New Dawn Chapter: 081

Kohta's celebratory mood sobered. "What is that?"

The color drained from Takashi's face. His fingers curled tightly around his gun, knuckles turning white.

Even behind the reinforced gate, they didn't feel entirely safe.

Tysone had a sickening feeling that this zombie was different, and not only in appearance. Perhaps smarter.

And honestly, he didn't know what course of action to take. What kind of reaction would it show if they blazed their guns?

They had killed a whole horde without sustaining any injuries to themselves. Could one really tip the scale in danger? How dangerous could a single zombie even be?

He frowned.

The zombie showcased the same basic characteristics as all the other shambling corpses—pale flesh, glazed-over eyes, bloodstains on its disheveled clothes. 

However, when put together with the rest of the zombies, it stood out due to its height. It was taller than even Tysone himself, who was already considered abnormally tall.

The creature approached with slow, heavy steps. Its gaze rested on them for a while, before it suddenly lunged for the surrounding downed zombies and started ripping off and biting chunks off of them. Cannibalism.

The group shared looks of horror and disgust, watching on in frozen disbelief.

"It's eating the others?" Kohta's voice quavered.

Its strength was quite obvious with how it easily tore limbs apart like paper. Arcs of infected blood soared through the air as it threw away any useless scraps. The notion that zombies only attacked the living was thrown out the window. If this zombie behaved like that, what prevented others from doing the same?

Tysone and Takashi locked eyes for a moment, their mutual fear mirrored in each other's widening pupils.

There was no way that they could allow this thing to continue its path of evolution. At all cost, they needed to obliterate it.

"Shoot it in the head." Tysone instructed, voice tight.

Kohta didn't wait to be told twice.

The sharpshooter took aim and fired. The gunshot cracked sharply, cutting through the night. 

It hit true, but the zombie's senses were sharper than expected as it quickly reacted to the threat and raised an arm in front of its head, successfully blocking the bullet meant for its brain.

Despite being hit on its forearm, the creature simply jerked from the impact. Black blood dripped onto the ground. It snapped its gaze back towards them. 

Kohta gulped audibly, hesitating momentarily.

An icy dread twisted in Tysone's gut. That pretty much confirmed that its height wasn't the only difference between it and the other zombies.

A wave of adrenaline surged through the rest of them as the monster lumbered toward the gate.

Every slow step, every crunch of bone and slosh of blood, tightened the knot of fear in Tysone's stomach.

His mind raced.

"Fill it with holes!" Tysone yelled urgently. His order galvanized them into motion. "It's not invincible. It shielded its head because that's where it's vulnerable."

Kohta immediately obliged and pumped round after round into its legs and arms. Every bullet struck true, exploding bone and tearing flesh with ruthless precision.

Despite all the lead embedded in its body, the creature continued to drag itself closer with uncanny determination.

Tysone's throat tightened. "Continue firing!" His roar echoed across the compound. 

Takashi also joined Kohta's side, aiming straight at the forearms protecting its head. He fired. Once, twice. Miss, hit. A third time, another hit.

Blood sprayed from the wounds peppering the creature. But even then, the monstrosity kept dragging itself forward.

Rei shuddered. "How is it still alive?"

"Not for long." Tysone's eyes flashed. He could see it slowly weakening.

In fact...

The zombie's criss-crossed forearms over its head finally loosened enough for Kohta to take a clear shot.

"Eat this!"

The zombie's head rocked backward as the bullet entered its skull.

Seconds passed. And then the zombie collapsed facedown in a spreading pool of its own blood and brain matter.

Silence fell upon them.

They waited.

No one dared breathe as the echoes faded into nothingness.

"Is... is it really dead?" Rei's whisper sliced through the quiet.

Everyone's eyes were glued to the fallen zombie.

Not daring to move, barely breathing.

After a long stretch of time, they relaxed a little. Saeko narrowed her eyes. "If this happened already, I fear the future of mankind."

"Yeah. If this type of things starts growing in numbers, it's game over. We won't be able to defend ourselves." Rei muttered, covering her mouth as if resisting the urge to vomit. "This isn't normal."

Takashi stood there in silence, eyes wavering.

Kohta also wore a thoughtful expression. "Mutants."

"Yes." Tysone agreed with his hypothesis. "Let's hope it remains the only one."

If they had to fight against more than one at the same time, they would surely face the worst-case scenario.

As the realization sank in, they felt the crushing weight of their own vulnerability press down on them.

'They're bigger, stronger, and with a more developed intelligence. Fucking bullshit.' He resisted the urge to yell out. 'Why add these things into the story now?!' He gritted his teeth, now more than ever feeling pressured by the incoming danger.

"Hey." He cleared his throat, taking a deep breath. When he spoke, his voice remained steady. "At least we can rest a little easier tonight. With that zombie gone, the others might stay away from the area. So try to relax... take care of yourselves. Keep watch in shifts."

"I'll go first." Kohta volunteered, sliding his bag off his shoulders with a sigh. "I need to decompress anyway."

Saeko placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure?" Her brow furrowed with concern. "After what we just saw…"

"Don't worry. This guy will keep me company." Kohta gestured toward his rifle, smiling a little more confidently. "Just need to recalibrate my scope. That mutant caught me by surprise, but it won't happen again."

"If you're confident, then I have no objection." Tysone said, nodding at Kohta.

"I'll go after you then." Takashi announced. "Wake me up when it's my turn."

"Will do." Kohta replied earnestly, returning his focus to cleaning his beloved weapon.

...

Rei had settled down on the sofa. She massaged her temples, closing her eyes. "Man, today sucked so bad."

Takashi chuckled bitterly. "Don't jinx it even worse. Besides, it's not over yet."

Tysone left them without a word. Rei's eyes lingered on his back as he made his way to the kitchen, straight for the fridge. A pack of beers was still intact, which meant Shizuka had gone for something heavier. Still, he needed to unwind a little as well. So he grabbed all of them.

He sat down by a corner of the kitchen, intent on enjoying his alone time. But fate apparently had other plans, because soon enough Saeko arrived.

"Oh..." She halted by the entrance, surprised.

He cracked open one can. "Came for a midnight snack?"

"I was wondering where you were. I wanted to discuss what happened outside." Saeko explained, settling down near him. Though not close enough for it to be awkward.

"Right." Tysone exhaled, closing his eyes. "I wish I knew how to explain it properly. Maybe we shouldn't be overthinking it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." Tysone leaned back, tilting his head slightly. "Maybe it's not that common. A mutant amidst the rest of the zombies. Maybe that's just an outlier. Let's say, one in a thousand, million, whatever. What matters is that we killed it."

"A one in a million possibility is still possible, though." She interjected carefully. "I have no doubt that we would be able to eliminate hundreds of regular infected by ourselves, if armed properly. However, if they all start matching its level..."

"Then we're screwed." Tysone concluded grimly, shaking his head. "Listen... it could've been an anomaly. There's no way that was a regularly spawning monster."

"You think so?"

"Yeah." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "At least, I hope so. Because otherwise, shit, I'm really worried. That thing ate its own kind, and I don't think it was due to hunger."

Saeko narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "A superior infected that attacks both humans and zombies, with the potential for further evolution. That presents a worrisome dilemma indeed."

He snorted, taking another swig. "Worrisome? We'll be knee-deep in shit if they start sprouting all over. I don't even wanna imagine anything stronger than that thing."

He really did not. Otherwise he'd develop a fear-induced insomnia. How could anyone survive when the odds were so aggressively stacked against them? Even with his foreknowledge, everything was rapidly diverging from canon. 

"Do not worry." Saeko assured, reaching out to touch his leg lightly. "Even if such a threat existed, you would have me. You can count on me. And you must do the same for us."

Tysone paused in the midst of his action of taking a sip. Saeko noticed this, withdrawing her hand. "Is everything alright?"

"...Yeah." Tysone lowered his drink, looking at her directly. "Everything is fine."

Author's Note:

If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at P@treon.com/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.