The room behind the young woman exploded.
Not from a bomb. Not from gunfire. The wall just erupted outward in a blast of fire and debris, orange flames mixed with that same purple energy Kínitos had seen throughout the building.
The shockwave hit like a physical force.
Marco flew backward, his body ragdolling through the air. He slammed into the opposite wall with a sickening crunch and crumpled to the floor.
Kínitos managed to activate his immovability just in time, planting himself against the blast. Debris pelted him—chunks of drywall, splintered wood, shards of glass. He felt the impacts but didn't move.
The young woman wasn't so lucky. The blast caught her full-on, and she disappeared into the inferno.The screaming stopped.
Kínitos released his immovability and rushed to Marco, who was groaning on the floor, dazed.
A piece of flying debris had caught him across the face—a long, jagged scratch running from his temple down to his jaw, already bleeding freely.
"Get up!" Kínitos grabbed Marco's arm, hauling him to his feet. "We need to move!"
Marco stumbled, his legs barely supporting him. Purple smoke was still leaking from his body, thicker now, agitated.
From the stairwells came the sounds—louder now, closer. The shuffle-thump of zombie footsteps. Dozens of them. Moving toward the explosion, drawn by the noise.
"Run!" Kínitos half-dragged, half-carried Marco down the hallway, away from the flames, away from the approaching dead.
They burst through door after door, racing through interconnected rooms—executive lounges, private meeting spaces, all empty and untouched by the chaos. Behind them, the footsteps grew louder. Faster.
The zombies were running now. Kínitos spotted a door at the far end of the hall—heavy, reinforced, the kind meant for VIP guests.
"There!" He pushed Marco toward it.
They stumbled through and Kínitos slammed the door behind them, immediately looking for a lock. There—a heavy deadbolt. He threw it just as something heavy slammed into the other side.
The door shuddered but held.
Another impact. Then another. The zombies were throwing themselves at the door, mindless and relentless. The room was a luxury suite—king-sized bed with expensive linens, a minibar, plush carpet, artwork on the walls. And at the back, through an open doorway, a bathroom.
Marco grabbed a chair from beside the bed, dragging it across the room. He wedged it under the door handle, bracing it against the constant impacts.
"That's not going to hold for long," Marco panted, blood still running down his face from the scratch.
"Doesn't need to hold long," Kínitos said, already moving toward the bathroom. "Just long enough."
The bathroom was luxurious—marble countertops, a massive soaking tub, separate shower, floor-to-ceiling mirror. No windows. No other exits.
Another massive impact against the door. The chair scraped across the floor an inch. Wood splintered.
"Get in the tub," Kínitos ordered, helping Marco through the bathroom doorway.
"What?" Marco said
"The tub! Now!" Yelled Kínitos
Marco didn't argue. He climbed into the large porcelain tub, his expensive suit soaked with blood and dirt. He lay down, curling up at the bottom, purple smoke still wisping off his skin.
Kínitos looked around frantically. The bathroom door was flimsy—decorative, not meant for security. If the zombies got through the main door, they'd tear through this one in seconds.
From the suite, the sound of wood cracking. The chair was giving way.
Kínitos climbed into the tub with Marco, pressing himself against the curved porcelain.
"What are we doing?" Marco asked, his voice shaking.
"Surviving," Kínitos said, though he had no idea if that was true. The main door burst open with a crash of splintering wood.
The zombies poured in.
Zombie Paradox (Necromancer Assassin): If zombies are dead how do you kill something that's already dead.
Power: C ( zombies are enhance)
Durability: A (can't be killed, already dead)
Range: A (can raise undead across wide areas)
Versatility: B (combat + necromancy + immortality)
Complexity: C (straightforward concept)
Precision/Control: B (can choose what type of undead to raise)