"Dammit... I thought the corpses only moved because of Arachne!"
"Stop chasing me! Please!" he shouted, running for an exit with thousands of dead behind him.
Right... kick door. Left... smash door. Left... hit door and block.
"I think that'll hold for a bit... at least until I'm gone."
The place had a sign that read "Emergency Room."
Corridor one: "Exit" sign... Corridor two: "Testing Lab" sign.
I want to leave right now... but in Corridor two, I might find a clue to heal Valentine's leg.
One of them came out of a door and bit his hand. Jack instinctively broke its jaw and skull.
"Dammit! My heart almost jumped out of my chest," he said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Entering the room, the creature had come from, Jack saw a second sign: "Research Laboratory."
What is this? It shouldn't be in such an open place.
He approached the door slowly. "Ah... it's thumbprint-locked." "And it doesn't look like an old system."
It seemed this place was operational until recently... but by whom?
Jack charged his right hand with electricity and brought it near the sensor. The system flickered once. Then it began to overload... until it opened.
Upon entering...
In the back lay the dissected corpse of a monster. It wasn't just any corpse. The name on the metal table was clear: Minion (Esbirro).
Beside it, encased in a security capsule, lay a strange pistol: RHX-32.
Several lab coats hung from a rack. On all of them, the same name tag: Sofia.
In front, a video player. And on the table... a disc with a single word: "Play me."
Jack went over and played the video.
"Good evening. I don't know what time it is, probably midnight, I think. My name is Sofia... our mission was to investigate the viral epidemic in California and try to contain it. We failed, and the city died... but they didn't stay dead. They evolved. We tried everything to control them and keep them away from the few remaining humans. But we failed when something else happened... Leo attacked. The monsters started following his orders. There was no escape. We couldn't contain them."
Sofia looked devastated.
"If only we had been stronger... we would have met your expectations, Leader. I apologize... I'm very stressed. We managed to recreate a strain for hybrids with regeneration problems. But it's still incomplete. We need the blood of a High Helium, and that's impossible to get. They aren't willing to save us. If anyone is listening to this... you need to know that these beings... aren't from Earth; they are our enemy. Take the RHX-32 and protect it with your life... I'm sorry, Commander."
"Looks like I found what I was looking for for Valentine. How convenient."
Who is Leo? What are the High Heliums? What are we? What is the fate of the Earth? Who decides the course of destiny?
"Someday I'll know. And for that, I have to keep surviving."
Jack took the tape, the RHX-32, and a backpack he found near the Minion's corpse. He pulled out the secret files ledger and packed everything away.
Leaving the room, he found a small closet with a sign: "Orthopedic Supplies."
Turning the knob and opening the door slowly, wary of an attack, Jack found a pair of crutches for Valentine.
"Double prize... bingo!" he whispered with a lopsided grin. "Time to go... let's get out of here!"
"We had a lot of fun!"
…..
"Stevens reporting in. Sir: We've just arrived at the hospital. Walter and I will begin the entry."
"Very well, Stevens. Tell Walter to head straight to the Research Lab.""Meanwhile, Stevens, force the corpses out of the building and neutralize them."
"Walter, wait for my signal and head immediately to the Research Lab," he said, staring at his partner.
The wind began to blow hard, and two hunters entered the scene.
"Falcon One here: We're ready to draw their attention, sir... awaiting orders."
"Falcon Two here: We're ready to deploy the barrier, sir... awaiting orders."
"Very well, Falcon One and Two... prepare to attack. Our mission is clear: nothing inside the building survives."
Several soldiers began to descend from Falcon Two.
"Sir, we are ready to deploy the barrier!"
"Understood. Divide into groups of three. Cover the north, east, and west of the building. Me and the remaining soldier will cover the south."
"Copy that."
The soldiers began to camouflage themselves, moving at high speed to their positions.
"Omega Team reporting position in the North... Gamma Team reporting position in the East... Beta Team reporting position in the West."
"Copy that. Alpha Team is also ready. Omega, Gamma, and Beta... deploy the devices."
Omega, Gamma, Beta, and Alpha placed objects with three buttons on the ground. Pressing the first green button deployed a mini-drill. The second blue button made the drill spin and dig into the earth. The third red button caused it to vibrate louder and louder; the barrier began to deploy within minutes, covering the whole area silently.
"The barrier is ready, sir," Falcon Two confirmed.
"Excellent work, boys. Hold your positions. It's showtime. Falcon One, start drawing them out. Play the audio."
"Understood, sir." Suddenly, the air pressure inside the barrier shifted. A voice began to leak into every corner of the building:
"Mommy, when I grow up, will I be as pretty as you?" "Yes... you'll be even more beautiful than your mother."
A corpse with an eye hanging out of its skull turned around and started running. Another without an arm followed the sound, while thousands of corpses piled on top of each other to get to their prey.
"Even though they were once our comrades, they are now nothing but dead, bloodthirsty ghouls. Do not hesitate. Eliminate them. Don't let them get close."
"Copy that, sir," Omega, Gamma, and Beta replied in unison.
Thousands of corpses spread in every direction. Omega, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma raised their weapons and began firing at the heads and feet of the dead to halt their advance.
Meanwhile, the barrels of Falcon One and Two began to spin as thousands of bullets shredded the bodies of those who had lost their humanity.
It wasn't a mission; it was a massacre.
One of them raised its left arm like a claw toward Falcon Two, its veins bulging light blue. It leaped from the ground toward the helicopter's blind spot.
"You bastard!" Stevens shouted, aiming straight at the flying corpse's skull. In seconds, it was neutralized. The corpse slammed into Falcon One's window, blocking its vision.
"You okay, Falcon One? I'll cover you while you clear your view. Switch to Hunter Mode. Got it?"
"Yes sir, I'm okay thanks to you. Understood."
"Alpha to all teams. Situation report: some of them can use abilities. Be careful. Over and out."
"Copy that, sir," all teams called back.
Falcon Two deployed three machine guns: one on the left, one on the right, and the last one right over the blind spot.
Then, a hundred of them scattered in different directions. They raised their arms like claws and began pouncing on them.
Omega Team: Kick to the neck, shot to the head… Neutralized.
Beta Team: Blocked with an electric barrier and scorched with fire… Eliminated.
Gamma Team: Dropped their weapons. Extended their arms. "Levitato: Partial Crushing Gravity"… Torn apart.
Falcon Two: All their machine guns began to spin, and thousands of casualties fell in seconds.
"Walter, are you in position?"
"Yeah, Stevens. In position and ready to blow the roof."
"Hold on a little longer."
"Copy that."
Falcon One cleared the blood. It deployed three machine guns at different points and began to sweep away the remaining dead. Stevens expanded electricity throughout the area to ensure no one was left alive inside. However, two signals were detected: one leaving the hospital toward Stevens, and another underground.
"It's time, Walter. Enter the building and head as fast as you can to the Research Lab. Someone was here before us."