Survivors

Adam moved through the town cautiously. At least an hour had passed since his first encounter with Tainted. He borrowed the term from the message that had popped into his mind after killing the woman.

The scene still haunted him, her hungry eyes watching him from every shadow. He was sure he would never forget it.

Adam saw much more creatures like her on his way. Tainted were easy to recognize, with their unnaturally pale skin and unsteady gait.

He observed a few of them from a safe distance and concluded that the Impact must have caused a terrible change in some people. It altered them both in body and mind.

The afflicted seemed not to be conscious anymore, driven only by some primitive, bestial instincts and hunger. When left alone, they were just standing in place or walking mindlessly.

When they spotted a survivor, however, they turned into feral monsters. Adam saw groups of the Tainted slaughtering innocent people and feasting on their corpses.

People became prey to a new and terrifying kind of predator and were mercilessly hunted. The people Adam met while wading through the town were either too scared to do anything or couldn't believe what was happening.

Either way, they weren't able to fight Tainted and could only cover in fear, hoping not to attract their attention.

These scenes of mayhem and helplessness etched themselves into his already unsteady mind. Adam always thought of himself as a decent man and he often helped those in need. He wasn't helping anyone now though.

He looked in silent terror as people were torn to shreds and devoured by Tainted. He was scared of fighting them of course, but more importantly, he didn't want to risk his life.

There were people much more important to him that he had to save. His family.

Another thing that Adam focused on along the way was his wound and the mysterious messages he received.

He had removed the pieces of glass from his hand before he had had to run away, but he hadn't dressed it properly yet.

However, the wound was already closed when he managed to check on it again. The blood that had been covering his hand and arm vanished mysteriously, and a hardened scab appeared over half of his palm.

It looked like the blood had flowed back to the wound and closed it on its own. It seemed like a crazy idea at first, but the longer Adam thought about it, the more he believed it to be true.

He based this idea on one of the messages that had popped into his mind during the Impact. The one that had informed him that he had acquired a skill.

Adam didn't know what this skill or this legacy was, nor how to use them. Nevertheless, he was sure that this ability was responsible for handling his wound.

At the same time, it meant that these arcane messages weren't some figment of his imagination, some way for his mind to deal with the overwhelming stress.

They were real.

Adam reached an intersection. The railway station was just past it. He didn't put his hope on using public transportation anymore. Not with Tainted hunting everyone in the town. Either way, he had to pass the station to reach the highway.

He looked carefully around the corner. He immediately noticed a pair of survivors chased by a group of Tainted. They were running fast in his direction.

Adam backed away quickly. The survivors would reach him shortly and he didn't know what he should do. He had seen scenes similar to this one before.

He had done nothing to stop them. As he had thought before, he just couldn't recklessly throw his life away.

This time was different though. There was still some distance between the two groups. If Adam chose to help them, they would have the chance to survive. They were already dead otherwise.

Adam clenched his jaw with determination. He busted the door to the convenience store next to him and peeked into the building. It seemed deserted.

He came back to the intersection and waved at the running people from around the corner, trying to catch their attention. One of the survivors acknowledged him with a wave of his own.

Adam returned to the shop entrance and waited for the pair. They reached the street shortly after and took a sharp turn into it. They entered the store and Adam slammed the door shut behind them. They hid behind the walls and held their breaths.

Tainted appeared a few moments later. The group followed survivors into the street and ran past the shop.

The survivors stayed silent for a little longer and when the noise made by their hunters grew quiet, they breathed in relief. The danger was gone, at least for now.

"Thank you, friend. We owe our lives to you," the man thanked Adam while sliding limply to the floor. The woman joined him, and he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Adam grabbed a bottle of water from the shelf and took his time to observe the pair while drinking it. They were both short and covered with sweat and grime, looking tired and terrified. The man was slightly chubby, while the woman had a petite, skinny figure.

"I'm Ted," the man continued. "This is my wife, Emily," even though the man looked dead tired, he still smiled brightly when he pointed at the woman. "I wish we had met under better circumstances. The beer would be on me."

There was a playfulness in the man's tone that didn't fit their predicament at all. Still, his remark lifted Adam's mood a little bit.

"There is nothing to thank for," Adam replied and shook his hand. "I'm sure you would do the same if you were in my place. And I won't deny it, I could use a beer."

"Nevertheless, you have our gratitude," Emily added. She looked far more serious than her husband and when she heard him talk, she threw him an admonishing look.

She stood up, swaying lightly from the strain, and began rummaging through the store. "You are the first person we have seen to react to what is happening."

Ted pouted a little and the group grew silent once again.

The awkward moment was interrupted when the group heard a muffled groan coming from the back room.

"I'll check it," Adam offered and stood up. "There might be someone injured there." He quickly reached the door and turned the handle.

"Wait!" Adam shouted, but it was too late. The door was smacked open, sending Ted crashing on the racks and a Tainted jumped from behind it.

It had a form of a tall obese man and was garbed in working clothes. The Tainted was covered in fresh blood, some of it still dripping from his mouth and chin. It roared in frenzy and lunged at Emily.

She screamed in panic when the monster knocked her over, and in pain when its jaws closed around her arm. The Tainted pinned her to the floor and bit into one of her arms.

Adam froze in fear once again. Thoughts ran through his mind wildly, while he considered what to do. The choice was simple though. He could run away and let the beast kill the pair, or he could stay and fight it.

Adam chose the second. He charged at the beast and clashed with it. They flew over Emily carried by the force of the charge and crashed into the shelves.

Emily screamed once again when the Tainted tore a large chunk of flesh from her arm.

The Tainted landed on Adam. When he fought with the woman, she was already mortally wounded. Now though, he experienced the full might of the monster he was facing.

It was unnaturally strong. Adam felt its floppy body pinning him down and immediately knew that the man couldn't be this strong while still alive.

Something had enhanced its strength, be it the transformation itself or the rage and hunger that powered it, and Adam was barely able to defend himself.

His only advantage was the fact that the Tainted seemed mindless and didn't know how to fight, nor how to use its strength properly.

He locked the monster's neck with one arm and one of its hands with the other. It stubbornly tried to bite his face off, while its free hand just flailed around, scraping Adam at his side.

Still, this impasse couldn't last for long. The monster's maw inched closer with every passing second and Adam's arms burned from the strain.

Adam desperately tried to throw the Tainted off him but it was too big and heavy.

He roared in helpless anger, starting to regret a little bit his decision to help the pair in the first place. Because of it, he was now at the mercy of a mindless beast and people that he knew nothing about.

If nothing changed, the beast would kill him soon.