Evelyn and Leon collapsed onto the cracked pavement, gasping for breath. The manhole beneath them rattled as the creatures screeched in frustration, their elongated claws scraping against the steel cover.
Leon winced, clutching his ankle where the thing had grabbed him. Blood seeped through his torn pants. "Those things weren't normal infected."
Evelyn swallowed hard. "They were hunters."
She had seen plenty of mutations—twisted remnants of what once were humans—but these were different. Faster. Smarter. And worst of all, they had coordinated.
She scanned their surroundings. The abandoned city stretched out before them, bathed in eerie twilight. Rusted cars, shattered windows, and skeletal remains of buildings stood as silent reminders of civilization's downfall. But something about the air felt… wrong.
A cold wind slithered through the streets.
Leon noticed it too. He gritted his teeth and forced himself up. "We can't stay here. If those things find another way up, we're dead."
Evelyn nodded. "We need to get to the outpost. Mia's still out there."
They moved cautiously through the ruins, sticking close to the shadows. Every broken window, every overturned car felt like an ambush waiting to happen. The world was silent—too silent.
Then, a distant thud.
Evelyn's grip tightened on her weapon. Something was nearby.
They ducked behind a rusted bus, peering through the shattered windows. Down the street, a massive figure lurked in the fog.
Evelyn's breath hitched. It wasn't like the hunters. This one was bigger. Its hulking, emaciated frame was covered in stretched, grey skin, ribs pressing unnaturally against its flesh. Its arms were grotesquely elongated, ending in massive, clawed hands that dragged along the asphalt. A single, milky eye twitched within a sunken skull, its jaw distended in a permanent, drooling snarl.
Leon whispered. "What the hell is that?"
The creature suddenly stiffened.
Evelyn didn't move. Didn't breathe.
The thing's eye swiveled in their direction.
A low, guttural growl built in its throat.
Leon barely had time to shove Evelyn aside as the monster slammed into the bus. Metal screeched as the vehicle flipped like a child's toy, crashing into the building behind them.
Evelyn hit the ground hard, her ears ringing. She scrambled backward as the creature crawled over the wreckage, drool dripping from its jagged teeth.
Leon fired. The bullets barely slowed it.
Its massive claw raked across Leon's chest.
He cried out, stumbling back as blood splattered across the pavement.
Evelyn's vision tunneled.
No. Not now. Not him.
Rage and fear intertwined as she grabbed the closest thing she could find—a discarded flare gun. She aimed without thinking and fired.
The flare struck the beast right in its gaping mouth.
A burst of fire erupted, and the monster screamed.
And now, it was angry.