The warehouse air was thick with gunpowder, blood, and panic.
Theo stepped deeper into the shadows just as a figure stumbled from behind a stack of crates. It was a man dressed in a torn security guard uniform, blood soaking through his shirt. His face was pale, eyes wide with fear, one hand pressed tightly over a gruesome wound on his neck.
"You-! You have to run," the guard gasped, staggering forward. "Thieves, they broke in, somebody mutated. It-"
He didn't finish. As he tried to pass Theo, a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed his arm, halting him. The guard flinched in confusion. But when he looked up, the expression on Theo's face wasn't concern. It was… a smile.
A small, crooked smile.
One of Theo's eyes gleamed faintly gold.
The grip tightened.
Theo leaned in, eyes on the chunk of torn flesh at the guard's neck. His voice dropped to a low, calm murmur that felt too casual, too collected for the situation. "…and you're already infected, buddy."
