Under the night sky, the rain fell in heavy, rhythmic bursts. Inside the Rustbucket, the warmth of the cabin provided a brief sanctuary from the storm—until Ben ruined the mood.
"GAH! My feet! They're on fire!" Ben shouted, kicking his socks off and rubbing his toes raw. The skin was peeling and cracked, a gruesome sight in the dim light of the RV.
"Gross, Ben! Have some dignity!" Gwen pinched her nose, recoiling in horror.
"Athlete's foot," Tyler and Max said in perfect unison.
"Is that like a superpower?" Ben asked, still scrubbing his itchy toes. "Do I get to do Kung Fu now?"
Tyler sighed, sliding a piece of paper under Ben's foot to catch the shedding skin. "Just deal with it, Ben. Please."
SCREECH!!
Max slammed on the brakes. The sudden momentum sent Ben face-first into the paper he had just filled with dead skin. He came up green-faced and gagging.
"Tyler! Go! Now!" Max shouted, pointing through the windshield.
Tyler didn't hesitate. He transformed into The Velocity Wraith, blurred out the door, and shot into the rainy dark. On a steep hillside flanking the road, a small boy was tumbling toward a deadly drop-off.
Tyler reached him in a flicker of red light, catching the boy inches from the ledge. The child looked up at the terrifying, blue-masked alien and promptly fainted from shock.
"Probably for the best," Tyler muttered, tucking the boy into his arms and sprinting back to the RV.
Back inside, they examined the child. He was a blond, chubby kid, soaking wet and shivering. But it was his arm that caught their attention—a large, pulsating chunk of purple fungus was rooted into his skin.
"He's from a summer camp nearby," Tyler noted, pointing to the logo on the boy's damp T-shirt.
"I know the place. Let's move," Max said, tossing a bottle of anti-fungal powder at Ben. "Apply that, Ben. It's Plumber-grade. It kills everything organic that isn't supposed to be there."
The Rustbucket tore through the muddy forest paths, finally stopping in front of a cluster of silent cabins. The air felt heavy, the only sound the "creak-creak" of a cabin door swinging in the wind.
"It's too quiet," Tyler whispered, stepping onto the muddy road.
CLICK.
The Carnitrix pattern rotated on its own. It stopped on The Feral Swamp-Wraith, then jittered and shifted to The Thistle-Stalker. It was locked in a loop, unable to decide which plant-based predator was better suited for the environment.
"Everyone, get inside the cabin," Tyler commanded, his eyes scanning the treeline. "Danger isn't coming—it's already here."
"You sure you don't need backup?" Ben asked, clutching his anti-fungal powder like a weapon.
"Go. I'll handle the perimeter."
As the family entered the cabin, a bloody light flared in the rain. The Feral Swamp-Wraith emerged, his hands wreathed in green-tinted methane fire. The heat turned the raindrops into a thick, low-hanging fog.
By the light of his own flames, Tyler saw the horror. The Rustbucket wasn't just wet—it was being consumed. A thick, purple carpet of mycelium was rapidly climbing the sides of the RV. On the ground, a wave of fungus was "marching" toward his feet.
"Not today." Tyler slammed a flaming hand into the mud. A wall of fire incinerated the fungal wave. He then vented a cloud of toxic, alkalizing gas toward the RV. The purple fungus shriveled and decayed instantly, falling off the metal in blackened clumps.
"Am I clear yet, Carnitrix?"
The watch clicked. The dial spun and landed firmly on The Thistle-Stalker.
Tyler smiled. "So, the source is still out there."
He spread his arms, releasing a massive pulse of "Predatory Pheromones" into the surrounding woods. The trees didn't just sway; they shuddered. A burst of green bioluminescence traveled from the roots to the highest leaves, turning the dark forest into a glowing, neon-green arena.
The forest was no longer a hiding place—it was Tyler's eyes and ears.
Deep in the brush, the light revealed dozens of silhouettes. Mushroom-headed men, over six feet tall and covered in cracked, fungal armor, stood frozen in the green glow.
"Found you, you overgrown weeds," Tyler hissed, his fangs glinting in the mist.
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