Zombie Domination

As they settled into a temporary rest, Zoe, now returned to her human form, paced quietly nearby. Julian watched her for a moment, then turned to Dori and nodded. "You can drop your concealment now. The whale's not looking back."

Dori let out a deep breath and relaxed her hands, the shimmering veil around them slowly fading. She slumped down onto a nearby patch of grass, visibly exhausted.

"You all should rest too," Julian said. "Recharge your strength. We'll need it."

"I want to restore my sanity, not just strength," Rea muttered, flopping down dramatically with a hand over his eyes.

Cindy collapsed beside her with a sigh. "Finally… I'm so tired…"

Rea snorted. "Tired? All you did was scream and cry."

"I screamed hard, thank you," Cindy snapped back, wiping imaginary tears. "Emotional damage counts."

Rogan looked around, frowning. "Hey… where's Fey?"

"She went straight to sleep," Julian replied. "She burned through a lot with her [Liquid] skill."

Sebas, still scribbling notes into his journal, spoke up. "So far, it seems the whale's only offense is that laser attack. But we can't be sure if that's everything."

"You should rest too, Sebas," Julian said firmly. "We need your mind sharp when the time comes."

"I'm fine," Sebas said with a polite smile. "If anyone needs rest, it's you, Mr. Julian. You drove, led the team, shielded us from death… You've carried the weight."

Julian shrugged. "It's my responsibility. I'm the one who dragged you all into this."

Rogan gave him a thumbs-up. "Still, pretty damn smart to drive us behind the enemy instead of straight into its jaws. Gutsy call, my friend."

Julian sighed. "Cut it with the praise already."

"What, you don't like being praised by another guy?" Rogan teased.

Sebas joined in. "Ah… Is that it? So the rumors are true, then?"

Julian blinked. "What rumors?"

Rogan started counting on his fingers. "Rumors say you hate men, that you're a massive pervert, and that you're a shameless flirt with roving eyes."

Julian rubbed his temples. "Where the hell are people getting this nonsense?"

Then Dori spoke softly, a smile tugging at her lips. "You weren't like this before, Julian."

Rogan perked up. "Oh? So you knew him back then? What was he like?"

Dori nodded. "Julian used to be quiet. Always kept to himself. He didn't talk much to anyone… just played games alone."

Rogan raised a brow. "Hard to imagine.

Julian leaned back against a chunk of broken wall, gazing at Dori for a moment before speaking.

"You've changed too, Dori."

She blinked. "Huh? Y-You know me?"

Julian nodded slowly. "Yeah. Back then… you used to be timid. Always hiding behind your glasses, afraid of everything."

Dori's cheeks flushed. She looked down, fiddling with her sleeve. "R-Really…? You remember that?"

"Of course," Julian said with a small smile. "But now… you're stronger and brave. You've come a long way."

The air between them warmed with silence, the kind that wrapped softly rather than lingered awkwardly.

Rogan, watching the exchange, let out a low whistle. "Damn, he's got the magic touch. Making girls fall for him mid-apocalypse…"

Sebas, completely missing the sarcasm, nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good thing. We'll need to restore the population eventually."

Rogan snorted. "Okay, wow, you really said that like it's part of the mission briefing."

Just then, Rea stood up and nudged Rogan's shoulder. "Hey… come with me to the back for a sec."

Rogan glanced at him. "Why? You need to pee or something?"

"Don't say it so loud, idiot!" Rea hissed, face flushing red.

Rogan stretched lazily. "Go on your own. You're a dude, aren't you?"

Rea looked around desperately. "I—I can't go alone! That's why I asked you…"

Rogan stood, hands on hips, and turned to the others. "Hey! Anyone here wanna escort Rea to go pee?"

Rea lunged at him with a shout. "You bastard—!"

"I'll go with you," Julian said calmly.

Rea blinked, surprised. "Huh? Oh—uh, thanks, man."

They walked quietly into the backwoods behind the campsite, the night around them still and eerie. Julian stopped near a cluster of broken trees. "I'll wait here."

Rea nodded and headed a little deeper into the dark.

Moments later, a high-pitched scream tore through the night. "AAAAAH!!"

Julian rushed toward the sound, hand ready on his weapon, only to find Rea clinging to a tree, shaking.

"It's a ghost! I saw a ghost!"

Julian frowned and scanned the area. That's when he saw her.

A woman, clothes torn and stained, stood limply under a crooked tree. Her coat, though battered, resembled that of a lab jacket, like a doctor or a researcher. Her dark-blue hair hung in uneven strands, and her black eyes stared vacantly ahead.

She whispered hoarsely, "W-water… please… water…"

Rea screamed again and wrapped his arms around Julian's leg. "It's a vengeful spirit! One of the dead! She's here to curse us! She, she's looking for revenge against the sky whale!"

Julian sighed. "She's a survivor, not a ghost."

"No! No! I swear she phased through a tree!"

Julian rolled his eyes and pulled a water bottle from his inventory. "Here. Drink."

The woman took it with trembling hands, then muttered, "F-food…"

Julian smirked. "Pretty demanding for someone who looks half-dead." He tossed her some rations.

She ate ravenously, then looked up. "Thank you… You saved me."

"No problem," Julian said. "Were you part of the settlement around here?"

She nodded weakly. "I think… I might be cursed..."

Julian studied her closely. Something about her felt… familiar. "You're welcome to stay with us. We'll get you somewhere safe."

The woman nodded gratefully. "I'll come with you."

Rea, still suspicious, whispered, "Are you sure she's human?"

"She's human," Julian assured him. "Calm down."

They returned to camp, where the rest of the team looked up in surprise at the newcomer. Some reached for weapons instinctively.

"It's okay," Julian said. "She's a survivor. She'll be with us until we return to safety."

Then Dori gasped, eyes wide. "Ms. Beatrix?!"

The woman blinked, focusing. "I… Dori? Is that you?"

"You remember me?" Dori ran forward. "You were our school's health teacher!"

Julian turned toward Dori, startled. "Wait, what? You know her?"

Dori nodded. "Julian, this is Ms. Beatrix. She was the school nurse back when we were still students. You seriously don't remember?"

Julian stared, mind reeling. The name rang a bell, but his memories were a haze.

"…Ms. Beatrix…" he murmured.

Julian snapped his fingers. "Oh! The emo health teacher!"

Dori sighed. "Yup… that one."

Beatrix squinted at them, clearly offended. "Excuse me. I prefer the term aesthetically melancholic, And you two, show some respect to your teacher."

Julian shrugged. "Same vibe."

Dori only chuckled awkwardly.

Rea leaned in toward Cindy and whispered, "Wait, is she really a teacher? I thought she crawled out of a cursed well."

"How did you end up here, Ms. Beatrix?" Dori asked. "This is… really far from school."

Beatrix cleared her throat, striking a dramatic pose despite her ragged clothes. "If you must know… I've been cursed."

Everyone paused.

Sebas tilted his head. "Cursed? Like… magically?"

Beatrix waved a hand. "No, no. Life just really hates me."

Julian squinted. "Go on…"

Beatrix exhaled loudly. "When the zombie outbreak began, I was just trying to enjoy a peaceful vacation. Next thing I know, I'm in a survivor group. Yay, right? Wrong. Raiders attacked. Got kidnapped."

She held up one finger. "Then those raiders got attacked by other raiders. New kidnappers. Great."

Finger two. "Then they got attacked by survivors. I got rescued."

Finger three. "Then they got eaten by zombies."

Everyone stared.

"Then I joined another group. Real nice folks. We even had soup nights. Then? Raiders again. Kidnapped."

Cindy whispered, "She's like… a walking magnet for tragedy."

Beatrix held up a fourth finger. "Then they got killed by other raiders. I got tossed around like a hot potato with PTSD."

Julian pinched the bridge of his nose. "So… you're telling me this is like your fifth or sixth rescue?"

Beatrix looked proud. "Tenth. I stopped counting after the one with the goat cult."

Cindy slowly raised a hand. "Wait, there was a goat cult?!"

Beatrix nodded. "Yeah, they had robes and everything. Their soup was amazing though."

Sebas muttered, "So it's not a curse. It's just... unlucky."

Then Zoe muttered, "Big chest… like big sis Aya…"

Beatrix turned to look at Zoe, eyes wide. "What an adorable creature! Is this a new species?!"

Julian sighed. "If your luck's that bad, how are you even still alive?"

Beatrix blinked, then tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hmm, you're right… Maybe God just wants me to suffer a little longer. Hehehehe."

Dori leaned toward Julian and whispered, "I think Ms. Beatrix might be… mentally broken."

Julian nodded slowly. "Yeah… I'm getting that vibe too."

Then Sebas said reassuringly, "It's alright… maybe it was just a coincidence."

Rea leaned in and whispered, "It's not a coincidence if it's happened more than ten times…"

Cindy smiled brightly. "Welcome to the Whale Lovers Squad! You'll be safe with us, really!"

Rogan grinned. "Yeah, if you survive."

Beatrix looked at the group, her expression slowly paling, as if she was staring at her future grave.

"...Am I really going to be okay with these people?"