[Regeneration Gene Modification Accepted, Beginning Genetic Override...]
[Gene Modification Primary Effects:]
[1.) Activation- The host can exchange 1 AVLP for the healing of 1 minor injury over a period of 1 minute.]
[2.) Passive- Minor injuries such as cuts (Classified by Size, the cut off being the point in which stitches would be required), sprains, and bruises will heal at an accelerated rate. Healing at an average rate of 1 minor injury per hour. Note, injuries greater than minor will not be impacted in any meaningful way by this grade of gene modification.]
[Gene Modification Secondary Effects:]
[1.) Passive- Flawless Skin- Pimples, ingrown hairs, moles, dirty pours, and other blemishes are a thing of the past for you. Note, this does not impact the formation or removal of scars or tattoos.]
[2.) Passive- Metabolic Drain- The regenerative effects of the gene modification come at an equivalent caloric cost. Greater regeneration and health impacts come in a correlating increase in food consumption.]
[1 Time Side Effect- While the body template is being refreshed all physical injuries and abnormalities will be corrected at no additional AVLP cost to the host.]
[Templating Process Initializing... Estimated Time to Completion... 3 minutes 20 seconds... 3 minutes 19 seconds... 3 minutes 18 seconds...]
(Thank you Pima! You god damned angel wherever you are!) I shout in my head while mentally dismissing the ongoing notification.
Bracing against the barricade I shout to the others, "Run! I'll hold them back! Don't let John get away with what he did!"
Everyone bolted for the door except Pompous and Miranda who seemed hesitant to leave me alone.
"You can't hold them back it's better if-" Miranda started to argue before I abruptly cut her off.
"I said run, damn it! Don't worry I have a plan! And worse case, I'm already infected so I've got nothing to lose!" I shout, lying so those two would move on as another heavy crack can be heard from behind the door.
"Stop being an idiot! If you could be immune or something like that you could save everyone and you can't just die here!" Miranda shouts back. Adamantly stamping her foot before moving closer with Pompous to search for something to brace the barricade with.
But, just as I heard the others making their way through the door at the end of the hall leading towards the loading dock, I could feel the barricade behind me give way.
*Crack* *Snap* *Thump*
Our barricade is destroyed and I'm sent reeling back into the hallway wall, crashing with enough force to add a cracked rib to my growing list of injuries. As the skeletal zombie starts to drag itself through the opening it had created. Before lunging towards Miranda.
I can feel my bones realigning as I shove myself to block the path of the skeletal zombie causing it to dig into my stomach as I try and hold it in place, "Fucking run!" I shout through gritted teeth as I bare through the pain, keeping the zombie's claws firmly in my abdomen.
"B-but…" Miranda starts to try and argue but I cut her off.
"Lawrence! Get her the fuck out of here!" I shout using my elbow to start striking the zombie's joints before I feel only of its claw-like hands dig through my guts and wrap itself around my spine. Using its leverage to drive me into the side of the hall before I feel a deep.
*SNAP*
Inside as I lose control over my legs and I scream out, "AHHHH!!! SON OVA BITCH!!!"
Before it can pull away from me and go after Lawrence and Miranda who are still trying to flee, I take my right arm which has only just finished healing when I wrap it around the serrated bone spikes that started to grow from its spine as I lock my arm around its neck in a death grip as it pulls its arms from my abdomen to begin trying to buck me.
But I hold on, fighting it tooth and nail until I can start to feel my spine realigning as my legs regain feeling allowing me to secure my hold on the zombie letting me free up a hand to snap off one of its serrated spines before jamming it with all my might into the zombie's skull causing it to twitch and spasm before going limp.
I remove myself from the pincushion that was that thing's back and let my regeneration finish, which had about a minute left in the process. I drag myself over to my shotgun and keep my eye on the broken barricade before rearming myself and eventually standing up once my body is fully healed and I look down…
"Well… This shirt is definitely ruined… Fuck, this was a gift asshole!" I say, kicking the zombie's corpse before walking to the exit and heading back to the dorms to try and catch up with Miranda, Lawrence, and the rest.
After walking for about twenty minutes I crest a small hill to see the Skybridge and everything seems quiet and still… However, I notice that the door to building C is wide open and there seems to be a blood trail leading out of it.
I cautiously make my way to my building where I see a number of blood stains along the first-floor walls and windows causing my heart to perch before I call out, "Marcus? Lawrence? Miranda? Did you guys make it?"
After several deafening moments of silence, I see the rope ladder being sent down with Lawrence shouting, "Holy fucking shit! You actually made it! Hurry up before they come back!"
I quickly climb up the ladder and get through the window to see Lawrence standing in the common area alone. "Where is everyone?" I ask in confusion, "And who are 'they'?"
"Everyone is up, hiding on the 5th floor... And... it's zombies... From building C... Really strange ones. They swarmed out while we were gone apparently, D didn't prepare like everyone else, and those things tore through their first, second, and third floors before retreating back to their building, but not before trying to get into everyone else's buildings." Lawrence explains.