Mutation: Chapter 1
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'What is this?' Eri stopped walking as a strange purple holographic projection materialized in front of him. His brows furrowed in confusion, and his heart began to race. From the corner of his eye, he noticed he wasn't the only one. People on the streets were frozen in their tracks, staring at the same projection. The air felt charged, as if the very world held its breath.
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[Welcome to the selection process. I am your host and wonderful monitor in this series of plagues. So I beg of you…]
[Make sure to scream very loud when you die.]
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Eri's breath hitched. His heart pounded against his chest, and a cold shiver ran down his spine. What kind of twisted message was this? The words floated ominously before him, each one sinking deeper into his mind. It felt surreal—like a bad joke—but the tone of the message carried a gravity that rooted him to the spot.
Around him, reactions varied. Some scoffed and muttered curses under their breath, brushing it off as a prank or a glitch in some new tech advertisement. But Eri, fueled by a mix of curiosity and dread, couldn't tear his eyes away.
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[You will now experience the first plague and the end of your race. For those that can evolve and do the needful, they will become stronger, while others that fail will die.]
[For those who listened carefully, rejoice! Rewards will be given for a good listening ear.]
[Die well.]
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And just like that, the hologram disappeared, leaving Eri staring at empty air. He blinked, half expecting it to reappear, but nothing happened. His hands trembled slightly as he clenched them into fists.
"A prank," he muttered, trying to convince himself. But the words felt hollow.
He glanced around, noticing that most people were attempting to move on, shaking off the unease. Yet something about the whole experience clawed at his instincts, screaming that this was no hoax.
Feeling restless, Eri made his way to a nearby retail supermarket, hoping to shake off the strange sensation in the familiarity of shelves and aisles. As he stepped inside, the automatic doors slid shut behind him with a soft ding. The atmosphere inside was unusually subdued. There were only a handful of people, and all of them seemed distracted—nervous, even.
Eri's unease deepened.
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BOOOM!
The sudden roar of thunder rattled the building. Startled, Eri whipped around toward the glass doors. Outside, the sky had darkened unnaturally fast, heavy clouds roiling overhead as if summoned by an unseen force. Rain began to pour down in torrents, drumming against the windows with an almost angry ferocity.
"This wasn't in the forecast…" Eri whispered. He shook his head, trying to brush off the growing sense of dread. "At least I'm indoors."
But then he noticed it—the rain. It wasn't clear. It wasn't even gray from pollution. No, it was pink.
"What the hell…?" Eri muttered, stepping closer to the window. His reflection stared back at him, pale and wide-eyed. The pink rain splattered against the glass, leaving streaks like diluted blood.
A cold lump formed in his throat. His instincts screamed at him that something was terribly, terribly wrong.
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SHWIMMM!
Abruptly, the rain stopped, as if someone had flipped a switch. The silence that followed was deafening. Eri felt his pulse quicken. Storms didn't just end like that—not without warning. The air outside was eerily still, as if the world itself held its breath.
"What the hell is going on out there?" a man grumbled, his voice tinged with frustration. He was large and muscular, carrying a basket overflowing with supplies. Without waiting for an answer, he stomped toward the exit.
Eri's gut screamed at him to say something, to stop the man from going outside. But fear held his tongue. What was he supposed to say? "Don't go out because of pink rain?" He'd sound insane.
The man muttered under his breath as the automatic doors slid open with a cheerful ding.
And then, chaos erupted.
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"AHHHHHHH!"
The man's scream pierced the air, sharp and guttural, cutting through the tense silence like a knife. Eri spun toward the sound just in time to see two figures tackle the man to the ground.
It took a moment for his brain to process what he was seeing. The attackers—if they could even be called that—looked human, but their skin was grotesque. Bloated and discolored, their flesh seemed to be rotting, with jagged purple veins running like spiderwebs across their bodies. Their eyes glowed faintly, like dying embers, and their mouths… their mouths were wide open, filled with jagged teeth that tore into the man's flesh like rabid animals.
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SPLOOOSH!
Blood sprayed in every direction, painting the pavement a dark crimson. The man barely had time to fight back before he was overwhelmed. In less than two minutes, the once-powerful figure was reduced to a pile of torn flesh and gleaming bones.
Eri's stomach churned. He stumbled backward, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps. The scene felt ripped straight out of a nightmare.
"Z-zombies?" he whispered, the word slipping from his lips before he could stop it.
The creatures—mutated, ravenous—lifted their heads, blood dripping from their mouths. They sniffed the air like predators catching a scent.
And then, they turned toward the supermarket.
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Ding.
The automatic doors welcomed them with a cheerful chime. Eri's blood ran cold.
The creatures stepped inside, their heads twitching unnaturally, their movements jerky yet terrifyingly fast. For a moment, the entire store seemed frozen in shock. Then, panic exploded.
Screams filled the air as people scrambled in every direction. One woman tripped over a shopping cart, her cries cut short as one of the creatures pounced, tearing into her throat. Another man swung a metal pole, connecting with a sickening crunch, but the creature barely flinched before lunging at him.
Blood splattered against the shelves, pooling on the tiled floor. The smell of iron and death was suffocating.
Eri backed away, his mind racing. He couldn't outrun them—he knew that. He needed a plan, needed to think. His eyes darted toward the emergency exit, but a fresh scream jolted him back to reality. One of the creatures was heading straight for him.
Adrenaline surged through his veins. Grabbing a nearby display stand, Eri swung it with all his might. The impact knocked the creature off balance, but it didn't fall. Its glowing eyes locked onto him, and a guttural growl escaped its throat.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Eri cursed, stumbling backward.
The creature lunged, but at the last second, Eri ducked, sending it crashing into a shelf. Cans and boxes toppled, burying the monster for a moment. It wouldn't hold it for long.
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Around him, the store was descending into a slaughterhouse. People screamed, begged, and cried, but it was no use. The creatures were relentless, tearing through flesh with horrifying efficiency.
Eri's chest heaved as he sprinted down an aisle, weaving between overturned carts and bodies. His mind raced, flashes of his family filling his thoughts.
"Mum, Dad, Sis…" he whispered, his voice trembling. "I guess this is the end."
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In the chaos, a single thought crystallized in his mind: survival. If he didn't act fast, he'd be next. And he wasn't ready to die—not yet.