(Small Prequel Before The Interesting Stuff)*

As Hyunsu slowly regained consciousness, he found himself awakening within the confines of warm, pulsing darkness. His most recent memory was of reaching an agreement with his inner ego, that allowed both of them to pursue their separate objectives. Hyunsu's goal was to remain alive long enough to keep his friends alive, while his ego simply sought power and survival. Something that coin-sided his own desire to be honest. And just as he was beginning to feel a sense of internal peace for the first time in months, he was abruptly engulfed by darkness and then ejected into this nightmarish, claustrophobic environment. His ego started to stir within the recesses of his mind, prompting Hyunsu to squirm and struggle against the constricting embrace of the fleshy walls cocooning his curled-up body.

"Oh? It's done already?" his ego purred silkily in his ear, sardonic amusement coloring his tone. Irritation flickered across Hyunsu's features as he worked his arms free and started to slowly uncurl his body, pushing against the confines of his strange womb-like prison, suspecting very much this was what it felt like to be a baby in its mother's womb.

'What have you done now?' he monotonely questioned his inner monster, straining against the walls in an effort to loosen them up more. "Ya, Ya, so quick to judge, aren't we? I have nothing to do with it this time; this was all you," it snickered.

'How so?' he questioned, growing more irratable as he fought to be released as quickly as possible. At least it was dry inside, he doesn't know how he would've reacted to waking up floating in a tightly wrapped viscous slime ball, although the feeling of old sweat and grime was familiar by now. "You struck a deal with me, so in a way, you agreed to be hybridized with me, and so your infected body reacted to it. You're welcome; we're now ten times more powerful than your pathetic human body." his ego gloated as panic set in; if that were true, then that meant he was inside one of those cocoons they found new monsters always emerged from. The thought sent a jolt of numb apathy down his back as he thought of the possible reaction of his friends. Positive that it would be some form of them thinking he had finally succumbed to the arsehole inside his head and was in the process of turning into one of those monsters that would pick them all off in a flash.

Now more cautious and paranoid about what he might find outside the fleshy walls, Hyunsu braced himself as he attempted to harness some of the new latent power he felt coursing through his veins. It took several attempts, along with a one-sided rant from his inner monster, before he was able to sharpen one of his fingers into a superheated blade that would help him cut through the walls cocooning him. Just as he was poised to make the final incision, ready to be free from his cocoon, a wave of apprehension started from the nape of his neck and caused all of his muscles to tense up involuntarily. A sense of foreboding gripped him as a silent warning echoed throughout his mind, his newly enhanced senses having picked up on the presence of multiple threats lying in wait beyond his cocooned sanctuary. Despite the absence of any tangible evidence, an instinctual certainty settled over him, whispering that the danger lurking outside was not posed by any of his group members.

A myriad of possibilities raced through Hyunsu's mind, each scenario more ominous than the last. However, it was the distinct tang of metal, chemicals, and gunpowder in the air that alerted him to the fact that he definitely had a squad of military personnel outside waiting for him to emerge. The inital numb feeling that gripped him ebbed away, replaced by a profound sense of pure apathy as he realized with grim clarity that his own group must have divulged the location of his cocooned body to the military in exchange for their safety. Realistically, he held no ill will towards his comrades for their pragmatic decision. To them, it must've seemed like the soft-hearted and friendly boy they knew had finally succumbed to his monster and was likely to emerge as a threat to their survival. So, they used his cocooned body as a means to ensure their safety. And, while he understood their actions, he just hoped that whatever deal they struck would hold true, even after the soldiers came back empty-handed. He had no plans to become a lab rat for those scientists who would show no exceptions for his human sentience as they probed and experimented on him in search of a cure or a more efficient means of dealing with the monsters that were already running around.

Sighting, he settled back into the protective embrace of his cocoon as he started to consult with his inner ego on how he was going to escape this. With how quiet it was out there, while they may have noticed his wriggling around earlier they must've not noticed his slow, quiet cutting of the walls. The incision he made in the walls of the cocoon allowed a sliver of dim, flickering light to filter through, casting a hazy glow over the scene outside. Through the last remaining barrier between him and the outside danger, Hyunsu could discern the shadowy forms of the armed soldiers as they moved around the crackling fire, their silhouettes dancing in the shifting light. It seemed to be a platoon of a dozen, three were standing near his cocoon facing it with what looked like assault rifles in their grasp while the other nine either stood or sat around the fire. Five standing at the edge, likely watching for any monsters that may stumble upon them although unlikely as monsters did not like to be around a cocoon, able to avoid them due to what seemed like chemical signals in the air.

As he surveyed the scene, Hyunsu and his ego both agreed it was better to leave now rather than later, as there was no way of telling how long he had been in the cocoon or if the soldiers had more reinforcements coming in. His ego complained about how they could have taken them all easily. However, Hyunsu's conscience held him back, his still intact morals not allowing him to indiscriminately slaughter them all if there were any other way of getting around it. Besides, his newfound hybrid body needed time outside of the cocoon to acclimate to its new capabilities before he could be able to harness his new abilities properly.

So, his ego showed him how he could use one of his newfound abilities to sense and track nearby monsters. Although his abilities were weak right now, his ego assured him with an arrogant sneer that they would grow stronger and evolve with time until ultimately they would be strong enough to command any nearby monsters carry out his will. But for now, he could leverage his limited abilities to subtly prompt the nearest monster to provide a distraction for the platoon, affording him the chance to slip away unnoticed.

Tracking its movements through the ability, it only took the monster mere moments for the monster to cross the distance and incite chaos among the soldiers stationed outside his cocoon. A dog-like monster, reminiscent of a stereotypical werewolf, burst into the camp, triggering a flurry of activity and noise. The beast's lupine form, draped in a shroud of thick fur, heavily hinted at what its desires had been when it was human. Which made his imagination to ponder the existence of other similar monsters that could be out there? Could there be entire covens worth of vampire-like monsters lurking out there? Because he was pretty sure he had come across plenty of online post about entire communities out there who already acted like they were real vampires pre-apocalypse.

Setting aside the interesting brainfood for now, he focussed on the camp waiting for the perfect time to escape as the werewolf monster had done its job in successfully distracting all of soldiers as they fired at it while one of them readied what appeared to be a flamethrower. A pang of envy gripped him at the sight of such a usefull weapon.

With a silent burst of energy, he swiftly broke free from his cocoon and sprinted away exhilaratingly fast in the opposite direction. The thrill of the dangerous situation caursing through him like a lightning bolt as adreniline pumped through his veins.

Fueled by the same adrenaline, he was able to maintain the same pace for a several minutes, his enhanced speed easily enabling him to move across a considerable distance with ease, especially if he had a semi clear straight line to move through like the car laben streets. While he wasn't as fast as the speed monster back at Green Home, he was still a faster then even an Olympic runner, his unnatural endurance allowing him to sustain his top speed for way longer as he dodged around obstacles and weaved through the cars, the cool night air a calming backdrop to the eerily stillness of the desolate city as he ran as far away as he could before his newly altered body started to falter in exhaustion.

Seeking refuge in a secluded alcove sheilded away from prying eyes, Hyunsu allowed his adrenaline-charged body to wind down as he started contemplating his next move in the wake of his group's absence. Likely to never be seen again within the reaches of a military compound. The weight of uncertainty pressed upon his thoughts, casting a shadow over him as the fatigue tugged at his weary limbs, lurking him into the embrace of dreamless slumber.