The moment the man screamed and lunged forward...
Bang!
A gunshot echoed through the hallway.
Yusuf's head snapped backward.
His body hit the floor.
But...
He didn't stop.
He crawled across the ground, trying to stand up again.
Everyone in the corridor froze.
"What the hell is that?!"
Boran shouted from upstairs.
Yusuf's bones began cracking.
The muscles in his arms started swelling.
His veins were turning black.
He didn't look like a normal zombie.
Karel narrowed his eyes.
"Step back."
Everyone took several steps backward.
Yusuf stood up again.
Part of his head had been blown apart, yet he was still moving.
"This isn't normal."
Riven raised his spear.
"Want me to put him down?"
"Wait."
Yusuf suddenly lifted his head.
His eyes were now completely black.
Then...
He jumped toward the ceiling.
"WHAT THE—?!"
Boran fired instinctively.
The bullets struck the ceiling.
But the creature was too fast.
It stuck itself to the upper wall of the corridor.
Then it began moving like a spider.
People inside were screaming in fear.
The little girl started crying.
Karel, however, simply watched.
He was studying the creature's movements.
"Interesting."
"Interesting?!"
Boran shouted.
"That thing turned into a damn spider, bro!"
At that moment, the creature launched itself from the wall.
Straight toward one of the survivors.
The man froze in terror.
But before the creature could reach him...
Riven moved.
His spear shot forward.
Thud!
It pierced the creature's chest.
The creature twisted in midair.
Then crashed to the floor.
Riven grinned.
"Got him."
But one second later...
The spear snapped in half.
"..."
"..."
"Bro."
The creature pulled the broken spear from its chest and tossed it away.
Then it stood up again.
Now everyone was serious.
Karel slowly stepped forward.
His hand rested on the handle of the katana at his waist.
He hadn't used it in a long time.
But sometimes...
It was the simplest solution.
The creature bared its teeth and growled.
Then attacked again.
Instantly.
In less than a blink.
But...
Karel was faster.
One step.
He took only one step.
And...
Shhhkkk.
The sound of steel echoed through the corridor.
Nobody understood what had happened.
The creature moved several more meters.
Then stopped.
And...
Split into two pieces.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Karel slowly returned the katana to its sheath.
"Alright."
"This one's dead."
Boran stared at the creature for several seconds.
Then looked at Karel.
"Bro..."
"What?"
"I'm never arguing with you again."
A few people in the hallway laughed involuntarily.
Some of the tension disappeared.
But Karel was thinking about something else.
This creature...
Was not normal.
And more importantly...
Yusuf had been conscious before he transformed.
Which meant only one thing.
The virus was changing.
Or people were changing.
Either way...
It wasn't good news.
Karel looked at the creature's body one last time.
Then spoke calmly.
"Everyone, move upstairs."
"Why?"
Because...
"From today onward, things are going to get much more dangerous."