no more bullets no more Mercy

The mutant pulled itself onto the rooftop, its charred flesh peeling from its body. Yet it grinned, its black eyes filled with hunger.

Ethan raised his revolver, aiming at the monster's head. Click.

Empty.

His breath hitched. No bullets.

Mason fumbled with his rifle, panic setting in. He aimed and fired—Bang! The bullet hit the mutant's shoulder, but it barely flinched.

Bang! Bang!

Each shot did nothing.

Mason cursed, checking his ammo. "Shit… I'm out!"

The mutant lunged.

Ethan tackled Mason out of the way as clawed hands ripped through the air where they had just been standing.

The force of the dive sent them skidding across the concrete rooftop. Mason groaned, disoriented.

Ethan scrambled to his feet, pulling his hunting knives from their sheathes. They gleamed under the moonlight—his last weapons.

The mutant turned toward Mason. It had chosen its target.

"No!" Ethan charged forward, slashing.

The first knife sliced across the mutant's arm, cutting deep—but it didn't even slow down.

Mason tried to crawl away, but the monster grabbed him by the leg. One pull. One crunch.

Snap.

Mason screamed.

Ethan saw his friend's leg break in two, the bone jutting out through flesh.

"Let him go, you bastard!" Ethan roared, stabbing both knives into the mutant's back.

It shrieked, twisting unnaturally to face Ethan.

Then, with one swift movement—

It tore out Mason's throat.

Blood sprayed across the rooftop.

Mason gurgled, his eyes wide in shock. He reached out to Ethan, as if trying to say something—then collapsed.

Dead.

Ethan's world froze.

Mason was gone.

Just like that.

Something inside Ethan snapped.

The mutant turned back to him, blood dripping from its jaws.

Ethan tightened his grip on his knives.

If Mason was dead, then he was taking this monster with him.

With a roar, Ethan charged.

The mutant swiped at him, but Ethan dodged low, rolling under its claws. He slashed upward, cutting into its stomach—deep.

The mutant staggered back. It could feel pain.

Ethan didn't stop.

Slash. Stab. Twist.

He drove a blade into its ribcage, then yanked it free in a shower of black ichor.

The mutant roared in fury, swinging wildly. One claw grazed Ethan's shoulder, sending pain flaring through his body. But he didn't care.

He spun, driving his other knife straight into the mutant's eye.

The creature screeched, flailing backward. Ethan yanked the knife out, black ooze dripping from the blade.

The mutant wasn't healing.

It was actually dying.

Ethan exhaled, gripping his knives tighter. "Not so tough now, huh?"

But before he could land the final blow—

The rooftop shook.

Something massive was moving beneath the city.

The mutant, bleeding and weakened, suddenly stopped attacking.

Then—it smiled.

"You're already dead," it rasped.

Ethan's stomach twisted.

Something worse was coming.

And he was all alone.