An hour before Theo's fight, a deafening roar ripped through the night, shaking the entire area to its core. Every faction keeping watch over the crash site was on edge, recognizing the familiar yet unsettling sound.
The runner-walkers were one thing, but this roar… it was different. It was primal, almost as if some demonic force had escaped hell itself to punish anyone who dared disturb its slumber.
Two groups in particular were on high alert: one was closest to Theo's location, while the other, a trio of strangers perched in a tall building, kept watch from a distance.
The leader of the first faction didn't waste time. "Move!" he barked, urging his men to rush to their checkpoint. He feared a monster attack and wasn't about to let his guard down. They'd heard rumors of a "third evolution" among zombies—an evolution so terrifying that no one who'd encountered it had lived to tell the tale.
The roar was a grim reminder of those stories. Usually, it came from the city center, where no sane person dared venture. But tonight, the roar was dangerously close. Too close.
The leader clenched his fists. Was this because of the crash, or had their faction's rapid expansion finally drawn the attention of something they couldn't handle?
Meanwhile, in the tall building, the three strangers strained their eyes toward the crash site. The once-raging fire around it had dwindled to faint embers, offering little illumination.
"This is insane," one of them muttered.
"Insane or not, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event," the third person said, a self-proclaimed researcher brimming with excitement. "If we observe carefully, we might learn something new!"
The other two weren't as optimistic. Their solemn expressions said it all. The night was spiraling out of control, and it wasn't even midnight—the hour when zombies were at their most vicious.
"I just hope it doesn't spill over," the first person said grimly. "If that thing comes out and brings a horde with it, we're all done for."
They all knew the stakes. A zombie outbreak wasn't just chaos; it was extinction. One less human meant one more zombie, and while factions didn't always get along, this grim truth united them in fear.
"Do you think it's a Level Three?" one of them asked hesitantly.
The researcher's eyes narrowed. "I don't know… but whatever it is, it's close to the crash site. If it's after something there, we won't stand a chance of getting near it."
"Look!" the researcher suddenly shouted, pointing toward the crash site.
Bright flashes of light illuminated the scene—beams of energy that sliced through the darkness like laser fire.
"What is that?"
They had no way of knowing it was Theo's plasma rifle, but it was clear that someone—or something—was fighting back. With each flash, the growls grew louder, more feral, sending chills down their spines.
The leader of the faction, several miles away, could see it more clearly. His eyes widened as he watched a dark figure wielding a weapon that emitted those laser-like beams. The figure moved with inhuman speed and precision, tearing through dozens of zombies in mere seconds.
"What the hell is that?" one of his men whispered in awe.
The leader's jaw tightened. The weapon wasn't the only thing baffling them. The beams seemed to change shape and intensity based on the target, and the dark figure moved so fast it was hard to follow with the naked eye. It didn't look human. It moved like… a machine.
But then the roar came again—louder, more menacing.
The ground trembled beneath their feet as if the earth itself was afraid. Every zombie froze, their grotesque heads snapping toward the source of the sound, waiting in eerie silence.
Then it appeared.
The looming figure of the beast came into view, a monstrous shadow cutting through the ruins of the city. Even from a distance, its sheer size was suffocating.
The leader squinted, trying to make out its shape. It was enormous—easily eight to ten feet tall—with unnaturally long arms and trunk-like legs. Its face was the most unsettling part. White, jagged bones jutted out like grotesque armor, reflecting the faint light. In its massive hands, it carried a thick pole, swinging it like a club.
The beast let out another deafening roar, and everyone watching held their breath.
The pole came crashing down toward the dark figure. The impact was thunderous, sending shockwaves through the air. Dust and debris flew everywhere.
But the figure didn't fall.
Against all odds, the dark figure—armored and unyielding—took the blow head-on, shielding its head. The beast hesitated, almost confused. Nothing had ever survived its raw power before.
The fight turned savage. The figure retaliated, firing a concentrated beam that slashed past the beast's arm. The monster howled in pain, its cry echoing like a chorus of tormented souls.
Shot after shot, the dark figure unleashed relentless fury, each blast tearing into the behemoth's massive frame. The once-terrifying roar of the beast turned into a pathetic wail before fading into silence.
And just like that, the night returned to an eerie stillness.
From the tall building, the trio could no longer see what was happening. The flashes of light had stopped, leaving them with only faint growling and… chewing noises.
The faction leader waited an hour, but no further clashes came. Reluctantly, he returned to his office, deep in thought.
Whatever—or whoever—that armored figure was, he needed it. If he was going to rid the city of every last zombie, he needed that power on his side.
And as greed flared in his eyes, his resolve only grew stronger. He had been a ambitious person even before the outbreak but since there was no more law and order his desire to climb to the peak only grew stronger.
Beside, he considered himself the smartest person in the room which meant he truly believed that scar d technology would be more effective in his hands.
Tomorrow he would take all his men and make the hooded person a nice offer- Surrender or Die!