Leon moved with precision.

  His footsteps were silent as he navigated the darkened corridors of the abandoned military research facility.

  This place had once been a high-security compound, a fortress of steel and concrete, guarded by elite soldiers and cutting-edge technology.

  Now?

  It was eerily quiet.

  The only sounds were the faint buzzing of flickering lights and the occasional distant thud, likely a body collapsing somewhere in the facility.

  Leon tightened his grip on the crowbar.

  He knew better than anyone: silence didn’t mean safety.

  In his past life, he had raided this very same facility, months into the apocalypse. By then, it had been overrun with infected and stripped clean by scavengers.

  But now?

  With his one-week head start, this place could be a gold mine.

  And if his memory served him right…

  There was something invaluable hidden inside.

  Leon crouched low and scanned the entrance.

  The main security doors were locked tight, reinforced steel. Breaking them open would take too much time and too much noise.

  But Leon remembered an alternative.

  He circled around the building, moving through the overgrown parking lot where abandoned military jeeps sat covered in dust.

  Then, he found it.

  A ventilation shaft.

  It was small, but big enough to squeeze through. More importantly, it led directly into the armory.

  Leon took a deep breath, then pulled himself up. His newfound strength made it effortless.

  Within seconds, he was inside.

  The air was stale, metallic. He crawled through the vent, ears sharp for any sound of movement below.

  Then, a voice.

  Faint. Muffled.

  “…Hello…? Is someone there…?”

  Leon froze.

  Someone was inside the facility.

  Leon quickly moved forward, reaching a grated vent that overlooked the armory.

  And what he saw made him curse under his breath.

  A soldier, young, maybe early twenties, was trapped inside. His uniform was tattered, his face pale with fear.

  His rifle lay useless beside him, its ammo spent.

  And standing just a few feet away…

  An infected.

  Not just any infected, a Tier-1 Mutant.

  Its body was twisted, veins bulging with blackened corruption. Unlike the slow-moving undead, this one was alert.

  It had already sensed prey.

  The soldier backed up against the wall, his breathing rapid.

  Leon gritted his teeth.

  In his past life, he wouldn’t have even considered helping. Dead weight meant death.

  But now?

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  Now he had a chance to change things.

  Leon didn’t hesitate.

  He kicked open the vent cover and dropped down into the armory.

  The Mutant snapped its head toward him with inhuman speed.

  Leon moved faster.

  With a powerful swing of his crowbar, he smashed it into the side of the creature’s skull.

  CRACK!

  The impact sent the Mutant stumbling. Black ichor splattered across the floor.

  But it wasn’t dead.

  With a snarl, it lunged at him, claws swiping through the air.

  Leon ducked. Barely.

  A normal human would’ve been ripped apart.

  But Leon’s reflexes, his newfound power, made him faster.

  He dodged left, then countered with a brutal kick to the creature’s knee.

  SNAP.

  The Mutant’s leg broke backward, forcing it to collapse.

  Leon wasted no time. He raised the crowbar high...

  And drove it down into the creature’s skull.

  SQUELCH.

  The Mutant twitched.

  Then went still.

  The soldier gasped, eyes wide in disbelief.

  “H-Holy shit…”

  Leon pulled his crowbar free, blackened blood dripping from its end. He turned to the soldier.

  “Can you walk?”

  The young man nodded frantically. “Y-Yeah. Who the hell are you?”

  Leon didn’t answer. He was already scanning the armory shelves, searching for the real prize.

  Leon’s eyes landed on a black, reinforced case.

  He remembered it well.

  This case had once been lost when the facility was overrun. It contained a prototype weapon, one of the strongest human-made firearms ever created.

  He popped it open.

  Inside was a sleek, custom-built revolver, larger than normal, with a modified frame designed to fire explosive rounds.

  It had been nicknamed “The Judgment” by its creator.

  Leon picked it up, its weight feeling just right in his grip.

  This weapon alone could change everything.

  He grabbed a belt of special ammo, then turned back to the soldier.

  “We’re leaving.”

  The soldier hesitated. “You don’t even know my name”

  “I don’t care.” Leon checked his new revolver, spinning the cylinder before snapping it shut. “You want to live, follow me.”

  The young man gulped, then nodded. “N-Name’s Eric, by the way.”

  Leon didn’t respond.

  Outside, the first waves of infected were already swarming the city.

  This was just the beginning.

  And he had more work to do.

  ***

  Leon took a deep breath and assessed the situation.

  The facility was vast, a maze of hallways and research labs filled with supplies he could use. But the longer he stayed, the higher the risk.

  A single Tier-1 Mutant was one thing.

  But if more of them started appearing… even he would struggle.

  "Eric," he muttered, eyes scanning the room for a tactical route. "We're moving out. But first, we need more supplies."

  Eric still looked shaken but nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, okay. What do we need?"

  Leon slung his new revolver, The Judgment, onto his belt. "Weapons, medical supplies, and high-calorie food. If we're lucky, maybe body armor."

  Eric's eyes widened. "Wait. Y-You're planning to loot the entire facility?"

  "Only the essentials." Leon turned toward the door. "Stick close and stay quiet. If you see something move, shoot only if you have no other choice."

  Eric swallowed hard but followed.

  Leon pushed open the armory door, peeking into the dimly lit corridor.

  Silence.

  But he knew better than to trust it.

  Leon led the way, moving with trained efficiency. Every corner, every blind spot, he checked them all before advancing.

  They slipped through a side hallway, bypassing the main corridors where security cameras flickered, some showing static, others showing footage of empty rooms, or what looked like shadows shifting unnaturally.

  "Where is everyone?" Eric whispered.

  Leon didn’t answer.

  He already knew.

  Most of the staff evacuated. The rest?

  Probably dead. Or worse.

  They approached a storage room near the medical bay. Leon gestured for Eric to cover him while he pried the door open.

  Inside, shelves were stocked with MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), canned food, and bottled water.

  "Jackpot," Leon muttered.

  They loaded their bags quickly. Leon focused on grabbing anything useful, protein bars, survival rations, painkillers, antibiotics.

  Then, he spotted something even better.

  Hanging on a locker was a black tactical vest.

  Kevlar reinforced. Military-grade body armor.

  Leon slipped it on without hesitation. It wasn’t as good as the high-tech exosuits developed later in the apocalypse, but against Tier-1 zombies? It would help.

  Eric found extra ammo for a standard military-issued rifle.

  "We should get out of here," Eric whispered.

  Leon paused.

  His instincts screamed at him.

  Something was off.

  Then...

  A low, guttural growl echoed through the hall.

  Eric froze. His grip on the rifle tightened. "What was that?"

  Leon didn't answer.

  He already knew.

  More were coming.

  Leon reached for The Judgment, his fingers tightening around the grip.

  Then, from the darkness of the hallway

  A figure lunged.

  FAST.

  Leon dodged left, barely avoiding the gnarled claws that slashed through the air.

  Tier-1 Mutant.

  Another one.

  Its eyes were glowing, veins pulsing with an eerie blue light. Its skin, once human, had hardened, almost like chitin armor.

  Eric panicked and fired his rifle—BANG!

  The bullet hit, but barely fazed the creature.

  "Shit!" Eric cursed.

  Leon moved on instinct.

  He raised The Judgment, aimed, and fired.

  BOOM.

  The bullet tore through the Mutant's skull, sending it crashing to the ground.

  But the gunshot echoed through the facility.

  Leon clenched his jaw. That was too loud.

  More sounds.

  Shuffling. Groaning.

  The facility was waking up.

  Leon grabbed Eric. "Move. Now!"

  They sprinted down the hallway as doors rattled, the infected behind them growing restless.

  Turning a corner, Leon spotted an emergency staircase leading to the underground garage.

  Their best exit.

  But...

  Blocking the path was something worse.

  A hulking figure stood in the dim lighting.

  Its body was grotesquely swollen, veins pulsating, its arms looking almost too large for its frame.

  Leon recognized it immediately.

  A Berserker.

  A Tier-2 Zombie.

  Much stronger than a regular Mutant.

  Much, much deadlier.

  It let out a deafening roar, the force alone making Eric stumble back.

  Leon narrowed his eyes.

  The real fight was about to begin.