The putrid stench of the sewers grew stronger with each step. The group's footsteps echoed off the damp walls, tension hanging in the air like flammable gas.
Sherry clung to Claire's hand, her face buried in the woman's shoulder. Claire held her pistol tight. She was shaking—whether from cold or fear, perhaps both.
Erick walked silently at the back, hyper-aware of every sound and shadow. He could feel it now. A predator was watching them. And it wasn't just another zombie.
Leon checked the map again, but something bothered him. "These tunnels… they seem wider than on the map. Like someone's dug them out further."
Erick scanned the walls. "Or something. And whatever it is… it's still here."
He ran his fingers along the concrete—deep claw marks, fresh. Blood-stained damp walls. This wasn't recent. Birkin had passed through.
—
If it's him… William Birkin. The G-mutant. I don't have the strength to beat him yet. Not even with everything I've gained. But running isn't an option either. Not from a monster who knows all the exits.
—
Claire had been watching Erick silently. Since leaving the monitoring room, she kept glancing at him. The way he analyzed everything, always a step ahead… it made her feel safe. Even if she didn't understand it, she could sense it.
And as much as she tried to deny it, there was something more. That serious gaze, the way he always shielded her first, like her life was more important than his...
Erick avoided her gaze. Seeing Claire here, filthy, armed, yet still with that clear, determined look—it only made his old crush on her more real. She wasn't a game character anymore. She was real. And that made things complicated.
"We're being followed," Erick whispered, instinctively unsheathing his claws. "And it's not a zombie."
Leon spun, aiming his pistol. Claire did the same.
Then they heard it—a heavy, fleshy dragging sound. A low guttural growl that reverberated down the tunnel like a buried thunderclap.
The figure emerged from the darkness. Giant. Muscles exposed, a monstrous eye pulsating on its shoulder. William Birkin.
"Shit…" Leon stepped back. "It's him."
Erick stepped forward instinctively, placing himself between the monster and the group.
Birkin stopped. His grotesque eye swiveled… and locked onto Erick.
He didn't attack.
Not yet.
—
Erick's thoughts:
He's watching me… No—analyzing me. Why?
—
The monster took one step. Then another. Then a guttural voice rasped from its twisted throat:
"You… are not… normal…"
Erick froze. This wasn't rage. It was curiosity. Interest.
Birkin suddenly lunged forward. The structure shook violently. Erick shouted, "RUN!"
Claire grabbed Sherry. Leon pulled them toward a narrow iron staircase.
Birkin reached out, but Erick activated Instinctive Leap, launching himself up to a metal beam and digging his claws in to gain height. A chunk of debris collapsed behind him, temporarily blocking the path.
The group climbed to a suspended platform. The sounds of Birkin's stomping echoed below.
"He knew," Erick murmured, breathing hard. "He… sensed me."
Claire stepped close. "Are you okay? He almost crushed you!"
"That's not what scares me," he replied, staring into the void. "It's that he didn't just want to kill me. He wanted to understand what I am."
Leon grunted, checking his gun. "Whatever he wanted… he'll be back. And next time, he might not hesitate."
Sherry clung to Claire tightly. "He's going to find us again, isn't he?"
Claire ran a hand through the girl's hair. "Not if we make him go through us first."
Erick nodded silently. One thing was certain: he needed to get stronger. The system might be his trump card… but even that came with limits.
—
" Birkin. Tyrant. I know what's coming. But this isn't a game anymore. Every decision costs blood. And every second lost… could cost someone's life. "
—
They moved on, the sewer sounds fading behind them. But even in silence, the terror remained—because the true nightmare was only just beginning.
And in the shadows… something kept watching.