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Chapter 5: Reaching 200 Evolution Points

One of them, a man with a voice strained by hunger and worry, was rummaging through an overturned cabinet. "We\'ve gotta find something, Marie. Anything," he said, his voice a soft, urgent whisper.

A woman, presumably Marie, was kneeling by an old, rusted refrigerator, her tone matching the man\'s. "I\'m looking, James. There\'s got to be a can or a packet left somewhere," she replied, her voice steady but tinged with fatigue.

Zorvax leaned back against the cool wall, his mind racing. He hadn\'t expected to find more humans here, not after what had happened with the other two. "More survivors..." he mumbled, barely louder than a breath.

He knew he had to stay out of sight to avoid making the same mistake twice. He inched backward, deeper into the dark alcove he\'d found, watching as James and Marie moved on, splitting up to cover more ground.

"Points," Zorvax found himself fixating on the word, the weight of his need settling in his stomach like a stone. "I need those points."

His hands clenched at his sides, the knuckles—if they could still be called that—whitening. "Patience," he coached himself. "Just wait for the right time."

James and Marie were now just silhouetted against the backdrop of a city that had seen better days. Zorvax kept his eyes on them, his thoughts a jumbled mess of strategy and survival.

"I could wait until they\'re vulnerable," he thought out loud, his voice so low it was almost lost in the sound of the wind whistling through the broken buildings.

He watched, and he waited. His heart—if it still beat—would have been pounding, but now there was only the cold certainty of what he must do. Every passing minute was a minute closer to his goal, and he couldn\'t let anything, not even his remaining shred of humanity, stand in his way.

Zorvax settled into his hiding place, the darkness his ally as he watched the two survivors continue their search, oblivious to the predator in their midst.

James and Marie walked side by side down a street overgrown with the unchecked wildness that had taken over since the world had changed. The once busy road was now just a concrete river cutting through a canyon of crumbling buildings. They stepped carefully over cracks and around the debris that littered their path.

Marie kept glancing over her shoulder, her voice barely above a whisper. "James, what if we bump into one of those... things?"

James, walking slightly ahead with a makeshift spear in hand, looked back at her and offered a smile that didn\'t quite reach his eyes. "Hey, look at me," he said gently. "I\'ve got your back. And here," he added, handing her a small pistol, "now you\'ve got a little extra protection."

Marie took the gun hesitantly, nodding her thanks as she tucked it into her belt. "Together, right?" she asked, needing to hear it more than say it.

"That\'s right, together," James confirmed. They exchanged a look of solidarity before splitting up to increase their chances of finding food.

Hidden in a shadowed doorway, Zorvax watched them part with a calculating gaze. His eyes, sunken deep into his skull, seemed to gleam momentarily as he noted their separation. He zeroed in on Marie, deciding she would be his next target. He could almost taste the Evolution Points he\'d gained from her.

Creeping forward, Zorvax kept his movements quiet, a grim anticipation building inside him. "Just you now, Marie," he whispered his voice a sibilant thread of sound carried away by the wind.

Marie moved carefully through an old grocery store, her eyes scanning the empty shelves. "Quick and quiet," she murmured to herself. "Find something, anything, and get back."

As she reached out to move a box, it toppled loudly. She froze, her breath held tight in her chest. "Just a noise, Marie, just a noise," she reassured herself, trying to laugh off the fear that clung to her like a cold mist.

Picking up her pace, she continued her search, unaware of Zorvax\'s silent approach. Her hand went to the gun at her belt more than once, each small sound making her jumpy.

Finally, she found a can of peaches shoved to the back of a shelf. "Jackpot," she whispered, a small smile breaking her worry.

But as she turned to leave, a shadow fell across the aisle, and Marie stiffened. "Who\'s there?" she called out, her voice stronger than she felt. Her fingers wrapped around the gun, pulling it free from her belt as she tried to peer through the darkness.

There was no answer, only the quiet sound of something moving slowly, deliberately. Marie backed away, her gun aimed at the shadow. "I\'m not afraid to use this," she said, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her.

Zorvax, hidden just out of sight, readied himself. This was the moment he had been waiting for, the moment he would secure his next Evolution Points. With a predator\'s patience, he waited for Marie to come within reach, ready to strike.

In the silence of the ruined store, Marie\'s whispered challenge hung in the air, a fragile thread of defiance against the darkness. "Come out," she dared softly, every sense alert.

Zorvax, the hunter in the shadows, watched and waited, his gruesome mission clear in his undead mind. The dance of predator and prey played out in the quiet of the apocalypse, the outcome uncertain, the tension as sharp as the blade Zorvax held in his hand.

Meanwhile, James carefully picked his way through the derelict streets of the city. He kept a sharp eye out for any sign of food or supplies. His face was set in a look of resolve, the clear sign of a man on a mission. The quiet around him would have been almost peaceful if it weren\'t for the ever-present threat of danger lurking in the shadows.

His foot caught on an unseen piece of debris, and he stumbled forward, cursing softly. "Stupid," he chastised himself, dusting off his pants. "Gotta stay sharp. Marie\'s counting on me."

He straightened up and glanced back, expecting to see Marie going through the remains of a nearby store. Instead, he saw her standing in the middle of the street, her posture stiff. "You okay?" he called out, his voice echoing slightly too loud in the empty street.

Marie didn\'t respond, and as James moved closer, he could see her face, the color draining from his own as he took in her appearance. "Marie?" he said, his voice faltering, his flashlight\'s beam unsteady in his trembling hand.

She didn\'t move, didn\'t blink, just stood there staring at him, and a cold fear gripped James. "Marie, talk to me," he urged, reaching out a hand to her.

But Marie remained silent, her expression frozen. James\' breath came in short, sharp gasps as he finally realized she was gone, her once warm and expressive face now marred and lifeless.

"No, this can\'t be," he whispered, denial heavy in his tone. "Not Marie..."

It was then, in his moment of shock and vulnerability, that Zorvax struck. The shadows shifted as he lunged forward, his movements swift and sure. James barely had time to register the threat before he joined Marie in stillness.

Zorvax stood there for a moment, looking down at the pair. He felt something akin to pride swell in his chest. [Evolution Points: 200]. The interface is confirmed.

"Yeah," Zorvax said, his voice a rasp. "That should do it."

The weight of what he had done hung in the air, but the call to evolve, to become more than what he was, overpowered any other feelings. He focused on the interface, the third option that had been out of reach until now.

"What am I going to be?" he wondered aloud. "What\'s going to happen to me?"

He reached out, his finger pressing the button as the interface glowed brighter, a beacon in the dark. "Here goes nothing," he said, bracing himself.

The change, when it came, was intense and all-consuming. Zorvax could feel every cell in his body react as he began the transformation. "Is this it?" he thought. "Is this what it feels like to evolve?"

As the process took hold, Zorvax felt his body begin to change, his senses heightening, his mind-expanding. "I\'m becoming something else," he realized, "something more."

And in that moment, on the edge of a new existence, Zorvax let go of what he had been and embraced the creature he was becoming. The transformation was underway, and there was no turning back. The new Zorvax was about to emerge.