Josh did not move his hand even as the others behind him began to panic. Their fear was rising fast, and he could hear it clearly in their breathing and the way their voices started overlapping.
"We have to kill him now!"
"He's going to turn!"
"Do something!"
Silar's body convulsed harder on the floor. His back arched unnaturally, his limbs jerking in sharp, violent motions as if something inside him was pulling against his bones. The sound of his body hitting the ground again and again echoed through the narrow hallway.
Mira instinctively grabbed Josh's sleeve.
"Josh… this isn't normal."
"I know," he replied quietly, his eyes fixed on Silar.
He had seen infected turn before. It was ugly, fast, and straightforward. The body stiffened, the eyes lost focus, and then they attacked anything nearby.
But this was different. Silar was not simply turning, Something else was happening.
Inside his vision, the system interface remained steady.
Evolution in progress....
Josh frowned slightly. The word didn't sit right with him, but Aegis was not something that made random statements. If it labeled this as evolution, then that meant Silar's body was not just being taken over. It was changing.
Behind them, one of the students stepped forward with a shaking grip on a metal rod. "We can't just stand here!"
Josh didn't look back. "If you swing that, you better be ready for what comes after."
The student froze.
The truth in Josh's voice hit harder than their fear. No one here was ready for what might happen if they made the wrong move.
On the ground, Silar's convulsions suddenly slowed.
For a brief moment, his body went still.
Everyone held their breath.
Then his fingers twitched.
His head turned slightly to the side, and a low, strained sound escaped his throat. It wasn't a growl. It wasn't human either. It sat somewhere in between, like something struggling to decide what it wanted to become.
Mira tightened her grip on Josh's sleeve.
"Josh…"
"I see it."
Silar's body jerked again, but this time the movement felt more controlled. His arms pressed against the floor as if he was trying to push himself up, but his muscles trembled violently under the effort.
Josh took one careful step forward.
The others immediately reacted, taking steps back while saying...
"Don't go closer!"
"You'll get killed!"
He ignored them.
His focus stayed on Silar.
Something about this felt important but Dangerous, yes, but also important.
Silar's breathing grew louder, rough and uneven. His chest rose and fell in sharp, unstable motions. The wound on his side had stopped bleeding as heavily, but the skin around it had darkened, veins spreading outward like thin cracks under the surface.
The change was visible now and it was not stopping.
Josh tightened his grip on the sword.
"Aegis," he thought.
Observation active.
There was no detailed explanation, just the same steady presence of the system watching alongside him.
Silar's body suddenly went rigid again.
Then his eyes opened.
Several students screamed and stumbled backward.
But Josh didn't move.
Silar's eyes were not the same as before, but they were not completely gone either. The usual dull, lifeless stare of the infected wasn't there. Instead, there was something else behind them.
It was Confusion.....Struggle without something not visible to them.
For a brief second, it looked like he was still there.
Mira saw it too. "He's… still conscious?"
Josh didn't answer immediately.
Silar's mouth opened slightly, as if he was trying to speak, but no words came out. His throat made a rough, broken sound instead.
Then his body shook again, harder this time.
Whatever control he had was slipping.
Josh exhaled slowly.
"Get ready," he said quietly.
Mira understood immediately. Her body tensed even though her legs felt weak from exhaustion.
Behind them, the students had backed all the way to the far end of the hallway. None of them wanted to be close to Silar anymore.
The air in the corridor felt heavy.
Then Silar moved.
Not with the wild, uncoordinated motion of a normal infected, but slowly. His hands pressed against the ground as he pushed himself up to his knees.
His head lowered, and his shoulders trembled as if he was carrying something far heavier than his own body.
Josh didn't attack.
He took his time and watched, trying to understand but also on guard for any surprises.
Because something inside him told him that this moment mattered.
Silar's fingers curled tightly against the floor.
The sound of his nails scraping against the surface echoed faintly.
Then he raised his head then his eyes locked onto Josh.
For a moment, everything else faded.
There was no panic, no noise, no movement from the others.
Just that single gaze.
They all felt it clearly.
Recognition.
Not fully, not clearly, but it was enough.
Mira held her breath. "Josh… he's looking at you."
"I know."
Silar's lips moved again. This time a faint sound came out, broken and uneven.
"…run…"
The word was barely there, but it was enough.
Mira's eyes widened.
The students behind them froze.
Silar's body shook violently right after.
Whatever part of him that had spoken was being crushed under something else.
Josh's expression hardened.
That was the confirmation he needed.
Silar was still inside, Atleast at the moment.
The next moment, his body snapped forward.
The movement was fast, far faster than before.
Josh reacted instantly.
The sword came up and blocked Silar's arm as it swung toward him. The impact sent a sharp vibration through his grip.
Silar's strength had increased.
Josh stepped back, pulling Mira with him.
"Move!"
The hallway erupted into motion again.
The students turned and ran.
Silar staggered forward, his movements unstable but powerful. His body still jerked slightly between steps, as if two different forces were fighting for control.
Josh didn't attack immediately.
He observed.
Every movement, every delay, every unnatural twitch.
This was not a normal infected.
And if Aegis was right…
Then this was something new entirely.
Silar lunged again.
This time Josh sidestepped and pushed him off balance instead of striking directly. Silar crashed into the wall, leaving a visible dent before sliding down slightly.
Josh's eyes narrowed.
The strength was a real heavy impact even with the normal improvement from the system.
But the control wasn't perfect.
Mira stayed behind him, her breathing uneven.
"You can't keep this up, Josh!"
"hmmm...ppp."
Silar pushed himself off the wall again, slower this time.
His movements were beginning to stabilize.
That was worse, much worse.
Josh made a decision.
"We're leaving."
"What about him?"
Josh didn't answer immediately.
Silar took another step forward.
His head tilted slightly, his gaze still locked onto Josh.
Whatever remained of his humanity was fading.
Josh exhaled once.
Then he turned.
"Move... now!!!!!"
Mira didn't hesitate.
The two of them ran down the corridor after the others.