Wicked Reincarnation

On the granite floor, pools of blood formed. Bits of flesh decorated the tiles and severed body parts aroused nausea in everyone who saw the scene.

The corpses of Claire, Fourth P and Mat laid astray. Noel huffed and raised his arms while the others who were still alive hid behind him.

A group of people stood in the darkness before them, their hands died in red and slimy liquid. Noel raised his head to see more figures appearing. He reacted too late and has failed to get everyone out of the room in time.

As a result, while the others ran out at his command, Fourth P who just came in, Claire and Mat were dragged out by those random people who just appeared, and slaughtered.

Noel couldn't help them, so he focused his attention on the others, but when they ran to the plaza, a bunch of ghosts hungrily waited for them. They were cornered. Behind them were the ghosts, in front of them were those strange people.

Noel analysed the situation and looked for a leeway but just at that moment one of the figures who just came in, walked closer to Noel and the others, and his mocking voice sent the people cowering behind Noel a fear stricken shudder down their spines.

"You still haven't taken care of them? What are you waiting for? Fucking hell, get them!"

It was a young voice and seemed to be someone the same age as Noel. As the figures came approaching them, Noel saw another person in a white robe strode in and talked to the guy who just gave the order but Noel couldn't see their face.

The strangers were almost within reach and Noel was forced to come up with a spontaneous solution, "Everyone run! Scatter around! Try to avoid the ghosts and hide!"

No one needed to be told twice and Nessa, Nita, Phil and Barn ran away. When the intruders appeared, Noel also failed to notice where Sera went but he didn't have time to think about it.

He sprinted away from his spot towards the stairs when an ear-piercing scream appeared.

"Nita!" Nessa shouted and wanted to run to Nita who fell into the hands of an intruder. Noel moved fast. He turned around and pulled Nessa back.

Nita watched them with tears in her eyes, her hand reaching out in hope to grab someone when her neck was snapped and she fell lifeless to the ground.

"Why? Why?" Nessa hit Noel who covered her mouth and moved to hide somewhere.

"She couldn't be saved," Noel briefly said but he regretted his decision. If only he had realised sooner, if only he was faster, stronger, if only he had powers!

If only, if only, if only! Those words haunted him as he struggled to keep Nessa at bay and find a safe place.

He cursed. Just who in the world were those people and how did they appear?

***

Meanwhile, Lia held Tom captive. Her dagger was still at his throat. Outside the laboratory, her corpses were fighting with the ghosts. Slowly, the ghosts were torn, one by one, leaving behind fine white dust that danced in the faint light the darkness provided.

Tom didn't move under her but suddenly his body started to shake and low laughter erupted from his lips.

"You'll never get to Elder P or stop this facility," his voice was clear and lower than usual. It also had a certain sharpness to it that made his cynical and relaxed self completely vanish.

He was serious and seemed cunning and calculated. Lia knew this change was him showing his true colours. Without thinking her hand moved quickly to the side dragging the knife across his throat only…

For it to slice the air.

When Lia started to move, Tom fell backwards and applied pressure to her body. He used the impact of her tilting back to escape the knife on his throat by at least 2mm.

The next thing Lia knew, her knife was snatched by Tom who towered over her. Lia quickly came to her senses, her eyes widened and she rolled to the side as the knife cut through air and yearned to stab her in the heart.

But she was a second too late and the sharp tip of the knife left a gaping wound on her left arm. Tom raised the knife again to stab her but she turned on the floor and jumped to her feet.

"Come!" she shouted as Tom caught her sloppy movements and pinned her to the wall.

He slightly smiled while Lia caught her breath. Her wound was barely healing and the sharp pain made her flinch in agony. The warm blood trickled and she deemed her left arm as useless.

She lost quite a lot of blood and she felt airheaded. The dizziness paired with the sting on her arm each time her open flesh touched the air, made her breathing harder and her reaction time slower.

"Do you know why?" Tom was continuing his conversation from before. This time her knife was held against her throat as Tom's warm breath hit her face.

"Because help came."

Lia instantly sobered up. Help came?

That could only mean that Noel and the others were in danger. Lia grit her teeth and pressed out, "Come!"

"Who are you talking to?" Tom before her was a totally different person. He no longer held carelessness in his posture and his eyes were extremely blank with a hint of danger in them.

Lia raised her leg but Tom stopped her by pressing himself further against her. He saw the determination mixed with pain in her squinted eyes but failed to see the odd reflection in them.

Behind him.

An arm tore through his chest and disbelief was mirrored on his face. The bloody, rotten arm pulled out and with it blood, mushy organs and flesh fell onto the ground.

A gaping hole graced Tom's chest. He barely turned around and started laughing as he saw the corpse. Then he gagged and choked on his laugh and blood kept pouring out of his mouth.

He fell to the ground and laid there, with much difficulty gurgling out, "You won't be able to leave…"

Then the light in his eyes faded.

Lia removed herself from the wall and huffed. She grabbed both of her knives. Her left arm dangled numb on her side and she tore off Tom's clothes to wrap it around her wound.

"Help me," she mumbled to the corpse. She could barely stand and glided onto the floor to rest for a second. The cloth was loosely wrapped around her arm and already soaked with blood.

The corpse stood still for a moment and tilted its head as if wondering what it should do at the moment. It looked so lost that Lia couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Help me bandage it," she tried to raise her hurt arm but it didn't want to move. The knife has cut vertically across her forearm.

The corpse took a step towards her and then knelt down. With its clumsy fingers it actually bandaged her arm and made a tight knot.

Lia was surprised and amazed at the action. She used her healthy arm to pat him on the head, "Good job. I'm sorry you had to die."

She wasn't sure why she was talking to a corpse as if it was alive but right now she felt it could understand her and she sought company. A minute later she stood up and made her way to the wall she saw Elder Z disappearing from.

Once she glided through, she found herself in a spacious room with a staircase that led up and down. However, no one was there. There was no sign of Elder Z, Lia pulled her body up the stairs but the room it led to was also completely empty.

She cursed and walked down. It seemed like the stairs also led to the other floors. So, this was a secret passage for Elder Z to traverse?

Lia's anger reached new heights and she ran out of the hidden room. She used the corpse to carry her down to the ground floor. Elder Z could be anywhere but for now, she needed to find Noel.

If it was as Tom said that help came, Noel couldn't fight against them without a proper weapon. She wanted to at least give him a knife. Why didn't she do it earlier?

The corpse with her in its arm rushed down the stairs and arrived at the ground floor. The first thing she saw was the concerning amount of ghosts. She felt that the numbers alone on the ground floor exceeded the ghosts on all floors combined.

There was no way to find anyone in the chaos until she heard rough voices.

"They couldn't have gone far! Find them!"

Lia hid in the dark corner of the stairs and saw several figures passing by. Her heart was beating fast and she shut her mouth to not even make any unnecessary breathing sounds.

These intruders didn't sound familiar but it was clear that their numbers were high. She took all options in consideration where Noel could've gone to hide but only one reasonable popped up in her mind.

That particular hallway. She commanded the corpse to rush to the cinema as quiet as possible while evading the ghosts and intruders.

Seconds later she found herself in the hallway where the P family crossed to go to their meeting hall to hold the conference in. It was pitch black and she couldn't hear anything.

The corpse stood still in the entrance and since it didn't breathe, it didn't make any unnecessary sounds. The only noise that travelled around was Lia's own breathing.

She got down from the corpse and told it to wait at the door and take care of anything or anyone in case they'd find this place, while she ventured further down the hallway.

At the end was a door that led to the hall but Lia went to the wall next to it and pushed the black curtains away, then she walked up the stairs.

There were still no sounds and she tried to be as quiet as possible. Each step she took hurt her arm and she had to control herself not to hiss in pain.

Once she took the last step, she saw the familiar grid windows but it was covered by a wooden bat that was held to her face.

Lia almost jumped in shock but calmly said, "It's me."

However, even after seconds, no one answered, only the bat moved from her face to her throat and lightly hit her.