​William stared at his hands, bewildered by the sudden surge of raw power coursing through his veins. But there was no time to celebrate. Before he could even process his new strength, a sudden, lethal threat shattered the silence.

​Two Spitter zombies burst from the shadows, instantly spraying a stream of corrosive acid directly toward Elena and Lily. William was caught completely off guard.

​Bang! Bang!

​Leo’s reflexes were lethal—he fired shots at the Spitters the exact moment they emerged—but he was still a fraction of a second too late.

​Realizing he couldn’t pull Elena and Lily to safety in time, William threw his body forward. With a desperate shove, he slammed both of them out of harm’s way. He couldn’t dodge the trajectory himself. The burning liquid splashed violently across his back and arm.

​"Sizzle."

​The flesh where the acid struck instantly turned a raw, angry red. A sharp scream tore from William’s throat, but he clamped his jaw shut, forcing himself to bear it. The agony was excruciating, mimicking the sensation of a red-hot iron rod being pressed deep into his skin after sitting in a roaring fire.

​Yet, something was different. His newly awakened constitution fought back. While the burning pain remained agonizing, his improved physique acted as a shield, preventing the acid from eating any deeper into his flesh.

​The force of William’s sudden push had sent Elena and Lily crashing hard against the ground. The jarring impact knocked the breath from Elena, but the pain instantly snapped her out of her daze.

​"Honey, what is going on?" she gasped, looking up in panic.

​Seeing her back to her senses, William let out a ragged sigh of relief. "Elena, there is a..."

​Before he could finish, Leo’s voice cut through the air like a whip.

​"William, watch out!"

​Two Crawlers had slithered through the chaos, quietly creeping right up to William and Elena. At Leo’s shout, the twisted creatures lunged, pouncing directly at William.

​But William’s awakened senses were hyper-focused now. He saw their jagged movements clearly. Pivoting on his heel, he threw a heavy, brutal punch at the attackers.

​His fist connected with the first Crawler, sending it flying through the air. Without stopping, his momentum carried his second fist straight into the chest of the other Crawler, piercing completely through its torso. Because the blow had struck the heart instead of the head, the creature kept thrashing, its claws clawing wildly. William didn’t hesitate. He delivered a swift, crushing second punch that burst the Crawler’s head like a ripe melon.

​Breathing heavily, William looked down at his blood-soaked knuckles and muttered, "It seems it will take a bit of training and time to get used to my new strength and to gain a semblance of balance."

​A piercing shriek ripped him right out of his stupor.

​"William, save Lily!"

​William’s head snapped toward Lily. His heart dropped. A terrifyingly fast zombie was launching itself straight at the little girl.

​It was a variant they hadn’t faced in today’s battle yet. But watching its predatory stance and lethal speed, the realization hit both Leo and William instantly: a Stalker.

​Leo raised his firearm to track the target, while William poured every ounce of his new strength into his legs, sprinting desperately to reach Lily.

​Then, it hit them.

​A sudden, blinding pain exploded inside William’s and Leo’s heads. It felt as though invisible, white-hot needles were drilling directly through their skulls. Because both of them were awakened, their minds fought off the psychic assault, breaking free after just one agonizing second.

​But in a battle of life and death, one second was an eternity.

​The delay was fatal. Leo’s shot went wide, whistling harmlessly into the dark, and William’s outstretched hand missed by an inch. The Stalker snatched Lily up into its arms and tore away at full speed.

​"Noooo! Stoppp!" William roared, his voice cracking as he chased wildly after the retreating monster.

​Behind him, the horror proved too much for Elena. Shock paralyzed her, freezing her to the spot where she sat. In that exact moment of vulnerability, the Crawler William had knocked away returned—and it wasn’t alone. Along with another companion, the two Crawlers leaped onto Elena. One of them sank its yellowed teeth deep into her neck.

​"Aaahhhhh!"

​The scream sliced through the air.

​William skidded to a halt, turning back just in time to see the nightmare unfold. For a fraction of a second, William and Elena’s eyes locked. Then, the Crawler violently ripped a massive chunk of flesh from her throat. The second monster joined the frenzy, and together, they tore Elena to pieces.

​Leo stood paralyzed, staring at the carnage in absolute horror. He hadn’t known Elena for long, but during their perilous journey over the last few days, she had treated him with nothing but genuine care and respect. She had even started calling him her younger brother. Having never known the warmth of a family in his previous life, Leo had found a rare, soothing comfort in her presence.

​Watching her die triggered a strange, suffocating ache deep in his chest.

​If Leo was feeling this much grief, the storm raging inside William was unimaginable. He didn’t scream. He didn’t move. He just stood there, his mind completely blanking out as his brain refused to process the horrific reality before him.

​But he remembered her face. That final look Elena gave him carried a silent, heavy message. Her helpless, parting smile begged only one thing: Save Lily and take care of yourselves.

​Mechanically, William turned his head back toward the path the Stalker had taken, only to be met with an even more gruesome sight.

​The Stalker was holding Lily by her collar, dangling her like a ragdoll. A dense, snarling horde of zombies surrounded them. No one knew if the chaos had woken Lily up, or if the unseen alien forces pulling the strings had twisted her back to consciousness just so she could witness her mother being torn apart.

​But both men could see the sheer terror and heartbreak drowning the little girl’s eyes.

​Choking on her tears, the child managed to gasp out one final, heartbreaking sentence.

​"Papa, Uncle Leo... Please save Mommy."

​Those were the last words the sweet little girl would ever speak.

​William remained frozen in shock, but Leo broke. A wild, manic expression took over his face as he screamed, "Fucking... Shit..."

​Leo raised his gun and pulled the trigger repeatedly. But as if cursed by fate itself, the weapon only clicked. Click. Click. He was out of bullets. Refusing to give up, Leo whipped out his military knife and hurled it with deadly precision at the Stalker. At the last microsecond, a Runner threw itself forward, taking the blade in the chest to protect the Stalker.

​Leo lunged forward to close the distance, but he was too late. With a cruel toss, the Stalker threw Lily directly into the center of the waiting horde.

​Within moments, the only sound echoing through the wasteland was Lily’s pitiful, fading scream.

​First Elena. Now Lily.

​Watching the very last of his family being torn to shreds right before his eyes, something deep inside William’s mind snapped.