The Undying Epoch (Incomplete)

Chapter 11: Shadow's Enigma

As the abnormal lerker closed in, its movements were fluid and deliberate, unlike the frenzied behavior of its infected counterparts. The air crackled with tension as I tried to comprehend the anomaly before me.

"Everyone, be careful. This one's different," Hela cautioned, her katanas gleaming in the moonlight as she took a defensive stance.

The rest of the group formed a protective barrier around me, their makeshift weapons at the ready. Sally twirled her chair-leg weapon, Hyuni gripped the dagger, and Blair, still recovering from the earlier encounter, clutched a sturdy pipe.

"By the way Harry, you're steal borrowing my baton" Blair reminded me whil giving me a rather threatening sideye.

Well i guess i have to give him back huh? If i chose not to, this encounter with the abnormal lerker will certainly not be as scary as it is.

The lerker lunged, its movements precise and powerful. I attempted to dodge, but it anticipated my actions, leaving me vulnerable. In that critical moment, Blair swung his pipe with remarkable strength, diverting the lerker's attention away from me.

Blair's eyes widened with surprise. "This one's tough! What's going on?"

Hela, engaging the lerker with a calculated dance of blades, replied, "It's like it retained some level of intelligence. We need to work together and find a way to subdue it."

Sally smirked, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Well, well, looks like we've got ourselves a lerker with a brain. Who would've thought?"

Hyuni, her usual composure wavering, tried to make sense of the situation. "Is it possible for them to evolve? To become more than just mindless monsters?"

Blair, still grappling with the pipe, quipped, "If it's evolving, I hope it's not practicing for a lerker takeover. We've got enough on our plate."

The struggle continued, our group fighting with a heightened urgency against the formidable foe. The abnormal lerker, seemingly aware of its surroundings, dodged attacks with an almost preternatural instinct.

Amidst the chaos, I wrestled with a mixture of fear and curiosity. "What the hell is happening to this city? Are we dealing with some mutant strain of infection?"

Hela, parrying the lerker's strikes, pondered aloud, "We need answers, but right now, our priority is survival. Let's take this thing down, regroup, and figure out our next move."

As the battle raged on, the mysterious lerker exhibited a strength and cunning that hinted at a disturbing evolution in the infection. Little did we know that this encounter was just the beginning, a harbinger of the challenges that awaited us in the ever-darkening shadows of the apocalypse.