Zombie Domination

Julian replied while slashing through the air with his lightning-charged blade, "Luckily, this one hasn't been modified yet, so it's safe."

"Good," Fey muttered, forming a liquid shield that absorbed the impact of several charging bugs. The blades of the helicopter began spinning with a loud whir as it powered up, the engines roaring to life.

Inside, Rogan and Dori were already at the open side doors, using Sebas' spare revolvers to shoot down any approaching insects. "More incoming from the left!" Dori shouted.

"Got it," Rogan responded, taking aim and firing rapid shots to thin out the swarm.

Julian and Fey leapt into the helicopter just as a large mutated insect tried to slam into the side, only to be impaled midair by a spike of liquid. Julian quickly sat beside Sebas in the cockpit. This model required two pilots, with one handling navigation and the other managing weapons and stabilizers.

Without wasting time, Julian summoned three shadow clones beside him. "Guys, protect the helicopter from the outside."

"Roger that," Rogan called out from the side hatch, still firing at the incoming swarm.

The clones hovered around the helicopter, cutting down any insect that came too close as the team inside worked to lift off and escape the danger zone.

Beatrix narrowed her eyes and asked, "Is this helicopter even big enough to carry all of us? There are nine of us, you know."

Julian gave her a reassuring glance. "Don't worry. I've lightened its load using my gravity manipulation. We're good."

With a roar of its engine and the steady chop of its blades, the helicopter lifted off the ground, rising steadily into the air. Just as they gained altitude, one of the mutated dragonflies slammed into the front windshield with a loud crack, leaving a nasty splatter across the glass.

"They're really determined," Cindy commented sharply, gripping her rapier tightly.

Then Rea chimed in from behind, "Hey Fey, why don't you just cover the whole helicopter with your liquid?"

Fey didn't even turn around. "Are you stupid?" she snapped. "If I did that, the rotor blades wouldn't be able to spin. We'd fall out of the sky!"

"She's got a point," Rogan muttered, reloading his sniper rifle. "Rea, grab a rifle and help us defend this thing."

Without arguing further, Rea reached for one of the spare rifles strapped near the side hatch and joined the others in guarding the flying vehicle. And, Julian's clones sliced down any mutated bugs that dared approach as the helicopter soared higher into the sky.

Zoe glanced out the window, eyes widening. "Whoa… we're flying."

Beatrix sighed beside her. "Maybe this is just the curse of my bad luck manifesting again."

Suddenly, the helicopter jolted midair. The rotors had clipped another one of the giant dragonflies, sending vibrations through the entire cabin. Julian and Sebas wrestled with the controls, trying to stabilize the shaking aircraft.

"Guys… look!" Cindy shouted, pointing through the glass. "There's a whole swarm coming toward us!"

"Damn it," Rea muttered under his breath, gripping his rifle.

"Stay calm," Julian said firmly, eyes focused. "We'll make it out of this."

He glanced over his shoulder. "Dori, get your skill ready."

The helicopter climbed rapidly, reaching a higher altitude, nearly a few hundred meters above the ground. Then, without hesitation, Julian switched places with one of his shadow clones, letting it take over the controls.

To everyone's surprise, Julian moved quickly to Dori and lifted her up into his arms.

"Eh—!? EHHHH!?" Dori squealed, caught completely off guard.

Julian gave a calm smile to the others. "I'll draw their attention away."

And with that, he jumped out of the helicopter, soaring into the open sky with Dori in his arms, racing toward the incoming swarm like a bolt of lightning.

With Dori still in his arms, Julian soared through the sky, baiting the swarm of dragonflies away from the helicopter. Dori remained silent, her face flushed a deep red, still nestled in Julian's grasp. She wasn't afraid, just thoroughly embarrassed.

Behind them, the buzzing of wings grew louder and more furious. Julian glanced over his shoulder, the swarm closing in fast.

"Don't worry," he said calmly. "We'll make it out alive."

He assumed Dori was speechless from fear. In truth, she was overwhelmed by how close they were, her heart pounding as she quietly replied, "…Y-yeah…"

Once they were far enough from the helicopter, Julian suddenly stopped mid-air and drew in his power. Sparks of lightning crackled around him, intensifying rapidly, wrapping his body in a glowing electric sphere.

The swarm surrounded them.

"Burn," Julian whispered.

In a blinding flash, his lightning erupted outward, a spherical electric burst that scorched the air. The dragonflies were caught in the blast, stunned and burned midflight, crashing down like smoldering ash.

Julian turned, catching his breath. "Now, Dori, your skill!"

Still dazed, Dori blinked. "E-Eh? Oh...right!"

She quickly activated her concealment ability. The two of them vanished from sight just as the few surviving insects looked around in confusion, unable to locate their targets.

Moments later, Julian and Dori zipped through the air, reuniting with the helicopter.

Julian landed and gently set Dori down. Her expression subtly changed, she almost looked disappointed that the ride was over.

"Keep your concealment up," Julian instructed, his voice slightly strained. "And cover the helicopter...."

But before Dori could respond, Julian's body swayed.

He collapsed.

Everyone onboard froze.

Julian's shadow clone, still piloting, flickered for a second, then vanished into nothing.

"Damn it!" Sebas shouted from the cockpit. "I need someone up front, now!"

"We don't have anyone who can fly this thing!" Rea shouted, clutching the side railing as the helicopter jerked violently midair.

"I can't fly it either!" Cindy added, trying to hold her balance.

"This thing's going to crash if we don't do something!"

Sebas gritted his teeth, his hands still on the trembling controls. "I'll try to guide from the side seat, but someone needs to get on the main stick, now! We don't have much time!"

"Let me do it," Beatrix said suddenly, her tone surprisingly steady amid the chaos.

All heads turned to her in disbelief. Even the wind howling through the cracked window seemed to pause for a second.

"You?" Rea blinked.

Beatrix didn't answer. She stepped forward without hesitation, pushing past scattered gear and ducking beneath hanging wires. Her calm demeanor was in sharp contrast to the unstable chopper.

Sebas quickly slid over, allowing her into the pilot's seat. "Alright, listen fast, this isn't like a car. That stick in your right hand? It controls pitch and roll. Tilt forward, you go forward. Left and right for banking. Don't jerk it."

Beatrix nodded, fingers wrapping around the cyclic.

"That lever in your left hand, collective. Pulling it up increases lift. Push it down to descend. But you have to balance it with the throttle, here. Foot pedals, that's your yaw, turns the heli."

"Got it," Beatrix said sharply, eyes scanning the instrument panel with intensity.

"Easy on the inputs. No sudden movements." Sebas' voice was firm, but he was watching her like a hawk. "Now, lift the collective just a bit, steady…"

The helicopter groaned, dipped for a second, then slowly stabilized. The vibrations eased.

Beatrix gripped the controls tighter, making micro-adjustments like she had done this a hundred times. Her movements weren't perfect, but they were steady, responsive, controlled.

Inside, everyone let out a breath they didn't realize they'd been holding.

"Holy crap…" Rea muttered.

"We're stable," Sebas confirmed, wiping sweat from his brow. "For now."

Beatrix sat near the front, her posture relaxed, arms crossed, her tone as monotonous and dry as ever. "Impressive," she muttered without much enthusiasm. "So you can fly a helicopter. Were you a pilot before the apocalypse or something?"

Sebas adjusted his glasses with a calm precision, barely looking away from the horizon. "No. I only started learning… last night."

Cyndi, seated just behind him, leaned forward with wide eyes. "What?! There's no way. You're joking, right?"

Still focused, Sebas gave a slight shake of the head. "Last night, Mr. Julian asked if I could assist him in piloting this thing. I told him I had no idea how. Then he handed me this thick old manual, an actual step-by-step flight guide."

"And you just read it? Memorized it overnight?" Cindy raised a brow in disbelief.

"We studied it together," Sebas replied, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "He made me go through the controls again and again. I didn't sleep much."

Beatrix let out a small breath, her expression unreadable as she turned her gaze toward the sky beyond the windshield. "I see," she said flatly, as if hearing someone learn to fly a helicopter overnight was just another Tuesday.

Rogan stood near the side door, his rifle resting loosely in his hands as he peered through the open hatch. The wind tugged at his coat, strands of his hair whipping around his face. His sharp eyes scanned the sky behind them, tense and focused, until he finally exhaled.

"They're not chasing us anymore," he muttered, slinging his weapon across his back.

Fey, slumped near the side wall, her body slick with sweat and traces of dried liquid power on her arms, let out a shaky laugh. "I can't believe we're actually going to survive this… again."

Her voice was soft, disbelieving, more tired than relieved.

In the back of the cabin, Dori knelt beside Julian, who lay unconscious on the floor. She gently shifted into a seated position, placing his head on her lap, her cheeks still tinged with red from earlier. She stroked the hair from his brow with a kind of tenderness rarely seen from her, then looked up at the others.

"He… he's not waking up," she said quietly. "What's wrong with him?"