That was a relief.
The six-barrel rotary cannon mounted on the jeep roared to life, its thunderous rhythm echoing through the quiet village. Shell casings poured onto the cracked pavement as bullets tore through rotting flesh. Paige drove, keeping a steady course, while Miles manned the gun, mercilessly clearing every target in sight. No stragglers. No survivors.
When they reached the base of Silverpine Mountain, Paige grabbed the comms unit and keyed it in. “Mayor! We’ve made it to the village. Are you still safe?”
A few tense seconds passed before a static-riddled voice crackled back with emotion. “Thank God! You finally made it! We’re holed up in the cave beneath Immortal Rock. We blocked the entrance with boulders. There are monsters outside—we can hear them moving. Please, be careful.”
“Don’t worry,” Paige said calmly. “We’ve got some… monsters of our own on this side. Sit tight. We’ll handle it.”
She clicked off the comm. Miles gave her a sidelong glance, arching an eyebrow. “Monsters, huh? That what I am to you?”
Paige grinned. “You said it, not me.”
With a laugh, she shifted gears and turned the jeep onto the narrow mountain path. The road had once been scenic—paved for tourists to admire the slopes—but now it was a graveyard.
Dead animals littered both sides. Their corpses were bloated, ruptured, and rotting, the stench unbearable even with the windows up.
Miles frowned, his tone darkening. “This isn’t good. Most small animals don’t survive the virus, but the ones that do... they mutate fast. Mountain regions are worse than cities—too many places for things to hide, and no containment.”
No sooner had he spoken than the trees above began to rustle. Blood-red eyes glinted between the branches. Mutated squirrels. Birds. Some were the size of hawks, others no larger than sparrows—but every last one of them had that unmistakable murderous glow in their eyes.
“Hold tight!” Miles shouted. “Full speed! We can’t afford to slow down—those things are hard to hit!”
Before Paige could respond, Miles was already swapping out the rotary cannon’s ammo for incendiary rounds. He aimed high, unloading into the trees. Flames erupted across the canopy. Branches crackled and leaves curled in the heat. Birds screamed as the rising heat currents kept them from diving. Squirrels fled, only to be engulfed by fire.
“What the hell are you doing?!” Paige yelled, veering to avoid a flaming branch.
“Saving our asses,” Miles shot back. “These things? You don’t want to see them in swarms. A regular rifle’s useless. Only fire works.”
He wasn’t lying. As the flames spread and consumed the forest, Paige pushed the jeep harder, tires screeching on the incline. The mountain, once a serene tourist destination, was now a burning hellscape.
“You’re literally burning down a national forest!” Paige shouted.
Miles shrugged, still launching firebombs. “Let’s be honest—who’s coming up here for a vacation anytime soon?”
With every fireball, Miles’ HUD pinged with rising XP. It was like watching a jackpot meter spin out of control. He grinned. “Oh yeah. Keep burning.”
They broke through the smoke and emerged onto a flattened clearing near the cave entrance—just in time to see a grotesque monstrosity dragging itself in front of the boulder-sealed cave.
A Corroder.
It was huge, hunched like a gorilla, with layers of decaying muscle and bone jutting out at random angles. Dozens of standard zombies and mutated dogs and cats clustered around it.
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Miles didn’t hesitate. He reloaded, locked in fresh rounds, and opened fire.
The air was filled with the ripping thunder of the rotary gun. The zombies dropped like dominoes. Even the Corroder staggered under the barrage. Chunks of flesh and bone exploded from its side. When the drum finally emptied, the monster was half-destroyed—its arms and legs blown clean off.
And still, it crawled.
With the cannon overheated, Miles dropped the weapon, yanked out the Greed Blade, and leapt from the moving jeep.
The Corroder shrieked and launched a tentacle from its gaping mouth, aiming straight for his skull. Miles twisted midair, dodging the strike by inches, and drove his blade into the tentacle’s base. It instantly shriveled, drying into a withered husk.
The creature writhed, its belly mouth snapping uselessly, but Miles didn’t let up. “Time to die, freak.”
With a final thrust, the blade pierced its skull. Black veins surged across its face, pulsing violently. The Corroder’s body convulsed—then collapsed.
Level Up.
The system chimed in Miles’ head. He’d gained another level—but only just. Five thousand XP now barely filled half the bar. Still, it was something.
Miles – Demon Hunter, Level 21
EXP: 3%
Strength: 10
Agility: 19 (+2)
Constitution: 12
Willpower: 10
Greed Blade – Level 7
Attack: 400
EXP: 52%
Miles sheathed the blade as Paige pulled up beside the cave. She leaned out the window, expression grim.
“Well, congrats. You’ve officially trapped us on a burning mountain.”
He glanced back. The road was covered in collapsed, burning trees. The fire had turned the only path down into a wall of flame.
“At least we’ve got a scenic view,” he muttered.
The heat was already making it hard to breathe. Waves of it rolled across the clearing, singeing their clothes and hair.
“We need to blast the cave open,” Paige said. “Or I’m going to roast out here.”
“Warn them first,” Miles said, reaching for his grenades. “I’ll plant the charges.”
Paige radioed the mayor while Miles jammed high-yield explosives into cracks in the boulders. She gave him the go-ahead, and he dove behind the jeep.
BOOM!
The blast sent shards of rock flying. Dust and smoke filled the clearing.
“Mayor?” Paige called.
“We’re here!” a voice replied. “You’re a damn miracle.”
A group of villagers emerged, blinking in the light and shielding themselves from the heat. But the moment they saw the fire, they froze.
Their mountain—everything they’d built—was burning.
“No… no!” the mayor wailed. “This mountain is our lifeline!”
More villagers cried out, panicking. Paige turned to warn them, but a fresh sound cut through the noise—skittering claws and squeals.
A new wave of mutated animals poured onto the road—squirrels, rats, rodents of all kinds. Forced out of the flames, they were desperate and aggressive.
“Back in the cave!” Paige shouted. “Miles, suppressive fire!”
Miles didn’t need to be told twice. He reloaded the rotary gun and opened fire. The flames on either side forced the creatures into a funnel, making them easy targets.
Paige began tossing grenades down the slope, the explosions echoing through the valley. Blasts tore apart the creatures, sending chunks flying. Trees split. Fire and shrapnel turned the narrow path into a hellish gauntlet.
The explosions eventually forced the creatures to retreat, at least temporarily. Paige ushered the villagers back into the cave. Meanwhile, Miles casually looted the ammo and grenades from the jeep—shoving them into his dimensional inventory when no one was watching.
Smart man.
But the threat wasn’t over.
Another wave of beasts, driven by the fire, surged forward.
“Seal the cave!” Paige yelled.
Miles was ready. He’d already placed grenades around the new entrance. Once everyone was clear, Paige shot one of the explosives.
BOOM.
The entire mouth of the cave collapsed. Dust filled the air. The floor shook. Debris rained from the ceiling.
When silence returned, the outside world was sealed off.
The mayor groaned. “Now what? That mountain was everything. It’s all gone.”
Paige put a hand on his shoulder. “Right now, survival comes first. The forest can be replanted. With government funding and some hard work, the village will recover.”
The mayor nodded reluctantly. “You’re right. Still... this is a tragedy. A curse. Something evil must’ve caused this.”
Miles let out a weary laugh. “Evil? Maybe. But if we don’t move, that ceiling’s going to collapse and bury us all. That fire’s heating the rock from the outside in.”
“There’s another way out,” the mayor said. “A waterfall at the back of the cave. But it’s a hundred meters down and slippery as hell.”
Miles smirked. “I’ve got a plan. Just get us there. It leads to the city, right?”
“Sort of. It’s rough terrain but passable.”
Paige nodded. “Let’s go before more of that ceiling starts falling.”
The villagers—231 in total—began to move, guided by flashlight beams through the dark cavern. Somewhere ahead, the sound of water echoed faintly.
Almost there.
Then something swooped past their heads.
Miles swung his flashlight upward. Just stone. Caves. Strange, birdlike nests clung to the ceiling.
His stomach sank.
“Mayor... this cave has bats?”
“Yes,” the mayor said slowly. “We never cleared this part. Lots of bats. Maybe snakes too. We didn’t think it was—”
“Move,” Miles growled. “Now. That thing wasn’t a regular bat.”
Mutated bats.
Because of course it couldn’t just be easy.