– Titan of Black Eden -
The mountain shook.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
Everyone turned toward the darkness beyond Guardian One.
Two glowing crimson eyes slowly opened.
They weren't human.
They weren't zombie eyes.
They were enormous.
A deep growl echoed through the tunnel.
The sound alone made the walls tremble.
Ethan's face lost all color.
"...No..."
Breddy picked up his shotgun.
"What is it?"
Ethan slowly backed away.
"...We were never supposed to find this place."
---
The creature stepped into the emergency lights.
It stood nearly fifteen feet tall.
Its body was covered in black armored skin.
Massive chains still hung from its wrists and ankles, snapped apart long ago.
Its chest rose with every slow breath.
Its face...
Looked almost human.
Almost.
Across its shoulder was a faded laboratory marking.
TITAN-01
Tyler whispered,
"...That's impossible."
Colonel Graves lowered his rifle.
"I've never seen anything like it."
Dr. Victor Kane's face appeared on a nearby monitor.
He smiled proudly.
"Allow me to introduce..."
"...the pinnacle of Project Black Eden."
"...Titan."
---
Guardian One stepped aside.
It bowed its head.
Every Hunter Unit immediately retreated.
Even they feared Titan.
Breddy frowned.
"They're following him."
Ethan nodded.
"He's their alpha."
---
Titan looked directly at Breddy.
For several long seconds...
Neither moved.
Then...
Titan spoke.
Its voice was deep and distorted.
"...You..."
"...are different."
The tunnel fell silent.
Raven looked at Breddy.
"...It can talk."
Titan slowly pointed at Breddy's scar.
"...You survived..."
"...the First Failure."
It smiled.
"...Good."
"That means..."
"...you'll last longer."
---
Without warning...
Titan charged.
The tunnel exploded beneath its footsteps.
"Breddy!"
Raven shouted.
The giant swung one massive fist.
Breddy barely rolled aside.
The punch shattered solid concrete.
Chunks of rock flew everywhere.
Tyler opened fire.
BANG!
BANG!
The bullets barely scratched Titan's armor.
Mason fired his assault rifle.
Nothing.
Colonel Graves launched a grenade.
BOOOOM!
Smoke filled the tunnel.
When it cleared...
Titan was still standing.
Not a single injury.
"...You've got to be kidding me," Mason muttered.
---
Titan grabbed Guardian One by the shoulder.
To everyone's horror...
It ripped the damaged bio-weapon completely in half.
Metal twisted.
Hydraulic fluid sprayed across the floor.
Guardian One...
The monster they had struggled to defeat...
Was destroyed in seconds.
Titan tossed the remains aside like garbage.
Ethan clenched his fists.
"He just killed his own guardian..."
Dr. Kane laughed through the speakers.
"Guardian One served its purpose."
"Titan..."
"...needs no protection."
---
Breddy looked around.
The tunnel was collapsing.
The rescued Walmart associates were trapped behind them.
There was no way around Titan.
Only through him.
He looked at Raven.
Then at Ethan.
Then at his friends.
"We're getting everyone out."
Raven nodded without hesitation.
"Together."
Ethan reloaded his pistol.
"I've been waiting years to fight this thing."
Mason grinned.
"Now this..."
"...is one ugly customer."
Even in the middle of the chaos...
Everyone laughed.
Only for a second.
Then the laughter faded.
Titan roared.
The roar echoed through every level of Black Eden.
The final battle inside Facility Two...
Had begun.
– The Alpha Battle -
Titan's roar shook the entire facility.
The sound echoed through every hallway of Black Eden.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
Broken lights exploded above the survivors.
Titan slowly cracked its neck.
Then smiled.
"Run..."
"...if you want."
Breddy stepped forward instead.
"I'm done running."
Raven loaded a fresh magazine into her rifle.
"So am I."
Ethan stood beside them, gripping his pistol.
"Then let's finish this."
---
Without warning—
BOOOOM!
Titan charged.
The floor shattered beneath its feet.
Breddy rolled to the side just before Titan's fist smashed into the concrete.
The impact blasted everyone backward.
Tyler slammed into a wall.
Mason barely kept his footing.
"That thing hits like a freight train!"
---
Breddy rushed in first.
He fired his shotgun.
BOOM!
The blast struck Titan square in the chest.
The monster barely flinched.
Titan swung a massive arm.
Breddy blocked with a steel riot shield.
CRAAAASH!
The shield bent in half.
Breddy flew across the room and crashed into a laboratory console.
Raven's eyes widened.
"Breddy!"
"I'm okay!"
He wasn't.
His ribs screamed with pain.
---
Raven opened fire.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Every bullet struck Titan's shoulder.
The giant turned toward her.
"Raven!"
Ethan yelled.
"It wants you!"
Titan charged.
Raven sprinted through the collapsing tunnel.
She slid beneath fallen pipes as Titan smashed through concrete walls trying to catch her.
She smiled.
"Come on, ugly."
"You'll have to be faster than that."
---
While Titan chased Raven...
Breddy climbed back to his feet.
Blood trickled from the scar on his face.
He wiped it away.
"...Guess we're doing this the hard way."
---
Nearby...
Mason and Tyler defended the rescued Walmart associates.
The horde never stopped coming.
Zombies poured into the tunnels.
Hunter Units attacked from the ceiling.
Mason fired his light machine gun.
Shell casings covered the floor.
Zombie after zombie dropped.
He laughed loudly.
"Who ordered the extra-large zombie combo?!"
Tyler blasted another zombie with his shotgun.
"You complain more than customers on Black Friday!"
Mason grinned.
"Those customers were scarier!"
Even Breddy laughed.
"For once..."
"...you're probably right."
---
Titan finally cornered Raven.
She reached a dead end.
The giant raised its fist.
"There you are."
Before it could strike—
BOOM!
Breddy's shotgun blasted Titan in the back.
"Hey!"
Titan slowly turned.
"You fight me."
The monster smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
---
Titan attacked again.
This time...
It anticipated Breddy's movements.
Every punch countered his dodges.
Every kick met a block.
Ethan watched carefully.
"...No..."
Breddy rolled beneath another swing.
Titan changed direction mid-attack.
Its fist clipped Breddy's shoulder.
He slammed into the wall.
Ethan finally understood.
"It's learning!"
Everyone looked at him.
"It's reading every move!"
"The longer we fight..."
"...the better it becomes."
---
Titan laughed.
"I..."
"...adapt."
"...to survive."
---
Ethan searched the monster carefully.
Then he saw it.
A small blue glow beneath Titan's neck.
His eyes widened.
"Breddy!"
He pointed.
"The control core!"
"What?"
"The glowing light!"
"It's controlling him!"
Breddy looked up.
A tiny blue device pulsed beneath Titan's armored neck.
It was protected...
But not impossible to reach.
Raven understood immediately.
"I'll distract him!"
She fired several shots.
Titan roared and charged after her again.
"Breddy!"
"Now!"
Without hesitation...
Breddy sprinted toward the giant.
He jumped onto a collapsed truck.
Then onto a broken support beam.
Finally...
He leaped onto Titan's back.
The giant roared wildly, trying to throw him off.
Breddy wrapped one arm around Titan's neck.
With the other...
He pulled out Raven's combat knife.
The glowing control core was only inches away.
Breddy raised the knife high above his head.
"For everyone you've killed..."
He drove the blade downward.
To Be Continued...