Now, this should be a short but bittersweet chapter.
Note: And yes, I am trying to finish this story ASAP, so my apologies if the last few chapters seem a little rushed. But thank you for all the adventure I've had! I enjoyed it!
So, without further ado, let's go.
Important side note: There is another reason why the chapters are short; I am sick.
Girls Dead Rise
Chapter 28: The Gates Open
Somewhere in the southern shores of San Francisco Bay, CA, USA
9:00 AM; July 18, 20XX
"We are here."
Miho breathed in, and out. She and her friends, other than a few crucial but very short rests (only in the few minutes), traveled all the way up to the nearest shore of the San Francisco Bay, the current site of the Orb.
"And see the sea," Mako gasped, before looking up.
All five girls watched, as a fresh, blue body of water loomed in front of them. Birds sang and flew around, while the trees swayed with the singing winds. It was bright morning, and the Sun smiled upon the waters, its waves rippling with the light.
That is, in front of them.
Behind them, the birds cawed and croaked, as vultures flew around. Smokes still rose from the wrecks everywhere, as the city behind them was still in chaos. Zombies fought against humans, humans fought against zombies...
...but they knew something was amiss, and it was not the apocalypse. It was the source of the apocalypse...
All five of them slightly panted.
"The Orb," Miho said in a low voice, as she felt some kind of mysterious...energy in the waters.
"You feel it?" asked Yukari.
Miho nodded, her sword in hand. All five of them kept their weapons on. Saori tried to strike a cool pose, but was standing awkwardly, as she had no experience with ballet, and almost stumbled. Hana stood still, graceful like the lady that her mother raised her to be. Yukari simply posed like a boxer, her gloves spiked. Mako yawned, leaning on her shield.
"Man," Saori pouted. "We went all the way here, just to confront the Orb, having to jump into the fray and whatnot, and Mako! Stop using your shield like a cane! You look like your grandma!"
"But," Mako groaned. "We haven't had time to even rest or something; we came all the here almost without stopping!"
Miho nodded.
"I know," she said, sighing. "But time is gold here; we have to find them-"
She and all of her friends stretched and yawned.
"See?" Mako groaned again. "We need sleep. Chosen Ones still need sleep."
"She is right," Hana admitted. "I believe that we must rest, so that we can fight."
Miho nodded.
"But we want to spy on it!" Yukari moaned. "Can I?"
Miho shook her head, causing Yukari to lower her head in disappointment.
"Mako is right," Miho said. "Now that we're here, let us find a place to rest."
She looked around, sighting a lone, tall office building.
"Let's go," she said, leaping towards it. Her friends followed, restless for their rest.
A tall office building
Palo Alto, CA, USA
6:00 AM; July 19, 20XX
"Hmm?"
Miho woke up, realizing that she and her friends had overslept. Indeed, traveling three days almost without resting or even sleeping had taken a toll on them. Testing to see how long they could go without sleeping, she and her friends discovered that they could stay up for quite a while. However, like humans, they still needed rest.
"Ah..."
Yawning, she blinked, as she looked around.
She and all of her team leaned onto a wall of a staircase building together, cuddling up together like penguins in Antarctica. Miho was in the middle, with Saori and Mako on her right, and Hana and Yukari on her left.
She carefully got up, and stretched as she looked over the building.
"Ah, I remember," she whispered. "We set up our base here, and checked our perimeter. Now that I think about it, we put up our tents here, then cooked what food we had. And..."
Miho looked around, sweating a little and giggling.
"...I guess we slept out of exhaustion," she inferred. "It makes sense, since we traveled almost non-stop to the southern part of the Bay Area, and now..."
Miho shook her head, waking herself up. She made a determined face.
"I know why we're here," she said to herself, raising her right hand to her side. Her chainsaw sword appeared in a cloud of golden light, ready to roar.
She looked at it, and sighed.
"It's been only a while," she mused, wielding it around. "It's so weird...going from a nobody in Oarai, to the leader of my team in Oarai, and now..."
She raised her sword up, and revved up its engine. The blade whirled and buzzed.
"...I am this mysterious being called a Chosen One," she said to herself.
She then swung her blade around, as if training in a kendo class. The blade glowed and moaned, as if agreeing with her.
Suddenly, she noticed something glowing on her blade.
It was a reflection of something glowing on...her chest.
She stared at it in silence, contemplating what to do.
I remember that it disappeared before, she thought. If that is true, what should I do...
"Stay there," she suddenly said, surprised at her own resolve.
She then looked down. To her surprise, the tiny, golden orb stayed there.
"Huh..." she wondered. "I guess it hides only when it needs to..."
She then lifted up the orb, which levitated on her raised left hand. Her right hand held the sword, shielding herself from the Sun's glare.
The tiny orb shone, its golden light shining brighter and brighter under the sword's shade.
"Hmm..." she pondered. "I wonder what this is...exactly..."
The orb suddenly floated around, flying around her like a fairy. Miho giggled.
"It sure looks like a fairy," she muttered. "But...what or who are you?"
The orb said nothing, but approached her, until it was at her nose.
Suddenly, its golden layers turned into miniature mirror surfaces, so that the tiny orb looked like a tiny version of a disco ball.
"A mirror ball?" she wondered, looking into it.
It glittered, reflecting a variety of pictures.
The picture of the city, now in ruins.
The picture of the serene waters.
The picture of explosions, as a few buildings blew up under bombs.
The picture of airplanes flying by.
The picture of...herself.
She stared at herself. What she saw was a girl, now taller and more robust, with her light brown hair, shining with an orangish tone in the sunlight. The wind blew, causing her hair to sway like a silky curtain.
"Who am I now?" she asked.
She stared at herself.
"And..." she said. "Was saving...everybody...worth it?"
She saw herself, tears streaming down.
"W-wait," she said again. "Wh-why am I crying?"
Her heart beat faster and faster, and the orb twitched, and beat along with her heat.
Her heart beat, and the orb beat.
Both beat.
Thump.
Thump...
Thump-thump-thump!
Suddenly, she cringed and said it.
"I...I want to know whether saving everyone was worth it!"
Suddenly, she felt a pulling sensation. In front of her, a strange golden vortex formed, acting like a black hole. She felt like it was sucking her in. This time, however, she relented and...went in.
She blinked, as she was back in...
She gasped, as she realized that she was in the same tomb back in one of her dreams. She then saw the body of-
"Watcher Convent!" she gasped, approaching him, but backed off when she remembered her previous experience.
Bowing down in respect, she then raised her sword, and created a stylized coffin-sized hole next to the body. She then looked around, and found a ladder. With some difficulty, she lifted the body and carefully put it into the pit. She then helped to cross his arms, careful to not touch him.
Once it was done, she stared at him, his face now peaceful and even...smiling.
"Your sacrifice was not in vain," she said, bowing down.
Suddenly, she sensed something between her clapped hands, but she was not too surprised right now.
"I guess this came back," she replied, putting the necklace back on his neck. "Rest in peace, Watcher Convent."
Suddenly, before she could cover the grave, she found herself being sucked out. As she disappeared, Convent suddenly twitched, and opened his eyes.
"Well done," Convent said. "We Watchers have done our duty. The world of Watchers is now fulfilled; now rise, the Wild Ones of the New Age."
He then drew his last breath, and his body disappeared into a cloud of golden dust.
Miho suddenly found herself in front of a familiar warehouse, and gasped.
"Wow!" she said to herself. "The Fortmart Warehouse!"
Suddenly, a man went up to her, panting.
"Y-you!" he gasped, looking up.
"Joshua Cracker!" she gasped. "You're alive!"
"Barely!" he grunted. "After somehow exterminating the last zombies, I spent the rest of the days...surviving inside of that warehouse. But why are you here?"
"I..." she pondered. "I guess I teleported here."
He nodded, mysteriously silent.
"I see," he said in a strange voice. "I think you are confused."
"Y-yes," Miho admitted. "I think I teleported here, entered a portal or something...magical."
"You will see more," Joshua continued in his strange voice, his face also strange. "When you meet Rudolf."
Miho blinked, and gasped.
"Wait," she began. "He's-"
Before she could finish, a golden vortex reappeared, and it sucked her in before disappearing once more. Joshua nodded.
"Goodbye," Joshua said. "Yes, you will see more, because you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."
"Miho?!" Alice whispered. Miho blinked, finding herself standing inside of a helicopter.
"Alice-chan!" she gasped, hugging her. "What are you all up to?"
"Flying still," Alice said, sighing. "Anyway, how did you end up here? I saw you suddenly appear in a cloud of golden dust!"
"Well, it's a long story," Miho said. "And...they're all asleep?"
Azumi and Rumi both were asleep, leaning their heads away from each other. Megumi, who was in the pilot's seat, was drowsing.
Miho shook her head, and made a single clap, causing a shockwave of energy that stunned Megumi.
"Huh?" she gasped. "Oops! I should have been concentrating! Ahem! Alice-sama! Sorry for that!"
"It's alright," Alice replied.
"And thank you," she whispered to Miho.
"You're welcome," Miho replied, smiling.
"And you're...taller?!" Alice asked, gasping.
"Yes," she admitted. "I am Chosen now."
"Chosen..." Alice mused. "So, I guess the news is real, after all."
Miho gulped.
"No," Alice said. "You're not bad, with the news being biased."
She sighed in relief.
"But what happened?" Alice asked. "And we're fine and all."
"It's a long story," Miho said. "But I guess...I wanted to see you all again."
Alice nodded, tears flowing out.
"Where are you all headed?" Miho asked, feeling her own tears falling down.
"We're flying down through the southern borders of the Bay," Alice said. "But that...Orb thing is getting strong. We're staying away from it."
"Good!" Miho nodded. "Stay away from it, because we're confronting it."
"You and your friends?!" Alice cried, almost waking up the others. "Please, be careful!"
"I will," Miho began. "And meet us at-"
Suddenly, she got sucked into a cloud of golden vortex again, before she could finish her sentence.
"Aw..." Alice groaned. "Disappeared? Guess that's what heroes have to do."
She smiled.
"Megumi."
"Yes?"
"Keep flying down, but follow the borders of the Bay Area."
"Roger that!"
"I am tired of being sucked into a vortex again and again," Miho said to herself.
She looked around, finding herself in a dense area of forest.
"And where am I-oh!"
A familiar girl hugged her right leg, as she looked down. She had angelic-blond hair with brilliant blue eyes.
"Ma-Maylee?!" she gasped.
"Miho!" she screamed. "You're alive!"
"Miho..." three more voices echoed from behind her, and she turned around.
Jorge, Martha, and Gabriel stood by, gasping at her.
"You all..." Miho gasped, tears falling down her eyes. "How did you..."
"That's our best guess," Jorge admitted, shrugging. "The drones were about to shoot at us, and something...crashed into the drones and destroyed them. By the time we woke up from shock or something, we were still intact."
"But aren't you still in danger?" Miho asked.
"But where can we go?" Jorge asked.
"Wait..." Miho wondered, looking down at her hands. Both started to radiate a strange glow.
"Wellington-sama!" Miho uttered. "Hold onto me!"
"O-OK!" they replied, and held her. Jorge blushed, noticing that Miho was now taller and...
"Ahem!" Martha said, comically elbowing him. "She looks...sexier, isn't she, darling?"
"Ah-yes..." Jorge cleared his throat, as Gabriel blinked at his father.
All four held unto her, and the same golden vortex appeared.
"Jump!" Miho said out loud.
"Miho?!" Joshua stuttered, finding her back. "Back already-oh?"
"Joshua-sama," Miho said, as the family found themselves right in front of the Fortmart Warehouse.
Joshua blinked, as he found her with a family of four. A little girl, a young teenage boy, a mother, and a father appeared before him.
"Guess you're our ally," Jorge said, immediately shaking hands with Joshua.
"Well," Joshua uttered with some hesitance. "I-I guess fate or something divine has led us here."
"Thank you," Jorge said, bowing a little to Miho. "We know that we're safe."
She blinked, then nodded.
"Right?" Miho asked Joshua.
"Yes," Joshua admitted. "After eliminating the last zombies, nobody has ever come up here for days. I have also managed to find a functional walkie-talkie, and rescue should be coming soon."
"Th-thank you so much," Martha said, hugging Miho.
"Miho sister!" Maylee said, holding unto her. "You have to go, right?"
"Yes," she admitted with hesitance.
Maylee then hugged her on the right leg, then smelled her.
"Miho sister?" she asked. "Did you meet Liuyang?"
Miho blinked.
"Yes!" she replied, then Maylee jumped up and down for joy. As soon as she let go, the golden vortex appeared and sucked her in.
Jorge and Martha both nodded at each other, understanding what was going on.
"Guess my friend was right," Gabriel admitted. "But man...things are crazy here in California."
"I have a feeling," Joshua said. "That this horror...will be over."
"Really?!" Maylee gasped, hugging the stranger tight on his right leg. "Thank you, mister!"
Joshua smiled, tears streaming down from his eyes.
"Finally," he uttered. "My sins are forgiven."
"In another helicopter?" Miho pondered. "OK, what's this golden orb doing to me-"
She felt another girl holding her right leg, and looked down. Smiling, she lifted up the familiar Chinese girl up to her face.
"Liuyang," she said with a smile.
"You're back!" she began. "I-"
"Hush!" Miho said, finger to her lips.
She looked around. Apparently, both of her parents were asleep, inside of a futuristic-looking helicopter.
"We're going home now," Liuyang admitted with some sadness. "But I am glad to see you again!"
"Thanks," Miho said. "But remember us, too."
Liuyang nodded, as Miho put her down.
"And thank you," Liuyang said. "Guess it's goodbye properly, right?"
Miho nodded.
"I am glad to see you again," she replied.
Liuyang nodded.
"Goodbye," Miho said, smiling.
"Goodbye!" Liuyang said, waving. "I am glad to say it now!"
Suddenly, her mother stirred. Before she opened her eyes, Miho disappeared into her vortex.
"Liuyang?" her mother asked. "What happened?"
"Nothing bad," Liuyang admitted with a bright smile. "I managed to say goodbye to dear friend and sister of mine."
"Eh?" her mother asked.
"Huh?" Miho blinked.
She was in a strange, blackish tunnel, but very wide. She noticed distant, white lights on both ends of the tunnel.
"Ah," a man's voice echoed. "You're here?"
She turned around, and gasped.
"Rudolf?" she asked.
"I am Rudolf," the scientist said.
She blinked, noticing that he looked perfectly human. Even his lab coat was pure white and intact.
"Thank you for saving me," he said, bowing down on his knees.
"Oh no-no!" she said, waving her hands. "But thanks for giving us important information."
"You're welcome," he said. "But don't worry about where we are now; it's not for you to understand. I am going to cross the Rubicon, but I guess I already did."
"But where are you going?" Miho asked.
"I cannot answer that," he replied. "Because you are living, and you are here to get one last piece of advice from me, before I go for good."
"Wha-what is it?" she asked.
"Remember Watcher Convent?" he asked.
Miho gasped.
"He already went through," he said. "I saw him go to that direction, in front of us. Before going, he told me that I should wait here, because I am going to see a 'marvelous individual.' And here you are."
"So..." Miho began, but Rudolf held out his hand in silence.
"So let's get to the point," he said. "You are now near the Orb. The Orb will be defeated, but it will be absorbed by Nicolae. Nicolae will try and take over, but you are the only one who can defeat him for good. In order to do so, that strange power of yours seems to generate power from the kindness of your heart, as you help out multiple people. You need to enter through it two more times."
He bowed down.
"And one more thing," he said again, lifting up his head. "Once you defeat him, avoid giving him the killing blow. He put a curse on himself, so that you will die from it if you do. Instead, let the King of Many Lizards kill him, for that is the only way he can be killed for good."
Miho blinked, puzzled by the last words. She opened her mouth, but he stopped her.
"That is all," he said, before walking away.
Miho stood by, contemplating his words.
"Defeat him," she mumbled. "But do not kill him; let an animal deal the final blow."
Suddenly, the same vortex appeared. This time, it did not suck her in, but she turned to face Rudolf. Rudolf looked back, seeing her determined face, nodding as she walked into the vortex and disappeared.
"Farewell, and I wish you well in God's name. Man, I haven't said God's name properly for years..."
This time, Miho did not hesitate, as she found herself on top of a combat jeep, apparently out of commission, because of a car battery next to it.
"Come on!" a familiar man appeared, coming out of a garage. "I am-oh!"
He dropped his stuff, upon seeing Miho on top of the roof. He bowed down, and then calmly walked into the driver's seat.
"What are you doing?!" a voice called out from inside. "You did not change the battery!"
"I don't need to," he replied. "Hit it, Chosen One."
Nodding, she struck her blade into the roof; instead of going through, the blade attached to the roof like a plug, suddenly allowing it to move. Looking up, she made a face, trying to summon a vortex, which appeared.
"Hello again," Miho said, as she and the jeep entered. "I have a feeling I know you guys..."
"Another survivor bunch?" Joshua remarked, unsurprised as Miho appeared again.
She went down, as Maylee hugged her again. Jorge, Martha, Gabriel, and Joshua were sitting down in a circle of chairs, but got up when they saw the vortex.
Five people went out of the jeep, confused but glad to be alive.
"Wh-where are we?!" a woman gasped. "And-Michelle?!"
Miho giggled, as she jumped down and bowed down to them.
"I gave you a pseudonym," Miho said. "I am Miho."
"Miho!" all five people gasped, and they all shook hands with her.
"Private David King!" one of the three men declared.
"I am Private Dave Burns!" another said.
"I am Ryan," he blushed, shaking hands with her. "Thanks for talking to us back there."
"But what happened?" Miho asked.
"We had to flee," King admitted. "General North was a tough guy. I rode in my jeep, and went out. Its battery was bad, but you saved us in the nick of time!"
"I am Phoebe Peterson!" a woman said. "I was the one who gave you the name tags! Thank you for giving us your name!"
"And you..." Miho said to the last woman. "You saved us by letting us through..."
The last woman nodded.
"I am Rebecca Nurse," she replied. "Do not fear; it was on my volition. You girls are righteous; I feel it."
"Thank you," Miho said, bowing down.
Maylee then let go of her, and went to hug Rebecca. Suddenly, Miho got sucked into a vortex again.
"Again and again," Gabriel sighed. "Man, being a superhero is actually hard work, eh?"
"Do you want to be one?" Martha asked, teasing him.
"Actually no," he sighed. "Guess being normal is so good after all."
He smiled.
"But she's cool," he said. "And...her chest."
Martha rolled her eyes, as she teased him, almost wrestling him.
"Jorge," she grunted. "It looks like your...wandering eyes are hereditary."
"D-don't blame me!" he said, waving his hands. "But she's beautiful now, you know?"
"And what?" she teased again. "Multiple Chosen girls out there to take you away from me?"
He groaned, but smiled as she smiled back. The whole group laughed, as they sighted a rescue squad coming there way.
"Great!" Ryan said. "We're finally being rescued!"
"Won't we get in trouble?" Phoebe asked.
"Nope," Ryan replied. "We're being rescued, not interrogated, hopefully."
"We'll deal with it," Jorge said, giving a strange smile. "I have...friends who can help. It sure is good to be rich..."
"Emily..." Miho said, as she was the only who seemed awake.
Emily hugged her tight, as much as possible.
"I don't want you to leave," she admitted, sobbing.
She patted her, hugging her as she lifted the orphan girl up like a mother. Looking around, Miho noticed the rest of the orphan girls and soldiers sleeping soundly.
Or so she thought.
"Chosen One," Major Armstrong said, causing Miho to flinch and stare at him. "Do not fear; I am with you."
"Major Armstrong!" a voice cracked through his transmission. "We have located a particularly powerful Chosen One, and she appears to be right in the middle of your fleet of helicopters!"
"Major Sergeant Bradley," Armstrong replied over the radio, as Miho was ready to summon her sword. "We will deal with this, so 10-4."
"10-4," Bradley replied.
Click.
"You are free to go," he replied.
"Wait," Miho said, blinking. "That easily?"
"I have been suspicious of reports about the Chosen Ones," he blurted out. "And I have...doubts about them being dangerous and all. Anything in life is a double-edged sword; use well, and it's good. Use bad, and it's evil. So, to hear the news portraying you girls as overwhelmingly bad and dangerous made me doubt."
Miho nodded, and hugged Emily for a while before getting up.
"Thank you for your help," Miho said.
"Don't worry," Armstrong admitted.
Margo, Edith, and Agnes moaned, then suddenly got up and hugged her.
"Goodbye, all of you," she said, sobbing as all four girls huddled up to her.
"Goodbye!" they replied, sobbing.
The cries started to wake up the soldiers.
Miho deliberately let go of the girls, and disappeared into the vortex that appeared.
"Armstrong!" Bradley's voice reappeared, as the soldiers started to wake up. "What's going on?! The signal of the Chosen is gone!?"
"Problem solved," he replied. "And my soldiers are sleeping, so I need to discipline them."
"Good!" Bradley replied, before turning off.
"Soldiers!" he cleared his throat.
"Eh?"
"Thank you for being soldiers," he replied, smiling. "And for being...heroes. OK, you can sleep now."
"Yay!" they all replied, before crashing back into sleep.
"You will need it," he mumbled. "You will need it."
A tall office building
Palo Alto, CA, USA
6:30 AM; July 19, 20XX
Miho blinked, as she appeared right back at her base.
"Miporin!"
"Miho-san."
"Nishizumi-dono!"
"Miho-sama."
Her friends all approached her, fully awake.
"Where have you been?" Saori asked, hands on her sides. "All of us were worried sick about you!"
Miho blinked. The sun was now fully up over the horizon, blazing down upon the darkened world. Miho found herself on the same spot before. This time, however, it was covered in a picnic blanket, stained with red stripes all over its white background. A few blue stars circled the edges.
"Except me," Mako said nonchalantly, causing Saori to wrestle with her.
"Well..." Miho began. "I was experimenting with-"
BOOM!
"Wha?!" everybody reacted, as something suddenly struck a side of the building.
"Everybody!" Miho commanded. "Grab the belongings! Let's go!"
They all leaped out just in time, as the building crashed down.
"Already!?" Saori groaned. "We were just about to get ready, and voila! Another sudden attack on our base!"
"Everybody!" Miho quickly said. "I-I think I can summon a vortex or portal or gate or something!"
"Huh?!" everybody reacted with various degrees of surprise, amazement, and shock.
"Here!" she called out, summoning her tiny orb again.
It immediately zoomed away, towards a massive ball of sickly purple energy. The tiny orb negated it, turning into a huge cloud of beautiful golden dust.
"Oops," Miho said. "At least we're safe."
She then concentrated, and another golden orb appeared.
"Here!" she shouted, shooting it away. The orb then created a golden vortex.
"Let's go!" she called out, immediately entering it.
All of her friends followed in without hesitating, just in time as a huge ball of sickly purple energy slammed into where they were, creating a colossal crater.
On a hilltop...
San Francisco, CA, USA
6:35 AM; July 19, 20XX
"OK!" Saori said, not panting. "What's going on?! You were gone for one minute, the next moment you can teleport us?!"
"I don't know whether I can teleport you all or not!" Miho admitted. "But I think that it's done with a reason..."
They looked around, and gasped.
They saw it.
Beneath the fog, something bright and orange-vermilion rose over the clouds.
Its towers rose above, signaling hope in a fog of despair.
Rails connected the towers down to the bridge below.
"The Golden Gate Bridge!" Saori gasped. "Wow!"
"Even in apocalypse," Yukari said in awe. "It's..."
"Beautiful," Hana mused, staring at it.
Mako said nothing, but her face was bright and smiling.
Miho stared at it, feeling stronger than ever before, because she felt something...approaching her.
"Get ready," she said, summoning her sword, revving up its engine.
They all obeyed.
Saori struck up her fans, opening them and flapping them.
Hana waved her naginata, spinning it around as if dancing.
Yukari clenched her gauntlets, flexing them.
Mako leaned on her shield, playing with her urumi in her right hand.
They all looked up, noticing it for the first time...
The Orb.
The perpetrator of the apocalypse.
The source of the Chosen.
The very reason for the existence of so many strange questions...
"We are here," Miho whispered. "Get ready..."
They all raised their weapons, as Miho was ready to summon her orb.
Suddenly, a huge beam of bright blue energy emitted from the ocean. In response, the Orb shot its beam of sickly purple light. Strangely, instead of passing through, the beams suddenly turned into what looked like hands at the intersections where they met, as if they were hands in an arm wrestling match, except the hands were pushing against each other.
"What the..." Yukari gasped, as she and others watched in shock.
Suddenly, massive roars of all kinds rose, as the seas turned turbulent, and the sky darkened. The fog disappeared in a flash, and the Golden Gate Bridge shook and shook.
All around, the animals were turning rabid, turning on against each other, attacking anything living or dead. Human, animal, and even zombie were fair game. Multiple animals, especially the stray kinds, turned into monstrous forms, and attacked humans. Humans turned savage, and slaughtered and ate zombies. Zombies suddenly weakened, morphing into wretched, fetid pools, which dissipated.
"This truly is the beginning of the end," Miho said, raising her sword. "Girls, be ready. We are going in."
It's the end.
Stay determined.
And review as usual; this is intended to be short but sweet. I hope I did it right, with more twists at the end.
Tune in next time, as the story draws to an epic finale!
