The streets were silent as Bobby and Mic made their way through the abandoned area. The only sounds were their footsteps on the cracked pavement and the occasional rustle of Mic's equipment. Bobby's grip tightened on the fire axe, its weight both reassuring and ominous.
Mic nodded, his outline shimmering with his cloaking device. "Right, right. Alert. Got it. Oh, I hope this works. It will work, won't it? Or maybe—"
"Shh," Bobby whispered, holding up a hand. They had turned onto Mike's street, and the house loomed before them, a dark silhouette against the night sky. No lights were visible inside, but that didn't mean it was empty. "Remember the plan. We circle around the back, set the fires, then wait for them to come out the front."
Mic gulped but nodded, fumbling with the bottles of his homemade accelerant. As they crept towards the house, Bobby couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into something far more dangerous than they realised.
They walked down the centre of the street, their eyes darting from shadow to shadow. The asphalt beneath their feet was cracked and overgrown, nature already reclaiming what humans had abandoned, even though that should have been impossible in such a short time span. As they drew closer to Mike's house, the details came into sharp focus.
The two-story house stood silent, its windows dark and lifeless. Paint peeled from the window sills in long strips, revealing rotting wood underneath. The front garden was a tangle of weeds and debris, with rubbish scattered among the tall grass.
Bobby's nostrils flared as an acrid smell hit him. "You smell that?"
Mic sniffed, his large nose twitching. "Oh! Um, yes. It's like... I don’t know. But it’s worse than before, fresh almost."
As they approached the front gate, Bobby noticed fresh scratch marks on the wooden fence posts. Deep gouges ran vertically, as if something with massive claws had been sharpening them.
"Look at this," Bobby whispered, running his fingers over the marks.
Mic's eyes widened. "Those weren't there before. I hope he’s still inside."
Rem's voice cut through their rising panic.
Bobby nodded, forcing himself to concentrate. But as they moved closer to the house, more unsettling details emerged. A pile of bones lay half-hidden beneath a bush, picked clean and bleached white by the sun. Details he hadn’t noticed the first time he had run in after the raider.
The stench grew stronger as they reached the porch steps. It was a nauseating mix of decay, chemicals, and something Bobby couldn't quite place – something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
"I don't like this," Mic muttered, his hands shaking as he clutched his bottles of accelerant. "Maybe we should—"
A sudden crash from inside the house cut him off. Bobby and Mic froze, staring at the broken front window where the sound had come from. They backed away from the house, weapons at the ready. The eerie silence of the abandoned street amplified every sound, making their heartbeats seem thunderous.
"Alright, Mic," Bobby whispered after nothing came rushing out at them, his eyes never leaving the house. "I need you to move around and cover the front entrance. I'll circle to the back."
Mic nodded, his large eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination. "Oh, um, okay. But what if Mike comes out guns blazing? Or worse, claws blazing… what if he doesn't come out at all?"
"If he comes out, stay hidden and get Rem to signal me. If he doesn't..." Bobby paused, considering their options. "We'll reassess in five minutes. Remember, we're here for the collar. If we can get that without getting seriously hurt, I'll be happy."
"Right, right. Collar. No fight. Got it." Mic fumbled with his multi-tool. "Be careful, Bobby. Mike's not right in the head, you know?"
Bobby nodded. "I know. You be careful too."
As Mic scurried towards the front of the house, Bobby began his cautious approach to the rear. The overgrown garden crunched softly under his feet, each step calculated and silent.
He reached the back of the house, pressing himself against the wall. He strained his ears, listening for any sound of movement inside. But the house remained quiet. Minutes ticked by, feeling like hours. Bobby's muscles tensed, ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation.
Bobby's hands trembled as he uncorked the vial of chemicals Mic had given him. The acrid smell made his nose wrinkle as he poured the flammable liquid along the base of the back door, making sure to splash some up the sides and onto the nearby walls.
His heart raced as he stepped back, surveying his work. The plan was set, but fear still gripped him. Going inside was out of the question. This would have to do.
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With a deep breath, Bobby pulled out one of Mic's improvised explosive devices. It felt heavier in his hand than he expected, a crude amalgamation of household items that somehow formed a deadly weapon.
He armed it, the small click seeming impossibly loud in the quiet night. With a silent prayer, Bobby hurled the device through an upstairs bedroom window. The glass shattered, tinkling as it fell to the ground.
Bobby clapped his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut as he braced for the explosion. Seconds ticked by, each one stretching into eternity.
Nothing happened.
Bobby lowered his hands, confusion and doubt creeping in. Did I do something wrong? Damn that gnome, he-
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the night, sending Bobby staggering backward. A rain of glass shards pelted him, causing stinging cuts along his exposed skin. As he blinked away the shock, he saw the upstairs bedroom engulfed in flames, an inferno rapidly spreading through the house.
Smoke billowed out of the shattered windows, thick and black. The heat hit Bobby in waves, intense even from where he stood. The fire was catching, faster than he’d expected. Already, he could see flames licking at the back door where he'd poured the accelerant.
Snapping out of his daze, Bobby turned and sprinted around to the front of the house. The plan was in motion now, and there was no turning back.
He abandoned all pretence of stealth as he raced around to the front of the house. His heart pounded in his ears, drowning out the crackling of the spreading fire behind him. As he ran, he fumbled with his weapons, swapping the fire axe for the crossbow Mic had crafted.
The weight of the crossbow felt reassuring in his hands as he skidded to a stop at the front of the property. Flames now licked at the windows, casting an eerie orange glow across the overgrown lawn. Smoke billowed into the night sky, thick and acrid.
Bobby's eyes darted around, searching for his gnomish companion. Panic gripped him when he couldn't spot Mic.
"Rem," he said, "is Mic okay?"
"Oh," he replied, feeling stupid.
Relief washed over Bobby as he squinted through the smoke-filled air. Sure enough, he caught sight of the top of Mic's head peeking over the low stone wall of the adjacent garden. The gnome's wild hair was unmistakable, even in the chaotic scene before them.
Bobby crouched low, hurrying to take up a position near Mic. The heat from the burning house was intense, sweat already beading on his forehead. He kept the crossbow trained on the front door, ready for whatever might emerge from the inferno.
He remained fixed on the burning house, crossbow at the ready. The crackling flames and collapsing timber masking the sound of approaching footsteps until it was too late.
"What have you done?" A woman's scream pierced the air.
Bobby whirled around, weapon raised. His stomach lurched at the sight before him. The female raider, Mike's girlfriend, stood there, but she was... changed. Her face was a bloody mess of exposed muscle and sinew, as if something had chewed the skin clean off. The collar around her neck pulsed with an unnatural glow. A status window popped into Bobby's vision:
Deformed Raider
Level 25
Health ???
"Bloody hell," Bobby muttered, his finger tightening on the trigger.
He let loose a barrage of pebbles from his improvised crossbow. They punched through her flesh with sickening thuds, but instead of falling, she stood her ground. The collar flared brighter, and before Bobby's eyes, the wounds closed.
But they didn't heal normally. The holes filled with rapidly growing, cancerous flesh. Tiny tentacles, tipped with bony claws, reached out from her body towards them.
"Mic! Split up!" Bobby yelled, backing away.
The gnome raised his multi-tool, firing a blast of energy that knocked the woman to the ground. But she was up again in an instant, her eyes wild with rage and pain.
Bobby's heart raced as he realised their plan had gone horribly wrong. They'd come to set a trap, but now they were the ones fighting for survival.
Bobby darted to the side, his heart pounding as the deformed raider turned to follow. He glanced back, expecting to see Mic retreating, but the gnome stood his ground, a look of determination on his face.
"Mic, run!" Bobby shouted, his voice cracking with urgency.
But Mic didn't budge. With eerie calm, he fitted one of his explosives to his multi-tool. The device whirred and clicked as he took aim at the approaching monstrosity.
Bobby's eyes widened as Mic fired. The explosive shot through the air, striking the deformed raider square in the chest. A deafening boom shook the ground, and a blinding flash lit up the night.
"Yes!" Bobby whooped, pumping his fist in the air. But his celebration was short-lived.
As the smoke cleared, he saw the raider's mangled form still twitching on the ground. Tentacles of flesh writhed and stretched, trying to knit the body back together.
“Finish her!” Mic yelled, his voice strained.
Bobby rushed forward, his crossbow raised. He stood over the half-destroyed body, watching in horror as it struggled to regenerate. Without hesitation, he unleashed a barrage of pebbles, each one tearing through the raider's mutated flesh.
Click. Click. Click.
The crossbow ran dry, but Bobby wasn't taking any chances. He fumbled in his pocket, pulling out another of Mic's explosives. With a grunt, he dropped it onto the twitching mass below him and ran backwards.
The resulting explosion sent him staggering back. As the dust settled, he checked his battle log.
Combat Log:
Deformed Raider defeated: +250 EXP
Total EXP gained: 250 EXP
“Nice one.” He said.
Bobby approached the smouldering remains of the deformed raider, his heart still racing from the intense battle. The acrid smell of burnt flesh and chemicals made him gag, but he pressed on. He had come too far to turn back now.
"The collar," he muttered, crouching down beside the mangled corpse. "We need that collar."
His hands shook as he reached for the pulsing device around what was left of the raider's neck. The metal was hot to the touch, and he could feel an unsettling vibration emanating from it. Just as his fingers closed around the clasp, a bone-chilling roar cut through the night air.
Bobby's head snapped up, his blood turning to ice. Through the smoke and flames pouring out of the house, a massive, twisted silhouette emerged. Malformed Mike burst through the doorway, his grotesque body aflame and his misshapen face contorted in rage.
"Oh fuck,” Bobby breathed, scrambling to his feet.
Mike's eyes locked onto Bobby, burning with an inhuman fury. The creature let out another ear-splitting roar and charged forward, moving with impossible speed for something so large and misshapen.
"Mic!" Bobby yelled, backing away. "We've got company!"
He raised his crossbow, only to remember it was empty.
"Double fuck!”
Bobby's mind raced, searching for a way out. But as Mike bore down on them, he realised with growing horror that they might have finally run out of luck.