Zombie Domination

Julian stirred from his sleep, his eyes slowly fluttering open. His vision was hazy at first, the dim interior of the helicopter spinning slightly until everything came into focus.

The low hum of the rotor blades and the gentle sway of the aircraft confirmed, they were still airborne, and night had already fallen.

"Julian… are you awake?" Dori's soft voice called out, filled with quiet relief.

He turned his head slowly toward her, blinking a few times. "How long… have I been out?" he asked, his voice rough from sleep.

Rogan, who was monitoring the radar nearby, glanced back. "Six hours. You've been asleep for six straight hours."

"Six hours…?" Julian murmured, surprised. "That long? Has everything been okay?"

Cindy gave him a reassuring smile from across the cabin. "Everything's fine, Captain. There's been no trouble."

Julian let out a soft breath, nodding. He turned to Dori, who was still seated beside him, her expression a mix of worry and relief. "Thank you… for taking care of me," he said sincerely.

Dori's cheeks turned a faint pink. She quickly looked away and replied softly, "It's nothing, Captain…"

Julian's eyes shifted to Zoe, who was sitting nearby, silently watching him with a concerned gaze. He reached out and gently patted her head, a small smile on his face. Zoe blinked, her brows knitting together slightly, but she didn't look away.

Then Fey spoke, her tone hesitant. "Are you sure you're alright, Captain? You looked… really exhausted."

"She's right," Cindy added, nodding. "You should go back to sleep. Don't push yourself."

Julian started to sit up straighter, his expression firming. "It's okay… We should move o—"

Before he could finish, Dori raised her voice just slightly, cutting him off, "No, Julian! You need to rest. Don't force yourself."

Sebas, still focused on piloting, glanced back and spoke calmly, "Mr. Julian, please. Let us handle things for now. You've done more than enough."

Rea sighed loudly, crossing her arms. "Seriously… You should've told us if you were that tired. Passing out like that scared the hell out of all of us!"

Julian blinked at her, guilt flickering across his face.

Outside the windows, the dark night stretched on, stars faintly shimmering across the horizon.

Julian let out a slow breath and said, "Alright… I'll get some rest."

Dori hesitated for a moment, her cheeks tinged with a rosy blush. Then, with a shy, almost timid gesture, she gently patted her lap.

"If you'd like…" she murmured, barely meeting his gaze, "you can use my lap as a pillow… like before."

Julian looked at her for a moment, his expression soft, grateful, then gave a small nod. "Thank you, Dori."

Carefully, he shifted his body and laid his head down on her thighs. Dori froze for a moment, flustered, then relaxed as she watched him close his eyes, the tension in his face slowly melting away.

From the other side of the helicopter, Rea nudged Rogan with his elbow and leaned in close. "Hey…" He whispered with a sly smile, "looks like Dori's already falling for him."

Rogan, who had been observing in silence, gave a small shrug and replied under his breath, "He's like a woman magnet… they just can't help themselves."

The two exchanged a quiet glance before turning their eyes back to the wide, starlit sky beyond the glass. The soft hum of the rotor blades filled the silence as the others resumed their watch and continued analyzing the patterns in the clouds.

Back in Meltdown City, in one of the quieter meeting rooms of the headquarters, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Sitting across the table from Glain was Rafael, his posture slouched, his eyes darting nervously to the floor, and his hands clenched tightly in his lap.

Glain watched him silently for a moment before speaking, his voice calm but firm.

"How have you been, Rafael? You look… even more coward than before."

Rafael said nothing. He shrank further into his chair, his lips trembling as though even the thought of speaking was too much.

Glain sighed heavily, leaning back in his seat with a disappointed expression.

"I feel like I'm wasting my time here," he muttered under his breath.

Then, after a pause, he straightened his back and looked Rafael in the eyes.

"I'm not going to force you, Rafael. Not anymore. After seeing what happened with Joe… I've realized I can't keep dragging people into this fight just because they owe me something."

His tone softened, though his eyes remained sharp.

"If you don't want to participate in the operation… you're free to leave. No one's going to hold it against you."

Rafael's head shot up in shock. "W–What are you saying, Uncle Glain?" he stammered, voice high and shaking. "You're planning to fight that Sky Leviathan alone? That's suicide!"

Glain shook his head slowly, a faint smile touching his lips.

"I'm not alone," he said. "Dawnlight's squad, led by Kevin, has agreed to fight alongside us. InsectCorp has offered their strength as well. And Julian's group… they're already risking their lives trying to analyze the sky whale movements."

He paused.

"You don't need to carry the weight of your debt anymore. Let it go. And if your heart isn't in this… you have every right to walk away."

The room fell into silence again. Rafael looked down, biting his lip, a war raging in his chest.

Glain stood tall despite the visible weight on his aging shoulders, his once-commanding figure now showing the toll of time. His voice, though still firm, carried a trace of weariness.

"You don't need to decide now, Rafael," he said gently. "Think about it again, carefully."

But Rafael, trembling, shook his head with fear in his eyes.

"I can't, Uncle… I just can't," he muttered, voice breaking. "I don't want to lose you. This fight… it's hopeless. We're going to die."

Glain watched him quietly, almost knowingly, and spoke in a low voice.

"Has Noah given you a prophecy again?"

Rafael's face froze. He clutched his head with both hands, fingers digging into his scalp.

"You don't understand… his prophecies are always right," he whispered in distress. "I can't escape them. I've tried, but they chase me, Uncle. They always do…"

For a moment, Glain simply watched him,

'This man, crushed by fears far too heavy for his age. A flicker of pain crossed his face. What had Noah told Rafael that left him so shaken… so broken?'

Then, without warning, Rafael shot up from his chair.

"That's it!" he shouted, almost desperate. "Uncle, let's just run away. We can escape all of it, humans, monsters, everything. We don't have to do this!"

Glain didn't flinch. He remained still, eyes calm.

"I will never abandon the city I built with my own hands," he said with quiet conviction. "The people here trust me. I won't betray that trust."

Tears welled up in Rafael's eyes as he shook his head.

"But you could die, Uncle… You will die…"

Glain let out a soft, dry laugh.

"And what's so wrong about dying?" he asked, voice rough yet peaceful. "I'm old, Rafael. Maybe it's time someone else took my place."

"No!" Rafael shouted.

In a sudden surge of emotion, he grabbed the front of Glain's coat and pulled him forward, eyes wide with tears, voice cracking under the weight of his sorrow.

"You don't get it, old man! I'm worried about you!" he cried. "Even if you tell me to leave, I can't! I won't leave you behind!"

And then, something strange happened. The room began to tremble. Loose papers and tools floated up into the air, Rafael's magnetic power had activated, resonating with the storm of emotion inside him. Everything in the room hovered, as if responding to his anguish.

Glain, still unmoved, placed a firm hand on Rafael's shoulder.

"That's enough," he said gently. "You should rest. Think about what I said… and what you truly want."

Rafael collapsed to his knees, sobbing, the floating objects slowly descending back to their place. And for a long while, the only sound left in the room was the quiet echo of his crying.

The morning sun barely pierced through the dense mist hanging over the city walls. Kevin stood atop the ramparts of Meltdown, eyes narrowed as he watched the sky. The Sky Whale was drawing closer, its massive form gliding through the air with an eerie grace, as if swimming through invisible currents.

"It was the right call… coming to this city," Kevin muttered under his breath.

Beside him, Belle crossed her arms, her expression tense. "Have you noticed… it's even bigger than the last time we saw it?"

Emma, standing a few paces behind, frowned. "Please don't say things like that. It was already massive before, way too big for us to take on."

Just then, a new voice chimed in, steady and clear. Leo, the leader of InsectCorp, was standing further down the wall, his insect-like gaze scanning the distant sky whale calmly, as if staring at a beast no different than a wild animal.

"So the rumors were true…" he said, his tone cool, unshaken. "That thing is enormous."

At his side, his assistant nodded in agreement. "Indeed."