The Telltale Sign

Raymond could still clearly see the image of the enormous zombie. Its arms were almost as long as its entire torso and as wide as tree trunks, giving it a hideously distorted body. Its head was the size of a typical human's, but its body and legs were not as excessively enormous. Raymond was reminded by the beast's overall appearance—including its posture—of a large, muscular ape. Its bluish color and the bloodstains on its chest, which were considerably more noticeable on its arms, especially its hands, were the obvious contrasts.

They were seized by fear, which gradually pushed them over the line into insanity. Zombie life seemed unimaginable enough, but a huge one? They had to aim at the ceiling to hit its forehead since it was so tall compared to the hole it had created in the wall.

The increasing madness finally caused one of their crew members to lose it. He ran back, shooting frantically at the beast, trying in vain to hurt it. Raymond watched as its face twisted in anger at the provocation, yet it did no harm. When Raymond attempted to alert the crewman, the beast suddenly launched itself forward with its enormous limbs. It reached an incredible speed, and the crewman was smashed against the wall by the massive mass, only able to cry in fear and pain.

With the exception of Raymond and another man named Calvin, the rest of the team was in a panic due to this unexpected death. Raymond lost sight of what had happened to the other crew members after another was snagged by the monster's enormous jaws.

"Slow down!" Calvin yelled.

The rest of the team, including Raymond, started to gather themselves. The monster's movements also slowed, which was shocking.

Calvin went on, "We'll die if we lose our heads here." The only person who has a chance against something that large is you, Raymond. We'll keep the zombies away until you're done.

"Is that meant to be simple?!" Raymond returned the shout.

However, it was evident that the creature had already been interested in Raymond, as though there was something about him that captivated it. Considering that they were both beasts in their own right, Raymond speculated that it might have been the unsaid connection that forms between two creatures when they both surpass human limitations. This insight sparked a nervous, even ecstatic sensation in Raymond. He was driven toward the beast by that enthusiasm. It responded by swinging its arm, which launched him upward.

Raymond was headed straight for the wall, but he was able to push off it in midair because to the agility his HHD gave him. Nevertheless, his ankle was broken by the power of the impact, and he fell to the ground. He was able to jump out of the way barely in time as the beast charged at him. The enormous beast became momentarily stranded after slamming into the wall with such force that it made another hole. Raymond took advantage of the chance to recover.

"Avoid being foolish!" Calvin yelled. "You can't confront it directly."

And what are you expecting me to accomplish? If I became infected, I might have a chance.

Calvin advised, "For a moment, stop depending on the infection and think." "First, examine its shoulders."

Its shoulders were peculiar in some way. Before the arm followed through, the matching shoulder raised for a few seconds whenever one of its arms moved.

Calvin clarified, "As you can see, its arms seem to operate somewhat independently of the rest of its body." "That motion is a warning indication. You must confront it as a team of three parts working together to form a single body rather than as a single thing.

Raymond followed Calvin's suggestion and started making plans, even though he couldn't understand how he had learned all of that from simple observation. The beast had set itself free, and his ankle had healed. As soon as Raymond noticed the unmistakable shoulder movement, he charged once more, this time shooting at its arms. Its arms did exhibit peculiar behavior, contracting without the body's assistance but still obeying its directives. Again, the beast lunged at him.

Raymond was able to dodge the strike and charge toward its torso because this attack was far less accurate. When he got close, he used one hand to puncture its ribs and the other to shoot into its thorax. Although there were indications of pain throughout the body, it was clear that this approach would not soon alleviate it. Raymond moved to a safe distance and slid out of its enormous arm's path.

Raymond took a moment to examine the beast. The arms' slower reaction time compared to the body was evident. It took roughly three seconds for the signal from the body to reach the constricted arm he had shot. That may have been a short window, but it was enough to put his strategy in danger. All his attempts on the body also appeared to be ineffectual; a blow to the neck was probably the only way to defeat it, but he needed something stronger than a knife and revolver.

The beast charged at full speed before Raymond could adjust his plan. He narrowly avoided it, but it turned and struck him this time. He used his weapon to stop it, but it just lessened the force—the weapon broke, and he got a smaller but still strong blow to the head and torso.

Raymond coughed up about half a liter of blood after being thrown several meters. He wiped his mouth and turned to confront the looming threat. Getting close was not only hard, but now it seemed almost impossible without a weapon. The creature was suddenly shot from the side.

"Raymond, hurry up!" As he unloaded shots from his weapon, Calvin called. "I can't keep it distracted for much longer!"

The creature turned to attack Calvin, and Raymond went up to it. He seized the body's enormous hand and stabbed the arm where a human nerve would be before the command could reach its arms. It raised its arm in response to the blow, drawing him nearer to its head. To get closer to his target, he stabbed it in the shoulder with the knife once again. Raymond understood then that such a thick neck could not be severed with a portable knife.

Then a thought caught his attention. He steadied himself and climbed above its head without hesitation. It attempted to push him away with its other arm, but he was able to stand on its hunched back. He ducked to avoid the blow because the arm was so wide that it could only reach his head.

Raymond used his right arm to hold the monster's neck once he was reasonably safe. In a fit of determination, he used one of its own fangs to stab his left arm. The pain was unbearable, but it set off the metamorphosis, and he cut through its chin from the mouth with the sword that grew from his arm. The writhing beast was then five meters away from him when he leaped.

Raymond stood in front of the monster in his HHD zombie phase and said, "Let's finish this."