Spatial Manipulation System

Chapter 9 - Mutants / Predator

If there was anything to be thankful for about this apocalypse, it was the lack of persistence among zombies and mutant beasts. After a while of assaulting the house and having no results, they "lost aggression" one by one and soon there was once again silence within the house. 

It was dark inside but the group had hand held torches which at the moment was all aimed at Dave as they watched intently, their expressions full of fear. 

Hei Yu sat on the floor with Dave's head on her thighs and her gun on the ground beside her, clearly she was still on guard against the group, especially the middle-aged mad who stood at the forefront with his rifle in hand. 

From time to time, his eyes would track from Hei Yu to the gun beside her and his fingers would twitch but he ultimately hesitated to do anything. He had seen her drawing and movement speed which was unlike anything he had ever witnessed. There was no question, by the time he aimed, a bullet would be lodged between his brows. 

The tension within the house was palpable as among the group, no one dared to breathe too loudly. 

Hei Yu seemed unconcerned but her fingers holding Dave's head twitched from time to time. He wasn't bitten, she was sure of it. However her gaze still moved to his wrapped up arm but as if denying reality, she restrained herself from opening it to take a look. 

"Ugh" at this moment, Dave moved turning sideways as if trying to wake up from a bad dream.

His clothes were soaked with sweat and his temperature alarming. Hei Yu's palms were red from the heat but she did nothing to cool him down because from the little she gathered from Celine, the virus could be killed with heat. 

Dave's eyes suddenly snapped open in alarm and he jerked up from her thighs before glancing around in alarm. 

Seeing his normal colored irises, Hei Yu and the group heaved a sigh of relief. 

"Why is it so dark? Put your light away from my eyes" Dave shielded his eyes with his hands, his tone expressing his annoyance. 

The group quickly complied and Hei Yu hurried to explain the situation. 

"You suddenly passed out, how are you feeling?" She asked.

Dave took a moment to regain his bearing before replying weakly. 

"Like sh*t"

He tried to rise but his muscles screamed weakness and he staggered. Hei Yu hurriedly rose and supported him, not forgetting to pick her gun too. 

"What happened to the lights? The solar generator should be functioning fine" Dave asked at this time, his eyes trailing around the living room.

"We haven't actually been here long. The couple. . .your parents didn't talk about any solar generator" the middle-aged man replied tentatively. 

"Are you all too tense to look around you? The fridge of working, of course there's something wrong." Dave pointed at the refrigerator in the open styled dining room which had its display light on. 

Embarrassed, the middle-aged man turned to the group but everyone avoided looking at him. With their concerns focused on survival, who cared about power? 

With the support of Hei Yu, Dave settled in the couch as he took his time to organize his thoughts. 

"I'll take some personal items and show you my Dad's armory and the generator room, someone among you should be able to find and fix the issue right?" Dave asked looking up at the man who seemed to be the leader of the group. 

He quickly nodded like a hen pecking grain but refrained from saying anything. Anyone could see that Dave's condition was not improving and he more than anything wanted Dave out of the house. 

Dave rose and with Hei Yu's help entered his parents bedroom. He began packing some personal effects, revealing his storage space to Hei Yu for the first time. 

She glanced at him as he made things disappear like magic but refrained from asking any questions. By now, she had a lot of questions in mind but with people around, she kept her lips closed. Maturity might not come with age but it certainly had to with experience, and Hei Yu was surely not an inexperienced city girl. 

A few minutes later, they found themselves once again on the porch, scanning the area with their eyes. 

"It will be dark soon" Hei Yu commented to which Dave replied with a grunt. 

"I think I know where my parents are, we can get there before nightfall. If they are not there, we'll spend the night in the bunker" Dave replied and they headed cautiously for the car. 

He took his time, but he was able to walk on his own. Due to his dwindling physical condition, he now had a rifle in hand. 

"Why does your father have so many guns?" Hei Yu asked once they were back in the car as she inserted the key into the ignition. 

"He's a veteran, after the civil war he became a survivalist of sorts" Dave replied with a chuckle as he studied the military grade rifle in his hand. 

During peaceful times, it would have been an ornament but given th current situation, surely there was no law preventing the bearing of military grade arms. 

Once the car got in motion, Hei Yu glanced at Dave, hesitating to ask. Dave noticed the concern in her eyes and his expression fell.

"I know you are curious. I got bit just before we met" he decided to explain the situation thoroughly. The fact that she protected him even after seeing his reddening eyes was enough proof that she was a reliable teammate. 

Hei Yu's expression fell and her hands trembled. Her eyes started to redden but she bit her lips and said nothing. 

As if oblivious to her reaction, Dave continued, "For some reason, instead of turning, I'm evolving. I absorbed that mutant crystal earlier and it hastened the process which is probably why I'm currently unstable. I either have to rush through or risk mutating in the wrong direction" he explained in detail. 

"You are an Awakened AND a mutant?" Hei Yu exclaimed. 

It was Dave's turn to be baffled. 

"What's a mutant?" He asked. 

"According to Celine, while some turn into zombies after contacting the virus, others mutate and open up evolution paths. Mutants are different from awakened, they don't have systems and they can choose their evolution direction but it's like moving through a dark fog, unlike Awakened who have their paths guided by the system" Hei Yu explained. 

"Take a left turn here" Dave gestured with his hands. 

"Celine truly is a trove of information" Dave scoffed. Clearly, the situation had been known for some time, long enough to be studied but no information was released until things got out of hand. 

"Doesn't that mean. . . your husband. . ." Dave's eyes widened as he thought about something. Hei Yu's husband was at first paralyzed with fear but he soon fell sick. Although Dave had no idea if he had been bitten at any time. 

"He wasn't bitten" Hei Yu replied, her face dark as she thought about her husband on the plane. 

"Let's talk about your situation. It seems having a system as a Mutant is quite helpful, at least you don't have to grope through the dark like others." She changed the subject.

Dave knew there was something odd about her marriage but since they weren't very familiar, he did not press forward. 

"Yes, I just have to absorb mutant crystals as fast as possible before my mutation goes wrong" he replied. 

Hei Yu nodded and began to think. The car soon fell into a contemplative silence. 

"Here, thats the entrance to the bunker." Dave pointed at a structure built like a public bathroom in a city park. 

Hei Yu stopped the car in front of it and was about to open the door was Dave hurriedly reached and hand her hand. He put a finger to his lips, his expression dark and tense as his cautious eyes roamed around. 

"I can sense something preying on us" he replied. Although he could interpret the feeling, he could not explain it so he directly said what he felt. 

Hei Yu tightened her grip on her gun and cautiously looked around. 

Suddenly she felt a vibration in her pocket which startled her. Fortunately, she remembered the satellite phone she put there and did not make any sudden movements. 

She slowly reached for it and answered the incoming call after taking it out. 

"Yes?" She asked in a low tone, her eyes still roaming the surroundings cautiously. 

"Hei Yu, there's an incoming connection from somewhere around you. I don't know how they got the frequency or who it is but they seem to have important information for you" Celine's voice came from the other end, her tone grave. 

"Okay?" Hei Yu replied tentatively.

"Mr Mike you are through, you can speak freely" Celine spoke again although this time it seemed not to them. 

Dave's eyes widened with hope at the mention of the name and he fixed his gaze on the phone in Hei Yu's hand. 

"You must the the people in front of the bunker, don't get out of your car, there is something out there" a stern voice followed immediately Celine finished, speaking straight to the point. 

"Uncle Mike" Dave immediately called out his tone a note too loud. He felt a sudden chill as the hairs one his nape rose gently but nothing happened afterwards. 

"Quiet!" The stern voice came again this time in a rebuking whisper. 

"Dave is that you?" Dave heard his father's voice and relief instantly washed over him. Learning from his first blunder, he replied in a low tone. 

"Yes, dad it's me, are you and Mom okay?" He asked immediately. 

"Dave listen, focus" his mother's voice came next.

"There is something out there, something worse than zombies and beasts" she continued. 

"It killed Joe and Margaret. We don't know what it is but it won't attack you as long as you don't get out of the car" she warned. 

Dave closed his eyes in grief and memories of Uncle Joe flashed through his mind but he opened them again after a moment. 

"Listen, just keep your voice down, movement minimal and stay in the car till morning. We'll figure something out in here, we have some awakened with us but they were no match for it. We might be able to outsmart it so just stay out for now" his father continued to admonish to which Dave hurriedly nodded only to realize they couldn't see him a second later.

"Got it Dad" he replied quickly. 

"Okay, we don't have much power here so we'll end the connection now. I don't care how ready you think you are, do not get out of the car" his father warned again followed but a beep. 

"They are gone" Celine spoke up in the next moment. 

"Celine I think this thing is the same creature that destroyed your father's bunker" Hei Yu who had been silent suddenly said something.

"How can you tell?" Dave asked rasing his head to her.

"Because I'm looking right at it" Hei Yu replied and this time, Dave could hear the trembling in her voice. 

He looked past her, through the glass window at a stunning creature just outside the door. 

The grey skinned creature had a humanoid form but stood on all fours like an ape, yet it's slender form revealed dense and compact muscle groups. It's eyes glowed red as it looked around, the red glow obstructing most of its face from observation. 

Dave and Hei Yu held their breaths as the creatures head slowly turned to the car, it walked slowly and steadily forward towards the glass as if looking right at them through it.

It could see them, they could tell as it's nose flared and it's barely visible lips seemed to hold as mocking grin. 

It stood watching the trembling duo for a moment before turning around and walking away. 

"It hasn't left" Dave muttered, still somehow sensing the presence of the creature.

"It's hunting us" Hei Yu added after a second of thought and their moods plummeted.