As we get closer to the light and the end of the tunnel, the relief that I feel from being able to crawl out of such a cramped place is slowly turning to worry with a line of thought:

That this is actually a really, really bad idea.

I'm prepared to turn back and face that small tunnel again just so I do not have to get in the city again, especially in such form and with witness of my changing, but the cold man has other ideas and rushes out into the city and, because since the time he left my back he has stayed away and out of my reach, furthermore I'm still held back by these unstable walls, I end up being unable to grab and hold him back, only managing to watch him disappear into the bright lights.

Fuck me.

I get out and into the luminosities of the city only to see that this caved hole of the special snake ghoul from before has landed us straight in the middle of things, not over the poor neighborhood that the attack had started, but somewhere in between where there are fewer guards because of the commotion on the other side and still enough stock of people to increase their numbers and infect the city from inside-out.

A solid plan if it did not include killing me and that human I would say.

Still, as my eyesight gets used to the blinding light and to the chaos of sounds and smells that unfold, I'm meet with a blood bath, and quite literally; the walls and floor are smeared with blood and body parts, guts, legs and arms and even entire bodies lying around, and one could only phantom the nightmare that it must have been, suddenly being attacked from inside the city, some trapped over rocks from the sudden collapsing tunnel that appeared in the middle of the streets, locked in place waiting for the crawling death to come.

And yet I bet the snake creature had a hand on this too, for most bodies were left with a lot of meat still in them, and by the foul smell of it most where turned by the Fungus Ghoul, surely after a section of fluids being exchanged as their stealth approach and surprise attack have managed to give them enough time for the infection to spread.

And like fire it kept going and going, consuming all with an unstoppable hunger.

I sneer at the situation, aware of the dreadful situation this city is in but caring none for it as I finally see him among the chaos, noticing just how far the cold man has already gotten, joining up with a group of resistance to the side where some soldiers were trying to maintain some sort of formation while the former citizens circulate around them, slowly dragging their feet forward in a slow advance that only the newly made have.

As I climb to the roof to have a better look at the overall situation I see him opening up a path towards the group, sword in hand as, like an unstoppable bull, he runs and slashes his way forward.

"Captain Murray!!" "Captain!" The soldiers scream in joy as he unites with the troop, the mutating once humans around fixing their eyes on the group.

"Group one, take your guns out and stay inside the circle, prioritize the ghouls with range attacks, group two take your swords out and attack those who approach, do not leave formation, cover all grounds, help is on its way." The cold man says in a clear and paused voice that does not belong to the chaos of the battlefield, but manages to calm down the soldiers and bring their attention to him and some visible order to the scared group of humans.

Bet they never thought to be the front line of the battle while covering the insides of the city, probably all young and inexperienced soldiers left behind from the main battle.

"Help? Where? How many?" Some ask, a quiver on his voice as his hand trembles under the gun.

"… They will come." The cold man simply says, his eyes moving to a metallic thing on the side, a square box on the wall that moved back and forth and stops when it spots him, that mechanical eye, the same from the droid, zooms in on his face. 

I snarl at them, lost in what to do; I've never faced such situation where I had to defend someone nor had my life linked to a human somehow, and yet I knew I could not stay as it would turn out to be dangerous for me, but neither could I flee and leave him be because… well, it would be dangerous for me too.

Such a mess.

Considering that I trust more my own claws and instinct thant these trembling soldiers to keep him safe I stay, shaking my head in annoyance and making the fur on my back move like the hair of a horse, chewing over nothing and yet keeping my three pupils focused over the place.

What was he thinking anyway? There is no way such small group of soldiers will be able to handle such horde alone, especially now that the flying Moth Ghouls have been sent to give air support to the spreading Fungus bellow.

Their only luck is that the thick big ghouls seem to be few in general, plus with the size of the tunnel probably none had managed to make their way into the city, otherwise most weapons here would not be able to keep them at bay.

I feel even more annoyed when I realize, actually am quite certain that, for some reason, that Captain something, the cold man, knows about my… predicament somehow, and that he has rushed into danger to force me into action. 

It would be really bad for me if so, which only makes me believe in the possibility further.

I claw the walls under my feet, marking my anger on the situation with a harder grip, and roll my tail around a big rock debris, coiling up like a snake.

Only to lash it off in the air like a huge slingshot, taking down a flying ghoul from the air that was about to attack the group, quickly getting rid of that unreachable nuisance for them, especially when I notice it carry something under its curved talons.

And things start to look even more unfavorable for the humans at that point on… for he was throwing Explosive Ghouls on them, who would splash the ground with their mucus and spread their contagious yellow liquid around the once human victims.

Sigh, never enjoyed the stinky contagious ones, I am quite a fan of meat and I do not enjoy the… whatever something these creatures have, wormy like tissue and brain matter, ugh.

However the important point is, in the end, that those creatures could not land a hit on the group, otherwise I was about to discover what may happen to the cold man if he gets infected, or rather, what happens to me with that outcome.

At that, however, one of the soldiers notice me, probably something to deal with a stone flying midair out of nowhere and my not so subtle huge body over the rooftops, pointing and screaming:

"W-What is that huge thing?! N-no way, that-that's a ghoul! Enemy, enemy on the roofs!" He starts screaming, all composture the cold man presence brought forgetten as all pair of eyes widen towards me.

I swing my tail in the air, annoyed at the situation and attacking one more ghoul.

"Ignore him." At that the cold-eyed man says, captain Murray I presume, making so that all pair of eyes land on him for the brief second the battle allowed them to.

"B-but sir.!" I can smell their fear from up here, is quite appetizing.

At that the Captain simply looks at the soldier, who visibly shakes in place under that fierce gaze and does as told, facing the slow enemies below but keeping a fleeing gaze at me.

I sneer at him, a puff of smoke coming out my nostrils. As if having me on your sight will help you if I intend to attack you soldier boy. No, actually, why wasn't I doing just that? Why not simply kill them, grab the captain and flee from the city? Defending him alone will be a lot easier.

I growl. I won't deny that I feel a little stupid at that point, always being a more action guy, and this situation with the cold man has already made me think enough so to give me a headache, so I'm' caught by surprise when my first instinct is not to attack the group but to fall back like this.

And discovering that it may be too late to change plans and dash forward only helps bring my mood further down the hill.

What the hell is happening with me?

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