They moved while kept low and every step was deliberate. Their eyes darted to every shadow and broken corner.
The four of them moved like predators that knew other predators were watching.
Myles's grip on his blade was steady but a faint tightness in his jaw showed his unease.
He wasn't as confident as he wished to be. He was level 14 now and stronger than most survivors he had met, but the memory of the Vilegnaw fight still burned in his mind.
They were only able to kill that B-Rank monster down with Lilian's help who was far stronger than any of them.
Even then, most of them had been tossed around like rag dolls. Without someone like her now, charging headlong into danger would be suicide.
The supermarket came into view, squatting in the middle of a cracked parking lot.
The place was chaotic just like they had thought. Grocery carts overturned, boxes spilling their contents across the asphalt, shattered glass glittering under the dull daylight. Cars sat at odd angles, some crushed, some flipped entirely on their roofs.
Among them lay bodies. Some human and some monster. They bloated and tore in ways that made it impossible to tell which had died first.
"I don't see any monsters," Myles murmured, scanning with narrowed eyes. "But I can feel them. They're around. Be careful."
He stepped forward.
Nia's hand shot out, catching his arm.
"Are you sure about this? If there are too many, we can try somewhere else."
"There's no such thing as safety," Myles replied. "Monsters will exist everywhere we go. At least here we know there's food worth the risk. If we're careful, we'll be fine. Just keep your eyes open."
She hesitated, then released him.
Nadine followed close behind, crowbar ready in her hands. Her gaze never stopped moving, tracing each shadow and every jagged opening in the buildings.
"There," Myles whispered, raising two fingers toward the far end of the lot. "Mutated human with horns and glowing eyes. He looks idle and alone."
"Your call," Ryan muttered.
Myles nodded. "I'll handle it myself. Keep watch."
Myles crept forward, boots silent against the grit. The mutated human gave a low guttural growl, unaware of the hunter stalking it.
In one swift movement, Myles's blade slid across its throat. Warm blood sprayed but he caught the body before it hit the pavement and easing it down.
[+10 EXP]
No movement or sound. Myles glanced around, scanning for any reaction, then motioned for the others to follow.
Step by step, they reached the supermarket entrance.
The automatic glass doors hung shattered, one half missing entirely. Inside, the smell hit them first. A thick rotting stench of spoiled meat, mold, and dried blood.
The aisles were a mess. Shelves lay toppled like fallen dominoes and what food remained was scattered and trampled.
Canned goods rolled underfoot, some dented, some leaking foul-smelling liquid.
Cartons of milk lay burst with their sour contents dried into yellow crusts on the floor.
Shopping carts sat abandoned mid-aisle, some with claw marks scoring the metal.
A freezer unit hummed faintly, its glass cracked, with frost forming along the edges like creeping veins.
Myles raised a hand for silence. His eyes swept the shadows between aisles.
"Stay sharp. We're not alone in here."
Hearing Myles say that the group tensed instantly.
"If you see a monster or a mutated human, kill it quietly and don't let the body hit the floor hard. We split up and grab as much food as we can," Myles ordered in a low voice.
Nia's lips pressed into a thin line, clearly not liking the plan, but Ryan gave a curt nod and Nadine's usual firmness showed in her steady gaze.
They spread out, moving through the wreckage of the aisles. Eyes sweeping every corner as they gathered whatever still looked edible into their backpack.
Nia approached the freezer unit and pulled its door open, a faint cloud of frost spilling out.
Her brow furrowed when she spotted a man and a woman huddled in the corner inside. Their skin was pale blue. Their frozen faces twisted in expressions of fear.
She scanned the shelves for frozen meat or vegetables.
She didn't see that from between the stiff lips of the dead woman, a creature slid exited.
It was long like a centipede and had a segmented body, with slick black chitin broken by glowing red stripes along its body.
The thing wriggled free of the corpse and scuttled toward her in a sudden burst of speed.
By the time Nia registered it, the creature was already at her boots.
It climbed quickly, legs scraping against her pants, until it reached her thigh.
Her breath gasped and she jerked her gaze down.
"AAARGH!"
A scream tore from her throat as she reached for the knife at her hip.
But the centipede lunged upward in a blur and launched itself at her face.
Its segmented body forced past her lips before she could even close them and disappeared down her throat in a slick writhing rush.
Nia staggered back, her breaths ragged. Horror flooded her eyes as if she could already see the nightmare clawing its way through her body.
Panic seized her limbs and she ran toward the exit. Her shoulder slamming into a shelf.
Metal groaned and toppled, cans and boxes crashing to the floor in a deafening clatter.
The noise tore through the tense air, snapping every head toward her.
"Shit," Ryan hissed, dropping his pack as he sprinted to her side. He caught her by the arms, steadying her trembling frame.
"What happened to you?" he demanded, voice tight with fear.
Nia's breaths grew shallow. Her chest hitched as though something inside her throat was clawing upward.
Then, her gaze locked on him. Her eyes now suddenly blazed a deep bloody red.
Myles who just arrived yanked Ryan back with a firm grip. "She's already turned."
"No!" Ryan barked, jerking against his hold.
"If you don't let go, you'll die too," Myles snapped, his tone as sharp as his blade.
"We can't just leave—"
Ryan's words cut off when Nia's body jolted violently.
From her eyes, mouth, and nostrils, slick chitinous tendrils erupted in a sudden, grotesque bloom.
"Damn It. Get ready to fight!" Myles barked.
"Okay!" Nadine answered with a single firm nod, crowbar raising in her grip, while Ryan stood frozen with shock locking his muscles in place.
—