Apocalypse Ascension

"RAAAAGGHHHHH!"

The mutant's shout pierced through the alleyway as it charged, draining the fighting spirit of anyone who heard it.

"Let's start round 2 you big fuck."

Justin sprinted toward it, meeting its charge head-on. With his built-up momentum, he rolled beneath its legs, earning another shout from the mutant.

"KHHRAAGHH!"

Justin taunted.

"If you couldn't hit me yesterday, what makes you think you could touch me today?"

To his surprise, the mutant wasn't as slow as he thought. It turned around at astonishing speeds, and before he could rise from his roll, he felt a leg descending from above like a hammer.

[Justin, Move!]

As Pathway's warning sounded in his head, the world around him slowed and his body moved on its own, avoiding the downward kick entirely.

'What was that?!'

As he thought this he remembered something he'd seen in his status.

[Trait—Unseen Nerve: The user's body can move before their conscious mind can react—the user's nerves fire almost as if time is slowing down for them]

'That explains that…'

It looked at Justin in a confused manner, the mutant stared, sure the little ant had finally been crushed.

Lifting its foot, a small crater formed under it.

'If I stayed there it probably would've been game over.'

Justin grimaced at the thought.

The mutant started to prepare another charge but Justin had other things planned. Nearby the alleyway's walls, to his right, he noticed a fire escape just above his reach and a plan started forming in his head.

'Pathway…what are the chances of me making that jump?'

[Loading…]

The mutant's charge got closer and closer.

'PATHWAY I DON'T HAVE ALL DAMN DAY?!'

[…%…Calculation complete, estimated success chance: 76%.]

"HIGH ENOUGH FOR ME!"

Justin dashed to the right and to the untrained eye, he vanished.

One stride.

Two Strides.

Three Strides.

On the fourth and final stride, Justin could feel it, deaths scythe slowly making its way to his neck.

As he prepared to jump, he felt it…a sudden burst of speed kicked in. Finally jumping, he reached his hands out midair and suddenly saw images of a beautiful woman with luscious black hair.

'Survive….my…son.'

'Mom?'

The vision made his heart skip a beat. She had finally responded after countless nights of Justin speaking to her in the heavens.

'No, no, no—I'm daydreaming…'

Snapping out of his daze, Justin felt like he was in the air for eternity. Shortly after his jump he heard a loud boom below him.

Still staring forward, the black bottom rung of the fire escape gradually became more and more within reach, and reach he did.

Grabbing onto the rung, Justin hurriedly pulled himself up, chest heaving, heart racing.

'I did it Pathway, 76% my ass.'

Justin thought, high off adrenaline.

[Gratitude Justin, if you had died to that mutant we would have both perished. A sad reality Indeed.]

Justin nodded in agreement.

Justin scanned the ground, searching for the mutant—and quickly found it. It laid on the ground struggling, repeatedly trying to get up but falling back down in the process—a real pitiful sight. The boom that sounded out right after he jumped replayed in Justin's head.

'That boom…It must've smashed head first into those brick-walls after missing me.'

After the realization, Justin's eyes flicked back and forth—up the fire escape and back down at the mutant.

'…Do I run…or end it?"

Justin thought about both options deeply, if he went back down now sure he could do decent damage, but decent damage wasn't what he needed right now—he needed a sure fire way to kill that thing instantly. Then he thought about the second—safer option, a retreat up the fire escape where he could regroup, maybe lure it into a trap, or run away as a whole.

In a different environment he maybe would've had a better chance, but the reality right now was harsh. Justin's brain screamed at him, telling him to get the hell out—but his heart screamed louder, and he felt it; if he ran right now…he'd lose something he'd never be able to get back in the future.

Justin scanned the alleyway, searching for something—anything he could use to kill it in one go. His eyes landed on a specific box—an old electric box with exposed wiring sparking and oddly enough, a puddle of water directly below it.

A plan started brewing in his mind, but moments later Pathway's voice sounded out.

[While smart Justin, the chances of you dying along side it in that plan are very high. I strongly recommend you think of something else]

'Does it look like I have time to just "think of something" else right now Pathway?'

[…Right. Justin listen and listen well, the frequency of the sparks is intermittent but stable, sitting at 4.3 seconds. After clearing the leap, you'll have exactly 2.8 seconds to initiate the mutants charge. After doing so, on your third stride you'll have to successfully pivot yourself to successfully escape.]

Justin nodded.

'If mom saw me do this, she would kill me faster than that thing down there ever could…'

Justin thought jokingly to calm his nerves, whenever he thought of his mom he attained perfect focus.

Justin did a bout of stretches before finally leaping. The leap—something that'd shatter his legs before, just caused them to ache a bit now.

Back upright, Justin stared at the mutant and shouted.

"I'M OVER HERE DUMB ASS!"

The mutant finally staggered upright, Justin's shout certainly did its job.

"RAAAAGHHHHH!"

Its fists dragged the pavement as it roared once more.

Justin exhaled once, then bolted. Pathway's voice sounded out again in his head.

[Remember Justin, third stride is your pivot, you have 2.8 seconds.]

If Pathway's voice was the calm—Justin's heart was the storm.

One stride, his shoes splashed through a shallow puddle.

Two strides, Sparks snapped and popped from the junction box up ahead.

Third Stride—

Justin dropped, pivoting on the balls of his feet, he let himself swing into a sharp curve. His arms snapped into position, center of gravity shifted low, and he dragged his back foot across the wet concrete to spray water—making sure the trail lead straight through the kill zone.

The mutant lunged.

[The redirect was successful. Clear out now Justin!]

Pathway shouted.

Justin let his instincts take control, his body twisted, right foot planted—and with a burst of energy from his legs and hips, he kicked off the ground, launching himself out of there just as the creature behind him roared past.

For a second, Justin felt the world around him freeze—just like before.

The mutant's foot fell right where he wanted it—on the wire. The puddle flared blue and white beneath it.

KRACK-BOOM!

Electricity surged, the metal cased box exploding into a shower of blue and white sparks. The mutant convulsed mid-step, muscles twitching, and its pitch black eyes which had a tiny glimmer of white before, lost even that. It tried to scream—but the current wouldn't allow it.

Shortly after, silence and the smell of burnt flesh and ozone flooded the alleyway.

Justin, still running, hit the far wall hard; he rolled, came up weaving, and was somewhat lightheaded. Still, he got up to watch the monster collapse like a fried circuit.

"Shit, that hurt."

Justin patted his head and mumbled through hard breaths.

"I told you."

Justin muttered, still looking at the charred corpse.

"Even after mutation—Round two was always mine. Rest easy, man."