"Damn it! We've got zombies on our tail—run!"
After a short rest, Kael Voss looked up and saw a horde of zombies shambling toward them. They had clearly spotted him and Scout Finch and were now stumbling forward with renewed aggression.
There was no time to waste. The two of them pushed themselves up and sprinted ahead. As they ran, a large structure loomed into view in the distance. In the fading light of the setting sun, they could just make out the words etched across its front: Marine Life Aquarium.
Kael had never visited this aquarium before the outbreak, but he remembered the buzz when it opened. It had been heavily featured in the press.
Supposedly the largest aquarium in all of Asia, its architecture mimicked the flowing shapes of the ocean itself. Curved glass walls shimmered under sunlight, creating a rippling illusion like sunlight dancing over water.
The facility was massive—not just an aquarium but also a water park, housing countless species of marine life. It had been a landmark attraction.
But now, barely half a year into the apocalypse, those once sparkling glass walls were cracked and fractured, some shattered completely to reveal the dark, haunted interiors.
At the entrance, the once-vibrant signage was faded and barely legible. The glass doors were destroyed, leaving only the twisted frames creaking eerily in the wind.
Kael grabbed Scout's hand and charged through the entrance. Inside, they were startled to find the entire floor submerged in water—likely the result of structural damage and unchecked rainfall over the past months, with no drainage system left functioning.
Without a moment's hesitation, they waded deeper into the flooded interior. Behind them, dozens of zombies groaned and sloshed into the building, their moans echoing in the hollow chamber.
Soon the water was up to their waists.
"Kael, what the hell—why is there so much water?" Scout shouted, alarmed.
"It's an aquarium. What, surprised there's water?" Kael cracked, unable to resist a cheeky grin even in the dire situation. Then he pointed upward. High above, in the center of the dome ceiling, was a gaping hole. Something huge must have smashed through it.
That explained everything. With no one maintaining the facility, rain from multiple storms must've poured in through the breach, gradually flooding the entire building.
"This isn't safe," Kael muttered. "We don't know what might be lurking in this water. Let's check over there."
He pointed to a nearby souvenir shop visible through the murky water—likely a gift store. They made their way toward it through the waist-deep flood.
Most of the zombies had fallen behind, unable to wade quickly enough through the water. A few that caught up were promptly taken out by Scout's crossbow bolts, each hit clean and silent.
Inside the shop, they spotted something on the wall that made Kael's eyes light up—a kayak, possibly decorative, but it looked sturdy enough to use.
Kael handed Scout the watch while he worked on unbolting it from the wall. It took real effort, but eventually, he managed to pry it loose. Together, they dragged it outside.
Night had fallen by then. The interior of the aquarium was pitch black, like the bottom of a well. Through the broken skylight, Kael could barely make out the clouds. The moon had vanished behind them. They couldn't see a thing beyond the beam of their flashlight.
As Kael paddled the kayak through the water, he scanned their surroundings with a powerful torch. Floating among the debris were a dozen or more heads—human-shaped, bobbing up and down in the water.
Zombies.
Some showed their lifeless eyes; others submerged entirely, only to resurface moments later. The flashlight's beam seemed to agitate them, prompting eerie, sporadic howls.
"These bastards… why don't they just drown already?" Scout muttered.
Kael sighed. "They're already dead, remember? You can't drown a corpse."
Scout's tone shifted, almost wistful. "So... they're kind of immortal. Eternal. If only I could live forever too…"
Kael glanced at her. There was something childlike in her words, but he couldn't help the thought that followed: What if? What if, one day, as time passed, the undead developed intelligence? Could they become the new dominant species on Earth?
After all, humans were once considered the pinnacle of sentient life. Zombies, born from humans—maybe they weren't so different, not fundamentally.
They paddled deeper into the flooded halls, flashlight beams sweeping across the water's surface. Kael wasn't entirely sure where the aquarium's exit was, but he had caught a glimpse of the facility's map at the entrance. They were heading in the right direction—or so he hoped.
If they could get out through the rear exit, they'd reach Monkey Hill, where Lyra Solis had left a signal.
As the kayak glided among the floating debris, zombies occasionally floated near, only to be swiftly silenced by Scout's bolts. Their limbs flailed uselessly in the water, unable to gain traction. Some even submerged themselves by accident in the struggle.
The aquarium was vast—easily over ten thousand square meters. It felt like they were navigating a flooded jungle, maneuvering through thick vegetation and hanging vines. Except here, it was trash, corpses, and unknown horrors in the water.
The silence was deceptive. Distant groans echoed through the darkness, and both of them felt their nerves fray.
Suddenly, Kael's flashlight caught movement—a thin ripple cutting through the water, slicing toward the kayak.
"What the hell was that?" he shouted.
It had moved fast—straight as an arrow—and turned sharply before doubling back.
Kael gripped the paddle and brought it down hard just as the ripple neared. A loud splash followed, water spraying everywhere. A large fish, nearly a meter long, flopped briefly to the surface before vanishing again.
Relieved, Scout exhaled and clutched her chest. "Christ, scared me half to death. Thank God it was just a fish. If it were something else..."
She trailed off, but Kael's eyes sharpened. "No," he growled, "we have to turn back. Now. That wasn't the only thing in here—there are crocodiles in this aquarium!"
As if summoned by his words, something slammed against the underside of the kayak. A powerful jolt tilted them dangerously close to capsizing.
A putrid stench hit their nostrils, and from the depths of the black water, something long and thick rose—straight up, like a column, disrupting the surface in a surge of violence.
"Bloody hell!"
"Holy shit!"
They both yelled in unison as the beam of the flashlight revealed the truth. It wasn't a crocodile.
It was a python.
A massive, dark brown serpent, easily as thick as a grown man's forearm, covered in ominous black markings. Its presence radiated death—an apex predator straight from hell.
Its cold, triangular eyes locked onto them. Kael and Scout could feel the primal chill of being hunted.
What the actual hell kind of aquarium was this?
Without thinking, both fired their weapons. Steel-tipped bolts and iron pellets thudded into the beast's scales. It hissed in pain, coiling downward, and with a violent thrash, it disappeared into the water, sending up a crashing wave.
Kael didn't hesitate. "Paddle! Now!"
Terror surged through him. He cursed himself for being so reckless. He'd thought this place would offer a safe route—just another ruined landmark of a lost civilization.
But here, in the heart of this drowned maze, the apocalypse had birthed something far more terrifying.
They both grabbed their paddles and rowed with everything they had, the kayak slicing back through the water. But just ahead—floating motionless—were dozens of zombie corpses, likely the same ones that had chased them in.