Axel tried to catch his breath, his heart still hammering in his chest after that close call. With Nova, he'd found shelter in a small cave, far from the bunker that was now just a pile of rubble. The flames from the explosion still flickered in the distance, casting a gloomy orange glow across the night.
Nova sat slumped against the cave wall, her hands still shaking. "What do we do now?"
Axel sighed. "We have to go back to the bunker. There's something there we haven't found yet."
Nova stared at him, horrified. "After all that? You're crazy, Axel. We almost died!"
Axel shook his head. "That's exactly why. We need to know what's really going on on this island."
They waited a few hours until things calmed down. Then, cautiously, they crept back to the ruined bunker.
The top of the building was a wreck, but most of the bunker was still intact underground. A hidden steel door, half-buried in the debris, still stood firm. With a lot of effort, Axel managed to pry it open, revealing a staircase leading down into the darkness.
Nova bit her lip. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"No," Axel switched on his flashlight and stepped inside. "But we have to do it anyway."
The air inside the bunker was colder than before, thick with the smell of metal and something rotten. Axel's flashlight beam danced across the concrete walls, stained with dried blood.
Nova whispered, "This place is like some kind of hellish lab."
They ventured deeper, finding corridors lined with small rooms. Some held rusted iron beds, others were filled with old medical equipment.
Eventually, they reached a large room that seemed to be the main research area.
In the center of the room, a large glass table was covered in scattered documents. Nova picked up one of the files and read it aloud, her voice trembling.
"Subjects experience changes within 48 hours of infection. Initial symptoms include high fever, loss of consciousness, and changes in body structure. Full mutation occurs within 72 hours. No medication has successfully halted this process."
Axel felt a shiver run down his spine. "So it's... some kind of virus?"
Nova nodded, her face growing paler. "A virus that turns people into those creatures."
Axel glanced around, spotting several glass tubes filled with a thick, black liquid. Some of the tubes were cracked, their contents dried up.
They found more documents—drawings of human bodies morphing into monsters, failed experiment results, and reports of a group of test subjects escaping into the forest.
Axel clenched his fist. "So that's them. Those hunters were once human, victims of these experiments."
Nova swallowed hard. "That means... the virus is still out there."
Axel opened a steel cabinet in the corner of the room. Inside, he found several syringes filled with a clear blue liquid.
"Experimental Antivirus."
Axel held up one of the vials, his eyes narrowed. "Maybe this is the cure."
But before they could think further, Nova suddenly gasped, her face filled with fear.
"Wait... If this virus can spread... What if..."
Axel immediately understood what she meant.
Axel stared at the small bottle of blue liquid. Experimental antivirus. No guarantee it would actually work. But right now, it was their only hope.
Nova stood still, a light sweat on her brow despite the cold air in the bunker. Her last words hung in the air.
"What if one of us is already infected?"
Axel turned to her. "Do you feel anything strange with your body?"
Nova shook her head quickly. "Not me. But Carter."
Axel's heart skipped a beat. They'd been separated from Carter since last night, but before that... Carter had been wounded in the fight at the meat camp. The wound was deep, and they'd only managed to bandage it up roughly.
Axel cursed under his breath. "Damn. We have to find him before it's too late."
Without wasting any time, they left the bunker and ran towards the forest. The sky was turning gray, a light rain falling on the ground wet with blood and mud.
"Carter! Where are you?!" Nova shouted, her voice echoing through the trees.
There was no answer.
Axel tightened his grip on his knife. Among all the threats on this island, they now faced something far more dangerous—one of their own might be turning into a monster.
Nova pointed to a trail with trampled leaves. "He must have gone this way!"
They followed the trail, their pace quickening. Until, finally, they found something that made their blood run cold.
Blood.
Lots of blood.
The trail of red stains spread across the ground, leading deeper into the dark forest. But that wasn't what made Nova cover her mouth in horror.
On a tree trunk, there were huge claw marks.
"Carter didn't do this," Axel muttered. "He was chased by something... or he's the one who changed."
Nova swallowed hard, her eyes darting around, searching for Carter. "We have to find him before—"
CRACK!
The sound of a snapping branch made them both turn.
In the distance, a figure stood.
Carter.
But something was different.
His body swayed, his chest heaving with heavy breaths. His skin was pale, and his eyes...
Carter's once brown eyes were now turning black.
Nova took a step back. "Carter...?"
Carter looked up slowly. The corner of his lip was torn, as if he was trying to smile, but it hurt too much.
Then, he spoke.
"I... I can hear them..."
Axel drew his knife. "What do you mean?"
Carter chuckled weakly. "They... they're talking to me. Inside my head..."
Suddenly, his body jerked. His muscles tensed, his breathing grew rougher.
"I... I'm hungry..."
Nova held her breath. "Axel... he's changing."
Axel already knew. But in his mind, he was still searching for another way. Carter was their friend, they'd been through hell together. But now...
Carter groaned in pain. His skin began to change—black veins snaked across his neck, his eyes were now completely black. His hands trembled, his fingers curling into claws.
"Run!" Axel yelled.
They both turned and ran as fast as they could.
Carter let out a roar that was no longer human.
THUMP!
Something slammed into Axel's back, sending him crashing to the ground. Carter leaped on top of him, his hands gripping his shoulders with incredible strength.
Axel struggled, trying to block Carter's claws that were about to pierce his chest. "Carter! Snap out of it!"
The black eyes stared at him blankly. Carter's jaw opened wider than a normal human's, as if his bones were shifting to reveal sharp fangs.
Then—
BANG!
A gunshot rang out.
Carter fell to the side, groaning in pain.
Nova stood with the pistol in her hand, her chest heaving. "I... I had no choice!"
Axel quickly got up and pulled the antivirus from his jacket pocket. Without hesitation, he jammed the needle into Carter's neck and pressed the plunger.
Carter shuddered violently, his body tensing, then—
Silence.
Carter's chest still moved up and down, but his eyes were returning to normal. His breathing was heavy, filled with pain.
Nova approached cautiously. "Will... he be okay?"
Axel shook his head. "I don't know."
Those few seconds felt like hours. My heart was pounding, and every little sound was amplified. Then Carter opened his eyes.
"I... I'm still here," he whispered weakly.
Nova almost cried with relief. Axel let out a long breath.
They had just learned the most terrifying fact of all that was happening on the island.
The virus... was still active. And it could attack anyone.