Apocalypse: Roach to Supreme Being

" How could you be so careless, Kimot?"

Marcus asked , his voice dripping with frustration. They had set out on their bike, but halfway to City Hospital, the fuel ran dry, delaying their mission.

"Sorry, Captain… this morning, I got caught up with a case and forgot to refuel," Kimot apologized, his face flushed with embarrassment. Checking the fuel was his job.

"What kind of case?" Marcus asked. He'd been late to duty for some reason and didn't know what case Kimot had taken on.

"Ms. Lorris's missing cat"

Kimot replied hesitantly, knowing such a trivial case didn't suit their professional standards, his voice tinged with shame.

Sigh…

Marcus stayed silent for a moment before speaking. "For a year, we've been stuck solving petty cases like this, but today we've finally got a case worthy of our duty—one we've been craving for so long. So get serious now."

"Yes, Captain," Kimot responded, his tone shifting to determination.

PEEEEPP ~PEEEEP

"Um… officers, looks like a traffic jam," the taxi driver said, hitting the brakes.

"What… traffic?" Marcus was shocked to see a sudden jam at this hour.

"No matter, City Hospital is just half a kilometer from here. We'll walk," Marcus decided, stepping out of the taxi. Kimot got out on the other side.

PEEEPPPP~ PEEEPPP~

"Ahh… so much noise!" Kimot covered his ears with his hands.

"Yeah, these people probably aren't used to traffic, so they're blasting their horns in a rush," Marcus guessed, reading the crowd's frantic mindset.

"Come on, let's move. We'll figure out the cause later—right now, we need to get to City Hospital," Marcus said, weaving through the stalled cars, Kimot following close behind.

"Run!"

A faint shout came from ahead, barely audible over the blaring horns.

As they moved further, the voices grew clearer to Marcus and Kimot.

"Run… they're killing everyone!"

The crowd surged toward them, screaming, panicked, and terrified.

"What's happening? Who are these people running from in such fear?" Kimot asked, sensing the dread in their voices.

"Graaaaa…"

Kimot's question was answered. In the crowd, blood-soaked infected were attacking the others, their bodies drenched in crimson.

"Arhhhhh… N-nooo…"

The victims screamed in agonizing pain.

"This… what kind of madness is this?" Marcus froze, trembling at the sight of the infected.

He quickly drew his gun from his waistband, pointing it forward.

"Hey, you crazy bastard, let him go now, or my first bullet's going through your skull!" Marcus warned, cocking his gun. Kimot took aim beside him.

"Grrrra…"

"Captain… that's the same eerie growl we heard on the call!" Kimot instantly recognized the sound.

Marcus's mind raced, his eyes fixed on the infected, his finger on the trigger. " Why are its eyes red? What's with this bizarre behavior? Is it out of its mind, or is something else going on that I can't understand?

"H… help, offi…"

The man on the ground cried for help, but before he could finish, the infected lunged, tearing into the side of his neck.

"Arghhhhhaaaa!"

"You fucking psycho…"

BANG!

Marcus fired at the infected's chest to save the man.

"Grr…"

The bullet's impact pushed the infected back slightly, but it didn't die.

"Graaaaaaaaaaa…"

It let out a ferocious growl, rising from the man and charging toward Marcus.

"What the hell?"

Kimot was stunned. The bullet hit its chest, yet the infected didn't die—it advanced, its mouth dripping with blood.

C… Captain, these are real m-monsters in human form… we won't survive!" Kimot stammered, his hands trembling with fear.

"Get a grip, Kimot! If you hesitate now, you're done for. Whatever those things are—monsters or not—we have to stop them. People are dying, and it's not just one; there are tons of them!"

Marcus urged, trying to bolster Kimot's courage. His focus remained sharp, his finger still steady on the trigger.

"Sorry, Captain, I showed you my cowardly side," Kimot said, reining in his fear at Marcus's words. He gripped his gun tightly, steeling himself.

"Grrraaaa…"

"Someone save us!"

"Arhhhhaa, nooooo!"

"Argbbbbbhh…"

The traffic jam left little space—only enough for one person to slip between the cars. Trapped, some people climbed into vehicles, others hid beneath them, desperate to escape.

An infected charged toward Marcus and Kimot, moving fast. A few steps behind, more infected followed, drawn by the sound of gunfire.

"Grrrraaaaa…"

"Captain… what do we do? There are so many, and I feel like this isn't just here—it's happening all over SKEDAN City!" Kimot said, recalling the flood of calls at the station earlier, piecing together the scale of the crisis.

"Yeah… these are the monsters killing people," Marcus replied, realizing this wasn't a minor issue but a massive, terrifying unknown they couldn't handle alone.

"Graaaaaaaaa…"

The infected was nearly upon them. Marcus pulled the trigger, this time aiming for its leg.

BANG!

Thud!~

The infected lost its balance and collapsed to the ground.

"Grrraaa…"

But it didn't stop—it crawled toward them, undeterred.

"What is this thing? It doesn't feel any pain—my bullet hit its heart, but it's acting like it doesn't even have one!" Marcus thought, staring in disbelief at the infected crawling toward him, ignoring the blood pouring from its body.

"Captain, it doesn't feel pain… is that even possible?"

Kimot gasped, stunned by the infected's fearless, pain-immune behavior. Its face showed no trace of agony or fear from the bullet.

"Kimot… this is something we don't understand. If it's like this at City Hospital too,We could get trapped if we go there. Order the rest of the unit to regroup here now,"

Marcus said, grasping the gravity of the situation. He was already planning their next move, rallying his team.

"Yes, Captain,"

Kimot obeyed, pulling out his phone to make the call.But no one answered—just endless ringing. He tried again, then a third time, but still no response.

"Umm… Captain, no one's picking up," Kimot said, his voice uneasy.

"What!?" Marcus's shock deepened, a sinking feeling gripping his heart.

Just then, the sound of a child crying came from his right side.

"Arghhhhaaaaa!"

"Araaaa… f-father…"

" Grrrrtt "

"Someone save my son, please…!"

Marcus leapt onto a car's trunk, rushing toward the sound. There, he saw a father desperately grappling with an infected, trying to protect his child.

"Grraaaaa…"

"Please, someone… hurry, save my son… arghhh!"

Tears streamed down the father's face as he clutched the infected's mouth, struggling to hold it back.

"Hey… are you okay?" Marcus rushed to the boy, who was huddled in place, sobbing as he watched his father.

"P-Please, officer… take my son somewhere safe," the father begged, pleading for his child's life.

"Grrra…"

"Argghhhhaaaa!"

The infected tore flesh from the father's arm with its teeth.

"F-Father… arhhhaaa!" The boy screamed louder, wailing at the sight of his father's agony.

"P-Please… save… my son… argggaahh…"

The infected ripped into the father like a vulture tearing at living flesh. The sheer cruelty left Marcus speechless, his mind reeling.

"Fucking hell, this isn't the kind of monster case I wanted—one that threatens the entire human race!"

Marcus thought, seething with regret. Back at the police station, he'd been overjoyed at the prospect of a murder case, craving the thrill. Now, he was furious with himself for that excitement, confronted by the Z-Virus's apocalyptic horror.

"Captain…"

Kimot's voice snapped Marcus out of his shock.

"Kimot, get that boy to safety!" Marcus ordered, his voice sharp with urgency.

Kimot surged forward, lifting the 8-year-old boy into his arms. He retreated toward Marcus, eyes locked on the infected, moving with utmost caution to ensure it didn't break free from the father's grasp and attack.

"T… thank you… argghh… officer…" the father gasped, his voice breaking under the weight of pain.

"F… Father… let me go… I want to go to Father… araaa!" The boy thrashed desperately, fighting to return to his father.

"Grrraaaa…"

The infected, consumed by feral aggression, tore into the father's body, ripping flesh with savage brutality.

"My… s-son… go with the officer uncle… arghhh… I'll come soon… arghhhaaa!" the father pleaded, his voice faltering as he fought to hold on.

"Shit… I can't do anything. I can't save him now—he's too badly injured, bleeding out, about to die… dammit… what are these things, and why am I so terrified of them?"

Marcus thought, fear clawing at his core. He'd rallied Kimot's courage, but no one was there to bolster his own. In his entire life, he'd never seen such horror—and he wasn't alone; the entire crowd was trapped in the same nightmare.

"Kyaaaa… Arhhhhaaaaa!"

"N… noooo!"

" H.....help!!"

In the gridlocked traffic, the anguished screams of ordinary people pierced the air. Some scrambled into cars, others fled, shrieking in terror. Panic had consumed the crowd.

"C-Captain, this is beyond our control. We need to inform headquarters!" Kimot urged, realizing the situation's gravity. If they didn't act, countless lives would be lost to these monsters—and they might not survive either.

"You're right, Kimot… this situation's too dangerous for us to handle alone,"

Marcus agreed, nodding at Kimot's suggestion. He pulled his satellite phone from his pocket, a device issued to all unit captains, with a direct line to headquarters.

"Grraaaa…"

"Shit… Captain, the boy's father is dead!"

Kimot's voice trembled with panic as the infected's guttural growl grew louder, now turning toward them, free from its struggle, with the boy in Kimot's arms.

"Run back, fast!" Marcus shouted.

" BANG! "

He fired at the infected's leg, sending it crashing to the ground, giving them a brief window to retreat.

" KIRRRR ~ KIIIRRRR "

"THIS IS MARC 225, LOCATION TURK, COORDINATES 12°2#¥€. RED ALERT, I REPEAT, RED ALERT! WE NEED BACKUP NOW!" Marcus barked into the satellite phone, using coded language.