Chapter 10 · Apex Loop: Glitch Evolution - Chapter 10: Glitch Perk: Mimic

"Get back! I swear to God, I'll rip your throat out!"

Grimm’s voice was a ragged scream, echoing off the sterile white walls of the corridor. He was backed into a corner, his mutated limbs shaking. I wasn't looking at him, though. I was looking at the thing sliding toward us from the shadows—a Scavenger. It was a nightmare of translucent skin and needle-teeth, its movements jerky, like a corrupted video file.

I felt the itch under my skin again. Not the pain of a wound, but a hunger. A glitch.

"Shut up and move, Grimm," I spat, stepping between him and the beast. My claws scraped the linoleum floor, making a screeching sound that set my teeth on edge. "You’re too loud. You’re practically ringing a dinner bell."

"What are you doing?" Grimm hissed, his eyes wide. "It'll eat you alive!"

"Maybe," I muttered. I could feel the genetic shards from the last loop humming in my marrow. "But I'm tired of being the appetizer."

The Scavenger lunged. It was a blur of grey and slime. I didn't dodge—I leaned in.