Thomas, who lived a normal life of independence, had a job to stabilize him financially and a horrible boss that turned him into a workaholic, compelled to work with no chance to see peace.
But when the world was under attack, he felt freedom knocking at his door. He had been an orphan for two years, with no relatives he could remember. Life seemed to have gotten meaning, as he survived with utmost priority and selfishness.
Unfortunately, his luck ran out and he ended up in the slums. The place where survival of the fittest altered in a profound way, and starvation sought to extinguish them.
'I know death's grace knocks at my door. However, the will and hunger want me to survive. If I could just win, I could finally taste good food after five days of starvation,' Thomas reassured himself. Because making an effort surpassed doing nothing.
The bulky man slammed his fists together in an intimidating manner, with no shame for his cleanly shaven head that brightened up like a disco ball.
A mocking smile encrusted his lips as he said, "I am gonna beat the nerdiness out of you. Then feed on your flesh in victory. Heheh."
The bulky man himself had been starving. To maintain his physique, he had been constantly consuming human flesh on a daily basis, which had led to some kind of mutation that enhanced his physical attributes.
His intimidating physique frightened people, and only a few dared to go against him. That's why, upon seeing what kind of person he was about to go against, the chances of survival were slim.
Preferring not to be easy prey, Thomas decided to be the one to attack. His quivering legs weakened him; however, with cold, sweaty feet, he dashed to the side, avoiding a punch that distorted the air and fractured the earth.
"That was extremely close!" Thomas exclaimed. "What the heck is this guy?!"
Thomas freaked out upon realizing who the bulky man was, from the sheer danger of the attack.
'Don't tell me. This is one of Michael's abnormal subordinates, those who were Curseweavers...' Thomas thought as he glimpsed at Michael, who sat comfortably on his wooden throne.
The bulky man, who was named Brooks, turned to his left with a frustrated expression. "You are a rat. I thought of ending your worthless existence with a clean hard punch. However, you are running?"
"Why wouldn't I run when you want to kill me..." Thomas replied as he had taken multiple steps to distance himself from Brooks.
The attempt seemed to be futile as Brooks' muscles cramped together, forcefully tightening them solid like a rock. A blue aura enveloped him, and within seconds he appeared in front of Thomas and smacked him with his arm like swatting a fly.
Thomas's body was flung into the air; he felt light and weightless before he smashed onto the crater's walls, plastered there like a frame.
He coughed out, lacing the ground with blood. His mouth was covered with blood as he struggled to breathe; he could feel that his lungs had caved in, and he probably had broken ribs and internal bleeding.
Unfortunately, two foolish spectators who were practically drooling had fallen into the crater from Thomas's impact, and their faces instantly became pale. As they quickly tried to climb back up, the slick walls prevented them from doing so.
Others didn't bother to help them as they struggled, their eyes dark and excited by the possibility of more meals.
Brooks slowly and sinisterly walked towards Thomas with grace. Upon seeing the invaders, he simply grabbed them by the head before slamming their heads together, fracturing their skulls and killing them on the spot.
Tossing their bodies aside like discarded trash, Brooks' attention went towards Thomas, who was still glued to the wall.
Brooks grabbed his head, lifting his motionless body into the air. Then he stood in the middle of the crater before holding a hand to Thomas's legs with the other to his neck.
Like weights, Thomas's body was lifted up like a trophy as the crowd roared in delight.
"Yeee..!! Kill him!! Kill him!! Kill him!" Everyone chanted in glee.
Brooks' arms tightened as he spread his hands in opposite directions in an attempt to rip Thomas in two.
Thomas was being throttled in Brooks' grasp, desperately trying to break free, which proved futile. With a swift and decisive pull, Thomas's body ripped apart into two like a piece of paper. A large amount of blood splattered on Brooks' bald head, bathing him with Thomas's insides, bringing pleasure and satisfaction to Brooks' heart.
Brooks tore off Thomas's arm, discarding the rest of his body like complete waste. Then, he moved forward and knelt before Michael, his hands extended while gripping Thomas's arm.
"I humbly give my master a gift with a joyful heart," Brooks said. Michael smiled in delight before he stood up and jumped down from his throne.
Retrieving the arm, Michael raised it up before biting down on the flesh. He tore into the food with a ferocity that left no room for manners. Crumbs and bits of food flew in all directions as he devoured each bite.
Flickering his hand, the crowd of people atop the crater dashed down with profound speed. Each selected pieces of the fallen humans they would eat.
Their hands clawed at the flesh, shoveling it into their mouths without pause, teeth gnashing and ripping like wild beasts feasting on their prey. The sounds of chewing and swallowing were loud and unrefined, each of their eyes wide with a primal hunger that seemed insatiable as they gulped it all down before throwing the bones aside.
It was at that moment, a man in a hooded cape dropped into the crater while carrying a body on his back. He carefully walked past the beastified humans, not wanting to fall into their jaws.
He let go of the body, and as it plummeted to the ground, he fell to his knees.
"Master Michael, I have something to trade with you."
The body on the ground was none other than an unconscious Damon.
..
.
.
"Once again, he's late," Kenny pondered. "It has been a while since he left, well, he might be busy. I'll wait a little more before looking for him."
Kenny was worried; the slums weren't somewhere safe. The mutated rats weren't really the only threat that lingered; instead, humans were the most lethal and dangerous. Some might have been hungry for days and were willing to hunt down their kin if possible to have even a morsel of food.
Exiting the store, Kenny looked towards the eerie sky before letting out a sigh.
But then, in a split second, he drew out a sharp sword from its hilt before stopping in front of a man's neck behind him, inches away from decapitating it.
The blinding movement and realization of what could have happened made him literally pee his pants in fear.
"Calm down!! I am just sent here by my master, Michael," the man hurriedly said, his pants dripping with pee.
Kenny's stony look cleared as he let out a disappointing sigh. Placing the sword back into its hilt, Kenny said, "What does he want now!"
****