"What the fuck?" Tysone whispered, his hand tightening around Saya's wrist. He could feel her pulse racing under his fingertips.
Saya was frozen next to him, her eyes wide as saucers. "That's impossible." She breathed, her voice a strangled whisper.
The flaming dog-thing, the zombie dog, the hellhound—Tysone's mind scrambled for a term that would make this make sense—padded closer to the mansion's outer gate. It lifted its muzzle to the air as if it were scenting for prey. Around it, more of the burning creatures crept out of the trees, their eyes glowing with infernal light.
The commotion naturally attracted everyone inside the mansion.
"What...what the hell is it?" Saya's voice rose in panic. "Some new kind of zombie?" She was shaking. They all were. It was like the whole world, the world they had only just begun to understand and come to terms with, had shifted under their feet once more. The scientist in her was screaming, trying to categorize, to analyze, but the data was impossible. "Combustion without an apparent fuel source… biological entities maintaining structural integrity despite extreme temperatures… this is…" She couldn't finish. The words didn't exist.
"Impossible?" Tysone finished for her. "When has anything that happened these past few weeks been possible?"
"..."
He wasn't wrong, and Saya shouldn't have been that surprised considering all the shit they had seen so far. Mutated Zombies. An aurora in plain day. Superpowers. A flaming zombie hound was not even at the top of the 'shocking shit we've seen' list. Tysone slightly nudged her side. "It's okay, Saya. We'll finish what we started once we deal with this shit."
She blushed, crossed her arms, and looked away.
Wasn't she supposed to be more girlfriend-like and demure now that they'd shared a kiss?
No, fuck that, that wasn't her.
"Right, okay." Saya said after clearing her throat. "Whatever."
He chuckled, the sound of which drew everyone's attention to Tysone. "Alright, people. Anyone's willing to shoot those mutts down? Maybe bullets still work on them?"
Zeke, who pawed his way between Tysone's legs, barked obnoxiously at the mutated dogs outside. "Zeke says he'll do it." He said, chuckling at the dog, before he looked back at the people behind him. His eyes scanned over their frightened faces. "Anyone else?" Tysone pressed. "I don't care who it is, we gotta test that shit out."
"Let me do it!" Kohta grinned as he shouldered his way past the group, clutching his trusty rifle. "I'll take them out!" His grin was manic, his glasses gleaming with a mix of excitement and terror. Kohta Hirano was, after all, a gun enthusiast first, survivor second. Potential psychopath third. But no one talked about it.
Tysone smirked, stepping out of the way. "You got this." He encouraged, slapping Kohta's back. "Oh, and Officer Nakaoka is watching—so give your best shot."
The rifle's report was a sharp, clean crack that sliced through the downpour.
For a heartbeat, everyone held their breath. Kohta was a surgeon with his weapon, and the shot was true. The bullet, a tiny messenger of physics and lead, crossed the rain-swept lawn and struck the lead Hellhound square in its charred, skeletal snout.
The creature's head snapped back with the impact, the red glow of its eyes flickering as if with pain.
"Holy shit, you did it!" Someone cried out from behind Tysone, but the elation was short-lived.
The Hellhound's head shook as it recovered, and its eyes blazed with a fury that seemed almost… personal.
It howled, and the others in the pack responded with a chilling chorus.
Kohta, however, didn't stop shooting. He continued his assault. Bullet after bullet riddled the body of the beast, until, after the 7th round or so, the hellhound finally died, exploding in a mist of blood and smoke. "Hahahaha yes!!" He cheered, then blinked. "Huh? Why did it explode?" He turned to Tysone and Saya.
Saya moved to Kohta's side, her gaze steady. "Probably… internal pressure. The flames inside combusted." She tapped her temple. "Biochemistry."
Kohta's grin hadn't faded—amazement mixing with adrenaline. "Grossly awesome." He whispered, reloading.
"Yeah. Grossly awesome." Tysone muttered, watching the pack of fiery beasts start to grow restless.
"We have to shoot all of them. If they come into contact with our mansion, everything's gonna burn." Takashi said.
"Why waste bullets?" Tysone rolled his shoulder. "Let me have a crack at it."
Then he realized he didn't have his weapon with it.
"Here!" Yui's voice called out from back as she squeezed her way through, laughing sheepishly with a halberd that was almost as big as her, in her hands. "I fetched this for you!" She beamed at Tysone, eyes wide and twinkling. She looked a little out of place amongst the crowd of grim-faced fighters.
Tysone grinned back, accepting the halberd with a quick nod. "You're the best, babe. Thanks." He ruffled Yui's hair playfully, and her cheeks flushed a shade pinker than before. He turned to face the burning zombie hounds, determination written across his face. "Let's get to it, then. Y'all stay here. If anything goes south, retreat inside the house immediately."
"But..." Rei didn't seem to think it was a good idea; after all, he was their de-facto leader. In fact, she was ready to go with him, but—
Saeko put a hand on Rei's shoulder. "It's okay, Miyamoto-san. Tysone is an incredibly capable fighter. Besides, he won't fight alone..." She trailed off with a smile.
Rei sighed, but backed down. It was widely known that Tysone and Saeko, individually, were highly skilled. Together? Nigh unstoppable.
"Just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
Saeko chuckled. "I promise."
Tysone turned to give them a flat stare. "At least have the decency of lowering your voice if you're going to say that shit, damn." Then he turned back to Saeko. "Let's do it then."
Saeko nodded, a determined glint in her eye. She brandished her sword; she had forsaken her precious bokken in favor of a more deadly alternative, although it was undeniable that even a spoon would be deadly in the hands of the swordmaster.
They didn't have to open the gates. With a graceful leap, both of them cleared it with ease, and they landed in front of the flaming dogs with a resounding thump. A sight that would've otherwise intimidated pre-evolution Tysone, now seemed almost... boring. Especially since the flaming hounds were much smaller, compared to the zombies that had mutated over time.
Tysone vaulted forward, halberd whistling. As much as he knew the uncertainity and unpredictability of a fight, he couldn't help but enjoy it more when he felt the well of seemingly inexaustible strength coursing through him. The halberd was as light as a butter knife in his grasp. He cleaved the closest hound's shoulder—embers flew as fur and flesh parted. The beast didn't have time to howl before it burst in a spray of blood and ash.
Saeko darted in, spinning her katana in a brutal arc that bisected the second creature's neck. Sparks roared, and the hound collapsed in a cracking shower of ash.
Two hellhounds lunged simultaneously. Tysone planted his feet, blade slicing upward in a fluid crescent that shredded molten sinew.
Saeko pressed forward, stepping over the slain beast, and with cold precision drove her blade through the chest of the other hound. It froze mid-snarl—and went silent. She wrenched the blade free, and the creature dissolved into cinders, like a log collapsing in a bonfire.
Another beast, more cunning, feinted left, trying to slip past the vanguard.
Saeko, reading the move, deflected the hound's snapping jaws with a flick of her blade. Then Tysone came vaulting from above, halberd swinging with so much momentum that it not only completely crushed the hellhound, it also dug a deep crack on the ground beneath the creature.
"Oh... shit, did I overdo it?" Tysone muttered, blinking at the destruction he had just wrought. Oh well, fuck it. Who cares anyway.
Inside the doorway, Rei exhaled slowly. Kohta's mouth hung open. Yui leaned forward, breath held.
Tysone and Saeko emerged from the smoke, weapons dripping. Tysone sheathed his halberd; Saeko wiped her blade, eyes cool fire.
"Nice work." Tysone grinned at Saeko. She returned the smile, and Tysone couldn't help but notice the slight flush in her cheeks. Definitely not from exertion, they barely did any.
"You as well." Saeko said, her gaze lingering on Tysone for a moment longer than usual, before they made their way back to the mansion.
They were welcomed by relieved smiles and a brief moment of celebratory cheers.
"It worries me, though." Marin said. "What were those things? I thought only humans were infected... how is that even possible?"
Tysone agreed with her. They had seen many animals in the city, yet none of them had been 'turned'. Not so drastically, anyway. Skeletal dogs wreathed in flames sounded like something that'd come out of a game.
He decided he'd not question the insanity of it anymore, yet the world still managed to surprise him. Fuck this shit.
"Oh, well..." Shizuka sighed dreamily. "As long as we have Ty-kyun here to protect us, I'm not worried."
Saya barked a sardonic laugh.
Author's Note:
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.