The heavy THUMP echoed again, vibrating through the steel door of the security office and rattling the nerves of the small group huddled within. This wasn't the frantic scrabbling of smaller beasts; this was heavy, deliberate force. Something large and powerful wanted in.
Panic flared anew. Mrs. Carson let out a muffled sob, burying her face in her husband's shoulder. Henderson, propped against a bank of dead monitors, cursed weakly, his face pale with pain and fear. Ben pressed himself against the far wall, glasses askew, eyes wide behind the lenses, though Alex noted he was also intently listening, analyzing the impacts.
Alex and Maya reacted instantly, moving to flank the door, weapons ready. Alex held his newly blooded chef's knife, its inadequacy feeling more pronounced than ever. Maya gripped the heavy hammer, its weight a solid counterpoint to the tremor in her hands. The shared knowledge of the System, the confirmation of their Awakened status, created a silent understanding between them – they were the front line now.
THUMP! Another blow, stronger this time. The metal door buckled visibly inwards, a faint dent appearing near the reinforced lock mechanism.
"It's breaking through!" Mr. Carson whispered hoarsely, pulling his wife further back into the small room.
Alex focused intently on the door, pushing down his fear, trying to force a System reading. For a moment, only static filled his UI, the thick steel perhaps interfering. But as the creature outside slammed against it again, leaving a larger dent, faint text flickered into existence:
[Analyzing Entity...] [Signal Obstructed...] [Partial Match Found: Humanoid - Mutated - High Strength Signature...]
[Mutated Security Ogre - Level 5] (Estimated)
[HP: ???/???]
[Status: Aggressive, Seeking Entry]
Level 5? Ogre? Alex's blood ran cold. A Level 4 Imp had nearly overwhelmed them with ranged attacks and cultist support. A Level 5 brute, strong enough to dent steel doors, in this cramped space? This was exponentially worse. He also registered the 'Mutated Security' part – the horrifying implication that this might have been one of Frank's colleagues before the Shift twisted it into... this.
The label 'Estimated' was also worrying. The System wasn't even sure.
The groaning metal of the door signaled they had seconds, not minutes. Alex knew, with chilling certainty, that his current Level 1 stats, even boosted by the full restore, wouldn't be enough. He needed that level up advantage now.
While Maya braced herself near the door, hammer raised, and the others scrambled for meager cover behind desks and monitor banks, Alex closed his eyes for the briefest fraction of a second, focusing entirely on the flashing [LEVEL UP!] prompt in his mind's eye.
Allocate! Stat Points: +2 VIT, +2 AGI, +1 DEX! Skill Point: Upgrade Flicker Step! Confirm!
He sent the mental commands with desperate speed. The System responded instantly. He felt that subtle but definite internal shift again – a warmth spreading through him as his vitality increased, a lightness in his limbs as his agility honed, a sharpening of focus as his dexterity climbed. His maximum HP solidified on his UI: [HP: 130/130]. The description for Flicker Step updated: [Rank 2/10. Cost: 4 Stamina. Cooldown: 9 seconds.]. Faster, cheaper. It wasn't much, but it was something. He forced down the urge to meticulously check every updated stat, opening his eyes just as the Ogre outside let out a furious, guttural roar.
SCREEECH! BANG!
With a final, deafening impact, the lock mechanism ripped free from the warped metal frame. The heavy steel door flew inwards, torn partly off its hinges, slamming against the interior wall with enough force to crack the plaster.
Framed in the ruined doorway stood a monstrosity.
It had been human once, maybe. Now it stood nearly seven feet tall, massively built, with grotesque, disproportionate limbs. Its skin was a patchwork of pallid grey flesh stretched over bulging, tumorous muscle, interspersed with patches of what looked disturbingly like stretched, ripped fabric from a security guard's uniform, fused into its hide. One arm was significantly larger than the other, ending in thick, calloused knuckles like a wrecking ball. Its head was sunken into thick shoulders, its face a distorted mask of rage – jaw unhinged, teeth broken and yellowed, eyes small, piggy, and burning with mindless fury. It held no weapon, seemingly relying on sheer brute force. It let out another bellowing roar, took a step into the room, and immediately swiped its massive arm in a devastating arc, aiming to clear the space before it.
"Scatter!" Alex yelled, activating Flicker Step.
The four-point Stamina cost felt noticeably lighter. He zipped sideways, the upgraded skill carrying him smoothly behind a sturdy metal filing cabinet just as the Ogre's fist smashed into the spot where he'd been standing, pulverizing a flimsy office chair into splinters. The wind from the blow buffeted him.
Maya wasn't as fast but reacted smartly, ducking low and scrambling behind the main security console desk. Ben and the Carsons huddled further back, shielded partly by overturned desks, sheer terror rendering them immobile. Henderson had managed to drag himself under a desk, moaning.
The Ogre, seeing Alex disappear, turned its small, furious eyes towards Maya behind the console. It lumbered forward, raising its massive fist for another blow.
"Hey, ugly!" Alex shouted, popping up from behind the filing cabinet. He needed to draw its attention, keep it off the others, especially Maya. He thrust his knife forward, aiming for the creature's thick thigh as it moved past.
The blade scraped against the tough, mutated hide, biting only shallowly.
[Damage Dealt: 6 HP!]
Pitiful. The Ogre roared again, seemingly more annoyed than hurt, and swiveled its bulk towards Alex, abandoning Maya for the moment. It charged, surprisingly quick for its size.
Alex immediately Flicker Stepped again ([STA: 92/100]), dodging the clumsy charge and appearing near the Ogre's flank. He stabbed again, aiming for the back of its knee joint this time. Another shallow cut.
[Damage Dealt: 4 HP!]
This wasn't working. His knife was barely scratching it. He needed Maya's hammer for impact, or a serious weak point. He danced back as the Ogre swung its oversized arm again, the blow cracking the concrete floor where he'd stood.
"Maya! Its legs! Try to slow it down!" Alex yelled, using Flicker Step ([STA: 88/100]) once more to gain distance, putting the filing cabinet between him and the Ogre again.
Maya understood immediately. While Alex kept the Ogre's attention, she darted out from behind the console, hammer held high. She swung with desperate strength, aiming for the same knee Alex had targeted. The hammer blow landed with a solid thud. The Ogre grunted, its leg buckling slightly, but it didn't crack like the Mantis-Roach's limb had. This thing was built solid.
[Maya Reyes' Action: Minor Damage Dealt!](Alex saw the notification, simpler this time, confirming the System tracked her contributions).
The Ogre roared in frustration, turning towards Maya again. Seeing his chance while its back was momentarily turned, Alex focused, scanning the creature's grotesque form. Was there any weak spot?
[Weak Point Detected: Cervical Interface Port (Rear Neck)]
A faint red highlight pulsed briefly on the back of the Ogre's thick neck, just below the skull – a spot where, Alex guessed with a sickening lurch, some kind of cybernetic or control interface might have once connected to the original guard's nervous system, now a vulnerable point in its mutated flesh.
"Maya! Its neck! Back of the neck!" Alex shouted.
But getting there was the problem. The Ogre was learning, wary of his sudden movements. It stayed more central now, making flanking difficult in the cramped room.
Ben, seeing Alex and Maya struggling, suddenly acted. He grabbed a heavy, old CRT monitor from one of the dead consoles and, with a surprising burst of adrenaline-fueled strength, shoved it off the desk towards the Ogre. It crashed to the floor near the creature's feet, screen imploding with a loud pop. The sudden noise and movement startled the Ogre, making it flinch and turn its head for a crucial second.
Maya didn't waste it. While the Ogre was distracted, she swung the hammer again, this time with pinpoint accuracy based on Alex's earlier call, striking the already-targeted knee joint again with vicious force. CRACK! A louder sound this time. The Ogre bellowed in genuine pain, its leg giving way more significantly, forcing it down onto one knee.
[Maya Reyes' Action: Critical Hit! Target Limb Damaged! Movement Severely Impaired!]
Alex saw the Weak Point notification flare again on the back of the Ogre's now lowered neck. This was his chance.
Flicker Step! ([STA: 84/100]) He closed the distance instantly, appearing right behind the kneeling giant. He leaped onto its broad, tumorous back, ignoring the disgusting texture of its skin/fused clothing, found the highlighted spot, and drove his knife downwards with all his might, aiming to sever whatever passed for a spinal cord there.
[Lethality Activated! Critical Hit!]
[Targeting Weak Point!]
[Massive Damage Dealt!]
The knife sank deep into yielding, mutated flesh. The Ogre went rigid. A shudder ran through its massive frame. Its furious roar cut off into a strangled gurgle. Its small, red eyes rolled back in its head, and it collapsed forward, hitting the floor with a heavy, final thud, shaking the small room.
[Mutated Security Ogre - Defeated!]
[EXP Gained: 85]
Alex's bar surged again: [EXP: 230/200]. Another level? No, wait, maybe the requirement for Level 3 was higher. [EXP: 230/300]. (Using 300 for Lv 2 -> 3). Still, substantial progress.
He quickly yanked his knife free and scrambled off the corpse, breathing heavily, his heart pounding. The creature didn't dissolve. It lay still, a grotesque monument to the horrors this new world could create, its vaguely human origins making it even more disturbing than the clearly alien Mantis-Roach or the bestial Hounds.
Silence descended, broken only by ragged breaths and Daniel's (or maybe Henderson's?) muffled sobbing. Maya slowly lowered her hammer, staring at the corpse, then at Alex, her expression a mix of exhaustion, horror, and disbelief. Ben and Mr. Carson slowly emerged from their cover, looking shaken but relieved.
Alex took a moment, checking his HP ([HP: 118/130] - slow regen was working), Stamina ([STA: ~30/100] and climbing), and MP ([MP: 50/50]). He felt drained but alive. He looked at the Ogre corpse.
"Did... did it drop anything?" Maya asked tentatively, echoing his own thoughts, already internalizing the grim logic of their new reality.
Alex cautiously approached the body. Unlike the other creatures, this one remained solid, gruesome. Embedded in the thick hide of its oversized fist, something glinted dully. Alex used his knife to pry it loose – a [Cracked Security ID Badge - Junk?]. Seems Henderson wasn't the only one who had a bad day. He also noticed sections of the creature's hide seemed unusually thick and resilient. He quickly used his knife to saw off a few ragged patches.
[Acquired: Mutated Tissue (x2) - Uncommon Material]
[Acquired: Tough Hide Fragment (x3) - Common Armor Material]
Materials. Useful, maybe, if they ever figured out crafting. He stuffed them into his pack along with the Shadow Essence Shard. Every little bit might help.
"Okay," Alex said, forcing his voice to sound calmer than he felt. "Okay. We're clear here. Let's see what this room actually has."
Finally, they could search. Filing cabinets yielded nothing but old employee records and dust. The desks held only generic office supplies. But on a large table against the far wall, beneath a layer of dust, lay exactly what Ben had hoped for: rolled-up building blueprints.
Alex quickly unfurled them. They were detailed, showing all floors, including service corridors, ventilation shafts, electrical conduits... and multiple stairwells. He scanned them rapidly, Maya and Ben peering over his shoulder.
"Look," Maya pointed. "This corridor we're in... it connects to a secondary service stairwell. Stairwell C. Over here." She traced a path on the blueprint. "It seems to go all the way up... to the roof access!"
"And down," Ben added, tracing another line. "Down past the basement levels... looks like it connects to the parking garage exit, but way over on the far side from the main entrance."
A way out? Avoiding the lobby, avoiding the main stairwell where the cultists were... it was almost too good to be true.
As they studied the plans, Alex noticed one of the security monitors on the main console flicker. It wasn't dead, just... intermittent, like the power grid itself. He tapped the screen. An image resolved, grainy and monochrome, flickering badly.
It showed a section of corridor on the floor above them - Floor 3. Empty. Then it flickered to another camera, showing the lobby – empty now, the cultists gone, the glowing symbol faded, Frank's body lying still near the filing cabinet. Guilt twisted in Alex's gut again. Then the feed flickered again, showing the main street entrance from an external camera – clogged with abandoned cars, debris, and shapes moving in the distance... too many shapes. Going out the front was still suicide.
The monitor flickered one last time, showing a camera feed from the Parking Garage, Level P2. It was dark, but the camera's low-light mode revealed... movement. Not cars. Multiple figures, large and shambling, moving slowly between the concrete pillars. Zombies? Like the one Maya fought? And something else... larger shadows lurking just beyond the camera's range. The garage exit Ben mentioned wasn't safe either.
"Okay," Alex said grimly, relaying the information. "Lobby is clear of cultists for now, but Frank... he didn't make it. Street is overrun. Garage is full of... shamblers, maybe worse. That leaves Stairwell C. Up to the roof? Or down to a different garage level maybe?"
Before anyone could answer, a new sound reached them, filtering through the battered security room door. Not chanting this time. Not a single large creature. It was... skittering. Multiple sets of small, fast-moving claws on concrete, seemingly coming from both directions down the service corridor outside their door.
Alex and Maya locked eyes. They weren't alone on this floor anymore. And whatever was coming sounded numerous.