That morning, the air in the underground base's briefing room was thick with tension.
The stale scent of cheap coffee and sweat lingered like ghosts in the narrow, dim-lit space, filled with high-ranking officers and a few chosen field operatives. On the wide screen affixed to the front wall, a grainy drone-captured photo flickered into focus the silhouette of a woman clad in black and crimson.
The one they called the Zombie Witch.
I sat in the front row, fingers tightly gripping the folder of my latest report. Around me, it felt less like a meeting and more like the quiet moments before a battlefield ignites with the first bullet.
"—And as of now, her level is nearing the threshold of Rank 1," said Colonel Rendra, pointing at the screen with a laser pen."If she evolves again, we have no idea what kind of threat we'll be facing."
"She hasn't shown aggression toward humans unless provoked," I said, keeping my voice calm but firm."We can't justify killing someone just because we're afraid of what they might become."
Major Harun, sitting to Ren's right, shook his head. "You said it yourself in your report, Sofia. She slaughtered dozens of zombies without blinking. If she ever turned that power on humans… do you really think we'd stand a chance?"
"Fear doesn't equal actual threat," I replied, rising to my feet. "Ordinary zombies are more brutal. They attack humans without a second thought. But she—she avoids conflict unless absolutely necessary."
"And what if she changes her mind and storms this base?!" Lieutenant Arga snapped, his face flushed with anger.
"One second of hesitation, and we're all dead!"
The room erupted in arguments—shouting voices clashing like blades.Some of us believed letting the Zombie Witch live was the most rational path. As long as she wasn't disturbed, she posed no real danger. But the others—the louder half—refused to gamble on an unpredictable variable.
To them, her existence was a threat and a threat must be eliminated.
I scanned the room. Exhausted faces, drawn tight with fear. These people weren't thinking of justice or morality. They were thinking of survival.
"She's not a monster... not because of her body, but because of her choices," I said softly. "And so far, she's chosen not to kill us."
But in the end, logic lost to fear.
Colonel Ren stood and rapped his knuckles on the table. "After careful consideration, the assault operation will commence in three days. Target: the Zombie Witch. Objective: total neutralization. Full mobilization begins today. Sofia, you'll join as field observer."
I froze.The weight of that order pressed against my chest like a stone.
"The decision is final. Meeting adjourned."
One by one, people filed out of the room—some with expressions of relief, others with eyes cast downward, heavy with guilt or doubt.
I remained seated, staring at the black silhouette still frozen on the screen. She never asked to became as a zombie. Just like me, she was merely trying to survive in a world that had already fallen apart.
But this world...Doesn't leave space for those who are different.
Dito, one of my squadmates, approached quietly and whispered,"If she finds out we're going to attack her... what do you think she'll do?"
I shook my head. "I don't know... But I'm certain of one thing.""If we start this war… no one will walk away without scars."
Three days.
Only three days left before the world tries to destroy something it never truly tried to understand.
And me… just an ordinary girl who once hit her with a rusty golf club… I've now been tasked with witnessing the end — Of something that might be our only hope for a different kind of evolution.