The echoes of gunfire weaved through the stale air like a sinister melody, distant yet sharp enough to prickle Yona’s skin. The camp’s labyrinthine corridors swallowed the sound, warping it into something alien. Above, the dim lights flickered erratically, each blink threatening to plunge the two figures into utter darkness. Shadows stretched and recoiled against the cracked walls, alive with jagged shapes that felt more like watching eyes than reflections.

Yona’s footsteps faltered, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm in his chest. The revolver in his grip felt foreign, its cold steel biting into his palm like a creature eager to betray his inexperience. His mind screaming for him to wake up, to leave this nightmare behind. But Jack’s voice pulled him back, grounding him in the moment. He had to act. If not now, then when?. “Eyes sharp, kid. Whatever’s out there, it’s not friendly.”

Yona swallowed, his throat dry. The weight of his fear pressed against his ribs, making each breath feel like a battle. He glanced at Jack steady, unyielding, the revolver in his hand an extension of himself. Jack moved with purpose, every step deliberate, every breath measured.

This wasn’t a movie. Yona wasn’t the hero.

A scream tore through the stagnant air. Raw, animalistic. It seemed to claw at the walls, shaking loose the fragile threads of Yona’s composure. He froze, his legs refusing to move, his breath coming in shallow gasps.

Jack stopped abruptly, his sharp gaze sweeping the corridor ahead. “Behind me,” he barked, his voice clipped.

Yona obeyed, retreating a step. The pulse in his ears drowned out everything else. The shadows around them deepened, their edges twisting and curling like smoke, as if the darkness itself was alive and hungry.

Their gaze was Intensely Sharp......

..........

The corridor yawned ahead, its mouth shrouded in flickering light and uncertainty. Jack moved forward, his posture tense, his weapon raised.

A figure appeared in the corner of a side passage, a woman no older than thirty. She sat slumped against the wall, clutching a jagged length of pipe as if it were her only tether to sanity. Her hair clung to her sweat-slicked face, strands of grime streaking her cheeks. Wide, brown eyes darted frantically, locking onto each flickering shadow like they were predators.

Jack knelt beside her, his movements slow and deliberate. “Hey,” he said, his voice steady. “ Can you tell me what happened? ”

The woman didn’t answer immediately. Her lips trembled, forming soundless words until a single whisper escaped: “They’re… not human anymore.”

Jack’s jaw tightened, though his expression remained calm. He glanced at Yona, his voice now a command. “Get her to safety. Find a room, lock her in if you have to.”

“But...”

“Do it”.

Yona swallowed his protest, stepping forward to take the woman’s arm. Her grip on the pipe didn’t falter, her knuckles white with strain. She looked at him as if seeing a phantom. “You’ll die,” she murmured.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“We won’t,” Yona replied, his voice far less certain than he’d hoped.

And In that moment, the air erupted with noise. A guttural snarl reverberated down the corridor, raw and wet, choking rasp, like death caught in its throat. Yona froze, his body stiff with fear.

Pa!

Jack didn’t hesitate. His revolver was in his hand, aimed and firing in a single motion. The gunshot Cracked! through the air, the recoil barely shifting Jack’s arm.

The first shot struck true, spinning the figure in the distance, a soldier, or what was left of one. The creature's skin was stretched too tightly over its frame, veins pulsating with a sickly green light. Its fingers, unnaturally elongated, twitched spasmodically as if yearning to grasp something living. He growled, an inhuman sound that made Yona’s stomach churn.

“Move!” Jack barked, shoving Yona back.

Pa!

The second shot hit the creature’s chest, staggering it momentarily. But it didn’t fall. It lurched forward with inhuman speed, its gnarled hands reaching out.

Yona panicked. He raised his revolver, hands shaking so violently he could barely align the sights.

Pa!

His first shot went wide, striking the wall behind the creature. It kept coming, its twisted face inches from his own.

“Shoot!” Jack’s voice roared through the chaos.

Pa!

The second shot grazed the creature’s temple, causing it to reel. Jack didn’t waste the opportunity. In one swift motion, he pressed his revolver against its head and pulled the trigger.

CRACKED!

He pulled the trigger...

The creature crumpled to the ground, its body twitching once before going still.

...........

Huff! Huff!

Yona’s breaths came in ragged gasps as he stared at the lifeless body. His hands were numb, his vision swimming. The revolver slipped in his grip, threatening to fall.

Jack’s hand landed on his shoulder, grounding him. “You did good,” he said, his tone softer now. But his eyes, sharp and unrelenting, told a different story. “This isn’t over.”

Yona nodded, though his knees felt ready to give out. He looked down at the creature, the glow in its eyes now extinguished. It had been human once. That thought lodged itself in his mind, refusing to leave.

“Jack,” Yona began, his voice barely above a whisper, “what the hell are we dealing with?”

Jack’s expression darkened, the flickering light carving shadows into his face. “Something worse than anything you’ve imagined. Now come on. We need to find the other survivors.”

............

The corridors grew darker as they pressed on, the lights overhead sputtering in protest.. The sounds of distant gunfire and guttural growls became a constant backdrop, a grim reminder of the chaos enveloping the camp.

Yona tried to focus, but his mind kept returning to the young boy Jian had brought in earlier. His heart sank as he remembered the child’s location..

“The patients,” Yona said suddenly, his voice breaking the tense silence. “We have to check the patient wards.”

Jack hesitated, his lips pressing into a thin line. He glanced at the direction they were heading and then back toward the wards.

“We don’t have time for detours,” he said.

“We can’t just leave them!” Yona argued, surprising even himself with the force of his words.

Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. But if things go south, we’re out of there. Got it?”

Yona nodded, gripping his revolver tightly.

.........

The patient ward was silent. Too silent. The hum of machinery was gone, replaced by a suffocating stillness. The stench hit them first, a nauseating mix of rot and decay that clung to the back of Yona’s throat.

As they got in, yona eyes widened in shock as he saw...

Pure Massacre!

The cracked walls streaked with blood, dark and viscous, trailing down to pools on the floor. Bodies lay scattered in grotesque disarray, hands and legs severed, heads torn from torso,

" Everyone's dead here ", Jack said, his voice like a quiet whisper, his gaze wandered off ahead in silence. " Let's check the rest ".

Yona nodded slowly, clenching his teeth, his eyes darting over the carnage. He forced himself to move, his boots squelching in the blood-soaked ground.

Yona pushed open the Creaking! door to one of the rooms, his heart pounding, racing faster than ever.

I hope am not late..... Yona muttered inwardly.

Inside, the boy sat on the edge of the bed, his knees pulled to his chest. His green eyes were wide with fear, his hands pressed tightly over his ears.

“Miss Jian,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “Where are you?”......