Gemini and Brutality

"Alright, everyone, let's move!" Frank shouted as he took point, guiding the survivors towards the exit. But before they could reach it, the distant sound of zombies grew louder rapidly, until another horde came into view.

"Cover me!" Frank called out, charging forward into the mass of creatures. Seizing the initiative, he swung his hammer, smashing the head of the first zombie that came too close. With a grin, he smashed another zombie into the ground with a crunch.

He could feel his parents moving just behind him. As he turned to glance back, his mom leapt into action, her agile movements surprisingly graceful as she dodged an attack from a zombie.

"Try to keep up, sport!" his father called with a cocky grin, landing a kick that sent a zombie crashing into another.

Frank watched with pride, nostalgia hitting him hard as they fought side by side, realizing how grateful he was that they were alive.

The three of them worked their way deeper into the mall, seemingly unstoppable. They moved forward at a steady pace, Frank using his "Fireball" skill whenever the crowds of zombies grew too dense, clearing the path ahead.

Jason rushed past them, and with a savage glimmer in his eyes, he dove into the fight, wielding a fireaxe.

As Jason charged in, he began to cackle madly. Grabbing a nearby zombie, he yanked it forward and tore its arm off effortlessly before using it to bludgeon it to death. "You guys see that? Look at him squirm!" he laughed with a sadistic glee in his eyes.

Frank's teammates watched in a mix of horror and awe. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you..." Max mumbled, feeling bad for these zombies for the first time.

Not slowing down, Jason lunged at another group of zombies, dismembering each one with glee. He giggled maniacally as he spun and sliced through their ranks, limbs flying and heads rolling. "This is what it's all about!"

Frank felt a mix of admiration and discomfort as Jason killed zombies with ruthless efficiency. It was effective, and Jason was incredibly skilled, but his means were clearly for enjoyment, not survival.

Now allowing himself to be shown up, he crashed his hammer into the next wave of zombies. "Oathkeeper" and "Horde Breaker" were both empowering his attacks, and he watched as his parents followed suit, seeing them truly in action for the first time.

His mother and father fought together, his father glowing green as his skill "Gemini Yang" activated. In response, his mother began to glow yellow as her skill "Gemini Yin" activated in kind.

[Gemini Yin: Increases agility by a factor of 200% when fighting alongside "Howard Gunn".]

[Gemini Yang: Increases strength by a factor of 200% when fighting alongside "Arlene Gunn".]

The sight was breathtaking, their power was not only greatly enhanced, but their synergy was unmatched. They seemed seemed to know exactly what the other needed in each and every moment.

They were a whirlwind of metal and strikes, easily clearing out the horde around them.

Soon enough, the horde shifted, as if beckoning something. A deafening noise rang out, shaking the ground. "What was that?" Frank's eyes darted over the surrounding, trying to find the source.

Jason dismembered another zombie with a chilling smile. "Whatever it is, I hope it lasts longer than these scrubs, they don't satisfy me at all!"

The group navigated the ruins of the mall. The noise growing louder as they approached the atrium. Just as they turned the final corner, they were met with an overwhelming sight.

Another colossal mob of zombies had gathered, swarming outward through the entrance, drawn by the sounds of commotion. At the back of the horde stood an enormous, heavily armored beast: a Tyrant Zombie.

"This could be a problem," Elara grimaced.

Frank glanced at his parents. "Are you two ready to show these ghouls what the Gunns can do?"

"Always," they replied almost in unison, gripping their weapons tightly as they supported Frank.

Jason stepped forward, grinning with a hint of sadism dancing in his eyes. "That's what I'm talking about! Let's make this gruesome," he growled with anticipation.

The team was reorganized, taking strategic positions around the horde. Elara, Leo, and Max took on the horde at large, while Frank and Jason faced off against the Tyrant.

Frank charged in and raised his hammer high, smashing down onto the giant's foot. Behind him, Jason followed suit; climbing up the beast and ripping out chunks of flesh as he moved.

Frank's parents were on crowd control, ensuring the horde couldn't back up the Tyrant, and vice versa.

As the battle intensified, Jason's sadistic onslaught intensified.

He wrapped his arms around the neck of the behemoth, using his axe to pry chunks of it's face away piece by piece.

"I just can't get enough!" he hollered, a euphoric glee in his eyes as his body was covered in the tyrant's blood.

With renewed vigor, Frank directed his focus solely to the Tyrant Zombie as it roared. He swung his sledgehammer hard, aiming for its exposed joints. Each hit shattered the unarmored limbs, rendering them useless.

As the strikes continued, the Tyrant roared in pain, staggering under the relentless onslaught.

Jason looked like he could barely contain himself, and threw his axe to the side. Now unarmed, he smashed his arms into the side of the beast's head, digging his fingers into its temples.

"Let's see how you like this little treat," he jeered as a dark mist covered his hands. It began to spread from his hands into the creatures body, tracing its veins as it flowed throughout its entire figure.

The creature stopped its attacks and howled. It wasn't a battle cry like before, it was different; almost sad? Frank couldn't quite believe his eyes.

'What the hell?'

For the first time since the breach, everyone present witnessed a monster start to cry.

The Tyrant's screams were booming, clearly in indescribable amounts of pain. Tears filled its eyes before it cried out desperately, "MERCY, PLEASE! KILL ME! KILL. ME!"

"Awwww, you're no fun," Jason taunted before ripping the beast's head right off it's shoulders in one brutal motion. "Fine! Have it your way!"

Everyone else watched stupefied, not only had Jason killed the Tyrant nearly effortlessly, but he seemed overjoyed to have the opportunity.

[Evolved Tyrant Zombie Defeated: 500 XP

Evolved Zombies Defeated: 200 XP

Level Up!]

The notifications declared victory, but the group was still dead silent. Meanwhile, Jason was rolling around in the creatures blood.

"Awe yeah, was it good for you too?" Jason asked the giant corpse, laying on top of it with a look of ecstasy on his face. Looking to the rest of the team, he grinned. "Y'all mind if I smoke?"

Everyone absentmindedly shook their heads. They didn't want to be the next target of his cruel fantasies.

Laying there, cigarette in hand, a glimmer caught Jason's eye. He stood up and approached the decaying head of the Tyrant Zombie he had tossed aside, retrieving a black gleaming helmet adorned with a fierce looking set of horns.

"Looks like I found a little souvenir," he remarked, shaking the now severed head out from inside. "Tyrant's Helm... Talk about style points!"

The helmet began to shrink in his hands before it was exactly his size. Ignoring the blood still inside it, he put it on.

Frank inspected the helmet, and a description soon appeared in front of him.

[Tyrant's Helm (Equipment):

Defense: 10

Special Effect: Increases physical damage dealt by 15% when in battle. Grants a 10% chance to intimidate enemies, causing them to flee in panic.]

It was a strong piece of armor, and Frank couldn't help but feel a little jealous. But it also gave him a chill.

The fight would have been much harder without Jason, that was a fact. But the way he handled monsters was too much, even for these beasts.

"Y'all okay? You look like you've seen a ghost. Oh wait, must be the helmet, is there a way to deactivate this thing?" Jason asked, tapping the side repeatedly with his finger.

Frank exchanged uneasy glances with Elara, Max, and Leo as they processed the brutality they had just witnessed. The contrast between Jason's current euphoric demeanor and the horrific slaughter was terrifying.

"Aren't you a little too pleased with yourself?" Elara finally said, trying to mask her disgust.

Jason shrugged, a smirk spreading across his face. "Not sure exactly what you mean, gorgeous. Let's look at the facts: First off, I killed the thing. Second, nobody got hurt because I killed the thing. Third: It was trying to kill us, that is a fact. Who cares how I kill it? These monsters deserve whatever they get."

He took a drag from his cigarette before continuing, "I'm just making the best of a bad situation. Are you suggesting I sit there all freaked out and depressed like the rest of you? No thanks. Besides, you can't spell 'slaughter' without 'laughter.'"

He cackled, clearly pleased with his own joke. "Anyway, Frank, you mentioned a military complex. What are we waiting for? Lead the way!"