Back on the bridge, Viktor was fighting for his life. At first things had been going well for him. He was basically using the video game strategy of kiting to lure them around. After all, they were all trying to get directly to him in the shortest path for some reason. As long as he did not get surrounded, he was able to keep going backwards and keep his distance. He had the shotgun on his back and a baseball bat that he kept alongside a glove and ball in his truck in his hands. As the former people ran up to him and piled onto each other, he would slam a couple in the head with the bat while continuously backing up. It was supposed to be the perfect plan.
Something, however, was ruining that plan. Every ten or so seconds, an infected would fly over Viktor's head and land behind him. When that would happen, Viktor would be forced to to run back and take care of it which was ruining his plan of kiting the infected to pile on top of each other to get to him. He was just about to be pushed back off the bridge and where his truck was parked. With the lack of cars on the bridge to help funnel the infected, it would be much easier to get overrun.
Looking around while clubbing another infected in the head, he managed to find the culprit. It was the infected with the overly massive head. While pushing through the horde, it would occasionally point a finger at one of the ones blocking its way to Viktor. After that, the infected being pointed at would levitate off the ground and get shot his way.
"Are you screwing with me?!" Viktor roared in anger. "What the hell is that? Magic?"
He had to think of something. This could not go on. Taking a glance behind him, he seemed to figure something out. Taking off the shotgun from his back an holding it in his hands, he began running backward. As he passed a fuel truck, he shot the tank, causing the contents to pour out of the holes. It was only after he shot a couple more holes in it that he seemed satisfied, watching gasoline pour on the heads of all the infected as they walked through the shower. While Viktor would have preferred it if the whole thing blew up, he knew this was not a movie. Bullets do not make gasoline blow up like some kind of bomb. At the very most, it would have caught fire, not exploded, as gasoline only burns.
As the gasoline kept pouring out, Viktor had already reached his truck. When he first arrived, he had thought of simply tossing Molotov cocktails all over the place. As he thought about it, however, it would be such a waste to use them all. After all, who knew how many dangerous situations they would come in handy? With that fuel tank, he could get the maximum value for the price of only a single one. Needless to say, he had lucked out. He only wished he would have noticed the gas truck sooner. He had been too focused on the infected to really look at all the vehicles.
After he finished putting a rag in the bottle, he pulled his arm back and, using all the force he could muster, flung the bottle at the advancing horde.
*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
All of the gasoline quickly ignited, causing the temperature in the area to skyrocket. Even as the infected were on fire, burning to ashes, they still charged towards him. It was only after their legs and arms were unusable that they would stop their movement.
It took a long time for everything to stop burning. Some of the cars on the bridge had even caught on fire due to the massive gasoline fire. Of course, until the fire had stopped burning, Viktor had simply watched. He was worried as he noticed that the black fog or smoke or whatever it is had stopped dissipating. It lingered above the bridge forming a massive cloud. As he watched, he noticed it began to swirl and then funnel down behind a car. Pieces of the infected that weren't burned completely to ashes began to roll across the blackened ground.
Viktor let curiosity get the better of him and began to head where the funnel was touching the road of the bridge. He brought with him a couple bottles and rags in case he needed them. After all, what if this was a new threat? His military training had taught him to never let his guard down.
Before he could reach whatever the black fog was funneling into, a car was flung into the air in his direction. Viktor barely had time to think before he rolled forward, trying to stick close to the ground. With a loud bang, the thrown car collided with a truck behind him.
Viktor got back on his feet only to stare in shock and disgust at the thing in front of him. A massive ball of wriggling flesh was constantly absorbing the black fog and body parts into itself. Viktor could even make out the long neck and head of the other oddly-shaped infected. Standing in front of the ball of flesh and connected to it via the head was the other oddly-shaped infected that was throwing infected at him earlier.
After the black fog had been absorbed, the infected attached to the massive ball of flesh only reached out towards Viktor. It seemed like it wanted to charge at him but could not due to the incredible weight of the flesh ball weighing it down.
'Its so... pitiful,' Viktor thought to himself. 'I would almost feel bad for it if it wasn't so disgusting.'
Lighting the rag in the bottle on fire, he tossed it onto the creature. The bottle broke apart and the alcohol inside caught on fire, causing a part of the flesh pile to catch on fire as well. Unfortunately, it simply was not enough. With the other bottle, Viktor repeated the process. The same result ended up happening. Besides a couple sizable burns on the flesh mass, it was still alive.
'Guess I have to waste a bullet.'
Viktor walked right up to its head. While it was connected to the flesh mass, he hoped that the brain was still right inside the head and not in the center of the flesh mass. As he stood there, gun against the forehead of the creature, it snarled at him and kept trying to scratch him.
*Bang!*
The infected stopped struggling, its arms falling by its side and its body slumping a bit but not quite falling to the ground due to the mass of flesh holding it up. A torrential amount of black fog came out of the body but it did not return to its original appearance or rather appearances.
'Time to go,' Viktor thought, anticipation showing on his face.
Unfortunately, things would not be easy if he wanted to get through the bridge. The cars were filling both lanes and there were even quite a few car wrecks that had happened most likely due to the chaos. He would most likely have to walk to the university.
Walking back to his truck, he grabbed a bag, filled it with a couple snacks, some drinks, and a couple boxes of bullets. It was time he saved his sister.
***
Travelling through the city streets, Viktor observed all of the destruction around him. There were bodies everywhere, cars both parked and wrecked everywhere, and immense damage to the buildings lining the streets. Even though the place he was in was considered a city by the populace, it was not one that was highly advanced with skyscrapers or really any sort of large building. In reality, the area he was in was almost outdated. The roads were narrow and still only one lane going each way. Viktor recalled that when schools let out, it made the traffic become really backed up. Commuting to and from work in the area was also a hassle due to this. The old place really outgrew itself. Most of the tiny buildings lining the road were tiny shops run by families for generations. Art, quilts, jewelry, clothing, and other things such as handmade goods were sold in them. The place used to be bustling back in the 1900s. People would spend their evenings walking down the street and shopping. After their shopping, they would grab dinner at the local restaurants. Once the 2000s hit, the place started to die. Online shopping had begun killing the local businesses unless they adapted. More and more cars and technology meant less people going outside for walks or leaving home to seek entertainment. It was a bit sad to see, but nowhere near as sad as this. After so many years, this place was finally dead. It would probably never see life again.
Viktor whacked another infected in the head as he continued down the street. He didn't kill every single one he saw. Firstly, there were simply too many. Secondly, the closer he got to the university, the more impatient he became. As he took out one in front of him, it would serve as a way to trip those chasing behind him. It worked itself in Viktor's favor, that is for sure.
As he kept running from street to street, he suddenly paused.
'Isn't there a blacksmith shop around here?' Viktor wondered internally.
He remembered an old shop on one of these streets that he had visited before. It was one of the few that had actually interested him. Besides selling things like horseshoes, tools, and some other things made of metal, the owner would occasionally display swords he had forged. Viktor recalled that forging weapons was the man's passion. He had even made videos for the internet of him trying to forge certain weapons popular characters use in games, shows, and movies. If he could get just a couple of those, his survivability would shoot up. A baseball bat was useful, but there are times where slashing or stabbing could perhaps be better. Additionally, it would not be a bad idea to get his sister something she could use to protect herself.
He eventually found the shop nestled between two larger ones about three streets away from the university. The bell rang as he walked into the shop and the heat began blasting him in his face and most likely came from the hot coals in the back. As he walked through the shop, he found no sign of the blacksmith. He did find, however, exactly what he was looking for. Hanging up on the wall in the back was a dazzling assortment of daggers, swords, spears, arrows, armor, and of course the normal items like horseshoes and such.
Viktor walked up to the wall, opened up his backpack, and began stuffing some daggers in his backpack. He was particularly fond of a black one he recognized from a particular Korean novel that he had read at one point. He also pulled down a double-edged longsword which he proceeded to wear on his back after finding its sheath.
It was when he was about to pull down a spear from the wall that he heard a sound from behind him. It was a clicking sound he found all too familiar.
"This what young people do nowadays? Steal shit?"
Viktor turned around to find the owner of the shop pointing a double-barrel shotgun at him. He appeared to be in his fifties with silver hair, a spectacular beard, and a well-toned body. He looked almost like if you turned sculptures of Zeus from Greek mythology into a real person.
"Hands up kid," the old blacksmith stated with no emotional fluctuation.
Viktor dared not disobey. He wasn't so stupid to believe he could magically survive a shotgun blast.
"Sir, I am sure you have seen what is outside. I only wished to take some things to help me save my sister," he replied as calmly as possible, trying his best to hide his nervousness.
"You think I give a rat's ass about what you want? I need this stuff to survive myself. I bet you never considered that though did you?" The old man snorted and retorted with a couple questions.
"I thought you were—"
"Dead? Ha, I am not so easy to take down, boy," the blacksmith interrupted with a smirk.
Silence descended and seemed to linger. Even though nothing was said, tension lingered in the air. After all, the man still had the gun pointed at Viktor who currently had his hands still raised in the air. Finally, after an unknown period of time, Viktor decided to speak up.
"If you plan on shooting me, can you at least save my sister in my stead? She is a good person and deserves to live," he said with a pleading tone.
More silence descended as the old man seemingly ignored what Viktor had just said. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the stress given the current situation, but sweat seemed to pour down Vik's face as he awaited his fate.
"Could you protect me too?" The old man finally asked.
"What?" Viktor's brain failed to process what was just asked.
"Dammit boy, can you protect me or not? I am not so stupid as to believe I can survive out there on my own. If you want my weapons, agree to protect me. If not, then scram!" He bluntly stated with hardly a pause. Then, no louder than a murmur, said, "Can't believe you thought I would just shoot you in the face. Am I that scary? What a world..."
Viktor was still stunned in silence. He stood there with his mouth agape.
'How was this a real person? His emotions changed faster than the weather.' Viktor thought to himself. 'I definitely expected to die here. Scary? Nothing is scarier than a shotgun in your face. Well, turning into one of those monsters is probably scarier.'
Viktor considered it for only a little bit. After all, there were definitely way more benefits to this than downsides. The pros were that he would have a guy following him that knew how to make things, obtain weapons that would make his survivability through the roof, and one more gun to help him fight. The only con he could think of was that this old man could very well randomly get even crazily and shoot him in the back for no apparent reason.
"Yeah, I can agree to that..." Viktor said while scanning the old man for any kind of visible change in emotion. To his disappointment, it was almost like that old man's face was always stuck in an unreadable position.
"Great, you would've been stupid to say no, and I would've had a body to clean up in the middle of my shop," he said matter-of-factly. "Anyways, go grab that bag behind the counter, we are gonna take all we can," After finishing his order, he turned and walked away, disappearing into a very small room no bigger than a closet. Viktor had always assumed it to be such, not the old man's office.
"If we are going to work together, don't you think it would be appropriate to share your name?" Viktor couldn't help but ask in exasperation.
"Oh, right, its Richard," Richard replied plainly.
With that, silence returned to the shop. Gathering himself together, Viktor began to load up as much as he could into the bag pointed out by old man Richard. The bag was made out of some leathery material that was very rough and thick to the touch. It seemed to be the perfect bag to store weapons as it would make it less likely for the sharp ones to randomly poke through the bag.
*tap... tap... tap...*
Looking over, Viktor saw an infected tapping on the glass window of the store. Despite her lifeless eyes, bloody clothes, and overall disgusting appearance, he was no longer phased by it. He didn't even bother to go out there, just letting her tap on the window while he tried to consider the most useful things to take. Knives were so versatile and could serve as more than a killing tool but swords could arm more people in case he found other survivors. It would be a tough call.
As he packed, he suddenly heard something akin to when an airplane is flying nearby. A sound like the air being torn through at a high speed. At first, he thought nothing of it. Suddenly, however, the sound became closer and closer until it sounded like it was above the building.
*BANG*
With a sickening splatter, blood and guts decorated the front window of the store to the point that Viktor could no longer even see out. It was the blood from the infected that was tapping on the glass.
Before he could compose himself, he could hear a loud, rumbling, beating sound that started off extremely close before gradually fading away. Whatever the hell had done this, Viktor only hoped it was gone.
"Richard! The hell was that?!" Viktor yelled, forgetting his manners and completely forgetting the man could possibly be crazy and blow his top over the smallest thing.
"Find a place to hunker down for the night in here and be sure to shut the hell up you little shit!" Richard snarled back, his old face becoming menacing in an instant as he peeked out of his office and glared at Viktor. "What that is, you don't want to know. I don't want to know, and I'm certainly not stupid enough to go out there seeking death just to sate my curiosity! Now sit down, shut your mouth, and we will leave tomorrow. I am not going out there to figure out what that thing is, you hear me? Give it time to scram and we'll go."
Hearing that, Viktor could only nod, clearly wrapped in the flow the old man had set. It made sense, logically, that they not find out. Still, waiting until tomorrow meant one more day his sister could be in danger.
Thinking up to here, he pulled out his phone and selected her contact, calling her upon touching the phone symbol.
"Hey, you okay?" Came an immediate question from the other side. The phone hadn't even been able to ring a single time before she answered.
"Haha, yeah, I'm fine. I called to ask about you though. How is it over there?" Viktor laughed, answered, and asked back. He was clearly not fine. There was definitely something out there, he just did not want to worry his sister.
"Its just really quiet. I am starting to worry, especially about Isobel. She went into the bathroom a long time ago and hasn't come out. I tried calling for her but she won't respond. The gunshots have stopped too. When I look out the window, all I can see are the infected walking by."
Viktor figured that would be the case. The infected were created way too fast. Additionally, there were those among them that had powers of some sort, not to mention whatever the hell that thing outside was. That thing was certainly not human. Anyways, the Isobel situation was very strange. What would cause her to become so silent? She fall asleep in the bathroom? No, couldn't be. No one could fall asleep in a bathroom unless they have a bad fall, they're too uncomfortable.
"You still there?"
Vik's mind still churned, trying to find the answer to this. When he thought of a possibility, his eyes widened and he hurriedly spoke in a deadly serious voice.
"Don't keep knocking on that door. In fact, stay as far as you can from it."
"What? Why?" Anastasia asked in confusion. She couldn't understand why her brother wanted her to leave her best friend alone so bad.
"Was she ever attacked by one of the infected?" Viktor asked back instead of answering.
"She—yeah, she was... Wait, you don't think...?" Without waiting for confirmation, she hung the phone up.
"Ana? Ana?! Ana!" Viktor began to panic. What was she going to do? Fuck, she was definitely going to do something horrendously stupid without thinking, wasn't she? Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!
In an absolute panic, Viktor stood up, slung his stuff over his shoulder, and made a ruckus running for the door. Before he could reach it, Richard opened his office and began yelling.
"What the hell got you all riled up?"
"I have to go, my sister is in danger!" Viktor yelled before continuing to the door.
The old man got in his way, his body the only thing in Viktor's mind that was keeping him from his sister.
"Are you crazy, kid? She can last a night! Besides, we had a deal! I'm not letting you leave, especially if that thing is out there! You would only be throwing your life away!"
Viktor seemed to calm down a little from all the yelling back and forth.
"She is about to do something extremely stupid. Her friend is most likely infected and yet she wants to check anyways despite the danger. Its a flaw of hers."
"Pretty huge flaw if you ask me, getting yourself killed. How stupid... Anyways, who told her that her friend was infected?" the old man asked.
"I may have led her into that line of thinking," Viktor guiltily admitted.
"Then you're just as stupid. You knew what your sister might do and you still let her know? Do you want her to live or not?"
Viktor looked down in silence. He couldn't say anything to defend himself. He had truly screwed up. While his sister would have eventually opened that bathroom door, he had hastened the process of that dramatically.
"Alright, we can go get your sister now. That thing is probably gone anyways," the old man sighed and relented.
Viktor shot him a questioning look. In his short impression of the old man, this wasn't like him.
"Don't give me that look, I have a history of words causing the loss of loved ones. Let me go get my stuff," stating that, the old man entered his office.
***
In his office, the old man grabbed a coat, a backpack, his shotgun, and a photo from his desk. On it, an attractive young woman was smiling next to a man that looked to be her father.
"Lily, I hope you can forgive this old idiot one day. I wish to see you at least one more time before I die. Just give me the chance to say sorry...," a tear rolled down his cheek as the old man thought about their parting and the current state of the world. "Please be okay, sweetie."
***
Viktor waited for no longer than a couple minutes before the old man came back out.
"Alright, I am ready to go," he stated.
Vik noticed the old man's red eyes but kept silent. His impression of Richard improved, but they still weren't so close for him to pry.
Finally walking to the door, Viktor couldn't help but constantly worry for his sister's wellbeing. He let out a sigh to try and pull himself together before he turned the doorknob and exited the shop. After letting his eyes adjust, he was about to take a step forward when a hand grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him back.
"Hey what's wro—
*CAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWW*
Moving his head in the direction of the sound he had just heard, Viktor froze in both shock and horror. Dark as a moonless night and as tall as a small house, was a bird that could be the stuff from nightmares. Black, unfeeling eyes the size of basketballs examined Viktor and the old man behind him as it turned its head multiple times as if trying to better size them up. Its beak, long and sharp, gleamed in the light almost as if someone had carved it from obsidian. The legs on the bird were long and powerful. Enough so that it had dented the public transit bus it was on simply by gripping it only enough to sit on it. It was a terrifying thought to imagine what would happen if it were to squeeze the bus.
As he continued to stare, his vision was suddenly cut off as a door shut in his face. After the old man had pulled him back, he shut the door.
*CAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW*
Unfortunately for them, it seemed the disaster with wings would not so easily give up on having them for a meal.