Despite its massive size, the colossus remained outside the school, its empty gaze scanning the entire area until it finally settled on Victor.
It lingered on him for a moment before slowly turning away and disappearing behind a cluster of distant buildings.
Lucie arrived a few minutes later, her brows furrowed despite the faint smirk tugging at her pink lips.
« So, what do you think of our lovely neighbor? Pretty disgusting, huh? »
« That's an understatement... Why isn't it attacking? »
He was genuinely curious. Every creature they had encountered so far had been aggressive, charging at them the instant they were spotted. But this one — clearly far stronger — made no move. It didn't make sense.
« From what I've gathered, it can't leave its territory. »
« Its territory? »
« Yeah... There's some kind of zone surrounding the school. Everything inside is covered in moss and fungus, kind of like its body. But that's not even the worst part. »
She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing.
« That thing turns anything that dies within its zone into a sort of rotting zombie. Animals, humans... even the Fallen. Nothing escapes. »
« Shit… So to get out of here, we'll have to fight that giant and its army? »
« Basically, yeah. But I doubt we can kill it. That thing isn't like the others we've seen, Victor. It's a fucking monster. »
He turned to her, his expression unreadable.
« So were all the ones we killed. »
Lucie clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.
« Goddammit, Victor, are you insane?! That thing looks like a corpse! You can't kill what's already dead! And it's fifteen meters tall — with an army! An actual fucking army, Victor! »
« Lucie, don't overthink it. We'll just do the same thing. »
« The same thing? What do you— »
Victor's mutilated lips stretched into a grin that reached his ears.
« Obviously, we'll build our own army. »
*
Victor climbed the stairs of the building where his journey had begun, his "cane" tapping rhythmically against the floor.
He had asked Lucie to stay with the teachers, in case something happened.
He needed them alive.
For now.
He needed to recruit an army — as many people as possible, no matter how weak they were.
If things went well, they could prepare to fight that creature and its horde.If things went badly, he could always leave them as a distraction and escape. Either way, he would win.
His walk through the corridors was uninterrupted; the building had already been meticulously cleared.
Before long, he stood before the classroom he had left three days earlier.
Without knocking, he entered.
Cries of surprise erupted immediately.
A group of about fifteen students were huddled in the corner of the room.
They looked terrible — dark circles under their eyes, pale faces, trembling from exhaustion and fear — and now, from the cold gaze of the boy who scanned them one by one without emotion.
Mickaël was the only one who didn't seem afraid. Instead, he looked angry.
« What the hell are you doing here, freak? Regret leaving us? »
He spotted Victor's arm in a sling, a smirk spreading across his lips.
« Came crawling back after getting your ass kicked? »
Victor didn't even glance at him.
« Those who want to live, follow me. I've already secured the whole building and found another group of survivors. »
He paused.
« Those who'd rather die like dogs, stay here. »
No one moved. They were paralyzed — torn between the fear of leaving and the fear of dying in this room.
But Victor wasn't asking. The choice was just a courtesy.
Before they could react, he grabbed the door with one hand and ripped it off its hinges, throwing it aside as if it weighed nothing.
Now, their fear of being left without shelter would outweigh their fear of following him into the unknown.
« What the fuck are you doing, asshole?! »
The brown-haired boy with shoulder-length hair charged at Victor and punched him hard in the left arm, aiming to cause as much pain as possible.
Victor caught his fist midair, stopping it cold. His grip tightened like a vice.
« I don't have time for this. You come with me, or you die here. »
He released the boy's hand, throwing him to the floor a second time.
« The only reason I didn't break your arm is because I need you in one piece. Consider yourself lucky — others didn't get that courtesy. »
Without another word, Victor turned and left the room.
The students stared after him, stunned.
It didn't take long for the first one to stand up and move hesitantly toward the door.
They hadn't eaten properly in two days. Every step burned. But the fear of staying—of dying—was stronger.
One by one, they followed him.
Only Mickaël remained, trembling with anger and confusion at how the boy he once mocked now seemed like a completely different creature.
He cursed under his breath — and followed.
*
Victor walked through the halls, a small pack of frightened students trailing behind him like lost dogs, flinching at every sound.
He could feel Mickaël's hateful stare on the back of his neck, but it didn't matter.
Even if he tried, the boy couldn't harm him.
Even asleep, the Symbiote would protect Victor easily from someone that weak.
If he had to estimate the strength of that punch, he'd put it around fifteen — decent for a human, laughable for him. He was more than twice that.
He walked slowly, listening for the faintest sound — anything that could lead him to more survivors. But there was nothing.
« Hey. »
He said suddenly, his raspy voice startling several of them.
« If you were terrified and desperate, and you could hide anywhere in the school, where would you go? »
The first boy who followed him outside responded quickly.
« Probably the gym. There aren't many windows, and the doors are thick — strong enough to hold for a while. »
Victor nodded. A sound analysis.
*
When they finally pushed open the outer doors, several students fell to their knees. Others burst into tears.
They hadn't seen the outside in days — only through windows, trapped like inmates in solitary confinement.
And the fact that they had reached this far without encountering a single creature, just as Victor had promised, started to shift their opinion of him.
An opinion he needed.
Without slowing down, he marched toward the gym, about a hundred meters away.
It was a large, rectangular structure with a rounded roof.
Unlike the classrooms, its doors were metal — thick and sturdy, just as the boy had said.
But would they withstand Victor?
They were about to find out.
He kicked the door hard, leaving a dent but not breaking it.
Again.
And again.
The metallic echo rang out across the courtyard, sharp and violent.
On the fifth kick, the door finally gave way with a deafening crack, the left panel twisted off its hinges and collapsed in a cloud of dust.
The echo rolled through the gym like thunder.
The place seemed empty, but Victor could hear faint whispers — shallow breaths.
« Come out. »
he said flatly.
« Or die here. I don't have all day. »
He could feel exhaustion creeping in. The aftereffects of taming the Symbiote were beginning to take hold.
A trapdoor opened near the bleachers. One by one, silhouettes emerged.
They froze when they saw Victor.
For a second, they thought he was just some monster — until they remembered the rumors. The boy everyone called Hannibal.
They had never seen what was under his leather mask.
Now they knew why he wore it.
A balding teacher with a round belly and heavy bags under his eyes stepped forward, his blue tracksuit stained and filthy.
« Are the rescue teams here? »
« There won't be any rescue. »
Victor's voice cut through the air, cold and final.
« I'm gathering survivors. Behind me, there are fifteen others. Plus around twenty more in another building. »
The bespectacled boy with the bowl-cut stepped forward.
He was the one to answered Victor's question before.
« He's telling the truth. He cleared out the entire Building B by himself. You should come with us. »
He wasn't lying out of fear. He meant it.
In a strange way, Victor gave him a sense of safety, not the kind of confidence given to heroes who would save you from the clutches of a monster because of their kindness.
Bu the kind of confidence given to a monstrously powerful person who wouldn't save you directly but would simply annihilate any threat for his own benefit, saving you indirectly.
One by one, the people hidden in the gym stepped forward.
A thin thread of hope had reappeared — fragile, but real.
It was all they needed to finally find the guts to step out of their hiding spot.
In the end, Victor had gathered nearly thirty people.
Without a word, he turned toward the building where the teachers were hiding, already dreading the inevitable discussion waiting for him there.