Chapter 13: The Hunter in the Rain
The storm had not stopped.
Rain poured endlessly, washing away blood, screams, and the remnants of a world that no longer existed. Thunder roared across the sky, and flashes of lightning revealed a campus that had turned into a hunting ground.
Ash Dante Corleone walked alone.
His footsteps were light, controlled—almost silent despite the water beneath his boots. His coat clung slightly to his body, but his movements remained unaffected.
Calm.
Focused.
Alive.
The world had changed, and while others trembled in fear, Ash had already accepted it.
This was no longer a place for hesitation.
It was a place for predators.
And prey.
A low growl echoed from the darkness ahead.
Ash stopped.
His eyes narrowed slightly as his body lowered just enough to react at any moment.
From behind a broken vehicle, something stepped out.
A mutated dog.
Larger than normal. Muscles twisted unnaturally beneath its skin. Its eyes glowed faintly, filled with hunger and aggression.
It stared directly at him.
Then it moved.
Fast.
Its body blurred as it charged, jaws wide open, aiming straight for his throat.
Ash didn't retreat.
He stepped forward.
At the last second, he shifted his body slightly to the side. The creature's jaws snapped shut inches away from his neck.
His hand shot out.
Crack.
His fingers struck the side of its neck with precision.
The creature staggered.
Before it could recover—
Bang.
Ash's knee slammed upward into its skull.
Bone shattered.
The body dropped instantly.
Silence returned.
Ash stood still for a moment, then exhaled slowly.
Stronger.
Faster.
But not enough.
He continued walking.
Minutes later, Ash reached the male dormitory.
The building stood like a corpse—dark, broken, silent.
But not empty.
As he stepped inside, the smell hit him.
Rot.
Blood.
Death.
His expression didn't change.
He walked forward.
The hallway stretched ahead, dimly lit. Doors were broken, some open, some stained.
A dragging sound echoed.
Zombies.
Multiple.
Ash moved forward.
When he turned the corner, he saw them.
Eight… maybe ten.
Slow.
Unaware.
He didn't hesitate.
He moved.
Like a shadow slipping through darkness.
The first zombie dropped before it even reacted—its neck snapped with a clean twist.
The second lunged.
Ash stepped inside its reach and drove his elbow into its skull.
Crack.
The third and fourth came together.
He grabbed one, shoved it into the other, then crushed both with brutal precision.
In seconds, the hallway fell silent again.
Ash didn't even look back.
To him, this wasn't a fight anymore.
It was efficiency.
Then—
A sound.
Different.
Not a zombie.
A human.
Struggling.
Ash stopped.
His gaze shifted toward a room at the end of the hallway.
A door half-open.
From inside—
A sharp breath.
A movement.
Then—
A sudden clash.
Metal against bone.
Ash's eyes sharpened.
He walked toward it.