Chapter 16 – Bloody Evening (Part 3)
The creature lunged forward with no hesitation, no sense of caution or strategy—just raw, animalistic aggression. Its claws slashed through the air, aiming for Zane's neck. It wasn't fighting to survive. It was attacking to kill, with a desperation that bordered on madness.
Zane sidestepped smoothly, letting the monster's momentum carry it past him. The thing stumbled, crashed into the wall, and rebounded like it didn't feel a single ounce of pain.
He took a measured step back, narrowing his eyes. 'It's not holding back… Doesn't care what happens to it. Interesting.'
The monster growled and spun around, launching itself again. Its arms flailed violently, each movement fueled by blind fury. Zane ducked beneath one swipe and leaned just out of reach of another, observing more than reacting. His expression remained calm, thoughtful.
'It really can't feel pain… Or it just doesn't care. Either way, that means one thing—this isn't just some drug-induced hysteria. Something deeper is going on.'
One of the creature's claws clipped the metal railing behind Zane, bending the thick bar with a sharp clang. The force behind the swing was unsettling. This wasn't a young athlete; this was an old man whose body had clearly decayed with age—yet now he could crush metal with a swipe.
Zane's eyes flickered with curiosity as he watched the hand retract. The fingers had turned to vicious talons—nails sharpened unnaturally like bone blades.
'Increased strength. Altered physiology. So it's not just psychological, it's physical too. The mutation isn't cosmetic—it's structural.'
The creature charged again, limbs twitching with erratic movement. It clawed and swiped with growing desperation, like it couldn't comprehend why Zane hadn't dropped dead yet. Zane remained light on his feet, weaving through the attacks like a leaf drifting through gusts of wind. His breathing was steady, and his expression remained unreadable.
'I wonder if it has any sort of special ability. Something beyond just strength and rage. Maybe… something supernatural?'
Another slash narrowly missed his cheek, and Zane spun out of reach, retreating into a clearer space in the hallway. The mutant howled, an inhuman noise that echoed off the concrete walls. Its skin—still half-melted—clung to muscle and sinew, black veins writhing like they were alive beneath the surface.
Zane studied it like a scientist watching a dangerous animal in a cage. Every movement it made revealed a bit more. But after nearly two minutes of evasion and observation, he realized something.
'No evolution in tactics. No adaptability. Just brute force. That's all it has. Safe to say it lacks a lot when it comes to intelligence.'
Usually, even in the animal kingdom, creatures are capable of altering their attacking methods if they don't work for a certain period of time. That naturally comes with instinct and battle experience they go through throughout their lives. Yet, this mutant isn't doing any of that.
'No point in trying to see what else it can do. It's clear that it showed me everything it got and a little bit more.'
His gaze sharpened.
'Time to end it.'
In an instant, his stance shifted. He surged forward with speed the creature hadn't seen before, catching it mid-swing. It raised its claws, snarling wildly. Zane ducked beneath the attack and drove his palm into the creature's solar plexus with a bone-jarring bang.
The mutant staggered backward, gasping. But it didn't drop.
'Resilient. It should've gone down. Even its internal organs are sturdier now.'
It came back for more, oblivious to the hit. Zane leaned to the side, caught its arm with one hand, and slammed a punch into its throat. The impact knocked it back again—but the creature barely flinched.
"Stubborn," Zane muttered. "My attacks aren't doing much damage to it."
No trace of pain. No sign of hesitation. Just more rage.
He ducked another lunge and delivered a powerful flying kick to the creature's chest. The mutant crashed against the railing again, groaning.
Zane moved in without hesitation. He slipped behind it, wrapped one arm around its neck, and yanked hard—twisting with a practiced motion.
CRACK.
The sound was sharp, final, and quick. It didn't take a split second, and the results were naturally horrifying.
He let go, and the body collapsed like a broken puppet, limbs splaying unnaturally across the floor.
Zane stepped back and waited.
'Let's see what you're really made of. Can you survive that or is that your limit?' Zane found himself enjoying this encounter far more than he expected. Even as he waited for the results of his experiment, he couldn't hold himself back from smiling faintly. This was the most fun he had in a very long time.
Seconds ticked by. The hallway was filled with silence, the kind that makes every small breath feel like thunder. Zane didn't move, watching for the smallest twitch.
Nothing. The creature remained completely motionless as if it were dead. Zane felt a tiny bit disappointed as he assumed it was over, as he expected. However, when he was just starting to relax, the corpse suddenly jerked.
The creature lifted its head slowly, teeth bared in a snarl. It growled low in its throat, its body trembling. But it didn't stand.
Zane's eyes widened slightly in interest as he blinked.
"You're still alive?"
The monster tried to move its limbs, but they didn't respond. It could only claw at the floor with its one working hand, dragging itself forward an inch at a time. Its spine was clearly shattered, its body completely paralyzed. Yet its head still moved. Its mouth still opened and closed, fangs snapping at empty air.
Zane crouched down, tilting his head as he examined it. "That's… fascinating."
There was no recognition in the creature's eyes—just hunger and hate.
"You shouldn't be conscious," Zane murmured. "A broken spine like that… You shouldn't even be able to breathe."
The monster growled again, straining to move.
Zane leaned closer, more intrigued than disturbed. "So you really are dead."
He watched the way its head twitched. The way the body didn't respond at all. It was like the brain was completely disconnected from everything else.
"No blood flow, no motor function. But the brain's still active… or at least something inside your head is." He exhaled through his nose. "This… this is exactly what a zombie is, isn't it?"
He stood up, brushing off his pants. "Not in the horror movie sense. But biologically… A parasite, maybe. Or a virus that hijacks the body, rewires the brain, and suppresses everything human. Something that keeps the corpse moving for its own ends."
He looked down at the creature, still squirming on the ground.
"I wonder how many people would be thrilled to learn that the future really does have zombies."
The thing hissed at him again.
"But you're not even interesting anymore," Zane said, voice growing colder. "You've shown me everything I need to see."
He raised his foot slowly, positioned it over the creature's skull.
Its jaw opened wider. A gurgling cry escaped its throat.
Zane's expression was flat. "Goodbye."
He brought his foot down.
SWISH.
CRACK.
The monster's head split like a watermelon under pressure. Blood mixed with brain matter exploded everywhere as bone shards fell around it. Its limbs went limp, finally, completely still. No twitches. No snarls. Nothing.
Just silence.
Zane stood there for a moment, foot still pressed against the floor.
Then he straightened, brushing imaginary dust from his shoulder.
"Next time," he muttered, "I'll test the limits a bit more."
[Ding!]
[You have killed a Level 1 Human Mutant.]
"Oh?"