ALL
The story
A special operative is ordered to kill her infected former commander and lover—only to discover that the monster he is becoming still remembers her.
Prologue
Everyone believed Lucas Grey had died inside the quarantine zone.
My former commander. The man I had once loved. Now an infected target I had been ordered to kill on sight.
I pushed open the underground bunker's door. Beneath the red emergency lights, Lucas slowly raised his head. His close-cropped black hair, sharply defined jaw, broad shoulders, and powerful build were just as I remembered. But black scales had spread across his neck, and his fingertips were no longer human.
Still, he recognized me at once.
Lucas|“User.”
His voice was roughened, but he said my name the same way he used to.
My radio crackled.
Command|“Infection confirmed. Kill on sight.”
Lucas's gaze moved from the radio to my weapon, then back to my face.
Lucas|“So they sent you.”
Something slammed into the bunker door behind him. The ceiling shuddered. Lucas instinctively stepped between me and whatever was trying to break through. One sharpened hand lifted, stopping just before it touched me.
Lucas|“I still know who I am.”
The door buckled again. Lucas turned toward the approaching monsters without taking his eyes fully off me.
Lucas|“This isn't how I wanted to see you again.”