The moment Kite unleashed her flames, Damian moved. He sidestepped, but one of his minion weren't so lucky. The azure fire roared across the street, and the Runner shrieked as they turned to cinders.
Ash rained down where it had stood. Nothing remained. No biomass. No scraps. Not even a bone.
Damian froze, his grin faltering for the first time. "Tch… you've got to be kidding me. Burnt clean? I can't even snack on what's left."
Kite didn't pause there. She hurled another blast straight at him, her face twisted with fury. Damian rolled aside, chuckling as he brushed dirt off his arms.
"Hey, hey, easy there, hot stuff. I just wanted to say hello."
She didn't listen. More fire surged forward.
Damian sighed, then flicked his wrist. "Fine. Runners, go play with her."
Two of his minions darted forward under Pack Link, their movements sharper than ordinary zombies. They lunged in unison, claws flashing, planning on slashing her.
But Kite pivoted, flames bursting outward. The air shimmered as both zombies were incinerated instantly, reduced to blackened ash that scattered in the wind.
Damian winced. "Yikes. Do you do that to all your dates?"
But inside, his mind was racing. Her fire wasn't normal. Even my high level minions can't take a hit. And I can't harvest a damn thing from what's left…
He raised his head as a guttural roar escape his mouth, pulsing Frenzy Call. Six nearby Walkers staggered in, howling as they rushed Kite. The girl didn't flinch. Her flames burned brighter, wreathing her like armor, and in seconds the street stank of scorched flesh. Six piles of ash drifted on the breeze.
Damian tilted his head, sighing. "Huh. Guess I shouldn't invite you to a barbecue."
"I'll kill you," Kite hissed, her voice low and ragged.
"Kill me? Or keep trying?" Damian snapped his fingers. The rest of his minions surged forward this time, coordinated through Pack Link. They moved together, striking at her from angles, cutting off her movements.
Kite struck back fiercely, blue fire searing through two of them, but her body staggered. Her movement slowed down. Her breath became harsh. She was injured, weakened from her previous fight.
And that was what Damian pack needed. His remaining minions forced her back, claws scraping against her arms, pushing her down to the cracked pavement. One seized her shoulder, another grabbed her arm, pinning her with brute force.
Damian stepped forward, looming over her. His rotting grin stretched wide, sharp teeth glinting.
"Now…" He crouched, tilting his head. "Can we talk?"
But Kite didn't listen she tried attacking but was suppressed by his minions.
"Easy there, firecracker. If I wanted you dead, I would have let my boys chew on you already."
Her eyes blazed with fury, but she struggled under the weight of his minions.
He tilted his head, almost polite. "Name's Damian Cross. Formerly human, now… well, let's just say I've had a change in diet." His tongue flicked across his sharp teeth as he chuckled.
He leaned closer, smirk widening. "And who might you be? The pretty little inferno who just toasted half my squad?"
Kite struggled against the grip of the rotting hands, her azure flames sputtering weakly around her wrists. She glared up at the smirking zombie, her voice a raw, hateful scrape.
"Go to hell."
"Already there, sweetheart," Damian said, his head tilting. "The decorations awful and the company's... well, you get the idea."
He leaned in closer, the rancid scent of decay washing over her. "Now, I
asked nicely. What's your name? Or should I just call you 'Crispy'?"
Before she could spit another curse, a sharp, urgent chime cut through Damian's mind, far more insistent than before.
[WARNING! Large horde detected approaching from the east. Estimated numbers: 100+. Composition includes Runners. ETA: 90 seconds. Host is advised to disengage immediately.]
Damian's smirk vanished. His head snapped towards the east, his enhanced hearing now picking up the distant but unmistakable sound of dozens of scrambling feet and guttural snarls growing rapidly closer. It was the same direction Kite had come from.
"Shit. It's after her. Or coming to clean up the scraps."
He looked down at Kite, all traces of mockery gone from his voice, replaced by a cold, urgent seriousness.
"We don't have time for this. Listen."
She kept struggling, her eyes wild with fear and fury. "Let me go!"
"A horde is about to be on us in less than a minute. A big one. They're not here for a picnic, and they're definitely not here to save you."
"Liar!" she screamed, a small burst of flame flaring from her hands, causing the zombies holding her to flinch but not let go.
"Does it sound like I'm lying?!" he roared back, his voice echoing in the empty street just as the first shrieks of the approaching Runners became audible to human ears.
Kite froze, her blood running cold as the terrifying sensation of death grew louder. She had just escaped this. She knew that sound.
"Your choice is simple," Damian said, his words being blunt. "You can stay here, weakened, and let that horde tear you apart. Or you can trust me enough to get us out of this. Now. Do you want to live or not?"
The sound of the horde was like a tidal wave of noise now, it was just a block away. With her survival instinct overriding her hatred. She gave a single, frantic nod.
"Good. Don't struggle."
He issued a silent command through Pack Link. The minions immediately released her and formed a ragged defensive line facing the direction of the threat, ready to be a speed bump.
"Sorry about this, Crispy." Before Kite could react,Damian scooped her up in a fireman's carry over his shoulder, her protests muffled against his back. With his AGI: 80 and seemingly infinite STA: ????, he exploded into motion.
As he ran, he kept on leaping over wrecked cars, darting through narrow
alleyways, and vaulting over crumbling walls. The wind whipped past them, and the enraged shrieks of the horde began to fade behind them almost gradually, unable to match up with his speed.
Kite could only hold on, her world kept on flashing a whirl of ruined city scapes and the jarring, powerful smell of the zombie.