The heavy truck sailed through the rainy night air. Time seemed to suspend. The jagged rebar of the other side rushed toward them like a row of spears. In the back, loose tools floated for a split second before gravity remembered its job.
Tysone floated too, and he had the vaguest sensation that was about to fly straight to heaven.
'Am I actually dead...?'
Rei's massive jugs pressing on his face nearly sent him there.
CRASH
The Mule slammed onto the opposite side of the bridge.
The suspension screamed, metal groaning in agony. The front bumper sparked against the asphalt, sending a shower of orange fire into the night. The tires smoked, squealing as they fought for traction, the rear end fishtailing dangerously close to the edge before the truck finally straightened out.
Kohta fought the wheel, hyperventilating. "I am the god of driving! I am the—oh god, I think I peed a little."
"Keep moving!" Saeko's voice was sharp, cutting through the shock. She was already unbuckling, moving toward Tysone. "Don't stop until we see the gates."
Takashi slumped back in his seat, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. "We're alive... we're actually alive."
But Rei wasn't celebrating. She was staring at her hands.
"He's... he's too hot." She whispered, her voice trembling.
Saeko knelt beside Tysone. The man was sprawled on the metal floor, his chest heaving with shallow, ragged breaths. But it was the heat radiating off him that was terrifying. It wasn't just a fever. It was like standing next to an open oven door.
Steam was rising from his rain-soaked clothes. His skin was flushed a deep, angry red, and the veins in his neck and arms were bulging, glowing with a faint, pulsing luminescence.
"Tysone?" Saeko touched his forehead, then hissed and pulled her hand back. Her fingertips were red. "He's burning up. Literally."
"It's the core, maybe..." Takashi said, looking back, his face pale. "He probably used too much. He's injured too..."
His clothes were tattered and bloodstained. Rei feared touching him even more, not knowing if he had any broken bones on top of everything that was already visible.
"Drive faster, Kohta." Saeko commanded, calm enough to give a sense of reassurance to everyone, but even she was losing it on the inside. "Radio Saya. Tell Shizuka to prep the infirmary. Immediately."
The rest of the drive was an anxious blur. Everyone avoided crowding Tysone, and with not enough space to lay him down on the more comfortable seats of the truck, Saeko pushed Rei aside to give Tysone a lap pillow.
Rei gulped as she stared at them both, not knowing what to make of it.
Saeko gently ran her fingers Tysone's sweat-slicked hair, then his face, bringing a bit of much needed comfort to the poor man lying dangerously close to unconsciousness.
Tysone mumbled something incoherently as the car rumbled forward. Saeko kept stroking his face, her expression unreadable but her eyes filled with concern.
"Ty..." She called out softly. "Are you okay?"
Tysone slowly blinked open an eye, then another. His vision swam, but he could see her face hovering over him. He tried to say something, but only a dry rasp came out. His whole body was on fire, and an overwhelming exhaustion threatened to pull him under.
The last thing he saw before darkness took him was Saeko's anxious, beautiful face.
...
When the iron gates of the mansion finally came into view, Kohta didn't wait for them to fully open. He blared the horn, flashing the high beams.
The gates groaned open, and the Mule, scarred and battered, limped into the courtyard, smoke billowing from its engine and steam rising from its cargo.
Before the engine even died, the mansion doors flew open. Shizuka ran out, her white coat flapping, followed closely by Saya and Mai.
"What happened?" Saya yelled in concern, but her eyes went wide when she saw the state of the truck—dented, clawed, and covered in black gore.
The back door of the truck kicked open. Takashi and Saeko jumped out, looking haggard and bloodied.
"It's Tysone!" Rei cried out from inside. "Help! Please!"
Mai froze for a fraction of a second, her face draining of color. Then, she bolted forward, bypassing everyone. She scrambled up into the back of the truck.
"Tysone!" She gasped, reaching for him.
"Don't touch his skin directly!" Saeko warned, intercepting Mai's hand. "He's hyperthermic. His internal temperature is critical."
Shizuka was there a second later, her professional demeanor snapping into place despite the panic in her eyes. "Clear the way! We need to get him to the cooling bath. Now! Takashi, Kohta, grab the stretcher!"
It took all of them to move him. Tysone was heavy, dense muscle made heavier by the dead weight of unconsciousness. As they lifted him, his head lolled back, eyes rolling under the lids. A low, pained groan escaped his throat—a sound that made Mai flinch as if she'd been struck.
They rushed him through the halls, dripping blood on the floor.
"His heart rate is erratic." Shizuka announced, her fingers pressed to his carotid artery, using a towel to shield her skin from the heat. "180 beats per minute. He's going into cardiac stress."
"Ice!" Saya barked orders at the other girls who had gathered in the hallway. "Fill the bathtub in the master suite with cold water and every ice pack we have! Move!"
They burst into the room. They didn't bother undressing him fully; they just stripped off his tactical vest and boots and lowered him into the waiting tub of water.
The reaction was immediate.
The water hissed and bubbled around him. Steam erupted from the tub, filling the bathroom with a thick, humid fog.
Tysone arched his back, a guttural roar tearing from his throat as the cold shock hit his superheated system.
"Hold him down!" Shizuka yelled.
Takashi and Kohta grabbed his shoulders, struggling against his thrashing strength. Even unconscious, he was incredibly strong.
"Tysone, stop! It's okay, you're safe!" Mai cried, grabbing his hand despite the heat, interlacing her fingers with his burning ones. She ignored the stinging pain in her palm. "You idiot, stop moving!"
Slowly, the thrashing subsided. The water, initially ice-cold, was already turning lukewarm, but the dangerous red flush on Tysone's skin began to recede slightly.
Shizuka let out a breath she seemed to have been holding since the truck arrived. She placed a thermometer in his ear.
"It's dropping." She whispered, slumping against the tiled wall. "He's... he's stabilizing. But just barely."
The room fell silent, save for the heavy breathing of the team and the dripping of water.
Saya adjusted her glasses, her hand trembling slightly. She looked at the group. "Someone tell me what the hell happened out there. Now."
Kohta, slumped on the floor with his back against the toilet, let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "We found out more about the food chain. And we weren't at the top."
Saeko stood up, wringing out a wet cloth. She looked at Tysone's sleeping face, lines of pain still etched into his forehead.
"He fought an Alpha." Saeko said quietly. "And a pack of... things. Weird creatures. He drew them away to save us. He used the core's power far beyond his limit."
Saya's eyes narrowed. "An Alpha?"
"Obsidian skin. Fast. And really strong." Takashi added, rubbing his bruised shoulder. "And they eat zombies."
A heavy silence descended.
Mai was still kneeling by the tub, squeezing Tysone's hand. She looked up, her blue eyes fierce and wet with unshed tears. She looked at the battered team, then back at Tysone.
"He protected you." She said, her voice fierce. "He always does."
She leaned in, brushing a damp lock of hair from his forehead, ignoring the heat that still lingered there.
"You promised." She whispered to him, her voice cracking. "You promised you wouldn't die, you dumb brute."
Tysone didn't wake, but his breathing deepened, becoming less ragged. The crisis had passed.
Saya turned away, forcing her own tears under control. When the captain was knocked out cold, the crew had to keep the ship afloat.
"Alright." Saya said, her voice regaining its authority. "Shizuka, you stay here. Monitor him. I want updates every ten minutes. Rei, Mai, Miku, you too, take shifts. He shouldn't be alone." She looked at the battle-worn group. "The rest of you. Get yourselves cleaned up. Get treated. I want a full debriefing in an hour. And... bring in the equipment you scavenged." She paused at the door, looking back at the man in the tub. "We need to figure out what these cores are doing to us. Before they kill us."
Author's Note:
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.