A hoarse cough pulled Genna from her sleep and the dusty bar floor; her eyes beginning to water as the heat of the layer of smoke dried them.
“FIRE!” she screamed as she shook Cassidy awake violently.
Cassidy awoke startled along with a hoarse cough as well and quickly took notice of the brightening room. Bo, Amelia, and Mercer along with the other patrons of the bar jolted awake to Genna’s scream; they all rose jumping into action.
“Grab your things and stay low!” Bo yelled over the roaring fire, it steadily devoured more of the roof.
One of the men sleeping near the pool tables dashed to the boarded-up door; jamming his crowbar into the boards and pried them from the door. The moment he pried the last board, instantly he was overpowered by a horde of creatures filing into the bar, descending upon the gambling men as they attempted to escape; Genna watched in horror as her hazel eyes reflected the flames that engulfed the bar and the scene of the undead devouring the men. She felt a rough hand grip her by the arm and pulled her away as a fiery hand gripped the other, she screamed in pain and fear as the fiery dead hand pulled back. The opposing force yanked Genna out of the fiery grip and into a hard-solid body, a gunshot rang over the roar of the fire; ringing erupted in her ears then a strong arm wrapped around her pulling her away.
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Bo watched Mercer dragging Genna through a shattered window in his arms followed a pair of creatures, effectively splitting the small group into two. Separated from an exit, Amelia immediately searched for another exit when she spotted a window several feet away with a group of creatures blocking her path. Bo slung his bow onto his shoulder then squatted to pull a knife from his boot and a pistol from his lower back taking the lead. Quickly, Amelia advanced from behind with her own knife in hand and the other pulling Cassidy into their direction. A creature advanced on and Amelia shoved her knife up into the bottom of its mandible; it penetrated easily into its skull then she yanked it free, the body fell to the bar floor. Cassidy smashed the window with her hammer and jumped out, Bo fired a several rounds accurately as two creatures dropped. Amelia escaped through the window and Bo following as the flames spread further then engulfing the bar entirely.
“Where’s Cassidy?” he questioned.
“She must have taken off into those woods,” she stated beginning to head in the same direction, “We can look later but we can’t stay here.”
Each group fled in opposite direction; the bright orange glow diminished slowly into dark night the further away they ran.