Myles kept a steady pace behind the three high school students who walked with panicked expression. His eyes scanning the darkening streets for any signs of movement.
Nadine walked beside him, still gripping her bloodstained knife. The boys had said the shelter was inside a university because that's a place with enough buildings and space to accommodate a large number of survivors.
The small military team deployed in this city had apparently announced it online before the internet failed, which explained how these kids knew about it.
Myles, on the other hand, hadn't brought his phone. He'd figured it would be useless when everything collapsed and so he didn't know about whatever information had been circulating before the internet is down.
The sky had taken on a dull orange hue, the last remnants of daylight fading behind broken rooftops. It was probably around 6 PM. Soon, the streets would be swallowed by darkness, and traveling would become even more dangerous.
Myles knew they had to move fast.
They turned a corner, following the road lined with abandoned cars and debris. Then they saw them.
A mass of mutated creatures both human and animal clustered in the distance, some moving aimlessly, others feasting on corpses. Thy twitched and snarled, their deformed horned bodies twitching. Some had extra limbs now, others had jagged bones protruding through their flesh. Among them, a hulking dog-like beast with body covered in grotesque tumors sniffed the air before letting out a loud growl.
Nadine stiffened beside him. The three boys halted in their tracks, fear flashing across their faces.
Myles exhaled through his nose. This was a problem. There are too many of them and some ven looks strong.
"We can't fight that many," he muttered.
"What do we do?" Nadine whispered, her grip on the knife tightening.
Myles' eyes flicked to the buildings around them. Some were partially collapsed, others had shattered windows and doors left ajar.
They needed to find another way around, or at least a place to hide and wait for the creatures to move. Myles not confident enough to fight these many creatures with his condition and his allies condition.
One of the boys pointed toward an alley to their left. "We can cut through there. It should lead us closer to the university. I know the way there."
Myles considered it. He also knows the way to that universtiy. The alley was narrow and dark, which meant less visibility for both them and the creatures. But if something was already lurking inside that alley, they could be walking into another kind of danger.
The mutated dog suddenly snapped its head in their direction.
Myles' gut tightened.
"We have to move now."
Without hesitation, he grabbed Nadine's wrist and pulled her toward the alley, the three boys scrambling to follow.
They disappeared into the shadows as the distant growls of the creatures echoed behind them.
They stepped into the alley, and just as Myles had expected, the alley wasn't empty.
A chorus of low growls filled the narrow passage.
"Oh shit!" one of the boys yelped, his voice cracking with panic.
The sound was enough to make all five of the mutated humans snap their heads toward them. Their milky eyes locked onto the group, their twisted disfigured bodies twitching.
Nadine sucked in a sharp breath, but Myles only clenched his jaw. He assessed the situation quickly.
"They're just F-Rank Mutated Souls. They're still weak."
He could handle this. If anything, this was an opportunity — more kills meant more EXP.
"Can you boys fight?" he asked, his tone even.
The three high schoolers turned to him, eyes wide with disbelief.
"What do you mean, fight?!" one of them stammered. "How the hell are we supposed to fight those?!"
Myles exhaled through his nose. Just as he thought. These kids weren't fighters. They were just trying to survive, clinging to whatever hope they could find.
The mutated humans twitched and jerked unnaturally again. One of them — a woman with half her face missing because her face were covered in thorns — let out a hiss and staggered forward. The others followed, their movements erratic but gaining speed.
Myles tightened his grip on his blade. There were five of them and the alley was narrow. But now he had more MP or Mana.
"I'll handle them," he muttered. "Nadine, you want to fight or not?"
Nadine hesitated but nodded.
"Alright. Come on."
Myles and Nadine closed the distance between them and the five mutated humans. Their grotesque forms twitched before suddenly breaking into a sprint at them. The three boys screaming something from behind but Myles don't listen.
"There's too many of them!" Nadine said, gripping her knife so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"Don't worry," Myles responded calmly. "When I tell you, move in and kill them."
Nadine swallowed hard but nodded.
The creatures were almost upon them. Myles focused. The moment they were close enough, he activated Shadow Bind.
Dark tendrils slithered across the ground like living snakes, rushing toward the approaching enemies. The shadows coiled around their legs and torsos, tightening in an instant.
The mutated humans jerked to a stop, their bodies struggling to free but the bindings held firm.
"Now!" Myles barked.
Nadine didn't hesitate. She dashed forward. The first mutated human barely had time to react before she drove her blade deep into its skull. It let out a choked gurgle before collapsing.
The second thrashed violently, trying to break free from the shadowy restraints, but Nadine lunged, stabbing her knife straight into its temple. It let out a shuddering gasp before falling limp.
Two down. Nadine got the EXP. And turns out, Myles also got his EXP.
Nadine didn't stop. She moved quickly to the next mutated human. She plunged her knife into its skull, expecting it to immediately pierce its skull.
But it didn't. Her stamina is depleting.
The creature let out a wet rattling snarl, its grotesque body jerking violently. Nadine's eyes widened as the thing lunged at her, forcing her to yank the knife free and stab it again.
Then, with a sickening snap, the blade broke.
Nadine staggered back, the broken handle still clenched in her fist.
"Shit," Myles cursed under his breath.
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