The air inside the house had turned thick, like it knew death was knocking.
Kai pressed his back to the door, every creak and groan outside drilling into his skull. The barricades rattled. Aira still lay unconscious on the hallway floor, wrapped in sweat-soaked blankets, her breathing shallow but steady. The infection hadn't spread further. Not yet.
Kai's fingers tightened around the wrench, knuckles white, muscles burning.
Then the back window exploded inward.
Glass rained across the kitchen tiles. Shadows poured in—limping, twitching, dragging their limbs like broken mannequins stitched back together wrong.
Kai cursed under his breath. "No time."
He sprinted down the hallway, slid next to Aira, and hoisted her over his shoulder with effort. She was barely conscious. The infected had already started coming through the back—he could hear their feet scraping across tile, their strange, wet snarls growing louder.
[System Alert]
Survival Protocol Active
Combo Reset: 0%
Speed Penalty: Encumbered (−15%)
"Shut up," Kai muttered, stumbling forward with Aira slumped over him. He crashed into the side closet, yanked the panel behind the coats, and kicked the crawlspace hatch open. A tight, dark tunnel stretched beneath the foundation, just wide enough to squirm through.
Aira stirred, barely. "Kai…?"
"I'm here," he whispered, crawling into the darkness with her weight over him. "I've got you. Just hold on."
The groans grew louder. A sharp screech pierced the air as something scraped against the walls behind them. One of the infected had followed their scent.
They weren't just shambling now. They were hunting.
Kai pushed forward, his back scraping wood beams, sweat mixing with blood across his brow. Then—light. A crack in the far side of the house. He kicked open the exit, burst into the backyard, and dragged Aira into the grass.
Outside was no safer.
The sky was a sickly gray-orange. Smoke curled over rooftops. Fires burned in the distance—somewhere near the market street. A faint siren wailed before dying out. The city was collapsing.
And the infected were everywhere.
Two of them stood at the far end of the yard, heads cocked unnaturally to the side. Their skin sagged like wax melting under a flame. They hadn't seen him. Not yet.
Kai pulled Aira toward the alleyway. An old delivery cart sat rusting by a fence. He threw open the lid, piled in blankets, and gently lowered her inside. It wasn't comfortable, but it would keep her mobile.
[System Notice]
+3 CP: Improvised Transport Bonus
Trait Progress: Guardian's Burden 34%
Warning: Heart Rate Elevated – Z-Infection Reactivity Climbing
He ignored the buzzing window. "No time. Just move."
The streets were worse than he imagined.
Cars overturned. Bikes crushed. A man hung halfway out of a window, limp, as something gnawed at his foot from inside the house. A dog barked somewhere—and was cut off mid-yelp. Black veins twisted across the pavement in places like roots.
Everywhere, the infected wandered—some fast, some slow. Some sniffed the air.
Kai ducked into alleyways, dragging Aira's cart behind him, silent, careful. The wrench stayed in his free hand. Every time he blinked, the world flickered.
More hallucinations.
At least… he hoped they were hallucinations.
His reflection in a broken store window made him stop. His eyes—once dull brown—now glinted faint silver at the edges. The veins in his neck were darker, pulsing under the skin.
He touched the glass.
Then a voice called out.
"You infected?"
Kai spun.
On the rooftop above, a girl crouched with a makeshift bow drawn tight. Her hoodie was bloodstained. Goggles sat on her forehead. Her stance wasn't confident—more desperate.
"I said," she repeated, "are you one of them?"
Kai raised his hands. "I don't know."
She narrowed her eyes. "You don't… what?"
"My sister got bit. I… tried to suck it out." He shook his head. "System says I've got eight hours."
The girl lowered her bow an inch. "You're insane."
"I know."
She scanned him. "She still breathing?"
"Barely."
Silence.
Then: "There's a safehouse on the ridge—20 minutes east, if you know the sewers. My brother's holed up there. He's got a scanner. Can tell how deep the infection is."
Kai hesitated. "Why help us?"
"Because you didn't lie." Her voice cracked slightly. "And because you've got someone to protect."
She tossed down a rolled-up cloth map. "You'll need to move fast. Watch for the big ones."
Kai caught it. "Big ones?"
[System Ping]
WARNING: Tier I Mutation Nearby – Codename: 'Rupturer[1]'
Observation Mode: Active
Recommendation: Avoid Direct Engagement
The ground trembled.
Something heavy was moving through the city blocks nearby.
The girl looked up, startled. "That's not good. Go."
Kai didn't waste time. He turned and pushed the cart forward, following the broken path. Aira groaned softly. He brushed her hair from her eyes. "Just a bit longer."
Every step felt heavier. Not from weight, but from something inside him… stirring.
Another system message blinked faintly in his vision:
[Mutation Path Detected]
Branch Choice Available:
Suppress (delay transformation, lower growth)
Adapt (gain controlled enhancements)
Reject (sever link – unstable)
Timer: 7:41:58
He blinked it away.
Not now.
For now, he would move. He would fight. He would protect.
He wasn't a hero.
But maybe…
Maybe he could survive long enough to become one.
[1] Name: Rupturer
Type: Tier I Mutation (Boss-Level Threat)
Size: 8–10 feet tall
Appearance:
Muscular and grotesquely swollen
Flesh split with black, pulsing sacs.
Bone spikes rupture from the back or arms
Emits low tremors with each step
Abilities:
Shock Roar: Emits a concussive scream that disorients Kai and blurs his vision/UI
Burst Charge: Bulldozes through walls or barricades in a straight line
Death Burst: On death or rage, it explodes, releasing infected blood gas
Behavior:
Semi-aware, aggressive, hunts movement/sound
Often patrol areas rich in human activity
Can detect infected or half-infected, like Kai
Weak Point:
Glowing sacs along the spine—briefly exposed during charge cooldown