Olivia's wrist had begun to hurt. The strong grip of a judoka was being applied in full force to her right now, causing the mature silver haired beauty to wince in pain. She had, in a state of fluster, said something about Zane's sudden transformation that was rather inappropriate for a woman in her position.
And by doing so, she seemed to have triggered something within Elena that lay hidden beneath. Elena's expression was… strange. She did not even look Olivia in the eye as she moved her free hand towards the mature beauty's neck, pinning her against the wall in a sudden and violent display of force.
Even as Olivia felt her windpipe tighten, she could not get a word out, as Elena once more demanded an answer from her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you… I believe I just ask you a question, didn't I? What exactly did you say about Zane just now?"
Olivia was more frightened seeing this new and terrifying side of her former student than she had been when her former employer tried to take advantage of her. Tears began to swell in her ice-blue eyes as she shook her head, struggling to get the words out.
"N…Nothing…."
Elena's face was hard to read. It was stoic and uncaring, almost like Zane's expression usually was. And the girl's bangs hid her eyes in a way that was intense and menacing. As a result, Olivia felt a deep sense of dread overwhelm her as Elena spoke in a grim tone.
"I'm only going to give you this warning once you good for nothing bimbo… Zane has been through a lot, more than any child should… And in these uncertain times, the last thing he needs is a woman getting close to him, only for her to end up dead the moment he becomes attached… So keep your dirty thoughts to yourself, okay?"
Olivia nodded her head in understanding. After all, Elena's grip around her throat began to tighten, almost as if Elena was distressed by her own warning. And it was in the next moment that Olivia could finally see an expression on the young woman's face, one that was deeply melancholy.
If not for the fact that they were alone in the halls right now, then Olivia would have sworn she was hearing things when Elena bit her lip in frustration and spoke softly, almost as if she was reassuring herself about something.
"He's better off the way he is…"
After saying this, Elena released her grip over her former homeroom teacher's throat, allowing the mature beauty to fall onto her ass where she coughed and gasped for air, all while rubbing her throat, which was still throbbing from the intense pressure it had just received moments before.
Elena, of course, did not stop as she walked towards Zane's quarters, seeking to fetch the man's clothing. She did, however, call out to Olivia, reminding her of why they had left Zane in the restroom by himself.
"Hurry up! We can't keep Zane waiting forever…."
Olivia finally managed to recover her state of mind only after hearing these words, where she then climbed to her feet, and dusted herself off before eventually chasing after Elena, who herself seemed to be in a better mood.
Neither of the two women would speak of this little incident for a very long time….
---
After getting dressed in his former clothes, Zane had indeed confirmed they were too small for him. A pity, as this meant he would have to go scavenging throughout the city for a better set of attire to wear. Then again, he would have to go searching for more clothing eventually anyway, as his current clothes were woefully unsuited for the colder winter weather that was fast approaching.
Throughout the day, Elena and Olivia behaved strangely towards Zane. Perhaps it was because of his transformation, but Zane paid it no mind. And eventually night fell, allowing Zane to run off to the city, where his first intention was to hit up a nearby shopping mall, one that the kids of his high school used to hang out at prior to the collapse of civilization.
Like his previous attempts, Zane had left his camp in the dead of night, this time with a rifle in his hands, and a pistol on his hip. He also wore his plate carrier, which he scavenged from the soldier he killed, as he walked out into the unknown dangers which the city presented.
And just like during his last visit, the streets were empty, perhaps because of the unknown dangers that the night presented, and the dead knew well enough to leave Zane alone. Allowing for an easy route to the local shopping mall.
Upon entering the mall, Zane noticed that the lights were on. After all, it had not even been a week yet, and because of that, the power was still operational across the country. However, Zane did not know if this was the result of the mall being occupied by survivors, or if the lights had just been left on when the apocalypse began.
Either way, he treated the situation with severity, as he slowly stalked through the halls, ensuring that his muzzle was facing in the direction of any potential hostiles that might reveal themselves. Zane, of course, found that the mall was completely deserted, or at least insofar as the living were concerned.
But there were plenty of undead crawling about. Most of which were walkers. But Zane saw a particularly hideous undead creature that he had not witnessed before. It had a hunched back and a lanky stature. Almost as if it were never even human to begin with.
But what was the most peculiar thing about this creature was its throat, which was bulbous, almost like a frog when it sang. The hideous creature's hair was in patches, and its eyes were bloodshot. When Zane walked past the creature, he stared at it, the system giving him a message as he did so.
[Howler – Tier II Undead]
[Level – 5]
[HP: 100/100]
Upon seeing this, Zane was curious. Other than the low level walkers, this was the first undead whose level he could actually see, and thus he clicked on his [Examine] feature to learn some more about the creature.
[Though no more dangerous than a normal walker. The Howler has a unique ability to alert all other undead within a single mile radius about the presence of any living beings that it spots. Once a Howler's call is issued, all Undead creatures within its vicinity will be aggro'd.]
When Zane read this, he was quite surprised. Though the Howler itself appeared no more dangerous than an average Walker, it could theoretically summon thousands or perhaps even tens of thousands of Undead towards his current location. That in itself was more dangerous than going against a lone Abomination.
Because of this, Zane retracted his rifle, not wanting to aggro the creature via aggression. And thus he ignored it for the time being, while still making a mental note of its location, all while he rushed off through the mall's hallway in search of proper clothing.