Already, his face was swelling, puffing up with a sickly green pallor that indicated infection. He was sweating and coughing, his teeth clenched in pain.  Nancy tried to wrap a bandage around his head to cover his eyes, but he fought her.  Managing to grab hold of one of her wrists, he begged, “Kill me.  I’m dead anyway.  A blind man can’t survive here.” He groaned in pain as a swelling pustule near his eye burst.  “Make it quick.  Please.”

Nancy looked up at the group, all of whom had gathered around her.  One by one they all nodded.   She lifted her knife and pointed it at his throat, then paused.  After a moment she lowered it again.  “I… can’t.”

Allistor didn’t hesitate.  He stepped forward and slammed the point of his spear up under the prone man’s sternum and straight into his heart.  The man stiffened and groaned in pain, then went still.   A green number flashed up on his interface; +3500.

I got experience for killing another human? His mouth dropped open, and he nearly said something aloud about it to the others.  But it occurred to him that when things got rough, it might be better that they not know their fellow humans’ deaths might level them up.

Sam looked at the dead man.  “He was one of the guys who went to clear the caves?”

Sean nodded.  “His name was Alan.”

“Shit.” Meg’s response was succinct and shared by everyone.  “They must have disturbed another colony?  Or is it possible they’re from the same colony as the one in the storm drains?”

Sandy replied. “No, we’re a good two miles north of town and the storm drains there.  And the cave system only goes north from where we’re standing.  I don’t think they connect anywhere.”

Allistor added, “One of those octopoids spawned in our basement.  There was no way for it to get in there.  Maybe these vermin things did the same here in the cave.”

Sean, still looking toward the back of the cave said, “I didn’t hear any shots.  From back there, I mean.  Before the vermin attacked.  Just Alan shouting and running toward me with those things all over him.”

Sam looked at him, a frown bunching his eyebrows together.  “You think the vermin got the others who went back there.”  It wasn’t a question.

“Do we go look?” Sean didn’t sound as if he wanted to go look at all.  Neither did anyone else.  No one spoke.

Meg broke the silence.  “We can’t afford to lose more people.  If they’re dead, we can’t help them.  If they’re okay, they’ll come out on their own.  They took most of the guns with them, and that’s a big loss for us.  But I don’t think even retrieving the guns is worth sending people back there.”