Maarg's grip on the window tightened as he stared at the alley below. The dim streetlight flickered, casting eerie shadows across the cracked pavement.
At first, he thought it was just another cat or raccoon—
But then he saw it,
Not a cat or a raccoon,
A man.
Dressed in hazmat suit.
Maarg's brow furrowed. He recognized that suit. Jack had described it before, mentioned a man wearing the same thing—someone who had approached him and Sammy not too long ago.
"What the hell…" Maarg muttered under his breath.
Remmy, still adjusting her towel, followed his gaze. Her confusion mirrored his. "Why is someone in a hazmat suit just standing there?"
The man wasn't moving much. He simply stood at the far end of the alley, with his hand on his side and facing them as if he was trying to warn them about something
Then, suddenly, the sound of something shuffling nearby caught their attention.
Further down the alley, a lone infected emerged from the shadows. Its body was frail, skin stretched impossibly tight over its skull and rough hair covering his dead eyes. It moved sluggishly at first, dragging its feet until—
It Stopped and stared directly at Maarg.
Then, it smiled.
A grotesque, twisted grin lips pulling back far beyond what should be possible, exposing jagged, bloodied teeth. Its hollow eyes locked onto Maarg's, as if recognizing him.
A shiver ran down Remmy's spine. "Did that thing just—"
But before she could finish, something even stranger happened.
Maarg smiled back.
Not out of amusement. Not out of fear.
Just instinct.
A part of him responded to that horrifying grin like it was natural.
Remmy took a step back. "Uh, Maarg?"
But Maarg wasn't listening.
His body moved, before his mind even processed it.
With fluid, almost inhuman precision, he leapt onto the windowsill.
Then—
He jumped.
Remmy's eyes widened in horror. "MAARG—!"
He twisted mid-air, kicking off the base of the window with such force that it sent him diving downward at an impossible angle.
His body became a blur.
And in one seamless motion—
His arm swung.
Something sliced.
A wet, sickening sound filled the air.
The zombie's grotesque smile remained frozen in place, even as its head separated from its body.
A clean cut. Effortless.
But Maarg wasn't done.
Before his feet even touched the ground, he pushed off the wall, twisting his body again. Using the momentum from his fall, he parkoured off the alley walls, flipping upward, grabbing onto the ledge, and pulling himself back inside—
All in under forty-five seconds.
Remmy didn't move. She didn't blink. She didn't breathe.
Her brain simply couldn't process what had just happened.
Maarg, now standing beside her, rolled his shoulder and exhaled like he had just stretched after a nap.
Remmy slowly turned her head toward him.
"What…"
She swallowed.
"What the FUCK was that?"
Maarg stood there, breathing heavily. His heart pounded—not from fear, but from confusion. He looked down at his hands, still feeling the phantom sensation of his blade cutting through the zombie's neck.
That… that wasn't normal.
He had moved like no human should be able to. The jump, the speed, the sheer precision—it was unnatural.
Remmy hadn't said a word yet. She was staring at him, her wide eyes filled with something between shock and fear. Maarg could see her trying to process what had just happened, but she looked completely lost.
"…Remmy?" Maarg said, forcing his voice to stay steady.
She took a small step back. "What… what the hell was that?"
"I—" Maarg hesitated. What could he even say? He didn't understand it himself. "I don't know."
Remmy's breathing was uneven, her grip tightening on the towel still wrapped around her. Maarg could tell she was about two seconds away from freaking out.
"Remmy, just… just breathe, okay?" Maarg took a slow step forward, making sure not to move too fast. "I swear, I didn't mean to scare you."
She let out a shaky breath, her eyes scanning him for any sign of an answer. "That wasn't… human, Maarg."
"I know," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know what's happening, but I swear, I'm still *me*."
Remmy didn't look convinced, but she also didn't run. That was a good sign.
After a tense moment, she swallowed hard and spoke. "…You should go."
Maarg nodded. He had already pushed things too far for one night. "Alright."
Without another word, he turned and climbed onto the windowsill. With practiced ease, he leapt across the alley, landing back at his own house. He hesitated for a second, glancing back toward Remmy's window, but she had already disappeared inside.
With a quiet sigh, Maarg slipped into the room and shut the window behind him.
Jack was already asleep, his steady breathing the only sound in the room.
Maarg stood there in the dark, staring at the ceiling.
What the hell was happening to him?
He clenched his fists, willing himself to stop thinking about it. Whatever it was, he'd figure it out later.
Right now, he needed sleep.
Shoving all his thoughts to the back of his mind, Maarg lay down and closed his eyes.
Leaving the questions of today to be answered tomorrow