"Why won’t they let us follow them inside?" At the top of another high tower, Matilda held a telescope, looking at a distant building. From their position, the entrance was not visible, but this spot still served as a lookout point, and they could provide support during their retreat.
This was the location Malin had chosen for them. Despite her strong reluctance, Matilda had no choice but to stay here with her sisters.
"Matilda, maybe you can join in trying to figure out what this tower is actually made of," Jessica said, carefully tapping the platform beneath their feet with her pickaxe.
And Clovis glanced at Jessica, "Why be curious about sothing that can’t be analyzed for results? Jessica, the tal beneath our feet belongs to an era before the Great Destruction, a marvel built by those ancient people."
"So what could this platform be? A lighthouse? Or what?" Jessica asked with curiosity while continuing to fiddle with everything under her feet.
"Who knows, maybe this platform was ant to carry sothing, or perhaps it’s just a platform with no known use. We may never find out," Clovis spoke and then suddenly fell silent, raising her firearm for a scan, "Wait, Matilda, take a look, what’s coming out of the woods over there? They look like zombies, but is that a formation I see?"
Hearing Clovis’s alert, Matilda lifted her telescope and saw the zombies erging from the woods, all with severe mutations. She confird and shook her head, "It doesn’t look like a formation, but Clovis, do you see that tall zombie? The one without mutations."
"I see it, good skin, but it’s puzzling to find one without mutations in the Dark Zone. How did it manage that?" Clovis said while noticing a group of mutated zombies that ca into view at a place they couldn’t see. They approached the smooth-skinned zombie.
"It looks like they are communicating through growls. I don’t know what they’re saying, but I see one of the zombies pointing towards the building. They must have discovered the door is closed. It seems they can’t open it... Wait, so of them are coming this way."
"What do they an? Is there sothing on this platform?" Clovis turned to ask Jessica, "What’s happening?" She had noticed a chanical sound and heard Jessica’s low gasp of surprise.
"It’s empty. I’ve pried it open," Jessica said.
Matilda imdiately ran over and peered down, "There seems to be a room below... Wait, quiet." Matilda had just finished speaking when Jessica imdiately pulled her aside.
Below them, the heavy breathing of a zombie could be heard.
Clovis flipped over, drawing the small one-handed firearm from her waistband and finding a more comfortable position.
Matilda raised the rifle that leaned against the wall beside her.
Jessica crouched low, clutching the pickaxe Malin had given her.
Eventually, the coarse breathing of the zombies faded away below them.
Clovis fell silent for a mont, then produced a mouse from her sleeve—her pet, not a Magic Pet, rely cannon fodder. She had the mouse approach the edge of the hole.
The mont the mouse poked its head out, a zombie hand reached up, grabbing the long slender hand of the mouse and dragging Clovis’s pet down below.
Matilda, listening to the chewing sounds from underneath, pointed at the entrance, signaling Jessica to close it.
Jessica shook her head, indicating her inability to help.
Matilda rolled her eyes.
Then the three girls saw the slender, long hand reach out once again; it seed to be searching for more food. Jessica backed away, Matilda leaned against the wall, and Clovis carefully stood up.
From below ca the cries of the zombies, and the owner of the slender long hand withdrew it after letting out a sound, then the owner of the footsteps began to move away.
Clovis peered down, "There are zombies that have entered beneath the platform. Did we see a door when we ca here?"
"No, but it’s obvious the zombies can use tools, and even open the doors of these ancient buildings. I always thought they were just monsters," said Jessica, moving a bit farther from the gap, "I just touched it with my hand, trying to wipe away the dust and see the patterns clearly."
"Maybe the wiping motion is what activates the open and close chanism," suggested Matilda as she ca near, wiped her hand over it, and as though triggering sothing, the gap began to close.
At the sa ti, the slender long hand reached out through the gap, grabbing onto Matilda’s outstretched right hand.
Jessica dived over, grabbing Matilda—she held onto the edge of the platform with one hand and Matilda’s left hand with the other.
Clovis drew her short sword from her waist and chopped off the slender long hand.
The gap closed, and Matilda looked at the still tightly grasping slender long hand with a pale face, "Damn, it pierced my skin."
"Drink a potion," Jessica said imdiately.
"No, it’s too much of a waste. The zombies have found us!" Hearing the continuous cries from below, Matilda removed the hand from her arm and threw it into her waist pouch, then poured a bottle of potion over the wound, "The wound isn’t changing color, so it shouldn’t be poisoned. I don’t feel unwell, so there should be no taint of Chaos, and the only possibility is a disease, but as a Paladin, I’m immune. It’s alright, I don’t need to worry for now. The only problem is, now that they’ve discovered us here, will it affect Malin and the others."
"It shouldn’t, they entered the tower beneath us perhaps just to unlock the door," said Clovis. No sooner had she finished speaking than a strange noise ca from downstairs.
"What is that noise?" The three girls stuck their heads out.
They saw zombies climbing up the outer walls.
"How are they managing to climb such a smooth surface?" Clovis scread.
anwhile, Jessica began loading her weapon, "Prepare for battle, girls!"
"How are they climbing up such a smooth exterior wall..." said Matilda, then suddenly thought of sothing. "Maybe we should pour Fire Gel down from the platform."
"It might catch fire before then, but that’s a good plan; otherwise, if they really make it up here, we’re done for," said Clovis before pushing her bag of tools towards Matilda, "Quick, start, dear."
Matilda pulled out a bottle of Fire Gel, then poured it down.
The next second, several zombies drenched in it were ignited and started screaming as they fell.
"Throw more!" Clovis instructed while returning to her shooting position, "I see that slick skin! It’s leading so zombies towards the gate! Damn it! There must be a switch for the gate right beneath us!"
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