The adrenaline from clearing the rooftop of the initial walker wave had barely begun to subside when a new, far more personal horror gripped the survivors. Morales, who had fallen near the breached stairwell door in a pool of his own blood, lay still. Too still. T-Dog, his face contorted with pain from his injured arm and grief for his fallen comrade, had just finished chaining the main access door shut, a desperate act that now seemed to trap them with something worse than the walkers they knew.
"He's gone," Shane said, his voice flat, gesturing towards Morales's body. "Damn shame. He fought hard."
Rick Grimes, new to this specific group but no stranger to loss, bowed his head for a moment. The cost of survival was always high.
Suddenly, a low, guttural gurgle emanated from Morales. Not the typical groan of a reanimating walker, but something deeper, more resonant, laced with an unfamiliar predatory quality. His fingers twitched, then clenched into fists.
"What the hell?" Glenn breathed, taking an involuntary step back.
With a speed that defied the usual, sluggish reanimation process, Morales's body convulsed violently. His head snapped up. His eyes, moments before dull and lifeless, now blazed with an unnatural, burning crimson light. Veins bulged on his temples, dark and prominent. He rose, not with the clumsy lurch of a standard walker, but with a terrifying, fluid power, his movements already faster, stronger, than any undead they had encountered. A low, continuous snarl ripped from his throat, a sound of pure, undiluted rage and hunger.
Ethan's System flashed a silent, high-priority warning in his vision, the text stark and urgent.
[System alert: Anomaly detected! Reanimated subject 'Morales' exhibiting non-standard walker characteristics. Significant increase in observed strength, speed, and resilience. Sensory acuity appears heightened. Classification pending further analysis. Recommend immediate classification as: 'Walker Variant – Type Alpha'. Extreme caution advised! This is not a standard Class-I walker.]
"That ain't Morales no more," Shane growled, raising his shotgun, his face a mask of grim disbelief and dawning horror. "And that ain't no regular geek."
The Morales-Variant, its crimson eyes locking onto them, let out a terrifying roar and charged. It moved with a speed that scattered the survivors. Rick fired his Python, the bullet thudding into the creature's chest, but it barely slowed, only stumbling for a fraction of a second before regaining its momentum.
"Headshots! Aim for the head!" Rick yelled, but the creature was too fast, its movements too erratic.
It lunged for Andrea, who screamed, firing her own shotgun wildly. The blast tore a chunk from its shoulder, but it merely snarled, its attention now fixed on her. Before it could reach her, Ethan, his Danger Sense flaring, intercepted. His machete, guided by the System's desperate highlighting of the creature's exposed neck during a slight turn, whistled through the air.
[Targeting solution: Cervical vertebrae. High probability of temporary incapacitation if strike is true.]
The blade bit deep, but did not sever. The Morales-Variant roared in what sounded like pain and fury, a sound no walker should make, and swatted Ethan aside with a blow that sent him sprawling, stars exploding behind his eyes. His Health in the System display dipped.
[Host has taken moderate damage. Health: 75/100.]
Glenn and T-Dog (despite his injury) rushed to help Andrea, while Shane and Rick tried to flank the monstrous creature. It was a chaotic, desperate fight on the exposed rooftop. The Morales-Variant was a whirlwind of brutal strength and speed, its attacks far more coordinated than any walker. It seemed to anticipate their moves, to learn.
"It's too strong! Our bullets are barely slowing it!" Jacqui cried from near the parapet wall, where she had taken cover.
Merle, still cuffed, was watching the fight with a mixture of fear and a twisted sort of fascination. "Damn, Mo finally grew a pair!" he yelled, then yelped as the Morales-Variant, in a terrifying leap, landed near him, its attention momentarily diverted. It snarled at Merle, then seemed to dismiss him as less of a threat, turning back to the main group.
"We have to get off this roof!" Rick shouted, firing his Python again, this time hitting the creature in the leg. It stumbled, roared, but kept coming. "It's too dangerous up here with this thing!"
Shane, seeing an opportunity as the creature focused on Rick, charged in, using his shotgun as a club, aiming for its head. The Morales-Variant, with horrifying speed, sidestepped the blow and lashed out, its claws tearing across Shane's arm, drawing blood. Shane cursed, falling back.
Ethan, scrambling back to his feet, knew they couldn't win a straight fight like this, not without devastating losses. Their only hope was the escape route he'd identified earlier: the crumbling west parapet wall and the lower rooftop of the adjacent building.
He quickly accessed the System Shop. He had 146 Battle Points.
[Survivor's Exchange: 'Noisemaker Trap (Minor, Walker Lure)' - 25 BP. 'Flash Powder (Small Pouch, Visual/Auditory Diversion)' - 30 BP. 'Tripwire Alarm (Non-Damaging)' - 15 BP.]
The Flash Powder. It was their best bet for a momentary stun.
[Purchase Confirmed: 'Flash Powder (Small Pouch)'. BP -30. Current BP: 116.]
The small pouch appeared in his System's inventory; Ethan mentally "transferred" it to his hand.
As the Morales-Variant was almost on Rick and Shane, Ethan hurled the "improvised" pouch (which he "had in his pocket") towards it. "Cover your eyes!" he screamed.
A brilliant, searing flash of white light erupted, accompanied by a sharp, percussive CRACK. The Morales-Variant shrieked, a sound of pure agony and confusion this time, staggering back, clawing at its burning eyes. Even Ethan, though he'd partially shielded his own eyes, was momentarily blinded.
"Now! The rope! Get it secured!" Rick yelled, recovering and grabbing his Python.
In the precious seconds bought by the flash powder, Glenn and Ethan managed to get the rope double-looped and secured around the solid flagpole base.
"It'll hold!" Glenn shouted. "Women first, quickly!"
Andrea, though visibly shaken, was the first to the breached section of the parapet. Jacqui followed. They began their frantic, clumsy descent, hand over hand.
The Morales-Variant was already recovering, shaking its head, its crimson eyes, though clearly pained, refocusing with terrifying speed. It let out another enraged roar and started towards them again, slower this time, more cautious, but no less menacing.
"T-Dog! You next!" Shane commanded, helping the injured man towards the rope. Glenn went down right after T-Dog to assist him on the lower roof.
Rick and Shane, now back-to-back, faced the recovering Morales-Variant, firing their handguns, trying to keep it at bay. Bullets thudded into its body, making it snarl and jerk, but it kept coming, its resilience monstrous.
Ethan looked at the heavy duffel bag of rifles and shotguns. It was near the edge. There was no time. "Rick! Shane! Forget the main gun bag! It's too heavy, too slow! We grab what we can carry on us and go!"
Rick, seeing the Morales-Variant almost upon them again and the rope now free, made the agonizing call. "He's right! Leave it! Get to the rope!"
The main arsenal, their best hope for future fights, was abandoned.
Rick went next, sliding down the rope with practiced ease. Shane followed, firing his shotgun upwards at the creature as he descended, forcing it back from the edge momentarily.
Ethan was the last one. As he grabbed the rope, the Morales-Variant was there, lunging for the opening in the parapet. Its claws raked the stone where he'd just been standing. He threw himself over the edge, the rough rope burning his gloved hands as he made a controlled, desperate slide down to the lower rooftop.
They landed in a heap, bruised, terrified, and now very lightly armed, on the tarred surface of the adjacent building's roof. Looking up, they saw the Morales-Variant at the breached parapet of Harrison's, roaring in frustration, unable to reach them across the three-story gap. Merle Dixon's distant, mocking laughter was a faint, bitter counterpoint from the other side of Harrison's roof.
They had escaped. But the price had been steep: Morales lost and transformed into a monster, their best weapons abandoned, and their own bodies and spirits battered.
Just as a collective, shaky sigh of relief began to escape them, a low, guttural groan, followed by the distinct, heavy scraping of something being dragged, emanated from the rooftop access door of the very building they now stood upon.
The door, old and wooden, shuddered. Then again.
This precarious sanctuary, it seemed, was already claimed.
Ethan Miller - Status
* Level: 4
* Experience (EXP): 155/400 (towards Level 5)
* Battle Points (BP): 116
* Core Attributes:
* Strength: 9
* Agility: 10 (Soft Capped at L4)
* Endurance: 7
* Perception: 10 (Soft Capped at L4)
* Attribute Points (AP) Unspent: 0
* Health: 75/100
* Stamina: (Would be low after the fight and descent, e.g., 35/100)
* Learned Skills:
* Basic First Aid (Active, Level 1)
* Basic Stealth Movement (Passive, Level 1)
* Featherfoot (Passive, Level 1)
* Danger Sense (Rudimentary, Level 1)
* Inventory Highlights:
* Survivor's Machete
* Filtered Water Bottle (very low)
* High-Energy Ration Bars (very few remaining)
* Basic First-Aid Kit (partially used)
* Climbing Gloves (Enhanced Grip)