Chapter 27: Scarface

The office worker awoke in his empty bed with bags under his droopy eyes. What... was his name again? Something starting with an S? He couldn't for the life of him remember it.

Ignoring that, he looked to the other side of the bed and sighed. Even though his wife left him for another man, he still had the faintest of feelings for her and sometimes wished he would wake to her smiling face once more.

It was strange though, he remembers finding her new address and even standing outside her window at night watching them together. He felt such rage, such jealousy, but after that it went blank.

Leaving those thoughts behind, he got off the bed and walked into the bathroom for his morning routine. But when he stood in front of the mirror he paused. Where was his face, and why was it so blurry?

There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. This wasn't him. That's not his face, his body. Where was he?

But that didn't matter. After his moist and lubricative bathroom activities, he got dressed, ate breakfast, and walked out the door in that order.

Sometimes it felt like he was living in a shittly designed simulation or perhaps even Hell itself. Everyday was torture in the form of sheer boredom.

Getting to work, he shut his brain off and became the good little worker drone that he was. Answering to a boss half his age and half his IQ, who only got the job because his father was the Vice Chairman.

"Your performance has been less than your co-workers! Hell, even the new one is better than you!" As the boss berated him, he kept playing with a pen. It was his favorite one that his father got for him when he rightfully earned the position.

As for the worker, he stood there in silence with his head down and his arms behind his back.

His fists were gripped so tight that his nails dug into his hand, making him bleed. Oh how he wished to kill his boss. To torture him so elegantly. He deserved it.

"Another thing! You're damn lucky I haven't fired your worthless ass already! You should be on your knees thanking me for keeping you! Go on, say it!" The worker gritted his teeth so hard his gums began bleeding as well. 

'That fucking pen!'

It was so fancy and rich looking, and it pissed him off. That should be his chair, his office, his pen. He deserved it for the years of his lifespan he wasted for this company. No one worked harder than him. But no one cares about hard work.

"Thank you, Mr. Carver!" Although he was so full of rage his brain was legitimately buzzing, his voice betrayed that and came out joyfully.

"Not bad. You can go now. Make sure you stay overtime." The bossman shooed him away, as if he were an insect. As if he were trash to be discarded at anytime.

The office worker couldn't control himself any longer and snarled ravenously as he jumped over the desk. He lunged on top of Carver and knocked him to the ground, who was too shocked to fight back. The worker punched him as hard as he could in the face multiple times, breaking his nose and teeth that slid down his throat; choking him so bad he couldn't breathe. He then grabbed the damned pen that annoyed him so much and stabbed it into his neck producing a pint of blood.

Carver tried his hardest to contain it, but to no avail. The blood wouldn't stop flowing. Feeling such an extreme amount of pleasure, the worker dug his fingers into the Carver's eye and yoinked it out with a pleasant smile to his face. He loved it. Those screams of pain and the fear lingering in the air. It was to die for.

"Hey, what are you deaf? Didn't you hear me? I said out moron." The worker woke up from his fantasies and found himself in the same place as before, with Carver looking at him like he was retarded.

"Sorry boss." With a timid reply that pleased Carver immensely, the worker then left the room and went to his cubicle to work.

The rest of his time there was a living hell. Having no choice but to interact with his snobbish co-workers for hours on end. The only reprieve he found was when they all went home and he was left alone to work overtime.

It was only when midnight rolled around did he find himself finally released from his small square shaped prison. As he walked down the lonely sidewalk devoid of any cars or people, he stared up into the night sky. The stars were in full view tonight, and looked exquisite. But there was one star in particular, that looked far brighter than any other. If he remembered right, that should be... the Comet.

Suddenly, he found himself in an open and barren field. No longer could he see the towering skyscrapers desperate to reach Heaven's Gates. The smell of the modern city was gone and replaced by a new odor. It smelled almost like iron.

When he looked back up, the previous white moon was instead replaced with a blood red one that illuminated the sky and ground. There was a thick reddish haze that made it a little difficult to see. Across the barren field were the bones of all manners of creatures. Some were even the size of mountains.

The office worker walked up to a puddle of blood and looked at his reflection. This time, he could see his face and it was... monstrous. He touched his midnight black face with his sharp and armored clawed hand, tracing over his natural face. His pupils had vertical slits, like a cat's eyes. The inside of his mouth had rows upon rows of teeth designed for maximum damage.

Suddenly, he smelled something. A brand new delicious fragrance had popped up out of nowhere. Turning his head, the office worker was stunned to see a dog-sized rabbit appear out of seemingly thin air. When the bunny turned his way, the office worker smiled wickedly.

Instead of the face of a regular rabbit, it was a terror stricken Carver who was pissing himself and currently dyeing the bloody ground with a yellow liquid. He immediately tried running away like the coward he was but the speed at which he ran was extremely slow, like a fat man who had never used his legs before.

Then a deep voice came. The worker couldn't tell if it was male or female. Maybe it was both. 

"Hunt." Although the mystery voice only said a single word, that was all it took to light a fire in his heart. Something he had never felt before, not even when he married his wife.

With a murderous smile, the office worker chased after the crying rabbit boss on all fours like a beast. He made sure to take his time, savoring the hunt.

Eventually, they entered a forest made out of tall bone trees. The rabbit boss hid behind a tree and peeked around the corner. When he failed to find the maniac, he sighed in relief and slumped against the brick wall behind him. Did he push his worker too hard or something? Why was he chasing him like this?

"Resting on the job?" That chilling voice made him freeze in pure terror before he got up and tried running again.

But he was soon pinned on the ground as a sharp burning pain erupted on his back.

"AHHH! PLEASE STOP!" The office worker held up the tail he just cut off and wiggled it slightly, even though Carver was unable to see it.

"Got your tail~" Carver turned around and looked at him like he was batshit crazy.

"What fucking tail?! Are you insane?! Let me go now!" He nearly gagged seeing the patch of flesh in the worker's hands. The worst of it however, was the sadistic look on his torturer's face.

The office worker put his clawed nail to the bunny's lips and hushed him up. He then sliced his cheek open with the knife? and started sewing up Carver's mouth with string he found... somewhere. Where did that come from again?

"No. More. Orders. Now it's my turn to give the orders, little bunny." The office worker cackled madly as Carver whimpered and trembled in pain and terror.

Suddenly, the worker sniffed the air. There it was again. That smell. He looked down at the crying 'man bunny' and smiled with glee.

"I know what that smell is now. Fear."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Today we have startling news that has shocked the citizens of Nuke Isle City. Early in the morning, a homeless man found the body of Mark Carver; son of the Vice Chairman of Eon Core, in an abandoned factory close to the docks. Based on the trail of blood found by police, it is clear that Mr. Carver was hunted for sport for quite some time.

Eventually, the unknown perpetrator caught him and tortured him severely before killing him in cold blood. This case is extremely similar to others, suggesting a serial killer is on the loose. The police have advised the public to lock their doors and be careful of any strangers.

Employees and co-workers alike mourn his loss. One even saying: 'He was a great boss. Never talked down to us and always gave us second and even third chances when we messed up. He was amazing, just an incredible man who deserved to fly high. What kind of monster could do such a horrible thing to a saint like him? He didn't deserve this.'

Sources say that even though his father was the Vice Chairmen, he refused to take the easy way and instead worked his way up the corporate ladder. This made him respected by his peers for his hard working nature.

Stay tuned for updates as we learn more.

Now, onto the Comet scheduled to land later on tonight."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scarface awoke from his sleep upon sensing night descend once more. It had been a few days since the Alpha fiasco and things had been... a little rough. Although he has consumed many special infected, even a strange weak one that gave him the ability to barely speak, he was run out of his pipe home by an extremely powerful Night Hunter who wanted it for their own. 

But he wasn't too upset by it. He saw it as a good thing. To keep himself sharp and remind him that he was far from invincible, even below the seemingly unstoppable Alphas.

Now, he resided in the janitors closet in an oddly familiar office building. Though, it was a tight fit with all the bones. Every time he killed a Night Hunter, he made sure to keep all their bones to use in any way he could think of. He even fashioned himself a spear out of some.

However there was some worry that they would soon lose their effectiveness due to his own biological weapons becoming sharper. But there was no harm in using them until they break.

As he stood up and stretched in preparation for the new hunt, he thought about his rare dream. The office worker was a human whose life he had the memories of. From birth to a mysterious sudden death and or disappearance, he had them all. Scarface has sometimes mulled over the ridiculous notion that the human was him in a previous life. But that would be nonsense. Such a concept should only be used for short term humor in-between hunts.

However, there were occasional bouts of greatness the human exhibited which impressed Scarface slightly. Like the way he tortured and killed all those people. But by his standards, it was just okayish.

Sharpened bones in hand and spear slung over his shoulder, he left the building and came out to the street. He already knew who he'd be hunting today. A 12ft Juggernaut on the cusp of becoming an Alpha. Scarface had been tracking him for two days while killing smaller and weaker prey. But he had to be careful, for this was not your average run of the mill Juggernaut. He was far smarter, and far more agile than a normal one. 

That's why he was going to set up a trap beforehand. After an hour of traveling, Scarface had finally made it to a patch of dirt close enough to his prey's home.

Using his sharp claws, he easily dug 30ft down. When finished, he placed the sharpened bones at the bottom of the hole and climbed out. Then, he went and found a carpet big enough to cover the hole and put nails into each corner so it stayed in place. With a little more dirt placed on top so it blended in more naturally, he was finished.

"No...t... per...fe...ct. Goo...d en...o...ugh." From his deep voice came extremely broken english that would take a master to understand. He took every opportunity to improve, but it was still a work in progress.

With the pitfall trap in place, he began making his way to a nearby donut shop. Scarface had found it odd that the Juggernaut made his home here and for some reason protected it almost fanatically. Stopping a good distance away, Scarface peered inside the broken and forcibly enlarged front doors. From here, he could see the slumbering beast within.

Grabbing onto his spear, Scarface slowly made his way towards the entrance. Just as he was about to step inside he paused. At the bottom, connected to each side of the doorway, was a string along with some cans attached to it.

'For alerting intruders? More intelligent than I thought.' Not allowing that to stop him he continued foward after stepping over the string.

The giant's snores could be heard from a mile away, and it's body heaved up and down with every breath. Across it's body were numerous scars, showing the hardships he has overcome. Suddenly, Scarface focused in on a large five finger old gash running along it's back. He looked at his own claws and traced them from a few feet away.

'Night Hunter. Has he killed one before? Or has he escaped from one? What about a pack? Regardless, I should be more careful.' This was turning out to be more dangerous then he originally assumed.

He had the thought to give up and challenge him again when he was stronger, but that would be idiotic. Perhaps the next time he came around, this Juggernaut would become an Alpha. By then, he would be out of his reach for some time until he himself evolved. It was now or never.

Making no noise whatsoever, Scarface finally arrived at the Juggernaut's head. He wanted to end it with one clean shot to the skull, but why would life ever go smoothly?

Just before the tip of the spear reached it's destination, the Juggernaut's eyes popped open due to his incredible battle instinct and he dodged out of the way with mobility unbecoming of his large stature. Wasting no time, as this has happened previously, Scarface immediately threw the spear with all his strength at the Juggernaut's knee to immobilize him.

Since he was so rudely woken up and because of Scarface's quick timing, the Juggernaut's knee was struck by the bone spear. He groaned slightly in pain as the bone dug deep into his knee and came out the other side. But to Scarface's shock, he simply pulled it out and broke it half with no effort.

'Okay. Can't get hit then.' Granted the bone's previous owner was an unremarkable Night Hunter, he was still at the end of the day... a Night Hunter. It shouldn't break so easily.

Seeing the mountain of muscle charge towards him with no limp at all, Scarface dodged out of the way as the Juggernaut crashed through the shop's wall and came out the other side. Not wanting to stay, Scarface booked it and started running towards the location his trap was placed. The Juggernaut refused to let him escape and chased after him with surprising speed.

Although he wasn't faster than Scarface, he wasn't too far off. It would be a difficult task to shake him off at this pace. Luckily, he had no intention of losing him.

After a few minutes of running, the Juggernaut's head finally cooled down enough to think rationally. He couldn't wait until he found a cure for his anger as it clouds his mind far too often. As he continued running after the little shit who tried killing him, he began to think about things.

'This is too strange. Every other Night Hunter I've seen is an arrogant pig. Too deluded in themselves, thinking they are superior to everyone around them. They'd rather fight to the death than run away after a failed attack.

Is he leading me into a trap? I have yet to see it, but it's not impossible. I should be careful and keep my eyes peeled.' 

Soon enough they had reached a large plot of dirt. It was suppose to be a park to serve as a memorial to a cannibalistic serial killer's victims. Naturally, that never happened.

Leading the Juggernaut to the correct spot, Scarface suddenly jumped and cleared over a dozen feet with no sweat. 

Behind him, knowing something was up, the Juggernaut stopped himself abruptly once seeing Scarface's actions. However due to the momentum he skidded across the dirt for several meters until stopping just before the edge of the trap. He looked below him and squatted down next to the nailed down carpet. Easily tearing it off, a deep and large hole was revealed with sharp bones placed at the bottom. If he fell into this, he would be lucky to still be among the living.

The Juggernaut looked up and saw his opponent's annoyed face. He smiled tauntingly and huffed a little. But clearly, this was no ordinary Night Hunter. He must be careful of his tricks.

Scarface, although upset at his failure, was beginning to think he might have bitten off more than he can chew.

'This is ridiculous. How much worse would he be when he has fully transformed into an Alpha?' He wished for that power himself, but left that behind and focused on his current fight.

The Juggernaut obviously went around the trap and looked at Scarface deeply. They both waited for the other to make the first move. But even after five minutes of sizing each other up, they still didn't budge. They understood not to underestimate their opponent as they were not some easy pie to bake.

A few nearby infected had come out to watch the show. Even a couple weak specials were around, hoping they could take advantage of the situation.

Suddenly, the Juggernaut broke into a mad sprint towards Scarface at an incredible speed. Seeing the danger coming towards him, he readied himself for battle. Once his opponent was closer, he was just getting ready to dodge when something happened. 

Mid-sprint, the Juggernaut raised both arms above his head and struck the ground with his fists. Immediately, the ground cracked as a large amount of dust clouded their vision. Not only that, but the attack made Scarface lose his footing briefly. 

Taking advantage of that, the Juggernaut came out of the dust and swung his bone breaking fist at Scarface's head. With incredible reflexes and flexibility, Scarface managed to just barely dodge the strike by twisting his body in an unnatural way. 

With the fist whizzing past his head Scarface was able to not only get his footing back, but also get behind the Juggernaut. Using his claws he swiped them across his opponent's right Achilles tendon, producing a deep cut. With a roar of pain, the Juggernaut was forced to one knee. Taking this chance, Scarface easily leapt onto his back and prepare to bite his throat out with his teeth.

Unfortunately, the Juggernaut would not go down so easily. Using pure willpower alone, he got to his feet with gritted teeth and jumped up as high as he could. As they fell back to the ground, Scarface was powerless and could not move while in mid air. Thus, he braced himself for impact to try and minimize the damage. 

With a loud boom that rattled the spectators ears the Juggernaut's massive body fell on top of Scarface and although he did suffer damage, it wasn't a crippling amount. But he was a bit dazed.

The Juggernaut quickly rolled over and punched at him as he laid there. However, Scarface was just able to dodge out of the way in time. The attack landed on the ground and created a massive fist indent in the dirt.

They both stood up at the same time and glared at each other as they breathed heavily. Then, they ran towards each other and prepared to fight once more. Suddenly, when they were only a moment away from clashing, Scarface's mouth opened and his tongue shot out faster than a bullet aiming right for his opponent's eye.

But then, the Juggernaut caught it just before it reached it's mark. With a bloodthirsty and mocking smile, he taunted Scarface.

"See...n be...fore. Do... bet...ter" With a grunt, the Juggernaut ripped Scarface's tongue out of his mouth.

With a scream, Scarface held his bleeding mouth as pain rocked his mind. Looking up, he abruptly rolled to the right and dodged a lethal kick from the Juggernaut. The bastard was taking advantage of his agony to launch a relentless assault.

Luckily, for the next minute, Scarface had been able to dodge all his attacks until his mind calmed down once more.

'Alright. I can do this. Just take it slow and don't get hit. Sounds easy enough...' Although the odds seemed to be stacked against him, he refused to give up. He could do it.

Dodging another strike, he did something different that caught the Juggernaut off guard. Instead of moving away, he went closer and came just underneath the Juggernaut's chin. With all his strength, he uppercutted his jaw as hard he could. For a brief moment, the Juggernaut faltered as he took a few steps back. 

Scarface once again moved closer and started slashing his chest with his claws, ripping it to ribbons. Although he was able to get a good hit in on the Juggernaut's throat, he soon put his arms up to stop any other attack. Before he could continue his onslaught, he was forced back as a knee found it's way on his stomach. 

Even though he moved back to lessen the impact, he still took a massive hit and even coughed up a little blood as he was blasted backward. Getting back to his feet, he wiped the blood off his mouth with his forearm and charged towards the coming Juggernaut. 

Side-stepping a punch by just a hair, Scarface used his right claw to slash the Juggernaut's arm as he made his way past. Blood poured out of the arm as Scarface made his way to behind the Juggernaut again. Jumping high, he began spinning while in mid air and used his sharp claws to tear the Juggernaut's back open. Landing back on the ground he was about to continue when his opponent made a move first.

The Juggernaut, frustrated at the agile pest, ignored the pain burning throughout his body and dug his fingers deep into the dirt. Just as the rat landed, he ripped a piece of the ground out and threw it at Scarface blinding him. Rushing to his side, the Juggernaut threw a punch with all his might right at the little bastard.

Scarface's eyes were full of dirt and he could barely see the strike coming. Knowing it was too late to dodge, he brought his arms up in a defensive position and braced himself.

Once the strike landed, the armor protecting his arms shattered into dust as he was sent dozens of feet away like he was blasted out of a cannon. Landing on the ground, he rolled for a few moments before finally stopping face down. He tried to get up, but the attack had left him dazed and wobbly.

To date, this was easily the most damage he had ever suffered in a fight. His arms were almost completely destroyed and his insides felt like they were on fire. As if to prove his point, he suddenly threw up a gallon of blood. Inside said blood, were little chunks of his organs.

'That's not good. This... might be it. The end.' He could hear the rumbling sounds of the Juggernaut coming closer. 

It was so tempting to just lay here and close his eyes. But once he did so, a face appeared in his mind. Jason. The cockroach.

With gritted teeth, Scarface reopened his eyes and forced his body to move. Getting to his feet, he was just in time to dodge a front kick aimed at his head. Wasting no time, Scarface jumped onto the Juggernaut's chest and embedded his claws deep into his chest to hold himself in place. 

His broken arms cried in protest, but he paid them no mind. Before the Juggernaut could even react, Scarface bit into his throat and ripped out a massive chunk of flesh.

With widened eyes, the Juggernaut tried his best to stop the fountain of blood pouring out of his throat with his arm. But Scarface wasn't done. Moving to the other side, he did the exact same thing and tore out his throat once more.

The Juggernaut screamed in pain and fury and used his other arm to grab Scarface. Pulling him off his chest, he then proceeded to smash him into the ground. Scarface was powerless to fight back as the Juggernaut recreated the move a green beast used against a certain trickster 'God'. 

Smushing his face into the ground, the Juggernaut dragged him across the dirt before picking him up and smashing him down again. Lifting him in front of him, the Juggernaut held his neck with both hands and squeezed with the rest of his remaining strength.

Scarface tried his best to claw at the arms holding his neck with his own broken ones. But the one holding him refused to budge. Scarface could even hear and feel his armor cracking under the pressure. The light began fading from his eyes, and his breath became shallower. Just as he was about to greet death, something amazing happened. He was released.

Falling to the ground with a grunt and gasping for air, Scarface looked up to see the Juggernaut standing still with his arms still outreached. Then, all of a sudden, he fell backwards to the ground with a light boom. 

'Finally, it seems like his injuries caught up with him. I'm surprised I'm still alive.' Scarface thought as he moaned in pain. 

Barely getting to his feet, he hobbled over to the Juggernaut's dead body and looked at his eyes. Wide open, like he couldn't believe what happened to him. 

Off to the side, the many spectators saw this as a chance and began coming closer. But then, they heard something. Something big coming their way. Scattering to different directions, they all fled the scene as fast as possible. They didn't know what was coming, but their instincts screamed... death.

Scarface saw what happened. He had been aware of these filthy vultures the entire time. At first he was worried if he had to run away and leave his prize to them. But seeing them flee like that, made him feel more awful than anything his physical injuries could produce. If they ran away so hurriedly like that, then something bad must be coming. 

Soon enough, he could hear it. Loud, thundering footsteps that shook his body. The closer the 'thing' became, the more terrified he became. His body unconsciously shivered, like when he was in proximity of the female Alpha. But for some reason, this feeling was different.

Off in the distance, towering over the buildings, was... a literal giant. It dwarfed the one beneath him, as if he were no larger than an ant. With just a single step, it easily moved dozens of feet at a time. The closer it became, the more Scarface could make out it's features.

It must of been at least 20 meters tall, maybe even larger than that. No hair at all could be found on it's naked and muscular body. It looked similar to a human in terms of shape, but otherwise was different. Although it seemed to lack armor, Scarface had a feeling it's skin was far more durable than his own defenses.

He had never seen such a large infected before. He now knew why the feeling he felt from this beast was different. Because it was no Alpha. Alphas had their own unique aura. The reason why he shivered was for the same reason however. Being in the presence of a far superior infected.

The giant would look around from here to there, searching for something. When his gaze landed on Scarface, he paused briefly before turning away and ignoring him. For a split second, Scarface's heart stopped, but he sighed in relief noticing his disinterest.

Suddenly, the giant locked onto something that Scarface couldn't see. But whatever it was, he wasn't too happy to see it. Inhaling a deep breath, the giant let loose a challenging roar towards the unknown assailant. Before Scarface could even let his ruptured eardrums heal, another powerful roar came from the distance. 

Hearing the earthquake producing footsteps, Scarface knew another giant must be arriving. Wasting no time, he squatted down next to the Juggernaut and began eating him. This would have be done with his mouth only as his arms were still broken.

While eating, he looked up and saw the second visitor arrive. He was just as tall as the other. The two giants huffed and puffed at each other, growling with rage. With another short roar, the first one ran towards the newcomer who then did the same. 

At the same time, they both pulled back their arms and let loose a punch that carried the force of a neutron star. As soon as they came into contact a visible shockwave spread out that broke all the nearby building's windows. Even Scarface was effected, being thrown to his back despite how far away he was.

The giants didn't stop there however. The newcomer struck the other's jaw with his left fist and sent him crashing into a building. Jumping on top of him, he began raining down punches onto his face and body.

However, the first giant caught a fist mid swing and with all his might managed to throw the newcomer off. He tackled him into a building which crumbled into the ground.

As the two titans kept fighting, Scarface watched on with awe as he feasted on his meal. The level of power they exhibited was on the level of an Alpha, albeit a weak one. 

Unfortunately he was forced to flee when the giants began fighting more seriously. Their battle was affecting everything around them and made staying incredibly dangerous. But at the very least, he was able to finish the last of his meal before retreating.

The improvements, were incredible. Everything about him just simply became better. He had even gained a few inches of height. But the greatest, was his strength and durability increase. He even felt... something. He couldn't put it into words exactly, but he could feel he was on the cusp of something big.

'Evolving, perhaps?' He wanted to think on it more, but he was dead tired and still healing from his battle with the Juggernaut.

As he dragged his exhausted body back to his home, he stopped just before the door of the janitors closet. The sun had begun to rise, forcing the Night Hunters into hiding. Stretching his barely healed arm towards a window, he felt the burning and painful heat on his cracked armor. But there was a smile to his face.

"It's ge...tting bet...ter." Soon, the cursed light would not hinder him any longer. Most likely when he becomes an Alpha, he will be immune.

"Th..en I co...me for you!" A devilish grin spread across his face when imagining the suffering he will cause to Jason.