The next morning, Athena and Xavier set out before dawn. The city was still shrouded in darkness, the air heavy with the scent of decay.
Their footsteps were light as they navigated through the ruined streets, avoiding any unnecessary encounters.
They moved quickly, knowing that staying in one place for too long was a death sentence.
The night had been eerily quiet, but they both knew that danger lurked around every corner. They had to keep moving.
As they reached the outskirts of the city, an overwhelming stench filled the air. Athena grimaced, covering her nose with the sleeve of her jacket.
It was the sll of rotting flesh, thick and suffocating. Xavier's expression darkened as he gestured for her to stay close.
They moved forward cautiously, their weapons at the ready. As they turned a corner, they were t with a horrific sight. A mountain of bones.
The pile stretched high, nearly touching the crumbling remnants of a nearby building.
Skulls, ribs, femurs, all stripped clean of flesh, as if sothing had devoured the bodies and left only the bones behind.
Athena felt her stomach twist at the sheer number. There were hundreds, maybe thousands. So bones were old, brittle, and yellowed, while others were fresh, still stained with blood.
Xavier crouched down, examining the remains with a sharp gaze. "These aren't just from ordinary zombies," he muttered. "Sothing is feeding on them."
Athena swallowed hard. "A scavenger?"
Xavier nodded. "But not just any scavenger. A giant one."
They moved quietly, following the trail of bones.
It led them to a collapsed section of the city, where buildings had crumbled into one another, creating a maze of debris. The sll grew stronger, nearly unbearable. Then, they saw it.
A massive creature lood in the distance, its hulking form partially obscured by shadows. It was unlike any zombie they had encountered before.
It stood at least four ters tall, its body grotesquely distorted. Its skin was stretched thin over an emaciated fra, ribs protruding against sickly pale flesh.
Long, clawed hands dug into the pile of bones, lifting remnants of corpses to its mouth.
It didn't just eat flesh, it devoured everything, grinding down bones with jagged, yellowed teeth.
Athena and Xavier instinctively pressed themselves against a nearby wall, holding their breath.
"Level six?" Athena whispered.
"Maybe even higher," Xavier replied grimly. "It's been feeding well."
They watched as the creature continued its grueso feast, cracking bones like brittle twigs. It was thodical, almost intelligent in the way it selected its als.
Athena's heart pounded. Fighting a level five Zerg had been difficult enough. This was an entirely different monster.
"We should leave," she murmured.
Xavier didn't argue. They began backing away slowly, careful not to make a sound. But as they stepped onto a broken piece of rubble, the rock crumbled beneath their feet.
The sound echoed through the air like a gunshot. The creature froze. Then, its head snapped toward them.
Its eyes, milky white and sunken deep into its skull, locked onto Athena's. For a mont, there was silence. Then, it let out a guttural, inhuman screech. Athena and Xavier bolted.
The ground shook as the creature lunged after them, its heavy footsteps crushing debris beneath its feet.
Athena's pulse thundered in her ears as she ran, dodging collapsed beams and overturned vehicles. Xavier was right beside her, his movents just as fast, just as precise.
A sudden crash behind them sent a spray of dust and shattered concrete flying through the air. Athena risked a glance over her shoulder.
The creature had plowed through a wall, tearing through it like paper. Its long, skeletal arms stretched forward, claws scraping against the pavent as it pursued them.
"Split up!" Xavier shouted.
Athena didn't hesitate. She veered left, darting through a narrow alleyway, while Xavier took the opposite route. The creature hesitated for a split second before choosing to follow her.
Damn it.
Athena pushed herself faster, weaving through the maze of broken buildings. She needed to find a way to lose it.
She turned another corner and spotted a collapsed highway up ahead. If she could make it to the other side, she might be able to slow it down.
She sprinted toward the wreckage, her muscles burning with the effort. The creature was right behind her, its guttural breaths sending shivers down her spine.
She could feel its presence looming closer, the sheer weight of it making the ground tremble. With one final burst of speed, she leaped onto a fallen section of the highway.
The structure groaned under her weight, but she didn't stop. She climbed higher, scaling broken beams and twisted tal. The creature lunged.
It grabbed onto the edge of the highway, its claws digging deep into the concrete. Athena didn't look back.
She kept moving, climbing higher and higher until she reached the top. From here, she could see the ruined city stretching out before her, an endless wasteland of destruction.
The creature screeched again, furious that she had escaped its grasp. It thrashed against the wreckage, trying to climb up after her.
But the structure was unstable. The more it struggled, the more the concrete beneath it began to crack. Athena's eyes widened. It was going to collapse.
Without thinking, she grabbed a nearby tal rod and hurled it at the weakest point of the highway. The impact was enough to send the entire section crumbling down.
The creature let out a final, enraged roar as it plumted into the rubble below, disappearing beneath tons of debris.
Dust filled the air. Athena coughed, shielding her face as she watched the wreckage settle.
Silence.
She exhaled shakily, her body still tense with adrenaline. She had survived.
A movent in the distance caught her eye. Xavier was standing atop another building, watching her. Even from this far away, she could see the smirk on his face.
"Show-off," he called out.
Athena rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hide the small smile tugging at her lips. She climbed down carefully, making her way back to where Xavier was waiting.
As she reached him, he handed her a bottle of water. She took it without a word, drinking deeply.
"That was reckless," Xavier said.
Athena wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "It worked, didn't it?"
He chuckled. "I suppose it did."
They stood there for a mont, catching their breath. The city stretched around them, silent once more. But they both knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.
"We should move," Xavier said.
Athena nodded. They still had supplies to find. And now, more than ever, they needed to be careful. The world was changing. And they needed to be ready.
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