《Apocalypse redone》


 Here we go again

    In the last haven Gabriel was being torn limb by limb by countless tentacles, teeth and claws. The screams of agony of the only living human on the planet were heard loud and clear in the infernal landscape in which the earth had been transformed. He didn''t have enough stamina to use his mutations to escape this situation. Years of living in the shadows fearful of the aberrations that now dominated the planet had left him exhausted and now he could finally close his eyes. With one last scream, humanity was completely eradicated.


    -What . . . holy shit! I am alive? - He said while waking up in his apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He jumped up and examined his body in search of injuries. Red hair, pale skin without any scar and a scrawny body, this was his self from 10 years ago.


    -My body was healed and even my dick is back- He exclaimed with joy feeling his erection.While his 20 year old body was quite small and fragile at least it was complete unlike the previous one.


    -Ok ok ok calm down. . .what the fuck happened-


    He grabbed his phone and noticed the date. A drop of cold sweat ran through his forehead as he remembered how the apocalypse begun.


    -Shit I only have 30 minutes before everything goes to hell-


    The cause of the end of the world was called Gehenna. It was never known if it was a germ, a virus, a parasite or a curse. The little that is known that on March 25, 2019 it infected all the mammals of the planet and only 1% of the population was immune to this. The first effects were similar to those of a typical zombie virus but over time these creatures mutated to a ridiculous degree. The only thing that gave a slight hope was that the immune could mutate and evolve along with the infected, an arms race that Gabriel planned to win this time.


    At 6 o''clock the first infected appeared and in a matter of minutes the civilization as we know it had fallen. The survivor had little time to prepare but it was better than nothing.


    He had 24 hours before the electricity and the internet were cut, 48 before the gas and water ran out and a month before Buenos Aires became uninhabitable. This two-day period was fundamental to securing his apartment building and make it his initial base. In his past life he had the misfortune of not having been in his home at the time of the apocalypse but now he had a huge advantage if he knew how to play his cards.


    First Gabriel must secure water, the most important resources for a human being. He filled the bathtub and the sink in the kitchen, with that he would have at least 30 days of drinking water. Taking into account his long-term plans, that was more than enough since in one week he expected to be living in a much safer place with more resources.


    While his containers were filled he started doing the second most important thing, getting information. On his smartphone he began to download dozens of documents of various subjects like chemistry, biological, physics and metallurgy alson detailed maps of the whole country, information on the weather, etc. In his previous life he wasn''t the sharpest tool in the shed but now he would make sure to safeguard all that fundamental information. Besides that would give him something to study during those long nights alone.


    But the most important thing that he downloaded was a whole copy of the second season of the series "Ara ara ara". While it seemed totally unnecessary, it was the cornerstone on his long-term plan. Thanks to this, he could save countless problems and increase his chances of saving humanity. With his smartphone fully charged he had 3 days of battery giving a total of 4 days of access to the library of Alexandria.


    Third, he should get a way to defend himself. The first stage of the infected was not problematic if you know how to deal with it. These zombies are slow and had a force equivalent to a normal human. Wearing several pants, gloves and shirts at the same time is enough to resist a few bites.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Then Gabriel needed a way to make some damage but since he was in Argentina there were several problems. Firearms were extremely rare and they made to much noise so they were useless. Maybe to deal with the most problematic types of infected would be effective but only large calibers like .45 and getting that would be an almost impossible task. If we begin to add disadvantages such as maintenance and the fact of finding not only ammunition but also it has to be of the right caliber, it was fundamental to use other options.


    He remove one leg of the table in his dining room, the furniture was quite cheap so breaking it was pretty easy. The piece of wood had the right weight and form to become a very efficient club. He just needed to add some tape to have a better grip and that''s it,Gabriel had a pretty decent weapon. Unfortunately in this country sports like baseball or hockey were not very popular so this was the best substitute he had for now.


    Homemade club


    Great weapon to smash regular infected heads but it has low durability.


    Finally he needed a way to enter the other departments to eventually clean the entire building. Due to his previous life he knew how to do it with a couple of simple hairpins and his girlfriend had left a few in home. On this date only a few days ago they had moved together but she had to make a trip to visit her family. If his memory was correct she was in the middle of her flight when the apocalypse began.


    Save her was a lost cause and could not even communicate with her to say goodbye a last time. However, he had already had a decade to overcome his death and now he had more important things to worry about.


    -Rest in peace Alma,if only I had returned a couple of hours earlier this would be another story-


    After dedicating those words he heard the sound of several cars crashing on the street, as bells in new year this chaotic symphony expressed the beginning of a new era.


    -I need to clean this place before a week and then go to that secret bunker-


    Prepared with his homemade weapon, his clothes armor, the lockpicks and a kitchen knife in his belt Gabriel left his apartment ready to begin the conquest of this building. There were three other apartments in his floor and the first stage of the infected wasn''t physically strong, fast and smart so they were basically fish in a barrel.


    He walked through the corridors and put his ear on the door of the neighbor''s apartment. Inside he could hear the static of a television but more important the distinctive moan that zombies made. Making use of his skills gained in his other life Gabriel forced the lock, jumped back and prepared the club.


    A tall figure emerged slowly from the doorway, it was a man about 40 years old. His skin was pale like the moon and his bloodshot eyes made it clear that he was infected with Gehenna. The first stage of the infected ones were very similar to generic George Romero zombies but if they got together in a large group they could become a problem.


    The abomination slowly began to walk towards its prey and Gabriel without any remorse smash his head. A quick and precise blow without an ounce of pity, sadly his current body was already agitated after doing that simple physical effort .This cold blood was a product of years surviving in the apocalypse. Some time ago he came to the conclusion that ending the life of an infected person is the best thing you can do to them.


    However before examining the body the survivor kept his guard and searched the rest of the department looking for more infected. You never lower your guard in this new world if you wanted stay alive.


    Once he made sure that nothing could surprise him he did something that many consider unthinkable. He grabbed the kitchen knife he had and made a deep cut in the chest of that corpse and then he started to look for something. After a few seconds he finally pulled out his hand and in it was the key to human evolution: A Hell Crystal.


    Level 1 Hell Crystal


    Gives experience to level up, useful only in the first stage of evolution.

 Level Up

    A Hell Crystal was the core of an infected, the source of all its unnatural characteristics. Basically this tiny crystal was the battery that made these abominations work. Similar to Gehenna the nature of this object was unknown however in the future a scientist revealed one of his secrets. He could have saved humanity if he had more time to develop that idea but unfortunately he died along with his investigation.


    This object was normally located in the torso of the infected, if it was not removed after killing it the creature would be revived in a couple of days regardless of the state of the corpse. Due to this phenomenon in the previous timeline during the first year of the pandemic people believed that the only way to permanently eliminate these abominations was to burn them. That''s why the practice of having huge piles of corpses and setting them on fire became quite common until someone realized that these crystals were found in the remains. It took humanity 2 years to learn that the Hell Crystals were the key to their survival, that delay turned out to be a fatal error in the war against the infected.


    The method to use them was simple, they simply had to be ingested in some way. Swallowing them directly or grinding them to be inhaled were the most common methods because of their horrible taste. Once that is done your body will begin to evolve to survive in this new world, the more crystals you consume the stronger you become.


    Human evolution, like that of the infected, was divided into three known stages. In the first one it is only possible to improve your basic skills such as run faster, increase your physical strength, your senses, etc. In the second phase you get a class with powers that many consider magical. Examples of this would be Spirit, Vampire, Beastman, Homunculus, etc. Finally, in the third stage the individual would gain the ability to control and create a type of matter or energy such as heat, electricity, earth, water, fire, magma, steel, etc.


    The problem is that to pass each stage you need a Hell Crystal of the corresponding level. Consuming a Hell Crystal level 1 will give you experience in your first stage but in the second and third you will be useless. Because each stage is exponentially stronger, people naturally hurried to get to the third as fast as possible. While at first that seemed like the best tactic, it proved to be quite problematic because they lacked a strong base to maintain all the skills that the third phase gave.


    With the Hell Crystal in his hands Gabriel hurried back to his apartment and created a barricade on his door with some furniture. The absorption process is slow and while he was doing it he was totally unprotected so finding a safe place to do it is essential.


    He took off all his clothes because the mutations could alter your anatomy and break your clothing. He crushed the crystal in to dust and using one of the bills in his wallet snort the dust quickly. After that the hallucinations began to occur. A sphere of flesh and bone with words painted in blood appeared in front of the man, by interacting with this you can alter your body with a random beneficial mutation. But Gabriel knew how to refine this process so that his evolution was easier to perform, molding bones, weaving flesh and painting with blood he created a much easier interface to use.


    Now it was a book with several mutations described in which he could choose. As if it were a videogame this hallucination allowed him to dictate how his body will evolve. It took 5 years to perfect this method and completely eliminate chance. Now with this advantage it would be much easier to adapt to the apocalypse.


    Dozens of different options were before him, of all these roads he had to choose carefully the right one. He thought carefully and came to the conclusion that what he needed most was extra time. Was there any way to add more hours to a day? The answer was yes. The mutation he chose was "Sleep efficiency".This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Gabriel evolved:


    Sleep efficiency 1:You only have to sleep 4 hours per day.


    Gabriel still had to rest but now he had 4 more hours that he could use to study the documents in his phone. In his previous life he was quite good at making various types of weapons and armor, which is why he wanted to improve in other things now that he had the opportunity. Medicine would be his object of study, after all the only doctor who isn''t infected was 2000 kilometers from here. After selecting the mutations of the book it disappeared.


    Once again in the real world Gabriel sighed feeling the change in his body that fortunately was not accompanied by any change in his anatomy. He put his clothes and his weapons back in order to continue cleaning this floor, he still had two other departments to scavenge.


    Methodically he dismantled the barricade, approached another department and repeated the previous process. There was another infected in this one, a pretty thin woman to be exact. Like a machine he killed this beast using his club and then dedicated himself to finding another crystal in its entrails. He still needed two more to get his next mutations, so he tried his luck on the last department.


    For his fortune this seemed to contain another zombie but something unusual happened when Gabriel opened the door. This infected man was considerably faster and more agile than the previous ones. Seeing the speed of the beast, he could identify in an instant that he was a Runner. Some zombies mutate and become extremely dangerous varieties before time and this was one of these. Unlike the standard zombie, these have a speed that borders on the inhuman, being able to run at 40 km / h permanently. The creature rushed to the survivor and him hit it in the head with the homemade club but due to its lack of durability it broke in half. Sadly it was only enough to knock him down on the ground, and he quickly started to get up.


    As a veteran Gabriel instead of escaping he grabbed the piece of wood that used to be his club and used it as a stake to strike again. With a quick movement the survivor impaled the runner in the skull ending with his life.


    He was breathing heavily, looking around as he pulled out his kitchen knife in case of another surprise. It was not the best weapon against the infected but it was better than nothing. He went inside the apartment checking if there was any other zombie but what he found surprised him.


    In a cage there was a cat that seemed to have recently been castrated. This animal had brown hair with some yellow spots, no doubt a pretty cute specimen. But what really surprised Gabriel was the fact that the cat didn''t seem to have any symptoms of the infection.


    The infected animals are one of the biggest problems for the survivors especially in Buenos Aires. The huge population of mutant stray dogs made the streets deadly traps, the cats turned the task of moving between the roof and roof too dangerous and the rats transformed the sewers into hell. That''s why Gabriel had acquired a natural aversion against animals but seeing what was possibly the last healthy cat on the planet he felt some mercy.


    He searched the department for a can of cat food. When Gabriel found it he took out one of  his crystals. He mixed the two together and then give it to the animal that was locked in its cage.


    -Look I can''t take care of you but at least with this you will have more chances to survive- After that he went looking for the Hell Crystal in the Runner corpse. It was a silly decision based purely on emotions but if Gabriel had been an intelligent person he wouldn''t have died in the first place.


    Michi evolved:


    Awakened:You are a smart boy now.

 Michi

    -I do not want to interrupt your work . . . but could you get me out of this cage?


    Gabriel quickly turned around looking for the source of that sound, after a few seconds he realized that the cat he had fed was talking to him. With a quick movement he tore the Hell Crystal from the Runner and approached the cage.


    -Great now I suffer schizophrenia, so many years of loneliness have finally made me crazy-


    -Although it would be entertaining to play with that concept, I must assure you that my existence is 100% real-


    -That''s what a hallucination would say-


    -I am really something so impossible? we are in the middle of a zombie epidemic-


    -You see the mutations of Gehenna can twist the laws of nature but can not break them. Unless you''re a zombie . . . . . fucking cheaters-


    - So your problem is that you find the fact that a cat can speak impossible? if you allow me, I would like to argue how my current state is possible-


    -Well . . . I was going to let you out of your cage anyway, but if you want to explain yourself go ahead-


    -To be able to speak we need two fundamental factors, first the ability to generate words and second to have enough intelligence to perform this task. Tell me, are these mutations capable of generating an alteration in the vocal cords of an individual?


    -Yes, skills like changing the tone of voice to imitate others or the volume of this to perform sonic attacks are rare mutations but they occur -


    -Then the idea that of suffering a total modification of my vocal cords so I can speak like a human being is not such an outlandish idea.-


    -Hmmmm, that explains why you can talk but now how can you be so smart with a brain the size of a walnut? -


    - That''s an interesting question. The brain is basically a biological computer. What happens is that mine is smaller and as efficient as yours.The difference between a smartphone and a desktop computer-


    - How do you know all this? Being smart is not the same as having knowledge -


    - Judging by my great knowledge about music and the instruments on the shelves all of this was from my former owner. While I got his knowledge it seems that I do not get his memories or personality.-


    -Well your argument is smarter than anything that could have thought so you''re not a hallucination-


    Immediately Gabriel opened the door of the animal''s cage.


    -Thanks for recognizing my existence-


    The cat responded with a sarcastic tone as he stretched and left his confinement. Slowly he began to move around the department observing the person who had given him the gift of knowledge.


    -Well, I suppose I should explain to you what''s happening in the world first-


    -A zombie apocalypse, right? In this age, who has not seen a movie about that kind of monster? -


    -Yes but technically not-


    Then Gabriel gave him a summary of what he knew about the Gehenna virus and about his resurrection. He didn''t share information out about his plan and about future events to not cause unnecessary stress on the poor animal.


    -It doesn''t sound credible although I can think of a couple of theories about why your "time travel" may be possible. I would like to discuss these concepts with a real time traveler-


    -Maybe later, now I have a lot of work pending-


    The survivor said that and walked towards the exit of the apartment but quickly the cat cut him off.


    -Wait before you leave I want to discuss an alliance with you. You do not have to be a genius to know that forming a group is the best route to survive-


    - Do you want to be my partner? cool . . . being honest I didn''t want to insist too much on the subject to not sound desperate-


    -But with one condition . . You see my body is not fit for combat so I must warn you that I will not fight directly against our enemy-


    -The truth is not necessary, with your feline senses and agility you are extremely useful as an scout -


    -A scout ? so my job would be to inform you of dangerous and interesting objects. It sounds like an optimal use for my skills-


    - More or less yes, you tell me information about the zombies so they do not surprise me and I kill them. We have a deal?-


    -Deal. . . , .now that I think about it what is your name esteemed partner?-


    -Gabriel, and yours? -


    -My owner called me Michi, so because I respect his memory I will keep it. Even though he mutilated my genitals, this is the least I can do to reward his hospitality.


    -Well Michi, our current goal is to clean the whole building, but for that I''m going to need a new weapon-


    -What do you have in mind? Another wooden club?


    -No . . . I''m looking for something that has more durability-


    The building where Gabriel lived as many in the area was quite old. This gave a rather unusual advantage since the pipes of this one were made of steel. After cutting the supply of the water and doing a little of amateur plumbing in the pipes of the departments the survivor had his new weapon.


    Metal pipe


    A bit heavy but ideal to kill common infected.


    - This will serve, well the plan now is to go door to door. You will go ahead and using your stealth, explore the floors and come back with relevant information-Stolen story; please report.


    -I understand if they find out what I should do? -


    -If you are cornered, remember that height is your ally. Try to get into a place where zombies can not grab you and you will be safe-


    -Well, I''m counting on you Gabriel-


    -Let the purge begin. . . . . Did that sound cool? -


    -Unfortunately not, do not force it so much and you will get something better-


    -Yes, sometimes I think too much about my sentences -


    -The best phrases come out naturally-


    -What about "Let the hunt begin"? -


    -That sounds better although I do not think it''s appropriate for this task since we are not pursuing or tracking an objective-


    -Let the body hit the floor? -


    -Didn''t you take it out of a song? Well musical references always sound good-


    The duo began cleaning the upper floors. Gabriel had only conquered the fourth floor so there were another 9 to completely secure the building. Methodically they went door to door slaughtering zombies without compassion. Even the runners were not much of a problem due to the reduced space and the survivor''s new weapon. With Michi''s help he could know exactly how many enemies there were, the tactical advantage combined with the years of experience proved to be a lethal combination.


    The only problem was Gabriel weak body, on each floor he had to stop a few minutes to catch his breath. He knew that they had to continue since the infected evolve and every second was vital.


    When they reached the roof the survivor stopped his cat from going outside. With all this carnage it was already night and they weren''t ready to face the horrors in the dark.


    Finally the duo returned to the fourth floor and considered starting to purge the lower floors but when Michi returned from his exploration he said something strange.


    -Gabriel I saw something strange in the lower floor, a zombie in the hallway who seemed to be a rather fat person -


    - A Fat? Obese people infected, due to their body mass are basically rams that can break most doors unlike common infected. It would be quite problematic to approach because he can simply throw himself on me and crush me-


    -Do you have any idea how to deal with it? -


    - Yes, let''s go back to my apartment. We need to raise some levels, I also need to make something and teach you the method to choose mutations -


    The dynamic duo returned to their initial base which was now quite full of various things that they had plundered from the other departments. Apart from food and medicine they had several UPS (Uninterrupted Power System) that they stole from some computers they found. These will give them enough energy to keep Gabriel''s smartphone charged for a week.


    -That sounds interesting.What evolutionary path should I choose? It would be foolish of me not to follow the advice of an expert-


    -First grab Sleep efficiency, in your case it would reduce your time sleeping in 8 hours so it is essential that you grab it first. Then you need something very important "Radar", a skill that allows you to detect almost all infected within a radius of 10 meters-


    - Sleeping fewer hours would be useful but is it necessary for a feline to acquire the other mutation? -


    - Is absolutely essential to avoid hordes of zombies and be able to leave this building. The more levels you invest in this mutation the higher your radio will be, even I saw people who had a detection radius of one kilometer-


    -How does this work? Can I see through the walls? -


    -It''s like a sixth sense, you just feel where most of the infected people are-


    Then they performed the ritual to absorb the crystals. First it was Michi who chose to swallow them instead of inhaling them as his partner and with the help of him the cat was able to create a skill book.


    Michi evolved:


    Sleep efficiency 1: You only have to sleep 8 hours per day.


    Radar 1: You can detect infected in to 10 meter radius.


    Then it was Gabriel who, as usual, crushed and inhaled the crystals to level up. As Michi he gets two mutations. First he had to solve the problem of his stamina that was below average, because of this he chose Enchant Stamina.


    Gabriel evolved:


    Enchant Stamina 1: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run a marathon.


    Finally, he needed a way to make sure that at least with ordinary zombies he would be able to kill them in one fell swoop. The common thing would be to grab the Herculean Strength mutation that simply increases your strength but Gabriel had another idea. There was a different version of that skill called Explosive Strength, it was twice as strong but only effective for 6 seconds and then I needed to wait a full minute to use it again.


    Herculean Strength was more useful if you planned to use heavy armor and weapons that weigh several tens of kilos. Explosive Strength, on the other hand, was the ideal option if you had a more agile style of combat if you knew where to aim a simply attack was enough to kill any infected person. A more methodical approach that added to the experience that Gabriel had been the best option.


    Gabriel evolved:


    Explosive Strength 1: For 6 second you can have extra strength, you could lift 100 kilos with ease. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    After making his improvements the body of the survivor had changed a little, went from being a typical weakling to a person with normal muscle mass. He was not an Adonis but at least he did not give the impression that a strong gust of wind could take him flying.Gabriel appreciate his new body for a few seconds and after getting dressed he started to create a new tool that would be ideal for his plan. Using several leather garments of his death girlfriend he put together one of the oldest weapons in history.


    Homemade Sling


    One of the first range weapon of history, useful if you have enough practice and room to use it.


    Then he grabbed a few stones he had in the pots of his balcony to use as ammunition and put them in his pockets. Calmly he signaled to Michi to follow him as he left his apartment.


    - Look Michi we have to take advantage of that for now the zombies are not smart, even an animal has more brain than them. That''s why we should use things like the terrain in our favor, choose where and when to fight is our best weapon against them-


    -That makes sense what is the plan ? -


    -Easy, calls the attention of that fat man and bring him here. There with my sling I''ll kill him with a shot in the head-


    -I dislike the idea of being used as a bait-


    -I do not want to sound like an asshole but it will be essential to use you as a bait to lay traps for the infected. Look at the positive side at least you do not have to fight, do you?


    -Fine . . .without doubt we live in difficult times-


    As planned Michi went to the third floor to lure the creature up the stairs. Using the advantage of the height plus the fact that he had enough room to maneuver in the corridor the man waited for the beast. He quickly loaded his sling and began to rotate it in the air to have it ready. In a matter of seconds the cat came back and ran past him. Following him was that extremely obese man with his eyes bloodshot. If it were not for the supernatural properties of Gehenna it would have been impossible for a person with that morbid obesity to walk. However the huge fat ball charged against Gabriel and he active Explosive Strength. His muscles cried out in pain and for a few seconds Gabriel felt as his strength of his previous life has returned. With a safe distance the reincarnated one launched his projectile that impacted without problems. Years of practice with this weapon had made him an expert and that''s why he was able to bust the creature''s head with a single blow.


    -See? that wasn''t so bad -


    Said the human quite sore for using his skill, until he got some complementary mutations activate Explosive Strength generates a lot of physical and psychological stress in the body. But looking at the piece of contemporary art that was now the head of the zombie the results are worth it.


    -True but so much action has left me exhausted I will suggest that we rest for today? -


    It was essential to be prudent during these hours because a certain extremely dangerous infected that becomes active at night.


    -Give a second, I need to take out the hell crystal. Let''s see if tomorrow we can clean the whole building and get to the garage in the basement. In there is a fundamental item for our survival-

 Foursome

    Michi: We should set up rounds to stand guard.


    Gabriel: Yes, I will sleep from 6 to 10. It is not good to close your eyes especially at night.


    Michi: Why does the night have you so worried? After all we have my detection, so I doubt that any of those ungodly beings can surprise us.


    Gabriel: In that you are wrong . . . during the night a special variant of infected becomes active, even your radar can detect. Many people died for this creature thinking that it was safer to loot at night due to the limited field of vision of the infected. I honestly think that I am being a little paranoid since this thing started to appear within a week.


    Michi: I agree you should not let the paranoia consume you, your mental health is as important as the physical.


    Gabriel: You''re right Michi. I''m going to cook something while you do cat things, just be careful if you hear some strange noise.


    Michi: Hey can you lend me your smartphone? When I drank from the fountain of knowledge I realized that I am a heavy drinker.


    Gabriel: Sure.


    Then Gabriel left his cell phone in the bed and the cat went to investigate it. Michi didn''t have thumbs, so the task was quite difficult but using his genius he could find a way to navigate the hundreds of documents the survivor had stored. There were several topics that caught his attention but the one that pick his interest was chemistry. There was a certain beauty in the chemical reactions and their components. Not only to see the particles in a static state but to see them react was like watching a play where each chemical element was an actor. Although there was a lot of mathematics and memorization Michi enjoyed reading about it until the animal''s stomach began to roar. The cat got up and approached to the kitchen.


    Michi: What kind of meal are you doing?


    The thing he was doing even disgusted an animal that was used to eating mice and pigeons. The survivor wasn''t very good in the kitchen but at least his food was safe to eat and that was quite an achievement for Gabriel.


    Gabriel: Don''t worry, you are going to eat canned tuna for the rest of the month.


    Michi: Excellent for a moment I worry about my delicate liver.


    Gabriel: Hey at least it fills the stomach and has all the nutrients that your body needs. So did you find anything interesting?


    Michi: Yes, the chemistry is extremely interesting to me. All the possible reactions among countless substances really pick my curiosity.


    Gabriel: Great you should read about Thermite, a substance easy to make and incredibly useful.


    Michi: I''ll give you a look then.


    After a quick dinner the first day of Gabriel''s new life finally finished.The next morning both were ready to continue cleaning the building and had to take advantage of the sunlight now that the electricity had been cut off.


    The cleaning of the remaining 4 floors occurred without problems despite having a larger number of infected but luckily not in large groups. They even found another Fat man who wasn''t a problem thanks to the sling of Gabriel. The Runners being alone weren''t a threat either because of the mutations they both had. By noon the team had finally reached the lobby of the apartment building, thanks to the insecurity of the country this was quite safe. In Argentina riots were quite common in the capital and therefore most of the buildings were prepared to withstand this type of punishment. There was almost no window and the few were reinforced with metal bars. The door was a thick steel plate that could even withstand the attack of several Fats. Undoubtedly the building was a fairly safe fortress once it was cleaned but there was still a detail.The garage in the basement was a gold mine. Not only did it have essential tools to create equipment, but he also had the ideal vehicle for the apocalypse.


    The duo went down the stairs to garage, it was really dark down there. Gabriel had a powerful flashlight to light his way and Michi was using his radar to the fullest. They reach a wooden door that separated the stairs from the sub floor.


    Michi: Detecting three infected ahead.


    Gabriel: I think we can take them.


    The words of Gabriel were fill with confident. As preparation, he leaved the lantern on the floor, load his sling and began to rotate it in the air. He kicked the door open and a few meters away were the three zombies. The vision of these creatures destroy his confident. In front of him were three extremely dangerous zombies, the infamous Brutes.


    The Brutes were an extremely dangerous variant of zombie, all their muscles had enlarged to the point where they break the skin and give them the look of a skinned bodybuilder. The enormous amount of muscle mass made them extremely strong to the point where they could calmly break bones with a single blow. Having a fracture in this new world was a death sentence during this period of time so a single strike of these creatures was enough to ruin Gabriel''s future. He knew perfectly well that his cloth armor wasn''t enough against the raw power of these creatures and he had to think quickly about what to do.


    The unique mutations of the infected weren''t their biggest strength, the problem lies in their numbers. There were approximately 7 billion infected worldwide, counting only the human race and not the rest of the mammals. Because of this knowing how to fight against groups was more important than knowing how to fight against individuals.


    Gabriel fired his sling quickly at the knee of the nearest zombie. His goal wasn''t kill it but to dismantle this mini horde in order to not be overwhelmed by the numbers. The kneecap of these creatures were their weak points since they were the only part of their bodies that wasn''t covered by their deformed muscles. The hit of the stone was enough to shatter the knee and make this creature collapse on the floor. It was still alive but for now that Brute wasn''t a threat.


    He reserved his Explosive Strength to use against the second creature, as he didn''t have time to use his sling and generate the necessary momentum Gabriel simply threw the stone. Despite the use of his mutation this was not enough to break the creature''s knee but the force of the blow caused him to stumble and fall on the floor.


    Quickly the survivor overcame the pain of his mutation and took a few steps back on the stairs while pulling out his metal pipe. As he had told Michi, height is one of your best allies in the fight against these abominations. Using this strategic advantage of the high ground when the third arrived he was able to kill him with two quick blows to the head.


    When the second zombie had recovered from his fall Gabriel was in an advantageous position so it was also an easy kill. Finally, from a safe distance he killed the third with his sling that was crawling towards his position.


    In less than a minute the warrior had cleaned the garage but for some reason he could not stop shaking. Most of the infected didn''t scare Gabriel but this specific type brought back traumatic memories. After all these creatures are the preamble to another much more terrifying that will evolve from the Brutes in a couple of weeks. They were a reminder that he should hurry because the apocalypse doesn''t wait for anyone.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Among all this fight Michi ran up the stairs to escape the group of infected. Seeing that everything was safe the cat return but noticed the clear altered state of his partner so to break the pressure he began to speak.


    Michi: Another one bite the dust.


    Gabriel: Yea . . . my skills are a kind of magic.


    Michi: Is like your body was made in heaven.


    Gabriel: Well don''t stop me now, we have a loot of job to do.


    Michi: We are champions after all.


    Gabriel: Ok I run out of Queen references you win this time.


    Michi: What can I say i just want it all


    Gabriel sighed as Michi looked at him with a smug face. Now that he felt less stressed, he went to make sure these Brutes didn''t get up again.


    Gabriel: Alright . . . lets take out the crystals first.


    Something strange happened when the survivor took out Hell Crystal from the first zombie he had executed. This was larger than average and had a greenish color unlike the typical gray.


    Michi: That looks a little different.


    Gabriel: Hmmmm I recognize this, there are special types of Hell Crystals that give you access to very useful special mutations. This is a Helheim Crystal and if I remember correctly it is quite rare.


    Helheim Crystal


    Gives a special mutation, useful only in the first stage of evolution.


    Michi: Excellent you should absorb immediately.


    Gabriel: Not so fast . . .it''s good but it''s not what I''m looking for. What it gives is quite interesting but it''s not suitable for my build or yours but I think I know someone who would give it a lot of use-


    Michi: What It does? Who is that person?.


    Gabriel: It''s a surprise.


    Michi:Come on Gabriel don''t be a jerk.


    Gabriel: What is life without a little mystery? I mean funny mysteries, not those that if you know them you could go crazy.


    Michi: Fine but I hope it''s worth it.


    Then Gabriel grabbed the flashlight and with his partner began to explore the garage. In it they found a huge truck, one of those that puts environmentalists to scream for all the pollution they generate due to their unnecessarily large size.


    Michi: So this is the treasure you were looking for?.


    Gabriel: What? No, that crap is a deadly trap. Something so big has many chances of crash, the fuel consumption is astronomical and the maintenance cost is absurd.


    After saying those words, he pointed to some bicycles that were in a corner next to a rather old van that seemed to be falling apart.


    Gabriel:That is a sight for sore eyes.


    Michi: You must be kidding me.


    Gabriel: The bicycle is the best means of transport to move around the city. It does not consume fuel, it does not make any sound and even a child can keep it functional. They can even become faster than a car if the person who uses them has the right mutations.


    Michi: That explains the bicycles but what is the use for that pile of trash?.


    Gabriel: While that truck has no uses, its components are another case. In the past, automobiles were made of steel of excellent quality to better withstand traffic accidents. Taking out the rust a bit this vehicle is a gold mine of materials and with these I can finally make myself a decent weapon. So Michi go and looks for the tools that the janitor has around here, we have a full afternoon''s work ahead of us.


    When they had everything in place they began to dismantle the vehicle and manufacture the survivor''s new weapon. The van was so old that it did not even have an alarm system. The pieces of metal he took out were even in the correct shape to be used without having to melt them.


    There were several weapons that Gabriel could use from katanas to sabers, even an axe would be useful but there was in particular that was his favorite. The Falchion was a sword invented during the Middle Ages, it was basically the bastard son of a machete and a longsword. It has a slightly curved blade that widens as it approaches the tip and only one of its sides has a single edge. The perfect weapon to perform decapitations.


    After several hours of work and a small break for lunch, the amateur blacksmith had finally finished his blade and was putting the final touches on it with some red paint he had found. Some simple lines, nothing fancy but its look fine with the darker contrast of the Falchion.


    Michi: You''re painting it for some reason?.


    Gabriel: Because it looks cool, you should enjoy the little things in life.


    Scrap Falchion


    <div>


    It''s not pretty but it can decapitate an average person without problems in one fell swoop.


    Michi: That make sense. What is the next step?.


    Gabriel: We should make some paper armor, get some new mutations and get rid of the corpses before they starts to stink up the place.


    Michi: It sounds like a good plan. . . wait a second paper armor?


    Gabriel: Yes, super light, quite cheap and easy to make but unfortunately not very durable. It will serve for what I plan to do.


    This type of armor was used in ancient China as a defense method due to its easy manufacture and relatively low cost. The modern version was several layers of folded paper glued together to form the basic structure of the armor.


    They returned to the apartment to have more natural light and spent the rest of the afternoon making the armor with the materials that they had looted. Once done, Gabriel replaced his multiple layers of clothes with his new one armor.


    Paper Armor


    <div>


    Although its durability is garbage, it is quite effective against sharp attacks.


    Michi: We finish with the crafts for today?.


    Gabriel: Yes ,lets get some mutations.Level up Radar until level 3 and when you get there choose Specialized Radar. This will give you the ability to identify the type of zombie you detect if you''ve seen them before, avoiding problems like today''s.


    Michi: Excellent what are you choosing? .


    Gabriel: I''ll Grab Explosive Agility and Explosive Speed.


    Michi: Only two?


    Gabriel: Well you Radar as priority over my mutations so you get more Crystals. Information is always better that brute force.


    As was tradition, both began to consume the crystals they had collected. Although the bodies of the duo did not change physically, they could feel how their abilities were strengthened thanks to these mutations.


    Michi evolved:


    Radar 2: You can detect infected in to 20 meter radius.


    Radar 3: You can detect infected in to 40 meter radius.


    Special Radar: You can identify the type of infected if you have previously seen it.


    Gabriel evolved:


    Explosive Agility 1: For 6 second you can have extra agility, your body become agile as a cat. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Explosive Speed 1: For 6 second you can have extra speed, your run at 80 km / h. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.

 Operation Dragonforce

    During the dinner the duo began to discuss their plans for the future. Gabriel had everything calculated and if everything went as he had in mind the risks were minimal. With all his knowledge about the infected and Michi''s radar abilities, surprising the duo was almost impossible.


    Gabriel: Good time to explain my great plan.


    Michi: Finally.


    Gabriel: The idea is simple.In a seemingly common house located 5 kilometers from here is a secret government bunker. I do not know well the history of the place but inside this there are supplies supplies and material to last a minimum of a decade. However, that is not the most important, trapped in this bunker is the last living member of the Argentine army. In my previous life during the exploration of the ruins of Buenos Aires my group found this bunker but the survivor had been dead for several years. This time I plan to arrive on time and save her.


    Michi: A pretty noble thought but why this person is so important?


    Gabriel: I''m going to take all the allies I can get, and I would be an asshole if I let someone die when I have a chance to save him.


    Michi: Well, keep telling me the plan.


    Gabriel: This has three parts, first we must go to a sports store that is nearby to get some equipment necessary to survive the second part. To enter the bunker you need two things, an access card and a numeric key. Luckily I remember the numeric key that I used in my previous life, but we still need the card. This is in the possession of the mayor of the city and, he is in the town hall. The area is full of infected, so I need proper protection.


    Michi: In short it would be: Go to the sports house, go to the town hall to get the access card and then go to the bunker.


    Gabriel: Exactly, if there are no more questions, we start the Dragon Lair operation tomorrow.


    Michi: That sounds very generic. Why not Operation Dragon Force? after all, we are going to "recruit" the dragon.


    Gabriel: That sound better, better go with that.


    Michi: By the way, are you used to this kind of plans? Was it common in your other life?.


    Gabriel: Not at all, one of the reasons why humanity could survive so long without knowing the potential of the Hell Crystals was that they were extremely adverse to conflict. Why fight against the infected? you only spend resources, the common thing was to avoid any type of fight unless it was totally necessary and to use stealth as your main tool.


    Michi: But now that we have your knowledge you plan to go on the offensive, it makes sense. Have we finished for today?


    Gabriel: Yes, let''s rest a little, we have a long day tomorrow.


    Michi: Does it bother you if I ask you what you were doing before the end of the world began? I was always curious to know your background.


    Gabriel: Being honest I was really useless. I never finish anything and I changed like 3 times of career and I could never stay in one. Unless I''m under pressure, I''m unable to finish something and I think that''s why I''m so good at this, I have the whole weight of humanity on my shoulders.


    Michi: Yes, more pressure than that it''s not possible.


    When Gabriel was sleeping his 4 hours a day he had a rather peculiar dream, a memory of his previous life. The young man was in a port trying to keep at bay all the infected people that were coming out of the water. His body at this time was slightly transparent and covered with pulsating veins black like the night. His personalized Kevlar armor only covered his vital organs and his sword was a Falchion that he wielded with ease. He was constantly changing in and out of an intangible state that allowed him to evade blows and directly attack the vital points of the beasts. In spite of all the absurd amount of infected made the task was useless.


    Next to him was his colleague Fan, an Asian woman in her 40s. This woman''s body was made of living organic metal that gave her the ability to alternate between different forms. By continuously mixing the morphology of different animals with weapons that her body had absorbed, the woman was helping Gabriel as much as she could.


    The dream ended quickly the moment something colossal of several hundred meters high emerged from the waters. Gabriel woke shivering thanks to the horror of reliving that memory.


    Finally, after a quick breakfast the duo was getting ready to leave that building using one of the bicycles in the garage. Apart from the standard equipment Gabriel carried a backpack with the essentials such as a bottle of water and first aid equipment.


    The streets of Buenos Aires were quite populated with common infected, it was cold and the morning sunlight illuminates the chaos. Abandoned cars, burned buildings and corpses rotting on the sidewalks.


    With the help of Michi''s radar and the speed of his bicycle Gabriel was able to avoid the larger hordes of infected and travel with relative safety through the city. If someone was in his way, a simple blow of his Falchion plus the momentum in his vehicle was enough to get a clean behead. After 30 minutes they finally arrived at the sports store they were looking for.


    Michi: I detected 10 infected inside, 5 they are Runners, 4 Normal and 1 Brute.


    The infection began at 6 pm so most of the businesses were open thanks to that Gabriel only had to go through the front door. The duo cautiously entered the huge sports shop with his sling ready to fire. The first creature that attack was a Runner who was quickly executed with a shot of his weapon. Behind him followed another 4 infected of the same variety plus a Brute, in a second the survivor drew his sword and wait until the last moment to activate his three explosive mutations, agility, speed and strength, to carry out a devastating attack. With a superhuman power, Gabriel decapitated the 5 zombies in seconds, showing off his fluid movements, his superior speed and superhuman strength.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Unfortunately the task put Gabriel in a complicated position, the physical pain of using all these mutations at the same time was enough to paralyze his body for a few seconds. The survivor knew that but since the rest of the infected were normal, it will take some time from them to reach him. When he recovered he ended up with the rest of the zombies without problems but suddenly Michi yelled at him.


    Michi: Around 10 unidentified infected are approaching very quickly!.


    Gabriel imagined what it could be, so he quickly climbed into one of the metal rack that contained various types of athletic shoes. Through the main entrance a pack of infected stray dogs came running in search of fresh meat. These creatures with their blood red eyes could easily kill Gabriel if they cornered him because of his speed and number. As always he took advantage of the height to deal with the group of abominations, they jumped trying to reach it but this left them exposed to a counter attack. With a quick movement the survivor decapitated them one by one as they jumped to bite him, they managed to give him several bites but his armor proved to be quite useful. At the end of the fight it was quite damaged but at last he had cleaned the sports store. He didn''t have much time since he not only had to extract the Hell Crystals but also had to find what he had come for.


    Gabriel: Stupids dogs.


    He exclaimed jumping down and preparing to take his booty but during all this chaos a mysterious entity had sneaked into the premises. From the shadows emerged a man pointing a revolver.


    ???: Hands where I can see them child!.


    The man who was aiming him with a revolver had skin brown and wrinkled like leather and his short hair was white as snow. Dressed in a military uniform, a fairly large backpack, a homemade bow with its respective quiver and several arrows, several knives on his belt and finally a golden cross on his neck. His tired eyes made it clear that the veteran had no qualms about shooting Gabriel if he tried to do something despite the noise that will attract all the infected in the area.


    Gabriel: Ok, I don''t want any problem.


    Gabriel said that while throwing his Falchion to the ground. He looked at the stranger''s weapon and due to its size he supposed that his caliber should be .38 or higher. This made it clear that a simple shot of this could kill him without problems.


    ???: Well, stay still and do not try anything weird, I''m just looking for a couple of things.


    Michi: Hostility is not necessary because after all we are in the same boat.


    ???: That cat. . . just talked?.


    Gabriel: Yes, if you lower your weapon I can explain what is happening.


    Michi: Believe me that a talking cat will not be the craziest thing you''ll hear on this day.


    The man lowered the weapon and prepared to listen to Gabriel''s story. He had to give him a summary because they were short of time but the stranger quickly understood what was happening.


    ???: That''s the most absurd thing I''ve heard in my life but. . You have a talking cat and that would explain why the deads keep coming back. My name is Oscar, by the way.


    Gabriel: Ok what are you planning to do?


    Oscar: Grab a decent bow and more arrows that I''m running low on ammunition.


    Michi: I''ll get straight to the point, do you want to join our group? We need more people and you seem like a very capable person.


    Oscar: I guess it''s better than walking alone.


    Gabriel: Now that I think about it, it''s super useful to have Michi to convince people that I''m not crazy.


    Oscar: Yes, if it were not for him I would not have believed you a single word.


    Michi: You can thank me later, we have a lot of work to do.


    Gabriel: Yes we must hurry, get everything we need and let''s go back to my apartment.


    Oscar: Fine, I also have a bicycle so don''t worry about me.


    Quickly the group grabbed everything they needed, especially two sets of protective gear for martial arts. The thick and padded plastic material made it ideal to absorb the blows of the Brutes and the bites of the rest of undeads. Although it was not very discreet, the protection it granted was unmatched compared to its other options. Oscar took the opportunity to change his bow from another way better.


    Sport Armor


    Usually used in martial arts tournaments this armor provides great protection against impact and cutting damage.


    Composite bow


    Used in hunting this bow has enough strength to kill a wild boar or a deer with a single shot.


    The trio returned to Gabriel''s apartment, when they arrived he explained to his new partner how to evolve and get new mutations. Quickly the veteran learned the method to be able to choose his skills and the first mutations that he chose was Vitality 1.


    Oscar evolved:


    Sleep efficiency 1: You only have to sleep 4 hours per day.


    Vitality1: Your body is in the best possible state of health of a human being.


    The veteran''s body was revitalized to the point where he felt like he was 20 years old again. His wrinkled skin was still there but the interior of his body was in its optimal condition. After this Michi and Gabriel also began to evolve now that they had everything ready for the second part of their plan.


    Michi evolved:


    Sleep efficiency 2: You only have to sleep 4 hours per day.


    Radar 4: You can detect infected in to 80 meter radius.


    Radar 5: You can detect infected in to 160 meter radius.


    Gabriel evolved:


    Vitality1: Your body is in the best possible state of health of a human being.


    Enchant Stamina 2: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run two marathons.


    Explosive Reflexes 1: For 6 second you can have amazing reflexes, your reflexes are like those of a cat.This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.

 Keys to the kingdom

    Gabriel: Well Oscar now that you have basics we have to talk about what mutations you can choose and what your role in the group will be. For that you have to tell me about your abilities.


    Oscar: I still feel weird after the first batch, I find it hard to believe that my body feels so. . . . healthy.


    Michi: If that seems strange to you, imagine what I felt when I acquired my intelligence.


    Oscar:Coming back to the subject, I am a former Malvinas veteran and after the war I dedicate myself to give shooting lessons, so I have a very good aim both with firearms, bows and crossbows. I''m also very good at intimidating. Do you remember the revolver? It was empty.


    Gabriel: Holy shit! you really got me that time.


    Oscar: Maybe you know a lot how to deal with these infected but you lack experience with people. If it''s any consolation now that you know it, you will not fall for the same trick.


    Gabriel: Good thing you are on our side.Now my role in the group is basically to do as much damage in the shortest time possible and Michi''s job is to serve as an explorer. We need someone who can maintain a constant pressure on the enemy, basically killing the regular infected who are the majority while I take care of the most problematic. Then there is the other possibility of someone who is basically a living barrier or a tank. Which one you like?


    Oscar: Undoubtedly the first option, I want to be as far as possible from those abominations.


    Gabriel: Great! Then the next mutation you should pick is Herculean Strength which will allow you to draw your bow more quickly. I think you would also benefit from Fast Reflexes and Super Agility to aim better and evade blows if necessary.


    Oscar: Well, something more for today?


    Gabriel: Yes, Michi, I''m going to need thermite grenades in case we find a door that I can''t force. They are great for melting locks.


    Michi: I was studying about the subject and I think I can do what you ask but I''m going to need a couple of extra thumbs. Oscar, would you give me a hand in this task?


    Oscar: Fine but what will Gabriel do in the meantime?


    Gabriel: I have to study medicine, believe me it will be very necessary in our future.


    Oscar: Honestly I hope you are wrong.


    Making use of the rust from that van that Gabriel used to make his Falchion plus several cans of soda as an aluminum source, they were able to make several thermite grenades. This chemical component when heated generates a thermal chemical reaction capable of melting iron easily. Usually used to weld these homemade grenades were quite useful and most importantly silent.


    Thermite grenade


    This type of grenade is ideal for killing infected resistant to physical damage and melting any type of normal lock.


    The next morning they prepared to travel to the town hall where the mayor was. The trip was very easy thanks to Michi''s radar they could avoid large hordes of zombie and packs of dogs. Finally, they arrived at the square in front of the town hall and there in the middle of a large group of infected people was the mayor.


    Michi: They''re all common infected.


    Oscar: Well, let the fun begins.


    Oscar said that as he climbed into an abandoned truck in the middle of the street with Michi. Using the advantage of height and having Gabriel below with his sword to kill any who came too close the duo began to kill the zombies one by one. Due to the distance and slowness of these while they maintain a constant pressure they will be safe. The veteran''s arrows could easily execute a zombie and Michi was there if any surprise appeared.


    Michi: I detect an unknown infected arriving from the north!


    The trio saw in the distance a huge creature running towards their position. Gabriel moved quickly to intercept the being before it got to Oscar who was too busy with the other group of zombies.


    This abomination was extremely different from the rest, easily measuring 3 meters was the largest monster that the group had ever encountered so far. His base was undoubtedly human but had lengthened creating an extremely thin silhouette, his neck was particularly strange having a length of half a meter. His head was vaguely human, his hair long and black, his eyes bloodshot, and his mouth so open it seemed to be dislocated. The skin of the creature gave the impression of being made entirely of a thick layer of calluses and its elongated arms end in a pair of deformed hands. The fingers of these had twist and fused creating a kind of hammer of flesh and bone.Gabriel didn''t recognize that type of zombie, so he quickly came to the conclusion that it must be a unique variety. Unique varieties are extremely rare and powerful mutations that occur among the infected. Normally one would avoid them because of their strange abilities but if you had the strength and the balls to kill one you would get a very valuable reward.


    Oscar quickly shoot an arrow at the head of the creature trying to eliminate this threat as quickly as possible but the dense layer of skin prevented the projectile from penetrating the skull.


    Gabriel: Concentrate on the other infected ones I know how to take care of this one!


    Oscar: You''re a bad liar but good luck with that.


    Gabriel examined for a few seconds the creature that charged against him, due to the height of the beast making a direct hit to the head wasn''t possible, so he decided to weaken it first. He would escape in the past to see that unique type of infected but now that he had confidence in his companions who looked after his back and in his abilities. Making use of his Agility and Explosive Strength at the same time he made a powerful cut against the left leg of the infected. To the surprise of the survivor the tough skin of the monster combined with the bone could resist the attack. The abomination counterattack with quick blow but making use of his other two active mutations the fighter could roll on the floor and avoid the hit.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Thanks to his recently acquired ability (Vitality) it was possible to use two explosive mutations at the same time only suffering a little pain. This was the only advantage that Gabriel had and to his horror he could see how the wound he had caused was closing in front of his eyes. The bad news doesn''t end there because now he had to wait 1 minute to reuse this active skills. In his previous life the man had fight with infected with regenerative abilities and the best way to kill them was in one fell swoop.


    The creature made a series of blows against Gabriel trying to pulverize him, the survivor tried to defend himself as best he could but with his mutations in cooldown a couple of blows hits him. Due to the creature''s speed and range, it was very difficult to get away at a safe distance. If it weren''t for the armor he would have several of his bones broken but thanks to the absorption of the padding material of this his body was only full of bruises.


    A minute had passed and now he had the possibility to make another attempt to end the non-life of this creature. Using Strength and Explosive Speed at the same time he charged and took a leap using the momentum to reach for the neck. Unfortunately the Falchion wasn''t able to completely decapitate the creature, it was close but it got stuck in the vertebrae of the monster. Not only that, but the beast took the opportunity to give Gabriel a powerful blow that made him fly several meters in the air and fall like a stone on the floor. With frustration the survivor quickly got up watching how his weapon was now stuck in the neck of that beast. The flesh of this being contorted around it try to close the wound but was unable to do so. The creature continued to beat Gabriel who tried to defend himself as best he could while unarmed, couldn''t even use his sling due to the constant pressure exerted by his enemy''s attacks.


    However, during the beating that was giving him little by little he approached the beast to a car that was abandoned in the middle of the street. Preparing to make his last move, Gabriel pulled out one of the thermite grenades that Michi had given him. Combining his Agility and Explosive Reflexes he climbed the car in a series of pirouettes, activated the grenade and forced it into the creature''s mouth. The chemical reaction occurred and a sun was born in the throat of the infected. The temperature melted the head of the creature that was unable to regenerate in time.


    Gabriel collapsed on the floor because of the intense pain his body felt. Not only the for excessive use of his Explosives mutations, but the enormous amount of physical damage he had received. His bones were close to breaking and his skin was covered in bruises. He could calmly pose as the victim of a traffic accident.


    Oscar: Gabriel give me a second and I''m with you !.


    The old man shouted as he fired arrow after arrow against the few infected who remained alive.


    Gabriel: Relax. . . I''m fine.


    Said the young man clearly in pain as he crawled towards the corpse of the creature. He took out his knife and set out to find the Hell Crystal of this monster, he hoped that it would give him the regenerative capacities of that being. When he found it, he swallowed it without even removing the thick layer of sticky blood that covered it.


    Sa?kiva Crystal


    Gives a unique mutation, useful only in the first stage of evolution.


    With a face of absolute disgust, he saw how his flesh and bone tome appeared in front of him and within it was his new available mutation that he immediately chose.


    Gabriel evolved:


    Damage relocation 1:You can relocate the damage in your body. It is a slow process and cannot be used in combat.


    Gabriel decided to try his new skill now that the situation had calmed down a bit. He tried to move all the damage in he had suffered to a point on his body that wouldn''t miss losing. The survivor could have sacrificed a finger or an eye but there was a part of the body which had no nerve endings and was quite expendable. Activating this mutation Gabriel moved all his wounds to his hair, each hair of his body began to turn to dust due to the enormous amount of damage transfer to them. In the end the man was completely hairless and his body still hurt a little but his most serious injuries had healed.


    Oscar: What the hell just happened?


    Michi: Yes. . What skill did you just get? the ability to manipulate your hair ?.


    Gabriel: I''ll explain later for now let''s focus on getting the access card and the rest of the crystals.


    Quickly the trio began to tear the Hell Crystal from the corpses of the infected. Gabriel found the body of the major among and in his wallet was the access card to the bunker. Once the task was finished the whole group returned to its base to rest and get some new mutations.


    Gabriel had many options in front of him, he could level up Vitality to use his explosive mutations more comfortable, but he had something else in mind. Thanks to the fact that he had obtained all the level 1 explosive mutations, he could now access a secret mutation. Explosive Mode was a broken ability, it combined all the previous mutations in one and lasted a whole minute. However, it had a very important impact, it generated an absurd amount of damage to the point that a normal person would stay a whole month in bed if he used it. It was risky to use it but now that he had Damage Relocation he could use it but only in occasions of life or death since his body still had to pay the price.


    Gabriel evolved:


    Explosive mode 1: For 1 minute you can have extra strength, you could lift 100 kilos with ease, run at 80 km / h, your body become agile as a cat and your reflexes are like those of a cat.This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Gabriel''s body was drastically altered upon receiving this mutation, his muscles enlarged and his physique became the one of hero of an action movie.


    Now the next thing he chose was Regeneration, not only did it increase its healing factor but it had a strange side effect. It increased the speed at which the hair grew since a haircut is also counted as a wound and therefore created a quite powerful synergy with its unique mutation. He could have raised more levels but Oscar needed the Hell Crystal more than he, considering his decades of military experience having more mutation benefit him enormously.


    Gabriel evolved:


    Regeneration 1: Your body heals twice as fast as an average human.


    Oscar evolved:


    Herculean Strength 1: You have extra strength, you could lift 50 kilos with ease.


    Fast Reflexes 1: Your reflexes are at the limit of what one might consider human.


    Super Agility 1: Your body is as agile as that of a professional acrobat.

 Knockin On Heavens Door

    The next morning Gabriel was in the garage working on the remains of the truck he had used to make his sword. There wasn''t much material left but for what he wanted to do was enough. Oscar had taken a break from his job as the assistant of Michi and approached him curiously.


    Oscar: What are you making?


    Gabriel: A short spear, the corridors of that place are quite narrow and I need something that has perforating damage to kill the zombies that are there. Since I don''t have much time for practice, I chose one of the easiest weapons to use in history.


    Oscar: What kind of creature will we be facing?


    Gabriel: Remember when you kill an infected person but you don''t take off the Hell Crystal after 24 hours? I call them Redheads.


    Oscar: Yes, they are a real nuisance until you realize that your new weak point is the heart.


    Gabriel: How did you find that out?


    Oscar: I try several vital points to find the right one, also that was a good opportunity to practice my aim. By the way what is the name of that big guy you killed in the square?


    Gabriel: He doesn''t have a name, do you want to give him one?


    Oscar: Fine what do you think of "Beater" because he beat the shit out of you.


    Gabriel: Harsh but true, I like it.


    After an hour Gabriel had finally finished his weapon. A short spear of 2 meters long, light and practical, this had a piece of horizontal metal between the spearhead and the shaft. The purpose of this was so that the weapon not only served to perforate but also to push, which would be essential to deal with the task before them. Michi approached curious as any cat to observe the crafts.


    Scrap Short Spear


    One of the simplest weapons in the history of mankind. Even a Neanderthal could use to defend himself.


    Michi: That looks to bland for you.


    Gabriel: I would paint him a dragon but I don''t plan on using it much.


    After that the trio began to prepare everything to leave that base, Gabriel felt some nostalgia to leave his old apartment but it was what he had to do. They loaded their backpacks with basic supplies, mounted their bicycles and finally left that building.


    The road to the house they were looking for was quite calm but there was a strange detail. One of the streets that they passed was full of very large holes in the pavement, as if something the size of an elephant had passed by and somehow managed to leave its footprints melted in the ground.


    Oscar: What the hell. . .


    Michi: I don''t detect any infected.


    Gabriel: Surely it is an infected elephant, they are somewhat slow but I find it strange that it passes through an area so far from a zoo.


    After an hour of travel they finally reached a fairly common house, on the way they killed several random zombies but nothing relevant.. If it weren''t for Gabriel''s knowledge it would be impossible to know the secret that it contained at first sight.


    They quickly forced the lock on the front door and enter the deserted house. The trio came to the living room, Gabriel picked up a painting from a wall and behind it there was a touch screen. After entering the password and swiping the card through a sensor that had one of the walls opened revealing a secret elevator. The group entered this and began to descend into the bowels of the earth. Tension could be felt in the air as they descend and Oscar decided to break the silence.


    Oscar: So we aim to the heart?


    Gabriel: Shot through the heart.


    Michi: And you''re to blame.


    The duo stared at Oscar waiting for him to finish the verse but the veteran had no idea what they were trying to do.


    Oscar: What. . . . .? I will take that as a yes.


    Gabriel: Well that didn''t work out as I had planned.


    Michi: Better luck next time.


    Oscar: I don''t understand those modern references.


    Michi: The song is about 35 years old.


    Oscar: Sorry, I''m not a music nerd like you guys.


    Finally, the elevator stopped, and they were in what it seemed to be the reception of that underground fortress. The secret bunker seemed to be half finished, its interior still needed more work, exposed cables, unpainted walls and a number of half-finished details adorned the narrow corridors. Luckily the lights worked, so they could move forward without much trouble until Michi exclaimed.


    Michi: I detected. . .60 unidentified infected throughout the installation !.


    Gabriel: Relax, now we have the terrain in our favor.


    They advanced cautiously and soon found themselves with walls painted with dried blood and decorated with bullet holes, it seemed that a rather bloody battle had taken place there. Soon several extremely unusual infected began to appear walking slowly to the position of the group.


    The Redheads are easy to distinguish because of their head. When the head of an infected is destroyed Gehenna is forced to reform it in order to revive its host. From the neck down they seem to be a skeletal person and even the characteristics of the variations had disappeared. A pulsating mass of a semi-liquid substance like blood that had the double size of a normal head crowned the neck of these abominations. The head had huge fragments of a crimson crystal where the mouth should be creating giant gleaming jaws. Thanks to this the zombie was able to tear off a limb with a single bite without any problem.


    Gabriel quickly came forward with his spear holding a defensive line while Oscar used his bow to kill these beasts from a safe distance. Thanks to Michi''s radar they were able to avoid being cornered by the dozens of zombies that swarmed these facilities. The narrow corridors acted in their favor as large groups were impossible to form and the corpses that were piled on the floor form create a natural barricade. One after another they managed to kill the last infected.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Now that they had some free time they went to rescue the person they had come for. They quickly walked to what Gabriel remembered was the main food store. In a matter of minutes they reached a battered metal door and the survivor began to scream.


    Gabriel: Is anyone in there?!


    ???: Yes, thanks god please open the door. I have been stuck here for days !.


    The angelic female voice was completely docile. The reincarnated smiled knowing that he hadn''t arrived late.


    Oscar: That voice sound familiar.


    Without wasting time Gabriel pulled out one of his thermite grenades to melt the lock on the metal door. The constant blows of the zombies weren''t strong enough to knock down the door, but they ruin the lock and leave the woman trapped.


    When the door opened they could feel a sickening smell coming from the room and in front of them was something they didn''t expect. This woman was a mass of muscles that easily was 2 meters high. Her dark skin was decorated almost entirely by tribal tattoos and scars. Her hair was extremely short and the blond of this contrasted her skin. She seems to be in her late twenties and military uniform and revealed her career choice. A battered and blood-soaked shotgun hung from her shoulders, giving the impression that she had used it as a club. Finally, and most important she was holding a grenade in her hands.


    ???: Thanks but if you try something funny, it will kill us all ! Wait what the fuck. . . Oscar?


    The woman''s voice had changed completely, now it seemed to be that of a person living on a diet based on alcohol and bullets.


    Oscar: Holy shit Yeni?


    Yeni: You old senile fagot, give me hug !.


    When she saw the old man, the woman put the grenade in one of her pockets and hugged him so hard that crack was heard.


    Oscar: Ok take it easy girl. . . .


    Gabriel: I think I need some context.


    Yeni: What is the deal with that circumcised dick head ?.


    Oscar: I see that you are still a shameless brat as always. How did you do to enter the army with that attitude ?.


    Yeni: A lot of self-control but now that the world has gone to shit. I can swear to my heart content.


    Gabriel: Excuse me for interrupting this meeting, but we have to do a lot of important things.


    Michi: Yes, cleaning the bunker should be our number one priority.


    Yeni: Holy shit that cat just talk? Well it''s not the strangest thing I''ve seen this week. First question, are these motherfuckers 100% dead now?


    Gabriel: Yes but you need to extract the. .


    Yen: Stop there! I''m going to take a bath, I was shitting in a corner for three days in a row and as you can sense I smell like a public bathroom. After that you can fill me with all your bullshit exposition.


    While the woman was going to the showers the trio was to take the Hell Crystals from the corpses and put them back in the morgue that the installation had . After an hour the group meet in the communications room of the bunker to discuss what was happening. Everyone took a seat resting from the hard work they had done and Gabriel explained what was happening to Yeni.


    Yeni: So that''s why those politicians bastards were remodeling this bunker. They wanted to have a safe place to protect their precious asses from the virus.


    Gabriel: Well. . .no, I have to tell you guys a couple of bad news. In a month the reactor of the Atucha nuclear plant will explode and transform all Buenos Aires in a radioactive wasteland but that is not the worst. In five years the Yellowstone volcano will explode and that will create a month of total darkness followed by a new ice age.


    Oscar: Holy shit.


    Michi: Now I understand why you were so secretive about that issue.


    Yeni: We are more fucked up than a child in a meeting of Catholic priests.


    Oscar: Ok what is your great plan to survive all of this ?.


    Gabriel: If we want to survive we must first arrive in the Malvinas Islands, there the last survivors of South America are meeting.


    Oscar: Ironic, to think that I have to go back to that icy hell. . . . I still feel the toes that I lost there because of the cold.


    Yeni: Fuck that shit I don''t want to survive, I want to fuck, drink, eat a hamburger with a lethal dose of french fries, I want to live !. I don''t want to live the rest of my life like a frightened rat on an island in the ass of the world.I want to take my country back from the hands of these motherfuckers. If you can''t do that then I''ll go alone and become the alpha bitch on top of the food chain.


    Gabriel:Sure girl, the defensive stand was what drove humanity to extinction in the first place. Look when we get to the Malvinas and we have a decent operation base there we will start a campaign to clean the continent.


    Yeni: Great, its seem that our leader has some balls.


    Oscar: Whatever you want, the truth is that this is the most fun thing I have done since my wife died.


    Michi: Well since we are with this positivism after that I want to find another cat.


    Gabriel: Ok Yeni you are now in charge of the Argentine army now.


    Yeni: Cool then I need to become one girl army. So I just need to shove these crystals in my ass or something like that and then I get super crazy mutations.


    Gabriel: More or less yes. .they only need to come in contact with the mucous tissue. Before that we need to discuss what kind of build do you want.


    Yeni: That is easy, I want to go close and personal to facefuck these motherfuckers.


    Gabriel: How tough are you ?


    Yeni: Bitch I can use a cactus as a dildo.


    Gabriel: I was hoping you would say that, you will be our tank. Take this special crystal and get the special mutation two times and then take this regular hell crystals and pick Enchant Stamina 1, Sleep Efficiency 1, Regeneration 1 and Resistant Skin 1. I will make you some heavy armor, a shield and a mace later. Oscar you get Extreme Vision 1 and Enhanced Stamina 1 and 2. Stamina is one of the most important mutations and Vision will be useful for what we are going to do tomorrow.


    Yeni evolved


    Giant Blood 1: Your body is in the best possible state of health of a human being and you could lift 50 kilos with ease.


    Giant Blood 2: Your body feels full of life, you have twice the vitality of a regular person and you could lift 100 kilos with ease.


    Enchant Stamina 1:You have great Stamina! You can easily run a marathon.


    Sleep Efficiency 1: You only have to sleep 4 hours per day.


    Resistant Skin 1: Your skin becomes as resistant as wood.


    Regeneration 1: Your body heals twice as fast as an average human.


    Oscar evolved


    Extreme Vision 1: Your eyes can see beyond the common limits, your vision has a range of 10 kilometers maximum.


    Enhanced Stamina 1: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run a marathons.


    Enhanced Stamina 2: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run two marathons.


    After that meeting they spent a couple of hours fixing the place and then Gabriel went to his new room to take a well-deserved rest. Lucky the living quarters were finished so it was a quite comfortable place. Out of nowhere someone knocked on the door and entered his room, this was his new partner.


    Gabriel: Do you want to talk about something in private?


    Yeni: Look I don''t have time for that "seduction" bullshit and my options are a talking cat, and old fart and you so you wanna fuck?


    Gabriel: Ok but get ready to be disappointed.

 Made in Heaven

    The next morning Gabriel woke up alone in his room and after taking a deserved shower he went to the cafeteria where the rest of the group was having breakfast.


    Yeni: Good morning quickshot!


    Oscar: Don''t worry Gabriel that happens to the best of us.


    Gabriel: I told you! I''m under a lot of stress with that matter of saving humanity.


    Yeni: That''s just an excuse 30 Seconds Man. I always thought that "it doesn''t matter the size but how it''s used" thing was bullshit but now I know is true.


    Michi: Can we stop counting money in front poor people? At least you guys can have sex.


    Gabriel: Yea let''s talk about the "saving humanity thing".


    Oscar: So what''s the big plan?


    Gabriel: First I must ask something, do any of you know how to fly a plane or a helicopter?


    Oscar: No.


    Michi: Don''t look at me.


    Yeni: No fucking idea.


    Gabriel: Great! That really fuck my plans. Look, we''re screwed because we can''t cross the sea because of the zombie whales. Even leaving the cities is extremely dangerous because of the huge number of pigs, cows and horses lurking in the plains.


    Oscar: So what now?


    Gabriel: Easy, we simply have to take advantage of this time to evolve in such a way that those problems become manageable. I other words we need to "Farm" Hell Crystals.


    Yeni: The solution for our problems is mass murdering? that sounds fucking great !.


    The woman say that with a grin on her face.


    Oscar: How the hell do you even pass the psychology test in the police academy ?.


    Yeni: I just cheated.


    Gabriel: Wait, police? Aren''t you from the army?


    Yeni: I was in the police but then some niggers tried to rob me while I was in my house and I kill them in self defense. If it hadn''t been for public pressure I would have been thrown in jail but luckily they only expelled me from the force. Then I joined the army and the rest is history.


    Gabriel: Where do you know Oscar?


    Oscar: I was her shooting instructor at the police academy for some years and I think you overreacted a bit in that situation.


    Yeni: What the fuck should I do? Let me get robbed or killed? In the end if you kill someone they give you 5 years maximum in this shitty justice system.


    Oscar: Girl you shot three people in the head with a shotgun, that was extremely unnecessary. Did you even warn them you had a gun?


    Yeni: Oh yes that sound great, you know you can''t talk to those motherfuckers criminals!.


    Gabriel: Ok we are getting off topic here. The plan is to start cleaning the city and get as much Hell Crystals in the shortest possible time. We must target hordes that have less infected variants.


    To understand the actions of the group one must understand the structure of its new base. The bunker wasn''t completely finished,even some areas weren''t even started to be excavated. The only rooms that were finished were the living quarter, the communication room, the workshop, the supply stores, the morgue, the cafeteria and the pumping station.


    The living quarters were without a doubt spacious, they could easily accommodate 100 people.That put in perspective the ambition of the complex and since they had 5 years to finish it they could have achieved that feat if it weren''t for Gehenna. They could even have replaced all that bland aesthetics of white walls and metal furniture for something personalized by its inhabitants. Even each room had its own bathroom with a shower included.


    Then there was the workshop, after all, they had to make all the objects that would keep this steel beast alive. A huge room full of machinery, 3d printers, smelters, sewing machines, etc if you want to make something this was the place. With this Gabriel could work day and night to create tons of new equipment for his group, without doubt one of the biggest advantages of the place. Also had the necessary material to feed that machinery, in a nearby warehouse there was all the metal, cloth and plastics to maintain a complex of that magnitude.


    This generated a question: where did the energy that keeps the bunker come from? originally it was planned to have a nuclear mini-reactor but that project wasn''t even started. As a temporary solution, they had connected the installations to the local electricity network and had a series of gasoline generators in case of emergency. Now that the central network had collapsed they only had enough fuel for two months, so that wouldn''t be a problem.


    Regarding the food, originally an entire area of hydroponics, fish farm and even a farm for small animals such as rabbits was planned. Unfortunately that only stayed in the concept stage, so they didn''t have a renewable source of food. What they had was a ton of dehydrated food that was used by the workers of that place. Thanks to this they had enough food to cover their time in those facilities.


    Where did the water come from? After all, the fluid is vital to maintain human life. The Puelche aquifer was a huge body of underground water that was located below the province of Buenos Aires. Thanks to the pumping station that the place had installed, getting fresh water would never be a problem while they were working. As was logical this was a priority and was one of the first rooms made.


    The morgue area was where they were working when the apocalypse began. The half-installed incinerator was the only thing in that room. Luckily, the metal doors were able to seal the putrid odor of the decomposing cadavers. Since the group had already cleaned the entire place they have no reason to re-enter that room.


    The cafeteria was the place where the workers ate, with a small kitchen this room offers everything necessary to hydrate the food. As all the bunker had a rather bland aesthetic, metal chairs and tables, white walls, etc.


    The area of communication was undoubtedly the element that stood out despite being totally useless. What''s the use if there is no one on the other side to answer? Yeni had spent a whole day after killing the first batch of zombies trying to communicate but the only thing she had heard was silence.


    Gabriel: Is there anything useful in the communications room that can help us? for the moment, the only thing I used was to make a backup of things on my cell phone.


    Yeni: Do you remember the ARSAT? the satellite that they launched in 2014? Well it turns out that the real use of that piece of garbage was to have a source of independent vigilance over the nation. But as everything done in this country works like shit, you can only pass a photo every second and it takes a minute to get here.


    Gabriel: Better than nothing, at least serve to locate where are the different hordes of zombies. I think it would be wise if one of us always stays here while the rest is going to clean up.


    Oscar: We could use the communication devices that we took from the guards of this place.


    Gabriel: About that. . . do you remember that I started working like crazy in the workshop for several hours after we finished cleaning the place?


    Yeni: Yea, I thought you had came after seeing that place and after last night it wouldn''t surprise me.


    Gabriel: Well, come and see the fruit of my work.


    Yeni: Wait a second, don''t be a faggot and eat something for breakfast. Is the most important meal of the day for some reason.


    Gabriel: Ok fine.


    After a quick breakfast the survivor led the group that had just finished eating at the workshop where on a table there was a mountain of new equipment. Undoubtedly, if it hadn''t been for years of experience, the latest technology equipment and some help from his mutations would have been impossible for him to create all of that so quickly.


    Beginning with Gabriel''s new sword that was still a Falchion but thanks he had the necessary tools he could give it a more sophisticated form. A larger guard capable of better blocking the blows and the tip was more pointed to allow thrusts. Adorned with golden details on both the blade and the guard this sword pleased the artistic demands of its creator. It was nothing special but Gabriel was extremely proud of his work.


    Rakshasa Falchion


    A 1 meter long steel falchion. Ideal to slice and thrust infected.


    The armor he had made was quite particular,he used the recycled kevlar from the bulletproof vests of the zombified soldiers who were guarding the facilities as a base. First it had to be light since he didn''t have any kind of permanent superhuman strength like his companions, when he didn''t use his explosive mutations his physical strength was that of an average man. As a small bonus from Explosive mode was that his physique was comparable to that of a trained soldier but nothing more. For these reasons he had to prioritize the areas of his body that he had to protect and take into account his unique mutation that allows him to distribute the damage.


    The fundamental part that had to defend was his head, no matter how much regeneration one has, if you lose you head is game over. Even being unconscious would prevent him from using Damage Relocation, so he need to create a helmet that covers every inch of his skull. Adding a pair of protective eyewear used in construction give him more than enough protection for now. But despite everything Gabriel couldn''t contain himself and had to put some unnecessary details. He added pair of short horns, painted the helmet with a golden pattern similar to that of his sword and finished his artwork by painting a third eye on the front of the helmet.


    The rest was quite standard, focusing protection on the torso to protect vital organs and legs to be able to escape in case the situation needed it. The part that was most unprotected were the arms since the extra weight of having armor there would negatively affect the agility and speed that Gabriel needed so much. All this was possible thanks to its mutation that allows you to take more risks since after a fracture could be distributed to the rest of your body and healed in a matter of days or even hours. Obviously he painted the golden pattern all over his armor because and the end of the day was fundamental that all his attire combined.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Mara armor


    A light set of kevlar armor that prioritize protect the head and the torso


    Then there was Yeni new armor. Using Kevlar to replace the chainmail parts in the joints and steel for the construction of the place Gabriel created a pretty decent imitation of a full plate armor with some modern touches. He had even managed to put one of those protective glasses that builders used In the case accidents, if they could withstand a piece of metal or cement they can stop the claw of an infected person. Weighing 70 kilos this armor not only offers a massive protection thanks to its dense layers of steel but the extra weight also helped its user to the increase her stability. The more weight you have the task of moving you become more difficult and thanks her super strength she could have that luxury without losing mobility.


    J?rmungandr armor


    A full set of plate armor reinforced with kevlar.


    The second piece was a huge mace of 10 kg and 1 meter long, forged with a masterwork quality. This ancient weapon was one of the first tools of war created by the human being and its function was simple, breaking bones. His pear shaped head could easily fracture a human skull and even more resistant things like metal, after all it was common to use them against all kinds of armor. Unlike the type of weapon that Gabriel used, it was ideal to deal with the most resistant type of infected. Less effective in dealing with the lighter beast but for that Yeni had the support of her companions.


    Fenrir Mace


    A 1m and 10 kg mace of steel.


    The last piece of equipment for her was a tower shield, a 2m and 20 kg slab of steel. The function of this object was obvious but also served as a secondary weapon, after all a blow with that easily could break all the bones of a normal person. This could easy block a punch from a Brute and Gabriel knew what kind of infected there would be so despite being something overkill it was no harm to think about the future.


    Hela Shield


    A 2m and 20 kg shield of steel.


    Finally, there was the armor made for Michi that was a rather curious challenge for Gabriel. Never in his life he thought to make anything to protect an animal, especially a cat, although some mutations give animal characteristics always the person always retained humanoid proportions. This case was totally different, so he decided to do something basic. Covering the torso and the head was fundamental but neither should put too much weight since after all a cat depends on his agility to defend himself. The armor he made with Kevlar was not designed to withstand many blows, it was more of a lifesaver in case a direct hit. After that it was unusable but it was better than nothing, after all Michi not only had a fundamental position in his group but also was the only one who understood Gabriel musical references.


    Bakeneko Armor


    A special armor create for cats, is very light but it can''t withstand much damage


    Yeni: What is the deal with that weirdest holes in the helmet Quickshot?


    Gabriel: They are holes for you to breathe but I couldn''t contain myself and I gave them rune shapes. The left means protection and the right is property, homeland, inheritance for that discourse of wanting to retake the country. I don''t know, that detail seemed cool to me. Should I have done something more tribal? that combines better with your tattoos.


    Yeni: That sound fucking badass! the next time put more rune-things, I kinda like this viking style. And about the tattoos, I got them during a bad phase when i was a teenager so don''t pay much attention, especially the "Tiger" one.


    Gabriel: Yeah about that, it didn''t hurt ? I mean that is a very sensitive area.


    Yenis: It hurt like a bitch but after that a bullet wound just feels like a wasp sting.


    Gabriel: Weird flex but ok. Now the most important thing is that each helmet has a communicator installed and linked to the central communications room.


    Oscar: I don''t want to sound offended but. . You didn''t do anything for me?


    Gabriel: Sorry man but I was short of time. I promise that when I return you will get the coolest armor!.


    Oscar: Relax Gabriel that was just a question but. . .try to don''t go to crazy.


    Gabriel: Man I know your style and I have many great ideas.


    After they prepare Michi, Yeni and Gabriel went to a secondary elevator that was in the garage. Usually used to transport materials between the exterior and the interior it was fundamental to be able to take the bicycles to the workshop. There Gabriel had taken the liberty of modifying one so that he could bear Yeni''s full weight. In addition he had added a huge bag to his filled with an absurd number of nuts, screws and other building materials that could serve as ammunition for his sling.


    Oscar was sitting in the communications room drinking mate making sure everything was in order. Despite his age he never stayed behind with respect to technology and it was easy enough to learn how to manage that place. After finding a small horde of around 100 infected the group marched to begin their conquest.


    Gabriel: Let''s get physical!


    Michi: Really?


    Gabriel: What? is a good song


    Yeni: What the fuck?


    Oscar: It''s one thing they like to do, ignore them.


    The strategy to dismantle a horde of infected was quite simple, use range weapons and retreat as they approach. Thanks to the satellite and Michi''s abilities, they were sure that they would never be completely surrounded by several hordes at the same time. So it was just a matter of taking things slowly and taking advantage of the stealth of their weapons.This horde was in a narrow street occupying the majority of this, as always there were only a few abandoned cars around.


    Michi: I detected. . . Around 100 normal infected, 10 Runners and 3 unknowns in the group.


    Gabriel: As we discussed Yeni, you go ahead and kill anyone who gets too close while I use my sling. If it gets too complicated don''t hesitate to retire.


    Yeni: Ok Quickshot !.


    The titan got off his bike while Gabriel pulled his sling and climbed into an abandoned car to have a point of advantage with Michi on his side. Thanks to the narrow street this was the best situation to use this tactic, Yeni maintained a defensive line that allowed Gabriel to shoot from a safe distance The conflict began and the unknown infected soon appeared due to the stupid speed they were running. They even managed to leave behind the dangerous Runners that Gabriel tried to kill.


    These creatures were the Hunters, the unnatural evolution of the Runners. Being able to run at 80 km / h permanently it was impossible for a normal human to escape from them. This weren''t there the only different characteristics, another row of teeth had grown in front of the original, these sharp fangs were more like a shark than a human being. The nails had been replaced by bone claws 10 cm long that had nothing to envy to those of a tiger. Thanks to all these new combined factors not even a kevlar armor like the one Gabriel had could hold a long time under the constant attack of these creatures.


    However they had a defect like all the infected ones in stage 1, they were more idiots than an animal. Therefore they always attack the target that was closest without thinking and this was the weakness that Gabriel wanted to take advantage of now that he had a portable wall.


    Seeing the creatures collide with Yeni was like watching a live car crash, but as they didn''t feel any pain these monsters were able to keep attacking despite the broken bones. They were basically a group of hyenas attacking an elephant, trying to climb the body and destroy it with their claws and jaws. Was the bone stronger than steel? Obviously not, the 200 kg living wall had nothing to fear since it was impossible for these creatures to penetrate her armor. The next question, what is more dangerous than hitting a steel wall at 80 km / h? hit a steel wall at 80 km / h that can counter attack.


    The titan steel proceeds to crush the three Hunters without problems, the weight provided the necessary stability while her strength gave she the ability to use both his shield and his mace as a weapon. In a matter of seconds the infected lay shattered on the ground. Yeni combat style wasn''t at all refined and focused on abusing her brute force. This kind of brutality was logical for someone who had been working as a policeman in a country where violent riots were as common as drops in a rain.


    Now that the Hunters were no longer a problem the battle continued as planned. Slowly the trio dispatched the entire horde of infected in just 2 hours. After collecting the last crystal the group was quite tired, they still have time before nightfall so taking a short break was a good idea.


    Gabriel: Ok that was enough, we should find a quiet place to level up before continuing.


    Yeni: Thanks god I am exhausted lets go to the bar because of this bad bitch need some beer.


    Gabriel: Yea I could use some soda.


    Michi: Some milk will be nice.


    Yeni: Hey old fagot! Do you want us to bring you something?


    She said through the communicator in his helmet.


    Oscar: Get me a good bottle of red wine.


    They couldn''t find a bar nearby they decided to go to an empty restaurant that was on the same block. Without any kind of moral dilemmas, they began to loot the place, put the tables in the windows just in case and made sure that the building was free of zombies. After a short break they started taking turns to evolve.


    First there was the matter of Michi, thanks to his radar was fundamental that he was always active so increasing his stamina and reducing the hours he had to sleep was essential. Then for Yeni the decision was simple, she was a wall so she had to keep that up, increase her stamina, damage resistance, regeneration, strength, vitality and even her agility would serve this purpose. The bad thing about having only one line of defense is that if it falls you are fucked and that is why it was fundamental to reinforce her as much as possible.


    Yeni evolved


    Giant Blood 3: Your body feels full of life, you have four times the vitality of a regular person and you could lift 200 kilos with ease.


    Enchant Stamina 2: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run two marathons.


    Enchant Stamina 3: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run four marathons.


    Resistant Skin 2: Your skin becomes as resistant as stone.


    Regeneration 2: Your body heals four times as fast as an average human.


    Super Agility 1: Your body is as agile as that of a professional acrobat.


    Michi evolved


    Enchant Stamina 1: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run a marathons.


    Enchant Stamina 2: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run two marathons.


    Sleep efficiency 3: You only have to sleep 2 hours per day.


    Sleep efficiency 4: You don''t have to sleep anymore.


    When they finished Oscar started talking on the communicator. Looking around with the help of the satellite had found something that caught his attention and decided to share it with the rest of the group.


    Oscar: Hey, I found something interesting. Several blocks north there is an apartment building that has a sign of S.O.S on the roof. We should go to take a look.


    Gabriel: We still have time until nightfall.


    Michi: Let''s not forget that every time we meet someone new, he threatens to kill us.


    Oscar: Guilty as charged.


    Yeni: Been there done that fuckers.

 Creeping death

    The trio arrived at the building it seemed to be empty. It was a fairly old and small apartment building, 6 stories to be exact. On the metal door was the message "Please knock the door" written with white paint and all the windows were barricaded.


    Michi: I think it would be wise not to knock on the door, it may be a trap.


    Gabriel: Maybe, but we need more people so I''m going to take the risk. But just in case, Yeni can you do me a favor?


    Yeni: Fine! motherfucker if that kill me I will kick your ass.


    Oscar: Remember not to eat or drink anything offered, they could take the opportunity to poison you guys.


    It was logical to send the toughest of the group to see if it was a trap, it was certainly risky but one had to understand how important people were. Other survivors were the most valuable treasure in the apocalypse as they could become killing machines thanks to the hell crystals. Having a larger group make the final goal of saving humanity and rebuilding civilization much easier. When Yeni knocked on the door, several seconds passed before she had an answer. On the other side of the door a female voice could be heard.


    ???: Hi! I don''t wanna be rude but who are you? You don''t look like the army or the police. Are you part of any cult or sect? cannibals maybe?


    Michi: Now that you mention eating the Hell Crystals is cannibalism? I mean they were body parts of another human being.


    Gabriel: Even if it''s a good question, it''s not time for this!


    Yeni: I''m Lieutenant Yeni Gomez of the Main Defense Forces of the Argentine Army. Due to the new threat we had to redesign our uniform in order to deal with it. Please open the door so we can check your safety.


    The woman''s voice was totally different from her normal tone, she had a kind and gentle tone exactly the same she had used when she first met the team.


    ???: That make sense but that cat just talk ?.


    Michi: Yes. . .cats can talk now, believe me all this makes perfect sense when you know the context.


    ???: Okay. . . Do you have a safe place to stay? This building is quite safe.


    Gabriel: We have an underground bunker, extremely safe and full of food.


    ???: That sound too good to be true. . . Well I will open the door for you to talk face to face.


    Michi:Wait how did you know it was a cat?.


    ???: Look at the top left of the door frame and you will see a small camera.


    After a few seconds they could hear the noise of several locks and the door opened revealing the occupant of that building.The girl was quite petite but due to the development of her body it could be deduced that she was in her 20s. Her skin white as a sheet of paper made her makeup and long black hair stand out more. Surprisingly this one didn''t have any type of armor or protection and its clothes were quite clean, this was a typical black leather outfit. The general aesthetic shouted goth girl but there was something that Gabriel didn''t understand.


    The weapon she had chosen was a fire ax she had found in the building. The woman had taken the job of cleaning it but that specific type of weapon is usually quite messy. Because of that suspicion he began to look around to find some clue and realized something unusual.


    Behind her was what would be the lobby of the building but with unusual detail, that room was plagued by traps. A human could detect them without problems but an infected person would easily fall into them. Most seem to be the typical pits with spikes at the bottom but there were also alarms made with cans located in each window and even at the door.


    At that moment Gabriel realized something, there are three main characteristics that define a survivor in the end of times. First was the experience, this includes knowledge, practice in combat, etc. Second was your body , the physical state of your body was fundamental and in this category all mutations could be included. Finally was talent, think of it as a multiplier of the other two factors, if your body is super human or your mind is prodigious progress in the other fields will be absurdly easy. Talent also influences your creativity and your ability to solve problems, after all there weren''t mutations that made you smarter. The problem was that a person can gain experience and body over time but natural talent is something that one is born with.


    So how this woman could have cleaned her entire building as Gabriel did without having the knowledge of the Hell Crystal? with the physicist she had there was two logical conclusion. This woman was pure natural talent or she had reincarnated like Gabriel.


    ???: Hi I am Lucia delighted to meet you.


    Gabriel: My name is Gabriel and by chance of life do you know what Gehenna is?


    Lucia: What? no idea.


    Gabriel: Doesn''t matter, is the name of the virus that create all this mess.


    Yeni: I am Yeni and this ball of hair is Michi.


    The steel titan had returned to his common voice after seeing the woman, the negotiations were over and she no longer needed to use her alternative voice.


    Lucia: Follow me upstairs and we can talk in peace.


    Gabriel: We have a couple of hours until it gets dark so why not?.


    The trio followed the stranger cautiously trying not to step on any trap. Going up the stairs Yeni and Gabriel started to whisper.


    Yeni: So you noticed Quickshot?


    Gabriel: Yes. . . .


    Yeni: That ass is a 4/10 but her tits are an easy 9/10


    Gabriel: What? what the fuck are you talking about?


    Yeni:I am not a carpet muncher but I can recognize a good pair of magumbos when I see them.


    Gabriel: I don''t know, that sound really gay. . .


    Yeni: Come on is not gay.


    Lucia: Hey, can I hear you! and yeah i know, they were the cornerstone of my career as a streamer. I could say that they basically paid for my rent.


    Gabriel: Lucia. . streamer . .. I think I remember you, you didn''t have a problem with that video of you . . .


    Lucia: OK lets change topic!.


    Finally they arrived at Lucia''s apartment that looked like the set of a horror movie, without a doubt the young woman was a fan of that kind of cinema and different metal bands. The duo took off their helmets, sat down and started talking. After the typical speech that Gabriel had memorized at this point the woman remained with her mouth open for a few seconds and said.


    Lucia: That would explain the pretty crystals that were left in the ashes of the bodies I incinerated.


    Gabriel: What?


    Lucia: I thought it was something like a common virus so I didn''t want to risk getting infected. That''s why I use the old incinerator of this building to cremate the corpses but from the remains I found this.


    The woman went to a corner and took out a bag full of Hell Crystals, there was even an abnormal one like the one Gabriel had gotten from a Brute. The man took it to examine it but couldn''t identify it, in his life he had seen one like this.


    Acheron Crystal


    Gives a special mutation, useful only in the first stage of evolution.


    Gabriel: Where did you get this one?


    Lucia: I think this one came out of one of those who ran fast, it almost killed me.


    Before they could continue the group noticed something weird, it was getting dark even though they had about 2 hours before sunset. Gradually the light was disappearing in an unnatural way, as if something was swallowing the sun.


    Yeni: What the fuck is going on?


    Lucia: Right! today was the solar eclipse, it should last 5 minutes. . maybe?.


    Gabriel: Good thing that it happen now, if this had grabbed us with our pants down in a couple of weeks we would be in trouble.


    Michi: Right. . That variant of infected that worried you, Isn''t it a nocturnal creature?


    Gabriel: It depends more on ultraviolet light, it has a natural aversion to it but yes, for now we are safe.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The conversation was cut off by the noise created by the alarms. Something wasn''t break into but stealthily infiltrating the building. Michi for a second thought that was another human since he didn''t detect any infected but then remembered what Gabriel had said, there are abominations that his radar cannot detect.


    Gabriel: You must be shitting me !.


    Yeni: Looks like some fuckers want to dance.


    Gabriel: Get ready to fight, we need to last until the eclipse ends.


    Lucia: I don''t understand, the building and the surrounding streets were clean where they came from?


    Gabriel: Probably from some dark place where sunlight doesn''t reach.


    Oscar: Fuck! I just saw it but there are dozens of infected coming out of the sewers.


    Suddenly the group could hear how the traps on all floors began to activate one by one. The battle had begun even before the survivors could see this new threat. Gabriel and Yeni prepared and grabbed their weapons ready to face this new enemy. Without making a sound or breaking a single lock the horde of infected began to invade the room.


    These things were extremely aberrant creatures even by the standards of the infected. His body seemed to have lost every bone, organ and muscle becoming only a walking mass of skin that retained a humanoid shape. The empty gaps that replaced the mouth and eyes seemed to be windows to the void. This creeping terror dripped through the spaces in the door, windows and floor demonstrating an elasticity that could give the impression that these things were semi-liquid. These infected were called Hollows for obvious reasons but the most lethal characteristic was they couldn''t be detected.


    The flood of living skin attacked with Gehenna''s typical ferocity, Yeni tried to crush them with her mace but it proved useless. One quickly curled around his neck and completely covered the head of that titan. Gabriel meanwhile was trying to slash the Hollows but his speed wasn''t enough to hold a defensive line and the small space in the room played against him.


    In this situation Gabriel knew that he only had one solution, it would cost him dearly but if he wanted to protect his future he should do it. Meanwhile, Yeni was dealing with the one who had curled around her head. No matter how much armor ,strength o weapons one has if he cuts off his access to oxygen, the deadliest warriors will die as if he were the most pathetic weakling. The mace was ineffective and she had to think about how to remove that bag of skin that was suffocating her. It took a few seconds but she finally realized that what to do, she threw her weapons on the ground, grab the creature and as if it were a sheet of paper try to rip in two. Showing off her colossal strength, the woman tore that abomination. Now that Yeni didn''t have a layer of living skin covering his eyes, she could see what had happened and was unable to understand what was in front of her. Lucia however was shaking corner in a holding Michi tightly, she is in a trembling voice exclaimed.


    Lucia: What the hell are you?


    Gabriel was surrounded by an ocean of mutilated infected, his black armor was completely covered by a dense layer of fresh blood. The survivor was completely still giving the impression that he was observing the unilateral massacre he had committed. The reality was totally different, because of the helmet that covered his face they couldn''t see the expression of absolute terror he had.


    Gabriel had spent years fighting the infected and reached a point where nothing affected him, eventually became a totally hollow person. He knew he had no future and that the only thing that awaited him was death, for the only reason he was still fighting was resentment against Gehena and his puppets. However, when he return to the pass his body was infected by a fairly dangerous disease: Hope. Now that he had a chance to get a bright future, the idea of being alone again was unbearable. Keeping that in mind, it was logical that the moment they were cornered, he put the security of the group before his without doubt.


    Yeni: Holy shit dude! how did you do that?


    Gabriel: Well I can use multiple Explosive Mutation at the same time on top of. . .


    The survivor could not finish his words due to the immense stabbing pain he felt throughout his body. Having used all his explosive mutations at the same time plus Explosive Mode he had achieved quite absurd power, however the damage he had received in return was lethal. Even with his current mutations the recoil of that maneuver caused lethal injuries to his internal organs. Luckily Gabriel had Damage Relocation a life saver in this case. Collapsing on the floor Gabriel realize that he had to take advantage of the few minutes of consciousness left in this body. He had to use his unique ability now that the situation had calmed down and the eclipse was ending.


    Yeni: Fuck! Gabriel are you alright?


    Lucia: Is something wrong?


    Michi: I think so, but we must not let our guard down, there may be more of these creatures nearby!


    Oscar: Relax people, I''m not seeing more infected near your area. Remember anyway that the images I receive are one minute late.


    Gabriel''s hair hadn''t grown enough yet, he just had a little fluff on his body. So he had to look for something else to sacrifice and without much thought he chose the ring finger form his left hand. The least important finger for him and thinking about this issue when each of your internal organs were failing one by one wasn''t very intelligent. He guided all the damage from his body to this part and the finger simply melts leaving a bloody hole instead. Gabriel sat down quickly and took off his glove to treat his wound between gasps of fatigue.


    Lucia: What the hell just happened ?.


    Yeni: Honestly no fucking idea, magic maybe?


    Gabriel: Close enough. . . Do me in favor and start taking out the hell crystals before they revive.


    Lucia: But how do you lose your finger?


    Gabriel: Relax it will grow again, some mutations can return lost or damaged parts of your body. The problem is that they are quite useful and strong.


    Yeni: Are you retarded? that sound the opposite to a problem.


    Michi: Look at it this way, do you want that super mutation now or wait to receive a serious wound and then fix you body? It is a difficult decision.


    Lucia: Can we leave the conversation for another time? I think we''re short on time now.


    After that Gabriel finally sutured his wound and went to work to remove all the hell crystals, luckily he had several analgesics on hand to treat the pain. Lucia had packed all her things in a huge backpack and was ready to move to her new shelter. The problem was that most of the things she had put there were makeup and clothes, something not very useful to survive in the middle of a global zombie epidemic. With everything ready and a considerable amount of crystals on hand, the group began the journey back to the bunker.


    Yeni: Holy shit girl do you really need that much makeup? zombies don''t care about your looks. If you are thinking of getting me a man Quickshot is the only one unless you like old men.


    Lucia: Being honest I do it for myself, feeling pretty is what keeps the existential horror in which we live at bay. After all you can have a mental breakdown if you don''t think about all the consequences that this catastrophe has had. Just ignore your problems until you can''t ignore them anymore, that is my motto.


    Michi: That sound extremely unhealthy.


    Gabriel: I don''t have the skills to deal with that now.


    Yeni: Don''t be a pair of little bitches , as long as you''re not a cannibal or psycho killer you can hang with us.


    After a quick bike trip they finally reached the bunker, Lucia was quite surprised by the facilities but above all by the workshop. After a brief tour the group met in the dining room where Oscar was waiting for them.


    Oscar: Hi newbie, I am Oscar.


    Lucia: Hello I am Lucia. Well now what are we supposed to do?


    Gabriel: First you have to assimilate the weird Hell Crystal you have, it was you who killed the zombie so it seems fair to me. Besides, it is easier to plan a build from scratch if you know what rare mutation you will have. I will guide you through the whole process and teach you how to choose your mutations.


    Lucia: Ok I have done acid before so this isn''t my first psychotropic trip.


    Yeni: You''re sure you don''t want a more private place to do it? even I could guide you through the process if you feel uncomfortable in front of Quickshot.


    Lucia: No thanks, I''m quite proud of my body and I have no problem showing it.


    Then they started the ritual in the middle of the dining room. Lucia''s method of absorption was inhalation like Gabriel as it was the least disgusting. With the help of him she was able to form his book of mutations and choose her special mutation


    Lucia evolved


    Glorious Suffering: The more damage you take your speed and strength increases. Being barely injured gives a multiplier of 30, injured 50%, badly injured 70% and near death 100%.


    After this the woman told her companions the details about that strange ability that her body had achieved.


    Gabriel: That is an interesting mutations.


    Lucia: I''ve played enough video games to know where this is going and the answer is no. I am not thought like you guy! I am soft like a bunny. I hate pain so please don''t make me do a kamikaze masochistic things.


    Gabriel: Ok, I''ll be totally honest. . . I fuck it up. This rare mutation would have been ideal for me or even Yeni who can endure a lot of punishment could have taken advantage. In this new world we must sacrifice things to survive. I leave it to your choice, you can take this power or reject it but it will be a wasted.


    Oscar: Listen girl, the only thing that kept me alive in my career was to constantly think what will I do tomorrow? Thinking about your future is what allows you to become old in a profession where most die young. Physical wounds heal easily but mentally. . . Those never heal completely.


    Gabriel: There is another alternative, you could sacrifice mutations and get Pain Tolerance, this reduce the pain until eventually you don''t feel it. The downside is that not only do you lose three mutations, but living without pain is quite dangerous. Basically you will get something similar to Congenital insensitivity to pain or CIP, since you can''t feel your wounds burns, poisoning or even cuts could kill you for not being treated.Even having a perfect and instant regeneration you could die of exhaustion since you would notice the pain of physical fatigue.


    Michi: Those medicine lessons that you downloaded are being useful.


    Lucia: Let''s compromise, I will take Pain Tolerance but I will not raise it to the point where I feel no pain. I think it''s the best of both worlds, I don''t have to suffer but I could still feel if something is very wrong in my body.


    Gabriel: That sound right if you agree now is time to other mutations. I have something quite special in mind for you.


    Lucia evolved


    Explosive Strength 1: For 6 second you can have extra strength, you could lift 100 kilos with ease. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Explosive Speed 1: For 6 second you can have extra speed, you can run at 80 km / h. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Regeneration 1: Your body heals twice as fast as an average human.


    Regeneration 2: Your body heals four times as fast as an average human.


    Regeneration 3: Your body heals eight times as fast as an average human.


    Pain Tolerance 1:You only feel half the pain that a normal person would feel.


    Enchant Stamina 1: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run a marathon.

 My chemical romance

    The group had to spend the rest of that day and the next day recovering and preparing for the next expedition.Gabriel had to recover from his wound, using Damage Relocation he could distribute the damage of his wound to the rest of his body and in this way he only had to endure some general pain instead of an injury that incapacitate his entire hand. With one finger less Gabriel couldn''t work as fast as before, despite having lost a not very useful finger and his mutations he had to spend a whole day making the new Oscar armor with the help of the veteran.


    During these days Yeni and Lucia were training together, after all she lacked experience in close combat and the soldier had plenty of it. The rookie had a lot of talent when it came to learning but since she had to sleep like a normal person couldn''t advance as fast as Gabriel would like. Like a little plus the regeneration and extra stamina she had helped her to develop  her muscle memory more quickly.


    As for the mutations Gabriel, he increased his vitality and regeneration to use explosive skills without having to suffer so much collateral damage, after all his hair despite having grown a little didn''t even reach his shoulders. The rest was invested in Oscar, since he was the group''s distance combat specialist, he needed to maximize his ability to move and some regeneration didn''t hurt either.


    Gabriel evolved


    Vitality 2: You have two times the vitality of a regular person.


    Vitality 3: You have four times the vitality of a regular person.


    Regeneration 2 : Your body heals four times as fast as an average human.


    Oscar evolved


    Regeneration 1 Your body heals two times as fast as an average human.


    Super Agility 2: Your body is as agile as cat.


    Super Agility 3: Your body is so agile that it looks like your bones are made of rubber.


    Fast Reflexes 2: Your reflexes are at the same level of a hummingbird.


    Fast Reflexes 3: Your reflexes are at the same level of a fly.


    Enchant Stamina 3:You have great Stamina! You can run easily run four marathons.


    Finally, there was Michi who dedicated himself to using the satellite to explore the entire neighborhood and find several points of interest such as the various hordes that needed to be isolated and exterminate. Luckily the cat only had to use the mouse it''s hard to use the keyboard if you don''t have thumbs. The strangest thing he found was a series of fires in the north of the city, they may be the result of faulty gas installations, but they seemed to follow a linear pattern. Given the possibility that it was a unique infected that could manipulate fire Gabriel decided to investigate it later when the strength of the group is more consolidated.


    At the beginning of the eighth day of the apocalypse Gabriel was lying in the bed of his room with Yeni next to him. The survivor had already gotten used to having one less finger and the only thing he had lost was some grip strength but there was another problem that bothered him.


    Gabriel: Hey do you think I forced Lucia to grab the mutation?I could have give her more options.


    Yeni: Na man, you did what you had to do. In this world there is no time for subtleties, it isn''t bad to put someone between a rock and a hard place. You need to be asshole from time to time to deal with people.


    Gabriel: I don''t know, now that I think about it Why I''m asking things about morality to someone who has ¡°two faces¡±?.


    Yeni: Two voices and yes my moral compass is a fucking carousel. Your problem is that you are trying to be a perfectionist, you want the best possible outcome of each situation and things aren''t like that. Zombies and magic shit don''t change the fact that  this is still the Earth and some day shit will hit the fan. When that happened and your plan is ruined you will go crazy if you are so obsessed with making everything perfect. I think your strength isn''t in doing everything right at first, you power is learn from your mistakes and recover. Dude you are literally come back from the death.


    Gabriel: Yea. . .I think you are right. The only thing I can do is prepare myself if Lucia has a psychotic breakdown.


    Yeni: Now my time to make a question. What the hell happened to you last time? They catch you with your pants down?.


    Gabriel: I honestly didn''t think that kind of infected would appear so early. They could be evolving faster, or they appear early in the city''s.


    Yeni: I hope it''s the last thing, in your timeline where were you on these dates?


    Gabriel: I don''t remember exactly, but I was able to escape from the city in the early days and went to a small town. There I was living alone for 2 years.


    Yeni: Alone for 2 years? How the fuck did you not go crazy ?.


    Gabriel: I had a friend named Fan, we communicated by shortwave radio. We thought we were the only survivors in Argentina until we received a message that came from the Malvinas.


    Yeni: Why you and Fan didn''t get together?


    Gabriel: She was to far like 500 km from there, our original plan was to wait for the infected to rot or starve. As you will see that wasn''t a very good idea.


    Yeni: That suck.


    Gabriel: Na, in the end we could meet face to face but. . I don''t feel like continuing the story.


    Yeni: Fuck, You let my with a cliffhanger? but I can understand you situation. I also have some traumatic shit in my past so if you wanna do a dick measuring contest in the future about that I am cool with it.


    Gabriel: Yea its better if I talk about that this but for now is enough.


    Yeni: Is like taking a huge shit, if you hurry you''re gonna suffer a lot of pain but if you take it with patience and little by little not only doesn''t it hurt but you will feel better after doing it.


    Gabriel: I really hate that analogy but it''s surprisingly accurate.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    After that little talk they both got up and met with the rest of the group in the dining room for breakfast. Lucia had proved to be quite useful since she was the only one in the group who knew how to cook. Between that, the time she spent putting on makeup and her training was the member of the group that had less free time.


    Gabriel: This is really good.


    Lucia: Thanks! doing little things like this make one feel less useless.  So. . . are you two a couple?


    Gabriel: Na.


    Yeni: We are just fuck buddies so if you wanna ride this 30 rollercoaster you are free to do it


    Lucia: No thanks, I separated from my boyfriend recently. It was just curiosity more than anything.


    Gabriel: Look, I will be honest with you, we need to prepare ourselves in case some types of extremely dangerous infected begin to appear early. I thought we were ahead of time but what happened in Lucia''s apartment left me quite worried.


    Yeni: Who are those bastards that worry you?


    Lucia: Are we going to make a super secret weapon?


    Oscar: What do you have in mind?


    Gabriel: First, the type of infected that concern me are those that are going to start growing a dense bone layer as if it were an armor. The most common type are the Skeletons that evolve from the Brutes, they are the same but armored to the point that they can even withstand a bullet of small caliber like 9mm. Yeni could kill them with their mass but we can''t count on her forever.


    Lucia: I don''t want to interrupt you but where do you get all those names? Was there any kind of consensus in your previous life or did you invent them?


    Gabriel: Well. . . he . . .


    Yeni: Are you fucking kidding me? You invented names all the time?


    Gabriel: Not only me, Oscar also invented the name of a unique infected.


    Oscar: Don''t drag me with you, I didn''t know that all names were invented by you.


    Gabriel: Ok guys, you have no idea how difficult it was to have a common nomenclature in my other life so I took the initiative.


    Lucia: It is fine, can I rename the skeleton for something cooler like. . . Bone Breaker!


    Gabriel: Fine, the Bone Breaker is something we have to get a countermeasure before they become a problem.


    Yeni: That sound good but, I will decide the name of the next infected we find.


    Gabriel: Ok can we get back to the topic?


    Lucia: Sure, are we going to jump an armory to get some heavy weaponry?.


    Gabriel: Not exactly.


    Michi: The guns are very loud and will take away the advantage of stealth. Thanks to this we can dismantle hordes in a relatively safe way.


    Lucia: And why don''t we use silencers? We have tools to manufacture them.


    Yeni: Unlike what you see in the movies, silencers in high-caliber weapons don''t reduce all the noise, they just keep you from screwing your eardrums when shooting.


    Gabriel: Exactly so our other alternative is to use weapons like maces, war hammers or what I want to get acid. You will see the Skele. . . Bone Breakers are extremely dangerous in melee so it would be safer to take care of it from a distance and that is why we need acidic projectiles to melt their bone armor.


    Michi: Give me a second to think, common acids would take a long time to weaken the bone so I hope you''re not thinking about what I think you''re thinking.


    Gabriel: Yep, super acids is what we need.


    Michi: I''ve heard a lot of crazy things coming out of your mouth but this is the most dangerous.


    Lucia: What does getting high like a kite have to do with  killing armored zombies?


    Yeni: Not that kind of acid you vampire bimbo.


    Michi: Super acids are a special kind of acid that is only found in laboratories. Its uses are few and even the most harmful of them does not even have a practical use because of how potent it is, literally the only component on planet earth that can contain it is Teflon everything else is dissolved in a matter of seconds. A single drop would be able to kill any of us.


    Gabriel: Because of that I don''t want to have the most powerful one,I want to get Magic Acid. An acid used in high-performance fuels can melt bone and isn''t as dangerous. The plan is to put it in arrows and let Oscar shoot them.


    Yeni: Are you sure about that? I don''t want to clean the remains of this old fart with a mop.


    Oscar: Acid Arrows? Sure why not? Sounds fun.


    With the new objective in mind the group decided to invade a local chemical warehouse. The team would be composed of Yeni, Gabriel, Oscar and Michi with Lucia staying at the base to watch them from the communications room. Gabriel and Oscar had to share the same bike while Yeni and Michi were on the other. In this case they replaced the sack that had ammunition for Gabriel''s sling with another one containing dozens of arrows for Oscar, having only one range fighter will be enough.


    Inti armor


    A light armor ideal for acrobatic maneuvering.


    Oscar''s new armor was quite austere, nothing too crazy. The main objective was to provide protection but at the same time keep it light enough to facilitate the task of moving on the battlefield and always having the most advantageous position. A chest of Kevlar and then a mask that covered his face were the most fortified parts, as always it had eye protection thanks to the safety glasses of the builders. Oscar also had to carry several arrows, because of this was necessary to decide between having more ammunition or protection. Luckily he always had support so he could afford to trust his teammates to cover him while he used his bow.


    The trip had no difficulty, Michi''s radar plus Lucia''s support makes finding the safest route easy. The common infected were no longer a danger and even variants such as the Runners and the Brutes ceased to pose a threat if they were alone. That way, leaving a corpse path they reached the warehouse they were looking for. When they reached the huge industrial-looking building they noticed that the street was empty and there were only a couple of abandoned cars.


    Michi:  I detected 10 Runners, 3 Hunters, 20 normal infected and. . .4 unidentified in the area.


    Gabriel: Oscar climb that lamppost, from there you can shoot without problems.


    Oscar: Can I do that?


    Gabriel: Trust me, you have more than enough mutations to do it.


    With a superhuman agility the old man could climb that thin metal structure and stand on the small surface without problems.


    Oscar: This is nice.


    Gabriel: I told you.


    Old age  was something quite difficult, every second you spend you become weaker, more fragile, more idiotic and your senses leave you one by one. Feeling like your body rots little by little is an unpleasant experience that Oscar felt daily. However there was something worse than that, to think Is this all? I am done? Looking back on your whole life and not being satisfied with this really sucks.


    Having now not only a new chance but a totally new world to explore was too good to be true. Facing legions of unspeakable horrors and dancing with death every day was the nightmare of many people but for Oscar that life had lost its taste after decades of monotony was heaven.


    Oscar was above the lamppost after having performed a feat only possible in dreams could feel like a child. Exploring this new world and finding the limits of his body and then breaking them gave him a happiness that he thought he would never feel again.


    Gabriel: Yeni make some noise to attract them, it will be safer to fight here since we don''t know the structure of the building and I don''t want any surprise attacks.


    Yeni: For your luck I''m a lousy bitch.


    Then the woman began to hit her shield with her mace creating a rather loud noise. Thanks to this several infected people began to leave through the doors and windows of that place directly attacking Yeni who was in front of the group. Gabriel was near her with his sword using his explosive mutations to enter, make some cuts and then retire to wait for them to recharge. Yeni was crushing the infected with her weapon and Oscar was responsible for killing the dangerous ones before they even reach the group''s tank. The pace of the fight changed when Gabriel noticed a different type of infected leaving the building.


    This new type of infected didn''t seem to be too dangerous, it was a malnourished person with an unusually big stomach to the point that they looked like women in the late stages of pregnancy. The neck was unusually long, twice that of an average person and it was constantly drooling a green substance. The clothes it still possessed were in an unusual state, it seemed to be severely burned but the rest of his body had no sign of fire damage.


    Gabriel: Spitters! They can spit acid with a range of 10 m.


    Oscar showing off his skills began to quickly kill that new type of infected. With his bow and improved physical abilities he could calmly execute them before they approached. His mechanical and precise movements like a clock were the result of decades of experience mixed with the new capabilities of his being.


    15 minutes later everything was clean, Michi didn''t detect any other infected, so they began to take out the Hell Crystals and then entered the warehouse to find the components they needed. The weakest acids that were needed to create the super acid were there but not in the amounts Gabriel would have liked. Another thing they found was a pair of iron oxide jars, ideal for making more termite than they were falling short of those components.


    When they finished putting the components together and the Hell Crystals decided to return to the bunker, after all exploring with several bottles of extremely corrosive acids wasn''t a good idea. On the way back, a very important issue arose that they had to discuss.


    Yeni: Ok Quickshot is my turn to name the new variant and Splitter is super lame. I will call you . . .Vomitors !.


    Luc¨ªa: That sounds horrible.


    Yeni: Suck a dick Lucy, when it''s your turn you can name the infected as you please.


    Lucia: Fine whatever. Hey I see something strange, in a nearby park all the trees are. . crooked do you want to take a look?


    Oscar: We have plenty of time before nightfall.


    Michi: Curiosity killed the cat and yes it''s ironic that I say that, you don''t have to mention it.


    Gabriel: If that''s what I think it is, we must go back to the bunker to prepare. Tomorrow I will show you how to kill God.


    Yeni: Do you really need to be that dramatic Quickshot?


    Gabriel: Yes.

 Broken, Beat & Scarred

    Back in the communication room the group was gathered to discuss the task for tomorrow.


    Gabriel: Ok people let''s plan how to deal with an unique infected.


    Oscar: The last time we faced one, you didn''t even need preparation.


    Gabriel: Yes, but that was taking a risk and being honest I don''t like taking risks. The first thing we should do is gather information, second prepare to specifically to kill the objective and third is the execution.


    Michi: Sounds like a solid plan, what do we know about this infected ?.


    Lucia: According to what I could see, it has a humanoid shape, two arms, two legs and a head. It measures 5 meters high and its body is all curled up, it doesn''t seem to have any type of armor or protection. The most important thing I could notice is that everything that touches seems to be automatically twisted, so most of the trees in that park were in that strange shape. One very important thing is that there are several Redheads in the area so in theory that creature can''t distinguish between ally or enemy.


    Gabriel: Great with that information we can deduce that his weak point is the head, and he has some form of passive physical attack linked to his skin. We must focus on doing as much damage as quickly as possible, not giving it time to make a transformation or use a secret ability. Those infected have an infinite stamina and as you can see they can regenerate from any wound if you don''t remove the Hell Crystal, therefore attrition warfare isn''t viable.


    Yeni: So the plan is to give it fast and hard to finish in the shortest possible time, typical of you.


    Gabriel: That is why do a lot of foreplay is fundamental.


    Oscar: Can we tone down with the innuendos?


    Gabriel: Ok fine, we need those acid arrows and Lucia for this expedition.


    Lucia: Hey quick question! Why don''t we steal a drone, charge it with explosives and send it as a kamikaze attack?


    Gabriel: That is a good question, you see the type of explosives we can do here aren''t strong enough to guarantee the kill. Most homemade bombs are harmful because of the huge amount of crap you put in it , nails, pieces of glass, etc. These cause internal damage to the victim who bleeds out or suffer severe injuries from the impact. Those infected cannot die of bleeding and the noise could attract a horde. It isn''t a bad idea but for our current situation it generates more problems than solutions.


    Michi: Maybe in the future we can use a similar strategy.


    Gabriel: The other advantage we have is its height, normally that would be a problem but we are in an urban area, so I have an idea. If we attract the creature from the park to some of the nearby buildings we can fight from it and reduce the enemy''s mobility. After all, he doesn''t seem to have enough body mass to destroy structures easily.


    Michi: I''m going to have to act like bait again?


    Gabriel: Unfortunately, yes, I''m also going to need Lucia who, thanks to her build, can break walls to create an emergency exit if necessary. Oscar will obviously go so Yeni will stay here.


    Lucia: Speaking of which, are we going to make my armor? I have a lot of ideas!.


    Gabriel: Well in your case I must tell you something important. There are two ways in which one could use your special mutation, the idiot form and the intelligent form. The idiotic form would be to use almost no armor and let the enemy be the source of damage that activates your mutation bonus. That is a bad idea because you cannot regulate how much or what kind of damage you receive. Poison, acid, fire, electricity or even a good blow could kill you or cause a wound that leaves you incapacitated.


    Lucia: But. . .but . .my bikini armor. I even made a drawing look! has this cool claws grabbing my tits and a crotch skull.


    Lucia took out a sketchbook where she had made the design of her armor, despite being quite well drawn it wasn''t practical at all.


    Gabriel: You get a full armor, sorry. The intelligent way is to use the damage from your explosive mutations, not only can you calculate more or less how much harm you must get to activate each stage of your ability but you can also stack that with those mutations.


    Lucia: Ok fine. . .let''s do it.


    Gabriel: Great Lucia and I will get to work on her weapon and armor in the meantime Oscar and Michi start making acid arrows. Yeni you take care of watching the unique infected.


    Yeni: So is my turn to sit on the bench? That sucks but I guess we have no alternative.


    The group began working on their respective tasks for the rest of the day, Yeni went to the communications room while the rest went to the workshop. First they get some levels ups, mainly focused on Lucia since she was one of the fundamental parts of the plan. They choice more explosive mutations, increasing her stamina and vitality was essential to be able to withstand the use of these skills. Unlike Gabriel, her build was totally focused on damage so maximizing her ability to one shot enemies was a priority. His body was slightly altered due to these new mutations, like Gabriel her muscle mass increased considerably, Lucia physique was worthy of an Olympic athlete.


    Lucia mutated


    Explosive Strength 2: For 6 second you can have extra strength, you could lift 400 kilos with ease. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Explosive Strength 3: For 6 second you can have extra strength, you could lift 1600 kg kilos with ease. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Explosive Agility 1: For 6 second you can have extra agility, your body become agile as a cat. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Explosive Reflexes 1: For 6 second you can have amazing reflexes, your reflexes are like those of a cat.This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Vitality 1: Your body is in the best possible state of health of a human being.


    Vitality 2: You have two times the vitality of a regular person.


    Enchant Stamina 2: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run two marathons.


    Enchant Stamina 3:You have great Stamina! You can run easily run four marathons.


    Because of the plan they had in mind, it was a good idea to give Michi explosive speed, this small sprint is extremely important to ensure that he doesn''t suffer any damage. His small body couldn''t deal with much physical stress but a single mutation of this type wasn''t so dangerous either.


    Michi mutated


    Explosive Speed 1: For 6 second you can have extra speed, you can run at 100 km / h. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    The armor they created for Lucia was similar to Gabriel''s but the protection is more distributed instead of focusing on certain vital points. What was complicated to do was the design, both survivors had a similar taste for the extravagant, so they went all out with it. The helmet was shaped like a skull and decorated with a fake crown, the gems it had been made of plastic but at least gave the illusion of being authentic from the distance. The chest was shaped like a rib cage, two huge skulls of wolves were placed like shoulder pads and the stomach had a bright red geometric pattern like the gems. The bottom part had a skirt with a vertical cut to not hinder and also had the same reddish pattern as the rest of its armor.


    Queen of the dark horizon armor


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    A light set of kevlar armor heavily decorated.


    The weapon they chose was a meter long steel axe, an extremely simple but effective weapon. While it was quite difficult to defend with this, that wasn''t a priority. They added a steel spike to the other side of the blade to have some penetration if necessary and to help with the balance of the weapon. Finally they painted the blade with the same crimson pattern as their armor, after all it had to combine.


    Akron axe


    A 1 meter long steel axe. Ideal to make a lot of damage but has a poor defense.


    Lucia: Being honest I didn''t have much hope for the design but after putting it on I look super cool.


    Gabriel: That 3d printer is a lifesaver, did you see how easy it was to make all those skulls?


    Lucia: Yea, those 3d modeling lessons came by hand


    Gabriel: Hey guy, how are you doing?


    Michi: We could only make 2 arrows.


    The arrows they had made seem to be quite common, the only difference is that instead of having a normal head they had a gray plastic cone. Beside this they had what appeared to be covers made of a rather spongy material.


    Acid Arrow


    A special arrow that contain magic acid, it can easily melt bone and flesh.


    Gabriel: Only 2 ?.


    Michi: Yes, the process and the design of these took longer than I thought. I could have done more but I prioritize user security. The most complex component is the plastic that covers the head of the arrow, making it resistant to acid and impacts but also that can break on impact was a challenge. As an extra security measure I added a cotton cover to prevent breaks in case of accidents.


    Oscar: As an user, I wholeheartedly support that idea.


    Gabriel: Ok that is fair, it will have to be enough.


    Having everything ready they went to rest to go early tomorrow to deal with the unique infected. During dinner they began to talk about different topics and about the work they had to do, among that came an extremely important issue, they had to choose a name for this enemy.


    Yeni: Listen up bitches as I spent all day watching that I came up with a name.


    Lucia: Come on not again, your names sucks.


    Yeni: I call it The Crooked Man !.


    Oscar: That is surprisingly good, where did you get it?


    Yeni: I used to read stories to orphans in my spare time. I had a crappy childhood so I don''t like the idea that other children have to go through the same shit.


    Gabriel: I could never have imagined that.


    Yeni: Where the fuck do you think I got my second voice? It took years of practice but it was worth it, it is a bit shocking to hear a princess speaking in the tone of a drunken sailor.


    The next day everyone was ready to begin the task, they left early in the morning as always on their bicycles to the park. They stopped at a hardware store, it was the closest open building to the park and therefore the best to carry out their plan.


    Michi: There are 2 Vomitors and 5 regular infected in the store so be careful.


    They quickly cleaned the place without suffering any setback, for now everything was going pretty well. After inspecting they found a thin wall that gave a good chance to escape if necessary. Oscar took his position above a nearby lamppost while Gabriel and Lucia waited inside the building. The plan was simple, the veteran will attack from the distance while both warriors took advantage of the poor mobility that their enemy would have to deal a lethal blow.


    As everything was planned Michi began to enter the park, thanks to his natural speed, radar and his explosive mutation he didn''t have much to worry about. A minute passed before they began to feel that something giant was approaching and when they saw Michi running out of the trees they knew that their enemy was here.


    The veteran made the first attack cautiously firing the acid arrow that hit the target. However, something strange happened when it hit the target, the projectile was shattered and spread the acid throughout the body of the infected instead of melting its head. All the dense layer of skin and twisted fat that covered his head and torso melts showing the muscles of that abomination.


    That thing was even more unpleasant in person, a huge humanoid figure twisted in an unnatural way. Even his skull was curled to the point that no facial features could be distinguished. The gray skin of this being was stained with blood making it clear that he was the source of all those Redheads that followed him. To get his attention Gabriel quickly threw a rock with his sling, it disintegrated when he came into contact with his skin demonstrating that normal ranged attacks were ineffective. However, the plan worked and this abomination stopped paying attention to his target and charged directly to where Gabriel was.


    This Crooked Man crashed straight against the front of the store but the creature began to destroy the concrete and the glass of the building just by touching them. Trying to overcome the surprise the survivors had to dodge the pieces of rubble that were shot in all directions. Using his agility and explosive reflexes Gabriel was able to avoid those projectiles without problem and Lucia received a couple blows but due to her armor she only received a some  bruises. Michi and Oscar were at a safe distance so the few pieces that came up were easily dodged.


    Seeing this Gabriel understood what was happening, everything this creature will touch was exposed to a huge amount of kinetic energy, this thing was a living meat crusher. The power their ability to "twist" things exceeded the expectations of the group and therefore now had to execute a necessary counter measure. The redhead had an idea, maybe now that the building is serving as resistance the torque power of the being is not so great and if so, this is the perfect opportunity to go all in.


    Gabriel: Lucia attack the head!


    Gabriel activated his explosive velocity and strength while Lucia just use all her arsenal of mutations and charged at the same time against the abomination that is still breaking through the bowels of that store. The impact of the axe and the sword against the skull of that being would have been enough to damage an armored vehicle but this case was different. The duo could feel as if they had hit a kind of stone wheel that was moving at full speed, the blow was dissipated and they both flew through the air to fall in the middle of the street. They had managed to damage the head a little but the cuts were minimal, this living tornado was stupidly strong.


    The blow had damaged Gabriel a little but nothing from another world, he worries more now that he had to wait for his skills to recover or use his master technique. Lucia was a different case, having fallen flat on a car hurting her back. This added to the damage that his body received from using his explosive mutations activated her unique ability but there was something wrong.


    All the frustration, sadness and suffering she had tried to contain broke loose at that moment. Invaded by a blind rage, she shouted so hard that almost burst her vocal cords and charge against the infected. She charged again and again against this being trying to cut it with her axe, every time that she did it, her body flew through the air but always stood back and thanks Glorious Suffering the brutality of her attacks only increased.


    Gabriel: Lucia stop!


    Yeni: You fucking autistic bitch, what are you doing ?!


    Oscar: Stop it, now!


    Michi: Please calm down !.


    The woman couldn''t hear them, her mind was possessed by inexhaustible thirst for revenge, she had been holding her true feelings until they exploded. The volatile combination of anger and sadness had exploded and now the flames threatened to consume her. The group could do nothing but try to keep the other infected at bay while watching helplessly as their partner was killing herself. After a minute Lucia lay on the floor motionless.


    Oscar fired his last acid arrow against the infected. Like the previous one, it hit the target and dissolved part of the creature''s torso even though it was shattered on impact. The crooked bones of this one were exposed to the air, it seems that something remotely human was under all that mutated meat. Now that he had run out of acidic arrows, he had to keep the Red Heads at bay, everything was in the hands of the reincarnated.


    Gabriel  run to the store and grabbed one of the Vomitors that were lying on the ground and threw it against the special infected. The creature''s body was shattered upon impact covering the target in blood and, more importantly, the corrosive acid from its bowels. Unfortunately, he couldn''t use his trump card since it was ineffective against that enemy and the thermite grenades were more likely to cause a fire than to harm the infected. The only thing he could think of was to slowly melt it in this way but at they should withdraw . After investing 2 acidic arrows in this hunt plus the wounds that they had, to flee would be to throw all that effort into the trash and take a serious blow to the morale of the group.


    Oscar was frantically firing his bow trying to kill all the infected who were approaching Lucia''s unconscious body while Gabriel continued to distract the unique infected. Michi quickly approached her partner to try to wake her up.


    Michi: Come on girl! this is no time to take a nap.


    Lucia was in a rather deplorable state, after her tantrum she had used up all her stamina. Her pale skin and muscles were severely damaged to the point where her armor was turning red because of all the blood but luckily her bones were not broken yet. Something curious happened when she regained consciousness after a few seconds, she felt good.


    Having exhausted all her stamina she had reached the state of autophagy, her body had begun to eat itself to generate extra energy. Lucia nullification of pain plus adrenaline completely eliminated the agony she felt but more importantly her mind was totally clear. After the catharsis her spirit had been purified and now that she had no fear, anger and sadness clouding her vision, she could use now her most lethal weapon, her intellect.


    She remembered an incident when she was a child, once she forgot her jump rope in the yard of her house. As the grass of this was quite long so Lucia father didn''t see the toy when he began to cut, the ropes of this stuck in the machine spoiling the engine. This nostalgic memory gave her an idea, she quickly got up and activated all his explosive mutations at the same time putting herself in a critical state.


    With her axe she cut one of the light poles with a single blow and then quickly grab it and throw it against the Crooked Man. The wooden pole despite having a considerable size was still ineffective but all the high voltage cables it had was another subject. As expected, the metal wires quickly became entangled in the body of this creature that couldn''t turn off its ability. His body weakened by all the acid he had received couldn''t stand the pressure and it dismembered himself.


    The body of the infected exploded creating a rain of entrails, flesh and blood. Gabriel stared at Lucia, stunned by the idea she had, the woman then made a shout of victory.


    Lucia: I feel so good, I feel so numb, yeah!


    Then Lucia collapsed on the floor totally unconscious. Gabriel quickly headed for Lucia ignoring the unique Hell Crystal for now. Taking out his first aid kit, he began to quickly treat his partner''s wounds, trusting that his colleagues could keep the rest of the infected at bay.


    Oscar: No pressure Gabriel but I''m running out of ammunition.


    Gabriel: Then take this! Michi grabs the unique Hell Crystal, when I am done with the first aid we are leave.


    Supai Crystal


    Gives a special mutation, useful only in the first stage of evolution.


    Then Gabriel took his falchion Rakshasa and threw it at Oscar. He quickly grabbed him, put away his bow and prepared to enter melee. Although he wasn''t a melee specialist, he had martial knowledge and his armor, despite being light, gave him some protection.


    Oscar: Ok but don''t expect miracles from me, never use one of these!


    Michi: Are you sure you want to leave the rest of the Hell Crystals?


    Gabriel: Yes, the most important thing now is to ensure that Lucia doesn''t die. We have 24 hours before they revive, so we can do it return tomorrow.

 Damage Case

    The group quickly returned to the bunker to deal with Lucia. Gabriel took the woman to her room where he examined her body carefully and concluded that for now she wasn''t in any kind of imminent danger. Her pale skin was decorated almost entirely by the purple bruises but the internal damage was minimal. A regular human would be in serious danger right now but thanks to her mutations she could overcome the damage with enough time.


    After that situation Gabriel started talking to Oscar in private while Michi watched Lucia and Yeni remained in the communications room.


    Gabriel: Well, Oscar the unique Crystal is yours.


    Oscar: I''m not going to refuse but why me? the ability to cancel physical damage would be great for Yeni.


    Gabriel: It would be a bad idea to put all our eggs in one basket. Also, if this mutation works as I think . . . .is more effective offensively than defensively.


    Oscar: Ok, whatever you say.


    Oscar Evolved


    Torque: This unique mutation allows you to apply your force directly to spin an object that is 15 centimeters or less from your skin. It can only be applied to one object at a time.


    After obtaining his new mutation Oscar told him what was the description of his unique mutation to Gabriel and he nodded. The redhead took from his pocket one of the rocks he used in his sling and passed it to his partner.


    Gabriel: Try applying your skill to this.


    When Oscar tried to use his new ability on the rock it began to rotate quite quickly in his palm. It wasn''t extremely impressive and didn''t approach the stupidly strong rotation power of the unique infected. However both survivors nodded with an expression of satisfaction on their faces.


    Oscar: Great, I can think of a couple of things we can do with this.


    Gabriel: I think the same, we hit a jackpot. You should focus on training as much as possible until you master it. Yeni, Michi and I will go to collect the crystals we leave behind.


    Oscar: What do I do with Lucia?


    Gabriel: She will be fine but if she woke up tell her to be at rest until I come back.


    Oscar: Are you going to tell her something about the stupidity she did?


    Gabriel: Yes, leave that to me. I know how to deal with this situation.


    Oscar: You don''t have the slightest idea what to say right?


    Gabriel: Ok look I have a conflict, Lucia did something super idiot but she managed to kill the unique infected.


    Oscar: You should tell her that, be direct and tell her that while she could fix the problem in the end she will die if she acts like that again.


    Gabriel: Thanks for the advice, being direct seems to be the solution the best solution to deal with people.


    Oscar: There is no time for bulshit in the end of times.


    After that talk Gabriel gathered the whole team in the dining room to discuss what they would do next.


    Gabriel: Ok guys let''s go again, Yeni and Michi come with me and Oscar stay with Lucia as we discussed.


    Michi: Gabriel you should stay and take care of Lucia in case there are any medical complications, besides you didn''t leave that fight unharmed.


    Yeni: Yea Quickshot, Michi and I can take care of those motherfuckers, after all in theory we don''t even have to fight.


    Gabriel: No, a lot of shit happen for today and I don''t want any more surprise.


    Michi: As you wish.


    Yeni: Ok faggot but when we come back take a break.


    The task didn''t have any setback, since most of those infected on the road and in the area had been cleaned only a couple of hours ago. Oscar reported the surrounding status every 30 minutes while taking short breaks from his training. When they finally finished gathering everything, they had a couple of hours before nightfall, so in time they returned to the base.


    When they returned, the first thing Gabriel did was check on Lucia who was still slept. Then he went to see how Oscar was doing with his training and he had just managed to touch the surface of his powers, the veteran still has problems controlling his strength and precision. Finally he decided to use some of the crystals to level up.


    The mutations Gabriel chose were simple, he increased his vitality back and his unique mutation so he could use it in the midst of combat. Thanks to this he could use Explosive mode without worrying about side effects and if the situation requires it he could sacrifice his hair in the middle of combat. Speaking of which by now he had a short beard and his hair had grown to the point that it looked like a standard short haircut. After that Michi approached him quickly to tell him that Lucia had awake and Gabriel quickly dressed to give him a visit.


    Gabriel EvolvedUnlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Damage relocation 2: You can relocate the damage in your body. It is a fast process and can be used in combat.


    Vitality 4: You have eight times the vitality of a regular person.


    The woman was lying in her bed, she still couldn''t get up but didn''t seem to have any permanent damage.


    Lucia: Hi Gabriel.


    Gabriel: How are you? Do you feel any pain or discomfort?


    Lucia: I just feel a little sore.


    Gabriel: Yes, that is the effect of your mutation plus the analgesics that I gave you. Nothing strong like morphine so in a couple of days you will be like new.


    Lucia: A couple of days ?!


    Gabriel: That''s why it is problematic to cancel the pain, even if you feel perfect, your body still has to deal with the damage. So it is better to be safe than sorry, also we need to talk about other things.


    Lucia: Yes I know, I got a little crazy but at the end of the day everything ended well!.


    Gabriel: I know this isn''t the first time this happens to you.


    Lucia: Oh yeah. . .that video.


    Gabriel: Yes, look, I''m glad you don''t have any permanent damage and that at the end of the day and thanks to you we could kill the Crooked Man but you can''t do that again.


    Lucia: I know. . .look . . eee . okay .. . .Fine I will try fix this, it is something that always happens to me when I am under a lot of stress.


    Gabriel: For now let''s put the fights to a minimum, I think it will take you to fight against rather weak hordes until you gradually get used to it.


    Lucia: That sound like a great idea !.


    The day ended without any other problem, Gabriel went to work on a special project and after a few hours in the workshop he only had to wait for the fiberglass resin to finish drying. The next morning they decided to go hunting a small horde that had moved near the base. Lucia and Oscar stayed at the base while Michi, Yeni and Gabriel went to deal with this problem.


    The horde was located in the middle of a shopping mall, a couple of weeks ago it was a pretty place to spend the afternoon but now it was a nest infested with nightmare beings. Luckily this place was quite narrow so the usual strategy of the group worked perfectly. Gabriel in the back with his sling while Yeni maintained a defensive line.


    Michi: 40 common infected, 5 Hunters and. . .4 unidentified in this pack.


    After a few seconds the group could see what those unidentified infested were. The Bone Breaker was an extremely dangerous zombie variant for every survivor fighting hand-to-hand. The evolved form of a Brute not only possessed twice the strength but also had his entire body covered by a dense layer of bone. That organic armor completely covered everything except for the eyes and mouth, these were their only weaknesses and to take advantage of them you would have to have superhuman abilities.


    Gabriel: Fuck.


    Michi: What''s up?


    Gabriel: I''ll explain later, for now focus on the Hunter and then on the Bone Breakers.


    The combat began and the first to attack as always were the Hunters, but as was evident their claws could not pass the impenetrable defense of Yeni. However, when the new contestants began to approach the story changed a bit. The woman''s shield managed to keep them at bay but the force of their blows was enough to dent it. Luckily she had her reliable mace that was ideal for dealing with enemies with armor. Using her unnatural strength she was able to break the skull of these infected with a single blow. Its regeneration and resistance made it an ideal tank but its equipment unfortunately lacked these properties and after this battle it would be necessary to do a lot of maintenance.


    Gabriel activated explosive mode and fired his sling, his fluid and fast movements gave the illusion that he was using a bizarre firearm instead of one of the oldest weapons in history. Thanks to the combination he was able to hit the weak points of these creatures directly. However, he still need a minimum of two attacks to kill a Bonebreaker. It was fine but you could tell the difference between someone who focuses 100% on something like Yeni that could kill these creatures in one blow with her mace and Gabriel who tried to be a Jack of all trades.


    The battle was more exhausting than usual but after three hours they returned to the bunker. Gabriel dedicated himself to assembling the final parts of Oscar''s new weapon, basically it was an automatic crossbow but with several modifications. The limb and the frame were standard but the mechanisms that had up and down the arrow track were unique. In the upper part there was a kind of box similar to that used by repeating crossbows invented in China but with the modification used by magazine loaded with bolts. Thanks to this he could shoot 20 times in a row and have a minimum recharge time, ideal for dealing with hordes of dozens of infected.


    The lower mechanism was the most interesting since it depended entirely on Oscar''s unique mutation to function. A rectangle that contained a gear that allows the crossbow to be loaded immediately. Thanks to a series of gears the force exerted on the wheel make that the crossbow rope automatically returned to its original position after being fired. The trigger was a safety measure to slow the rotation and avoid wasting ammunition.


    Speaking of the trigger it was very close to the bolts so Oscar could apply his rotating power to them to spin them like they were a bullet. Thanks to this the penetrating power of these had nothing to envy to a standard hunting rifle. This added to the rate of fire, the ease of getting ammunition and the fact that it was completely silent made it the ideal weapon to deal with hordes from a safe distance.


    Catequil Crossbow


    An automatic crossbow, its magazine has a capacity of 20 bolts.


    Unfortunately, Oscar''s unique mutation consumed too much stamina, so increasing it was a priority and since it scaled with his physical strength increased it would increase the efficiency of his attacks. Finally, being awake more hours will help him continue training with this ability to master it.


    Oscar evolved


    Herculean Strength 2: You have extra strength, you could lift 100 kilos with ease.


    Herculean Strength 3: You have extra strength, you could lift 200 kilos with ease.


    Enchant Stamina 4: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run eight marathons.


    Enchant Stamina 5: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run sixteen marathons.


    Sleep efficiency 2: You only have to sleep 2 hours per day.


    Sleep efficiency 3: You don''t have to sleep anymore.

 Death Magnetic

    Due to Lucia''s injuries it wasn''t recommended that she get up for now so the group met in her room to discuss a very important issue.


    Gabriel: Ok people I need to be honest, the infected seem to be evolving faster than I thought. In my previous life at this time I had only found a small number of variants and not even a unique one. Now it seems that each horde has at least a dozen of special infected.


    Michi: Could it be because we are in a city? Population density makes it statistically more common to find mutations.


    Gabriel: I thought that until we found the Bone Breakers in today''s horde. As I remember we still had about a month before we began to see these things but the worst is the amount of them. As I always say the problem isn''t the capabilities of the infected but their numbers.


    Oscar: Tell that to the unique infected who almost killed us last time.


    Michi: Well I have a question, how do you know the exact dates when each type of infected will appear?


    Gabriel: That is a good question, mostly my own experience and stories of other survivors that I found in my previous life.


    Michi: Well then you haven''t done any experiments. You don''t have concrete evidence of the dates apart from personal experiences.


    Gabriel: Yes. . .


    Michi: I''m going to throw a theory and then tell me what you guys think. Let us start from the basis that there is an element of randomness in those infected, as evidence we can take the special crystals such as the one of Yeni or Lucia. Based on that I think that a regular infected has a chance of becoming a variant and this chance is affected by the physiological predispositions of the body. For example, a muscular person has more chances than to become a Brute than a weakling.


    Gabriel: So what you are saying is that the evolution of the infected depends on luck and not time ?.


    Michi: No, for me it depends on both factors, luck and time. It would be like throwing a 20-sided die until you finally get a 20, some people will get it on the first try and others on the tenth. The problem is that here, having a larger population density, we have much more "people" throwing a die. In summary, it seems that we have a run of bad luck or you had a privileged luck in your previous life.


    Gabriel: That would explain a couple of things.


    Michi: I repeat this is only a theory, it could calmly be refuted with more evidence. Since it is not feasible to capture hundreds of infected to do a study.


    Yeni: So you will stop being a son of a bitch and tell us all the types of infected you know? it''s fucking hard to explain their weaknesses in the middle of a fight.


    Gabriel: Yes, from now on I will start recording everything I know about the different types of infected. This way we can listen and study that while training or crafting something. It is more practical than writing.


    Oscar: We will need more cell phones for that.


    Lucia: We can go outside and loot some of the zombies that surround the house.


    Gabriel: Ok Michi and Oscar go outside and do that. Lucia when you feel better good go to the communications room to monitor the area. Yeni give me a hand that we have to fix our equipment for the next expedition.


    The team was divided into their tasks, and they started working. After a couple of hours in the workshop Yeni and Gabriel took a short break, they finished fixing their equipment but still had other things to do such as making more bolts, acid arrows, etc. Above all this, Gabriel had to record his "audiobook", with so much work pending releasing all the accumulated stress was fundamental.


    After 15 minutes in Gabriel''s room both survivors were lying in bed looking at the ceiling. The cold winter was already taking over the facilities that only had some temporary electric stoves to fight this threat. Despite everything, they were both covered in sweat and needed a few minutes to recover their stamina.


    Yeni: Keep it that way and hopefully you''ll reach 5 minutes by the end of the year.


    Gabriel: You''re too positive.


    Yeni: Hey Quick Shot which is the strongest monster you have faced?


    Gabriel: Ok fine. . . . Do you remember my friend Fan? as you imagine she died before me. The cause of her death was a gunshot.


    Yeni: Holy shit I understand now, the most dangerous enemy are other mutated survivors.


    Gabriel: You are wrong there.


    Yeni: But if it wasn''t another survivor then. . . o no.


    Gabriel: Yea . . . .think about that. I think I''m going to take a nap.


    Yeni: Fine, I will get something to eat.


    Gabriel closed his eyes and had a very particular dream, usually the images of the horrors he experienced besieged these moments of breaks but this time he had something different. A memory that made him feel nostalgic for an event that hasn''t happened yet, and he would make sure it never happens.


    It was a cold morning on the beaches of Puerto Argentino, Gabriel was patrolling with his reliable sword. The redhead had mutated to the point that his body was semi-transparent and covered with a complex network of pulsating black veins. These were the side effects of the Ghost-type mutations, it was a fairly minor change compared to what some others class had.


    Behind him is one of the last bastions of humanity, with the latest news that came to them now they have confirmation that this group was the only humans left in South America. From a distance a person began to approach, another guard on watch to stop the horrors that came out of the sea.


    The guard was an Asian woman who seemed to be in her forties and was dressed in a fur coat covered with several jewels. The silver skin embedded with hundreds of precious stones show the biomechanical nature of her body. Her long golden hair seemed made of gold rippled with the icy wind of that beach as the woman approached Gabriel walking slowly.


    Fan: Did you hear the news?


    Gabriel: Yes, Lujan heaven fell last night. There goes the last cathedral in the world.


    Fan: They were idiots, we told them they should leave the continent, but they didn''t want to listen to us.


    Gabriel: To be fair if they hadn''t been religious fanatics I doubt that they could have endured so long.


    Fan: At the end of the day they died and this is all that matters. . . . .the boys and I will hit the bar after our round, do you want to come?.


    Gabriel: No thanks, I have a Pathfinder session with Oliver and some guys from the laboratory tonight.


    Fan: Whatever you say, remember to say ¡°No homo¡± after you finish.


    The redhead laughed a little and then woke up ready to continue with his tasks. He mainly focused on recording and educating the rest of his teammates about the other variants of infected. On the morning of the next day they prepared to continue exterminating hordes of infected and now that the group knew more or less what to expect they feel quite safe.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Today''s goal was a parking lot that had a horde of unknown size inside. They couldn''t verify exactly how many they were since the infected had moved inside it and therefore the aerial vision didn''t help but for that was Michi and the bicycles if they needed to escape. There were two reasons for choosing this objective , it was relatively close to the base and the other hordes were quite far from this isolated group.


    Naturally, only Gabriel, Oscar, Michi and Yeni went, and they left Lucia behind. On the road apart from several randoms infected, a pack of around 20 dogs was also found. If this had happened to them a week ago the redhead would be in serious trouble but now they were only a slight nuisance. The fangs of the creatures couldn''t even penetrate Gabriel''s light armor and thanks to his explosive mutations they were dispatched without problems. After an hour''s journey, the quartet finally reached the ground where they would do their daily hunt.


    The group entered the building, the simple concrete building was full of dozens of abandoned cars. The gray of the structure contrasted with the colorful color of those machines but the most important detail was how the several floors were divided. There was only one entrance and exit, a fairly wide ramp that facilitates car traffic. It wasn''t the best architectural design but luckily that played in favor of the group.


    Michi: There are many infected in this place, around 200. We reach the point when is difficult for me to count them all.


    Gabriel: How many of them are variants?


    Michi: 10 Hunters, 3 Bone Breakers, 10 Brutes, 20 Runners, 5 Vomitors and. . .Only 2 unknown. There is one on this floor and another one upstairs.


    Gabriel: Ok people we already know what to do, stay tuned for unknown variants.


    At this point everyone knew their role and how to act, but Oscar still had to get used to his unique mutation. Using his special crossbow he could keep the infected at bay without any problem and even one shot a Bone Breaker. That plus the other 10 magazines that he had on his bicycle make him a formidable force, theoretically he alone could clean the whole place. However, what seemed to be a simple task changed when they saw that one of the infected was different from the rest.


    This thing was known as a Screamer, similar to the Vomitors this variant didn''t seem to be a threat due to its squalid physique. The thorax of this monster was swollen to the point that it was twice as large as an average person but apart from that and its malnourished appearance it wasn''t different from an average infected. The problem was the ability of these creatures to scream, their voice could not only stun an average human but also this noise was able to attract the attention of all infected  in several hundreds of meters away.


    It took Oscar a second to realize what kind of infected and what the danger was. He quickly shot him but it was too late, before he died the creature managed to launch the fraction of a scream. Not enough to invoke each infected in the area but enough to get the attention of all infected in the building.


    Yeni: Shit!


    Gabriel had to think fast, if they had Lucia they could afford to move several cars to form a fast barricade or even tear down the ramp that connected the building to give them more time. Unfortunately they didn''t have that luxury, so they had to find another solution. He quickly recalled the two most important rules of strategic combat against the infected, make a bottleneck and have the advantage of height. However, there was a third option, the redhead didn''t like to use it but it was almost always the most effective if you were between a rock and a hard place.


    Gabriel: Run!


    The group ran out into the street with several runners biting their heels, luckily the Hunters had already been exterminated. Oscar took the opportunity to do one of his acrobatic stunts and climb on top of a lamppost. Michi used his explosive speed to imitate the veteran and place himself in a safe area. Gabriel doing a mixture of his speed and explosive reflexes could get away enough to get into a van to fight more comfortably with his falchion. The problem was Yeni, although the woman was very resistant, her speed was quite bad compared to the rest of the superhumans.


    Knowing that she couldn''t get away in time, she decided to stand with her shield in the middle of the street and endure the wave of mutants, this hitting the immovable mountain of steel with force.Sadly a shield loses its effectiveness when you are being attacked in a 360 degree angle. They were even starting to stack one on top of the other covering the titan in an avalanche of abominations. She could have kept the line if it weren''t for a small detail that no one noticed so far, the other infected that Michi couldn''t recognize yet came out as identified on him radar.


    According to what Gabriel had told them, this other abomination was similar to a Brute because of the enormous amount of muscles he had but unlike these, his skin was gray with several small holes covering it. Re named by Lucia this type of infected was called Shock Wielder, this type of creature didn''t use its dense layer of muscles to fight, all that muscle was an electricity generator. Similar to an electric eel this type of infected could generate an electric shock with the same power as a taser gun if it came into close contact.


    It is easy to imagine what happened when this beast touched someone who was wearing armor made almost entirely of metal. While it caused almost no harm, the pain generated was enough to completely immobilize Yeni, making it impossible to defend. If it weren''t for its mutations of vitality, regeneration and resistance to damage plus the dense layers of steel that covered her body she would have been shattered in the midst of that tornado of teeth, claws and acid.


    Gabriel: Kill that big gray one when you have the chance!


    Oscar: I can''t get a clear shot !.


    Gabriel: Ok, one more fucking time.


    Gabriel took a deep breath before activating his trump card, Explosive Mode plus all his other explosive mutations at the same time. During those 6 seconds Gabriel stopped being a human being and became an avatar of carnage. Each infected in that stack was mutilated with surgical precision while Oscar used his crossbow to deal with the Shock Wielder. When the bolt crossed the skull of this creature Gabriel still 2 seconds to continue his unilateral annihilation and when he wanted to realize he was surrounded by a mountain of decapitated corpses.Gabriel was a little sore but nothing worrisome, it seems that the mutations he acquired served to use this tactic without risk his life.


    Yeni: Fuck, I hadn''t been surrounded by so much meat since high school


    Gabriel: If you can do innuendos you can pick the crystals and as you can see. . . We have a lot of work to do.


    He said letting out a tired sigh, so much work is already beginning to affect his stamina that was relatively low compared to the rest of his teammates. After two hours they had already collected all the crystals and are heading back to their base.


    Now that Gabriel had all those Hell Crystal on hand, he could finally finish his evolution of Stage 1. Every time you level up the amount of crystals to go up to the next one increased a lot and eventually you reach a point where isn''t worth it and it was better to give it to other people or just save them. Even the act of absorbing them became extremely difficult due to the huge amount of objects that survivors should ingest. The magic number was 25, after that one could say that one''s build was complete.


    First he had to maximize his Sleep Efficiency, as the main crafter of the group and the leader sleep wasn''t an option. Then upgrading all its explosive mutations and explosive mode would give him an incredible increase in his physical abilities but taking them to very high levels will generate too much collateral damage, so he shouldn''t overdo it either. Finally, he needed all the stamina he could to maintain his new abilities, he couldn''t maximize like Oscar but it was better than nothing.


    Gabriel evolved


    Explosive Speed 2: For 6 second you can have extra speed, you can run at 320 km / h. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Explosive Strength 2: For 6 second you can have extra strength, you could lift 400 kilos with ease. This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Explosive Agility 2: For 6 second you can have extra agility, your body become so flexible that it almost feel like water.This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Explosive Reflexes 2: For 6 second you can have amazing reflexes, your reflexes are like those of a fly.This mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Explosive mode 2: For 1 minute you can have extra strength, you could lift 400 kilos with ease, run at 320 km / h, your body become so flexible that it almost feel like water and your reflexes are like those of a fly. The mutation has 1 minute cooldown.


    Enchant Stamina 3: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run four marathons.


    Enchant Stamina 4: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run eight marathons.


    Sleep efficiency 2: You only have to sleep 2 hours per day.


    Sleep efficiency 3: You don''t have to sleep anymore.

 Fuel

    Having evolved Gabriel felt like a new person.His body felt extremely light and seemed to have infinite energy but believing himself invincible in this world is one of the fastest ways to die. Without wasting time he went to the workshop to do routine maintenance of the group''s equipment and make something special for the tank.


    Gabriel dedicated himself to modifying Yeni''s armor to make it resistant to electric attacks. Electricity despite being an extremely lethal force is quite lazy and predictable and that is why it is easy to deceive. The Faraday cage is basically a metal box that is placed around a person or object to protect it from electricity, it takes the path of the least resistance and therefore always chooses to pass through the conductive metal than through the body of the person residing inside. Using the same concept, Gabriel lined the interior of the plate armor with a network of copper wires and beneath it a layer of insulating rubber.Finally the woman''s armor was left with an outer layer of steel, then the net of Copper, then the insulating rubber and finally kevlar to give an extra layer of protection.


    When Gabriel finished he called his partner to test the modifications of her gear in case he had to make any adjustments. The woman took a few seconds to adjust and took a few small jumps to prove how much mobility she had lost.


    Yeni: This shit feel a lot more heavy and bulky.


    Gabriel: We should raise your strength more so that it doesn''t get in your way so much.


    Yeni: I don''t even want to imagine how I''m going to cook in this when we get to summer.


    Gabriel: We will worry about that when it happens. After all, as we have to travel south, the heat wouldn''t be as problematic . . . . .in theory.


    Yeni: And what about you? Lucia and you don''t need protection against those electric bastards?


    Gabriel: Yes, but since Lucia will be out of commission for a while is better to focus on you. In my case for that I have my range weapon, advantages of being a Jack of all trades.


    In this way another day end. They still had more than two weeks before the city became uninhabitable but the date of the exodus was approaching slowly and safely. The weather this morning was quite horrendous, a constant rain lashed the city and thanks to some weather information they managed to get out of the communications room those clouds wouldn''t go anywhere. In the dining room the group was meeting as usual for breakfast. Gabriel, Michi and Oscar no longer need sleep but is always nice to share the table with the rest of their companions.


    Gabriel: As it is going to rain today I think it is quite safe to go to investigate the unique infected arsonist. Likewise, first we will need to go to a fire station to get some anti-flame equipment.


    Lucia: I was investigating and the nearest fire station was already set on fire for that thing. Luckily it seems to be on the other side of the city now, so do you want to take a chance?


    Gabriel: What do you think? I say let''s go now that we can.


    Oscar: For my perfect, if the situation gets complicated we escape.


    Yeni: You already know my answer.


    Michi: So far we have been able to stay alive thanks to you so I trust your decision.


    Gabriel: Well, it''s decided, that will be our new goal.


    Lucia: Shouldn''t they get something for the rain? We don''t have any umbrellas in here.


    Gabriel: A little water never killed anyone,our vitality mutation also gives us resistance to disease so there is no risk of catching a cold.


    Michi: I have a question a little out of our main topic, but shouldn''t we get some Geiger counters? I say with so many things changing it would not be unusual for the nuclear power plant to explode early.


    Gabriel: I don''t believe. . .but tomorrow we will go find some if it makes you feel safer.


    As always they began to prepare for the trip. At this point putting the necessary equipment in their backpacks and preparing the bicycles was a routine.


    Michi: Gabriel, do you have a second?


    Gabriel: Sure, what''s up?


    Michi: I was reading and there is a substance that aroused my interest, White phosphorus.


    Gabriel: I remember reading about that thing, isn''t it a kind of material similar to Thermite, but it ignites at contact with the air?


    Michi: Yes, but what I want to use it for is to create smoke grenades.I thought it would be useful to have something to cover ourselves if we have to escape.


    Gabriel: The vision of the infected isn''t the best for now but since everything is evolving so fast having that advantage would be useful. Do you have what you need here?


    Michi: No, we need to pay another visit to that chemical warehouse that we recently went to. It must still be uninhabited, so I don''t think it''s very problematic.


    Gabriel: Ok, if we have time we will go today. Now that I think about it we will have to go there anyway to find something I need to create a new weapon.


    Michi: Great, thanks for the favor.


    Gabriel: Hey. . .are you alright?A few days ago you become intelligent so . . .you have any existential problems ?.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Mishi: No time for that, I''m very busy trying to stay alive. Do you have existential problems?


    Gabriel: Yes like . . I am a copy of my previous self? Or can fate be changed? but I get distracted with a lot of casual sex and hard work.


    Michi: Hey remember if you need to talk I''m here.


    Gabriel: Thanks but I''m fine now.


    As always during the trip they avoided large hordes and killed any infected who blocked their way. The landscape of buildings slowly changed as they approached the fire zone, those concrete towers were now a pile of rubble burned to the ground.


    Michi: I''m detected several tens of unidentified infected in those rubbles.


    Gabriel: Ignore them, as long as we don''t get close they won''t attack us.


    Oscar: Those are the Scorchers?


    Gabriel: Yep.


    In an hour they had reached the remains of the fire station. The whole block had been burned leaving only ashes dampened by rain but within that mountain of rubble was the treasure they were looking for. The team positioned themselves in the street ready to begin the attack, Oscar and Michi went on top of a lampposts while Yeni and Gabriel were in the front as usual.


    Michi: I detected 20 unidentified infected in that building but there are about 80 more in the whole area.


    Gabriel: Well Yeni you know what to do, we have to wake them up.


    The woman nodded and began hitting her shield with her mace creating a rather imposing rumble. Quickly moisture from the area began to evaporate creating a dense layer of mist. The debris began to move and from these emerged a new aberration.


    These things were a rather unusual type of infected that only occurred with a specific condition. As it is logical the fire was effective against the infected, the heat boiled their brains inside their skulls and melted tendons and muscles. However, this didn''t destroy the Hell Crystals and therefore they will revive like the rest but instead of becoming Redheads they were transformed into another type of creature, the Scorchers. These calcined corpses looked like skeletons with their eyes red as flames of hell, physically they were one of the weakest and most fragile types of infected, but they had a special ability.


    In nature, it isn''t uncommon to find animals that use heat as a weapon, the bombardier beetle sprays its predators with a boiling chemical compound, some species of bees cover wasps with their bodies to cook them with an infernal temperature, etc. This type of infected had a similar ability, the skin of these creatures emit an absurd amount of heat, easily reaching 200 degrees celsius. Another variant extremely difficult to count er if you only had melee weapons, luckily they weren''t fast being even slower than a normal infected.


    This legion of the dead with their dark skin like obsidian rose from the ashes of those buildings. The raindrops that fell on their burned bodies evaporate immediately giving rise to that mist. It filled the area with a putrid smell of burned flesh that could make those weak stomachs vomit.


    In spite of what the fight seems it was quite simple.Oscar could easily kill those beasts from a safe distance and if anyone came close Gabriel would kill him quickly. Due to the speed of the redhead he didn''t run many risks since his sword pierced the flesh so fast that the heat couldn''t affect him. After one hour they were able to clean the entire area without suffering even a blow.


    Oscar: That was anti-climatic.


    Yeni:Yea Quickshot, I don''t even know why I came for.


    Gabriel: Don''t complain that we still have to find the suits and collect the crystals.


    The rest is history, they were able to find a pair of firefighters uniforms among the rubble that luckily were in a decent state despite the fire, at least the material with which they were made was intact. After collecting the crystals, they returned to their base to continue their work, change their wet clothes and take a bath to remove the smell of burned meat.


    Now it was up to Yeni to evolve, after all she was the protective barrier of the group and since Lucia was recovering she would have to take her place. Also if she wanted to use her new ¡°toy¡± she needed to make some changes. Their mutations were something quite standard and logical, increase their strength, regeneration, vitality, resistance, etc.


    Yeni evolved


    Giant Blood 4: Your body feels full of life, you have eight times the vitality of a regular person and you could lift 400 kilos with ease.


    Giant Blood 5: Your body feels full of life, you have sixteen times the vitality of a regular person and you could lift 800 kilos with ease.


    Enchant Stamina 4: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run eight marathons.


    Enchant Stamina 5: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run sixteen marathons.


    Regeneration 3: Your body heals eight times as fast as an average human.


    Regeneration 4: Your body heals sixteen times as fast as an average human.


    Resistant Skin 3: Your skin becomes as resistant as copper.


    Resistant Skin 4: Your skin becomes as resistant as bronze.


    Resistant Skin 5: Your skin becomes as resistant as iron.


    After Gabriel finished adapting the armors so that they could withstand high temperatures he went to the empty room where Oscar used to practice with his unique mutation.


    Gabriel: Hey Oscar, how''s the training going?


    Oscar: Pretty good, I think I''m already master the weird crossbow.


    Gabriel: Have you thought about starting to use other things like Nunchucks or Rollerblades?


    Oscar: I''m pretty sure the Nunchakus would hurt me more than my enemies. As for the Rollerblades,We don''t have enough mobility with bicycles ?.


    Gabriel: That is mobility for long distances, I mean something for you to use in the middle of combat.


    Oscar: Even if that increases my speed, wouldn''t it be stupidly difficult to keep my balance while I''m on top of a lamppost or something similar?


    Gabriel: For a normal human yes but in your case it is different. With your special skills added to my genius, I think I could make something useful for you. If you can do that, we could save you the need to upgrade your speed and use those points for something else.


    Oscar: I think it would be essential for that to dominate the speed at which I can spin things. As I am now I can only rotate using 100% of my strength, if I could use 50% or 20% I would be able to maneuver with those things.


    Gabriel: Great, you have homework then.

 Fire & Forgive

    During the night before the assault against the unique infected Gabriel was working on one of the fundamental parts of his strategy. They had looted from the chemical warehouse after returning to the base and got a pair of foam extinguishers that were perfect for this task. His new tool was a huge shield that in theory will protect its user while containing the abomination while Oscar and Gabriel attack from a safe distance.


    The shield was similar to the one that Yeni already had but with several key differences. Four foam extinguishers were placed on the inside so by pressing a lever on the grip you could automatically discharge it. In this way it was really easy to create a barrier of frozen foam to neutralize the fire of that unique infected. The extra weight generated by this was both an advantage and a disadvantage since although it gives it more stability it was quite difficult to carry. The volume that it had also didn''t help the task of transporting it but for some reason they had invested in increasing the strength of the woman. The Achilles heel of this piece of equipment was the small window on the front, after all the shield would be useless if its user was unable to aim. Using the glass lid of an oven in the kitchen Gabriel could create a way for her to see through the shield that was relatively heat-resistant. The problem is that it wasn''t very resistant, so this whole device had a fairly short life compared to the rest of its equipment, but hopefully it would only have to be used once.


    Ymir Shield


    A 2 meter shield with 4 foam fire extinguishers placed in the back.


    After finishing his new toy Gabriel went to the cafeteria to eat something, after all having so many mutations the calorie consumption of one''s body increases considerably. Gabriel for example needed 4 times more calories than an average person per day. In the dining room Oscar was also eating another portion of dehydrated food, in his case since he was constantly using his unique mutation his diet was at a similar to Gabriel. Luckily for both of them there was enough food on the premises to maintain their strict regimen and once they left town, getting food wouldn''t be a problem.


    ¡°Hey Gabriel, I was thinking even if you continue reinforcement  the bicycles with the increase on the weight of the Yeni equipment we will reach the point where no type of wheel could hold it without exploding. Speaking of which, how we will leave the city? after all none of us knows how to pilot a helicopter or an airplane. ¡±


    Oscar said while training with a rubber ball in his hand trying to spin it while waiting for his food to cool down.


    ¡°I have a solution in mind, we need a Death-Mobile !.¡±


    Gabriel''s explanation was interrupted by the ball that fly across the room and almost hit his head, it seems that the veteran still had problems adjusting his power.


    "Sorry for that, continue with your explanation."


    Gabriel shook his head a little, grabbed that rubber ball and handed it back to its owner and then continued talking. ¡°We need to get a fairly large Motorhome or two. Then we have to reinforce it with kevlar, a lightweight material that will not greatly affect the engine''s performance and add some things like a shortwave radio. "


    "We are going to have to go look for more, with what we have left here we could barely cover a dwarf and not even talk about such a large vehicle" After saying these words Oscar continued trying to rotate the ball in the palm of his hand.


    "We still have time to think about that, for now let''s focus on killing this thing"


    The rest of the day happened as usual, before going out to fight this infected the group met in the dining room to discuss their battle strategy. The survivors sat at the table to discuss what Lucia found.


    "Ok Lucia, what do we know about this infected?" Gabriel said crossing his arms, his crimson hair already reached his shoulders, and he had a fairly decent lumberjack beard.


    ¡°Well to start this seems to be exclusively active at night. The pattern I saw consists of him moving from building to building, setting them on fire until it finally dawns and then stays in one for the rest of the day. Because of this and since there isn''t much light in the streets it was quite difficult to see what it looks like. Unlike the others, this one is quite small, more or less my height and is covered in what appears to be cloth but it could be his skin. ¡±Said the woman who was dressed in a gothic lolita dress.


    ¡°Ok this will be simple, Yeni tank the monster with your new shield and try to reduce its temperature while Oscar and I attack it with projectiles. ¡±Gabriel exclaimed, sometimes the simplest techniques are the most effective.


    With all the information at hand they could already prepare to deal with that creature that Michi named "Hudson", unfortunately only Gabriel was able to understand that reference. With they modified armor with a layer of fire retardant cloth from the firemen''s uniforms plus the special shield they were ready to execute the plan.


    The group made their trip without problems to a library where the creature was supposedly resting.


    "Is this the place?".Gabriel asked for his communicator.


    "Yes". Lucia replied, watching the place sitting comfortably in her chair.


    ¡°Gabriel we have a problem, I detect 5 Bone Breakers, 2 Shock Wielders and 70 common infected but. . . I can not detect the unique infected ¡±. Michi exclaimed quite confused by the information that his ability was given him.


    ¡°Ok so apart from having some kind of pyromancy, it has stealth. I don''t want anyone to approach the building and get away from the sewer covers since it may possibly be under us. We will use the strategy of always to attract attention.¡±Gabriel calmly drew his sling ready to begin the fight.


    When Yeni strike the drums of war the horde of infected in the neighborhood emerged from the library and nearby buildings as usual. Now even the Shock Wielders didn''t pose a threat as electricity passed outside the woman''s armor. The group was extremely concerned that the unique infected didn''t appear, even after they massacred the horde there wasn''t signs of the creature.


    "Maybe he''s sleeping," Oscar said as he put a new magazine in his crossbow.


    "He may be waiting inside the building to ambush us," Michi said, approaching the building trying to use his radar to see if he could detect something or even sniff the presence of another infected inside. When I heard the footsteps of something approaching he took a quick leap back and used his explosive speed to get away as fast as possible. The group prepared to attack but what they saw leaving that place took them off guard, it wasn''t an infected but a human.


    A girl quite young and small who wasn''t more than 15 years old, her long gold hair like gold rippled in the wind, her skin was snow white and her amber eye looked like precious stones. The perfection of this angel was ruined by a horrible thing on the left side of his face. The left half of his perfect face was eaten away by a mass with an appearance similar to the bark of a tree, this dark brown tissue had several branches that emerge from its hair giving the appearance of several horns. Her left eye had lost its natural color and was now a crimson sphere typical of those infected by Gehenna. In a general inspection it seemed that this infection was only limited to her head since the rest of her small and fragile-looking body had no sign of being desecrated by that abomination. She had a fairly large backpack on her back and several layers of cloth covering her body to protect herself from the cold of winter, below you could see a typical school uniform.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "You were also left behind to fight the hordes of the fallen?!" She said with a strength and confidence improper of her age and situation .


    "What are you talking about little girl?" Yeni exclaimed in her kind voice, she was still with her shield raised, but she had to contain the desire to put it aside to check the health condition of that girl.


    "What I''m talking about? the gates of hell have opened and the legions of Lucifer invade the earth, the impure were corrupted and transformed into servants of The Lightbringer. Those chosen by God, on the other hand, have a sacred duty to purify the earth to prepare it for the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and help him in his final battle. ¡±The words of that person were full of conviction, and she advanced safely without worrying about the armed strangers who were in front of her.


    "Wait Gabriel, is this the biblical apocalypse?" Michi said somewhat confused.


    "I don''t have enough evidence to support that but I don''t have enough to deny it either," he replied just as confused as the cat.


    "What happened to your little face?" Yeni asked kindly.


    "This? During the first night one of Lucifer''s minions tried to possess my body and attach on to my face. Every second I feel his presence trying to twist my mind and take over my body but my faith in the Lord will not be broken by something so insignificant. It shows me the hell in my dreams and when I''m awake I can feel how it tries to corrode my mind like a worm devouring rotten flesh but compared to the pain I would felt for not fulfilling my divine duty this is nothing ¡±


    "Hell what do you mean by that?" Oscar said, he was still aiming at her without knowing exactly what to do, he would never kill a child, but he didn''t even know if that was a human.


    ¡°An infinite land full of nothing, a place where only silence is heard and at the same time a cacophony of every possible sound¡±


    ¡°Well, everyone lowers their weapons, the infected aren''t able to have a conversation. Tell me girl what is your name and more importantly, how did you survive all this time on your own? ¡±Gabriel said lowering his weapon, Yeni didn''t hesitate to put aside his mace and shield but Oscar took a few seconds to lower his guard.


    ¡°My name is Amori Seidel and these creatures never attack me if I don''t throw the first stone. Because of this I dedicated myself to purifying the city with fire at night and during the day I try recover my strength ¡±After saying those words the girl let out a tired sigh, because they were the first hours of the morning she didn''t had time to rest.


    ¡°You sound tired, why don''t we go back to our base and take a nap? I can prepare you a room. ¡±Exclaimed the steel titan approaching the small crusade.


    "The rest can wait, first we have to purify these bodies so that they do not walk on the ground again." She said as she began to take out a bottle that reeked of fuel from his backpack.


    "It is easier to locate and remove the crystals inside their body" Michi interrupted the arsonist before she starts another fire.


    ¡°A talking animal? like those who inhabited the garden of Eden? what a wonderful creature, ¡±Amori said, trying to get close to pet the cat but he stepped back avoiding contact with the semi-infected.


    ¡°Let''s collect the crystals together and then go to the base. . . We have a lot to talk about. ¡±With those words Gabriel and the rest of the team began to gut the infected. Amori looked too excited about that task despite Yeni''s insistence that she not do such dirty job.


    Once they returned to the base Yeni quickly prepared a room for the girl so she could rest while Michi and Oscar took advantage of the crystals to get some new mutations. Stamina, regeneration, vitality and other things that, while not essential for your builds, were in general really useful.


    Michi Evolved


    Enchant Stamina 3:You have great Stamina! You can run easily run four marathons.


    Enchant Stamina 4: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run eight marathons.


    Enchant Stamina 5: You have great Stamina! You can run easily run sixteen marathons.


    Regeneration 1: Your body heals twice as fast as an average cat.


    Vitality 1: Your body is in the best possible state of health of a cat.


    Oscar Evolved


    Vitality 2: You have two times the vitality of a regular person.


    Vitality 3: You have four times the vitality of a regular person


    Regeneration 2: Your body heals four times as fast as an average human.


    Regeneration 3: Your body heals eight times as fast as an average human.


    With the girl sleeping, the group met in the dining room to discuss what they were going to do with this situation. Everyone was quite nervous, especially Lucia, who couldn''t help feeling repulsion towards the appearance of that poor wretch.


    ¡°We need to take her to a hospital and perform an MRI, if we can find the Hell Crystal of that unique infected and extract it, we will free her from her infection. Besides, we will get a unique crystal, that always comes in handy, ¡±Gabriel exclaimed with confidence, ready to save his new partner''s life.


    ¡°I appreciate you as a friend Gabriel and that''s why I must be honest, that''s the dumbest thing I''ve ever heard you say. Do you know how to even perform a brain operation or perform an MRI? apart you have the problem that it would take 1 or 2 hours if we get a fuel generator that works it could attract a fairly large number of infected .¡±Michi''s words were hard but fair, after all Gabriel''s medical knowledge was that of a rookie at most.


    ¡°Apart from rule number 1 of horror movies, you should never get together with religious fanatics, already infected people or cannibals! and this girl meets two of those criteria, we should return her to where we found her and forget about the matter, ¡±Lucia exclaimed quite coldly and logically.


    ¡°Is a child you fucking asshole! How can you even say that? ¡±Yeni had to contain the desire to punch the woman but thanks to the years of military service she could contain herself for now.


    "I''m being realistic, we have to do everything we can to survive."


    ¡°You fucking little bitch, show some compassion! ¡±


    ¡°Sometimes you have to choose the most difficult option because it is the right thing to do. I have fun killing infected but if I can help that poor girl to survive I will do it. ¡±The veteran began to speak with a calm and serious tone.


    "Ok, Yeni and Oscar agree with the plan to go to the hospital?" Gabriel ran his hand over his forehead after saying those words. I missed a little the days where everything was to kill and kill and these dilemmas had no time to appear.


    "Yep."


    "Yes".


    ¡°Ok ok ok, Michi if we can extract the unique crystal we could get her ability to be practically invisible to the infected or the ability to take control over them. Do you really think it isn''t worth the risk to get a mutation so absurdly powerful? ¡±


    ¡°It''s a bet but. . I guess you also made one by giving me a Hell Crystal when we met. I just hope your intuition is right ¡±


    ¡°And Lucia, your problem is that Amori is a potential danger? a time bomb that could explode at any moment?¡±.


    "Exact"


    "Like when you went crazy fighting the unique infected that almost killed you?"


    "Is . . different, I would never hurt you guys! ¡±


    "I don''t know, if they give me a choice between an infected girl and an autistic whore who doesn''t have empathy and throws tantrums every time they kick her ass, I get the first one," Yeni exclaimed still quite angry at her partner.


    "I didn''t want to say it that way but Yeni summed up quite well what I was trying to say"


    ¡°Uggggg. . . . fine! you are right! ¡±She said resigned before the group''s decisions, she understood their point of view but the idea still didn''t convince her at all.

 Doctor Doctor

    Due to the unusual nature of this expedition the group had to prepared differently. Since this would be a test of endurance it was essential to have supplies to preserve energy, water and protein bars to recover energy were essential. The small disadvantages of the mutations is that they increased the consumption of calories in the body and unless you have a method or a mutation to deal with this problem it was something that should be taken into account. Technically they could eat the bodies of the infected as their immune system was superhuman but the psychological impact of doing that was obviously quite severe. It is much more practical to put Lucia to cook than to resort to cannibalism.


    Meanwhile, Gabriel was studying frantically how to operate an MRI machine as a student the night before an exam. He had put a couple of things to do on the 3d printers and took a few breaks to forge some metal but most of the time he stuck it to the screen of his cell phone. Even having the instructions at hand while performing the process the chances of making a mistake were quite large.


    Amori, meanwhile, was enjoying Yeni''s company in order to keep the girl occupied she was teaching her a little self-defense. It wasn''t the most entertaining thing in the world but it served to keep the mind strong and was useful in her current situation.


    Oscar was training as usual and Michi was studying some chemistry to know exactly how to make smoke grenades. Finally, Lucia was looking for a nearby hospital that has the necessary equipment, once found she called the group to inform the situation.


    "Well where is the Hospital with a closer MRI?"Gabriel asked.


    "It''s a few blocks from here, quite close" Then the woman indicated on the monitor the location of the hospital.


    "Hey Gabriel isn''t that where we find the footprints of that zombie elephant?"


    "Yes, did you manage to find it Lucia?"


    ¡°I didn''t find any unique infected in the area so. . it must be safe, the only thing that should worry you are the hordes that walk through the area. ¡±


    "Great . . By the way, wait for a second Oscar that I have to give you something¡±The redhead ran to his work area and brought a gift to his partner.


    "Take this" Gabriel handed the veteran a special knife he had made while preparing for the hospital expedition. This weapon was quite particular because it was made to take advantage of Oscar''s unique power, the blade had a spiral shape similar to a drill and was clinging to the handle so that it could rotate freely.


    Apu Knife


    Special combat knife made to drill the skull of the infected.


    Oscar grabbed the weapon and immediately understood its function. By rotating the blade at a speed similar to that of a drill, he responded. "This will be useful if I run out of bolts, I haven''t stabbed someone for years." Everyone laughed a little, but they weren''t sure if that was a joke or not.


    On next morning the group went to the hospital, as always Lucia stayed because her skills weren''t the most effective in this type of situations. Amori didn''t oppose the idea of traveling on the shoulders of the steel titan while Oscar, Gabriel and Michi used the bike. This time for Amori''s safety they simply avoided those infected who found in their way, they knew they didn''t have much time to lose.


    The abandoned two-story hospital was moored with infected, about 50 inhabited the rooms of these facilities. Luckily there were only 5 Hunters and the rest were normal abominations. The electric generator was in the basement and all the fuel it had, had already run out. The room where the MRIs are performed was located on the second floor giving them a strategic advantage to defend it.


    This mission requires some preparation to facilitate the task, after all the surrounding buildings were still full of infected. To start they should get gas and with the vehicles in the hospital parking lot it was enough. Then they needed barricades to defend the position, Yeni with her mace began to break the stairs that led to the second floor until eventually the only left was the largest one located in the waiting room. There they set up a barricade with several beds, chairs, etc. They used the mattresses of the patient rooms to cover the walls of the room where the electric generator was located to reduce


    the sound it emitted, it wasn''t much but in this case something was better than nothing. After a quick looting in search of essential medicines, they turned on the generator and Gabriel put the girl on the machine and saw on his cell phone what he should do.


    The siege began and the duo was entrenched in the hospital stairs that led to the second floor. Gradually the infected began to be attracted by the noise of the electric motor located in the basement. The first minutes were relatively quiet but then those infected from the surrounding buildings began to arrive. They were mostly common but there were the occasional Hunter, Bone Breaker and Shock Wielder scattered in the groups. The bodies gradually began to stack increasing the height of the barricade. In the brief minutes of security that Michi guarantees, they took advantage of them to drink water and eat the energy bars to recover the fundamental stamina.


    After the first hour Oscar had run out of bolts for his crossbow and Yeni''s armor was quite dented, reducing the mobility in her joints.


    "Hey Quickshot, how much are you missing?" The steel titan shouted through the comm, her body despite being stupidly resistant, began to feel sore from the constant physical exertion and the blows she was receiving.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "An hour or so, can you stand it?" He said as he carefully examined the skull of that girl, there was something he was doing wrong because he was unable to find the Hell Crystal of that unique infected. Gabriel needed more time to find it ,but he hoped his teammates could endure the challenge.


    "Yes. . everything controlled here, but hurry up, son of a bitch I don''t have all day. ¡±After saying those words, the woman let out a tired sigh watching as a new group of infected people tried to climb the corpse barrier. Oscar had taken out his new knife and was ready to try it, luckily he had Michi nearby to avoid possible incidents the electrical abominations.


    The veteran''s new weapon was easily buried in the skulls of the infected and, above all, was useful against the dense bone armor of the Bone Breakers. In the case that the abominations that spit acid manage to scale the wall of dead flesh that Oscar still had the best way to deal with them. Thanks to its superhuman reflexes and its unique mutation, it could apply its rotational force on the acidic projectiles without even touching them and thus changing its trajectory.


    After another hour, everything had finally calmed down, both of them were exhausted by so much action and even their weapons were battered. With an already quite irritated tone Yeni spoke for the communicator ¡°Fuck! Do you need more time? ¡± She had to wait a few awkward seconds to receive a fairly dry response from Gabriel "No, grab the crystals and let''s go back to the base."


    The duo gave a tired sigh and began to extract the crystals while Gabriel and Amori came down to accompany them. It was only 15 minutes until Lucia contacted them through the communicator, they could feel the concern in her tone: "Guys, stop what you are doing and get out of there right now!." She had seen something quite disturbing that was approaching the hospital.


    The thing Lucia was seeing was the most horrible creature that this end of the world had given birth so far. The first grotesque detail that stood out on the monitors was the size of this atrocity, a living nightmare about 20 meters long and 8 wide. The skin of this infected was similar to the Bone Breakers, a dense layer of bone but from the joints of this living armor a transparent gelatinous liquid suppurated and at the moment that the drops of this filth touched the ground the pavement was melt. The general structure of this thing seemed to be an animal with 8 legs clinging to its torso, these bone towers similar to the legs of a spider had the width of a trash can and the tip of these ended in spears that stabbed the earth in each step it took. But undoubtedly the most horrifying aspect was the head of this creature, using a lot of imagination one could assume that it was a horse in the past but now the dense layers of armor covered every facial feature except the mouth. The faucet of this creature was populated by a mountain range of fangs that would put into shame an industrial garbage disposal.


    This abomination was moving rapidly towards the hospital attracted by the sound of combat and fresh blood, the woman was stunned, from where that thing come? Right now there was no time to doubt since she had to guide the exhausted group so that they could avoid that beast, they weren''t in a position to face such a challenge.


    They loaded everything they could on the bicycles and ran away leaving more than half of the bodies unprocessed but there was simply no time for that. Using the guide of Lucia, the group was able to avoid not only that thing but also that the hordes of infected people that were in their way, by sunset they had already reached their base. The group was exhausted sitting in the dining room ready to hear Gabriel''s diagnosis.


    ¡°Well, I''ll be direct. . .there isn''t a Hell Crystal inside Amori ¡±


    "What?" The whole group exclaimed at the same time.


    ¡°The truth is that I am as confused as you guys, I spent two hours looking for it but nothing. So . . I don''t know, I think I have a theory. What is our modus operandi?, kill the infected, extract the Hell Crystal and absorb it by contacting our body fluids, no? Well what would happen if. . Do you somehow absorb Hell Crystal without killing the infected? ¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t make much sense, unless you the unique infected committed. . a mistake? ¡±Michi commented trying to think about the possible cause of this.


    "It seems that Gehena can be wrong as much as we are, good to know," Yeni exclaimed curiously without insulting as usual.


    "It''s the first time I see this kind of situation in my previous life I never encountered anything remotely similar"


    "So what will we do now?" Oscar asked as he looked at the ceiling completely worn out by the overuse of his unique mutation.


    ¡°The only thing I can think of is to relieve the symptoms, Amori, you have to get Sleep Efficiency to the maximum to not sleep and Pain Tolerance to level 2. Then we will upgrade things such as regeneration and vitality to keep your health 100% in case of emergencies. Yeni can you teach her how to do it? ¡±


    "No problem, it''s pretty easy girl"


    "I didn''t understand much what you just said but it helps me in my battle against the demons of Lucifer onward."


    "And Yeni, use the leftover crystals. After all you need to be in the best possible physical condition to face that unique infected next"


    Amori Evolved


    One of us:The infected will not attack you unless you attack them first


    Sleep efficiency 1: You only have to sleep 4 hours per day.


    Sleep efficiency 2: You only have to sleep 2 hours per day.


    Sleep efficiency 3: You don''t have to sleep anymore.


    Pain Tolerance 1:You only feel half the pain that a normal person would feel.


    Pain Tolerance 2:You only feel a quarter of the pain that a normal person would feel.


    Yeni Evolved


    Super Agility 1: Your body is as agile as that of a professional acrobat.


    Fast Reflexes 1: Your reflexes are at the limit of what one might consider human.


    Fast Reflexes 2: Your reflexes are at the same level of a hummingbird.


    Regeneration 5 : Your body heals thirty-two times fast as an average human.

 Afraid to shoot strangers

    Amori told what the text of her unique mutation had written to Yeni then  the group met again to discuss the next step they should take. Not only did they have to take advantage of this unique quality, they also had to deal with that infected giant.


    "That mutation of yours is quite interesting, I think it would give you the unique possibility of using firearms" Gabriel mentioned trying to think how they could apply that new factor to their favor.


    "Firearms? Wasn''t that useless? ¡±Oscar interrupted somewhat confused by the survivor decision.


    ¡°In most cases, yes, but here we have a different factor. What is the biggest problem of firearms? the noise, but since that would not affect her we can can even use it as an advantage. It could help us to get the attention of the infected if necessary ¡±


    "Firearms? Like grenades and explosives? Great, I can''t wait to baptize the demons with dynamite. ¡±The girl exclaimed quite excited by the idea her partner had.


    "I think it would be better if you use something like a shotgun, if you can go near an infected a shot to the face would be very effective" Yeni said remembering how she had survived the first wave when she was in the middle of her guard.


    ¡°It could be dangerous for us, noise still attracts those infected. Apart from that, happens if she can''t kill them in one shot? She would be at a dangerous distance¡±.Gabriel replied, still thinking what was the best option.


    "I think the best thing for you would be a rifle. Do you like the idea of being a sniper?" Oscar said, after all he had enough experience in this field.


    ¡°Give divine punishment from a distance? Sounds good¡±.Amori exclaimed, as long as she could kill those things that she thought were demons, she would be happy.


    "Well first we have to make an inventory, how many weapons do we have?" Gabriel said trying to remember the resources of the group.


    "Nine 9 millimeters pistols with around 100 bullets in total and 7 shotguns but, we have no ammunition for these" Michi replied, he and Gabriel were the ones who spent more time in the workshop.


    "Well, I will go to the workshop to make on a couple of things, Michi I want those smoke grenades made, Lucia kept an eye on that unique infected, Yeni keep training Amori and Oscar try to perfect the use of your unique mutation" Gabriel ordered while he was thinking what kind of equip he can make for the girl with the resources he had available.


    "Wait we still have to name the monster that I found" After Lucia explained what she had saw, Amori exclaimed.


    "That was Eligos, a Great Duke of Hell that rule over 60 legions of demons!" The girl seemed to know this beast, maybe she had met it before.


    "Well, I guess it was the turn of the newbie".  After saying those words, Lucia went to kept watching the creature''s position to make sure that abomination didn''t attack them off guard again. The group was divided and each one went to do their work and in this way the day ended.


    At dawn the group met in the workshop since Gabriel had finished with the new toys for Amori. There were a couple of guns, her armor and several smoke grenades that Gabriel had helped Michi make.


    The Thunder 9 is a locally produced 9mm pistol and the standard weapon used by the police, so it is the best weapon you can have if you want to find parts and ammunition in this country.


    Double Thunder 9


    A 9mm handgun, the standard pistol used by the army and police from Argentine.


    "Pistols? why are you giving her that? ¡±.Yeni asked curiously, after all she knew that Gabriel could have managed to create some special homemade firearm.


    "Protection against other survivors or if you have to deal for some reason with things like packs of dogs or cats". The redhead responded calmly.


    Using two weapons at the same time has several problems that make it impossible to use them in real combat. The first is that it is extremely difficult to aim with two weapons at the same time because their sights are designed to align using your eyes. Second, the recoil of the shots also affects your aim. Finally another problem is that the reloading action took longer since you have a busy hand and you need to reload two weapons instead of one.


    However, those were problems of ordinary people, not superhuman. With the change not only of the enemies but of the physical capacities of humans old problems were solved and new ones began to appear. With superhuman reflexes and strength using two weapons at the same time was possible and not only that, the extra firing rate justified the loss of precision. You see the 9mm caliber wasn''t the strongest but due to its enormous abundance it was still useful especially in emergency situations.


    Amori''s armor was fairly standard, a midpoint between Oscar''s light armor and Yeni''s full plate. After all they were somewhat short of Kevlar so he had to reinforce the torso with several layers of steel. A crimson cross was painted on the front similar to that used by the Knights Templar. What stood out most was her helmet that had a hood designed to protect her horns from damage since they were still part of she despite everything. Under it she had a typical helmet to avoid bruises, the safety glasses to avoid damage and a metal plate with several holes to protect her face. As a final detail, it had a small white cross painted on the hood to give it a more personal touch.


    Seraphim Armor


    A medium armor designed to mainly protect the torso and head.


    "I adore the cross on my chest, it surely inspires terror in the black heart of the demons but I think it is very heavy". Said the girl as she tried on the armor and took small leaps to check her mobility.


    "None of that, miss, if you want to fight with us you need to have adequate protection" Yeni exclaimed, no matter how powerful the mutations was, Amori was still a child and therefore she should have all possible protection. Besides, they didn''t know how a wound could affect the delicate balance between the infected part and the normal part.


    "Yes, when you get the strength mutations you don''t have to worry so much about the weight of your equipment". Gabriel said these words while looking at whether the size of the armor was correct for the child.


    White phosphorus grenades are quite useful for creating smoke curtains, after all the infected have mostly the same senses as an animal to detect a prey (ear, smell and sight). Because this type of grenades created a huge cloud of smoke that reeks of garlic, it cancels two of the three fundamental senses and if we add to that the use of weapons and vehicles that make almost no sound, they were ideal for an escape. Now with Eligos stalking the city it was essential to have a means of escape at hand.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Phosphorus grenade


    A home made phosphorus grenade which can create a smoke screen for 90 seconds.


    After that Amori, Oscar, Michi and Gabriel left early in the morning to perform a test to make sure that the girl''s unique ability worked as they thought.The experiment was about 10 blocks away from the base where they could try Amori''s mutation. This place was near the park where they had defeated the Crooked Man,also they went to look for a Geiger counter from one of the stores. That place was mostly clean, just some normal infected people swarming the buildings, nothing serious but ideal to practice.


    The test was simple, while the group was hidden inside one of the stores Amori went with one of her guns and shot an infected at point blank range. The noise undoubtedly attracted the attention of the rest of those monsters in the area but as expected they didn''t attack the girl. They just stayed around her looking for that sound source without being able to find it.


    Having checked how Amori''s ability worked, the group returned to their base and again met in the dining room. There they had to discuss his next closest problem, that 20-meter abomination that lurked through the streets of the city.


    "Well now we need more supplies, weapons, kevlar and if possible a bazooka to kill Eligos".Said Gabriel thinking how to deal with that thing, a tank would be ideal but it was impossible to find one in the place where they were.


    "We could try the nearest police station but with the latest budget cuts it''s a surprise box". Said Yeni who had just woken up.


    "There is one about 20 minutes of travel if Lucia has an eye on that creature we should be safe". Oscar said recalling the possible options they had.


    ¡°As safe as we can be in the fu. . . end of the world ¡±.Yeni almost say a bad word but then remembered that she had Amori sitting next to her.


    Now with a new goal in mind and with several hours of daylight remaining the group left for that building. Amori and Lucia stayed at the base for their safety since the last needed a little more time to recover completely and the girl was still green for this kind of missions.


    When they arrived at the police station, the first thing they noticed was how old it was. Wooden doors, a tall but one-story building, the paint on the walls was full of mold and some rust could already be seen in the metal windows. As was tradition, Michi approached to use his radar and examine the place.


    "50 common infected, 3 dogs and 6 unknown". He said alerting his companions. They used their classic tactic to get the attention of the infected generating noise to ambush them. However, after the initial slaughter, the cat exclaimed: "There are still 6 unknown."


    "They must be locked in the dungeon, basically fish in a barrel," Gabriel said leading the group into the bowels of the building with Yeni ahead as his tank.


    While they explored the place they went down to the dungeon that was in a basement where the prisoners were but they saw with confusion that they were empty. Then they heard several blows coming from far on, where the kennel of the police dogs was.


    "The 6 unidentified infected are moving!" Michi shouted as something broke the door and began to run towards the group. Now this would be quite common but what really surprised the group was that they weren''t running on the floor, they were running on the roof.


    The beast that climbed the walls looks like an extremely large dog, with its muscles tearing the flesh in a manner similar to the Brutes. The deformed jaws of these creatures had turned 180 degrees and thin teeth like needles gave an appearance similar to a Venus flytrap. Several eyes had emerged from them like pustules of a victim affected by the black plague giving them an extremely powerful vision.


    The living steel storm known as Gabriel sweeps away the new infected, for now while he was using his explosive mutations in an enclosed space like these things like up and down wasn''t  important. With this level of super human power walking through the walls using the momentum of his charge was possible and thanks to this he was able to mutilate these infected before he had the opportunity to attack.


    Even for other mutated humans these things were quite a great danger due to their speed, maneuverability and tendency to form groups. However now that the redhead and the rest of the group was stepping on the realm of the absurd,these abominations were a rather mediocre challenge, at least in enclosed spaces.


    "Hey, I think is Oscar turn to name these". After saying these words Gabriel gave a tired sigh and shook his sword with a quick movement to take off the putrid blood.


    "No idea, Who wants my turn?".


    ¡°What do you think of Hellhounds? although I don''t understand why they didn''t come out when we set our trap¡±. Michi said.


    ¡°They were probably locked in their cages and it took them some time to break free. Anyway, the usual people, collect the crystals,and we will see what weapons we find ¡±.Gabriel said those words as he drew his knife.


    Using the thermite grenades to open the arsenal and the group''s discoveries were somewhat disappointing. They found a good quantity of kevlar, if we count what they found there and the vests that took from the infected. There weren''t many weapons, only three Remington 700 rifles, some 9mm guns and 5 shotguns all of different models so it would be hell to find spare parts.


    With their loot they returned to the base and Gabriel began making some modifications to the rifle that the sniper of the group would use. He had adapted the Remington 700 so that could accept several caliber conversion kits he had made. With a quick change of barrel and magazine this weapon could fire 5 different types of ammunition for rifle, obviously this affected the power of the shots and the distance but at least partially solved the problem of the ammunition. Because of this, Amori was only limited to killing variants to conserve ammunition and leave the rest to the group. However, the advantage that this gave her allowed to eliminate the most problematic enemies with relative safety and she could also attract the attention of the horde to alleviate a little the work of the group''s tank.


    Remington 700


    A special sniper rifle, a trained person can take 15 shots per minute.


    Then as planned the girl consumed the crystals they had collected increasing their regeneration and vitality to ensure their safety and then some strength. After all the bullets usually weigh a lot and the armor was quite heavy so she would lose a lot of mobility if she didn''t increase her ability to carry objects.


    Amori evolved


    Vitality 1: Your body is in the best possible state of health of a human.


    Vitality 2: You have two times the vitality of a regular person.


    Vitality 3: You have four times the vitality of a regular person.


    Vitality 4: You have eight times the vitality of a regular person.


    Vitality 5: You have sixteen times the vitality of a regular person.


    Regeneration 1: Your body heals twice as fast as an average human.


    Regeneration 2: Your body heals four times as fast as an average human.


    Regeneration 3: Your body heals eight times as fast as an average human.


    Herculean Strength 1: You have extra strength, you could lift 50 kilos with ease.

 An explanation and an apology

    . I realized that I am not a writer, I am a  I decided to stop writing to dedicate myself 100% to my other passion that is making video gamesI apologize for this but it is .


    Now, as for the story I still have some affection for  I found quite a lot of problems. Problems that discourage me when writing it. If anyone still has a remote interest in this, leave a comment with your questions about the story. If you wish, I can spoil everything I had planned for this one.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.