The UAV whirred into action . It sped across the runway and flew straight into the sky . Excited gasps and murmurs broke out among the crowd . As there weren’t many things to pa.s.s the time compared to the old days, people were starving for entertainment .  ‘I should bring back some books or board games,’ thought Kw.a.n.g Hwi .

Despite the fact that his house had been hastily remodeled to serve as a control room, he was rather satisfied . The interior was dark and, just like the control rooms in action movies, live video feed captured straight from the UAV was showcased on large monitors mounted around the room .

“How’s it looking?” he asked a pilot sitting near one of the control panels .

“Good . Reception is good and flight performance is satisfactory . All systems nominal . ” The pilot gently pulled on the stick as he answered . In response, the Heron began ascending, drawing more and more of the city into view . The camera mounted to the bottom rotated around, taking stock of its surroundings .

They were grim . Streets, once filled with ordinary people, were now clearly occupied by the monsters . Buildings all across the urban landscape were awash with flames .

“Hey, what’s that?” Kw.a.n.g Hwi suddenly interjected .

“What’s what, boss?”

“Check the North-East corner . 135 degrees . ”

The pilot dutifully pulled on his controls and the camera swiveled to meet Kw.a.n.g Hwi’s demands . Keku occupied the majority of the screen, oblivious to the aerial surveillance of Kw.a.n.g Hwi and his team . They filled the entire roadway and Kw.a.n.g Hwi even saw a few of the Black Wolf Cavalry units he encountered at the supermarket . Although cluttered, they were clearly walking towards an objective . They marched in unison down the road .

“It looks like at least a thousand of them in total, boss . ”

Kw.a.n.g Hwi nodded in acknowledgment . If the pilot was correct, this would be the biggest horde he had encountered so far .

“Where are they all going?” he asked .

The pilot frowned . “Given their current direction, it seems like they’re heading towards the university . ”

“A university?” said Kw.a.n.g Hwi .  ‘That must mean there are survivors in the university…’

It would certainly explain the monsters’ behavior . The campus was located in a relatively remote area . There wouldn’t be any real reason for the monsters to head there unless they had their sights set on prey already .

“The campus will be in sight soon,” said the pilot . The Heron seamlessly flew past the Keku horde . At the end of the road, a haphazard wall had been hastily erected with just about anything one could expect to find at a university . It was flanked by tall buildings on either side, blockading the road . A number of survivors were garrisoned on top of the wall, each carrying a blunt weapon .

“How long before they arrive?” asked Kw.a.n.g Hwi .

“Based on their speed and distance, probably 12 minutes . ”

“They’re not stealing my points . Men, move out!”

“Yes, sir!” The crew members that were gathered near him stood up and rushed off .

The student council president gritted his teeth . Originally, he was under the impression that the monsters were still quite far away . But what he, and his peers, thought they saw was very much wrong . Everyone was anxious . It had been a week since they had first encountered the monsters, but fear still gripped their hearts .

The monsters were extremely hostile and much stronger than a normal person . Those that were brave enough to stand up against them were torn apart, limb from limb . Those that tried to run away also met the same fate .

The ones who were quick and clever enough to hide survived—if only just . The student council president recalled how he had shrunk into a corner and shriveled in fear until the monsters had left .

‘I really hoped they would never return . ’

He knew he couldn’t count on it . The initial peace had scarcely lasted a week . They had finished barricading the front when giant wolves appeared . It was as if they were playing with their food . If it weren’t for the fact that they had prepared a Molotov c.o.c.ktail, their paltry fortress would have already been breached .

He picked up the walkie-talkie . He couldn’t hide it any longer . His voice trembled slightly as he spoke .

— “Please brace yourselves . ”

Around the university, a sense of impending dread glossed over the survivors as they clutched their improvised weapons a little bit tighter . He lamented over this fact as well . With some modern weaponry, they would have been more successful in their pursuits against the monsters . That said, a dangerous firearm had little place at a university . All they could find were bows from the archery club and they had already deployed archers to the rooftops . On the wall itself, everyone was equipped with baseball bats or metal pipes with slightly sharpened edges .

— “Should we shoot now?”

He hesitated before answering .

— “Yes, please shoot . ”

One of the archers perched on the rooftop drew the bow back . At the tip of the arrow, a spark of flame flickered with life just as he loosed the arrow into the sky . It arched gracefully through the sky and landed with a non-descript splash .

An explosion sounded from the target location as the oil prepared earlier combusted into flames, bisecting the road . The monsters immediately slowed down, approaching the flaming barrier with trepidation . The president’s face brightened, if only a little .  ‘At least they’re scared of fire . ’ His eyes wandered over the fire wall which separated them from the monsters beyond . Just as he took a brief reprieve from their difficult situation, a black shadow pierced through the blinding flames and his heart throbbed .

Four thick, heavy paws. .h.i.t the ground, pus.h.i.+ng the fire aside . Two crimson eyes were framed with a row of vicious teeth . The jet-black shadow let out a piercing howl and the student council could feel their hearts drop . It was the monster he had seen yesterday . The wolf lowered its head and, like knights dismounting a steed, the three Keku riding on its back hopped off and began advancing forwards .

“They’re coming!” he heard his voice scream . More and more Black Wolves jumped through the flames, carrying Keku across the wall of fire . The archers poured arrows into the Keku to little avail . Many Keku had dozens of arrow shafts protruding out of their body as they climbed the wall at a frenzied pace .

The students who met the Keku at the top saw similar results . The Keku shrugged off their blows and caused havoc wherever they went . Despite this, the survivors were not totally helpless . The walls were still several feet tall, which bought them time . More importantly, Molotov c.o.c.ktails had been prepared in advance . After seeing the efficacy of the previous ones, they didn’t hesitate to prepare more .

Fire rained down onto the Keku as they scaled the walls and they recoiled from the flames . Those who were hit directly howled in pain and collapsed to the ground .

“Noooo!”

The wolf howled triumphantly and a cry of pain rang out from atop the wall . A Black Wolf had scaled the wall in moments and sunk its teeth into a student . Slowly realizing he was being taken away, the male student resisted . However, he was powerless against the Black Wolf’s grip .

Red blood splattered and the student was torn into two . A sickening squish filled the air as the student was rended .

Everyone’s faces darkened and fear swept through them . Their bodies froze in fear and monsters started to bounded over the walls like a tsunami . The wall of flames which had once held the majority of the monsters at bay had diminished, leaving the students vulnerable . Some of the monsters were struck and fell back down to their deaths, but many more arrived to fill the s.p.a.ces left by their compatriots . The defense line was wearing thin and their supply of Molotov c.o.c.ktails were quickly being depleted .

‘If they keep coming, we’re all going to die . I should’ve ran away deep into the mountains like the guy suggested yesterday . ’

A Keku hand reached over the wall, interrupting his thoughts . Instinct took over and he slammed his hammer over the Keku’s skull . Blood splattered across his face as the Keku’s head burst like a watermelon . Its body fell into the sea of enemies and another instantly took its place .

‘Dammit! How many are there?!’ He had killed more than 10 of them, diligently swinging his hammer as each appeared but there was no end in sight . He grumbled, but he remained steadfast in his defense . Eventually, he would run out of energy and that would be the end for him .

“Nooo! Save me!”

Desperate screams could now be heard all around him . He wanted to help his fellow cla.s.smates, but his hands were tied . He could hardly maintain his own position, let alone help others . He glanced around furtively . There were only a few defenders left on the walls now .  ‘Well, at least the people on the roofs are relatively safe . Those Black Wolves are strong, but even they can’t leap up a 10 story building . ’

Unfortunately, there was a limit to how much help the supporters could provide . They couldn’t prevent the wall from being breached .

“Ugk!” He gasped as the hammer missed and slammed into the wall . His thoughts had distracted him, causing his swing to miss . The reverberations shook through his arms, loosening his already exhausted grip . The hammer clattered to the ground . Seeing an opportunity, the Keku clambered up the wall to find the president . It knew that the humans were rallying under his command . Without him, the university was ripe for the taking .

The president saw Black Wolves rush in below the Keku and he sensed the end was near . Even if he avoided the attack, a pack of Black Wolves were ready to tear him limb from limb . In his last moments, he couldn’t repress the fear any further . He closed his eyes as tears poured out .

‘f.u.c.k . ’