Sofia staggered. Time seemed to slow. She saw blood spraying through the air, painting the gray sky tainted with smoke and dust. Her reflexes weren't fast enough to process whether it was her own blood. She only knew something was very wrong.
But… there was no pain.
She looked down, staring at her own body while holding her breath. No wounds. No scratches. Only trembling fingertips and a wildly pounding heart.
"Not… me?" she whispered, barely audible.
The fallen body before her answered the question. A figure in military uniform, face hidden behind a black mask, blood soaking his body. A curved knife still clenched tightly in a right hand that no longer moved.
Sofia's eyes widened. "That's…"
Before she could react further, three figures emerged from the shadows. They appeared out of nowhere no sound, no warning. Like living shadows, their bodies cloaked in thick black mist, their eyes glowing with a dim red light. They were not human. Not ordinary zombies either.
