The clash of battle rang sharp and deafening around me, a chaotic symphony woven from the screams of the living and the guttural howls of the dead.
The stench of blood, rot, and death choked the air.
After months in this world, I was no longer repulsed by it… or perhaps, if I were honest, it had never truly unsettled me to begin with.
Ever since I realized that the zombies would not attack me—no matter what I did—fear had long since abandoned me. Their grotesque forms, their foul odor… none of it stirred anything within me anymore.
And now, of all times… their presence was welcome.
No—more than welcome.
I was grateful for them.
A shield to guard me.
Allies in my trial.
Their numbers were overwhelming, and still they came—endless, unrelenting. Unfortunately for the others, the main road lay nearly bare, offering no refuge, no buildings to flee into, no place to hide.
Everything… was in my favor.
Fortune stood firmly at my side.
