Chapter 5: Infected Blood
Kai slammed the front door shut behind him, twisting the lock with shaking hands. His breaths came fast and uneven, mixing with the humid silence of the house. Outside, the screams still echoed faintly, but in here, there was something worse—an absence of sound.
He stepped forward slowly. "Aira?"
No answer.
His eyes caught it—the trail. A dark smear on the floor, leading toward the study. Not quite blood-red. Darker. Almost black. The kind of black that shimmered like oil.
His feet followed the trail on instinct, dread curling inside his chest like a vice tightening with every step.
He found her slumped against the wall near the hallway, her leg twisted unnaturally, the skin torn open in jagged, bleeding strips. Her eyes were half-lidded, her chest rising in shallow gasps. The veins around the wound were dark, creeping, pulsing like they had a life of their own.
"Aira!" Kai fell beside her. Her skin was burning hot and frighteningly pale. She blinked at him slowly, barely able to speak.
"It... bit me..."
Panic clawed at his throat. He scrambled to the medicine kit, dumping the contents across the floor. Cotton, alcohol, painkillers, gauze—but none of it would stop this. The infection was spreading fast, darkening her blood, turning her veins black as tar.
Kai's mind raced. Think. Think! This wasn't like a regular wound. He needed to stop the spread. To pull it out.
He stared at her leg.
It was madness. It was disgusting. But there was only one thing he could think of.
He leaned down and pressed his mouth to the wound. The taste of rotting iron and something far worse hit his tongue. He gagged, coughed, then sucked again—spitting out thick, tainted blood with every pull.
He kept going. Until his lips stung, his jaw ached, and the infection's march under her skin slowed.
Then it hit him.
[System Notification]
YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO MUTANT BLOOD
Z-Infection Level: 12%
Mutation Likelihood: MEDIUM–HIGH
Time Until First Symptom: ~8 Hours
Auto-Integration of Passive Resistance Trait: INCOMPLETE
His vision blurred. A cold sweat broke out across his skin.
[System Alert]
Partial Infection Confirmed. Immune Resistance: Initializing...
He staggered back from Aira, wiping his mouth with a trembling hand. His stomach heaved, and he vomited onto the floor beside him, thick with the same black substance he'd pulled from her leg.
The system screen hovered in front of his eyes.
Cure Available: Z-Blood Reversal Serum
Cost: 1,000,000 Core Points
[Current Balance: 205 CP]
One million? He had only gotten a few hundred for killing two infected. That amount wasn't just high—it was insane.
But Aira... her breathing was steadier now. The blackness in her veins had slowed. Not stopped, but weakened. The price might be impossible, but he had bought her time.
The creak of the floorboards snapped him out of thought.
Then a window shattered.
Kai's eyes widened. They were here.
He rushed to the window. Shadows moved—slow and twitchy. Figures limped into view, dragging broken limbs, eyes glossy and black. One slammed its hand on the glass. Another followed.
[New Objective Unlocked]
Defend Shelter
Kill enemies to gain points. Combo bonus for consecutive eliminations.
Reward: 100 CP per kill
He grabbed the heavy wrench from under the table and pressed his back to the wall.
A crash from the back door.
They were inside.
The first one came lurching around the corner, its jaw slack, its fingers curled like claws. Its neck was twisted unnaturally, bones poking beneath stretched skin.
Kai swung the wrench with everything he had.
CRACK!
The thing's skull split at the side, black fluid spraying out like pus-filled ink. It slumped forward, twitching.
+110 CP Gained
Combo Bonus Activated: 10%
Another appeared behind it, snarling, eyes locked on Kai. This one moved faster, almost crawling on all fours. Kai raised the wrench and brought it down.
THUNK.THUNK.CRACK.
Its body collapsed, skull dented in. Blood spattered across the walls. Kai stumbled back, breathing heavy.
+121 CP Gained
Combo Bonus Stacked: 25%
He checked Aira—still unconscious, but alive.
Then came a low groan.
More of them.
Five... maybe six outside. Gathering. Waiting.
Kai dragged a cabinet in front of the front door. He bolted the windows shut, tied chairs across handles, improvised every defense he could.
His hands were bloodied. His shirt was soaked in sweat and streaked with black. His pulse wouldn't slow.
Another buzz from the system.
[Passive Trait Unlocked]
Adrenal Edge - Temporary +15% Strength and Speed when defending a family member
The wrench felt lighter. His vision sharpened. His breathing steadied.
But deep inside...
Something felt off.
A tremor in his muscles. A twitch behind his eyes. Like the infection was curling deeper into him, whispering its way through his veins.
He had time, the system said.
Eight hours.
But would that be enough to save Aira?
Would it be enough to save himself?
The groaning outside intensified. Fingers scraped the wood. A window cracked under pressure.
Kai wiped blood from his eyes, raised the wrench again, and stood by the door.
He wouldn't let them in.
Not yet.
Not ever.
And if the system wanted a million points, then he'd give it blood.
Even if it had to be his own.