The morning sun hung low in the sky, its weak light barely cutting through the haze of ash and smoke that clung to the desolate landscape. Evan and his group moved cautiously through the ruins of what had once been a bustling city. The skeletal remains of skyscrapers loomed overhead, their glass facades shattered and their metal frames twisted.

Though they had escaped the collapsing facility, the weight of their discovery pressed heavily on all of them. Project Genesis. Catalyst Cores. Phase One. Each term raised more questions than answers, and they carried with them a new, unsettling awareness: humanity’s apocalypse was engineered.

“Do we even know where we’re going?” Jake’s voice broke the uneasy silence as he stepped over a cracked sidewalk, kicking away a piece of debris.

Claire shot him a glance but didn’t answer immediately. She had taken point since they left the facility, her crossbow held at the ready. “We keep moving east,” she said finally. “There’s another safe zone about two days from here. We’ll regroup and figure things out.”

“That’s assuming it’s still there,” Jake muttered.

“It’s there,” Claire snapped. “We don’t have another option, so let’s keep moving.”

The group’s exhaustion was palpable. After days of constant danger and the revelation in the facility, the tension between them had begun to surface. Kara walked silently, her rifle slung over her shoulder, her eyes scanning the surroundings with practiced caution. Lila stayed close to Evan, her knife ready in hand, while Jake lagged behind, his frustration growing with every step.

Evan remained silent, his mind occupied by the system’s persistent presence. It had been quiet since they left the facility, but he could feel it humming just beneath the surface, its cryptic nature more frustrating than ever.

Claire suddenly raised her fist, signaling a halt. The group froze, their instincts kicking in as they scanned their surroundings.

“What is it?” Evan asked, his voice low.

Claire pointed to a cluster of overturned vehicles up ahead. The road was blocked, and faint sounds of movement came from within the wreckage.

“Could be survivors,” Kara said, though her tone suggested otherwise.

“Or infected,” Jake countered.

Evan tightened his grip on the crowbar, its surface still bearing faint scorch marks from his earlier battle. “We’ll find out soon enough,” he said, stepping forward.

As they approached the wreckage, the sounds grew louder—low, guttural growls and the sickening scrape of claws on metal. Claire cursed under her breath.

“Zombies,” she whispered.

The group spread out instinctively, forming a loose circle around the wreckage. There were at least half a dozen infected, their twisted forms hunched over, gnawing on what little flesh remained of a mangled corpse.

“Take them quietly,” Claire ordered, raising her crossbow.

Lila darted forward first, her knife glinting as she plunged it into the base of one infected’s skull. The creature slumped to the ground without a sound. Claire loosed a bolt into another’s head, while Kara fired a silenced shot from her rifle.

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Jake, impatient as always, fired his pistol, the noise echoing through the ruins.

“Damn it, Jake!” Claire hissed, but it was too late. The sound drew the attention of the remaining infected, who turned their bloodied faces toward the group with a chorus of enraged screeches.

As the group engaged, Evan noticed something strange. One of the infected moved differently—faster, more deliberately. Its body was larger, its muscles bulging unnaturally beneath torn skin. It let out a guttural roar and charged straight at Evan.

The system buzzed sharply in his mind.

“Anomalous Entity Detected: Mutant Class. Increased Strength and Durability.”

Evan barely had time to react as the creature swung a massive clawed hand at him. He dodged to the side, the swipe grazing his arm and leaving a shallow cut. The pain was sharp but manageable, and he swung his crowbar in retaliation.

The weapon connected with the mutant’s shoulder, but it barely flinched. Instead, it grabbed the crowbar and yanked it from Evan’s grasp, tossing it aside with a snarl.

“Not good,” Evan muttered, backing away.

“Evan, move!” Claire shouted, firing a bolt into the mutant’s back.

The creature turned toward her, momentarily distracted, and Evan seized the opportunity. Activating Catalyst Burst, he surged forward, his speed and strength amplified. He retrieved his crowbar and slammed it into the back of the mutant’s knee, forcing it to collapse.

“Hit it now!” Evan yelled.

Kara and Jake fired simultaneously, their bullets tearing into the mutant’s head. The creature let out one final roar before collapsing, its massive body twitching before going still.

The group regrouped, breathing heavily as they surveyed the scene.

“What the hell was that thing?” Jake asked, his voice shaky.

“A mutation,” Evan said, wiping blood from his crowbar. “It’s not just zombies anymore. They’re changing.”

Lila frowned. “Why? What’s causing it?”

Evan hesitated, the words Project Genesis echoing in his mind. “Whatever they did in those labs,” he said finally, “it’s still affecting the world. The infected aren’t just surviving—they’re evolving.”

Claire cursed under her breath. “Great. As if things weren’t bad enough already.”

Despite the danger, the encounter wasn’t without its silver lining. While scavenging the wreckage, Lila found a small stash of supplies—canned food, water, and a few medical kits.

“This will keep us going for a while,” she said, her voice tinged with relief.

“Good,” Claire said, her expression softening slightly. “We’ll need it.”

As the group prepared to move on, Evan felt the system buzz again.

“New Objective: Investigate Additional Catalyst Fragments. Location Marked.”

A faint, translucent map appeared in his vision, a pulsing dot indicating a location several miles to the northeast.

“What is it?” Claire asked, noticing his sudden pause.

Evan shook his head. “Just... thinking.”

He didn’t know if he could trust the system, but something told him the marked location held answers—answers they desperately needed.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the group found shelter in an abandoned office building. They barricaded the doors and windows, creating a defensible position for the night.

Evan sat near a broken window, staring out at the ruined cityscape. The system had been quiet since marking the location, but its presence lingered, a constant reminder of his strange connection to the chaos around them.

“Can’t sleep?” Lila’s voice broke the silence.

Evan glanced at her as she sat beside him, her knife resting on her lap.

“Just thinking,” he said.

“About the system?” she asked, her tone careful.

Evan’s eyes widened slightly. “What makes you think—?”

“I’ve seen the way you fight,” she interrupted. “The way you move. It’s... different. You don’t have to tell me everything, but I know you’re not the same as the rest of us.”

Evan hesitated before nodding. “It’s not something I fully understand yet,” he admitted. “But whatever it is, it’s tied to all of this—the zombies, the mutations, Project Genesis. If I can figure it out, maybe I can stop it.”

Lila studied him for a moment before nodding. “Just don’t forget you’re not alone in this.”

That night, Evan’s sleep was plagued by vivid dreams. He saw flashes of the Genesis labs—rows of test subjects screaming in agony, shadowy figures overseeing the experiments, and a voice echoing in his mind.

“You are the key.”

He woke with a start, his heart pounding. The system buzzed faintly, as though reacting to his dream, but it offered no answers.

Evan took a deep breath, steadying himself. Whatever lay ahead, he knew he couldn’t afford to falter.