Chapter 1: Dorian Kael
The Captain took in a deep breath with the acrid stench of burnt flesh and decay. Captain Dorian Kael gritted his teeth as he leveled his rifle at the swarm of figures charging through the smoke-shrouded street.
Their bodies jerked unnaturally, as if controlled by strings pulled too tight. Flesh hung from their faces, exposing muscle and bone beneath. Their mouths were open wide, unnervingly silent save for the sickening snap of jaws and the thud of their feet against the cracked pavement.
Dorian squeezed the trigger. The rifle barked sharply, and a spray of crimson mist erupted from the closest figure's head. It dropped, crumpling into a heap. Another figure immediately trampled it, its raw, bloodied hands outstretched toward him. "Kael, move!" one of his men shouted.
"Push forward! Hold the formation!" Dorian barked back. He switched to burst fire, aiming low to shred their legs. The crowd staggered and faltered, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming. Some crawled, dragging broken limbs across the ground with relentless determination.
"They're flanking us, sir!" someone yelled from the left. The voice was cut short by a scream. Dorian pivoted just in time to see a soldier go down, a thrashing figure ripping into his throat. The captain fired twice, ending the nightmare before turning back to the main horde.
"We're losing too many!" Sergeant Halden called, his voice barely audible over the chaos.
"The lab is two blocks away! Keep moving!" Dorian ordered. The squad fought through the streets, their formation crumbling with each wave. The infected grew more aggressive the closer they got to the lab, as if drawn to it.
Finally, they reached the facility's fortified entrance. Halden and another soldier covered the group as they forced the doors open.
Dorian ushered the survivors inside, sealing the door as the infected slammed into it, their bodies piling up like a grotesque barricade.
"Report," Dorian demanded, wiping blood from his face—his or someone else's, he didn't know. "We're down to six," Halden said grimly, panting. "The rest... they didn't make it."
"Doesn't matter," Dorian said, his voice steely. "We're here for the samples. No one dies for nothing."
"Sir, we're outnumbered. Even if we find the samples, there's no way—" Halden began.