125 The First Sign of the Wave and the Strange Crystals (1/2)

Day 5 – 5:19 AM – Taal Lake St., Lakeville Subdivision, Molino VII, Bacoor City, Cavite

Everyone in Mark's group finally felt relived after crossing over the bridge that marked the boundary of the subdivision they had just exited and unto the next one. The feeling of being chased by hundreds or even thousands of infected was suffocating even with the fact that they were inside their vehicles. As they finally lost their pursuers, everyone started to calm down from their tenseness. Well, except for Mark, Abbygale and Mei that did not seem worried about the infected chasing behind in the first place.

Laelaps being not nervous was one thing since she was a dog, but these three…

Even Mark who was the person that was initially being chased was not showing any fear at all and rather, he was even looking happy. The others did not know what to think of them anymore.

”Papa, what is that?”

Abbygale pointed at the huge insect now lying down in the floor. It obviously looked like a large beetle but why her Papa would bring this here and it was not moving at all. The little girl then crouched down beside the huge beetle poking it cautiously.

Everyone inside the vehicle heard the little girl turning their attention to the large insect Mark brought into the vehicle. The beetle was too large that it actually occupied the width between the seats on both sides as it lay on the floor horizontally.

Mark who had just started to relax his tired legs also stared this Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle he luckily caught incredulously. The others might not know about it but this guy was too scared that it stopped moving and played dead on the floor of the vehicle. It even lay on its back with its legs tightly crossed on its abdomen. It was scared due to the fact that there were many people inside the vehicle.

The women felt a little uneasy with a very huge bug like that especially Anna who seemed to have forgotten about her grief trying to stay away the oversized beetle as much as possible. It looked really ridiculous as she could not back away too much either as she would push Sundra and Carlo that sat beside her towards the back of the vehicle were Janette was tied up.

”Gege, this is?”

Even though Mei seemed to be not afraid of the beetle at all, she also looked confused. Her Gege after all went home to get his things. Just where did this huge bug come from?

As everyone was looking at him asking for explanation, Mark could tell them.

”Well, you guys probably won't believe me but this beetle here is a Mutator.”

Hearing that, everyone was shocked.

”Even bugs can become Mutators?”

Charmaine voiced in askance.

”It's not really farfetched though since we had a Mutator Dog there.”

Mark pointed at the back where Laelaps was curled up. She was not really sleeping but it just seemed that she was uneasy riding inside the vehicle being the reason for her to behave this way most of the time.

Now that Mark mentioned it, it was really not farfetched for a bug to be a Mutator since a dog could become one but it was just they had not thought of the possibility.

”But how did you manage to catch it?”

Melissa asked as she curiously looked at the bug that was not moving even a little bit. Its body was actually moving but the movements came from the vehicle and not made the bug itself.

To her question Mark replied.

”I don't know if you can consider what happened as catching.”

Mark then narrated what happened before he caught the beetle. What Mark emphasized in his story was the behavior of the beetle but the people listening to him were more alerted by the fact of a group of human head sized infected cockroaches existing. Not only the females but Rollan and Carlo also shivered to that thought.

”By the way Master, since we are talking about it, why does it seem that we never see or encounter infected insects and animals before? I know that Laelaps was infected before becoming a Mutator and the cat at the city hall is not an infected but an evolved one. But except those two, we never encountered infected ones or other evolved ones.”

Since it was already on topic, Odelina could not help but ask. Ever since they left the mall, they never encountered infected or evolved animals and insects with the exception of Laelaps and the huge cat. They saw carcass and bones on the road belonging to some animals but that was it.

As Odelina asked, Mark sighed. With those infected cockroaches suddenly appearing, Mark thought that it was really a bad sign. It was already the fifth day of the outbreak and to say, the survivor chase should already be over on the third day in this part of the country.

Mark leaned his body on the backrest of his seat and decided to talk about it.

”Odel… About your question, I have the answer. Though, it might be a little off, it is should not be that far away from what is happening.”

Everyone's attention was now gathered at him. He was the most knowledgeable here about zombies and such due to his hobbies and intelligence. He would surely have a good explanation for this.

”This should be what happened. Animals and insects if you put them on the same size as a human, they are far superior in strength and capabilities. No, not even comparing but animals and insects are still faster compared to how fast people normally move. It is not impossible that they will retain those characteristics after being infected and as such, it was more likely for them to chase after the large number of fleeing people. That is why we, who are left here in the middle of the infested area, did not encounter them. It is also possible that most of them died due to the characteristics of Mutagen.”

”Then Gege, they are the same as the infected that came chasing after the feeling people?”

Mei asked making Mark nod before continuing.

”As for the evolved animals and insects, also the still normal ones, they should have fled already towards forests and mountains to seek shelter since the populated areas are already brimming with infected and danger. The huge cat we encountered back in the city hall maybe remained because of the fruit Mikio made. As the evolved animals and insects still had not turned or got bitten, they will surely become target for the infected.”

Everyone was enlightened to his conjecture. It was really possible for it to happen.

Mei however seemed to have realized a pressing matter.

”Gege, the cockroaches you said… The wave is already coming back?”