Myles’s blood ran cold as he realized what the humming sound meant. There was a wasp nest near the entrance of the apartment building. He and a few other residents had complained about it numerous times. They had repeatedly asked the landlord to remove it but nothing had been done.
Now, with the strange phenomenon that had turned people into monsters Myles had a sickening feeling that the wasps had mutated into something far more dangerous. The fact that he could hear their hum from the second floor confirmed that.
Myles tightened his grip on his knife. He considered anxiously what to do next.
Before he could make a move, a man suddenly staggered into view from the stairwell. Myles froze as the man appeared and revealed his grotesquely swollen face and body. His skin was stretched tight, veins bulging unnaturally beneath the surface. The man’s eyes were wide with terror and he stumbled toward Myles, gasping for breath.
"Run..." the man choked out. "Run!"
Myles’s eyes widened in horror as the man’s body began to convulse violently. Before he could react the man’s swollen flesh ruptured and exploded, sending blood and gore splattering across the corridor. The force of the blast knocked Myles back a step and he cursed under his breath as he instinctively wiped the blood from his face.
"Shit, fuck!"
The air was thick with the stench of death now and Myles’s stomach churned as he stared at the gruesome remains of the man. But there was no time to dwell on it. The hum of the wasps grew louder.
Suddenly, three wasps emerged from the stairwell, their wings buzzing with a hum that filled the corridor. Myles’s breath hitched as he took in the sight. Each wasp had grown larger, their bloated bodies now as large as a dog.
A cold shiver ran down Myles’s spine. The sight of their mutated forms was enough to send anyone into a panic, but he forced himself to stay calm. Panic would only get him killed.
The wasps shot toward him with terrifying speed and closed the distance in an instant. Myles’s mind raced as he calculated his next move. There was no time to hesitate. He gripped his knife tighter.
"Calm down, Myles... They’re just bigger bugs," he told himself, though he knew that was a lie. These were monsters and they could easily tear him apart if he let them.
But Myles had faced worse today. He wasn’t about to let a few oversized wasps take him down.
One of the wasps darted toward Myles, its stinger glinting like a dagger. Myles reacted instinctively, diving to the side to evade the deadly strike. But as he regained his footing he realized his mistake. Now, he was surrounded. One wasp in front, two more behind him.
Another wasp lunged at him and this time Myles didn’t hesitate. He conjured a fireball in his palm and hurled it at the oncoming threat.
The fireball struck the wasp dead-on, engulfing it in flames instantly. The creature let out a shrill screech as it burned, its wings sputtering before it collapsed to the ground in a smoldering heap.
A notification blinked into Myles’s vision.
[You gain 5 EXP]
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. The fireball was effective, and he was gaining strength with each kill. Without wasting time he prepared to strike again. He aimed at the next wasp and fired, but the shot missed and slamming harmlessly into the wall.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the remaining two wasps attacked in unison. Myles barely managed to dodge their stingers and he could feel the rush of air as they passed just inches from his skin. He spun around and fired another fireball, this time the attack hitting his target. The second wasp ignited in a blaze and died.
[You gain 5 EXP]
Now, only one wasp remained.
Myles quickly aimed and fired again, but this time, he missed.
A wave of dizziness suddenly washed over him, causing his vision to blur for a moment.
"What... What the hell is going on?"
Before he could react the last wasp seized the opportunity. It flew at him with terrifying speed. Myles instinctively raised his left arm to block and the wasp’s stinger pierced through his flesh with a sickening crunch.
"Argh! Fuck!"
Pain exploded in his arm as the venomous stinger injected its poison, and Myles gasped, feeling the burning sensation spread through his veins. Fear filling his mind, imagining that he will have the same fate as the man earlier.
Myles staggered, his vision swimming from the dizzyness in his head and the pain searing in his left hand. Panic clawed at him and he cursed himself under his breath. Cursing his foolishness for venturing outside and thinking he could face this chaos like some protagonist in a novel.
What had he been thinking? This wasn’t a fucking game. This was real! and he was not a fucking hero.
He turned to escape, driven by fear. But before he could take more than a few steps the remaining wasp lunged at him and hit him from behind. The impact sent Myles crashing through the window at the end of the corridor. The glass shattered around him and he plummeted toward the pavement below.
He hit the pavement with a powerful thud. The impact knocking the air from his lungs. Pain shot through his body but he barely had time to register it before the wasp came at him again.
Fear surged through him. However, his primal instinct pushing him. If this was to be his last, then he would go down fighting.
"HAAAAA!!!"
With a guttural roar, Myles gritted his teeth and thrust his knife upward as the wasp dove toward him.
The blade piercing through the wasp’s head with a sickening crunch. Myles didn’t stop. He grabbed the creature and slammed it into the ground and then stabbed again and again fueled by the sheer will to survive.
Finally, the wasp twitched one last time, its body going limp beneath him. Myles collapsed next to the lifeless creature, his breath coming in ragged, uneven bursts. His hands were trembling and hi body bloodied from the fight, but he was alive.
[You gain 5 EXP]
His vision blurred because everything that had happened to him.
"Damnit... Is this the last for me? Am I gonna die now? Just this far?"
But then, he see a black feather – like a crow’s feather - floating. It then landed in his face.
---