The new being, a terrifying fusion of speed and immense power, acted instantly. Its immense, sinewy form blurred, covering the distance to the woman in less than a heartbeat, its clawed hand raised for a killing strike.
But Rex, fueled by a panicked surge of pure instinct, was faster. He roared, slamming his body into the woman, shoving her aside and out of the creature's path. The Abomination's colossal hand, missing its intended target, instead clamped down on Rex's chest and collar.
A deafening BOOM tore the air as the Abomination kicked off the ground. In a horrifying instant, it launched itself skyward, clutching Rex. He screamed, a raw sound of shock and pain, as the creature ascended with impossible, jet-like speed.
"Rex!" Arthur screamed, his voice breaking. He took a frantic step forward, his eyes locked on the diminishing figures, before the first wave of Runners slammed into them.
The high-pitched snarls were everywhere. The Runners, now sensing their chance, overwhelmed the clearing, their gaunt forms blurring as they sprinted toward the helpless prey.
The woman scrambled back, pushing Arthur with a desperate cry. "Move! Get back!"
Zane, still on his hands and knees, felt the earth shake with the pounding feet. He knew he couldn't keep fighting physically. His strength was gone, but his mind wasn't. Grunting with exertion, his eyes squeezed shut, he began to chant to himself—words of a lost, ancient defense that taxed his magical reserves to their absolute limit.
"Aura… Lumen… Protego!"
As the first Runners lunged, teeth bared, small, shimmering magical barriers instantly flickered into existence close to the woman and Arthur. When the infected tried to bite, the barriers flared with a protective, yellow electric strike, repelling the zombies with a shock and sending them tumbling back, momentarily stunned and smoking.
Zane, however, had nothing left for himself. He saw the barrier bloom and felt the immense, debilitating cost. He tried to get up but was already surrounded, the hungry weight of the Runners now clawing and biting at him, their rotten flesh pressing against his skin.
He felt the cold, the pain, and the absolute horror of being overwhelmed. With a final, desperate, gasping cry—a burst of pure, unadulterated rage—a brilliant white-yellow light exploded outwards from his body. The force was raw, pure, and scorching hot, vaporizing the surrounding Runners instantly, leaving only smoking residue and the smell of burnt meat.
Zane stood, the ethereal light fading from his body. He was completely spent, his legs shaking violently, the world tilting.
"This way!" the woman screamed, already scrambling towards the dark maw of a shattered storefront. "Follow me! While there is still time!"
Arthur grabbed Zane's arm, hauling his friend's dead weight toward the building. They shoved and pushed against the dazed Runners, their bodies moving on sheer adrenaline as they plunged into the relative darkness of the abandoned structure.
As they disappeared, a new wave of Runners—a relentless, howling horde—rounded the far corner, sprinting toward the building entrance.
High above the ruined city, Rex's scream was lost to the sonic rush of the wind. He was an unwilling passenger, his body pinned by the Abomination's vice-like grip. The creature made no sound, showed no emotion—just a horrifying, silent purpose.
Rex looked up at its empty black eyes, his hands frantically clawing at the massive, sinewy arm. He saw the skyscraper looming—a dark, shattered monolith piercing the night sky.
He had only seconds to brace himself.
The Abomination slammed into the building's upper floor, using Rex as a shield. The tall, reinforced glass shattered with the sound of an immense explosion, followed by the sickening, cracking sound of concrete and metal as Rex's back bore the full, bone-jarring impact of the collision. They tumbled into the darkness, engulfed by dust, splintered rebar, and the screech of torn metal.
The creature didn't slow. With a fresh burst of speed, it tore through the skyscraper, flying Rex through the next building in a line, and then a third, the sound of their passage a continuous, collapsing thunder. Rex's body was a lightning-fast wrecking ball, impacting steel and concrete again and again. Every nerve ending screamed.
Rex: Tch... That's... ENOUGH!! (He bellowed, his voice raw and desperate.)
He slammed his whole hand onto the creature's face, immediately attempting to charge it up, his kinetic energy surging into the Abomination's skull. The creature's head began to glow with a faint purple light, the same attack that had killed the Brute.
But the Abomination merely shuddered, a small, barely perceptible shake of its head. The purple glow vanished as the creature leaned back, letting go of Rex's collar and letting his hand slide off. The creature hovered in the air for a moment, its empty black eyes fixed on the falling man.
Then, it flew straight down at max speed, pursuing the falling Rex. Rex's back was the first thing to hit the ground, the impact creating a massive crater of cracks in the concrete street. Rex's eyes widened in agonizing pain, a bright purple glow flaring violently in his pupils before fading. The Abomination grabbed his leg, swung him with effortless force, and hurled him back through the streets. Rex burst through a few shambling zombies, covering himself in blood and rotten flesh, before his momentum finally slowed down and he hit the side of an abandoned car with a metallic crunch.
Rex shook his head, the world swimming. He was seeing double, a bright, dizzying blur of streetlights and wreckage—a clear, flashing warning sign of a severe concussion, perhaps even death. He forced his sight to focus, fighting the nausea and the crippling pain. When his vision finally cleared, the Abomination was a distant, dark figure, just standing, suspended in the air. Rex's breath caught in his throat. It was just waiting.
Then, with a terrifying, soundless purpose, the Abomination tilted and flew towards him at maximum speed. Rex's eyes widened in pure terror. Acting quick, he rolled desperately to the side, his muscles screaming in protest. The Abomination slammed through the abandoned car he'd just hit, tearing the vehicle in half with a deafening metallic screech.
Scrambling to his feet, powered by the final dregs of adrenaline, Rex began running the other direction, his stride ragged and uneven. But the creature was faster. In an instant, the Abomination appeared directly behind him, a dark, silent shadow. It delivered a casual, brutal backhand that sent Rex spinning through the air and crashing through the shattered glass doors of a deserted building's reception area. Rex's body slid across the marble floor, leaving a trail of blood and pulverized concrete.
He groaned, pushing himself up with his single, functioning arm, his whole body screaming in agony. The Abomination didn't follow him in. It simply hovered outside the shattered entrance, its empty black eyes silently watching the broken man.