Chapter 5: Chosen

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Chosen Some time ago... David kept banging on the door with no response. He couldn’t believe they threw him out like that. He was making noise, sure, but they could have given him a warning and he’d have stopped. Instead, they just threw him out like his life wasn’t as valuable as theirs. While David was begging to be let in, Martin was looking around. He knew the others wouldn’t open the door, no matter how much David begged. Besides, he got what he wanted, so why would he give it up? Gross... there’s so much blood everywhere. Since David had been on quite a few hunting trips with his father and friends, the sight of blood didn’t scare him... or so he pretended. How could someone not be scared of such a gruesome sight? Other than their corridor, the entire building was smeared with blood. The floor, the walls, and even the ceiling were dripping blood. My God... If the sight of blood was bad, then nothing could have prepared him for the rest. Corpses were scattered everywhere. None of them were intact, mutilated in ways beyond comprehension. "...even you, huh?" Matin mumbled, looking at the corpse of his ex-girlfriend, the one he had before Rebecca. Jenna Miller. She was the school president and had a great body. Not that much of it remained there anymore. Her lower jaw was missing and her innards had spilled over from the deep cut into her stomach. A few feet away was a headless corpse, but unlike those outside, this guy’s head had been crushed by something. Martin kept walking, ignoring the corpses. Each one was more gruesome than the last, and he was afraid he’d puke his guts out if he kept looking at them. However, he had no choice. Getting to Rebecca wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought. If anything, he needed a weapon first and scavenge for resources while he was at it. Unfortunately, he didn’t find anything. "Tsk, this lab building has some chemicals, but it’s all on the ground floor," Martin mumbled. "Even if I get there safely, I’d have no idea which chemicals to use other than sulphuric acid, maybe." Martin scratched his head. Even if those creatures came back from the dead, their bodies would still corrode like normal. He hoped that’d slow them down enough for him to escape. But there was a minor issue. Going downstairs alone would be suicidal. Thankfully, he wasn’t alone. Martin looked David up and down. He was plump, slow, just the right weight for those beasts to enjoy for a while. However, getting someone killed wasn’t something he was used to. Even though the world had gone apeshit, committing a crime still weighed heavily on Martin. No. It’s survival of the fittest, right? Weak ones will die regardless, so he might as well die helping me. With that thought, Martin returned to the gate where David was. David was still banging on the door when someone touched his shoulder. "Argh!" he yelled, turning around only to be hit by Martin. "What are you yelling for, useless fat fuck?" "Y-You touched—" "Y-Y-You. Stop stuttering and stop banging the door," Martin said. "Nothing you do will make them open up now." David didn’t want to believe Martin, but he was speaking the truth. It didn’t seem those guys had any intention of letting them back inside. "So, what should we do?" he asked. "Look for another hiding place," Martin replied. "Or we could go look for your mom." "You’re still—!" "Keep your voice down! Do you want to die?" David looked at the bloodstained walls and got quiet. Martin smiled inwardly, knowing David had taken the bait, so he walked away. Martin knew David didn’t want to work with him, but they were in the same situation and a weakling like him would certainly latch onto the nearest person. In this case, it was him. David clenched his teeth as Martin walked away. He didn’t want to follow the guy, given everything that had happened between them, but being alone out here was worse than being ridiculed. He knocked on the door for the last time, but no one answered him. In the end, he had no choice but to follow Martin. *** Sometime later... The two kept walking towards the chemistry lab. Martin had taken off his shoes, so he didn’t make unnecessary sounds. However, David’s constant gagging turned his precautions useless. "Could you stop?" Martin hissed, hitting David in the back of his head. "I-I can’t help it!" Martin rolled his eyes and pushed David ahead of him. That way, even if a monster appeared there, he could push him and run away. "Keep moving." David wanted to shove Martin back, but as usual, swallowed his anger and kept walking. Soon, they were standing outside the lab. Thankfully, there wasn’t any sign of a struggle on the door, unlike the other rooms they had crossed on their way. "I-I’ll check if it’s open..." David said. Martin didn’t object either. If fatty wanted to die, then who was he to stop him? David reached for the handle, but as he was about to twist it open, something fell on his hand. He looked down and his eyes widened in horror. "B-Blood?" he mumbled, looking above. "What’s taking so long?" Martin urged, only to see David’s head turned towards the ceiling. "What are you looking at—ARGH!" The tendril-head girl was hanging upside down from the ceiling. Each one of her tendrils held a dried-up corpse which looked like they’d been drained of everything. David’s soul had left his body, but his legs reacted automatically as he tried to run. However, Martin shoved him towards the creature. "Fuck, you die fatso! Don’t drag me with you!" he yelled, sprinting outside. "No, wait—ARGH!" David tried to follow Martin, but the creature’s tendril bit into his shoulder, ripping muscles and crushing the shoulder blade in one attack. Blood burst from the wound like a fountain, splashing, even Martin’s face. "Help me!" David yelled, but Martin didn’t look back. Suddenly, the creature let go of David. He didn’t wait to ask why. He ran behind Martin, straight into the courtyard. That’s when Blaze and others saw them running from the creature. But before they could go far, a tendril shot towards David, stabbing him through the neck. David choked on his blood, his eyes wide like they could pop out at any moment. Blood spilled from his mouth, nose, ears and even eyes as the tendril lifted him off the ground. Right before their eyes, the monster turned him into a sack of shriveled-up skin. Not a drop of flesh or blood was left in his body. At the same time, the tendril monster grew bigger, as if it was feeding off David. The girl, who wasn’t even five feet tall when Blaze saw her first, now stood over seven feet tall... with a hunched back. The monsters were actively evolving by feeding on the humans. Interesting... I wonder what she’ll do with Martin. Everyone in the room was panicking, yet in contrast, Blaze kept a mental note of everything the monster did. However, what happened next took him by surprise. While David was being turned into a human raisin, Martin kept running without looking back. By then, there was a considerable gap between the monster and him. But none of that mattered... because the monster covered the distance in a single leap. Before Martin could do anything, a tendril penetrated his throat as well. He tried to fight back, pulling at the tendril, but couldn’t do anything to the creature. A second later, his body went limp. Blaze expected the creature to eat Martin as it did with David. Instead, it dragged Martin’s corpse to David and then something happened that even Blaze wished he could unsee. "David... is he eating... Martin?" someone whispered, covering their mouth in shock. David, all skin and bones, had risen from the dead and was feeding on Martin while the tendril monster caressed his head like a mother. Everyone stepped back from the window, unable to see the sight anymore. Even Blaze covered his face. To others, it seemed he was devastated to see them die, but in truth, he was smiling and wanted to cover it up. David... he was one of the chosen. Either that or the monsters can create a new one through direct contact, much like a zombie. Interesting... very interesting. Blaze was inching closer to uncovering the truth, but there was a shortage of test subjects. I need to get out of here.