Borderlands: Apex Predator

"We've arrived, I thought the beach would be infested after the mess we made with Tankenstein." Maxwell comments after arriving on the other side of the small cave: perhaps that's why the island was called Jakobs Cove: the caves here seemed to lead everywhere on the island.

"Be honest, Max. There was a pretty big horde back there."

"Yes, but only now have I noticed that our walking speed is faster than theirs. I can't believe we just ignored them and they mostly gave up chasing us." Maxwell looked back, a laugh escaping his lips. Of course, there were the running psychos, but they were a temporary nuisance before they were killed, there was also a group of Rakks at the entrance to the cave, but they were eliminated in the blink of an eye.

*Groan*

A lone zombie, still determined in its pursuit, announces its presence.

Maxwell, seeing the zombie almost 10 feet away, had his last two brain cells activated. Pretending to stumble dramatically and fall exaggeratedly to the ground, Maxwell stretches out his hands to Benjamin.

"Oh no, Ben! Don't leave me behind!"

"..." Benjamin rolls his eyes, Max was scared to death when he arrived on the island, but now he seemed to be enjoying himself as if he were taking a holiday.

"Ben! Go without me, I'll hold them off while you escape, goodbye my friend!"

"*Sigh* We're already here," Benjamin pointed to the silhouette of the hospital at the top of the hill, a dirt road led through a cemetery, something extraordinary, as it was the only way to the entrance of the General Hospital.

"Oh, cool." Maxwell gets up from the floor, patting his clothes to remove the sand and dust that has stuck to his uniform. His hand then goes into one of his pockets, a cold metallic gleam being reflected by the light.

*Swooosh* *Puk*

A kunai flies out and hits the remaining zombie exactly in the head.

"You really like these things, don't you?" Benjamin comments as Maxwell takes his kunai back.

"My dream is to become a space cowboy ninja."

'Well, at least he's having fun, better than being depressed, I guess.' Benjamin shakes his head with a wry smile.

Maxwell smiles, twirling his Kunai before putting it away, a habit he's picked up. "Let's keep going. The hospital is just round the corner."

They followed the dirt road, mud clinging to their boots, or they hoped it was mud. The cemetery that bordered the path was strangely silent, the old tombstones covered in moss and the dry trees swaying gently in the salty beach breeze.

Unfortunately, the peace didn't last long as sounds of moaning and dragging feet began to emerge around them, it seemed they had been found. Zombies began to emerge from their tombstones, their patients' and doctors' clothes making their identities clear. Among them, some psycho zombies were advancing at high speed, their eyes glowing with frenzied madness.

Benjamin raised his rifle, his eyes fixed on the approaching enemies. "Let's end this quickly."

"Wait a minute." Maxwell lowers Benjamin's rifle, his hand going back into his pocket.

*Swoooosh* *puk* *puk* *puk*

[Blade Mastery lv7>8]

Three Kunais cut through the wind, passing through the masks and sinking into the psychos' heads.

"Let's get going. They can't reach us," Maxwell suggested, starting to walk towards the hospital, stopping only to retrieve his Hope's Dusks. "Shoot only when they get too close or a corridor appears"

As they advanced through the cemetery, the slow zombies continued to chase them, but at a safe distance. Maxwell and Benjamin kept a steady pace, only firing when some Defiler and Suicide Zombies appeared to speed up their heart rates.

After climbing the concrete stairs, they arrived at the hospital's iron gate. They noticed something strange: the zombies following them began to back away as if they were afraid of something inside the hospital.

"That's new," Benjamin commented, watching the zombies hesitate and retreat. "I wonder what's scaring them."

"I'm not anxious to find out." Maxwell replied, pushing the iron gate that creaked stubbornly before finally giving way with a kick.

'Hmmm? Where's Wereskag? He must have noticed us by now. Maxwell's eyes traveled around the hospital, trying to locate the threat. He walks to the center of the site, his Havoc already in his hands, just in case of an ambush.

"I don't think there's anyone here." Even as he said this, Benjamin didn't let his guard down and moved towards the door.

Maxwell's attention turned to the rubbish bin next to the building, a bottle containing a sample of the wereskag virus he would be destroying as well, as it might be needed to fulfill his secondary mission.

Pushing the door open slowly, Benjamin could feel the rotting wood resisting his thrust, while the hoarse, high-pitched creak echoed down the silent corridor. He paused for a moment, wondering if the noise would attract the attention of any creatures lurking in the shadows of the abandoned hospital.

Maxwell switched on his torch with a soft click, illuminating the path ahead. The beam of light reached the end of the corridor, revealing dusty floors, cobwebbed walls, and fungus growing everywhere.

Sensing no immediate threat at the entrance, they proceeded cautiously. The pungent smell of mold and decay soon filled their senses. The only source of light was the dim natural light of Elpis, which came in through the broken windows. The main corridor stretched ahead, with consulting room doors open on either side, which only increased the anxiety of being attacked from the flanks.

Maxwell stopped advancing when he felt his boot crush something, moving his torch down to see a skeleton wearing a military uniform that he didn't immediately recognize. Inspecting more carefully he sees the Jakobs logo, and after searching through all the pockets he finds an ECHO, and using his Data Knife secretly, he bypasses the locking system, accessing the device without needing the password.

Searching through the files he finds some audio reporting on the progress of the squadron's mission. He skips most of them, as they are useless at the moment, and finally finds something useful after a while of searching. Benjamin approaches to provide cover, taking the opportunity to listen better to the audio.

("Report from Sergeant Kellen, Jakobs Squadron. Probably been weeks since insertion. As expected, the aerial approach was impossible due to the constant storms and the dense treetops. We opted for sea transport. The boat we used to get to the island is hidden on the docks, covered with clothes. I've marked the spot with yellow paint to make it easier to locate when we leave.")

There was a pause, followed by a heavy sigh.

("Our progress has been slow. The vegetation and rough terrain make it difficult to advance, and zombies are everywhere. We've lost a few men, but we keep moving forward. We need to make sure that the samples, an antidote, and all the witnesses to the events on the island are cleared. End of report.")

The recording ends with more static and the sound of the wind dying down.

"Well, it looks like we've found our way out of here, I hope." Maxwell mutters, stowing the ECHO in his pocket after seeing some weapons stored in the SD.

"It looks legit, but what about the samples? Let's keep looking." Benjamin suggested.

Maxwell paused for a moment, considering his options. He was getting fed up with the island and wanted to get to the mainland before Knoxx arrived on Pandora. "I've got a better idea. Let's destroy the hospital completely, some of those vials must have something highly flammable in them."

Without delay, Maxwell starts shooting all the vials and syringes with Havoc, until an explosion occurs and a fire breaks out. They both leave the hospital and see the fire spreading rapidly.

*AAWOOOOOOOOOOOO!*

A bestial howl resounded through the cemetery, and using the last remnants of their wits, the zombies retreated on hearing the monster that made no distinction between ally and enemy.

Heavy footsteps sounded on the roof of the hospital and soon the beast that lived in the hospital appeared wearing a cool hat, it was Hank Reiss, the first wereskag. His mouth opened in a grotesque way as he used his claws to climb down the hospital's scorched walls.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Benjamin asks incredulously. How many more abominations could this island have?

"JUST RUN!" Maxwell shouts, shooting Hank to buy time.

*BRRRRRRRRRR* *Tiiiiiiik*

"FUCK!" Maxwell curses, not expecting the charger to run out at such a delicate moment. Stowing Havoc in his ECHO, Maxwell rolls to the side in time to dodge the wereskag that launched itself at his position, ignoring the warnings of his depleted shield and the sudden pain in his arm.

Hank howls in pain as he feels the bullets burning his flesh, his pain not lasting long as his healing factor pushes the bullets out, leaving only irritation and the pure, genuine desire to rip the cheeky little man's body apart. His claw dripping shy drops of blood.

[Mithridatism Constituion lv.2>3]

Feeling great malice being directed at him, Maxwell runs towards the horde of zombies, who try to grab him, but with dexterity he jumps up and starts running over them, using his shoulders and head as a support point.

Not needing to use such tricks, Hank just runs over everything in front of him like a train, crushing and pushing all the zombies in his way.

Benjamin looked embarrassed, he had been ignored by Hank, who continued his relentless pursuit of Maxwell. Wereskag seemed to know how to hold a grudge, so he refrained from attacking the monster and made his way out of the hospital before the zombies got any more crowded.

"*Huuf* *Huuf* *Ooof*" Maxwell was running at his limit, his figure only a fleeting shadow, in the blink of an eye he was back on the beach. looking back, his blood ran cold at the sight of Hank still chasing him.

[Mithridatism Constituion lv.3>4]

Cursing his eagerness to complete all the secondary objectives, Maxwell could only do his best to get out of yet another life-or-death situation.

Picking up his P2016, Maxwell didn't hesitate and the weapon began to glow a golden hue, small beams leaping from the weapon.

*Bang* *bang* *bang*

Unsurprisingly, his bullets pierced the wereskag's flesh and didn't stop there, but passed through Hank's body and stopped only after passing through two trees.

*AWOOOOOOOOOOO*

Hank howled in pain, the beast paused for a moment in its pursuit, writhing in pain as it tried to cover the hole in its head leaking blood and grey matter. But then a red aura appeared around the wereskag's body, Maxwell knew he was using an ability that every wereskag had.

When a wereskag came close to death, it went into a frenzy, healing itself completely and becoming more lethal, with its claws growing and becoming sharper, as well as being able to jump further.

Removing his glove, Maxwell saw that his Amped was cooling down. The previous three shots had used up all the implant's power.

[Mithridatism Constituion lv.4>5]

Left with few options at every turn, Maxwell's mind spun with an alternative. It would be impossible to escape from the island with Hank chasing them, who's to say that a wereskag couldn't swim? Maxwell didn't want to test that hypothesis.

Anyway, back to the confrontation.

One thing Maxwell noticed while shooting the wereskag was the creature's unconscious movements, which prevented the bullets from hitting its hat, even if it meant receiving hot lead.

If he wasn't mistaken, that hat was given to Hank by his daughter before he became a wereskag. It was an object of great attachment.

Slightly raising his pistol, Maxwell squeezed the trigger slowly, not caring about the frantic onslaught Hank was making against him.

*Bang!*

The projectile flies towards Hank's head, who, on seeing the deadly little object, raises his head, preventing it from hitting his precious hat.

*Swooooosh

But what he didn't expect was a blade that blended into the night, reflecting Elpis' light in its finish.

*Puk*

…

…

…

*GRRR GROOOOOAR!*

Hank chokes, before turning into a hoarse roar, like a cry at the sight of his beloved hat being pierced and carried away from his head. Maxwell felt his hair stand on end as he heard the heartbreaking scream.

[Mithridatism Constituion lv.5>6]

The wereskag desperately chases after the last remnants of his old life, kneeling down and picking up the hat as carefully as his claws will allow. He tries to remove the kunai stuck in the hat but only ruins the object even more.

*AWOOOOOOOOOOO*

Hank lets out a disconsolate howl, completely oblivious to his surroundings. A fatal mistake that would not be forgiven.

[-$3]

*Shooosh*

A kunai approaches the head of the distracted wereskag, who feels a bad premonition. But it was too late and he felt his mind go blank after hearing an explosion.

*BOOM*

…

*Baam*

Hank's body fell to the ground like a limp bundle, agonized on the sandy beach, his hand reaching for his hat, his eyes dull with tears and dried blood.

Maxwell slowly approached, his P2016 ready for any movement. Noticing no action, he deduced that Hank had finally died.

*Bang* *bang* *bang* *bang* *bang*

"Just in case. Nothing personal, Hank."

"Max! Are you all right?" Benjamin stops, staring at the scene in front of him in amazement. "Damn, are you just a recruit?"

"Come on, your stay on the island is over, Ben." Maxwell didn't explain anything to Benjamin; his style of combat was more improvised. Turning around, he made his way to the docks, which weren't that far away after the mad chase.

Benjamin entered the boat after locating and removing the clothes covering it. He turned around, not understanding why Maxwell was still standing in front of the boat.

"Why did he stop? If you're worried about Knight and King, the best option is to get reinforcements, we have to be quick."

Maxwell shakes his head in denial. He lifts his arm; his suit has a long tear, and bloodstains all over it. The nanites had already closed the wound.

[Mithridatism Constituion lv.6>7]

Benjamin stands looking at the wound, easily recognizing it as a deep scratch. His knees get wet as he finally realizes what has happened.

[(Temporary) Skagthropy: Skagthropy is a highly contagious disease that affects humans, turning them into skag-like creatures. Skagthropy is transmitted through bites and deep scratches from an infected skag. Infection can also be caused by exposure to infected body fluids. Bites are 100% infectious, lacerations 25%, and scratches 7%.]

"That's goodbye, mate. I'll see if I can find Knight and King, or at least their bodies, hehehe." Maxwell untied the boat from the quay, leaving it ready to go.

"It was an honor to fight alongside you, Max." Benjamin saluted Maxwell, tears starting to roll, before reluctantly leaving.

"Oh, I almost forgot, here." Maxwell threw something shiny.

Benjamin picked up a pendant; it was Rook's dog tag.

The ship slowly disappeared over the horizon, the rising sun slowly bringing light after several days of night (a Pandorian day).

....

....

*Groan*

Maxwell turned round as he heard the sound of approaching zombies, a feral grin growing on his face.

There was no reason to hold back any longer.

"Fools, do you really think I'm stuck here with you?" Maxwell looked calmly at the advancing zombies as he reloaded his P2016. Engaging the weapon, he holds it in his right hand while his left clutches his gold-glittering Data Knife.

"You're the ones stuck here with me!"