[43] Mutants

Mr Ramesh was a good man.

I could tell. As I had looked through Mr Ramesh's belongings before, I came across a family photo... and a diary.

He watched us with the same tired expression. This man must have been through hell, perhaps more than we had.

He had every reason to throw us out after finding four strangers crashing at his hideout. Instead, he'd let us stay the night.

That should have made me feel safe.

Instead, I kept thinking about how much Alan had told him. I hadn't stopped him. Neither had Teucer or Maki.

We had chosen Alan as our leader, and that came with an understanding. If Alan made a decision, the rest of us didn't undermine him unless there was a good reason. So I stayed quiet.

Even when I wondered whether he was being too trusting.

The conversation had gone on for some time now, and Mr Ramesh knew almost everything about our situation.

"So," Mr Ramesh exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "You're all Awakened?"

"Yeah."

Mr Ramesh glanced at Teucer.

"Haven't actually met one before. So... Awakened people really exist."

Teucer snorted without a word.

"Can I ask something?" Ramesh continued.

Alan nodded.

"How do your powers work?"

This man asked a very reasonable question. But unfortunately...

"I don't really know."

Alan looked at his hands.

"We can't use our abilities repeatedly. It eats up some kind of energy."

He continued to explain what we had learned over the past week. The strange feeling inside our bodies. The exhaustion after using our powers. The fact that our abilities became weaker after repeated use.

Mr Ramesh listened carefully.

"Have you... killed them with it?"

Maki nodded beside me.

"I see."

He looked towards the monitor again.

"It's a shame you can't use them all the time."

I watched Mr Ramesh quietly.

He really was taking everything Alan said at face value. He hadn't questioned us once.

"The world really has changed."

Mr Ramesh rubbed his forehead again.

"You kids say you've been running all this time, right? I'm pretty sure the EDF would take you in. Why haven't you?"

All of us looked at each other, and Alan eventually spoke.

"...Because they'll follow us."

Mr Ramesh frowned.

"Zombies?"

Alan nodded.

"Yes. But not the normal ones. These ones look... different."

Mr Ramesh leaned in, a tinge of concern entering his expression.

"Different how?"

"Maki."

I looked towards her. She immediately stiffened.

"...What?"

"Show him."

"Maki." Alan added. Maki's cheeks reddened, as she muttered something under her breath that I couldn't make out. Her hands tightened around the sketchbook resting on her lap. Maki glanced at Mr Ramesh, then at the sketchbook.

Reluctantly, she opened the sketchbook.

"This is..."

The first page showed something vaguely human, though its body had swollen grotesquely around the chest and abdomen. Its arms hung almost to its knees, with thick, misshapen fingers dragging along the ground.

Mr Ramesh's face tightened.

Maki turned the page.

Another creature crouched on all fours, its limbs unnaturally long and its back hunched high enough to make it look more like an animal than a person.

Another was enormous. Its muscles had ballooned over its body, one arm swollen far larger than the other. The proportions were completely wrong. Then came one with a stretched, distorted jaw. One with exposed growths running along its spine. They were all different. They were all infected.

Mr Ramesh stared at the pages. The colour slowly drained from his face. His eyes moved from one drawing to the next, lingering on the swollen limbs, the elongated claws, the grotesque mouths. His grip tightened around the steel bar resting against his knees.

"These... mutant zombies..."

Mutant zombies. That was a good way to describe these creatures.

His voice came out quieter than before.

"These are the things chasing you?"

Maki nodded. Mr Ramesh looked back down at the sketches.

He swallowed.

"I thought... the infected were all the same."

He stared at the sketchbook for another few seconds before looking at us.

"How many of these things are there?"

"We don't know." Teucer chimed in, a fierce look appearing on his face. His fingers curled into fists.

"We kill one, and another shows up. We run, they follow. We hide, they find us."

Teucer glared at the sketches, his voice grew harsher.

"These fuckers... if only I could use my powers..."

...I felt his pain.

One of us had already died to one of those things. The 'Head-Eater'. Even now, I could still remember the sight of it tearing into Leah's skull while the rest of us ran.

Teucer clenched his jaw. None of us had been able to do anything. There was more than one of them, each one stronger than ordinary infected, faster too.

"We don't know where they came from," Alan said. "But every time we stay somewhere for too long, they find us."

Alan was right. These... mutant zombies seemed to know where we were, no matter how carefully we tried to hide.

Mr Ramesh's expression hardened.

"...Find you how?"

Alan hesitated.

"We don't know."

"You mean they follow your trail?"

"..."

"Goodness. ...How long does it take?"

"Hours, minimum."

Mr Ramesh's eyes narrowed.

"..."

He glanced towards the monitor, expression turning wary.

"...And you're sure they aren't just wandering into wherever you happen to be?"

"We're sure," Maki said quietly.

Mr Ramesh looked at her.

"How?"

Maki opened her mouth.

The monitor suddenly crackled at that moment.

We all turned. One of the camera feeds flickered, the image breaking into static before returning.

Then came a faint electronic beep.

Another followed as the presence passed a second camera.

Mr Ramesh's face changed.

"These mutant zombies... you're talking about those?"

I glanced towards the monitor.

"...Stinger."

Teucer, Alan and Maki were already on their feet.

"It's a Stinger, huh. Just one? ...We should be able to handle it."

"What are you guys..."

Teucer smirked at his dumbfounded reaction.

"Just sit back and relax, old man. If it's only one of them, we'll send it back to hell quickly."

"Formation A." Alan ordered without hesitation, his voice steady and confident.

""Okay, Leader."" Teucer and Maki moved into position without hesitation.

"What are you guys doing? We need to run!"

Ramesh reached for the steel bar. I stepped in front of him and raised a hand.

"Mr Ramesh, don't."

He stopped, looking at me in surprise.

"We've dealt with these things before."

I glanced towards the door.

"Please, trust us."

My fingers curled into a fist.

"...We brought this trouble here. We'll take care of it."

Nobody spoke after that. We took our positions and waited.

Alan stood closest to the door, his fists hanging loosely at his sides. Teucer stayed a short distance behind him, his shoulders tense as he watched the entrance. Maki kept to the other side, her eyes fixed on the handle.

I stayed behind them. That was all I could do.

The room suddenly felt much smaller than it had before.

The monitor continued to show the empty corridor outside. Nothing moved on the screens.

Then a faint sound reached us.

Scrape.

Alan's fingers twitched.

Another scrape.

Closer.

Teucer lowered his stance. Maki's breathing became quieter.

I felt the strange energy inside my body stirring beneath my skin. I didn't use it yet. I couldn't afford to waste any of it.

Beside me, Ramesh gripped his steel bar with both hands.

His lips moved. I couldn't hear what he was saying. He bowed his head slightly, his eyes closing as he whispered a prayer under his breath. I didn't know the words, but I didn't interrupt him. For all he knew, this was probably his last moment.

Another sound came from the other side of the door.

A wet, dragging noise.

Alan stared at the entrance.

I held my breath.

The door exploded inward.

"Gahh!!!" Ramesh flinched.

Something enormous crashed through the doorway, sending splinters and pieces of metal across the floor.

I saw it clearly.

Stinger. Its body was still vaguely human, but only vaguely.

Its shoulders had swollen into a thick, uneven mass of muscle and infected tissue. One arm hung longer than the other, its fingers stretching into crooked, needle-like claws. Its skin had split in several places, exposing dark, swollen growths beneath.

Its head twitched violently as it looked around. The Stinger's jaw had stretched far beyond that of a human's, exposing rows of broken teeth between strips of torn flesh. Thick strands of saliva hung from its lower jaw and dropped onto the floor.

Its chest heaved. Something moved underneath the skin.

The Stinger let out a low, rasping growl.

Ramesh stared. I could almost feel his fear from where I stood. I understood it. The first time we'd seen one of these things, I'd been afraid too. I still was. My hands were trembling.

The difference was that we were a group of Awakened. We could handle these mutants.

"Now!" Alan cried out.

The Stinger lunged at that signal.

Alan moved first. Flames erupted around his fists as he charged towards it, the fire wrapping tightly around his forearms rather than spreading wildly.

The Stinger swung its oversized arm. Alan ducked beneath it. The claws tore through the air above his head.

"Teucer!"

Teucer inhaled sharply. Then—

"—Haaaah!!!" A stream of pale-blue mist burst from his mouth, sweeping across the Stinger's face.

Frost spread over its skin. The creature recoiled, shaking its head as ice gathered around its eyes.

Alan didn't hesitate. He stepped back in. The Stinger lashed out blindly. Alan twisted aside, barely avoiding the claws, then drove his burning fist into its ribs.

I watched from behind them, my heart pounding.

The impact made a wet crunch. Then it roared, the sound rattling through the maintenance room. Alan's expression tightened. The fight needed to end quickly. More will come.

The creature swung again, this time with both arms. Alan jumped backwards as the claws swept across the space where he'd been standing. Teucer took another breath. His shoulders were already trembling. He exhaled. Another wave of pale-blue mist struck the Stinger's face. The creature stumbled, its movements becoming slower as frost spread across its neck and shoulders.

"Now!"

Maki moved. She darted around the Stinger's side so quickly that I almost lost sight of her. She grabbed a loose piece of metal from the floor.

Fire Mask. Flames suddenly erupted across one side of her face. The metal began to glow as it touched her cheek. She held it there for only a second before throwing it towards Alan. He caught it. The flames around his fist immediately grew brighter.

Alan drove forward. The Stinger tried to turn towards him. Too slow. His burning fist slammed into its chest. The impact sent the creature stumbling backwards. Alan followed. One punch. Then another. The smell of burning flesh filled the room.

"Ghahhhh!"

The Stinger raised its arm and swung wildly. Alan ducked. The claws passed over his head.

Maki appeared behind it.

"Alan!"

He understood immediately. Alan stepped to the side. Maki kicked the back of the Stinger's knee. The creature buckled. Alan drove his burning fist into the side of its head. A wet crack echoed through the room.

The Stinger collapsed.

I could barely breathe. My heart hammered against my chest as I watched the three of them. Sweat ran down Alan's face, dripping from his chin. His chest rose and fell rapidly, each breath sharp and heavy.

Maki was panting too. Teucer's hands were trembling.

They had all been moving on instinct, but there had been almost no room for mistakes.

One moment of hesitation. That was all it would have taken.

Even Alan's last attack had been dangerously close. Our abilities were clearly weakening. I'd seen the Stinger's claws pass within inches of him. What would've happened if it had left even a scratch? This fight had left a darker impression on all of us than we had expected.

My hands were shaking. I clenched them tightly. Then I stared at the creature on the floor. Its body twitched against the floor.

"Is... is it dead?"

Ramesh's voice was barely above a whisper.

Teucer approached cautiously. He looked exhausted. His breathing had become rough, and every breath seemed to hurt.

Still, he raised his hand.

"Just in case."

Cold mist poured from his mouth. It washed over the ruined head, then blood and exposed flesh froze almost instantly. The twitching stopped. Silence returned. Alan lowered his arm. The flames around his fists flickered, then disappeared. He bent over, breathing heavily. Maki pressed a hand against the unburned side of her face.

"Is everyone alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine."

Alan wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Teucer coughed behind him.

"Teucer, don't push yourself if it hurts..."

He waved me off as he clutched his chest tightly. Maki seemed better than the others, at least.

Mr Ramesh was still staring at the corpse.

"That was..." he muttered.

His grip tightened around the steel bar.

"...Crazy."

Ramesh looked at the three of them, then towards me. No... the camera feeds behind us.

His expression tightened, as more beeps sounded out.

"We need to leave... now!"

Picking up the essentials, Mr Ramesh rushed towards the damaged door.

We followed without hesitation. The doorway was already half-broken from the Stinger's entrance. Mr Ramesh squeezed through first, steel bar still in hand, then waved us after him.

"Stay close!"

We burst out into the void deck. More beeps sounded from behind us. Shapes were moving through the far end of the void deck.

They were normal infected this time... but there were too many drawn from the noise. Far too many.

"Run!"

Mr Ramesh took the lead, weaving between the pillars and abandoned furniture. The infected noticed us almost immediately.

Their moans rose into a chorus.

"Over there!"

Mr Ramesh pointed towards the side of the void deck. We followed him through a narrow gap between two concrete pillars.

An infected lunged from the side. Alan shoved it away with his shoulder as we passed.

"Keep moving!"

We didn't stop. Mr Ramesh kicked an overturned table behind us. It scraped across the concrete and toppled into the path of the pursuing infected. Several stumbled over it. The rest simply climbed over.

"They're not stoppinggg!" Maki shouted.

Mr Ramesh led us towards the open end of the void deck. The estate stretched out beyond it, with abandoned cars scattered along the road.

"Left!"

We followed. The infected poured out after us. Mr Ramesh suddenly stopped beside a parked vehicle.

"Through there!"

He squeezed between two cars. We followed one after another. An infected tried to follow, its shoulder slamming into the side mirror and knocking it loose. Another reached through the gap.

"Ahhh!!!" I ducked beneath its grasping arm.

"Faster!"

We burst out onto the other side. Mr Ramesh kept running, taking us away from the main road and towards a narrower path between the blocks. The infected were still behind us. Their footsteps grew louder.

Then Ramesh spotted a half-collapsed construction barrier ahead.

He pointed.

"Over!"

Alan went first. Then Maki. Teucer struggled to climb over with his exhausted arms. I pushed him from behind. He rolled over the barrier, as I climbed after him. Mr Ramesh came last, dragging the barrier down behind him.

The infected reached it seconds later. They piled against one another, snarling and clawing over the fallen frame. The barrier creaked under their combined weight. One of the metal supports bent.

It wouldn't hold them for long.

"This way!"

We followed. He led us downhill, away from the blocks. The sounds of the infected gradually became more distant.

I looked back. Some were still following. But the narrow paths and obstacles had broken up the horde.

We kept moving. Mr Ramesh didn't stop until the buildings began to disappear behind us.

Ahead, I could see the river.

"Almost there," he said. He led us down towards the concrete drainage channel.

Then he climbed inside.

"This way."

We followed him into the drainage culvert. The passage was narrow, damp and dark. After a short distance, it opened into a small recessed corner beside the riverbank.

Ramesh finally stopped. He lowered his steel bar and took a deep breath.

"...Never... again..."

Everyone was too busy catching their breath to respond. I lowered myself against the concrete wall and let my legs stretch out. Alan dropped down beside me, resting his head against the wall with an arm pressed on his sweaty forehead. Maki sat on the ground and rubbed her aching legs. Her eyes were watering. Teucer simply lay back, his eyes closed.

I closed my eyes too. The sound of the river filled the silence.

"Hehehe..."

Alan lifted his head.

"Nadia?"

"...ahahahaha..."

Another bout of laughter escaped me. Alan started chuckling too. Maki looked at us like we'd lost our minds, but a smile was already creeping across her face. Soon she was laughing too. Even Teucer opened his eyes and gave a tired laugh from where he lay.

Ramesh stared at all of us. Then he shook his head and let out a quiet laugh. It was the first time we'd heard him laugh.

The zombie apocalypse was unforgiving.

But for the moment, we had survived yet another day.