Chapter 78: The Worst Possible Night
The answers came sooner than anyone expected.
Before the Kingsville Defence Force could organize a citywide search...
Before investigators could process the disappearance of the hospital patients...
The city itself screamed.
* * *
It began with a single cry.
A terrified woman stumbled backward into the middle of a crowded street, pointing with trembling hands toward a man who had suddenly collapsed onto the stone pavement.
"...Somebody help him!"
People rushed forward without hesitation.
A merchant knelt beside the unconscious man while another citizen reached for his communicator.
"...Sir? Can you hear me?"
The man's body twitched.
Once, then again.
His back arched violently. A sickening series of cracks echoed through the street.
CRACK... CRACK... SNAP!
His limbs bent at unnatural angles.
Veins darkened beneath his skin, spreading rapidly across his entire body like poisonous roots.
His breathing became ragged.
Then...it stopped.
For one terrifying second...Everything was still.
The crowd held its breath.
"...Is he..."
Before anyone could finish—
FWOOSH!
The man's eyes snapped open.
They were no longer human.
A deep crimson glow burned from within empty sockets as his jaw stretched impossibly wide.
A low, guttural growl escaped his throat.
"...Grrrrrr..."
Someone screamed.
"...FREAKER!!"
The creature lunged.
ROOOAAARRR!!
Its claws tore through the nearest civilian before anyone could react.
PSSSSHHH!
Blood sprayed across the street. Panic exploded.
People scattered in every direction, overturning market stalls and crashing into one another in desperate attempts to escape.
Children cried.
Parents shouted.
Merchants abandoned everything they owned.
The peaceful streets of Kingsville descended into absolute chaos.
* * *
But the nightmare didn't stop there.
Several blocks away...Another person collapsed.
Then another.
Then three more.
Across the city, identical reports flooded emergency communication channels.
Individuals who had appeared perfectly healthy moments earlier suddenly convulsed before transforming into horrifying Freakers.
The attacks spread with terrifying speed. Not because the creatures were numerous. Because the city was alive.
The streets had been filled with people celebrating late into the evening.
Now...Those same crowded streets had become hunting grounds.
Every scream attracted another victim.
Every victim created more panic.
Every moment allowed the outbreak to spread even farther.
Flames erupted as abandoned wagons overturned into lantern posts.
Smoke rose into the night sky.
Kingsville...
Was burning.
* * *
Inside the team's temporary headquarters, the atmosphere shifted the instant Wasabi's communication device began flashing red.
BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
Her fingers raced across the holographic display as reports poured in faster than she could read them.
"...No..."
Her voice barely escaped her lips.
"...No way..."
Brandon immediately looked up.
"What is it?"
Wasabi didn't answer, as she continued scrolling.
Hospital reports. Emergency broadcasts. Civilian distress signals. Military requests.
Each one painted the same horrifying picture.
Her eyes widened.
"...All six hospitals..."
She whispered.
"...They were hit."
Zachia frowned.
"...And?"
She turned the screen toward the group.
"...Every ICU patient..."
A pause.
"...Has been taken."
Silence filled the room.
Fah-jin stepped closer.
"...That's bad..."
Wasabi continued reading.
Her expression grew even paler.
"...It gets worse."
She opened another report.
A live emergency broadcast from the city center filled the display.
Buildings burned. People ran through smoke-filled streets. Screams echoed behind the reporter before the transmission abruptly cut to static.
"...Ground Zero."
Wasabi spoke quietly.
"...City Center."
Her fingers trembled slightly as she enlarged the timeline displayed across the screen.
"...Time of the first infection..."
She swallowed.
"...Less than ten minutes after the hospital kidnappings."
The room fell completely silent.
Brandon slowly clenched his fists.
"...You're saying..."
Wasabi nodded.
"They're connected."
No one argued.
The evidence spoke for itself.
Champagne's expression darkened.
"...Those patients..."
His voice became almost inaudible.
"...They turned them."
"...Not exactly."
Everyone looked toward Wasabi.
She zoomed in on several surveillance recordings captured near the outbreaks.
"...Look carefully."
One after another, recordings showed civilians suddenly mutating into Freakers after making contact with unknown infected individuals.
None of them had come from the hospitals.
Which meant...
"...The patients were never the targets."
Wasabi looked up.
"They were the source."
Understanding struck everyone simultaneously.
"...Weapons."
Brandon's voice carried quiet anger.
Wasabi slowly shook her head.
"...No."
Her eyes remained fixed on the burning city displayed on the screen.
"...Weapons are designed to destroy."
She paused.
"...This was designed to spread."
No one spoke.
Because she was right.
This wasn't an attack. It was an epidemic and a carefully planned one.
Someone hadn't simply released Freakers into Kingsville.
Someone had engineered the perfect outbreak.
* * *
The room grew colder.
Outside, distant explosions echoed across the city.
BOOM!
A plume of smoke rose beyond the rooftops.
Zachia crossed his arms.
"...Where's Daito?"
Silence.
Everyone instinctively looked toward Champagne.
He quietly looked away.
"...I'll go get him."
Fah-jin narrowed her eyes immediately.
"...You know where he is."
A brief pause followed.
"...Yeah."
He didn't elaborate and didn't offer excuses.
The others understood.
Whatever Daito had chosen to do tonight... It wasn't anyone else's business.
Not yet.
FWOOSH!
Champagne grabbed his jacket and headed toward the door.
He stopped only long enough to look back at the group.
"...Hold your positions."
His voice became serious.
"Don't engage Silver Moon."
He looked at Brandon.
"Don't chase the Freakers."
Then at Zachia.
"We regroup first."
No one objected.
Because for the first time since arriving in Kingsville...They were facing an enemy who wanted exactly the opposite.
An enemy that wanted to separate, overwhelm, and force them into making mistakes.
Champagne pushed open the door.
A wave of heat immediately struck his face.
The distant glow of burning buildings illuminated the night sky in shades of orange and crimson.
Screams echoed from every direction.
The city was falling apart.
He broke into a sprint.
WHOOSH!
His feet barely touched the rooftops as he raced across Kingsville.
Below him...People fled through the streets.
Members of the Kingsville Defence Force desperately fought to contain the spreading Freakers.
Buildings burned.
Smoke swallowed the stars.
Champagne clenched his jaw.
"...You picked the worst possible night for this, Daito..."
His voice was carried away by the wind.
Wherever Daito was...He had no idea what awaited him.
Every second that passed allowed the outbreak to grow larger. Every moment Silver Moon remained unseen...their plan advanced another step.
Champagne's pace quickened.
Because deep down...He could already feel it.
This wasn't simply another Freaker incident.
This wasn't random chaos.
This had been orchestrated with terrifying precision.
Every kidnapping. Every infection. Every distraction.
All of it had been planned long before tonight.
And somewhere beyond the burning streets... Hidden beneath Kingsville's darkness... The Silver Moon watched their masterpiece unfold.
Patiently.
Silently.
Waiting...for the next move.
to be continued....