The Hunt Begins
---
Territory
Brian had spent a year building a home in these mountains. He had learned every path, every stream, every sound of the wild.
But now, it wasn't the same.
The forest was changing.
And so was he.
For the next several days, Brian did one thing and one thing only.
He hunted.
---
Tracking the Infected
✔ Morning: Patrol the perimeter. Check traps, reinforce defenses.
✔ Midday: Track the infected deeper into the woods.
✔ Evening: Return only after everything was dead.
The further he went, the more the infection had spread.
✔ Trees twisted, their bark splitting into blackened, pulsing layers.
✔ Small animals were no longer animals. Squirrels with too many limbs. Birds with gaping, tooth-filled beaks.
✔ The air carried a strange energy, a hum deep beneath his skin.
Ghost moved silently beside him, his body larger, stronger.
They weren't just surviving anymore.
They were hunting.
And Brian was getting better at it.
---
The First Signs of Change
The first time Brian noticed something was off, it was small.
✔ He was moving quieter. His footsteps barely made a sound.
✔ He saw further in the dark. Shadows weren't shadows anymore. Everything had shape.
✔ His reactions had sharpened. Before, he had to aim carefully with his rifle. Now? His body moved before his brain did.
Then, on the third day of hunting, he caught his reflection in the water.
And he froze.
---
The Man He Used to Be
Brian Wallace had always been a big man.
✔ 6'3" with a thick frame, built from a life of hard labor.
✔ A broad chest, strong arms, a body shaped by survival.
✔ Dark brown skin, always rough from the sun.
✔ A thick beard, flecked with strands of gray.
But the man in the water was not the same man who had left civilization a year ago.
✔ His muscles had changed. They weren't just strong anymore. They were dense, sharp, defined in unnatural ways.
✔ His veins stood out more, darker beneath his skin, pulsing in rhythm with his slow, measured breathing.
✔ His jawline was sharper. His beard darker, thicker, the gray completely gone.
✔ His eyes had changed. Before, they were a deep brown.
Now?
Now they had a faint golden glow.
---
The Beast Within
Brian stared at himself.
Ghost watched from the side, silent, waiting.
His fingers traced the lines of his own face. His skin felt the same.
But he wasn't the same.
✔ His breathing was different. Deeper, slower, almost predatory.
✔ His fingernails were sharper, thicker, like they had hardened.
✔ His hunger was constant. Normal food still filled him, but never satisfied him.
He leaned closer to the water.
And that's when he saw it.
His pupils had changed.
They weren't round anymore.
They had slightly narrowed—just enough to look… inhuman.
His heart pounded.
But not in fear.
In understanding.
---
Battle for Dominance
That night, Brian went further than ever before.
✔ The air was thick, charged with something unseen.
✔ The infection was spreading faster, bigger creatures now roaming.
✔ His body moved differently. His instincts were faster than thought.
And then he heard it.
Something big.
A blackened elk stood in the clearing.
But this was not a normal elk.
✔ Its antlers were jagged, branching like unnatural coral.
✔ Its hide was split open, exposing writhing black veins.
✔ Its eyes were wrong—too many, spread across its face.
It turned toward him.
And charged.
---
Primal Instincts Take Over
Brian should have raised his rifle.
He didn't.
Instead, he moved.
Faster than before.
The elk's charge was violent, massive. It could have gored him through.
But Brian's body reacted before he thought.
He sidestepped, twisted—
And his hands lashed out.
He grabbed the elk's antlers, using its own momentum against it.
And he slammed it into the ground.
The impact shook the earth.
Ghost lunged next, his teeth sinking deep into the elk's throat.
The beast thrashed, snarling in some unnatural, clicking noise.
Brian didn't let go.
Instead, he twisted—
And ripped one of its antlers clean off.
Black fluid gushed from the wound, steaming as it hit the dirt.
The elk screeched in agony.
And Brian didn't hesitate.
He drove the jagged antler down into its skull.
---
The Evolution Continues
The elk twitched once.
Then it went still.
Brian staggered back, his breath slow, steady.
His hands were covered in black gore.
And his pulse was calm.
Ghost watched him.
Brian wiped his mouth. He was starving again.
His body ached, but not from exhaustion.
From something else.
Something deeper.
✔ He was getting stronger.
✔ His instincts were sharper.
✔ He wasn't just reacting anymore.
He was in control.
And that meant one thing.
This mountain belonged to him.
And anything that stepped onto it—
Would die.
---