A Universe of Bloody Evolution

“They say that ninety percent of the population dies during the outbreak and initially that’s the truth. But how many of those ten percent survive the awakening? The first Night? It all really depends on the survivors' luck and their will to survive. After that? Well, they either adapt or die. There is no place for weaklings in the Void, or at least that was once the case.”

~ Lone Traveler, 31st Outbreak

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Cursed Human (LVL: 2) slain | Experience awarded | 1 Ether gained

Cursed Human (LVL: 3) slain | Experience awarded | 1 Ether gained

Level three. Of course, it had to be level three already. Leo grumbled, his chest still heaving up and down. Though the shovel really came in handy. I will need to find something similar once it breaks.

The bloodied tool still laid in Leo’s hands, ready to rise at any moment as he tried to catch a breath after a fight he probably shouldn’t have survived. What a mess…

A confrontation with one Voidling was dangerous enough, and yet Leo went straight ahead and fought two. His only saving grace was the fact that he didn’t have to beat the two monsters at the same time.

Leo sighed, dismissing the notifications as he forced himself to look at the two dead Voidlings. As much as he didn’t want to know who he'd killed, the knowledge of where they came from was too important.

Despite some of its body already turning into dust, Leo recognized the monster with a dagger in its head almost instantly. It was another elderly man, one who lived alone in a house just a few steps away from the entrance to the forest.

Not good. Leo gulped as he stood up and approached the headless body. This thing grew more monstrous just after one day and had already reached level three. Was this what the clone meant by saying that Voidlings grew stronger with each day?

Isn’t this a bit too fast? I already fought four of those things and only reached level two after killing the second one... No, this one must have killed someone before the night had even begun… Same situation as with Mr. Gibson.

Leo grimaced, not liking the sound of his thoughts one bit. If he was right, then another survivor died before they even had a chance to fight back. Just how many people died because they were unlucky?

Leo’s already bad mood pummeled at the thought. He had been fortunate that Edward decided to visit the bathroom before the Outbreak, but what about large families or other gatherings in public places?

A shiver ran down Leo’s spine as the images of people awakening to hordes of Voidlings flashed in his mind. What a fucked up way to die… Be lucky to survive the Outbreak, only to open your eyes to a couple of monsters ready to make a snack out of you.

Lucky indeed.

Leo closed his eyes momentarily and pushed those thoughts away. He was still in the open and had enough depressing thoughts to last a lifetime, he didn’t need more. Better to focus on something that could help him survive.

With another look at the headless body, Leo flexed his claws and buried them in the corpse, Essence immediately rushing towards his body. He did the same thing to the other half-drained Voidling and nodded when the System informed him that the taint was sated for another seven hours.

The process of draining the bodies of his neighbors still weighed heavily on Leo’s mind. On the one hand, he needed this to survive and to keep the bonus from his taint active. On the other hand, Leo felt like he took everything away from those people when their bodies collapsed to dust.

It was stupid, Leo knew that. They all were long dead, taken away by the so-called Void. Nothing Leo did to them afterward could change that.

I’m doing what I have to survive. Leo repeated once again, leaving the piles of dust and the blood-stained ground behind him as he followed the fence to its edge. Morals regarding the bodies of monsters should be the least of his worries right now.

Peeking around the end of the fence, Leo scanned the entire neighborhood. No more Voidlings were in sight, but from the muffled growls echoing in the distance and some broken windows in sight, Leo knew that sooner or later more monsters would come out.

Hopefully, I won’t be here to see that, Leo thought and dashed right towards his home.

---

In the long run, Leo had only two goals. To survive and find out the fate of his family.

The clone and the System provided Leo with enough tools to survive as long as he didn’t make some rash and stupid decisions... Which would be fine and dandy if Leo’s second goal could be achieved without a bunch of not-so-smart ideas.

To find Nick’s family, Leo had to travel deep into the den of the lion, a city full of monsters. And for all his bravado, he didn't fancy his chances against hordes of Voidlings. At least not yet.

As such, Leo needed a plan. A plan that gave him a chance to prepare, thus increasing his chances of survival, but at the same time brought him closer to Nick’s home. The answer to this problem was surprisingly easy, even if a lot of things could go wrong.

His brother lived on the completely opposite side of the city, just a few streets away from the town square. The fastest way there would be to go straight through the town, but Leo could also go around the city’s periphery and then enter it from the industrial side which should have fewer Cursed Humans active.

It didn’t solve all of Leo’s problems as he still had to make his way through some Voidling-infested streets. But at least the risk was much lower, and it also gave Leo some time to get ready for the inevitable.

He could kill a few Voidlings on his way there and hopefully grow strong enough to reach Nick inside the city. It was far from a well-thought-out plan, but Leo couldn't stay in his house any longer.

Not when every second mattered. Leo gritted his teeth, stopping the flow of water from the tap and leaving his bathroom. Electricity might be down, but at least the flow of water was still there as long as the water towers didn’t collapse.

Walking into the living room, Leo grabbed a change of clothes. Simple cargo pants he found deep in his wardrobe and a shirt along with a black hoodie to offer some warmth just in case the weather decided to flip once again.

Fully clothed, Leo approached the table where all of the supplies waited and put what he needed inside his bag. His father's rifle once again found its place at the backpack’s side, while his rusty dagger slid neatly into a makeshift sheath made from scraps of clothes.

This might be the last time I see this place, Leo sighed as he gave the room a final look. He had no reason to ever come back here beyond resupplying, and even then, it probably wouldn’t be worth the trip back. Besides, living so close to a city full of Cursed Humans and Collectors was just asking for trouble.

Shaking his head lightly, Leo approached the small dresser in the corner and grabbed the lone photo of his mother. This was one of the things Leo just couldn’t leave without.

He opened the frame and put the picture into one of the many pockets on his pants. A deep breath, followed by a loud exhale led Leo toward the door.

Without looking back, Leo stepped outside.

It’s time to go.

With the sun behind him, Leo stalked towards the forest, Essence once again encompassing him in a protective blanket. The day just began, so Leo had about eight to ten hours for a trip that normally shouldn’t take longer than an hour on foot.

For some reason, Leo doubted that those few hours would be close to enough.

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The forest near Leo’s house extended at least two or three kilometers in every direction. Usually, Leo only ran around its edges, albeit in the complete opposite direction from the one he was going in currently. Oh, he knew where the forest led from this side, but it didn’t mean he was perfectly familiar with the path.

This is beyond creepy, Leo gulped as he took his first step into the blood-red woods. His shoulders tensed, eyes darting in every possible direction. He really hoped he made the right decision when he decided to go through the forest.

At first, it seemed like a good idea. Leo always loved to spend time in nature, but now, this transformed forest didn’t inspire any positive feelings in him. The song of birds and the soft breeze that always accompanied him during the daily runs were gone, as if someone killed everything inside the woods. Which probably wouldn’t be far from the truth…

Only the crunching of the forest soil and occasional branches kept Leo from going completely mental from the silence. Well, that and the gut-wrenching screeches that sometimes pierced the air. I get it that this forest never had too many animals, but this is just a bit too much…

All throughout the way, the shovel in Leo’s hands always remained raised, ready to intercept an attack that just might come from some creature of nightmares.

Leo weaved between trees and bushes, sticking close to a well-trodden path created by a forester’s truck that he sometimes saw entering the forest.

If he remembered correctly, this path led to an exit at the other end of the woods where the main road connecting London and Wolford laid. From there Leo could either go back into the city or travel through some farmlands that led to another road just next to a small residential area at the edge of the city.

Just a few more minutes and I should see…

“Argh!”

Thoughts forgotten, Leo’s gaze snapped to his left as a loud, human scream echoed through the forest. It was close, closer than any other Leo heard before.

Freezing for just a moment, Leo cursed his curiosity and ran towards the scream, the barrier of Essence around him thickened.

For a short moment, the mad dash toward the scream continued. Leo stopped only when a familiar shed standing in a clearing ahead came into sight.

He jumped behind a tree, his mind racing.

A few years back, the shed was used by a local forester, then after a few months, some homeless people decided to make the shed their new place of residence. Leo heard about it in the local news and wasn’t surprised that no one cared enough to try and kick those people out.

So now it should be full of Voidlings, not screaming people. Leo narrowed his eyes and peeked around the tree.

Nothing seemed out of place. No Voidlings walked around the shed, and after the one scream, Leo heard nothing else.

Frowning, Leo crouched and crawled towards the shed’s side.

Halfway there, Leo stiffened as a particular sound reached his ears. Something in between a groan and a sob. It seemed human, but Leo had watched enough horror movies during his life to know that sounds like this couldn’t be trusted.

Still crouched, Leo hugged the nearest wall and rose just high enough to take a look through a small window.

With the limited visibility, Leo almost missed the two bodies inside. Both Voidlings, lying in pools of their own blood. A heavy metal shelf probably crushed the first one, while the second Voidling, even if dead, seemed quite alright from this point of view.

Leo tried to peek deeper into the room, but the window was just too damn small. He sighed, knowing what was coming next.

Shovel in hand, Leo walked to the front of the building and with the help of his tool, opened the door wide. The hinges creaked, and Leo froze when a raspy voice came from the inside.

“H-hello? P-please help.”

Gulping, Leo glanced inside and immediately flinched at the sight.

In the back corner of the shed, a man laid against the wall. His tattered clothes turned red at this point as blood flowed freely from the numerous wounds on his body.

The skin on his left hand resembled a mangled mess, not that much different from Leo’s taint. Aside from that, a broken metal pipe stuck out from the man’s right shoulder, while the arm connected to it laid motionlessly on the floor.

Even then, the worst was the man’s chest.

Bare for the entire world to see, multiple scratches covered it from top to bottom. Some of them were barely visible, while others dug deeper, cutting through muscles and the insides beneath them.

How is he even alive? At this point, he is just waiting for death. Leo grimaced as his gaze shifted to the last Voidling he didn’t see through the window.

The monster’s features were just as strong as the level three Voidling Leo killed a few hours back. The cause of its death was easy to make out from the rusty short sword sticking out of its neck.

Not good, Leo rushed towards the survivor, his bag falling to the floor as he tried to find anything to help the poor man

“D-don’t,” The man's voice came out in coughs, his sunken cheeks, and bloodshot eyes only adding to the horrendous image.

Leo didn’t stop, refusing to allow the first survivor to die on his watch. Not after just finding him.

“Don’t speak, sir. Save your strength. You asked for help and I will do my best to give it,” he gritted out.

Another sob escaped the man’s throat as his mangled arm raised shakily and touched Leo’s searching hand. “N-not like that,” he spoke, spitting blood with every word. “P-please, kill me. J-just kill me, I can’t take it any longer.”

Leo’s frame froze as the man's hand fell to the ground.

Kill him? What?

“Sir?” Leo almost stuttered out, refusing to believe what he had just heard. “Did you just say, kill me?”

The man gave a shaky nod, his bloodied teeth forming a monstrous smile. “P-please.”

Leo gulped, he wanted to turn away, walk as far from here as possible, and hope to forget this entire encounter. Why couldn’t the man ask for normal assistance or company during his last moments? That Leo could do, but to kill him?

He knew that, at this point, it was a mercy, but it still went against anything Leo ever learned as a human being. This apocalypse already made him kill the remnants of his family and friends. Wasn't that enough?

Leo shook his head, “I ca...”

“Please,” The man interrupted as if knowing what Leo wanted to say.

Leo gritted his teeth, eyes closing as his hand touched the dagger at his belt. Just leave, I don’t owe the man anything. I don’t even know him…

“P-please.”

Fuck! The dagger fell into Leo’s hand, his eyes opening

The half-dead man’s smile widened ever so slightly as his gaze fell on the weapon in Leo’s palm. For a moment, Leo’s eyes darted from his dagger to the man’s stare, still not sure what the hell he was even doing here. A faint voice in his mind kept telling him to just leave and forget.

Regardless, Leo still brought the tip of the dagger closer to the back of the man's skull. The fallen survivor gave an almost unnoticeable nod and uttered the last two words that broke through the remains of Leo's resolve.

“Thank you.”

And so, the dagger found its mark at last.