My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse novel Chapter 345

After a brief distraction, Sparrow shook his head, refocusing on the task at hand. But before he could react, he felt a sudden tug at the back of his collar. In an instant, he was being yanked backward, along with the person he had dubbed ’Portable Storage.’ Both of them were caught completely off guard as Rose dragged them like a pair of ragged clothes hanging from a rack.

Confusion flashed across their faces as they stumbled, floored by her unexpected and forceful grip.

Just then, a sound echoed through the enclosed space, catching both of their attention instantly.

Akackack...

Screech!

The sound was unnervingly alien, like something straight out of ’Alien vs. Predator’. That was exactly how it felt to both Sparrow and the other man—an eerie, otherworldly noise that made their skin crawl. Tension gripped them as they strained to pinpoint its origin, but the storage room remained silent and still, with no visible threat.

They scanned every corner, their nerves on edge, yet saw nothing.

An unsettling realization began to creep over them: if there was truly an evolved zombie lurking, it was expertly hiding. Worse, their team outside remained blissfully unaware of the potential danger inside. If this creature struck while their guard was down, it would be a catastrophe—one that could spell disaster for them all.

Sparrow’s nerves began to fray. They had just escaped the chaos of the city, and the thought of returning empty-handed filled him with dread. If he went back and reported that the mission had failed, he was certain Duke would whip him into shape—though that was the least of his concerns at the moment.

What really gnawed at him was the uneasy feeling that he’d somehow jinxed himself. It seemed like every time he was on a mission, something unexpected and disastrous always happened, leaving him wondering if he was cursed or simply unlucky.

Frustration boiled inside him, and he had to bite back a curse as his eyes darted around, searching for even the slightest ripple in the air. His instincts were on high alert, every sense tuned to detecting any movement. As he guarded Rose and his ’Portable Storage,’ both arms extended, gently pushing them to retreat.

Step by step, he guided them backward, inching closer to the door they had entered through, all while bracing for whatever might come next.

He still couldn’t figure out how Rose had sensed something lurking in the room before it made its presence known. But now, as his eyes scanned the area, he spotted a claw mark right where he had been standing moments earlier. A chill ran down his spine.

Their enemy wasn’t just hiding—it was skilled at ambush tactics, far more adept than the evolved zombie he had previously encountered, which had relied on sheer agility. This one was smarter, and that made it even more dangerous.

If Rose hadn’t pulled them back in time, both he and the other guy would likely have been decapitated—or at the very least, suffered a severe throat wound that would have left him bleeding out within minutes. The creature’s attack, even if not immediately fatal, would have been lethal in the end. They owed their lives to her quick reflexes.

Akackack...

Grrr.