Scout’s legs burned as he sprinted down the alley, the metallic stench of the Pyro’s body thick in the air. He could still hear it behind him, scraping, thudding, its distorted “hmnf!” punctuated by wet, tearing sounds that made his stomach twist. Dustbowl had never felt so alive… and wrong.
He skidded around a corner and slammed into a chain-link fence. Ahead, an old supply shed loomed, half-collapsed but offering a chance. Scout’s mind raced. He needed a trap, anything to slow this… thing down.
He yanked a barrel over and kicked it into a pile of wooden crates. The noise was deafening. He ducked behind another stack, heart hammering. Seconds passed. Then—the unmistakable sound of claws scraping metal. The Pyro had followed the noise.
It stepped into the alley, flames flickering along its jagged, corrupted flamethrower. The green fire licked the ground, sizzling a puddle of some sticky, black substance that had oozed from its body. Scout swallowed. Its head tilted, the cracked lenses of the gas mask glinting, the jagged teeth inside moving as though tasting the air.
Scout’s bat trembled in his hands. “C’mon, think…” He spotted a stack of propane tanks near the shed. A desperate plan formed.
He ran toward the tanks, hoping the Pyro would follow. It did—its movements jerky, animalistic, yet frighteningly fast. Scout dodged a swipe, rolling to the side, and grabbed one of the tanks. He slammed it into the others, forming a shaky barricade, and prayed it would hold long enough.
The Pyro lunged through the barricade anyway, sending the tanks toppling. Scout dove behind the shed as the first tank ignited. The explosion rocked the alley, flames and smoke engulfing the area. A horrible, wet scream erupted from the Pyro as pieces of its corrupted suit burned. Scout’s ears rang.
When the smoke cleared, Scout dared a glance. The Pyro was down—or at least, it wasn’t moving. Its body writhed, blackened skin bubbling, molten green goo seeping from the torn mask. Its noises were muffled now, choked, but still alive.
Scout swallowed hard, his mind racing. This was no longer a battle he could win with brute force. This… infection, whatever it was, would not die so easily.
The Pyro’s head snapped up, tilted toward him. Its cracked mask gleamed in the firelight, and those jagged teeth parted in a wet, feral grin. Scout froze. The thing wasn’t dead. It was thinking. Hunting.
With a low, gurgling “hmmpf… hrgn…,” it rose, towering over the wreckage, smoke curling around its twisted form. Scout knew he couldn’t fight it—not here, not like this. The only choice was to run… and hope that somewhere, someone had a cure. Or a way to end this nightmare before it spread.
He turned and bolted into the night, the Pyro’s wet, guttural sounds following him like a death sentence echoing in the empty streets.