Hunted
Out again.
Not even 200 feet away, John spotted a group of zombies gathered together—someone poor must have been caught again! Deep down, John sighed; even though he did feed on humans, after evolving twice, he hardly craved human flesh anymore.
What he really needed was that red, life-changing tumor—the kind that fuels his evolution. His human rationality was starting to take over again, burying his brutal animal instincts deep within.
Suddenly, a short zombie appeared and let out a thunderous roar at the feasting horde, scaring them so badly that those zombies clutching meat began to scatter in tiny, shuffling steps.
It was odd—among those fleeing zombies were some towering ones over 80 inches tall and many with bulging muscles. Yet when they saw this little zombie, less than 65 inches tall, they turned tail immediately!
"Why is that?" John wondered. Could it be that there was something unusual about this small zombie?
All of a sudden, that little zombie shot forward like a cannonball—its speed was unbelievable. Sure, it was slower than a trained athlete, but come on—it's a zombie! Zombies are supposed to move as slowly as old men leaning on walkers!
"How can it be so fast?" John thought, a jolt of shock running through him as he gripped his kitchen knife tightly, staring fixedly at the speeding little zombie.
In no time, that small zombie caught up to a burly zombie over 80 inches tall. With agile and uncanny movements, it extended its leg and knocked the muscular zombie down, sending its chunk of fresh red meat flying several meters away.
The little zombie pounced on the downed foe, snatched up the meat, and began devouring it with gusto. The muscular zombie, furious at having its prize stolen, roared loudly, grabbed a brick, and hurled it at the little zombie before scrambling back to its feet with red, furious eyes, charging at its attacker!
After sidestepping the brick with a quick retreat, the little zombie—now apparently enraged—showed its row of steel teeth and roared at the muscular zombie. In just a few bites, it swallowed the meat, while its long, sharp, jet-black claws suddenly shot out from just over an inch to more than three inches in length!
Like a whirlwind, it clambered over its opponent, carving several deep one-inch gashes into the muscular zombie, its flesh splitting open as the victim howled in pain.
In that single move, John understood—this little zombie was different from him; it was on another evolutionary path! Its speed was something he could never hope to match, but clearly, while it had extraordinary speed compared to ordinary zombies, its strength was lacking. If it were John, a single knife slash would have eviscerated that muscular zombie!
Frowning, John watched as the little zombie circled rapidly around the muscular one, methodically slicing it with countless cuts. Perhaps tired of the game, the little zombie let out a cold, cackling laugh, its sharp claws slicing through the air with a whistling sound as they latched onto a bloodstain on the muscular zombie's neck!
Yes—only one bloodstain!
Black blood slowly oozed out as the muscular zombie's face twisted into a strange expression. Suddenly, a massive head fell off, severing its support from the neck, and a fountain of black blood soared into the sky!
John couldn't help but feel a tingle on his own neck. Even though this little zombie wasn't very strong, if it used those sharp claws on such a vulnerable spot, two or three quick swipes would be more than enough to take anyone down!
But as he thought that, he reminded himself that killing every powerful zombie he encountered and seizing their blood tumors—thus gaining more strength and evolving into an even higher form of John—was nothing to back down from! Seeing this strong zombie had him so excited that he practically drooled. After all, zombies don't evolve just like that—coming across a powerful one is a rare chance.
And right before him was a powerful zombie—kill it, and he'd level up! Kill it, and he'd gain even more incredible strength!
Slowly, John drew his gleaming kitchen knife. An incredible aura burst around him as he pointed the blade directly at the little zombie. "Come on! Let's fight! Let's see who's tougher!" he roared in his heart as he let out an earth-shattering bellow at the little zombie.
The little zombie was taken aback. Its eerie blue eyes fixed on John, who brandished his knife with clear ill intent. Once it realized that the zombie holding the knife meant it no harm, the little zombie too roared, revealing its bloodthirsty nature!
The two zombies glared at each other like two bulls in a ring, slowly closing in. Just as John prepared to lunge and take the little zombie's throat with his knife, there came a sharp "smack!"
In an instant, the little zombie's head exploded—its whole face was smashed to bits!
There was no time to think further. Thanks to his days as a cop, John immediately realized that the little zombie had been taken out by an anti-materiel sniper rifle—a headshot with one bullet!
Sniper rifles were his old favorite! He never expected that now he would be the one facing people armed with such a gun!
Rolling to the ground, John dove behind a concrete pillar.
"Damn, who the hell are these humans? Who dares risk their lives attacking zombies?" John thought, utterly confused as he peeked around—the sight revealed six humans in camouflage, armed with various heavy weapons, charging straight toward him.
No way—he had to get out of there immediately! John panicked; if these six heavily armed humans reached him, the guy with the knife would be torn to shreds!
Without wasting another second, he ducked down and dashed into a narrow side street.
"Bang!" The heavy sniper rifle fired again! Luckily, John managed to get behind a utility pole just in time. The bullet—capable of taking out a powerful zombie with ease—pierced straight through the pole, scattering a shower of rubble!
Rubble scraped across his cheek, and John didn't have time to be grateful for the altered bullet trajectory. He blocked the knife with his knife at the back of his head and bolted.
"Damn it—I'm human, being chased by zombies, and now goddamn humans are chasing me too! Who did I piss off?!" John thought miserably, his spirit crushed as he hurriedly ran with his head down.