Mutant 99 [Fanfic]

| Survivor |

Cross, the 99th Mutant, turned slowly, gripping his makeshift spike in his right hand. When he saw the creature, he backed away slowly, eyes bulging at the gruesome monstrosity he found.

   It's body was big, bulky, set on all fours and the limbs were mostly the same size, odd for such a bear-like thing, though it seemed to have the lower profile of a wolf, with a bear's main body. It's back legs were graceful and lanky, like that of a canine, but its front legs were the thick limbs of a bear, dagger-like claws the weapons of the brutish animal. It's head was long and narrow, one ear round like a bear's, the other a sharp wolf's. It's matted fur was missing in patches, showing grey and blotchy skin.

   A sickening growl rumbled from within its chest, bubbling up its throat to spill from between bared teeth, assaulting the ears of the mutant before it.

   Cross was struck by fear. He lifted the spike and pointed at it threateningly.

   Great. Maybe he could poke it to death.

   The Wolf-Bear lunged, teeth about to snap into the Mutant.

   Instinct took over Mutant 99. He backed to the side on surprisingly swift and steady legs, swinging the metal like a club with inhuman force and speed. It struck the radiated beast over the head, making it jerk away from him and pull back, launching a swipe with its left paw.

   Cross moved to avoid it, but his reflexes were still slow from the freezer, resulting in the hospital gown being torn open in front and three thin, shallow cuts on his chest. Pain blossomed forth from the blow, air sucked in from his teeth.

   The Mutant jumped back, putting distance between himself and the monster. Eight feet of distance. The beast looked up at him, growling and charging forth on all fours now.

   Adrenaline surged through Cross's system, melting the remaining ice in his muscles, giving him better reflexes. His vision sharpened ever so slightly. He finally picked up on the smell of the world around him. His arm hairs stood up on end. The world exploded with clarity, almost stunning him with its sensory overload.

   Almost.

   Faster electric pulses within his brain, one of his mutations, granting him greater and faster thinking power, and further control of his body. He knew this, and somewhere in the back of his mind, registered its what allowed him to react as quickly as he--

   Cross rolled under a swipe from the monster, where it had tried to strike him while he got lost in thought. He came up on its right side, and before it could turn towards him he had jumped onto its back.

   Straddling the creature just a bit behind its neck, Cross let fly with his piece of metal, hammering into its head again and again. The first time only seemed to anger it, but after the second its growl studdered. The third made its head dip down. It stumbled on the forth. The fifth came with a whimpering stumble.

   Finally, Cross lifted, gripping the makeshift spike with both hands, he dropped it down, shouting in wordless anger, and stabbed it viciously into the back of the neck through the spine, at the base of the skull, yellow tinged blood seeping out onto his hands. The monster dropped immediately, dead.

   Mutant 99 looked down at his slain victim and stood, getting off the dead beast. He dragged in air in deep ragged breaths, more from excitement than fatigue.

   One glance and he knew he wasn't getting the weapon back. He was about to turn and walk away when he heard a thick growl to his right, turning to look where it came.

   There were two -- no, three -- more of the Wolf-Bear monsters. No way could he fight them all while unarmed.

   Cross ran.