Episode 6: Jack of Hearts
After turning the corner and walking a few
hundred meters, Adrian saw what the crowd
had been fleeing from.
The head of the Statue of Liberty was
wedged into a Starbucks café. Its
cross-section faced Adrian and Quicksilver,revealing scattered wires and tangled metal components, broken and incomplete.
The statue's once-bright eyes had lost their
shine; one was even torn apart, as if
expressing silent pain. The mouth was
damaged and distorted into a twisted smile,
hinting at the devastation it had endured.
Signs of heavy friction and impact were
evident, with burn marks on the bronze
surface giving it a dull, damaged appearance
compared to its usual gleam.
The building's second floor had crumbled
under the weight, and the large glass
window shattered into countless sharp fragments, which glittered in the cold sunlight like diamonds.Inside the café, chaos reigned. Tables and chairs were overturned, pieces of porcelain were scattered around, and the coffee
machine continued to hiss. Still, the rich
scent of coffee mingled with dust and
debris, creating an odd, chaotic odor.
"What happened here?"
Adrian looked around, kicking half of a
broken sign to the ground. The mermaid logo was missing, with only part of the crown left.
"It must have been Jack of Hearts. Fury told me he died fighting whatever creature fell here."
Quicksilver, slung over Adrian's shoulder,wore a heavy expression. He didn't know Jack of Hearts well, but seeing this
aftermath left him with a deep sadness.
"Well, I suppose he made a sacrifice. But not
entirely."
Adrian's gaze settled on a familiar figure
amidst the debris.It was Jack of Hearts-a once-indispensable
Avenger. Now, he lay half-buried in the
rubble, his body blown apart by an explosion, with only his upper half remaining.
As Adrian approached, he sensed a chilling
aura in the air. Jack of Hearts had been
infected, his eyes now devoid of intelligence
and filled with madness.
"Hun...gry... Must... eat...."
Adrian took a step back, increasing the
distance between himself and the undead
Jack of Hearts.
According to Quicksilver, Jack had likely
been infected during the fight and tried to self-destruct. But he'd somehow survived,albeit with only half his body intact.
"I'm so hungry! You... let me... eat!"Jack's upper body struggled to break free
from the debris, his broken mechanical parts
screeching as he moved. With a low, feral
growl, he bared his sharp teeth and lurched
toward Adrian.
But with only his upper half, Jack's
movements were clumsy and erratic. He suddenly lost balance and crashed to the ground.
Undeterred, he crawled forward, dragging himself with one arm while the mechanical parts in his body rattled. His broken arm
reached out for Adrian, desperate.
Adrian calmly raised his weapon, aimed at the infected Jack of Hearts, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The sharp crack of the gunshot shattered
the silence. The bullet pierced the air, hitting
Jack of Hearts' head with pinpoint accuracy.Time seemed to freeze, and then, with an explosion of force, Jack's head burst apart.Flesh, blood, and bone fragments flew
everywhere, filling the air with a rancid
stench. His shattered skull exposed what
little remained of his brain.
Jack of Hearts' body couldn't contain his
power without the equipment to suppress it.The bullet had acted as a catalyst, triggering his energy to release uncontrollably.
In his last moments, his eyes were filled with
agony and despair before his body finally
collapsed, motionless.
Fragments of brain matter and blood spread across the ground, painting a ghastly scene.Jack's twisted, broken corpse lay as a
grotesque nightmare made real.
His body continued to convulse, small
explosions igniting between his head and
torso. Although these blasts weren't
powerful, they scattered bits of the corpse
furtherSuddenly, faint popping sounds came from
Jack's chest, where broken ribs and
decaying tissue glowed like sparks in the
darkness.
Adrian took a few steps back. These small
explosions were likely caused by the energy
still within Jack's body-a remnant of the
powers he wielded as a hero, now lingering
in his remains.
Each explosion sent weak energy rippling outward, making his corpse convulse even more violently.
Jack's limbs twisted and jerked under the
impact, as if he were still fighting for
survival even in death.
"Is this what happens after infection turns
someone into a zombie?"
Perched on Adrian's shoulder, Pietro
watched in horror as Jack's body twitched
and exploded in small bursts. Shock and fear
filled his eyes as he took in the surreal
scene.He could feel the faint energy radiating from Jack's remains, a sensation that sent a chill through his entire body.
What disturbed him most were those small,deadly explosions-the superhero's powers still active even in death.
Fear crossed Quicksilver's face, and he shuddered. His eyes widened, staring at Jack's twitching limbs in disbelief.
In that moment, he realized that he himself was at risk of becoming a monster like this.The world was plunging into chaos, and not even heroes were immune.
This world was on a path to destruction, just
as Adrian had warned.
"I remember you saying earlier you'd rather
take me out than let me turn into a zombie."
"Yes," Adrian replied.
Quicksilver nodded grimly. "I believe you
now.'
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