Adrian looked at the knife in his hand. He realized that traditional weapons were not going to be as effective against the ferals in the near future. If they were growing stronger while he was growing stronger, then he was going to have to get creative. Thinking about the clawed hands of those he'd already fought, Adrian wondered aloud, "If they could do it why couldn't I." So he held up his left hand and instructed the nanobots to flow into his palm. Then with a little concentration he caused them to coat his hand. Slowly they formed into a glove-like cover over his skin. Then at the end of his fingers blade-like tips formed.
Adrian looked at his hand. He opened and closed his fist, flexing his fingers this way and that. The nanobot glove worked in tandem with him like he was wearing a cloth for real. He marveled at how it moved so perfectly. The sharp claw tips on his fingers gleamed in the sunlight, they looked very dangerous. He drug his hand along the wall to test them out. He left deep grooves in the brick, dust falling where his claws scraped. They easily sliced through the hard surface Nanobots instantly repaired and resharpened the blades as they were dulled. This kept them honed to near razor sharp blades permanently.
He didn't need the knife anymore, he had the nanobots swarm over the bloody thing and absorb the materials. The wood of the handle clattered uselessly to the ground, forgotten. He then created the same clawed like appendage for his right hand. He curled both hands into fits, then swung his right hand with immense force through the wall he just gouged. His hand went right though, easily crushing the brick while causing no actual damage to his hands. Adrian sneered with delight, this changed his whole strategy for fighting the ferals.
Suddenly the ache of insatiable hunger struck him again. He grabbed his stomach with a wince, he needed to find food, as well as materials to feed his nanobot core. Adrian knew there was a small corner market nearby so he headed that direction, no longer as worried about protecting himself from these things. He was adapting more, treating the nanobots more as a part of his being, like a muscle, instead of a foreign entity to deal with.
As he ran, he could see signs of the plague spreading, but he thought there would have been more by now. Arriving at the store, its metal shutter was pulled shut and locked, closed for business. Using his new claws he sliced through the metal lock easily and threw the covering open, revealing a store that was pretty well stocked. He smiled and walked through the store with a basket collecting the most nutrient dense things he could find. Jerky, nuts, even some fruit that hadn't rotted yet even with the refrigeration shut off.
He sat down in a corner where he could see both entrance points to the store and dug in. Feeling the hunger slowly subside, he took the moment of peace for what it was, a rare respite in a world collapsing around him. As he ate, he sent his nanobots out into the store to gather any metal or other materials that would be useful for replication. They slowly broke down some of the shelves, a light fixture, and the door to one of the cold storage units. He let them gather until they seemed ready to continue replication without any further pain to him. When they were finished they swarmed back to him like bees returning to the hive.
Adrian saw a small radio, so he turned it on and cycled through looking for anything that wasn't just static. Information was gold, and he was keen on getting any he could regarding the situation in the city and beyond. Finally, he found one, which seemed to be more civilian than government, some kind of pirate radio signal. It constantly faded in and out as he tried to tune into it better. "To anyone listening, if you haven't been turned into a monster yet, Hide! These things are ruthless predators that kill and eat people at will. They seem mindless but that's not the case, they are forming packs, most hide during the day preferring to hunt at night. This is a worldwide phenomenon, and affects so many people. We don't know who's still out there. Don't expect help, there's no one coming to save you."
Back to static, but he had heard enough that now he felt sick. Thinking of all the people, his focus shifted immediately to his parents…I have to go check on them. Adrian gathered non-perishable food into a bag and set out hoping by some miracle they were still safe.
Knowing that the ferals were more likely to hunt at night gave him some relief but that also meant less nanobots available for him to acquire. He ran through the streets, not worried about ferals at all for the moment, his new weapons were ready. He was not worrying about authorities or his job. They couldn't stop the ferals, and how many of them didn't turn? It was him against the world. Survival and his parents were his only thoughts at the moment besides evolution of course.
On the way he ran into three ferals feeding on a body, faces buried in the carcass, blood pooling on the concrete. Adrian didn't wait for them to notice him, he rushed into them claws flashing in a surprise attack. Claws making a metal clang as he drove them into the back of one of their skulls, killing it instantly. The other two leaped back, staring at him like he was the monster, wide eyed and shaking. As one they turned to retreat but Adrian wasn't going to let their nanobots get away. He leaped at their retreating forms. He landed on their backs and drove one claw into each of their backs knocking them to the ground. They tried to turn and defend themselves but they had no chance. These were only middling ferals, he easily out maneuvered them slicing quickly across throats. Blood sprayed, bone sliced clear through. Within thirty seconds they were torn to shreds, alive no more. The three nanobot swarms hovered above their corpses.
Free Nanobots Detected. Assimilate? [Y/N]
"Yes."
Assimilation complete. Free nanobots gained: 3,524. Total available: 7,237
He instantly felt the increase in his capabilities with the acquired nanobots. It was a rush that was indescribable, he took a deep breath as the effects washed over him. He watched as the blood staining his hands was absorbed by the nanobots. His "gloves" shone a gleaming metal once again. He wasted no time though and took off again at a sprint. Hoping he wasn't too late and that his parents weren't affected. Though his gut told him that the odds weren't in his favor. He hoped that luck could be on his side.
Running at speed the only sound he was hearing was the wind rushing past his ears. The relative quiet was unnerving. Sirens were distant. He didn't hear any victims crying for help. It was like the city was holding its breath, but for what. He moved in a dead sprint, dodging and jumping over debris littered in the streets. There were abandoned cars everywhere, some with heavy damage but no signs of life that he could see. Adrian drew closer to his goal, starting to see familiar landmarks, but it was so different now.
As he passed the familiar sandwich shop he frequented growing up he paused gazing at the broken windows and door ripped off its hinges. Tables were strewn everywhere, some broken, chairs overturned and shattered. Adrian just shook his head with a sigh. As he took off again in the direction of his parents' place. He was thinking about all the things like that that he would miss from the old world. This new world would hold very little in the way of creature comforts in the near future.
He rounded a corner and saw his childhood home. No obvious damage or signs of looting, but that's nothing to say about the situation inside. He slowed to a fast walk. As he strode up to the door he reached out and tried the handle, the knob was unlocked but the deadbolt was engaged. Adrian took one clawed finger and put it against the lock. He commanded his bots to fill the locking mechanism before hardening into the shape of the keyhole. He turned his wrist and with a click that he could also somehow feel the lock opened. His hand trembled as he reached for the door handle again and slowly opened the door looking around.
The entryway was like he remembered, no signs of struggle or ferals to be seen. He stepped in, senses on high alert. "Hello?" Adrian called out, receiving no answer. He called out again with a more pronounced and longer, "Helllloooo!" Nothing. He slowly moved into the house, closing the front door behind him and reengaging the deadbolt. The sound of it echoing eerily off the walls. In the silence he heard something, running water in the kitchen. Trying his best to keep silent he made his way to the source of the sound.
As he peaked through the door, he paused, not even daring to breathe. His mother was standing at the sink, looking like she was doing the dishes. With a relieved sigh Adrian said, "Mom, you're alright." but received no response. She just slowly set down the dish in her hand, turned and snarled at him. Her eyes showed no recognition at all. He was her own son and she didn't know him.
He stepped back, saying quietly, "No, mom." She lunged at him, fingers curled, ready to attack him with her full might. Freezing momentarily he didn't react until she was right on him. He grabbed her wrists holding her at arms length, looking somberly at his mother one last time. He then sidestepped her and slammed her head into the wall below the stairs. Holding her head tight against the wall he slid his clawed hand into the back of her neck and severed her brain stem, causing her to go limp instantly. Before he could think about the horror of what had just happened, not to mention mourn his beloved mother, a noise came from upstairs.
It sounded like a mad scramble, what a desperate animal clawing through a bedroom door and knocking stuff off the walls might sound like. Uncontrolled movement. His dad came around the corner heading down the stairs. He was on all fours. Adrian barely had time to react as his dad leaped off the top of the staircase. The full weight of his father crashing onto Adrian's torso, slamming him into the ground. The breath was almost knocked out of him. Adrian pressed his elbow into his dads neck while his feral teeth snapped inches from his face.
Adrian got a leg under him and used his arm and leg to push him off, sliding across the hardwood floor. His dad rolled to his hands and feet, growling, drool dripping from his bared teeth. With a howl he ran at his son, nothing but animalistic violence showing in his actions. As his dad neared he came up on his feet, swinging with his hands in a wild manner looking to cause any sort of damage. Adrian threw a straight kick into his stomach causing his dad to lurch back. Adrian pressed his advantage and slashed at the side of his neck causing blood to spray the walls like a fountain. His dad covered the wound with one hand, still posturing an attack with the other. But he was on borrowed time now.
Dodging a few more attacks his son shouldered him hard enough to roll them onto the ground. Without enough energy to stand up again, he lay there bleeding out. It felt like hours as Adrian watched the life drain from his father's eyes.
Adrian, finally safe from his feral parents, dropped to his knees. He didn't weep, his grief turned immediately to rage. His survival now was not an instinct but a drive, someone was going to pay for this. For all of it. They could never pay enough but they would. He would make sure. The usual prompt popped up before his eyes.
Free Nanobots Detected. Assimilate? [Y/N]
He whispered "Yes."
Assimilation complete. Free nanobots gained: 2,372. Total available: 9,609
Adrian adjusted his parents bodies to be lying next to each other. He made it so they were holding hands like they had done in life. With one long last look he covered them up with a blanket. He didn't know what more he could do, he didn't have time to give them a proper burial.
He had planned on staying the night here, but now this was his parent's tomb. He had to move on, but he didn't have to rush. He laid down in the bed that used to be his and spent some time thinking about his life here, remembering the warm memories. Bittersweet. The joy of the remembrance and the pain of the loss combining in a turbulent emotional cocktail. Regret overwhelmed him, he should have visited more, he should have made more memories with them while he could, but it was too late now.
While his thoughts lingered on his family in the forefront of his mind, in the background his increased intelligence worked out the problem of what his next steps should be. Having the two trains of thought at once was surprisingly easy for him now that he was in relative safety of the completely silent house. He needed to get to the industrial district. There would be mass amounts of materials he could utilize for his evolution. He could possibly set up shop there, use it as a place to store supplies. There were empty field lots in that direction too. Maybe he could start growing food as he would need lots in the future, or so he figured.
As he lay there thinking, the sun slowly set. At about twilight, when the shadows grew long, he began to hear them. So many. Countless ferals, heading into the streets from what he could immediately hear. He hoped there were still people out there that were lucky enough to find a safe place. He was planning a haven, something to at least keep the ferals out. Even he would have issues if he had to contend with the horde that was outside. He did not dare to make noise or use light sources of any kind, fearing it might draw them to him.
Besides a scratching at the door a few times through the night, they did not bother him. No attempt was made to break into the house. Their primal animalistic instincts not sensing anything worth their energy. As Adrian drifted off to sleep he kept worrying over the problem of how he would make it all the way across town. Sleep came fast, his body worn down from days of battle and no sleep for two solid nights. His slumbering body allowed the nanobots to rearrange his capabilities. When he woke from his deep dreamless sleep, his mind quickly focused on his next steps.