Ethan stepped across the western highway collapse while the city maintained absolute silence behind him.
The sun struggled to enter the dense metallic mist which covered the broken road surface. The horizon displayed jagged buildings similar to broken teeth as burned-out vehicles formed chaotic piles of wreckage.
The red rift above displayed weak pulses which colored the pale sky with red tones.
Ethan walked outside buildings for the initial time since the start of the apocalypse.
The open road extended westward without any protection of alleyways or ruined rooftops which could offer safety.
He moved with great care as his muscles remained tightly wound.
The hiking pack he carried weighed heavily on his back while his crowbar rested on his side and kinetic grapple launcher secured to his belt.
The small blue light from the device brought him comfort since it had evolved beyond its tool status.
He depended on it for survival.
The city boundary became reachable for Ethan after an hour of his careful advancement.
The forest spread across the horizon after the burned-down suburban area ended.
The natural woods transformed into barren dead trees which lost their leaves completely as the sky energy destroyed them.
From his position at the tree boundary Ethan looked through the foggy forest undergrowth.
A complete silence engulfed the area since neither birds nor insects were present while dead branches swayed in the wind.
He gripped the crowbar tightly while speaking with a determined tone. "No choice…"
He took a deep breath before he moved forward into the woods.
Hours passed…
The forest presented a complex network of broken roots along with numerous fallen logs.
The terrain dropped into shallow depressions which contained foul-smelling black water that emitted decayed odors. The mist reduced visibility to less than thirty feet so each darkness transformed into potential threats.
Ethan used the grapple launcher only when essential by shooting it into high tree branches to bridge between sinkholes or ascend steep ravines.
The device usage strengthened his conviction that making this permanent change was essential since this environment would have been unpassable without it.
The deeper he walked into the forest the stronger he became aware of being observed.
Small disturbances started to occur initially before he felt the presence of eyes behind him and heard rustling sounds in the underbrush. The tree trunks revealed deep claw marks that reached above his height and some marks extended from the bark down to the wood surface.
The recent passage of a substantial entity occurred in this location.
Ethan's pulse quickened. He moved with deliberate steps while avoiding any twig breaks during his careful progression.
The ranger outpost appeared in late afternoon with its weathered wooden structure showing half destruction from a missing wall.
Inside, he scavenged a few emergency flares, a torn sleeping back, and a cracked map showing pre-apocalypse hiking trials leading west toward the next major city.
He knelt, studying the map, when the system's chilling notification appeared.
DING!
~----~
[Environmental Alert: Stalker Predator Detected!]
[Threat Approaching…]
~----~
Ethan's blood ran cold.
He glanced toward the misty woods outside. At first, he saw nothing. Then he noticed it, a subtle distortion moving between the trees.
A hulking, quadrupedal shape, low to the round, its form rippling as though half-invisible.
A silent predator moved closer while its sharp claws pressed deep grooves into the soil. Even in a crouched position it matched bear size with eyes that emitted a faint glow.
The mist maintained its unnatural connection to the body until the creature moved to the proper position.
Ethan slowly retreated from the window while his hands trembled uncontrollably.
Fighting wasn't an option. The unknown predator and the uncertain number of others demanded his avoidance.
He turned the wheel in his view while his heart pounded furiously.
DING!
~----~
[Critical Threat Detected: Improvisation Draw Activated]
…
The wheel kept spinning at its maximum speed. He pounded his hand onto the surface.
…
[Improvised Ability: Predator's Veil]
>Temporarily cloaks the user's heat signature and scent for 30 seconds. Effective against most wilderness trackers. All movements must be deliberately slow.
~----~
When he touched his skin a faint shimmer occurred before the air thickened enough to hide his breaths. Ethan moved stealthily toward the shack's rear door while keeping low and holding the crowbar.
The creature continued its approach to the area outside while it investigated the ground with its nose. The ranger rack became a barrier for the invisible body as it passed by with its massive claws making shallow marks on the wood.
The beast emitted a deep growling sound after it detected Ethan's previous position with its nose.
Each passing moment stretched into an endless stretch for him while he remained frozen.
He moved his body slowly through the damaged wall and entered the vegetation while maintaining a slow pace that seemed almost abnormal. The ground barely disturbed his footprints when he walked. The creature's glowing eye slits passed him twice before moving away without detection.
Ethan put thirty yards distance between them before he used his grapple launcher to climb a tree where he settled into dead branches.
He obtained his first view of it from his elevated position.
The predator displayed Mist Lurker characteristics through its body which used chameleon-like skin to bend light around itself. A wide unnatural maw displayed curved teeth which were designed for silent prey destruction.
The predator let out a strange alien sound before disappearing into the mist leaving behind destroyed shack debris and claw marks.
The veil faded.
Ethan let out a long breath while grasping the tree trunk because his lungs felt like they were on fire.
DING!
~----~
[Threat Evaded: Improvisation Points +3]
[Total IP: 5]
~----~
The mist glowed softly under the red sky while he waited for sunset from his position in the tree.
The wilderness wasn't empty. All steps to the west led through domains of predators designed to kill.
Ethan gazed at the distant horizon as a determined expression took hold of his mind.
His ability to outsmart the predator and navigate unexplored territory would grant him survival against any threat in this world.
The path to the quarantine zone would be long, brutal, and likely drenched in blood… but he would adapt.
He would improvise.
And he would endure.