Zombies Doomsday

Chapter 2: No Escape

The six remaining infected came through the steel door of the storage bunker. Their twisted limbs scraped against the floor. The smell of their rotting flesh was really bad. It was a mix of copper, stagnant water and decaying organs. In the past, Idris Cole would have been really scared if he had heard just one of these things coming. He would have hidden in a shadow holding his breath until his lungs hurt hoping the monster would pass him by.

Now looking at the group of monsters he felt nothing. The special liquid from the primary evolution life elixir was still in his blood. It made his skin feel weird like it was tingling with electricity. His vision was really sharp. He could see the cracks in the yellowed teeth of the lead walker. This walker used to be an executive. He was still wearing the remains of a suit.

The executive walker jumped forward its fingernails clawing at the air. Its movements used to seem fast to Idris.. Now they seemed slow and easy to predict. Idris did not step back. He leaned to the right letting the walker's hand pass over his shoulder. At the time he punched the monster's chest with his left fist.

The sound of the punch was really loud in the room. The walker's ribs broke like twigs. The force of Idriss's punch sent the walker flying backward into the two. They all fell to the floor in a heap. Idris looked at his knuckles. There was no pain. His skin was fine. His muscles felt really strong. He did not waste any time. He dove forward his hand sweeping across the floor until he found his sharpened iron rod.

As he held the rod a small blue box appeared in front of him. It said: Item: Sharpened Scrap Iron Rod. Attack power: 4. Durability: 5/10. It was not a weapon but it was enough for Idris now. A female walker, with no hair and a hurt skull came over to the executive. Idris brought the iron rod down. It went through her eye socket. She died away.

The other four infected tried to come through the door at the time. They got stuck. Idris moved fast. He stepped into the gap using the doorway to his advantage. He thrust the iron rod forward hurting one of the walkers. He then ripped the rod sideways tearing the walker's neck. Before the corpse fell Idris kicked the monster's knee. The joint. The walker fell. Idris then stomped on its skull.

The last two infected were no match for Idris. He killed them quickly. The storage bunker was silent again except for Idriss breathing and the sound of blood dripping from his iron rod. He stood in the middle of the monsters. A year ago he would have been sick from the smell. Scared of the fight.. Now he felt okay. He wiped the blood from his weapon using a walker's coat.

Idris said "Status" loudly, testing if the system would respond. A big detailed hologram appeared in front of him. It said: Host: Idris Cole. Level: 1. Strength: 12. Agility: 11. Vitality: 13. Intelligence: 14. System Level: 1. Experience: 0/100. Active Multiplier: 100x to 10,000x. Current Bound Allies: None. Inventory: Empty.

Idris looked at the data carefully. His physical attributes were twice those of a normal person. No wonder he felt strong. The primary evolution life elixir had really changed him.. He looked at the active multiplier and the allies' part. Idris thought, "System how do I upgrade the system level and what do I need to do to bind an ally?"

The system responded, "To upgrade the system to Level 2 you need 100 experience points. You get experience points by triggering rebates. Every successful rebate gives you experience based on the value of the item." The system paused, then continued, "To activate the multiplier you need to give survival resources to individuals who have a high potential rating. Once they accept a gift they will be your allies."

Idris took a breath. The rules were clear. He needed to find potential people, specifically female survivors. The system wanted him to be a leader, not alone. He thought about the men who left him to die: Vance, Jaxon and Miller. They were going back to the Iron Clad camp with a military ration package. They thought they were safe.. They were wrong.

Idris decided to search the storage vault. He was not desperate anymore. Resources were still important. He found a leather-bound pouch in a corner. Inside were three vials with a clear blue fluid and a handheld transceiver. The vials were not very valuable. They could help him. He put them in his jacket pockets. The transceiver was old. It worked. When he turned it on he heard Vance's voice.

Vance was talking to Commander Briggs, the leader of the Iron Clad camp's security force. Vance said they got a ration pack but they lost Idris. He said Idris panicked and got caught by an infected. Idriss grip on the transceiver tightened. He was angry. He thought about what he would do, to Vance and the others when he saw them again.

There was a silence on the other end of the line. Idris felt a rage washing over him as he listened to Vance lie so easily. His death had been brushed away like it was nothing, a small mistake to satisfy the people in charge of the camp.

Understood Briggs finally replied, his tone completely indifferent to the report of Idriss' death. One less person to feed back at the base.. Listen to me carefully Vance. We have a change of plans. Do not return to the Iron Clad camp alone. We have a priority target that just came up near you.

Vance sounded confused. A new target? Sir, we are low on ammunition. Miller's club is damaged. What could be more important than bringing this food?

The fallen officer, Rhea Knox Briggs stated, his voice dropping to a serious tone. Our scouts just found her. She was attacked by a group of mutated walkers near the subway terminal at the edge of Sector One. Her entire team was wiped out. She managed to escape into the tunnels but she is heavily wounded, crippled and completely cut off from her people.

Rhea Knox? Vance gasped over the radio. The former tactical commander of the Central Sanctuary? The one who went against orders to protect those refugees a a a month ago? Why is the camp interested in her? She's a monster in combat. Even wounded she could kill us all.

She is carrying the Prototype Core, Vance Briggs explained coldly. The bio-technological drive she stole from the Central Sanctuary's lab before she left. That core contains data for the early virus strains and the keys to the underground vaults. The high council wants that core at all costs. If you capture her alive your team will be elevated to status permanently. If she resists kill her. Bring back the drive. The Crimson Faction is already sending a team from the north. You are closer. Get to Sector One immediately.

The radio fell silent for a second as Vance thought about the mission. Understood, Commander. We are exiting the shafts now. We will head straight for the subway terminal. She won't escape us. Out.

The transceiver went dead returning to a consistent hiss of static.

Idris stood motionless in the light of the storage bunker his mind racing. Rhea Knox. Every single person living in the ruins of The Grey Grid knew that name. She was a living legend. A tactical officer who had risen through the ranks of the powerful Central Sanctuary through her skills and combat ability. She was known as the protector, a cold efficient soldier who had defended the inner city walls against three separate massive zombie attacks.

A month ago news had reached the outer slums that she had defied a direct order from the sanctuary's high council. The council had wanted to get rid of a district of over ten thousand civilians to save food and medical supplies. Rhea Knox had refused to follow the order. Instead, she turned her guns against her superiors using her team to hold the line while the civilians escaped into the wasteland.

She had been called a traitor hunted by her employers and stripped of her status. To the survivors, she was a fallen hero. To the camps like Iron Clad, she was a prize waiting to be claimed.

Idris looked down at his status screen, which was still hovering in the air.

Potential female individual... He muttered, the pieces of the puzzle suddenly falling into place. A legendary tactical officer. A woman who defied an empire out of loyalty and honor. If anyone in this ruined city possessed a potential rating it was undeniably Rhea Knox.

The system voice suddenly chimed, confirming his thoughts.

Ding!

System Notification: Detecting dense biological signatures matching the target criteria within a 2.5-kilometer radius. Target identity confirmed via database synchronization: Rhea Knox. Status: Terminal Threat Level, Critical Physical Trauma. Potential Rating: SSS-Tier.

SSS-Tier!

Idriss eyes widened. He hadn't expected her potential to be that high. The system rules stated that the higher the potential of the ally the greater the rewards would be. If he could find her save her life. Give her the resources she needed to recover, and the rewards he would receive from the system would be huge. It would completely change his life.

Moreover, Vance and his crew were currently heading toward her location to kill her and steal her core. The very men who had left him to die were walking into his new objective.

This is destiny Idris said, his voice dropping to a whisper. Vance wants to hunt a legend to secure his position. I will hunt Vance. I will claim the legend for myself.

He turned toward the open steel doorway completely ignoring the maintenance hatch that Vance had used. With his physical attributes, he didn't need to crawl through dirty pipes like a rat. He could walk through the door.

Idris left the storage vault stepping back into the ruined corridors of the underground shopping plaza. The air was cold. He no longer felt the bone-chilling shiver that had plagued him for months. His senses were perfectly attuned to the environment. He could hear the distant groans of wandering walkers several levels above him but he avoided them with ease moving through the shadows like a ghost.

He navigated the escalators and climbed back up to the main lobby. The metal shutter that Miller had pried open earlier was still raised a foot off the ground. Idris dropped into a crouch sliding effortlessly through the gap and stepping out into the ash-tinted rain of Sector Zero.

The storm had intensified, the heavy drops washing the zombie blood off his jacket and his iron rod. He looked up at the sky his eyes piercing through the gray mist. Sector One was located directly to the north of the ruined district. It was an area characterized by packed residential blocks and deep interconnected subway lines. A labyrinth of concrete and steel that was notoriously dangerous.

He gripped his iron rod tightly. Began to move. He didn't run at speed to conserve his energy but his steady long-strided jog was faster than any human sprint. His boots hit the pavement with a rhythmic powerful beat. The rubble, the abandoned vehicles and the cracked asphalt that used to be obstacles were now things he could leap over with a single effortless bound.

As he crossed the border between Sector Zero and Sector One the landscape became more desolate. The buildings here were heavily scorched remnants of the military's attempts to contain the initial outbreak with firebombs. The skeletons of burnt-out buses lined the streets like dead monsters.

Idris slowed his pace as he approached the entrance of the Sector One subway terminal. The structure was a dome-shaped concrete pavilion that led down into the subterranean transit system. The ground outside was covered in signs of violence.

He knelt near an overturned vehicle his fingers brushing against the mud. There were footprints here. Heavy military-grade combat boots. Scattered across the ground were empty brass shell casings from high-caliber rifles and the dark thick blood of mutated infected that hadn't even had time to dry in the rain.

The battle had happened here no more than an hour ago.

Idris closed his eyes concentrating his mind. With his intelligence attribute elevated his processing and environmental awareness were vastly superior to those of normal humans. He could literally reconstruct the scene in his mind based on the evidence. A group of trained soldiers had been backed into this corner firing in all directions against a massive swarm of fast-moving mutated infected. They had broken formation retreating down into the subway stairs to escape being surrounded.

They went down Idris murmured, opening his eyes.

He walked toward the gaping maw of the subway entrance. The steps leading down were wide disappearing into a pitch-black darkness that seemed to swallow the light of the gray sky. The air coming from the tunnels was thick with the smell of human blood and the putrid odor of a large concentration of infected.

He reached into his pocket. Pulled out the small military-grade transceiver he had stolen from the vault. He kept the volume turned down to the minimum holding the speaker close to his ear.

Any sign of her? Vance's voice crackled through the static sounding faint but urgent.

Nothing, " Jaxon's voice replied, his tone trembling with fear and adrenaline. The lower tracks are completely dark Vance. There are bodies everywhere. Some of Knox's guards are down here their armor completely ripped apart. Whatever attacked them... It wasn't walkers.

Shut up and keep moving Vance snapped. She's wounded. She can't have gone far. Look for the blood trails. Commander Briggs said she was shot in the abdomen before she escaped into the levels. If the bleeding doesn't kill her the infection will. We need to find her before she turns or the drive might be damaged.

The transmission cut out.

Idris slipped the radio back, into his pocket his eyes narrowing in the darkness. They were already inside tracking her down via her blood trail. He needed to be faster.

Idris walked into the subway station his boots making no noise on the stairs. It was really dark. His special eyes helped him see the big pillars and the broken turnstiles.

The walls were covered in blood and there were bodies some were soldiers in black armor and others were infected people with long weird arms.

Idris knew these infected people were called spikes. They were fast and strong.

He went deeper into the station. It got colder. He could hear gunshots and monsters screaming in the distance.

Idris followed the signs to Line 4 the subway line. The stairs were covered in blood. Someone had been leaning on the wall to stay up.

Idris thought about Rhea Knox.

He walked faster trying to be quiet. When he got to the bottom of the stairs he heard a cough and something metal hitting the train tracks.

Idris hid behind a pillar looking around. He saw a light inside a subway car.

It was not a flashlight. A special suit that was broken.

Idris moved forward holding his iron rod. He looked into the car. Saw a woman lying on the floor.

She was covered in blood and dirt. She was still pretty. She had hair and was wearing special armor but it was broken.

Her face was pale. Her lips were blue. Her left arm was hanging down. It looked broken.

She still had a gun in her right hand and her finger was on the trigger.

Idris saw a box above her head that said Rhea Knox was an important person.

It said she was hurt badly and would die in 12 minutes.

Idris went into the subway car. Rhea's eyes opened. They were a silver color and they looked really strong.

She pointed the gun at Idris. Asked who he was.

Idris said he was not with the people who were chasing her. He said he was a person who was left to die.

Rhea looked at him trying to see if he was lying. She was, in a lot of pain. The virus was spreading.

She told Idris to leave. He did not. He gave her a fluid that would give her a few more minutes of energy.

Rhea took the fluid. Then something special happened.

A loud noise was. A special item appeared. It was a medicine that could heal Rhea.

Idris took the medicine. Gave it to Rhea. Her body started to heal fast and the virus went away.

Her broken bones fixed themselves and her skin became healthy again.

Rhea's eyes. She looked at Idris. She was not dying anymore.

Idris watched as Rhea Knox changed in front of him. He was completely amazed. The 10,000x rebate did not just save her life it made her into something more than a regular person.

Ding!

System Notification: Celestial Grade Apex Gene Purification Serum has been successfully integrated into the Bound Ally, Rhea Knox.

Ally Status: Restored. Latent Potential: Unlocked (Awakened Vanguard Mode). Trust Rating increased to 45% (Profound Shock & Gratitude).

System Notification: Host has received 50 Experience Points from the rebate action. Current Exp: 50/100.

Rhea Knox got down on the floor of the train car landing on her hands and knees. She stayed like that for a second, her head down taking deep breaths. She looked at her hands. Made fists. Her skin was smooth. She could feel a lot of physical power inside her more than she ever had when she was in the military at the Central Sanctuary.

She got up slowly. Turned to look at Idris. Her eyes, which were like silver did not look desperate like before. Now they looked very intense with a mix of shock, confusion and respect.

You she said quietly her voice smooth and strong. What did you do to me? That serum is impossible. Not even the Central Sanctuary has technology like that. Who are you really?

Before Idris could answer the silence was broken by the sound of running footsteps and tactical boots from the tunnels.

From the tunnels, they heard the sound of heavy footsteps and flashlights shining on the walls.

Over here someone shouted. I saw a light on the tiles. It came from the derailed train car. She must be there.

Hurry up another voice said. If the Crimson Faction gets here first we will lose the bounty. Spread out. Shoot anything that moves.

Rhea Knox's face changed away. She did not look confused anymore. Instead, she looked like a skilled and deadly fighter. She picked up her pistol from the floor quickly. Checked the magazine.

Briggs ' squad is here she said, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the lights. They think I am a target.

She took a step towards the door of the train car ready to face them alone but then she turned to Idris. You saved my life so I will pay you back. Stay behind me. I will take care of them.

Idris did not hide. He walked up beside Rhea Knox, his iron rod on his shoulder looking at the shadows where the squad was coming from.

You do not have to do it Rhea Knox Idris said calmly with a dangerous look, in his eyes. The man leading the squad is the one who shot me and left me to die for an hour. I have a score to settle with him. Let's show them what happens when they underestimate us.