The Crimson Hunger

Now that he had changed, Raymond felt at his best. As he observed the enormous beast flailing from side to side, with its chin missing and a portion of its tongue hanging down, his arm started to feel stronger. As it stumbled, blood splattered on the floor and walls like an indiscriminately gushing hose.

Eventually, its frenzied motions slowed and it calmed down. The beast came to a complete halt as Raymond was still planning how to cut its thick neck. In some way, it changed appearance after it did. As he had previously seen, its gorilla-like posture and peculiar shoulder movements made its assaults predictable. Now, however, everything was different; its shoulders were relaxed and it stood completely upright. Suddenly, without the warning indication Raymond had been waiting for, it delivered a blow.

"Hi!" After hearing it, Raymond turned to discover a mound of zombie corpses obstructing a portion of the entryway, making it pointless for the approaching zombies to spend time scaling the mound and becoming easy targets. As Calvin shouted out to the crew member who had survived with him and Raymond, the man was shooting at them. "What prevented you from killing it at its mouth?"

"I apologize," Raymond said, "but it's difficult to say when it will get faster."

Raymond was hurled into the wall as he was speaking by a backhand blow, which not only caused him to fall on the hard iron surface but also broke it like paper. He could still remember the deep cuts from the sharp metal and the pain from the collision. He didn't have time to think about it, though, for the beast came charging at him with a threatening look. To avoid being discovered, Raymond scurried to his feet and slipped into a blind corner while remaining silent. He took advantage of the beast smashing into the wall to run back into the room. He looked about for a weapon as it was obvious he couldn't handle it alone.

Raymond re-entered and weighed his choices. He noticed a single handheld bazooka resting in the center of the room, along with a few handguns, grenades, and rifles.

He ran toward it, but he grabbed the closest weapon, turned back, and fired as he heard the iron wall being destroyed once more. The wound was deepened when the bullet contacted its tongue. Its body became uncontrollable due to the anguish, and it stumbled backward, lost its equilibrium, and crashed into the wall, bringing down a portion of the structure onto itself, exposing only its legs.

Raymond took advantage of the opportunity to seize the bazooka, load it correctly, and fasten it to his belt. The monster rose anew after bench-pressing the debris. He tried a direct strike, but it continued its swift, relentless onslaught despite the ceiling falling on it.

Raymond dodged the punch it threw and, as previously, thrust his bladed arm to grasp onto it. When the arm flinched, he believed his strategy had worked once more, but the creature only swatted him away with its other arm, just like a mosquito might. The beast appeared to heal from its wounds more quickly than he did, despite the fact that his blade caused a deep cut.

All he could think was that he needed to be stronger and faster. He suddenly noticed a glossy, red substance that resembled slime on the floor, which some may describe as a light in a pitch-black hallway. He was unable to explain the sensation, but it felt like a voice telling him to eat it in order to get stronger. Without thinking, he ran to it and, like a wolf tearing into its prey, ate the crimson slime.

As soon as he was done, the creature struck, pinning Raymond to the wall with a smack. It must have felt like a simple paper cut, even though it was cut by his arm-blade. He used superhuman power to plunge his blade straight into its palm and push its hand aside with one arm. Although he felt the blade slice through, it just threw him again using the wound.

Raymond regained control in midair this time and charged at it. The beast was still too strong, clapping its hands together and surprising him even though he was in top form. Despite the boost he had received, the hold was unbreakable. Despite his best efforts, the beast slowly raised him up toward its wide, snarled lips.

Calvin shot at the monster's tongue, hitting the same location Raymond had hit just a moment before, just as hope was starting to wane. The beast let him go as it flinched in pain. It grasped its tongue in agony as Raymond clung to its palate with his blade.

"Complete it right away!" Calvin shouted in desperation.

The bazooka was pointed at the monster's gaping maw by Raymond. His sword sliced through the middle of its upper teeth as he shot, and the missile hit the middle of its throat, aiming for its short path, while the rebound pushed him backward.

It was a deadly strike. The animal writhed in excruciating agony, frantically scratching at its blazing neck. Its enormous arms prevented it from reaching the rear of its lower neck, where the fire spread, and Raymond believed it burned the spinal cord, which was a common weakness. The impact echoed through them all with a deep, resonant thud as the body fell like a fallen tree in an empty forest.

He had just vanquished a giant that was threatening to kill them, and Raymond couldn't believe it. He felt a rush of elation and wanted to shout with delight. The body started dissolving into a purplish liquid within seconds of its death. As though evaporating, the liquid bubbled as it moved across the floor. The undead stacked at the door were also disintegrating when he turned around.

It was the happiest moment of his life. He had succeeded in one way or another. He believed he had defended the building's occupants from zombies and terror until a bullet hit him in the chest. He looked around and saw the shooter—the crew member who had survived with Calvin and him.

"What are you up to?" Raymond shouted, covering his weak points with his arm.

The man yelled, "Shut up, you bea—!" before Calvin shot him in the head.

"Now you? What's the matter with you all?

"Are you unaware of..." Calvin's voice was low, nearly a whisper. "Are you unaware of what you did?"

"What? I just eliminated that enormous danger! You ought to give me credit for rescuing your ass!

Calvin said, as though he was hesitant to say it out loud, "I mean before that." "Are you aware of what you consumed?"

"I don't understand," Raymond muttered, anxiety beginning to set in because he couldn't remember what he had eaten.

"You consumed the corpse of one of our fallen allies—one who perished in the panic from friendly fire."

"What? I don't trust you! It isn't possible. Pointing to the spot where he had eaten the crimson slime, Raymond objected. He saw firearms strewn all over the place. "It isn't possible."

Calvin went on, "And I saw how eating it increased your power." "Perhaps the uncontaminated, untouched flesh of a deceased human improves your

"Stop talking!" Covering his ears as though he could ignore the truth, Raymond let out a scream. He turned to face Calvin after opening his eyes. "How could you believe that I..."

A chilly red glow that was softly coming from close to Calvin interrupted his words. Raymond turned slowly, against his will, to witness the man Calvin had shot change into the same crimson slime he had eaten. Much of what occurred was obscured by a storm that raged in his imagination. He only recalled vomiting uncontrollably—something he had never done before—and passing out on the ground.