The sky was already starting to darken when Jaxon hurried back the way he came, keeping his steps quick but careful.
Even so, he felt good. The trip had gone better than expected. He had gathered plenty of supplies without trouble. The only regret was his storage space. If it were larger, he could have taken much more.
As he drew closer to the spot where he had left the dead infected, Jaxon slowed and then stopped.
A wet, crunching sound echoed, slow and heavy, like flesh being torn apart.
His body reacted at once. Jaxon lowered himself to the dirt, pressing flat against the ground. He crawled forward slowly and peeked around the corner where he had left the body.
Two bald infected were crouched on all fours, tearing into the headless body he had left behind. Blood smeared their mouths as they fed without pause.
’They eat each other too?’ A cold chill ran up his spine.
He stayed still and scanned the area, checking the nearby streets and windows. No other movement, no signs of more infected.
Jaxon steadied his breathing, raised his rifle, and fired twice in quick succession.
Two clean shots. Both infected dropped at once, their bodies going limp beside the half-eaten corpse as the awful sound stopped.
He stood up and approached the bodies carefully. The infected he had killed earlier was now missing half its body. There was no point using it anymore.
Jaxon grabbed one of the freshly killed infected and lifted it onto his shoulder. Black blood soaked into his clothes, dripping down his back, but he did not care.
Without wasting another second, he turned and made his way back toward the hotel.
....
When Jaxon returned, Elaine let out a quiet breath she did not realize she had been holding.
"Welcome back," she said, relief clear in her voice.
Jaxon gave a short nod and dropped the headless body onto the ground. Thick black blood spilled out, sticky and foul.
"Here," he said. "Smear the blood on now, before more of them come out."
The group, though reluctant, did as he said.
Claire and Na-rin moved first as they worked in silence, helping each other coat their clothes and arms.
"Ugh," Hae-in groaned, wrinkling her nose. "We just took a bath, and now we’re dirty again."
"It can’t be helped," Elaine said gently. "Just endure it for a bit."
"I know," Hae-in replied, frowning. "But we’re going to stink again."
"You don’t smell bad," Ryan suddenly said from behind her. "Even if you look dirty."
"Huh?" Hae-in froze and turned to him, forcing a small smile. "I... I guess."
Bong-gu slapped Ryan on the shoulder. "That sounded really creepy, man."
"I’m just saying the truth," Ryan muttered, looking away.
While the others smeared blood onto their clothes, Jaxon worked quietly nearby. He soaked a small blanket with the sticky blood, rubbing it in until the fabric was dark and heavy.
Elaine stepped closer, watching him. "What’s that for?"
"Camouflage," Jaxon replied, offering no further explanation.
When he was done, he stood and headed toward the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Elaine asked.
"The rooftop," he answered. "I’ll hunt for a bit."
"What?" Elaine frowned, confused. But before she could ask anything else, Jaxon had already disappeared up the stairs.
By the time she blinked, he was gone.
.....
On the rooftop, Jaxon lay flat, pulling the blood-soaked blanket over his body. He covered himself completely, leaving only a small opening for his rifle and scope to peek through.
There was no time to waste. He had rested enough earlier. Now it was time to grind again.
’I need more coins,’ he thought calmly. ’I want to see what my DMR can do when it’s fully upgraded. At the very least, I should upgrade the suppressors for Natasha’s gun and the others too.’
He stayed still as the sky slowly darkened, waiting with patience. When the light faded enough, he switched on his night vision scope.
Night fell and the city changed.
The ground and nearby buildings began to tremble. Low rumbles followed, then roars and howls that no human throat could make, as the sounds rolled through the streets like waves.
’Yeah... moving at night is impossible,’ Jaxon thought. He imagined himself trying to run through the city in the dark, chased by those things, and shook his head. That would be a nightmare.
From every direction, they came out. Infected poured from buildings, crawling from doors and windows, climbing walls, even leaping down from high floors without hesitation.
Hundreds filled the streets near the hotel, their figures shifting and wandering in the darkness as the city fully awakened.
One infected, not far from Jaxon, clung to the side of a building on all fours like some grotesque spider. It opened its mouth wide, ready to let out a deafening roar, but a silent bullet tore through the air, striking it in the head. Its skull crushed instantly, and it fell from the building, dead.
As it hit the ground, nearby infected swarmed the corpse, tearing at the flesh.
’Yeah,’ Jaxon thought, ’Eat each other. Tonight, the hunt begins.’
From above, more infected climbed the buildings, unaware of the danger. When some fell into the feeding frenzy below, the others immediately joined in, devouring the bodies.
No one noticed Jaxon. His bullets were soundless, his scent was masked by the blood smeared across his body, and the dark rooftop and blanket kept him perfectly concealed.
One infected, seemingly aware of the deaths around it, turned its head, scanning for the unseen killer. Another silent bullet pierced its skull before it could react, dropping it into the frenzy below.
A few more creatures attempted to locate the shooter, sniffing the air and twisting their heads, but most were drawn to the carnage, too hungry to care. Jaxon focused on the few with awareness, the ones scanning for him. They were the threats, the ones who could ruin the hunt. One by one, he picked them off.
The city streets below had become a grotesque feeding ground, a mass of writhing bodies and gnashing teeth.