A few minutes ago,
Akin to a gorilla, the nearest Aberrant jumped upward with its arms on top of his head. The moment he went down, he slammed his fist on Kazuichi's back, cleanly knocking him unconscious.
Seeing Kazuichi's current situation, the Aberrants started walking around Kazuichi while he lay face-first on the ground, unconscious. What people didn't know about Aberrants was that they're pretty organized as infected. There's a certain hierarchical order when it comes to the Aberrants, that's why all the spoils of the hunt would go to the leader first before it was distributed amongst the group.
It was one of the normal Aberrants who knocked Kazuichi unconscious, but it couldn't really do anything without their leader's permission. that's why they were at a standstill, waiting for their leader to do something.
There was no communication when it comes to the Aberrants, just mere grunts akin to animal instincts. When the leader of the pack walked towards Kazuichi, there was a certain atmosphere of anxiousness all over the group.
After all, Kazuichi was their first hunt after they grouped with each other. But there was no way Kazuichi was enough for all of them.. or so that's what was ingrained in their instinctual minds. When it comes to infected, they don't really need to eat since they were already dead in the first place.
However, Aberrants are different. They hunt and eat despite not needing it. This was why most Aberrants have a huge stomachs. Those were undigested humans but that's beside the point.
Discomfort filled the Aberrants when they looked at their leader. They impatiently waited for it to distribute Kazuichi after biting him to death.
That wasn't what happened.
The moment the leader of the Aberrants turned its head from Kazuichi, it felt a stinging pain on its back as if someone was glaring right down at it. There was a glint of glowing eyes, and a hint of bloodlust filled the air. Before any Aberrant in the group could react, a crack was heard, and then the head of the Aberrant's leader fell on the floor with a plop.
It all happened in an instant, and the Aberrants were disarrayed since they heavily relied on their leader for instructions. They didn't even notice Kazuichi's actions when he flew towards their leader's neck and snapped it in two as if he was snapping a twig.
Aberrants have really thick skins, and their strength could rival that of a gorilla. And yet Kazuichi made easy work on their leader despite the fact that it was the biggest and most formidable Aberrant around. With all the Aberrants thrown into confusion, Kazuichi continued beheading the Aberrants like he was popping the cork out of wine bottles.
His attacks were smooth and there were no actions wasted in the process. It's as if he was a machine created solely to kill Aberrants. There was nothing the Aberrants could do but run away in fear... even then Kazuichi was unstoppable.
One of the Aberrants was running towards the entrance while dragging its deformed arm. Kazuichi twisted in the air and landed on its back, scratching the Aberrants on the nape before digging his claws into its shoulder. The Aberrant tried to shake him off, but it was to no avail. His grip on its back was sturdy, like glue on paper.
Before the Aberrant could do anything, Kazuichi twisted its neck, bashed its skull in, and sipped its brains out as if he was drinking coconut juice from a fresh coconut. Licking his lips, he went on to find his other prey.
His crazed and erratic movements were nothing to laugh about, or at least to the Aberrants it was as such. They couldn't believe that they, the hunters, were the ones being hunted. And the one playing around with them was a lone Hybrid, no less. For once, the Aberrants felt what being prey is all about, but before that fact sank in, they were already dead.
.....
After Kazuichi was done changing, he resembled a bona fide store clerk with his mall uniform. He wore a clean shirt and he tore the readily available pants in half so it wouldn't impede his movement. He also remembered to restock his food supplies from the supermarket section of the mall.
"That's right, the blood," Kazuichi muttered to himself, rushing towards the staff room which was done in by the Aberrants a couple of moments ago. To his relief, it was still there, safe and intact in his bag. As for everyone else's supplies, they were nowhere to be seen. Kazuichi figured that they probably managed to grab them at the last minute before they escaped.
"I guess that's about it. I have enough food and water to last me half a month or so... I can't pack more than this since it would be hard to travel with heavy luggage. As for my weapon... hmm..." Kazuichi rubbed his chin in contemplation before he headed towards the hardware store by the abandoned mall.
Since the smell of Aberrants still lingered in the area, there was no way that the infected would invade the territory. And as for the uninfected, the news about the nest of Aberrants residing there is enough to keep them at bay. For once, Kazuichi felt like he was in his usual place, alone and unbothered. His shut-in persona kicked in and he felt at ease.
"Axes, rakes, clubs, bats... hmmm..." Kazuichi walked along the aisle of the hardware store admiring the weapons lined up in front of him. They were all pretty useful, especially at such a time like now and he had a hard time picking one. At most, he could only settle for two since getting more would just slow him down on his trip.
In the end, he picked an axe and a bat, thinking that getting one sharp and one blunt weapon is the way to go. He did contemplate bringing more weapons, but he knew it wouldn't work out.
Attaching his chosen weapons to his bag, he now headed for the exit. "Off to the Scarlet Blood Shelter then... I should check up on them before I headed back to my place. Besides, the Scarlet Blood Shelter is nearer, it would be wrong if I don't pay them a visit." Kazuichi said to himself.
With a light skip in his steps, Kazuichi continued his journey, completely oblivious of his actions when he dealt with the Aberrants.