Crane almost fell stumbling in his step at what he saw. His arm reached out instinctively as his lips moved yelling for the 13 year old kid armed to the tooth standing in the middle of the street gazing up at a building to move, the infected stumbling closer and closer. In all the rush, heart pumping and machete ready out to swing, Crane failed to notice that the entire crowd around the boy not concerned in the least didn't attack him at all but ignored him. The white blonde youngster with piercing green eyes slowly glanced to Crane then behind himself with narrowing eyes as the infected clumsily bumped into him almost falling over his back. With a snarl and shove mumbling "Gross", the former female human was pushed off but Crane had already lashed out with the machete ready to follow up by hauling the boy on the van two feet away but the now bloody kid sidestepped, now glaring at Crane venomously. The crowd of ten with more in the distance didn't leave time to bicker as Crane kicked a reaching one though that didn't stop the boy still ignored unlike poor Crane. "What the hell!? I was fine, you idiot! Ugh, gross…"
"If you have the time to argue, do me a favor and get your ass on a van kid or hide." Crane growled, stumbling back.
"You think these weapons are for show!? And I don't need your protection old man-"
"OLD man!?"
"They don't touch me as you would've seen if you used your eyes! But hey, I'll prove my point, YOU go haul your ass on a van!" His gaze was cocky and venomous, vibrant green eyes glinting with confidence and sass that every word carried like a melody and it pissed Crane off. For a moment, the musing of the kid being the brattiest child he had ever met flitted by but alas the immediate danger did not let ponder nor did it allow for long decisions. So without warning, Crane grabbed the kid by the scruff and dashed for the van a few steps away avoiding reaching fingers hoping desperately it wasn't locked. To his luck, it wasn't, opening just fine but unfortunately the blonde kid disagreed almost botching it struggling against him. The back door slammed shut, Crane racing a hand through his hair as he just pondered what had happened, everything had been too fast and it didn't stop there much to his dismay. He had barely managed to ask the kid's name receiving a snarky "What's it to you?" as the boy darted up from the sitting position and rushed out slamming a door into an infected face, tilting his head to Crane with a grin. "Watch and learn, old man." Crane leapt up compelled to save the kid despite the snarky attitude but found himself frozen cracking the door open as he witnessed the scene in front of him. The kid walked right up to an infected without a care in the world and raked the claws from the glove gauntlet thing on his left hand across the body. Another two steps away got tripped and beheaded with the machete over his back under the backpack and the larger gun. The claws dripped crimson, the infected down on the ground unmoving while more started darting to the van to get to Crane who still digested what he saw, the boy clearly in the right when he had said that they ignored him. Without another word, the kid raked the claws over the one closest to the van door, tips perfectly at the throat before taking off leaving Crane behind who sprung into action swiftly jumping out of the van. The first step tried to run after the kid disappearing behind a crumbling wall but his feet changed direction again as two electrical tasks for the tower won out.
The sun shined on the water on the shore, his backpack and weapons on the dry land as the kid sighed sitting in the shallow water splashing more on himself and dipping more of his body in washing off the blood Crane had gotten on him mumbling furiously about how mad he was at the man. The dreary, sad green eyes gazed to the blue sky snapped out of the trance from clanking noise as a zombie shuffled against his pile of stuff unknowingly shuffling it around and Kyle whipped his body around to the mess with a snarl but remained in the water to finish washing up, his finger pointing at the culprit. "Hey, stop it you moron! Stop moving my stuff, go around you asshole!" With a growl, Kyle picked up a small rock and chucked it at the zombie stumbling to the side instinctively lashing out ultimately stopping quickly as the infected wasn't able to find a target even if Kyle had been out of the water.
The glowing green eyes burned into Crane rushing for the nearest safe zone as a troublesome encounter had delayed him and night had crept in. Suddenly he felt himself slow down almost stumbling as a figure too dark to make out had leapt onto a nearby wall. So human yet glowing eyes glanced at him and as quick as the figure had hopped into sight, they had hopped out again down from the rooftop. It reminded of the zombies yet seemed nothing like it as the green irises were the only thing that glowed radiantly only seeming to darken the black pupils more giving the white of the eyes almost a green sheen but not enough to muddle the contrast of the glowing green on the otherwise normal looking eyes. The man continued but his mind lingered on the green eyes. He had never anything like it, the only glowing eyes he had ever seen being the yellow or blue ones from the first volatile sight. Actually, those eyes reminded him of the street kid. Did he die since he had met him? He'd drop by Zere and ask about the encounter. Crane stared at the ceiling on the bedroll with a sigh before drifting off.
"Oh look what we have here!" One of the five thugs sneered, Kyle hopping down the roof and turning to them with an annoyed sigh. It had been a really bad week and he had already been seen twice this week. His eyes quickly assessed the situation without moving. Four knives, one gun and two of the knife thugs stepped closer to take everything he had. Kyle didn't move letting them close, one grabbing after his arm before the boy ducked away in the last second and slammed his elbow in the man's gut and the claws quickly slid over the throat lowered from holding his gut. Kyle didn't leave a second to breathe tackling another knife guy right by the first one into the one with the gun keeping them busy for a moment to be one on one with the next one losing to a leg sweep and machete beheading. "Knock it off kid!" The thug snarled, gun pointed at Kyle's head standing between the two corpses with the machete blade and claw gauntlet dripping with blood. Kyle's expression changed from an annoyed, uncaring one to an intimidated one, the thug smirking telling to drop the machete to the ground which the boy did and gave pleading eyes with a little fear.
"Aw, look he's scared now! Missing mommy and daddy kid?"
"Come on kid, don't know how stick ups work? Don't feel so tough now with my gun to your head, huh? Come on, raise those hands for us. All up and nice, kid." The thug laughed, Kyle looking like his eyes would water and cry any moment sticking up his hands and the other two with knives snickered. But their smiles dropped for Kyle's grin as the fleshy yet razor sharp claws replaced the hands, the whole thing an act as Kyle had read their faces in the first seconds of the encounter already and played into their egos. The thug screamed and instinctively fired the gun playing straight into Kyle, diving low under the aim, the moment he pulled out the claws dodging the shot. The claws reminiscent in color of volatile flesh slashed over the thugs leg screaming out quickly shut up as the claws rushed over the throat too as the man sagged down. The two knife wielders had instinctively jumped back staring in horror.
"What the hell-" The question never going to be answered got cut short, Kyle's smirk scaring the grown man firmly in place as the right hand claw was gone as fast as it had come holding the handgun with a swift motion from doing it countless times and the thugs dropped with two bangs with a bullet in each head.
"Hey Zere, I got stuck a little outside during nighttime yesterday is there a zombie type with green glowing eyes?" The doctor shuffled around his trailer continuing to work as he turned to Crane to answer.
"Not that we have ever seen one, all infected eyes glow yellow in the dark except the volatiles which are blue… most interesting, did you get a good look at it?"
"No, just those eyes. I don't think I can ever forget them. Moved fast though and didn't attack."
"Hmm… do you think you could track it down on the same spot again another night. If you could, a lighted picture would be perfect but a description will do as well. I have a hunch but without a more concrete description, I can't be sure. If it is what I think it is though it would be fundamental to the research."
"Alright, I'll keep an eye out. Thanks Zere." Crane got back to his task. Fundamental to the research huh?
The boy righted his back, panting a bit close to wheezing lugging around the object all day taking breaks as to not go over what he was capable of. Being a wheezing target on the floor for any thug or cruel survivor wasn't a great survival strategy. The right hand not wearing the gauntlet leaned on the precariously carried fridge as green eyes locked onto the target with the neat balcony, the inside already prepared for a landing having taken much time another night collecting padding. With a smile the arms reached as far as they could around the thankfully slim but tall fridge surprisingly still in working condition. It was perfect, the spot was basically unreachable save for that opening. After a deep breath and having taken a few minutes to cool off, the thirteen year old put in everything he had, stretching and bending his body to its utmost capabilities launching the fridge into the air at the opening. Alas, it never got high enough. A smile turned into a frown and the kid quickly ducked against the wall as the fridge only made it halfway thrown with enough force to ricocheted of the concrete wall sailing back over the scrambling boy and out the street onto the other one. 'Well, that's broken now… just after I found one…'
The thugs jumped, smirks wiped off from tormenting survivor, the survivors themselves startled as the entire group saw the fridge fly onto the street with a crash.
Rais stopped leaning against the counter as unbeknownst to a thug, he had activated his radio perfectly capturing the noise of the crashing fridge and their reactions.
"What the fuck!?"
"The fridge came from that street!"
"P-please-"
"Shut up!" The fist slammed into the face.
"That's gotta be one of those big zombies, let's get a move on." One of them suggested. Karim back at the garrison raised an eyebrow, Rais musing himself about what just happened. The fridge ruckus seemed to have stopped, only a further comment to one another that infected shambled closer attracted by the noise and the pleas of the survivors falling on deaf ears.
Kyle yawned, eyes fluttering open partially awoken by the groaning zombie shuffling around on the balcony roof with him having found a hammock the other day in the afternoon and decided to sleep after the failed fridge gathering attempt. It wasn't the first time the boy had slept wherever he wanted indifferent if zombies were around. The thirteen year old didn't care for a sleep schedule either, sleep thrown haphazardly to where ever he felt like it whether it was day or night and however long he wanted preferring night to be awake though to avoid people. His gaze shifted to the sky, no clue what time it was but guessing it was in the afternoon. The boy stretched listlessly watching the zombie. 'Can't even race or anything with that one. I wonder if a big one is around… Oh well, I should get my behind to those two for now…' With another stretch, the blonde got up and grabbed his stuff, a little tucked out of sight slipping on the weapons as the last few days hadn't gone too well although zombies always alerted him to people close by attacking the unfortunate soul allowing him to slip away easily and relocate so his stuff was never stolen while he had slept. He gave another glance to the zombie, a slight breeze in the air today. He was so used to their sight it didn't even gross him out. Once in awhile, he still wondered if he would be dead by now if he hadn't lucked out that day when for others their lives turned to hell. The kid hopped down the roof taking the street with a light run.
"Hey Spike, you've been a runner for a while. Have you seen zombies ever ignore people?" Crane asked, the man turning to him.
"Ignored? That's a dream for anyone, you sure you saw someone being ignored?"
"Yeah, the brat even walked up right to one and killed it just to prove his point to him. Beheaded one right next to him so he got mad at me for getting blood on him." The coffee of a nearby listener in a chair went back into the mug with a spit, the room quieting.
"Did you just say brat as in implying it was a kid?" The coffee spitter couldn't believe what he heard.
"Yeah, kid got attitude. Blonde and green eyed, ever seen him on the street?"
"No" Spike answered baffled at the discovery, quick glances receiving only shaking heads.
"Maybe the witch has a son…" One mumbled.
"Witch?" Now Crane was the one to be baffled.
"Blake knows all about it." Spike replied, Crane heading to Blake turning to him.
"Oh the witch, yeah that's some older woman in the market place and she claims she can walk among the zombies. She might know something about the kid." Blake answered Crane and Crane decided to quickly stop by the marketplace during his next task.
"Hey guys!" Kyle waved at Osman and Nazim, two men from Rais' faction currently poaching from the cruel man from a transport. "Thought I was too late, good thing I woke up in time to help like I promised." His smile was a bright and friendly one with a silent little apology for making them wonder.
"Well, now you're here. Thanks for the help."
"Hey no problem, we got an agreement anyway and I get something out of it too." The trio quickly got a move on grabbing the stuff but Nazim's hand froze first certain to have heard more of Rais' men coming to the transport.
"Damn it… he'll kill us!" His voice carried the panic but still managed to be quiet, Osman's eyes wide as well, their hands guilty with the stuff in them, a meter away from the vehicle. "We have to put it back!"
"Hold on…" Kyle whispered. He really needed their partnership more than ever; the last few days had been rocky. "I'll distract them, you guys just stay calm and be ready to run."
"How?"
"You just leave it to me, I'll be right back." Kyle smiled, setting down the loot quietly and darted away around the corner. The two brothers glanced at each other but trusted Kyle to pull off whatever he had in mind. Having the kid on their side really helped with poaching.
Kyle crept behind the car seeing the thugs that Nazim had heard and his eyes quickly glanced to the backpack zipped open. 'I only have two...' Those bombs had been a lucky find. The boy quickly snatched on strapping it to the car slipping his backpack on quickly again hopping and pulled back his leg with a growing smirk after activating the bomb going off in five seconds. The boot slammed into the side of the car launching the vehicle up and forward with a bang grabbing the thug's attention perfectly scrambling for their lives falling to the ground as the car exploded filling the air with smoke. Kyle darted away avoiding any straying eye with ease using the smoke and the other cars around, the thugs busied now one hit with another partially hit and choking in pain.
Nazim and Osman jumped at the bang like noise followed by the boom, jumping again keeping their mouths shut as Kyle rushed back around the corner to where he had disappeared to flashing them a smile and grabbing part of the stash again.
"What did you do!?" Osman whispered, the trio quietly taking of as Kyle gave him a smile whispering not to worry about it.
"So… at last you're here. I sent for you days ago. Are you always so slow? Perhaps you're resistant to my summons. Good. The strong ones are so much more difficult, but always much more worthwhile."
"You must be 'The Witch'" Crane remarked to the woman sitting on the chair.
"Such prideful contempt! But of course, you do not believe in such things."
"Look, I'm here because I've been told that you... have an ability. And I need to ask about that."
"You want to know how I walk among the immortals without drawing their attack. Is that not so?"
"Huh, is it possible?" Crane didn't bring up the kid right away waiting for her answer.
"For you? No. You are far too crude and ignorant to obtain such deep knowledge. But there is another way. Something I could make for you."
"Fine… I'd be willing to trade."
"You are only here because I wish it, and it is my wish that you have this ability. You will need it to be of service to me. Tonight you'll go to the caves, while the volatiles are out hunting. Collect as many black mushrooms as you can carry, and I will use them to prepare a tincture for you. That is all I require from you… for now."
"Hey, I need to ask you something before I go. Have you ever given this knowledge to some blonde green eyed kid or gave him a tincture of yours? Wears a claw gauntlet thing on the left hand, sticks out like a sore thumb."
"No, I have never seen such a boy in my life nor has one ever taken one of my tinctures without my knowledge. Is this boy special to you?"
"No, he just has the same ability as you…" Crane turned away, baffled at every turn. So apparently the boy never had a tincture or met with Dahlia yet he walked between the infected like it was a fun Sunday stroll without being attacked at all. But if Dahlia really could do something to hide and keep the infected from attacking then how did the boy get his hands on it? Or did he even take any? Dahlia didn't sound like she had lied to Crane even with the man not agreeing on the existence of witches. Did he know what Dahlia knew? Crane could think about it for hours but there was only one way to find out; ask the boy and hope he didn't lie.
He didn't even know why or when he had started talking to her as the girl in front of him droned and on and on about Jade enough to put one to sleep. Where did he go wrong? Was it when he said hi or mentioned Jade and him are on a first name basis? The girl gushed about the older female without pause making one wonder if she even breathed in between. Slowly the gushing slowed down tugging out of the trance, her head glancing sideways out to where the infected crawled with a little small smile. "… I wonder if Kyle will come by today to talk about Jade with me…" For a second, Crane wanted to respond to 'Kyle' as it was his first name but quickly realized another Kyle was meant.
The boy in the picture smiled, his eyes filled with joy as to either side the parents hugged their young boy. The joy of their life which they loved more than anything else in the world.
"Kyle, hide, hide now!" His mother screamed, her husband and her boy's father devoured by the monsters now on the street. The door pounded again, the two back into a corner as the mother bravely took a stance holding the pipe ready to defend her child with all her might. The kid did as told squishing under the bed of the room in the two storey building as the retching came closer dragging itself up the stairs. Blood splattered quickly crawling to the boy under the bed watching in horror, slowly peeking out hearing his mother pant and a body drop being the infected bashed in, his mother a bloody ragged mess turning to her child with a smile. The relieved smiles didn't last as the floor creaked and they both crashed down below lucky only a story high and Kyle called out for his mother as the dust settled on the small ground floor. The boy jumped and cowered on the floor as the car slammed into the only entrance of the garage blocking the only exit and the small doorframe saving mother and child from being crushed by the car, the heat and smell of the fire in the bin in the room with all kinds of stuff thrown around in the garage like room. "Mom…" His voice couldn't quite hide the quivering undertone crawling to his mother on the ground, a sigh of relief escaping seeing her breathe. The boy sat down next to her gently shaking her shoulder with a smile. Her head turned with bloodshot eyes, not a single word leaving her lips as she suddenly jumped up and her mouth opened with her fingers reaching out like a scratching animal, Kyle stumbling back with widening eyes closing with the scream as both tumbled forward and back and his own mother bit him wildly tearing into his chest. Kyle desperately tried to push her off, his chest torn into, skin ripped open, hand pushing into the wound and the boy's hand closed around a plank slamming it down on his mother's head staggering to his feet only to stumble in a dodge slamming his wounded chest on table corner. The kid gasped, pleading eyes on his mother no longer there twitching with a groan. His hands dropped the plank and grabbed for a hammer, closing his eyes and slamming it down on his tripping mother bashing her head with more luck than accuracy as his mom still pleaded for him to fight. 'It hurts… I can't … I don't think I can… breathe… Dad is… mom is gone too… I b-bleed… bleed out… need to…" His hand closed around the closest burnable suitable object sticking it into the barrel and pulling it out again with the end in the barrel glowing red hot giving off a smell as nothing was clean in there. The boy gritted his teeth with a breath and quickly pushed it down on the right side of his chest bleeding profusely, the building filling with his scream echoing through the streets sending shivers down anyone's nearby spine, the flame on the broader wound again with another scream.
The eyes slowly fluttered open, body writhing in pain, the barrel gone out no longer providing heat. His hand crawled to his chest quickly retreating from the stinging wound of burned flesh sealing the wound stopping the bleeding and the few missed small edges crusted with blood and dirt. The boy coughed crawling on all fours, tears welling up spotting his turned dead mother but a cry could never leave as something started up outside the car as someone screamed running past and the car got blown away from the entrance from whatever was chasing the male voice. Kyle shot into the corner almost gasping from the quick movement making his chest sting more, pressing his hands over his mouth huddled into the corner staying quiet. The boy didn't even get to cry that day, crawling around in pain and misery hiding from any sound, any wanted peep muted by himself keeping his mouth shut, all sniffling kept down growing hungry and cold. Puddles, old water tasting awful and scraps was all there was for the kid, all that kept him going being the memories and the last words of his parents to keep fighting no matter what and to survive and live for them. Refusing to disappoint them, the boy crawled and staggered on day and night hiding like a tiny mouse quickly remembering any fluke turning into a well practiced survival trick. The tears dried, every cry choked down to survive until the tears didn't know how to come for the loss anymore choked down far too deep. And when he was face to face with one again after three days unable to hide with his chest wound sloppily wrapped in bandages still not having quite moved on with healing still in the state from that day, only confusion followed as the scream faded with the hands over the mouth. There would've been so many ways. Torn to shreds by a viral and biters or squashed by the big one lugging around rebar with a concrete chunk but the blows never came. They moved past him, he just had to step aside. Blind curiosity. The arms waved in front of another shuffling infected. Nothing. Boldness settled in taking a Sunday stroll with another right by its side. Lesson learned and utilized.
Karim's runner froze, the smile for the startled second gone having found the decked out apartment cove with collected stuff. "What are you doing with my stuff?" The gaze of the blonde kid in the balcony window shifted to the broken down boarded up door. "Don't move." The voice was laced with threat and with just a few strides he darted over to the door, face changing to a pained sigh and frustration inspecting the boards. "Are you kidding me… Look at this man!" The kid shuffled closer holding one of the boards taking Karim's runner by surprise blinking at the younger smaller male. "They look perfectly fine on the outside and have rotted inside, how can I have so much bad luck! I don't even wanna look at the door…"
"I kind of just opened when I pushed against it… I thought I smelled food…"
"Don't you dare touch that chip bag… that's mine…" The boy snarled quickly snatched the bag holding it tightly and displaying the claw gauntlet on his left hand. "Don't touch my other stuff neither and get out…"
"This is mostly junk anyway… but there is a little bit… don't be dumb enough to fight me kid." The runner smirked, eyes glancing to some knives and hoarded bandages.
"Get out." The threat wasn't laced anymore, a growl with the words and the right hand towards the handgun dropping the bag.
"Now, now that will attract zombies don't be stupid boy. Hand it all over and maybe I'll let you walk. Do you know who I work for?" Instead of showing fear, the boy's lips pulled into a grin, green eyes glinting.
"I want them here; you'll be the only dead one."
"You're insane…" The runner backed away from the gun and out of the apartment down a hallway a few steps backing carefully into another door before a smirk grew on his lips. "Hey Karim, found a kid with a stash does Rais want a prisoner? Anyone nearby, I'm close to where that fridge crashed onto the street. Threatened to shoot a gun inside the apartment and claimed I'd be the only one dead."
"That kid has to be bluffing, that's suicide." 'Rais always likes prisoners…' Karim replied, Crane's eyes flickering in anger having just been about to leave for the antennae task in a bad mood.
"You bastards wouldn't hurt that kid!" The words had slipped out fast, Karim shifting his gaze up to Crane who had stopped.
"Can you just circle back to it later?"
"Well-" The words were interrupted with a bang, the blonde sticking out his head with a smile waving at the man having stuck out his head to look and the screams of two virals echoed down the hallway rushing into sight. "He seriously did it!"
"Get out of there!" Both ends with a viral each, the runner sprinted back to the kid's cove almost bowling him over both stumbling having turned around, eyes on the balcony.
"Bad move asshole!" A viral shot into the room stepping onto the chip bag still abandoned on the floor blowing the bag and crushing the contents, the boy's expression becoming heartbroken. "That was my last provision… you're dead." No growl or snarl accompanied the words only a cold blooded promise made. The viral didn't even glance to the boy immediately charging the runner slashing out at the throat managing to behead the zombie only to have the boy on him knowing the man would come back anyway if he would get away from the zombies, the claws grazing the face slashing the cheek as the arm was raised in defense but the tussle got interrupted by the second viral swiftly ended by a slash to the gut from the runner and claws in the face from the kid using the runner slightly to launch to land a better hit.
'Damn it, they really did seem to ignore him! Who is this kid!?' The gun pointed at the runner again. "Who are you!?"
"Just a survivor."
The bang echoed through the radio, Crane still standing there. 'Did that just sound like him!?'
"Damn it… Hey, Crane get moving!" Karim commanded, Crane turning away still in a bad mood certain Rais' men would investigate the area. If it really was that same boy, it wouldn't be surprising if he stayed where he was, ever so cocky and confident in the fact that being ignored by the zombies gave him a far greater edge than it actually did. Sure, maybe zombies would keep ignoring him but any sent group of thugs wouldn't. Enough armed thugs and the kid could be in hot water but Crane had to get antizin to the tower fast.
Kyle sighed, the blood from all three bodies pooling and dirtying the cove he had managed to make himself. 'Better move my stuff to a new spot. Maybe I can store it with Nazim and Osman in one our stashes for now until I picked a new place.'
"Hey Jaffar, it's happened again! Uhm, sorry to interrupt…" The man back out again, glancing from Jaffar reluctantly giving the tribute to Crane looking at the retreating man.
"What happened again?" He had said it before thinking about it and despite his doubts Jaffar decided to share a little wondering himself if Crane insisting he had to do this was genuine.
"Someone keeps doing chores for us at night, been doing it for three days now and when we leave out food or even a tiny bit of cash we can spare once in a while it's taken every time. We tried seeing who does it but no luck. Whoever does it makes it a point to be unknown."
"Think the mystery person will show again?"
"Maybe, the fishing village has had mystery visitor too. Feels sorry for any lonely soul out there and someone uses bait that can only be retrieved at night so he put out a note for the night runner. That's what we call the mystery person."
"Kyle, come on let's get going!" The man smiled at the blonde kid he had found on the street three weeks ago running up to him. The two made a great team as the thirteen year old kid got ignored by the infected and the man knew well on how to use a pipe and had gotten a hold of a machete he found. Their bond had become like a surrogate father and son over the three weeks however Kyle had not yet confided much of his past in the man but that didn't compromise their trust or their love for each other. Their heads turned and ducked as a shot rang out, the man quickly moving to protect hunching over Kyle pulling back again as no other shot followed but Kyle's cheek started to bleed with a thin cut from the shot having grazed him. "Let's-" The sentence didn't get finished as three infected swarmed closer out of a dark corner, the man dispatching the first one swiftly but having a harder time with the viral leaving Kyle defenseless having no weapon on him as the third rushed at him being a viral too. Kyle stumbled back with a snarl, the man managing to finally slash the machete over the viral to turn around shouting out for Kyle only to see the boy stumble and the viral lunge, the kid's left hand suddenly morphing into fleshy claws lashing out following the instinct pulsing inside of him while the right hand changed the same with which he caught himself. The viral dropped dead with a sputter, blood crawling to the kid's boots quickly scrambling away and his eyes widened in horror falling on his hands turned claws, his gaze slowly shifting to the man he called his friend pleading silently for help. "W-what the, what are you!? Don't you dare touch me! You're one of them, you monster!" Scared for his life and his heart pumping with adrenaline, the man rushed at Kyle with the machete high and before he could even think, Kyle tripped over his own feet trying to get away and lashed out as his own eye glinted in the machete coming down at his face. Kyle slowly turned his head, shivering and choking on unsaid words as the dead man fell over with his gut torn to shreds as Kyle had darted forward out of the blow defending his life. His eyes moved to the claws and the boy wanted to puke. What was happening to him? There should be hands! The claws… razor sharp claws had come out in place of his hands. He hated it. He never wanted to see them again. "I want my hands back!" 'Maybe if I think…' He stared helplessly as emotion bubbled up mostly rage and his lips pulled into a snarl at the claws that he had used to defend himself and cut down the man he had come to love as a fatherly friend. "Go away!" The scream echoed in the streets as he fell on all ours, eyes shut tightly, slowly opening to find his hands back in place as they should. The boy staggered to his feet almost tripping again, an infected shuffling closer around the corner and his teeth quickly bit down on the lip to cut off any cries begging to be released snatching the machete before he took off over a roof.