Mutagen

"Kill me!"

The woman shouted in remorse and pain. It was accompanied by a huge outburst of emotions containing regret, guilt, anger and sorrow. Mark felt that his head was being smashed with a hammer.

After hearing the woman shout once more, Mark endured the head-splitting pain he felt and jumped for the kill.

BAM!

Unfortunately, the growth of the bones suddenly stopped and the woman eyes grew dim with it. As Mark aimed his shotgun at the woman's head a sudden force hit the gun sideward breaking the shotgun into pieces.

The parts of the shotgun were blown away and the bent barrel of the gun was embedded unto the wall far away due to the force of the attack. He could feel the muscles of his hands and fingers being torn up due to the gun forcefully thrown away from his hand.

Mark's eyes grew wide at the unexpected attack.

The attack was not a slash from the mutant woman's claws but a side way kick that she never did even once since he started fighting the mutant. He then noticed that both the woman's lower limbs were now covered with that grey colored bone armor. The only remaining part that was not covered by the armor was a quarter of her face, her left shoulder and her left arm.

Shocked by the sudden unexpected attack and the sudden breakage of his shotgun, he was not able to see the next incoming attack from the woman at the start. It was a front kick using her other foot. It was not that Mark was too shocked to see it but the kick came fast, even faster than the swipe of her claws!

When he saw the front kick approaching, the foot was just several inches away from his chest. As his arms were thrown away sideways by the kick that broke his gun, he could only block the kick with his left arm.

Mark could not think any more of what to do. Receiving this attack head on would surely cripple him or worse, could kill him. At the last moment, he jumped back. Mark jumped backwards as strong as he could. If he could not dodge, could at least mitigate a percentage of the impact.

BAM! CRACK!

The kick connected with his left arm breaking the bone on his arm. He was also sure that his ribs were also fractured. The kick threw him about a dozen meters away towards the east wing of the parking area and sent him rolling on the floor. It was fortunate that he jumped back and there was no walls or cars behind him when flew back or his body would had been smashed into meat paste.

Still, it hurt like hell.

His adrenaline could not suppress the pain in his body anymore while he accumulated more and more injuries as he battled against this mutant. His skin was bruised, his head was aching, his left arm was broken and his ribs were fractured. Even the ligaments of his legs and calves were almost torn up due to overexertion. Even if he had all his abilities as an Empath and he was able to control the release of adrenaline in his body, his body was still of an average shut-in. His body was weaker than an average person, he had low stamina and his untrained muscles were mostly fragile.

It was already a miracle that he was able to last this long fighting this mutant woman. It was also a miracle that he was still alive after receiving that kick that could probably topple a car.

Phew!

Mark spit on the floor. What he spit out was not saliva but blood. He could already savor the thick iron like taste from his throat.

His eyes was blurring as he tried to stand up using his last unbroken hand. Shivering in pain and the side effects of adrenaline kicking up, he could only sit on the floor.

"Angeline… Where the hell is that girl… She's really taking her time…"

Cough! Cough!

He coughed out a mouthful of blood from his throat.

Looking up and forward, he could see the woman approaching while leisurely walking. It seemed that whatever the thing that was eating the woman's consciousness had deemed him unable to fight anymore.

Would he resign to this fate? A bad end?

Of course not! He was not afraid of death but he would rather not die in the very first day the apocalypse started!

And he already found people who unconditionally wanted to be with him…

Unfortunately he was already losing his grip and was about to fall unconscious.

While sitting on the ground, Mark looked up. The mutant woman was looking down on him while tilting her head like a child. She then raised her leg and not using her claw. It seemed that she was trying to practice her kicks with Mark's body as the target.

Mark was not able to see the woman anymore as she swung her leg down like a hammer. He finally fell unconscious.

BADUMP! BADUMP!

Loud beating sounds echoed inside his entire body as his heart pumped stronger.

A sudden wave of suppressing mental fluctuations came surging out across the parking area making the mutant woman stop her attack and jump back several meters away. She stood staring warily at Mark.

At the center of the wave, Mark's body sat unmoving. He slowly raised his head looking at the woman. His eyes looked fierce and the pupils of his eyes were glowing red. There was a smirk on his face. It was not a sinister smirk but full of amusement.

Disregarding the mutant warily watching him, 'Mark' stood up stretching his body like he just woke up. He then started speaking.

"Damn! It's been years since I came out just to find his body all beaten up!"

He stood with a straight back filled with confidence different from before that he was a little hunched and looking lazy. 'Mark' then observed his body and continued speaking.

"Broken Ulna and Radius, torn Brachioradialis the other arm muscles were overexerted. The ligaments on the knees are scraped. The calf muscles are almost torn up. Several bruises and muscle pains on other parts of his body."

He held his chin with his right hand and nodded.

"Yeah, he's all beat up."

A shadow suddenly appeared in front of him. The mutant woman started to attack once more but with claws and not her foot. The mutant swiped her arm from above trying to cut her prey from his head downwards.

The attack hit nothing but air.

'Mark' already stepped his left leg behind and faced the mutant sideways dodging the attack by a hair's breadth. He glared at the mutant woman making her falter before sweeping her leg sideward towards his flank.

The side kick hit nothing but air once more.

The mutant woman looked around and did not see where 'Mark' went to when she felt something heavy by her armored shoulder.

Her face turned to her right and saw him as he landed on her shoulder. Before she could react, she felt at strong force from behind her head. The mutant's face heavily slammed on the concrete floor making a fist sized crack.

'Mark' then landed several feet away from the woman after delivering an ruthless ankle kick towards the woman's head.

"Oops, I torn up several muscle strands on his right leg and fractured his ankle. I shouldn't have done that. His body's juice is also about to run out too!"

He then tilted his head as he closed his eyes.

"Why the hell is there a foreign substance in his body?"

When he opened, 'Mark' seemed to have come into realization as he looked at the empty space filled with air around him.

"The foreign substance is also in the air huh? Looks like the world became f*cked up now. Hmm… these substances don't seem to be harmful. It's slowly changing his body structure isn't it?

I see, it's actually starting to fix his body huh? Then I could play for a little without worry then? Huh what's this?"

He noticed the Bluetooth camera on his collar.

"A camera?"

He pointed the lens on his face.

"This is good! I can teach you how to properly use your abilities. It's been years and you haven't mastered them yet!"

'Mark' waved at the camera before putting it back at his collar.

The mutant woman who already recovered from her sudden faceplant attacked with a side swipe of her claws. 'Mark' took one step back and turned his face upwards making the woman's claws sweep through the space under his chin.

"Seriously, can't you wait a bit?"

'Mark' grabbed the woman's arm and did a sudden one handed shoulder throw slamming the mutant's back on the concrete creating another crater on the floor.

"Guh, I snapped a few muscles again. This is why it is not good to turn off the brain's limiters while concentrating the adrenaline one part of the body. Geez, you should really exercise a bit. Your body is much heavier than the last time."

He then looked at the direction where Ange was busy removing the barricades.

"There is still time to play a bit but… His juice was about to run out so it's a pity."

Turning towards the mutant that stood up shaken, 'Mark' contemplated.

"What should I do with you? Normally I would just kill you like he did but you can be useful to him.

Do you want to be saved? I can save you but you need to swear loyalty to him. Become his servant!"

A sudden pressure gushed out from 'Mark' enveloping the mutant woman making her stagger backwards.