Venom x Multiverse [8]

Elsewhere in the Hive, Alice had become separated from her group during their escape. Now alone, she stumbled upon a laboratory storage room, its metallic walls lined with iron cages.

She stepped inside, her flashlight illuminating the eerie scene.

Each cage had been violently torn open, their bars bent and mangled. Strips of flesh and fur clung to the sharp edges, the grisly evidence of the creatures’ escape.

“These were holding… dogs?” Alice whispered, her eyes scanning the broken enclosures.

The realization sent a chill down her spine. These weren’t ordinary animals—they were zombie dogs, infected by the virus. Judging by the damage, at least forty of them had escaped.

The room was silent. Too silent.

Canine animals are known for their sharp sense of smell, able to detect even the faintest traces of danger in the air. For zombie dogs, this ability remained intact, allowing them to easily track down living humans.

Alice felt a sharp, instinctive sting, a sensation of being watched. Her surroundings did little to calm her nerves. The walls and floors were smeared with dark, congealed blood, its sticky sheen adding to the oppressive atmosphere.

Her gaze fell on a red fire axe lying discarded on the ground. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and picked it up, gripping the weapon tightly in both hands.

Drip. Drip.

The faint sound of liquid hitting the floor drew her attention. Alice froze, her senses heightened as she slowly turned toward the source. Her expression hardened.

From the shadows emerged a zombie dog, its muscles grotesquely exposed, its pale, clouded eyes locked onto her with predatory intensity. Blood dripped from its open jaws, pooling onto the floor as it let out a low, guttural growl.

Alice instinctively took a step back, the cold metal of the axe handle pressing against her palms.

Sensing her movement, the dog lunged.

Alice spun on her heels, her reflexes taking over as she sprinted through the room. The zombie dog gave chase, its claws scratching against the ground as it pursued her with relentless ferocity.

The chase was relentless, both human and beast moving at blinding speed as they darted through the labyrinth of rooms.

Finally, Alice skidded to a stop, pressing herself against a wall and pivoting to dodge the dog’s next attack. The creature’s claws slashed at empty air as it missed its target, its body contorting to prepare for another leap.

Alice reacted swiftly, swinging the fire axe in a clean, decisive arc.

The zombie dog collided with the blade, its exposed flesh parting as the weapon cut through it. The beast fell to the floor in two halves, its lifeless body twitching briefly before going still.

Breathing heavily, Alice lowered the axe, only to freeze as her eyes scanned the room.

Dozens of zombie dogs had emerged, their bared teeth and snarling faces reflecting an unnatural, ravenous hunger.

Realizing she was vastly outnumbered, Alice took a cautious step back, then abruptly turned and bolted toward the nearest exit. The dogs snarled and gave chase, their claws clicking against the floor as they pursued her.

….

Meanwhile, Dante clung to the walls of the Hive, his movements silent and deliberate as he navigated the dimly lit corridors. His enhanced senses were on high alert, searching for any trace of Alice or her companions.

As he moved, Dante suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on the floor below. The corridor was swarming with zombies, their grotesque forms aimlessly shuffling forward.

He observed them carefully, noting how they paid no attention to his presence above.

“They can’t sense me,” he thought, his tone a mix of curiosity and detachment.

For a moment, his mind wandered. These creatures had once been human—living, breathing individuals with lives and ambitions. Now, they were hollow shells, driven only by hunger.

Though Dante had gained extraordinary power, the reality of his existence weighed on him. He wasn’t fully human anymore—not male, not female, not alive, not dead. Worse, his survival depended on possessing others.

“One day,” he vowed silently, “I’ll reclaim my humanity. I’ll become stronger than anyone, and I won’t need anyone else to survive.”

Shaking off his thoughts, Dante focused his attention ahead. His sharp hearing picked up the distant sound of gunfire, coming from the zombies’ direction.

“Impressive. They’re still alive,” he muttered, a faint grin tugging at his lips. The special forces team was proving to be more resourceful than expected.

“Not bad,” Dante muttered, a faint smirk curling at the corner of his lips. The continuous gunfire echoing through the halls told him enough—assault rifles, standard issue for Umbrella’s special forces. The surviving team members were clearly putting up a fight, and judging by their persistence, they had managed to survive the last twenty minutes since the Red Queen’s shutdown.

“Impressive,” he mused, his voice tinged with mockery. “But it won’t matter. You’re all going to die here.”

Crawling swiftly along the ceiling, Dante moved with fluid precision, the soundless predator closing in on the source of the gunfire. Within moments, he reached the area and paused, observing the chaos below.

Three Umbrella operatives were locked in a desperate retreat, firing into the oncoming horde of zombies. Bloodied and battered, their bodies bore numerous wounds—likely bites. If they didn’t get the antidote soon, death was the best they could hope for.

Despite their injuries, they fought with grim determination, their remaining ammo running dangerously low.

“Rain, go! We’ll hold them off!” shouted one of the operatives, his voice raw with urgency.

Rain Ocampo gritted her teeth, her weapon barking as she fired another burst into the advancing undead. “I’m not leaving! If we go, we go together!”

“You’ll get us all killed!” another operative yelled back, his tone frantic. Their position was untenable, and all three knew it. If they stayed, the swarm would overwhelm them in minutes.

Rain hesitated, torn between her loyalty to her teammates and the grim reality of their situation. As she turned to argue, a massive black shape hurtled out of the shadows.