Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night

After leveling up, and returning to his temporary sanctuary with three additional blood crystals safely stored in his pockets. Zane ensured that the entrances to the second building that he and his followers were occupying was safely sealed and barricaded as to prevent an outside attempt to get inside.

This was of course only a half measure, as Zane knew damn well that Keith, or what the young man had turned into, was easily capable of forcing his way inside just about any door that the school had. Even if he piled up 20 desks in front of it.

But neither the Stalker nor Keith revealed themselves the night before. And because of this, Zane was able to feel a brief sense of relief. He had been up all night, but for whatever reason, he didn't feel as tired as he should.

Perhaps it was the adrenaline in his blood that was a result of his intense physical exercise in the form of splitting open the skulls of 50 walkers. Or perhaps there was some other explanation for it. But Zane felt less fatigued than one normally would have such a strenuous event.

Because of this, he did not immediately fall asleep, instead he climbed into the room that was being occupied by Elena and Olivia, and sat down next to them. Observing the blood crystals in his hands, which were the size of the smallest jawbreaker candy.

It was curious that these small spherical crystals were the source of his newfound abilities. Zane was tempted to consume the last three on the spot. After all, he felt a deep sense of hunger every time he looked at the crystals.

Almost as if his body was starving for food. But he wasn't starving. He had eaten some rations only a few hours prior. And his craving wasn't for food, but for these blood crystals. Zane honestly didn't know if this was the result of his Dead Man Walking ability, or if it was something that other "awakened" individuals would also experience.

There was only one way to find out. Thus Zane waited patiently for Elena and Olivia to awaken, slowly drifting off into a brief and shallow sleep as he did so.

--

Elena awakened early in the next morning. Despite getting a full eight hours of sleep, she was tired and sore. No doubt due to the poor position she had slept in. More than anything, she wished for an actual bed to sleep in right now. But that was a luxury she would not be able to have for a very long time. And she knew this.

It was while Elena was stretching her arms and back that she realized there was someone sleeping in her lap. Olivia Bennett, the mature silver haired beauty who was once Elena's homeroom teacher, was lying face first in Elena's lap, who had slept with her back against the wall in a sitting position.

Olivia's expression seemed anxious, despite her eyes being closed, and her consciousness clearly in the world of dreams. Perhaps she was having a nightmare, or perhaps she was unconsciously aware that the world was falling apart.

What was obvious, however, was the woman's makeup was fading, no doubt as a result of the immense amount of tears she had cried the night before. It was because of this that Elena did not immediately move, and in doing so wake up her former teacher. Instead, she sighed heavily and was about to go back to sleep when she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Oh? You're awake? Good, I have something I need to talk to you about…"

Elena immediately looked over and saw Zane sitting against the wall on the other side of the room. His normally stoic expression was on his face, showing no sign that he had once lost control of his emotions just the day before.

But what was noticeably different was the fact that the man was covered in dried blood. From his hair, to his face, to his clothes, all the way down to his boots. The man looked utterly terrifying in his current state, and Elena had instinctively moved towards him to check to see if he was alright, and in doing so awoke Olivia, who fell to the floor, and struggled to get up.

"Oh, my God! Zane! What the help happened!?! Are you alright?"

Zane scoffed as he assured Elena he was fine in a dismissive way that caused the crimson haired beauty to pout in silence.

"This isn't my blood, so relax. I'm fine… Anyway, I need you to do something for me…"

Hearing that Zane was coated in blood that wasn't his own, wasn't exactly the most comforting thing… If anything it made Elena think he had gone on a killing spree during the night, and got rid of the rest of the survivors in their group because they were nothing more than "another mouth to feed."

Because of this, Elena was quick to ask Zane if he had really done something so vile.

"Zane… What about the others?"

Zane didn't immediately register what Elena was implying, and because of this, he had an indifferent tone in his voice as he answered the girl's question honestly.

"Sleeping soundly in the other classrooms, as far as I'm aware. Why do you ask?"

Upon hearing this, Elena sighed in relief, while refusing to elaborate on why she had asked such a question. Instead, shifting the conversation back to Zane's request.

"No reason in particular, anyway wasn't there something you wanted from me?"

Whether it was because he simply didn't care about the reason behind Elena's question, or because the young man simply didn't detect her attempt to hastily change the subject of conversation, Zane followed the woman's path, and reached into his pocket where he handed her a blood crystal.

The moment Elena's blue eyes centered on the sanguine crystalline sphere, they widened in horror. She knew exactly what Zane was asking without him saying it. And was quick to protest.

"No! Absolutely not! There is no fucking way I'm experiencing that agony again!"

However, Zane's brows narrowed while his black eyes turned serious. The words he spoke were filled with a tone of authority as he strongly insisted that Elena consume the blood crystal.

"I'm not asking…"