The Preying City

Adam walked hurriedly with a suitcase in each of his arms. It was late at night and he didn't care if people found it strange. The baggage in his hands weigh a lot, enough to render a strong man immobile because of the weight. But in his hands, they were as light as a feather. Hiding his face, he was making his way to the northern edge of the city. The railway leading to the royal station ran through this area and the channel was open. Many criminals liked to use this route to smuggle goods and make their escape.

A coach was waiting for him there. He needed to make his way there and leave the city quietly. He was nicknamed Crazy Zombie Adam by people in the underworld but he wasn't crazy enough to stay in a city where anyone could be aiming for his head. Resolving himself to pay Big Daddy Bob back a hundred times over in the future, he checked his surroundings and behind to see if anyone was following him. Bounty hunters liked to take action at night and he was very alert.

Vincent followed the man from a safe distance. The mask hid his presence and a zombie whose senses weren't sharp would never notice him as long as he didn't get too close. His plan was to take action once they exited the residential areas of the city. Just ten minutes walk away was a deserted factory. Crossing through the place would lead them to the northern edge.

Vincent was looking around for other bounty hunters as well. Few handbills had such a detailed explanation about the target and this would certainly attract others in the same profession. He had come well prepared to deal with a zombie. A grade 1 zombie had great strength and a very tough body. Advancing to grade 2 would give them insane healing capability and the ability to play dead while raising their strength and toughness simultaneously. A grade 3 zombie had the ability to raise corpses into lesser zombies and make it do their bidding. This ability made them very troublesome to deal with but a grade 2 zombie was only tough to deal with in close range. With enough firepower and preparation, one could take them down.

Adam finally entered the deserted factory. Damaged machines and rusty metal parts lay everywhere. In a way, this had become a trash dumping site for the other factories in the city. Turning around, he dropped his suitcases and shouted, "Come out you dogs. I know you are here."

Vincent was surprised. He had been maintaining a good distance and a zombie shouldn't have been able to detect him.

'How did he notice me? An artifact? That shouldn't be the case. Even Mr. Collector was helpless in the face of my mask. Is he bluffing to check if anyone is following him?'

Just as Vincent was trying to make sense of how he got discovered, a man in brown coat walked out. He was very tall. Even Adam who stood over a meter and 80 centimeters tall was dwarfed by the man. If not for his rather lean build, the zombie would look like a short body builder when standing next to him.

"Crazy Zombie Adam. I didn't expect you to be able to notice me." The man spoke in a haughty manner.

Adam's mood changed after looking at his pursuer. His expression warped into a furious one. "Kyle? You selfish bastard. I made you into the man you are and you come after me?"

"I am forever grateful for what you taught me. That's why I won't kill you if I don't have to. Why don't you cut off your thumb and thumb ring? That way you can keep your life and I get to claim the 200 pound bounty." Kyle wasn't too perturbed by his benefactor's outburst and spoke calmly.

"What makes you think you can take me down? You are just a mutt. Try me if you want. I will tear you apart."

"We will see about that."

Making his final statement, Kyle took off his coat and threw them to the ground. His muscles bulged as he crouched. His nails grew into claws and a thick fur covered his entire body. His head morphed into a wolf's head and a long tail grew out of his rear end. In no time, the tall man had turned into a giant wolf and was growling at Adam.

'Looks like I was too tense. Even a werewolf didn't pick up my smell or notice my presence and I was worried about being found out by a zombie. I really need to get used to the potency of my mask. For now, let's let these two duke it out. It will be better for me if both of them end up exhausting each other.'

Vincent was happy with the recent development. Now he just needed to swoop in at the critical moment and end the fight.

Adam watched calmly as the wolf stared at him. He pulled out his revolver and took aim. The wolf charged as soon as it saw him reach for his gun. It's speed was incredibly fast and it closed the distance in a blink of an eye. Still, Adam wasn't fazed by it. He had been in similar situations dozens of times. They didn't call him Crazy Adam for no reason. He let the wolf bite his arm and hugged the beast.

Ignoring the deep scratches inflicted onto him by the oversized animal, he emptied his weapons' entire ammunition on the beast. Discarding his revolver, he unsheathed his knife and stabbed at his former friend repeatedly. Kyle was all too familiar with Adam's fighting style and had expected this. He ignored the multiple wounds on his body and bit harder as none of his injuries were lethal. Sure he was losing his strength because of all the bleeding and it wasn't the same for Adam cause zombies didn't bleed. The situation might seem unfavorable for him but he wasn't the least bit worried. Everything was going according to the plan and all he needed to do was make sure Adam wouldn't be able to dodge when the important time arrived.

A second wolf charged out of a dark corner and headed straight for Adam too. Kyle had come with a companion. Werewolves showcased their full potential when they hunted in packs after all.

The two wolves grabbed each of Adam's arms and pulled hard. They were trying to tear him apart using brute strength. The zombie was incredibly tough and the endeavor was proving to be difficult but they would grind him down eventually. Adam's arm were shredded in many places and the sight was horrifying but he didn't utter a single cry. He endured the pain and burst forth with strength to free his right hand.

Caught by surprise, the wolf couldn't respond in time and was grabbed by the back of its neck. Kyle was upset by his companion's performance but didn't voice it out. The other wolf was still a grade 1 werewolf after all. Strengthening his bite, he put more power behind his pulls. A zombie had frightening healing capabilities and he didn't want to give Adam the chance to rest.

The struggle was drawing longer than the wolves had planned for. Just as Kyle was wondering how long Adam could last, the suitcase that his target had dropped earlier burst open. A pale corpse jumped out and hugged the weaker wolf. Opening its' mouth wide, it dug its sharp teeth into the furry hide and tore off a good chunk of meat.

Kyle was confused. A grade 2 zombie shouldn't have been able to make a lesser zombie. He hurriedly dodged the blow from Adam's now free right hand and put a safe distance between them.

"How? You shouldn't be a grade 3 zombie yet." Unable to reach a reasonable conclusion, he voiced out his question.

Adam stared at the wolf straight in its eyes and answered, "I spent 300 pounds to buy this lesser zombie from a grade 3 zombie. Just because I can't make one doesn't mean I can't control one. You are still too inexperienced." Having said his piece, he turned around and drove his knife through the immobile werewolf's head. The beast twitched for a few seconds and went still.

Kyle tore his eyes away from the scene and fled. He had failed to kill his target and lost a companion as well. He had made the companion into a werewolf by buying a potion from his own pocket. He was going to claim the 200 pound bounty and buy another one and add one more wolf to his pack. With a sizable pack, werewolves were one of the scariest supernaturals and an alpha wolf advanced much faster than other pack mates.

Not only had he failed to kill Adam and claim the bounty, he had also managed to throw away the first potion he had bought for his companion. The loss of pounds hurt him more than the loss of companion but he didn't have time to feel bad. He needed to get out of here as quickly as possible or else Adam would surely chase him after recovering. He had spent a lot of energy earlier and was bleeding but a zombie had a ridiculous amount of endurance.

Just as he made a sharp turn, a muzzle entered his sight. The matte black component was pointed straight at him and a blinding flash rendered his eyes blind temporarily. He closed his eyes shut reflexively.

Adam who was watching Kyle run with his tails between his legs was stupefied. A loud bang echoed throughout the factory and the huge beast fell to the ground never to get up again. He had emptied all 6 bullets on the wolf but didn't even manage to injure it seriously. Now, a single shot had put down the beast. He couldn't imagine what kind of power the gun had in it to deliver such a lethal attack.

Just as he was wondering about what weapon had so much power, a hooded man walked out of the corner and held the corpse by its neck. Dragging the mountain of flesh, he approached the zombie. Adam had thought that the weapon was probably a sawed off but was rendered speechless after looking at the oversized pistol in the man's hand. As the man approached closer, a mysterious mask with a bright moon partially dark clouds entered his sight.