They swerved inside the building.
For now, they were safe from any potential consequence, seeing as this complex was quite large, and that the zombie hordes weren't fast enough to catch up unless they were evolved ones. The Apocalypse Mule was backed inside the building's dark interior. Its brakes squealed as the vehicle halted, its tires leaving faint tire marks on the floor.
The rumbling died down. All was silent save for the sound of the cooling engine ticking and clicking.
"Did we lose them?" Saeko asked. Her voice seemed to break the spell of silence, bringing everyone back to the present.
"I'm not sure..." Takashi hesitated.
Kohta responded almost instantly though, after making a quick observation. "If they did manage to follow us, it'd take them quite a bit of time to get here."
"Everybody out. Kohta, you go with Takashi to check the vicinity before going to the rooftop, make sure to keep us informed of anything."
They stepped out. Their footsteps echoed through the gloomy interior. The walls were bare concrete, and the floor was littered with discarded furniture. A layer of dust coated everything. It looked like no one had been here in a while, at least, no human being.
Saeko's sword glimmered under the faint light.
She held it at the ready.
"Roger that!"
Kohta saluted and scuttled away, along with Takashi.
The girls walked cautiously forward. There was no trace of any undead within the immediate vicinity, but Saeko remained vigilant nonetheless.
Rei kept her weapon at the ready as they advanced through the complex, Tysone on their tow. They came to a halt before a set of elevators, which were nothing but rust and cables hanging inside. Kohta and Takashi had taken the stairs, their footsteps slowly fading.
Tysone focused on his surroundings. Unlike the previous warehouse, this wasn't filled with crates or anything, but there were many signs of what probably had been abandoned supplies. He had made a mental list of what Saya had requested, but also kept in mind that he was also here to scavenge for any other useful items.
"Stay close, Rei." Saeko murmured, her gaze sweeping across the hallway. "Something feels off about this place." She had a strange look on her face.
Rei nodded, her grip on her spear tightening. "I know what you mean. It's too quiet."
Tysone's eyes scanned every nook and cranny; he didn't want to be surprised. Yes, this warehouse had an odd feeling. Perhaps it was his instincts telling him that there was something out of place, but he couldn't quite tell what it was.
Or maybe it was simple paranoia—either way, being extra careful wouldn't hurt.
They moved forward, deeper into the building.
Old blood stains were streaked all over the floor and walls, whoever those belonged to was certainly now outside in the horde.
It wasn't long before they came across a door that was slightly ajar. Tysone pushed it open with the butt of his halberd. His eyes darted left and right, then made an 'all clear' gesture towards his mates.
The room inside was an office. Papers were scattered all over the floor, and a computer monitor was shattered. The desk was overturned, and a chair was knocked over.
Tysone walked in and began to inspect the room. He checked the drawers, the cabinets, and even the computer tower. He found a few things that might be useful: a box of USB drives, a roll of duct tape, and a couple of power strips.
He then turned to the girls. "Help me look around. There might be something else."
They nodded and began to search the room.
Rei found a small, first-aid kit under a pile of papers. It was mostly empty, but there were still a few bandages and a bottle of antiseptic left.
Saeko found a fire axe in a glass case on the wall. She broke the glass with the hilt of her sword and took the axe. "This could be useful." She said, testing its weight.
Tysone nodded, a small smile on his face. It always brought a pleasant feeling looting useful items in an apocalypse. "Good find. Let's keep moving."
They left the office and continued down the hallway.
They came across a few more rooms, but they were all in a similar state of disarray. They didn't find anything else of value. There were a couple of forklifts, but they were out of fuel and too heavy for them to take anyway. Beyond that, there was not much else but some empty barrels and old shelves.
"Let's load them all up." Tysone said, after finding a few boxes of electronic components, which he knew Saya would love to get her hands on. They also found a few tools.
"Are you sure about this? They seem kinda heavy..." Rei hesitantly asked.
"We'll manage." Tysone said.
It was a struggle, but they managed to load the boxes into the truck. The Apocalypse Mule's suspension groaned under the added weight. Tysone wanted to take as much as he could given the danger of the mission. It wasn't something he was keen on repeating anytime soon.
There didn't seem to be anything else of value around, so they decided to head upstairs for one final sweep. The building itself had four floors in total, and they were currently on the ground floor.
"Let's head up." Tysone said. "Maybe those two got luckier there."
It was then that Kohta's panicked voice crackled through the walkie-talkie. "Tysone, we have a situation!" He sounded terrified.
"What is it?" Tysone's voice was calm, but there was a hint of urgency in it.
"There's a... a... a big one! A really big one!"
"Big how?" Tysone asked, his grip on the halberd tightening as he began moving, and fast.
"Bigger than the other ones! Much bigger! And it's fast! It's heading right for us!"
Tysone's eyes went wide open as he ran up the stairs. "Hide! Do whatever you can to hide! We're on the way!"
Saeko and Rei followed suit, their expressions grim.
Meanwhile, Kohta screamed.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! SHIT! Oh dear fucking god, fucking goddamn shitballs!" His screams of terror could be heard reverberating down through the ventilation shafts and outside their position. The sounds of a struggle could be heard from the walkie-talkie. A large, crashing sound was heard, followed by the sound of gunshots.
Tysone cursed under his breath.
He took the stairs two at a time, his legs pumping.
They burst onto the fourth floor, the one Kohta and Takashi had mentioned earlier as their potential scouting ground. The scene before them was a chaotic mess. The walls were cracked, and the ceiling partially collapsed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Kohta, now a bona-fide evolved, moved with a grace and speed unbefitting of his chubby frame. He was blur of motion, ducking and weaving, his rifle spitting a storm of lead at the hulking figure in front of him.
The creature was a mountain of muscle, easily eight feet tall, its skin a grotesque patchwork of dark, leathery hide and bulging, tumor-like growths. One of its arms was a massive, fleshy hammer, the other a surprisingly normal-looking hand, complete with long, jagged claws.
Takashi was also there, his spear clutched in his hands. He was trying to flank the beast, but the creature was too fast, too unpredictable. It swatted him away like a fly, sending him crashing into a wall with a sickening thud.
"TAKASHI!" Kohta cried out.
"Get back!" Saeko yelled, pushing Kohta behind her.
Tysone's frown deepened as he burst forward, blocking the fleshy hammer crashing down towards Takashi's immobilized body with his halberd. Sparks flew out from the point of contact. Tysone's feet slightly skidded back from the force, before he flicked his wrist and the blade flaked off of the zombie's hand, slicing it open.
Takashi managed to stand up with Saeko and Rei's help and was dragged away. The giant swung its other arm, the one with claws, at Tysone, who sidestepped and managed to slice its abdomen. The cut was shallower than he expected.
A storm of bullets came raining down on it, each one striking the same place. The zombie held its hammer-like hand up, shielding itself from Kohta's onslaught. Most of the bullets pinged off. But not all of them missed. A few rounds managed to pierce its hide, and burrowed deep into its flesh.
The damage didn't seem to be deep enough to cripple the monstrosity, but Tysone was already on the move, rolling under the sweeping, left-clawed strike of the creature. Tysone's durability against powerful attacks had vastly increased since his last evolution but he certainly didn't want to test its limits against that thing.
Author's Note:
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.