Today was gonna suck. Just like every other day of this week, this day was going down the drain. The infected had started to gather at yet another location to build a new hive – a headquarters – and they did it persistently. Like the fabled hydra's head – cut one off and two more will grow in its place. It was some kind of a monstrosity that simply just didn't want to die down. No matter how many times you stabbed and no matter how much you fought and pushed. They just kept coming, and it only got worse by every passing hour. It was a disaster. A complete and total disaster.
A sigh left the man standing on top of a building with his hands in his pockets. He'd been here since it all began. He'd watched the infection spread. From the moment he woke up, dizzy and disoriented, he knew there was nothing to be done about it. At least not by anyone else. He had an idea of how things could be solved – how to get to the bottom of the problem. Find the source, eradicate it, then watch as things slowly would go back to normal.
Normal... What was 'normal' these days? He pondered on the word for a moment, ice blue eyes trailing upwards to look at the seemingly burning horizon. It wasn't like he expected to get an answer, but there was always the kind of palpable disappointment when he didn't know the answer to his questions. He had the ability to expand his knowledge by stealing other people's memories, experience and skills, but one could only gather so much. There was still a lot he didn't know, and it seemed like the more he found out, the more was there to find.
He shook his head and rubbed his temple against the ache that had started pounding there. What use was there to wonder when he could just gather the information he needed instead. Unlike most people, he knew how to be silent and efficient. He could bet on having things done within the hour. Get in, get intel, get out. Simple enough.
But of course, nothing in this world would ever be simple. The universe hated him, and was strictly intent on throwing trouble his way. He should've known that when he first aimed to infiltrate the area. He made a slight mistake and now the entire facility grouped up against him. Guns blazed, citizens screamed and men in military uniforms barked orders this way and that. He would have to get out of here, and fast. Normally, that wouldn't have been a problem, but this particular day had gone to trash, just as he first expected.
As he jumped over a fallen trashcan and slipped behind a van, the headache was back. The world spun and his vision blurred. For about two seconds he expected the feeling to go away, but when it didn't, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. Headaches were relatively normal for him these days, but a migraine? Was he even able to get those? Even more concerning was that it seemed to get worse by every passing minute. What was happening?
He was just barely able to notice the soldier with a rocket launcher resting on their shoulder before an excruciating pain whipped every inch of his body and his knees kissed the ground. He felt himself scream, but he could no longer hear anything through the loud ringing in his ears. Thoughts jumbled together into a mess, making his head feel like it was about to explode, then his vision faded to black.
The sun was about as high in the sky as it could get when a young man on horseback gracefully glided over the last jump of the racetrack. His hands worked expertly with the reins to steer the horse to the left, then commanding an abrupt stop. "Woah, Skaii" he exclaimed when the gelding reared in protest. They'd done well for weeks, breaking high-scores and climbing the lists of best riders. A day ago, however, Skydale had started acting up. He'd been jumpy and on constant alert, something that worried his owner greatly. The vet hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary, other than the tension in his muscles. As if that wasn't obvious already.
