The Apocalypse Where Rain Kills Humans

Chapter 3: First Hunt

“Watch out!” Caio screamed, his voice cracking as he threw his body to the cold, damp concrete floor.

The heavy, muscular mass of the mutated rodent sailed through the air, its front claws missing Caio’s shoulder by inches before crashing violently into a stack of old wooden crates. The rotted wood shattered, sending splinters flying through the dark basement.

“Get away from me!” Caio yelled, scrambling to his feet and swinging the heavy iron pry-bar with both hands. “Just stay back!”

He swung with all his strength, and the metal bar connected with the creature’s shoulder with a dull, sickening thud.

“Ouch! Damn it, that felt like hitting a solid block of concrete!” Caio cried out, shaking his hands as the vibration traveled up his arms. “My whole arm is numb!”

“And you swing like a frail child,” Tlaloc’s voice boomed inside his skull, dripping with cold amusement. “Get up, boy. It is already turning.”

“I can see that!” Caio shouted, backpedaling as the beast hissed, its sulfur-yellow eyes locking onto him once more. “What the hell is this thing? It’s the size of a giant dog!”

“A minor mutation,” Tlaloc replied calmly. “A mere sewer dweller that caught a drop of the deluge. If you cannot handle a simple pest, the rain will surely claim you by morning.”

“Shut up and tell me how to kill it!” Caio begged, raising the pry-bar defensively. “I don’t exactly have a manual for fighting monsters!”

“Use your surroundings,” the entity instructed. “Do not try to match its physical strength. You are weak, Caio. You must use your environment.”

The rodent lunged again, its jaw gaping open to reveal rows of needle-like teeth.

“No, you don’t!” Caio yelled, swinging the bar downward in a desperate, frantic arc. “Take this!”

The creature clamped its jaws onto the iron bar. Instantly, a violent, loud hissing sound erupted in the dark.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” Caio gasped, watching in horror as a thick, green-tinted vapor rose from the metal. “It’s melting the iron!”

“Its saliva is highly acidic, just like the rain,” Tlaloc warned. “Let go of the bar, Caio! Now!”

“But it’s my only weapon!” Caio screamed.

“Let it go unless you want your fingers to melt into soup!” the voice roared.

Caio released his grip and fell backward onto the wet stone floor. The heavy iron pry-bar clattered beside him, already warping and bubbling into a smoking, green puddle of useless slag.

“Great. Fantastic. Now what?” Caio panicked, crawling backward on his hands and knees. “I’m dead. I’m dead!”

“To your left,” Tlaloc said. “Look at the wall, you fool.”

“What am I looking for? I can’t see anything in the dark!” Caio yelled.

“The pipe! The broken steam line!” Tlaloc commanded.

“I see it!” Caio grunted, reaching out and wrapping his fingers around the fractured copper pipe sticking out of the brickwork. He pulled with all his might, but the metal wouldn't budge. “It’s stuck! It’s rusted solid!”

“Then pull harder!” Tlaloc barked. “Unless you want to be its next meal!”

“Come on, move!” Caio roared, straining until the veins in his neck popped.

With a loud, metallic crack, the pipe snapped free. It was about three feet long, with a jagged, razor-sharp edge on the broken end. He held it out like a spear, breathing heavily.

“I got it! Stay back, you ugly piece of garbage!” Caio warned, pointing the sharp copper tip at the beast.

The rodent hissed, its tail whipping against the concrete as it prepared to spring.

“Do not just wave it around,” Tlaloc lectured. “Lure it. You need a clean strike to the throat or the underbelly.”

“Lure it?” Caio yelled, his heart pounding against his ribs. “It wants to eat my face!”

“Then give it a target it cannot miss,” Tlaloc said. “Look behind you. The gap between those old dye vats.”

Caio glanced back at the massive rusted cylinders. “If I go in there, I’ll be cornered!”

“So will the beast,” Tlaloc countered. “It cannot turn its head in a space that narrow. It can only charge forward. Limit its mobility, Caio.”

“Okay. Okay, I can do this,” Caio whispered. He stepped backward, positioning himself right in front of the narrow, two-foot gap between the heavy iron vats. “Hey! Over here, you overgrown sewer rat!”

The creature shrieked, a high-pitched, agonizing sound, and charged.

“Wait for it,” Tlaloc whispered. “Do not move yet.”

“It’s coming too fast!” Caio screamed.

“Wait!” the voice commanded.

At the very last second, Caio threw himself backward into the gap. The beast, unable to stop its momentum, shoved its massive head right into the opening after him, its jaws snapping wildly.

“Now!” Tlaloc roared.

“Die!” Caio screamed, thrusting the copper pipe forward with all his strength.

The sharp copper tip pierced through the roof of its mouth and went straight into its throat.

“Screeee!” the rodent wailed, thrashing violently.

“Hold it steady!” Tlaloc yelled. “Do not let it shake you off!”

“I’m trying!” Caio roared, his feet slipping on the wet concrete as the beast’s weight pressed against him. “The blood! It’s splashing everywhere!”

“Do not let it touch your skin!” Tlaloc warned. “Its blood is toxic!”

Sizzle. Sizzle.

Hot, greenish-black fluid erupted from the wound, spraying against the rusted iron vats. The metal began to pit and smoke immediately, releasing a foul, sulfurous stench.

“Ugh, it smells like rotten eggs!” Caio gagged, his stomach turning. “Just die already! Die!”

The creature’s movements grew sluggish, and the yellow glow in its eyes finally faded to black.

“Is... is it over?” Caio gasped, letting go of the pipe and collapsing against the iron vat.

“It is dead,” Tlaloc confirmed. “You survived. Barely.”

“Thanks for the support,” Caio muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand. “My hands are shaking.”

“That is just the adrenaline,” Tlaloc said. “Get up. Your work is not finished.”

[TARGET DEFEATED: MUTATED ACID-RODENT (LEVEL 1)]

[HARVEST PROMPT: EXTRACT CORROSIVE HEART]

“Extract its heart?” Caio stared at the blue text hovering in front of his eyes. “Are you out of your mind? I’m not touching that thing!”

“You must,” Tlaloc said. “The core of its mutation contains the raw energy needed to upgrade your shelter.”

“No way,” Caio said. “Its blood is acid! I’ll melt my own hands!”

“The heart is protected by a thick, non-reactive membrane,” Tlaloc explained. “It will not dissolve. If you do not harvest it within three minutes, the material will be lost.”

“I don’t care about the material!” Caio yelled. “I just want to get through the night!”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Tlaloc’s voice dropped to a low, ominous tone. “Look up, Caio.”

Caio raised his head. A green droplet was forming on the ceiling.

Drip.

It hit the floor, hissing.

“The rain is eating through the factory floor above us,” Tlaloc said. “Without the system’s protection, this place will become a tomb. You need to upgrade the shelter.”

“But... how do I even do it?” Caio swallowed hard.

“Use the sharp edge of the pipe,” Tlaloc instructed. “Slice down the center of its chest. Be careful.”

“This is disgusting,” Caio whispered, pulling the pipe free with a wet squelch. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

“Do not whine,” Tlaloc said. “Make the incision.”

Caio pressed the sharp copper edge against the chest. “It’s tough. Like thick leather.”

“Press harder,” Tlaloc urged.

“I’m pressing!” Caio grunted, cutting the chest cavity. A thick, dark fluid oozed out. “Is that the blood?”

“No, that is just bile,” Tlaloc said. “Keep cutting. Deeper.”

“I can’t get past the bone,” Caio panted. “It’s too solid.”

“Use the hook on the end of the pipe,” Tlaloc said. “Pry it open. You have the strength of the Storm in your blood now.”

“What do you mean by that?” Caio asked. He jammed the pipe under the bone and pulled with all his might.

Snap.

Inside the chest cavity, something was glowing green.

“Is... is that it?” Caio whispered.

“Yes,” Tlaloc said. “The Corrosive Heart. Grab it.”

Caio reached his hand into the wet chest, wrapping his fingers around the glowing heart. It felt incredibly warm. He pulled it free.

Instantly, the body of the mutated rodent turned to grey ash.

“Whoa,” Caio gasped. “It just... melted.”

“The system has recognized the harvest,” Tlaloc said.

[First Material Harvested: Corrosive Heart.]

[Shelter Level 0 -> 1 Upgrade Available.]

“Level one,” Caio breathed. “What happens now?”

“It means,” Tlaloc replied, “you have just taken your first step. Now, seal the shelter before the roof falls in.”