Tommy crept toward the imposing gates of the outpost, the cacophony of snarls and growls from the undead echoing louder than ever before, filling the air with an ominous dread. Gripping his spiked baseball bat tightly, Tommy glanced back at the group, his heart pounding in his chest despite his attempt to remain calm. "Do you have the flares?" he whispered urgently, his voice barely audible above the unsettling sounds surrounding them. Dobby nodded silently, reaching into the satchel slung over his left shoulder and retrieving two green flares and one red flare.
"Great, thanks," Tommy murmured as he accepted the flare gun from Dobby, a slight grin tugging at the corners of Dobby's lips. "Are we really ready for this?" Zach interjected, falling into step beside Tommy, his eyes scanning their surroundings warily. "Remember, no splitting up unless all hell breaks loose, got it?" Andrew's reminder hung heavily in the tense air, serving as a solemn pact among the group.
Tara readied her slingshot, casting a nervous glance at Marcel. "We need to move quickly. I don’t want to linger in there any longer than necessary," she confessed in a hushed tone, her apprehension palpable. This was the largest group of biters she had ever encountered, and the prospect of facing them head-on filled her with a deep sense of unease.
"I scouted the place," Tommy addressed Tara, his voice low but resolute. "There are around 500 of these critters inside. Not the biggest horde we've faced, but they're tightly packed, which makes this extremely perilous," he explained as he loaded one of the green flares into the flare gun.
"Is everyone ready?" Andrew's question hung in the air, met with a chorus of silent nods from the group, each member bracing themselves for what lay ahead. With a steady hand, Tommy raised the flare gun between the gates and pulled the trigger, sending the flare soaring into the heart of the outpost.
The biters, drawn by the flickering light, began to turn their attention toward the source, their hunger-fueled growls filling the air as they lumbered toward the flare. Seizing the opportunity, Tommy eased the gates open slowly, his breaths coming in shallow gasps as Zach and Andrew followed closely behind.
Dobby, Tara, Marcel, Maddy, and Zoe quickly fell into line, their weapons at the ready as they prepared to confront the impending threat. A lone biter, alerted by the commotion, turned to face Tommy and the group, its guttural growls sending shivers down their spines. "I can't believe this actually works..." Maddy's voice trembled with a mixture of fear and disbelief as she struggled to maintain her composure.
"Just stay calm and stay quiet," Zach's reassuring grip tightened around Maddy's arm as he pulled her close. "Stick close to me," he whispered, his voice a soothing calm in the midst of the chaos. Nodding gratefully, Maddy clasped Zach's hand tightly in her own.
Their eyes alighted on a makeshift sign that spelled out the words "medical center," Tara looked at it and pointed over to it. “There,” she whispered as they made their way over. “I hate to say this, but Dobby, Zach, Maddy. I want you three to go off and find where they have their armory. We don’t know how long this will last,” Andrew spoke, and Zach nodded, patting his back. “Got it.” Zach walked away from the others with Dobby and Maddy following close, their weapons ready as they carefully stepped into the group of biters. Tara watched them as Dobby walked over to the doors and opened them, a smell of decay plugging their noses. Tara slightly gagged, and Marcel rested a hand on her shoulder as they stepped inside. Beds lay around with decaying bodies, blade wounds in their heads. They were executed, it seemed.
On the far right lay three bodies in white coats. “They killed the nurses too,” Andrew whispered, holding his gun. “Let's get what we came for and get back to the others,” Marcel spoke before walking to a metal door with a wooden sign reading ‘supplies’.
Marcel tried opening the door, but it was locked. “Of course,” he groaned and walked over to the three bodies. Patting them down, they had bullet holes in their backs and one in their head; there were some bullet holes in the walls around them with blood marks.
“Who would do such a thing?” Tara whispered in shock. “People like Hora. Monsters who belong in this world now,” he let out a sigh. “They do not have the key,” Tommy sighed and walked over to the locked door and began kicking it.
“I don’t think kicking it would do anything, Tom,” Marcel looked at him, glancing at the glass panel. “How loud will breaking this be?” He asked, and Andrew walked over to the doors and closed them in case.
“Break it, we need it,” Andrew spoke as Zoe walked over and handed Tommy a crowbar from her bag. “Here,” she smiled, and Tommy began swinging. The glass shattered in two swings, causing a loud sound, tensing everyone up as he reached in and unlocked the door.
Tommy then opened the door. “Quick, quick,” he ushered the group to gather supplies, and so they began. The medical supplies were stocked, so they grabbed as much as they could. “Whoever this was, they didn’t take their supplies,” Andrew lifted a duffle bag full of supplies, putting it on his back as the group began walking out with the supplies.
Tommy looked up at the roof, shining his flashlight. There was a red damp spot on the ceiling. “Ew,” he groaned to himself and began walking. The red liquid was dripping down; a speck landed on his cheek, and he couldn’t help but look up, pausing.
On the rooftop, growls emanated. The sounds of the glass shattering led the biters on the roof to the specific damp spot. They limped over slowly, snarling. On the roof, there were biters with masks on. Where the damp spot lay, a biter cut in two, their blood damping the spot as they growled, reaching around aimlessly. When the biters got closer, the ceiling began sinking and caving.
