20demayo Chapter 5: Reaching 200 Evolution Points
Chapter 5: Reaching 200 Evolution Points
Chapter 5: Reaching 200 Evolution Points
Zorvax huddled close to the remains of a toppled vending machine, the numbers [Evolution Points: 150] glowing faintly in front of him. "Just fifty more," he whispered, allowing the tiniest sliver of a smile to cross his withered features.
The once lively streets around him were quiet; the silence punctuated only by the distant crumbling of debris. Then, his sharpened hearing picked up the low conversation of two survivors. He froze, listening intently, the sound pulling him toward a gap in the wall where he could spy on them without being seen.
One of them, a man with a voice strained by hunger and worry, was rummaging through an overturned cabinet. "We've gotta find something, Marie. Anything," he said, his voice a soft, urgent whisper.
A woman, presumably Marie, was kneeling by an old, rusted refrigerator, her tone matching the man's. "I'm looking, James. There's got to be a can or a packet left somewhere," she replied, her voice steady but tinged with fatigue.
Zorvax leaned back against the cool wall, his mind racing. He hadn't expected to find more humans here, not after what had happened with the other two. "More survivors..." he mumbled, barely louder than a breath.
He knew he had to stay out of sight to avoid making the same mistake twice. He inched backward, deeper into the dark alcove he'd found, watching as James and Marie moved on, splitting up to cover more ground.
"Points," Zorvax found himself fixating on the word, the weight of his need settling in his stomach like a stone. "I need those points."
His hands clenched at his sides, the knuckles—if they could still be called that—whitening. "Patience," he coached himself. "Just wait for the right time." Fịndd new updates at novelhall.comes and Marie were now just silhouetted against the backdrop of a city that had seen better days. Zorvax kept his eyes on them, his thoughts a jumbled mess of strategy and survival.
"I could wait until they're vulnerable," he thought out loud, his voice so low it was almost lost in the sound of the wind whistling through the broken buildings.
He watched, and he waited. His heart—if it still beat—would have been pounding, but now there was only the cold certainty of what he must do. Every passing minute was a minute closer to his goal, and he couldn't let anything, not even his remaining shred of humanity, stand in his way.
Zorvax settled into his hiding place, the darkness his ally as he watched the two survivors continue their search, oblivious to the predator in their midst.
James and Marie walked side by side down a street overgrown with the unchecked wildness that had taken over since the world had changed. The once busy road was now just a concrete river cutting through a canyon of crumbling buildings. They stepped carefully over cracks and around the debris that littered their path.
Marie kept glancing over her shoulder, her voice barely above a whisper. "James, what if we bump into one of those... things?"
His foot caught on an unseen piece of debris, and he stumbled forward, cursing softly. "Stupid," he chastised himself, dusting off his pants. "Gotta stay sharp. Marie's counting on me."
He straightened up and glanced back, expecting to see Marie going through the remains of a nearby store. Instead, he saw her standing in the middle of the street, her posture stiff. "You okay?" he called out, his voice echoing slightly too loud in the empty street.
Marie didn't respond, and as James moved closer, he could see her face, the color draining from his own as he took in her appearance. "Marie?" he said, his voice faltering, his flashlight's beam unsteady in his trembling hand.
She didn't move, didn't blink, just stood there staring at him, and a cold fear gripped James. "Marie, talk to me," he urged, reaching out a hand to her.
But Marie remained silent, her expression frozen. James' breath came in short, sharp gasps as he finally realized she was gone, her once warm and expressive face now marred and lifeless.
"No, this can't be," he whispered, denial heavy in his tone. "Not Marie..."
It was then, in his moment of shock and vulnerability, that Zorvax struck. The shadows shifted as he lunged forward, his movements swift and sure. James barely had time to register the threat before he joined Marie in stillness.
Zorvax stood there for a moment, looking down at the pair. He felt something akin to pride swell in his chest. [Evolution Points: 200]. The interface is confirmed.
"Yeah," Zorvax said, his voice a rasp. "That should do it."
The weight of what he had done hung in the air, but the call to evolve, to become more than what he was, overpowered any other feelings. He focused on the interface, the third option that had been out of reach until now.
"What am I going to be?" he wondered aloud. "What's going to happen to me?"
He reached out, his finger pressing the button as the interface glowed brighter, a beacon in the dark. "Here goes nothing," he said, bracing himself.
The change, when it came, was intense and all-consuming. Zorvax could feel every cell in his body react as he began the transformation. "Is this it?" he thought. "Is this what it feels like to evolve?"
As the process took hold, Zorvax felt his body begin to change, his senses heightening, his mind-expanding. "I'm becoming something else," he realized, "something more."
And in that moment, on the edge of a new existence, Zorvax let go of what he had been and embraced the creature he was becoming. The transformation was underway, and there was no turning back. The new Zorvax was about to emerge.