Darkness fell.
Clouds covered the sky, blocking the moons.
The demon hound strode.
"Agh..."
A groan rang from its back.
Vincent opened his eyes.
He lay flat on his stomach.
Pain assaulted him.
Horrendous pain.
His head buzzed. Vision blurred.
He couldn't move. Just observe as the demon hound led him somewhere unknown.
But he was alive.
'Where am I?'
His eyes adapted to the darkness.
Ruins. All ruins.
He couldn't see a single standing building.
The sound of water gurgling reached his ears—fast river flow.
He was somewhere near the river.
The distant howls of the demons filled the night.
Coldness stung his skin.
Both from above and under - from the cold corpse he lay on.
And he was only in his underwear.
But it was the least of his worries.
'Stop,'
He willed in his mind.
The zombified demon hound, Mar, halted.
"Agghhh..."
Groans escaped Vincent's lips as he struggled to rise. But in vain.
He had no strength.
'Go to the hospital,'
Vincent ordered.
But Mar stood unmoving.
'Take me to safety. Just take me somewhere!!!'
But Mar didn't move.
It had no intelligence—just a corpse.
It needed clear directions.
Creeeak!
Vincent's teeth screamed.
'Will I die like this?'
He saw no way out.
'After surviving that! Is this how I meet my end!!'
His mind screamed.
Tears welled in his eyes. Anger filled his heart.
Unwilling.
He was unwilling to die like this!!
"No..."
Cold light flashed in his eyes. Murderous intent. Madness.
'I will not die! I survive! I WILL NOT DIEEE!'
Only one command remained in his mind.
His eyes flashed red. Bloodshot.
A command he knew Mar would follow without needing him to direct personally.
'Follow your instincts! Find humans! FIND THEM AND TEAR THEM APART!'
He abandoned everything. Madness filled his being.
With its master's order, the demon hound gave in to its feral instincts. To consume human flesh.
Swoosh!
It stormed.
No longer mindlessly, but with a clear objective.
It moved through the ruins.
Vincent couldn't see anything.
He could only feel the wind hitting his naked body.
The rotting stench filled his nostrils.
His heart pounded. It pounded in desire.
Desire to survive.
Survive at all costs!
The zombified demon hound searched for human scent.
Had it been an ordinary zombie, it couldn't possibly rely on its scent to search such a broad area.
But the demon hound was different.
Its stats far exceeded those of ordinary zombies, including its sense for human flesh.
It could accomplish the order.
.
.
.
The demon hound ran.
It was undead.
It had no stamina.
Thus, no reason to stop.
But it was by no means a comfy ride.
Vincent's shattered body went up and down.
The bleeding on his shoulder intensified.
The shirt wrapped around it soaked up.
The tourniquet on his missing arm loosened.
Blood started seeping.
Part of his bone stuck out of it.
It was not cut clean off.
But forcibly broken. Torn.
Flesh hung.
Blood dripped.
A faint trail of violet blood formed behind them.
Thud!
Mar halted suddenly.
"Aghhh..."
Vincent groaned in pain.
His body almost flew off its back.
Anger flashed in his eyes. But quickly dissipated.
Mar raised its head.
Vincent's heart skipped a beat. Joy.
He could feel it.
The demon hound found a target.
A live human.
Swoosh!
It stormed, changing direction.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Vincent saw it.
They were rapidly closing in on a building.
A massive, half-collapsed building.
Vincent braced for impact.
He forced his body, tightened his legs around the body.
His fingers dug into the cold flesh of the demon.
He clung.
BOOM!
Rubble flew.
Green blood splashed.
They slammed into the building.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A terrified scream tore the air.
A scream from inside the building.
Thud!
Vincent's body flew forward.
He slammed into rubble as his body flew inside.
The demon hound remained stuck in between the rubble.
It struggled. Eyes locked on prey inside. But couldn't pass to enter inside.
"W-Who are you?"
A terrified voice came.
"Aghh..."
Vincent struggled.
He lay on the ground.
His head buzzed.
Blood slid down his forehead.
'Stop it...'
Since there was a survivor here, he ordered the demon hound.
He had no intention of scaring him. Or worse, making him mistake him for an enemy.
It stopped struggling.
Stuck in between the rubble.
Swing!
Vincent froze.
A knife touched his neck.
Threatening to slice it open.
"I asked, who are you?!"
A man stood above him.
His voice no longer terrified. But threatening.
The initial shock had dissipated.
Survival instincts kicked in.
Gulp!
Vincent gulped hard.
"V-Vincent..."
He uttered.
"You...What are you? Spit out everything."
The knife sliced into the skin.
Vincent felt it.
This man had no patience.
No will to risk anything to save him.
"I-I'm Vincent...I awakened an ability to control zombies. But I was attacked by a demon. Luckily, I somehow escaped."
He spat out everything.
"How did you find this place?"
The man frowned.
His scarred face darkened.
Vincent's heart sank.
It didn't work.
The man showed no signs of sympathy. No will to help.
"Please...don't kill me..."
He begged.
Vincent didn't care about his image.
He just wanted to survive.
[Notice!]
[Your hunger grows]
[Critical Hunger: Self-control decreasing]
A dreadful notification arrived.
Vincent's eyes widened.
Pain!
Pain surged through his body.
His stomach hurt.
As if a hole opened.
'Kill him! Eat him! EAT HIM!'
His mind screamed.
Red flashed in his eyes.
An irresistible hunger assaulted his mind.
"P-Please..."
But he fought with his mind.
"Save me...help me..."
"I can't save you..."
The man replied.
"Don't kill me!"
Vincent grabbed the man's feet.
His heart pounded.
Now, his act of friendship bit him.
The decision to stop the demon hound from entering.
And with the knife to his neck, everything was too late.
'No...'
His heart stopped.
Adrenaline surged.
It was fight or die.
'ATTTACKK!'
He roared in his mind.
Thud!
He found strength.
Vincent threw his hand.
It hit the knife, slightly throwing it away.
The man didn't hesitate.
He swung at his throat.
CLANG!
Vincent bit.
He bit the knife with his teeth.
The rubble around shook.
The demon hound struggled.
It was setting itself free.
"LET GO!"
Panic shrouded the man's heart.
He pulled.
But Vincent refused to let go.
His teeth creaked, the gums bled.
But if he let go now, he would die.
"DIEEEE!"
The man shouted.
He pushed.
The knife went forward.
The sharp edges tore the sides of Vincent's mouth.
Blood splashed.
The tip of the tongue fell off.
But the pain didn't make him let go.
Madness flashed in his eyes.
He clung to the knife harder.
His teeth cracked.
"DIE!"
The man let go of the knife.
Swish!
A fireball ignited.
'No...'
The light shone on Vincent's face.
Thud!
The man hit his head.
The long hair ignited.
The punch landed.
Blood flowed down Vincent's nose and mouth.
Head buzzed.
Consciousness slowly faded.
BOOM!
Rubble flew around.
The zombified demon hound freed itself.
Swoosh!
It attacked.
"Fu.ck!"
The man cursed.
He backed away.
The demon hound chased.
Thud!
The man couldn't dodge.
The demon hound slammed its head into his chest.
Bom!
The man flew back.
His body slammed into a massive pillar.
'Come back...'
Vincent ordered.
The demon hound froze and returned to its master.
It lay behind Vincent.
"Ughh-grr..."
A gurgled groan escaped his lips.
His mouth was filled with blood.
But he mustered the last bits of strength and raised his body.
He leaned on the demon hound.
His gaze directed at the man.
"Damn!"
The man cursed again.
Another fireball ignited.
He stood in place for a moment. Hesitating.
His thoughts raced.
'His zombie is controlled now...It won't attack.'
Swish!
The fireball exhausted.
'But if I kill him, the zombie will go feral.'
The man calculated, weighing the pros and cons.
But ultimately, he gave up.
He didn't want to face the feral demon hound.
He sat down and leaned on the pillar. His gaze locked on Vincent.
Vincent sighed in relief.
He grabbed the stinky zombie bone and twisted.
The tourniquet tightened. The bleeding stopped.
But the situation was grim.
His ears bled. Mouth. Nose. Shoulder. The cut on his neck.
His vision blurred.
Dark dots danced.
His consciousness was fading.
But he had to stay awake.
His life depended on it.
If he falls asleep...he will die.