The dark of night set on Molina as whatever streetlights that still worked blinked to life. Streets everywhere were cast with uneven blotches of light as most of their bulbs were either broken or so covered in blood that they barely shone any light at all. The cover of darkness was more than enough for the infected to use as cover while they stalked the city hunting for more things to kill. Where once they were scattered all across Molina in a disheveled army, they were now beginning to gather in swarms and roamed the streets in unison along with their infested, tumor-covered automaton units.
Caelin and Karina decided to take the long way through an abandoned bus station where some soldiers failed to fortify the area, turning it into a graveyard for the dead and downtrodden that got unlucky. The roundabout leading into the station was littered with the dead and downed military vehicles while ammo crates and civilian belongings littered the entrance inside.
Caelin looked around with his scalpel clenched in his hands then said to Karina, “Oh boy, from creepy streets to an even creepier station.”
Karina kept her handgun in her hand but let it hang at her side once they were both sure no infected were nearby then replied, “Very creepy. But Maybe we can find some things that’ll help keep us alive in there too. I don’t think your scalpel and my handful of bullets will up our chances of survival much.”
Caelin walked ahead of her and slowly opened the front door, “Hopefully there’s some food too cus I'm starving from running for my life all day.”
They walked into a deconstructed mess. The walls were riddled with bullet holes and the floors were covered in black liquid as well as dried blood. Even the merchant's counter had looked like it had been ransacked. Behind the guard rails leading to the train platforms, Weapon crates sat inside of them as well as some damaged body armor and bags of dried fruits.
Caelin tossed his scalpel to the ground and exclaimed, “It must be my birthday.”
Karina was equally as relieved but also cautious as she said, “I agree, but don’t you think the Desdemaltan military will miss any of this?”
Caelin started rummaging through one of the weapon crates and pulled out a tactical shotgun. He examined the barrel and practiced with loading the shells that came with it then turned to her and said, “Doubt it. Probably better we take this stuff than someone crazier than us.”
“Do you know how to use any of this stuff?” She asked questioningly, eyeing the plethora of military grade arms left abandoned.
Caelin answered her, “Somewhat. I’ve gone to shooting ranges before so I at least know how to load and shoot without blowing my fingers off.”
“I guess you’re right.” She replied before going back to searching around the area. Karina continued to peruse the selection, stopping at a long, heavy looking black crate. A faded bloody handprint remained on the undone locks. She ran her hands along the surface of the crate before she gingerly clicked open one the locks and opened it wide. Inside was a grenade launcher painted a deep charcoal black. It’s revolver drum nearly glowed underneath the lights and judging from the way it was packaged, it had been well maintained until just recently. Inside the box, packaged neatly next to it, were a small assortment of flammable grenades carefully wrapped under layers of foam padding to keep them from moving too much. It’s glass scope caught some of the light of the room and flashed in her eye. “This’ll work.” She thought to herself. She ran her fingers over the barrel and grabbed the strap that was attached to it. She loaded some of the grenades into the drum and clicked it into place then stowed the rest on a belt she clicked to her waist.
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Caelin whistled then said, “That’s a good look on you.”
Karina smiled blushing a little, “You think so? I just figured having it would give us an advantage in case more came after us. I don’t know much about guns but this is easy for me to point and shoot at least.” She threw the weapon’s strap across her body and over her shoulder then turned to Caelin again and asked, “Should we stay here?”
Caelin thought for a moment, “Yeah, why not?” His focus turned from her to the front door. Faint thuds like something heavy was marching down the street caught both of their attention followed by multiple voices crying out into the air. The cacophony of voices they both recognized from the two headed abomination that nearly killed Caelin not that long ago.
It called out, “C—-oo—mee-e Ouuu—-ut an—-d Pl—-aa—yyy. You——Hu—-urttttt me-eeeeeeee.” The fused creature rounded the corner now in a more grotesque form than before and had nearly doubled its size since last encounter. The violet tumors were now growing all along its back and both Karina and Caelin could tell they weighed heavy on it as it shambled on grafted hands and feet that grew from its body. More bodies were added to its frame as its many more additional arms and legs waved in the air in a kitbashed, unfinished mess. The eyes that were lost had been replaced with the eyes it ripped off of other corpses and slapped onto itself and the tumors did the work of grafting them to its face.
Caelin groaned in annoyance, “You’re kidding, we must’ve really pissed that thing off. Now it looks even uglier than before.”
A bead of sweat rolled down Karina’s cheek as she observed its awkward shambling and listens to its call hunting for them
She nods to it and says, “Whatever this thing is, this is no simple Virus. No Virus or even a parasite can cause such mutations as this.”
Caelin loaded a shell into his Shotgun then agreed with her, “I was gonna say the same thing. Nothing in any medical book i've studied has ever described anything even close to what’s going on here. All I know is they’re definitely not the zombies you see in movies. So, what should we do?”
Karina looked down at the incendiary grenades at her hip then down at her grenade launcher, “I think, it knows where we are. Did you bleed at all near it?”
Caelin traced a finger over the scratch on his cheek he got during his escape from the hospital and came to the same conclusion, “You don’t think it's tracking me by my blood do you?”
Karina tapped her upper lip with her finger pondering for a moment before answering, “It’s possible. Otherwise there’s no way it found us so quickly.”
Caelin cursed, “Shit. Then if we want that thing off our asses we gotta put it down for good. Luckily, we just found some tools of the trade to help us.”
Karina was nervous, terrified almost, but the only way she could fully understand what was happening here was by taking one apart. Only then could she understand this “Virus” more, if that’s what this disease even is anymore.
The two of them walked outside and stood in the roundabout where the buses would make their way around and out once they reached the station. Without any vehicles blocking the streets except the ones that were overturned or parked by the curve, it made a nice open stage for them to end this abomination once and for all.
The creature's many heads rose in the air as it took a big whiff, sniffing for the ones it's been hunting for. Every head on its body cracked their necks as they all turned to where Karina and Caelin were waiting for it. From the nearby rooftops, the violet, blood shot eyes of infected appeared above them, glaring down with hunger and thirst for blood.
The fused monstrosity’s many heads screamed, “DOO—-OONNN—T TOO—OUUUCHHHH! MIII——IINN—EEEE!” Every infected that heard its demand backed away and cleared the field back to the dilapidated buildings they were hiding in. It made its way to the center and cackled before bellowing an unholy scream and dragging its husk straight at them.
