The modified armored van was parked on the edge of the park.
Kael threw his duffel bag of guns into the back seat. He looked at the vehicle appreciatively.
"Spikes on the bumper. Reinforced steel plating. Run-flat tires," Kael whistled. "You robbed a serious gang for this."
"The Vultures," Aria said, climbing into the driver's seat. "They were noisy. Now they are roadkill."
Kael opened the passenger door.
HISS!
A black blur swiped at his face.
Kael jerked his head back just in time. Onyx was sitting on the passenger seat (the "Shotgun" seat), his violet eyes glaring.
"The cat hates me," Kael noted.
"He thinks you smell like gunpowder and wet dog," Aria started the engine. "Onyx, back seat."
The cat grumbled a low growl but obeyed, jumping to the back to sleep on Kael's bag.
Kael sat down. The cabin was spacious. The smell of Aria's expensive perfume (Chanel No. 5) mixed strangely with the scent of gun oil and stale blood.
"So," Kael adjusted the side mirror. "We are chasing a magician who uses plasma fire. Heading to the University. Do you have a plan? Or just 'stab and see'?"
Aria steered the heavy van onto the main road. She crushed a stray zombie under the wheels.
Thump.
"The University has a Science Lab," Aria said. "If 'P' stole a cryo-pod, they need power to keep it running. The University has its own experimental nuclear reactor."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "You know a lot about the city's infrastructure for a fashionista."
"I read a lot," Aria lied smoothly.
They drove in silence for a while. The city was burning. They passed looted shops, overturned buses, and wandering hordes.
Every time a zombie got too close, Kael didn't waste a bullet. He just watched Aria drift the car to smear them against the guardrails.
"Efficient," he commented.
Suddenly, Aria slammed on the brakes.
SCREECH.
The van skidded to a halt.
Ahead, the road was blocked. Not by zombies.
By cars.
Three sedans were parked horizontally across the highway, forming a barricade. Behind them, about ten men stood with baseball bats and machetes.
One man stepped forward. He held a megaphone.
"Toll booth!" The man shouted, grinning. "This road is owned by the 'Highway Kings'! Pay the toll! Food, gas, or the woman!"
Kael sighed. He reached for his M4 Carbine.
"I'll handle it," Kael said. "Ten targets. I can drop them in 6 seconds."
"Ammo is expensive," Aria stopped him.
She shifted the gear into Reverse.
The van backed up about fifty meters.
The bandits laughed. "Look! They are running away! Cowards!"
Aria shifted into Drive.
She looked at Kael. "Put your seatbelt on."
"Wait," Kael's eyes widened. "You're not going to..."
Aria slammed her foot on the gas pedal. Floored.
VROOM!
The armored van roared like a dragon. The tires smoked as they caught traction.
The speedometer climbed. 40... 60... 80 km/h.
The bandits stopped laughing. Their eyes popped out.
"Hey! Stop! It's a joke! STOP!"
They scrambled to jump out of the way. But the barricade cars couldn't move.
"Brace for impact," Aria said calmly.
CRASH!
The armored van, weighing 4 tons and moving at top speed, slammed into the sedan blocking the center.
Metal screamed. Glass shattered.
The sedan was folded in half like an accordion and launched into the air. The bandit standing behind it didn't even have time to scream before he was turned into red mist.
Boom!
The van plowed through the wreckage, shaking violently, but the reinforced bumper held.
Aria didn't slow down. She drove right over the debris and the remains of the checkpoint.
"My leg! Ahhh!" A survivor screamed from the side of the road.
Aria checked the rearview mirror. "Just a scratch on the paint."
Kael sat in the passenger seat. He was gripping the handle tight.
He looked at Aria. She was checking her fingernails on the steering wheel.
"You are crazy," Kael said. But there was no fear in his voice. Just respect.
"I saved you 10 bullets," Aria winked. "You owe me."
Kael chuckled. He relaxed back into the seat.
"Remind me never to piss you off while you're driving."
Twenty minutes later.
The landscape changed.
The tall skyscrapers of the city center faded. They were replaced by the gothic brick buildings of St. Jude University.
But something was wrong.
"Look," Kael pointed.
The University gates were covered in vines.
Thick, green, pulsating vines. They wrapped around the iron bars, the walls, and even the abandoned cars outside.
Strange red flowers, the size of trash cans, bloomed on the walls.
"Plants don't grow that fast," Kael muttered. "It's been two days."
Aria stopped the van a safe distance away.
[Eye of Truth Activated]
[Zone Detected: The Ivy Jungle (Dungeon)]
[Danger Level: High]
[Environment: Mutated Flora. Toxic Spores.]
"Mutated Plants," Aria confirmed. "The nuclear reactor must have leaked, or a Wood-Type Zombie died there and corrupted the soil."
She looked at the dense green fog covering the campus.
"The Thief went in there?" Kael asked, checking his rifle. "Into that salad bowl?"
"If he has Plasma magic," Aria realized. "Fire beats Wood. It's the perfect hiding spot for him. But a death trap for us."
She turned off the engine.
"Get your mask," Aria said, pulling a gas mask from her inventory (looted from the helicopter). "We are going gardening."