Chapter 10

The infected had been in a feeding frenzy. Mindlessly slaughtering the Blackwatch soldiers and devouring their flesh. The hunters had been leading the attack, leaving the walkers to kill and feast on whatever was left behind. So they ate fearlessly.

But that was different now. Almost all the hunters were gone and the remainders were confused and angry. The first hunter to be taken out had shared it's last moments with the hive mind. Excruciating, debilitating pain sprung up from small wounds along it's body. The pain spread through it like acid as it's instincts screamed at it to escape. The pain sent it into a frenzy, charging through Blackwatch and infected killing everything around it. As the pain reached it's legs it lost control of them and collapsed. It roared and whimpered until the fire within it reached it's head. At that point it's head hit the ground and it's long slimy tongue rolled out of it's mouth. The creature lay unable to move for almost a minute as it's body was consumed with the fire. Then the pain vanished completely to be replaced with numbness.

Then everything went black and it ceased to be.

Typhon scanned the swarm of infected, looking for more targets. The Cure rounds had done their job. Attacking the nervous system relentlessly until everything had been destroyed. Every shot had hit it's target, and every hunter was now dead or dying. The walkers that had previously been milling about carelessly were now being torn apart by the Blackwatch soldiers. It looked as though the evacuation would be a success.

"All targets neutralized. Initial test successful." Bishop said into his earpiece.

"Roger that, Typhon. You are authorized to engage the primary target. Reported to be deeper in the hive. Proceed with caution." Red Crown responded.

"Copy that." Bishop ended the connection before speaking to his team. "Alright. Looks like this test was successful. Time to go for bigger prey." The team all nodded in agreement before they began to move forward. They skirted around the walkers and soldiers and headed for another hallway that was visible across from them. It took them a few minutes to reach it but they figured it was better than fighting their way through the horde.

The second corridor was practically identical to the first. The only differences were the intense smell of rotting meat and the quiet. It was also significantly longer than the last one. Medic judged it was at least twice as long. As they walked, they noticed a surprising lack of infected. Aside from a few walkers they found stumbling around or eating, it was empty.

About halfway through the corridor, they began to encounter large Blacklight pustules along the walls, floor, and ceiling. Everything was coated in the fleshy material that Blacklight produced and large vines of it were twisting around each other and snaking their way along the walls. All of the infected material pulsed with red veins. Like they were walking through the bowels of some massive creature.

After what felt like an hour of walking, they found themselves within the hives inner-chamber. "Well, shit." Jester said loudly. They had come expecting a juggernaut, maybe a hydra, and they were now faced with four hydras and two juggernauts. As well as an assortment of walkers.

The rest of the team just shot him angry looks before Medic decided to speak. "It's certainly not what we expected. I'm afraid we'll have to adapt." Whether he was truly concerned with the situation was lost to the rest of them. As his voice was in it's usual cold, cutting, tone.

"Very true. But I'm not sure we brought enough ammo to deal with this." Mentor stated. Mentor couldn't see Medic's eyes through his goggles, but he felt a shiver run down his spine when Medic looked at him. He guessed Medic wasn't enjoying the negative thinking.

"We came here to clear the hive, that's what we'll do." Bishop said. "Let's get on with it." Medic was all too happy to oblige him. Before the others could raise their weapons, Medic fired three shots at the closest juggernaut, all three rounds buried themselves in it's neck. The juggernaut's screams attracted the attention of the hive. While they were distracted the rest of the team picked out targets and opened fire. The second juggernaut was riddled with holes and two hydras found themselves on the receiving end of some annoying little pin-pricks.

The team took cover along the raised section they were on and waited for the opportunity to strike again. The infected were unsure as to where the attack was coming from and started whirling around and attacking everything in sight. The juggernaut Medic had shot had died within seconds and the other one was currently on a rampage.

The hydras that had been shot were beginning to notice a peculiar burning sensation. A grim smile touched Medic's lips as he noticed their hesitation. His satisfaction was short-lived, however, as he was still faced with a small army of infected. He carefully placed holes in the other two hydras as his teammates systematically eliminated the walkers.

A familiar music filled the air as rounds were fired and infected wailed. The rumblings of the angered hydras added a steady bass. While the juggernaut's warbling cries created a heavy countertenor. Their own shots added a muted soprano that chimed through the other sounds like bells. The chaotic music helped to calm the four soldiers. This was what they knew. This was their domain.

The horde was thinning quickly. The hydras had gone completely berserk and the juggernaut was on it's last leg. All that was left to do was to survive and ensure a complete purge. This was not a battle. It was a complete slaughter. The corpses were piling up and soon the experiment would be called to an end.

Jester was euphoric. This carnage was something he looked forward to every day. Mentor and Bishop were impassive. Picking off the stragglers with dutiful precision. Medic alone was feeling on edge. As far as he was concerned, all of this was wrong. The slaughter did not bother him, he'd long ago moved past sympathy. He had slaughtered women and children by the orders of his commanders. Without hesitation. He had probably seen more blood than any other man in NYZ. He had been drenched with it.

That's why he felt uneasy, after all of the blood he had spilled and hearts he had stopped, his instincts and senses had been honed to a keen edge. Something here, something he couldn't really understand, was completely and utterly wrong. It was in the air, and he was reminded of it with every breath he took.

Bishop's voice crackled in his ear. "Medic. Is something wrong?" Medic was taken aback. There was no way his unease could've showed through. He had continued to fire as his brain worked to find an answer. He had made no mistakes.

"No. Why?" He asked carefully.

"Something doesn't feel right here. I was sure that you'd feel it too." Bishop responded. Medic understood immediately. Bishop had noticed nothing off with Medic. He had simply noticed something wrong in the air. Medic decided to keep his suspicions to himself.

"Probably just the stench." Medic replied steadily.

"Yeah, probably." Bishop said. "We're withdrawing. Let the others take care of things here. Typhon's done enough." Bishop then relayed the message to the others and they began their withdrawal.

Medic brought up the rear, ensuring that no infected followed them. The hydras were all but dead. The experiment was a success. As they retreated into the passageway they'd come from, Medic made one last inspection of the hive chamber. It was then that he locked eyes with his suspicions.