Apocalypse Hunter

**Chapter 5: Escape**

“Jump!” Arthur shouted, not daring to look back. His instincts told him that the claws of the monsters were mere inches from the back of his head.

Susan closed her eyes reflexively as Arthur gave her a rough push, sending her plunging into the water. The murky surface erupted into chaotic splashes, and before the ripples could settle, Arthur followed, his powerful frame crashing into the river with even greater force.

The mad corpses skidded to a halt, their bare feet scraping the ground. Just centimeters from the water’s edge, a few managed to stop themselves. However, those at the rear couldn’t brake in time and shoved the ones in front straight into the cold, sticky river. The creatures barely had a moment to appreciate their luck before being crushed and forced into the water by the relentless surge of bodies behind them.

“Faster!” Arthur shouted, frantically swimming forward. Though swimming wasn’t his forte, the life-or-death stakes drove him to flail his limbs with desperate energy. His technique was abysmal, but he pushed on.

“Damn it, stop yelling! Don’t you know I’ve been afraid of water since I was born? Your rough shove made me swallow a mouthful of mud! Just wait until we’re out of this mess—I’ll deal with you then!” Susan snapped, her voice a mix of panic and anger. Her arms and legs flailed ineffectively, like the oars of a sinking boat.

“Swim faster! Things aren’t looking good—those things in the water aren’t taking a nap!” Arthur bellowed, his mouth wide open as he shouted, which promptly filled with gritty water that he accidentally gulped down.

Hearing Arthur choke on the silty water gave Susan a moment of petty satisfaction. “Serves you right!” she muttered. But her relief was short-lived as an overwhelming sense of dread washed over her.

“Spined fish!” Susan screamed, only for her mouth to fill with the same foul-tasting water. The bitterness and pain nearly made her choke.

Arthur summoned his last reserves of strength, propelling himself forward. Behind him, waves churned violently as the spined fish tore apart the mad corpses that had fallen into the river. Their grotesque bodies didn’t even have time to crawl ashore before being shredded into pieces.

“Damn it, my wound is bleeding!” Arthur’s voice was tinged with despair. In a river teeming with spined fish, bleeding was a death sentence. Even the faintest drop of blood in the water was enough to draw these predators with pinpoint accuracy. Worse still, they hunted in swarms.

“What?!” Susan exclaimed. Normally adept at aiding her beloved in times of crisis, she found herself powerless in the water. She could barely keep herself afloat, let alone help Arthur.

“Five meters! Just five more meters!” Susan cried, her voice trembling. Her limbs weakened, and her pace slowed.

“Ah!” Arthur screamed as he neared the shore. A sharp, glass-like pain pierced his heel, forcing sweat to pour from his body. For someone who could take a bullet to the leg without flinching, this agony was overwhelming. His entire frame shuddered as he gasped for breath.

Sweat mixed with the muddy water, making it impossible to distinguish one from the other.

Gritting her teeth, Susan dropped her earlier complaints. Her delicate hands grabbed Arthur’s arm, dragging his nearly unconscious body forward with surprising strength. Behind them, a trail of black, fang-filled spined fish closed in.

The water near Arthur turned a terrifying shade of crimson.

Reaching the shallows, Susan found her footing and, with an almost superhuman effort, flung Arthur onto the bank. The pale-faced man landed unceremoniously, unable to utter a word. Susan leapt out of the water moments later, narrowly escaping the snapping jaws of the spined fish.

These mutated creatures were as aggressive as they were terrifying. Dozens of them leapt out of the water after Susan, their sharp teeth flashing. Some even managed to reach a meter above the surface, snapping at her heels.

Soaked to the skin, Susan looked even more stunning. Water dripped from her hair, tracing golden lines down her smooth skin. The muddy water left streaks of yellow on her body, which glowed golden under the sunlight.

Arthur stared, mesmerized. Clenching his teeth, he tried to stand, ignoring the excruciating pain shooting through his foot. When he looked down, his breath caught.

The military-grade boots on his feet were shredded, with only a few strips of leather hanging from his ankles.

From the knee down, his leg was a mess of exposed bone and torn flesh. Chunks of muscle were missing, as though a sharp blade had carved them out. Small strands of tissue still clung to the jaws of the spined fish wriggling at his feet.

Arthur’s face twisted in pain. “Could it hurt any worse?!” he screamed, his composure shattered.

Grabbing the katana Susan had thrown him earlier, he slashed wildly. The sunlight reflected off the blade as it severed the grotesque fish into two.

“Not bad for someone who specializes in sniping. Your close-combat skills aren’t terrible, though they’re far inferior to mine. Still, I’ll give you some credit,” Susan teased, her tone dripping with mockery, though her eyes betrayed a hint of disdain.

Arthur didn’t respond. Instead, he silently tore strips from his camouflage uniform and skillfully bandaged his wound. There were no medicines or disinfectants—just his experience and sheer will.

After decades surviving in the wilderness, injuries like these were nothing new. As long as his heart and brain were intact, his body could heal most wounds within three to four days.

With the bandaging complete, Arthur sheathed the katana on his back and began walking toward their base. His movements were steady, his posture as unyielding as a mountain.

As the day neared its end, the blazing sun relented, and thick clouds began to obscure the ultraviolet rays.

The fading light bathed the barren desert in a golden hue, casting Susan’s face in a radiant glow. She stared after Arthur’s retreating figure, astonished by his resilience. Shaking off her amazement, she tossed her still-damp hair and hurried to catch up.

Her voice echoed across the darkening wasteland. “Hey! Do you really have to act so cool? You’re such a pain. But you know what? I like that about you. Hey, big guy, let’s talk. With that strong body of yours, how about spending the night with me? No backing out this time—I’ve already picked the motel!”