what's the plan? What exactly are we helping with?"

Julian looked him straight in the eye. "You're going to help me fight a whale. One that swims through the sky."

There was a long pause.

Luke blinked. "…Sorry, could you run that by me again?"

Vivi stared blankly. "That's… quite the absurd mission."

Rea tilted her head. "Are you serious?"

Then Cindy grinned wide. "Fighting a god-tier creature out of nowhere? Now that sounds fun."