Chapter 69 — Hour 4

Prince of Hell.

The red-haired zombie stood still.

Head low. Shoulders twitching. Snarling at the air like it owed him something.

Then it moved.

And everything else died.

No warning. No drama. Just carnage. Limbs flew. Bones snapped. Flesh ripped like paper soaked in gasoline. It didn’t hesitate. Didn’t breathe. It just kept going—mechanical, brutal, almost angry. Like it remembered pain and decided everyone else should too.

The horde froze.

Actually froze.

For the first time since this nightmare started, they hesitated.

They felt fear.

Then it looked up.

Eyes locked with Grim’s.

And Grim forgot how to breathe.

That wasn’t a zombie. Not exactly.

That was—

“…Sael?”

But the thing didn’t answer.

It looked past him.

Right at Stellan.

Stellan, who was swinging that same bent pipe like he’d just invented swordsmanship. Stellan, who wasn’t even looking.

Grim moved.

Fast. Stupid. Reflex.

The bat connected with its jaw—hard. The sound was metal and bone and something worse.

It staggered.

Grabbed its face.

And its eyes—

They changed.

“…Didn’t I kill this guy?” it muttered.

Then it dropped.

Not dead. Just—collapsing. On its knees. Writhing. Clawing at its head like something inside was screaming.

Grim backed off.

No idea whether to swing again or run.

Zoya watched from the roof. Unblinking.

“…So these can talk now?”

No one answered.

Sael coughed. Hard. Blood hit the floor. Then he faceplanted in it.

Silence returned. Ugly and long.

Grim sat on a beam, breathing through clenched teeth. Arms dead. Legs shaking. Skull pounding like it hated being a skull.

Then—movement.

Sael got up.

Slow. Too clean.

He wiped his jacket down like this was a damn inconvenience. Ran a hand through his hair. Smiled.

That same smile.

That stupid, smug, alive smile.

“You piece of shit—!”

Grim swung.

Missed.

The bat hit concrete. Hard. The shock numbed his fingers. He almost fell over.

Sael blinked.

“…You okay?”

“What are you?”

Grim was wrecked. Sweating blood, shirt in tatters, face raw.

Sael didn’t flinch.

“I think I turned into a zombie.”

“You think?”

“And then I got better.”

“You were conscious?”

“No. I said thinking. Not conscious.” He rolled his neck like this was yoga. “I was down thirty minutes. That’s a lot of time to reflect.”

Zoya: “And you used that time for philosophy?”

Sael: “I was bored.”

End of Chapter.