Chapter 68: The World in Flames
The growls echoed closer, low and guttural, sending a chill down Winter’s spine. He crouched behind an overturned car, scanning the darkness with his rifle.
Beside him, Zara clutched Leo tightly, her breathing quick and shallow. The scavengers were scattered in the intersection ahead, their flashlights creating jagged beams in the night.
Winter’s focus shifted between the scavengers and the shifting shadows creeping closer from the other direction.
"Let’s move," Winter muttered under his breath, his voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through him. His knuckles whitened around the rifle’s grip. Zara looked at him, her pale face catching the faint moonlight.
"Where? They’re everywhere," she whispered.
Before Winter could respond, a scavenger panicked.
"Over there!" the man yelled, raising his weapon. The sharp crack of a gunshot split the night, echoing off the buildings.
Winter swore under his breath. "Damn it."
The response was immediate. From the shadows emerged the creatures—twisted, feral things with elongated limbs and clawed hands that scraped the asphalt. Their glowing eyes pierced the darkness, locked onto the scavengers who had just revealed their position.
The first scavenger screamed as a creature pounced, its claws tearing through flesh with grotesque ease. Blood sprayed across the pavement, black in the dim light.
Another scavenger fired wildly, hitting both a mutated undead and his own comrade. Chaos exploded.