I hope you guys like Elise. Yeah, she's hilarious and bat shit insane. What? My Alex is crazy as well, just a tiny bit. They'll make a good team together but not for a while. Alex maybe carefree in this but he's still messed up in the head. Having thousands of voices screaming in your head will do that to you. Regarding Alex's fortune, he consumed high ranking officials of both Gentek and Blackwatch. One of those idiots must have access to secret funds and being a greedy SOB that I am, why not give him that much money. And so, we move on to his home.

Chapter Four – Happy Hunting

Alex had his hands in his pocket as he walked to wherever the hell he was going. He was out to hunt now. Alex wanted something to occupy him, but what?

He couldn't be a doctor, he'll just get himself arrested. Breaking out will be easy, but was a waste of precious time and biomass.

And he sure as hell couldn't consume someone. Alex was off the grid and he prefers it that way but he missed the thrill of the hunt. The thrill of seeing your prey scurry away from you was just too fun.

Alex smirked inwardly. 'Kinda wished that there was someone to hunt. I miss that feeling.' And he did. The adrenaline. The goddamn blood splattering over him. Blood. So, so sweet.

He licked his lips like a hungry predator would before eating its prey. He needed to kill something. He needed a challenge. The mighty ZEUS needed a motherfucking lair!

Then it hit him like a nuke exploded in front of him again.

He could find a more comfortable place to stay other than that hotel. Yeah, maybe he should. Having his own domain was much better than paying fifty pounds a night at that hotel.

"Well, every king needs a castle." And indeed he was a king. King of the Predators.

Alex bought a newspaper and skipped to the want ads. He wanted a new place to call home so why not get comfortable in it.

"Nah. Nope. Oh, hell naw!" He said at that last bit. They were selling a strip club and he was sure as motherfucking hell wouldn't buy that!

Calming his nerves, he skimmed through the wants ads. Either they were too small or too big; money was not a problem but he just couldn't find something.

When he was about to give up, he saw a four hectare patch of land that was up for sale. It was secluded, and looked at least far away enough from people and close enough to the city.

"Okay, let see here." He dialed the number on his phone and soon enough, he got a response.

"Hello, New English Estates, how may I help you?"

"Yes, I wanna buy some properties in the countryside, and it seems I found an interesting patch of land to procure." Alex said and waited for a response.

"What is the name of the property sir?" The agent questioned.

Alex looked at the want ads and saw that its name was, 'Cainely Manor'.

"It's Cainely Manor."

"Oh, you have good taste sir. An agent has been sent there right now and is waiting for your arrival." Alex smiled.

"Thanks for your help." Alex said and the operator said his thanks as well. Alex hung up and caught a cab to Cainely Manor.

"Never thought I'd be shopping." Alex snickered to himself. He never did like shopping unless he was low on supplies or needed new clothes. He was a shut in anyway so there was no need for material pleasure.

Alex saw that he was out of the city and that was fine with him. The more miles between him and a populated area the better.

He looked out the window and saw that there was lush wilderness in it. Alex smirked. Looks like he can have some fun after all.

Alex soon realized that this was all Cainely Manor. Thanks to the internet. He was impressed at the size of the property. that would be his new home. 'Four hectares goes a long way, I suppose.'

They arrived at the destination and Alex paid the driver. At the gate, he saw that there was someone dressed in a suit at the gate.

The man was a little old but not that much. He appeared in his mid or late thirties but Alex paid no mind. 'Probably been in the business for some time now.'

"You must be the one intersected in buying this property. My name is Ethan Daniels. A pleasure to meet you, sir." He held out his hand for Alex to Shake.

Alex shook his hand firmly. "Same. You can just call me Alex." He said and Ethan smiled and nodded.

"So Alex, this is the property you intend to sell, and I got to admit, you have great taste." Ethan motioned to the land behind him and Alex could see why he chose well.

A stoned pathway led to the mansion and the surroundings were vast grasslands with a few trees in sight. There was a small lake that he could see thanks to his enhanced vision and a small forest.

Alex smirked. 'This will do nicely.'

"Shall we go have a look inside?"

Alex nodded and they entered the manor. Alex scanned this new environment as Ethan explained that layout of the land.

"As you can see, the surrounding areas are grassland but that is only a small part of the property." They walked down the stone path towards the mansion.

"The rest of it is all woodlands."

"Hmm, guess four hectares goes a long way." Alex chuckled and Ethan did the same.

"Yes, forty eight thousand square meters is a big piece of land." Alex nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"Well, there is a lake in here. A great place to kick back and relax, or take a swim, or go fishing, but that's all you." Ethan said, pointing Alex's attention to a quaint lake just a few hundred meters away.

"Have to admit, didn't see that one." Alex shrugged.

"Concerning wildlife, are there animals that should be of concern?" Alex asked and Ethan though about it for a minute.

Dangerous animals didn't mean shit for the Virus but he did need to consume right?

"Well, there's a herd of elk living in the forests but other than that, there's nothing to be of concern." Ethan shrugged and Alex nodded.

"Alright, tell me about this place. What's its story?"

"The manor itself, was formed in the early 15th century by a local business by the name of Haytham Cainely." Ethan said as Alex just listened.

"So it's started as a small patch of land?" Alex asked and Ethan chuckled.

"Not exactly. Haytham was already wealthy by the time he bought this lot and it was already the same size as it is now." Alex nodded.

"Haytham had a wife and two sons but like all rich men…" Ethan trailed off, knowing Alex was smart enough to figure it out, which he was and more.

"Lemme guess, that idiot couldn't keep his dick in his pants?" Alex asked and Ethan nodded.

"That's right. When the people heard about his adulterous streak, he abandoned his family and lands. No one knew what the hell happened to that sex crazed bastard."

"What about his legal wife and two sons?" Alex asked nonchalantly.

"They weren't so lucky. They paid for what Haytham did. His wife was beheaded and her sons were burned at a stake, and they were just five years old."

Alex shuddered inwardly. He may be a little hypocritical about this but he never wanted to kill or consume a kid ever again.

"Sounds overkill don't ya' think?"

Ethan sighed as they stepped by the mansion's door. "Yeah. The last millennia was barbaric, but that's all in the past."

Alex just huffed and stared at the mansion. He never was one for architecture but he did like this. The walls were painted a dark grayish color, and were ornamented with symmetrical but elaborate statues. Big windows by the top, adding natural light into the house, which Alex will enjoy greatly.

"May I ask something?" Ethan asked.

"Shoot."

"Are you an American?" Ethan asked and Alex turned to him smirking.

Alex chuckled darkly that Ethan was a little unnerved at. He wasn't expecting a client to respond so cynical and sadistic about it.

"What gave me away?" Ethan noticed the maniacal tone in his voice and backed away slightly.

Alex noticed this and snickered evilly. The way a prey reacts like he's shitting his pants never gets old.

"Got ya' didn't I?" Alex laughed. Being an unstoppable predator with a very large taste for blood and gore had its downsides.

"Yeah." Ethan chuckled nervously.

"So, are there any repairs that have to be done on the estate?" Alex asked, referring to any reparations that have to be made.

"No, but renovations are still open." Ethan said. "Would you like to see what's inside?"

Alex shook his head. "No, thank you. I've already made up my mind and I'll buy it."

Ethan smiled that he made such a huge deal and it wasn't even lunch time. "Excellent. Will you be paying in installments or in full?"

Alex thought about it. On one hand, if he paid up front now, he won't be disturbed unless he wants to be. But on the other, suspicions will rise if he did. A man or monster with no source of income with that much money had red flags all over the place.

"Installments."

Ethan nodded and invited Alex inside to sign some papers.

Alex was surprised that the property only cost him about fifty million dollars. So what, he was filthy rich with all that Blackwatch and Gentek dough so he'll probably live in luxury.

After signing the papers, Alex was now the official owner of the Manor. Of course, he'll have to pay about five million a month but that wasn't a problem.

Ethan and Alex shook hands to seal the deal. "Enjoy your new home sir."

Alex nodded. "Call me Alex, and thanks. I'll be sure to send the money to the real estate service."

"Right, so goodbye sir." Ethan waved goodbye, he left and Alex just stood there basking in the peace for once.

"I could get used to this." Alex said to himself as he observed his new land. Even through his dark sunglasses, he could see like they weren't even there.

Alex walked around the mansion, noting that it was in fairly good condition. It had a few scratches on it but every house has that.

He couldn't remember a time when he had some quiet time. His life was filled with pain and sorrow. Dear old dad and mom were both drug addict and constantly beat him and Dana, day and night. At school, he was regarded as a weirdo. Even Karen never showed him anything, and she was his motherfucking girlfriend at the time! Everyone saw him like he was a freak.

'Well, guess they're right about that.'

Alex was not just a freak he was a psychopathic monster. Humanity was right to fear him because they are like him. They fear what they don't understand. They make stories for others to believe and blind to see the real truth.

The REAL truth was nothing is right or wrong. Only what humanity thinks its doing. They make up the fucker called God so they can believe.

Alex scoffed at this. There was and never will be a God. He's seen enough religion in the eyes of too many murderers to realize that. Religion, beliefs, and a\even morals were nothing but what people use to hide their true selves. Animals.

He was a geneticist and Alex knew humans were, despite their intelligence, were nothing more that common animals. To him, however, they were livestock and playthings.

He consumed others for nourishment. He killed for the carnal pleasure of it. Alex was less than human but also more. He was the embodiment of the Apocalypse. The physical manifestation of the single deadliest virus known to man. Bringer of death and destruction. A monster.

Alex sighed. In the end, that's what he really was. No matter how hard he tries, he'll always be the one thing everyone despises: a monster.

"Alex, what have I told you to stop thinking too much about this. So stop it before I shove my foot up your ass."

Alex heard Dana's voice and groaned. The voices were acting up again. Opting to take his sister's advise, the virus stopped his musings and went inside the house.

Well, he expected that much. The walls were dusty, furniture were nonexistent, the floors were cracked and missing boards. 'Got a hellava lot of work on my hands.'

He looked over to his new home and smiled, Alex took off his sunglasses. "Time to go to work."

After a few hours, Alex has cleaned the whole mansion and was out hunting for some elk. He grew hungry and now was out for the one thing he knew would satisfy him for weeks with just one go.

Alex crouched down to check that the tracks he found were fresh. He smiled, they were fresh. His latest victim was close.

Running as quiet and as fast as his powerful body can, he flawlessly flowed through the wilderness without so much as a sound. A thing he learned while hunting in the concrete jungle was to blend in with everything.

What his prey can't see, makes them easy fuckin' pickings. And their deaths that much more sweeter.

He scanned the area with his thermal vision and could see the herd was no more than thirty meters ahead. 'Let's see. Eenie meenie minie mo, which one of these fuckers gets to go first.' Then he spotted a lone elk by the back. It was fairly big, big enough to replenish his biomass reserves.

Like one of those ninja from the movies he's seen, Alex scaled the tree like a cat. Why he didn't just jumped over to the branch was a mystery but at least he got to act like a ninja. Only a million times more badass!

He locked on to his meal and shifted to his claws, ready to pounce. Alex smirked inwardly, the vicious side of him showing. Oh, how he loved to do this again. Every now and then, causing another outbreak crossed his mind just for the hell of it.

The killing, the blood, the guts, and more importantly he wouldn't get bored. That he missed the most. Monsters were called monsters for a reason.

But he needed a new start. He needed to find something to believe in again, something he doubted would happen. Humanity had little to offer him other than to quench his blood lust and twisted taste for gore.

Maybe he needed to look deeper than that. Dana saw that, as impossible as it was, Alex still had a humanity in him, no matter how small. She saw that there was still good in him.

Dana saw but Alex did not have that foresight.

Alex pounced the elk. It didn't even know what hit it when its body was split in two. The other elks saw this and ran like hell away from there.

Its intestines were strewn all over the place, its liver, stomach and kidneys were scattered at the huge gaping wound that was once its other half.

Alex slowly moved towards the doomed animal and swiftly put it out of its misery by stomping it on the head. It yelped in pain but died down when its head practically exploded.

Its eyes popped out of their sockets like a balloon, its skull was shattered and shards of it were stuck on Alex's shoes. Brain matter was everywhere; it was even on Alex's shirt, blazer and pants.

Any other person would've broken down by the sheer brutality of his kills normally were. And this wasn't even trying!

With his bloodlust slightly calmed, Alex shot out his tendrils and latched onto what's left of the animal.

Alex's tendrils grabbed every single piece of the mangled elk. Both halves. Everything, hives, antlers, bones, hell, even its teeth were dissolved and absorbed into Alex.

Then Alex felt its memories. It was no more memories than pure instinct. The elk was only doing what nature intended it to do. Be born, reproduce, die. And then do it again.

A never-ending cycle that Alex knew that he will live to see it all end in a flash.

After he was done, Alex shifted his biomass so he could consume the residue stuck on him. Then he took off back to his new home.

"Time for furniture shopping…wait a god fucking minute, did I just say that?" Alex stopped just as he was about to enter the door, shocked that he just said that.

The mighty ZEUS, shopping?!

What in the name of Jesus happening to him?