Chapter 261: Chapter 261- Malice

The armored vehicle became a instrument of pure destruction. Julian, his expression one of focused calm, swerved and plowed through the shambling horde. The reinforced bumper and plow sent bodies flying, the sickening thuds and crunches a grim percussion to the engine’s roar.

"Julian, stop this!" Beatrix shouted, her knuckles white as she gripped the dashboard. "If we lose momentum and get surrounded, even this tank won’t hold!"

"Relax," Julian replied, his voice unnervingly steady. He flipped a switch on the console. "I didn’t just armor it for show."

With a series of sharp clunks, hidden panels on the roof and sides of the vehicle slid open, revealing mounted heavy machine guns and what looked like crystal-powered beam emitters.

"Celestia, Aya, take the guns," Julian ordered, his eyes never leaving the path ahead.

Celestia was already moving, her movements precise and economical as she took control of the roof turret. The gun roared to life, its tracer rounds stitching a line of fire through the dense pack of zombies, turning them into pulp.

Aya, with a determined look that battled her nervousness, manned a side-mounted beam emitter. She took a deep breath, aimed, and fired. A searing lance of energy vaporized a cluster of zombies, her shyness completely absent in the heat of combat.

But then, a new threat emerged. A massive, hulking figure burst from the center of the horde. It was a mutant, its skin a leathery hide, with one arm grotesquely oversized and ending in bone-like claws. It let out a ground-shaking roar and began charging towards them, ignoring the gunfire pinging off its body.

"Whoa! A big one!" Emma yelled, her eyes not wide with fear, but sparkling with excitement. "Julian! Can I? Can I try my new baby? Please?"

A faint smirk touched Julian’s lips. "Permission granted. Don’t blow us up."

"YES!" Emma cheered, scrambling towards the back of the vehicle. She pulled a tarp off a bulky, custom-made rocket launcher with an overly large warhead. She hefted it onto her shoulder with a grunt, aiming it out of a rear firing port.

"Okay, big guy! Time for a special delivery!" she shouted, pulling the trigger.

The recoil was immense, rocking the entire vehicle. A rocket screamed towards the mutant, striking it square in the chest. There was a split second of silence before a deafening BOOM erupted, followed by a blinding fireball.

The shockwave rattled the armored car and sent a dozen nearby zombies flying like ragdolls. When the smoke cleared, a massive crater was all that remained of the mutant.

Emma whooped with joy, pumping her fist in the air. "Did you see that?! It worked! It totally worked!"

Veronica rolled her eyes, though a hint of a smile was on her face. "A little excessive, don’t you think?"

"But effective," Celestia commented coolly, resuming her methodical fire now that the primary threat was eliminated.

Julian glanced in the rearview mirror at the carnage and the celebrating Emma. "Good shot," he said simply, before pressing the accelerator again. "Now, let’s move. The nest’s heart should be close."

The path was now clear, the vehicle surged forward once more, leaving the burning crater and the decimated horde behind.

Beatrix watched the dissipating fireball and the scorched crater through the window, her usual weary expression tinged with stark surprise. "That was... beyond my expectations."

Julian downshifted, the vehicle rumbling over the last of the debris. "That was just the beginning," he stated, his voice a low promise of more to come. "The core of the nest is up ahead."

They came to a halt before a large, foreboding structure. The reinforced fences were twisted and broken, and the once-proud sign was stained and riddled with bullet holes.

This had been the local police station, a former bastion of order now completely consumed by the undead. A palpable aura of decay and menace emanated from within.

With a smooth motion, Julian killed the engine. "We’re here. Everyone out."

The doors swung open, and the team emerged into the unnerving silence that surrounded the station. Julian placed a hand on the vehicle’s hood, and with the familiar soft glow, the entire armored machine vanished back into his inventory, leaving them exposed in the street.

The only sounds were the distant moans of the horde they had left behind and the whisper of the wind through broken windows. The main entrance to the station was a gaping maw of darkness, the doors long since torn from their hinges.

Julian’s gaze was fixed on the entrance. "This is it. Stay sharp. The density inside will be extreme." He didn’t wait for a response, drawing his own weapon and leading the way, his footsteps silent on the cracked pavement.

The air inside the police station was thick, humid, and carried a metallic, coppery smell that clung to the back of their throats. The dim light that filtered through grime-caked windows revealed a nightmare scene.

The walls, floor, and ceiling were webbed with a pulsating, reddish mucus, like the veins of some gigantic, malignant organ. It glowed faintly, casting a hellish twilight that made shadows dance in a grotesque parody of life.

"Ugh," Veronica grimaced, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "No matter how many times I see it, I’ll never get used to this... organic filth."

Emma, ever the provocateur, nudged her with an elbow. "What’s the matter, Princess? Feeling scared? Don’t tell me you’re about to wet yourself."

Veronica shot her a venomous look. "If anyone needs a bathroom break, it’s probably you. Don’t hold it in on my account."

"Quiet, both of you," Clarissa whispered, her voice tense. Her gentle eyes were wide with apprehension. "This aura... it feels the same as the last nest. That deep, overwhelming malice."

Julian’s gaze swept the grotesque hallway, his expression grim. "The environment is more developed than the last one. The zombies here have likely finished their evolution. Everyone, maximum vigilance. We don’t know what new threats have spawned."

His warning hung heavy in the oppressive air. For a moment, the only sound was the faint, squelching drip of the mucus and the frantic beating of their own hearts.

Then, Zoe, who had been a silent statue until now, suddenly stiffened. Her head tilted, animal-like, and her vacant eyes sharpened into focused points. A low, almost inaudible growl rumbled in her chest.

Without any change in her flat tone, she uttered a single, critical sentence that sent a jolt of adrenaline through everyone.

"We’re surrounded."

As if her words were a cue, the pulsating glow from the mucus on the walls intensified. From the dark doorways and shadowed corridors ahead, behind, and to their sides, a series of low, guttural growls echoed.

Shapes began to detach themselves from the darkness, their movements far smoother and more coordinated than any common zombie they had faced before. Red, pupil-less eyes ignited in the gloom, fixing on the group trapped in the hallway.

The nest had awakened.

"Form a circle! Back to back!" Julian commanded, his voice cutting through the rising panic as he raised his weapon, its edge gleaming in the sinister red light. "Don’t let them separate us!"