Zombie Domination

They spent the night by the riverside, fishing quietly and refilling their water supplies. After a long day of battles and travel, everyone finally settled down to rest. The crackling fire and the gentle lapping of water against the shore accompanied their slow descent into sleep.

But Julian was the first to awaken. His eyes snapped open as he sensed something amiss. Around the camp, some of the zombies he had restrained with his [Domination] skill lay dead, a sign that something was coming.

He rose silently and began waking the others.

Veronica rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep. "Hmm… is it morning already?"

Julian's voice was steady but urgent. "Get ready. We have company."

The others stirred, hastily gathering their gear.

Zoe, her senses sharp even in the early light, counted softly, "Twelve."

Julian nodded. "I'll go out front. Stay here for now."

Celestia stepped forward. "I'm coming with you."

Together, Julian and Celestia moved to meet the unexpected visitors.

Ahead of them stood a group of twelve, well-kept, armed, and wary. At their front was a young man who appeared to be the leader. His white hair fell loosely around his shoulders, and his piercing blue eyes scanned the surroundings cautiously. Flanking him were two women: one with black hair and the other blonde, both with deep brown eyes.

The young man spoke calmly, "Don't worry, we're not raiders. We only came to take some water."

Julian kept his guard up. "Why camp here, then? There's a water source further downstream."

The young man raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. "We don't mean any harm, and we don't want to disturb you. We just came to check the water near the waterfall. We're worried it might be contaminated."

The black-haired woman nodded firmly. "That's right. We only need some water."

Julian studied them carefully, sensing no hostile intent. Slowly, he nodded. "Alright then, you can take what you need." He spoke cautiously, keeping a watchful eye on the group.

"Thank you, friend," the young man said gratefully. The others in the group expressed their thanks as they began collecting water supplies.

The leader extended his hand. "I'm Kevin Turner. Nice to meet you."

Julian grasped it firmly. "Julian Deaw."

Celestia stepped forward with a warm smile. "I'm Celestia Virelle."

The two women by Kevin's side introduced themselves as well. "Nia Cross," said the black-haired woman, and "Belle Jenvi," said the blonde.

Kevin glanced around briefly. "We're part of the Dawnlight group."

Julian simply nodded, acknowledging the name.

Kevin smirked. "Hey, don't tell me our name isn't well known yet?"

Belle rolled her eyes playfully. "Do you really think you'd become famous that quickly?"

Nia chuckled and added, "Maybe you should get some sleep and dream about it."

Julian narrowed his eyes slightly. "Were you the ones who had trouble with Omet the Butcher?"

Kevin blinked, then grinned. "Oh, yeah, that was us. Hehe, see? We are getting famous after all."

Belle's expression turned sharp. "Wait… were you the ones who wiped out his group?"

Celestia stepped forward without hesitation. "Yes. Our team was the one who took them down."

Kevin let out a low whistle. "Whoa. That's seriously impressive. You managed to defeat all of them?"

"They were nothing but savages," Julian said flatly.

Nia folded her arms, her tone more somber. "Maybe, but they were still powerful. We lost a lot of survivors because of them."

Kevin lowered his gaze for a moment before nodding. "Then… thank you. For avenging my people."

Julian shook his head. "It's nothing. Those kinds of people deserved to die."

Kevin's eyes lit up. "Heh, I like your sense of justice, my friend. Say, why don't you join our group? With your skills, we could do great things together."

Julian didn't hesitate. "No. I prefer wandering with my girls."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Girls?"

At that moment, Clarissa, Emma, Aya, Veronica, and Zoe stepped out from the tent, each one composed, radiant in her own way, and clearly capable.

Kevin, Belle, and Nia froze in place, visibly stunned by the unexpected sight. Kevin blinked. "Oh… I see…"

Kevin looked at Julian with a hint of regret. "That's a shame. I was hoping to ask you to join us in raiding a zombie nest."

Julian's eyes narrowed slightly. "Nest?"

Kevin's expression brightened, clearly pleased that Julian showed interest. "Yeah. A big one. They've gathered in a central hive, organized, even. We plan to wipe them out."

Julian paused, deep in thought. A central nest… If the zombies were evolving in some way, perhaps there was something there that could satisfy his growing curiosity. Something he needed to understand.

After a moment, he gave a single nod. "I'm in."

Kevin grinned wide. "Great! With this many capable people, we'll have a real shot at clearing that place out."

Then he glanced around at Julian's camp, rubbing the back of his neck. "Say, would it be alright if we camped here for the night?"

Julian nodded without hesitation. "Go ahead."

Kevin turned back to his team and raised his voice. "Alright everyone, we'll rest here tonight! Prepare the camp!"

They began setting up camp together, the crackling of fires and the soft murmur of conversation filling the night air. The two groups remained mostly separate, but there was an uneasy truce in the shared space.

Within Julian's group, a quiet discussion unfolded around the fire.

Celestia leaned in closer to him, her voice low. "Are you sure we can trust them?"

Julian's eyes didn't leave the flickering flames. "It's fine. If they try anything suspicious, I'll deal with them immediately."

Veronica crossed her arms, her gaze shifting toward the trees. "I just hope their 'nest' isn't as horrifying as the last place we raided."

Clarissa, ever blunt, added, "Well, it probably will be. Maybe even more flesh blobs this time."

Emma groaned and covered her ears. "Ugh, stop that, Clarissa. I really didn't need that image before bed."

Julian stood and stretched slightly, his eyes scanning toward the other camp. "We move out tomorrow. Get some rest while you can. I'm going to have a talk with Kevin."

The girls nodded, each returning to their tent.

On the other side of the camp, a different conversation was unfolding.

"Hey," Nia said, her arms crossed tightly. "You just handed over that raid plan like it was nothing. Are you sure that was wise?"

Belle, sitting beside her and tossing a twig into the fire, nodded. "She's right. What if they're a bunch of psychotic killers? We saw the aftermath with our own eyes, those cannibals weren't just beaten. They were annihilated."

Kevin, calmly sharpening a small blade, barely looked up. "It's fine. I know they're not like that."

Belle shot him a sharp look. "And how can you be so sure? That guy Julian, he barely blinks, and those girls of his? They look like they're on a picnic, not surviving the apocalypse."

"Don't say that, Belle. Or you, Nia," Kevin replied, his tone dropping slightly. "Take a cue from the others. No one else is complaining."

"That's because the rest of the team gave up on complaining," Nia muttered, rolling her eyes. "They've realized arguing with you is like trying to wrestle a thunderstorm."

Before Kevin could reply, their eyes turned to a figure approaching from the camp, Julian.

The flicker of the fire danced across his calm face, casting long shadows behind him.

Kevin stood up and turned to the girls. "Get some rest. I've got something to discuss with Julian."

Belle and Nia exchanged a glance but didn't argue. They knew that when Kevin had that look, the decision was already made.

They retreated to their tents as Julian stopped a few steps away, his hands casually in his coat pockets, eyes sharp but not hostile.

Kevin offered a small smile. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

Julian said nothing at first, then gave a slight nod. "Let's talk."

Kevin gave a small chuckle and motioned to a nearby rock. "Sure. I could use someone to talk to anyway."

Julian remained standing, eyes focused. "Where did you get the intel about the nest?"

Kevin leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as the firelight cast flickering shadows across his pale face. "From scattered survivors. People who fled from the east ridge, families, small bands. Some of them were barely hanging on. Said their camps were overrun in the dead of night. Not by stray roamers, but by something... organized."

Julian narrowed his eyes. "Organized?"

Kevin nodded grimly. "That's what they said. The attacks weren't random. It was like the zombies had tactics, waves of them, driving people out, cornering them. And once the panic started, they picked them off, one by one."

Julian's expression didn't change, but the firelight caught the faintest glint of thought behind his calm stare.

Kevin continued, voice low. "They lost friends. Kids. Lovers. A few survivors claimed they saw something big, mutated. Leading the horde like a general."

Julian looked away for a moment, toward the darkness beyond the campfire. "So they're evolving. Or someone's guiding them."

Kevin's eyes sharpened. "You think someone's behind it?"

Julian didn't answer immediately. Instead, he muttered, more to himself than to Kevin, "There's always something deeper."