In the other room…
"Sean, don't you think Ethan's gotten a hell of a lot stronger lately?" Skinny Pete whispered.
Sean nodded, frowning. "Yeah, I've noticed. His strength is off the charts now."
"What the hell happened?" Big Mike muttered, his face dark. "Back at the start, sure, the guy was tough, but if it came down to a fight, the three of us could've taken him. Now? I'm not so sure we'd win even if we all jumped him at once."
"If I had to guess," Sean said, thoughtful, "it's probably because of that red crystal he dug out of that zombie's skull."
Skinny Pete and Big Mike exchanged a look, then nodded slowly.
"Now that you mention it… yeah. He started getting stronger right after he ate that thing."
"But how the hell did he even know it was in there?" Big Mike asked, baffled. "And more importantly, why would he eat it? That's insane."
