章節 30: Chapter 30: The Zombie Dogs Onslaught
The air was thick with a stench that clung to the back of the throat, as if the Hive itself was breathing down their necks. Ethan felt the sweat trickle down his spine, his hand tightening around the grip of his custom 1911. His gaze swept the corridor ahead, the dim light casting twisted shadows that danced and stretched with every flicker. The walls seemed to pulse, a grotesque, living organism that trapped them deeper within its bowels.
He counted every breath. The air was too still. Too quiet. Ethan could almost feel the weight of the Hive pressing in on them, like a giant coiled spring, ready to snap.
"Shade, I don't like this," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Shade, a few steps ahead, didn't break his stride. "No one does, Drake. Keep moving. We're almost at the checkpoint."
Alice was at Ethan's side, moving like a shadow, her steps light and controlled. But he noticed a tremor in her hands, a subtle shake as she adjusted her grip on her Beretta 92FS. He'd never seen her like this. Not Alice. She was the rock, the unyielding force in their chaotic world. Something was gnawing at her, and it made his skin prickle with unease.
Shade's voice cut through the tension like a knife. "Stay sharp. We're not alone down here."
His words seemed to ignite the air. A guttural snarl tore through the silence, and before anyone could react, they were swarmed. From the shadows, the Cerberuses lunged—decayed, undead dogs with glowing, malevolent eyes. Their growls filled the corridor, echoing off the walls like a chorus of demons.
Ethan moved instinctively, his custom 1911 barking twice in quick succession. Two shots, two hits—one through a cracked skull, the other piercing an eye. The beasts dropped, but for every one he took down, more seemed to pour from the darkness.
Alice was beside him, firing with a precision that belied the tremor in her hands. Her first shot caught a Cerberus mid-leap, its body twisting in the air before slamming into the wall. She pivoted, barely pausing as another charged her, jaws snapping. For a moment, she hesitated—a flash of something in her eyes—but she recovered, slashing upward with her tactical knife, the blade slicing through the creature's throat. Blood sprayed, black and oily, coating her arm.
Shade's orders were crisp, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Kaplan, Rain, cover the rear! Ethan, Alice, with me!"
Ethan followed the command, dropping to a knee and taking aim. The corridor had become a storm of movement and noise—gunfire, snarls, the sickening crunch of bone. His HK416 rattled in his grip as he fired controlled bursts into the mass of undead flesh, each shot calculated to conserve ammunition. He could feel the rifle's heat radiating against his skin, could smell the burning cordite thick in the air. Every second mattered. Every shot counted.
A Cerberus lunged at him from the side. Ethan turned, his instincts flaring, and fired point-blank. The bullet punched through the beast's skull, its body crumpling at his feet. He checked his magazine—half full. Seventeen rounds left. He'd need to make them last.
Rain and Kaplan were at the rear, holding the line. Rain's MP7 rattled, a steady stream of rounds keeping the creatures at bay. Her eyes were focused, fierce, her jaw set in determination. Kaplan was less steady, his M4A1 trembling slightly in his hands, but he held his ground, firing in short bursts. A few more Cerberuses fell, their bodies piling up, but it wasn't enough. The pack kept coming, relentless.
"Grenade!" Shade's shout was a command, not a suggestion.
Miller moved fast, yanking a smoke grenade from his belt and tossing it down the corridor. The explosion was a concussive thump, the air filling with thick, choking smoke. The Cerberuses hesitated, confused, their senses dulled by the smoke. Shade capitalized on the moment, leading the charge forward.
"Move! Now!"
They sprinted through the smoke, weapons ready. Ethan felt the air rush past him, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum. The walls seemed to close in, the shadows growing deeper, darker. Ahead, he could see the dim outline of a larger chamber, a space to regroup.
The smoke began to clear, and for a moment, they paused. Ethan's breath came in heavy, ragged gasps. His eyes flicked to Alice, who was staring down the corridor, her gaze distant, unfocused. She was shaking, not with fear, but something else.
"Alice?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
She didn't answer. Her blue eyes were wide, her face pale. She was lost, somewhere deep in her own mind. And then she spoke, barely a whisper, "I've been here before."
Ethan's grip tightened on his weapon. "What do you mean, you've been here before?"
Alice blinked, snapping back to the present. "I don't know. I…I just remember…"
Shade's voice cut in, sharp and commanding. "Enough. We don't have time for this." He pointed down the corridor. "Form up. We move now."
They fell back into formation, moving deeper into the Hive. The distant sound of footsteps echoed through the chamber, faint but unmistakable. The sound was wrong, too uneven to be human, too slow to be Cerberuses. The darkness seemed to thicken around them, swallowing the light, and Ethan's pulse quickened.
"What the hell is that?" Kaplan muttered, his voice barely a breath.
Shade raised a hand, signaling for silence. The footsteps grew louder, closer, and Ethan felt a chill run down his spine. Whatever was coming, it wasn't friendly.
They held their ground, weapons raised, every sense on high alert. The seconds stretched into an eternity, the tension tightening like a noose around their throats.
And then, from the shadows, came the unmistakable sound of a low, rumbling growl—a sound that spoke of hunger, of death.
Alice's fingers flexed around the grip of her pistol, her jaw clenched tight. "Get ready," she whispered.
The unknown approached, and they braced themselves for the next wave of horrors the Hive would throw at them.
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Vivid_Horizons "If you enjoyed this story, please add it to your library. If not, thank you for reading! Your comments and suggestions for future changes are welcome!"
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