The morning was bitterly cold, the air thick with mist that coiled through the deserted streets. The sun had barely begun to rise, casting a feeble orange glow that struggled against the dense fog. Light clung weakly to cracked pavement, illuminating nothing but ruins and shadows.

  Razor moved in silence, his team following close behind, their presence a steady rhythm of quiet footfalls. The weight of the previous night still clung to them, an unspoken burden pressing down on their chests. No one dared speak of the creature they’d faced—an enemy unlike anything they'd encountered before.

  Hale led the group, his face hard, eyes scanning every corner for danger. Colt limped slightly, his injury slowing him down, but he grit his teeth and kept moving. The makeshift bandage wrapped around his side did little to dull the pain. Their priority was reaching the Humvee. Fast.

  But something was wrong.

  The streets were empty. Too empty.

  No distant howls of scavengers. No rustling of small animals. Not even the eerie groans of infected. Just silence, thick and suffocating. It was unnatural, as if the city itself was holding its breath.

  Colt stumbled, swearing under his breath. Hale was at his side in an instant.

  "You good?" he asked, his voice low.

  Colt nodded quickly, but the tightness in his jaw betrayed him. "Just keep moving."

  The sound of boots over broken concrete was the only noise, an offbeat rhythm that made Razor uneasy.

  Gator glanced back over his shoulder. His voice barely above a whisper. "Too quiet."

  Shadow’s hand hovered near his rifle. His eyes flicked to every alley, every shadowed doorway. "That thing... it could still be out there."

  "It is," Colt murmured, his voice shaking. "I know it is."

  Razor’s jaw tightened. "We’re almost there. Stay sharp. No noise unless necessary."

  Even as he spoke, the mist thickened. It clung to their skin, heavy and damp, pressing against their throats. The air vibrated with something unseen.

  A feeling.

  A presence.

  And then—a sound.

  A wet, dragging noise. Slow. Unearthly.

  Hale stopped dead, his breath hitching. "That's it," he whispered, dread lacing his tone. "That's the sound it made."

  The team froze. The world seemed to shrink in around them, the silence amplifying their pounding hearts. Razor’s pulse thudded in his ears, but his face remained unreadable.

  The Humvee was close—fifty yards at most. If they moved quickly and carefully, they might make it.

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  Another sound. Closer.

  "Shit," Colt hissed, gripping his rifle tighter. "It's hunting."

  Hale’s face was grim. "We can’t fight that thing. Not here."

  The decision was clear. Hide. Stay low. Let it pass.

  But it was already too late.

  The creature emerged from the mist, a nightmare made real.

  Its body was grotesque—long, spindly legs that seemed too thin to support its massive frame. Its flesh rippled as though it weren’t entirely solid, like the air around it was bleeding into its skin. Empty white sockets sat where its eyes should have been. Tentacles, black and serpentine thought the creature was pale,dragged along the ground, coiling and uncoiling with slow, deliberate movements. The thing exuded a presence that sent ice through their veins.

  And then it made a sound. A low, reverberating hum, deep and suffocating.

  The creature stopped, tilting its head as if listening.

  No one moved. No one breathed.

  Then—a mistake.

  Jace shifted his weight, his boot scraping over loose concrete.

  The creature turned.

  A split-second passed. Then it lunged.

  A tentacle lashed out, wrapping around Whiz’s torso, yanking him off the ground. His scream tore through the silence, his fingers clawing at the thick coil constricting his ribs.

  "Whiz!" Gator shouted, eyes wild. "I can’t get a shot—it’s too close!"

  Razor’s mind raced. They needed a distraction—now.

  Suddenly a figure burst from the mist.

  A girl.

  She was quick, a blur of motion, her blade flashing in the dim light. She struck with precise, brutal efficiency, hacking at the tentacle wrapped around Whiz. The limb severed with a wet snap, releasing him.

  Before anyone could react, the creature retaliated. A tentacle whipped through the air, slamming into her chest.

  The impact was bone-crushing. She flew back, crashing into a pile of rubble with a sickening thud. The force of the blow rattled her, and for a moment, she didn’t move.

  Razor froze, his breath caught in his throat. His heart pounded in his ears. Even covered in grime and blood, she was breathtaking. Ethereal. Platinum-blonde hair fanned around her pale face, forest-green eyes flickering with pain but unwavering. Gator also stood shocked staring at—she reminded him of someone. Someone dearest to him.

  The moment stretched. His mind raced, trying to piece together why she felt so familiar. But it was gone before he could grasp it, swallowed by the chaos.

  Then—movement. A tentacle coiled around her stomach.

  Without thinking, Razor hurled his blade.

  The knife buried itself deep in the tentacle. The creature shrieked, recoiling. The girl collapsed, gasping. Blood seeped from a wound on her stomach, but she didn’t hesitate. She grabbed the ground with a desperate urgency, pulling herself up.

  Gator rushed to her side. "You okay?"

  She blinked, dazed. "Yeah," she muttered, her voice raw, but her eyes were fierce. "Thanks."

  She didn’t linger on the gratitude, her gaze already darting toward the creature, her body shifting into a tense readiness. She was still shaken, but her control was absolute. No time to waste.

  And then—a shift in the air.

  The girl’s eyes widened as the creature moved towards Colt,who was too shocked and scared to move. She grabbed a rock, hurling it into the darkness. The stone struck the creature’s grotesque head. It hissed, twisting toward the sound.

  "Run!" she shouted. "Get away! Hide!"

  The team barely had time to react before the creature charged at her again when it heard her voice.

  But then—Whiz tackled her.

  A tentacle missed by mere inches, cracking the pavement where she had stood.

  "Move!" she hissed, her voice a tight command. "I need a weapon!"

  "What the hell are you doing?" Whiz whispered, his voice shaking with confusion and disbelief.

  She didn’t answer. Her eyes flicked toward the blade lying nearby, and she reached for it with startling precision.

  Another sound. A guttural moan echoed through the streets.

  More infected.

  "Another one!" Hale’s voice was tight with alarm. "Infected! Incoming!"

  The girl didn’t hesitate. She moved fast, pulling herself to her feet, reaching for her weapon. But just then, an infected lunged from the shadows, slamming her to the ground.

  She hit the pavement hard. Her head cracked against the concrete. Blood pooled beneath her, but she fought. Desperation fueled her every movement as she shoved against the infected’s decaying body, its teeth snapping inches from her throat.

  A single shot rang out.

  The infected collapsed on top of her.

  Razor lowered his gun, his heart hammering in his chest.

  Gator, closer than the others, pulled her free, dragging her up.

  "Thank you," she whispered, breathless.

  Blood smeared her fingers as she reached for her knife. Her eyes sharpened—laser-focused. A predator sizing up a kill. Her head throbbed, blood trickling down her face, but there was no hesitation in her actions.

  "Quiet," she hissed, her voice cold and commanding, cutting through the tension like a knife. "It can’t see, but its hearing is heightened."

  She raised her hand, signaling for silence, her posture unwavering.

  The creature was close. Its head lowered, inching toward them, the air thick with its heavy, unnatural presence.

  It was inches from her face.

  She didn’t move. Didn’t even breathe.

  Then, in a single fluid motion, she struck.

  Her blade sank deep into the center of its eyeless sockets.

  A gurgling shriek. A final, agonized shudder.

  Then—silence.

  For a long moment, no one spoke.

  The distant sounds of more infected reached their ears.

  The girl turned to them,all bloody and exhausted,her voice sharp and commanding. "They heard the noise. We need to move. Now."

  Razor hesitated for a heartbeat, the weight of the situation settling on him. They’d faced horrors before, but this… this was different. She was different.

  Then, snapping into action, he barked, his voice cold and urgent, "Move! Follow her! Now!"

  Without another word, the team surged forward, the sound of their feet hammering against the cracked pavement the only thing that filled the silence.

  And they ran.