All the gunfire and commotion was bound to draw some very unwanted attention. As I holstered my Glock, an inhuman screech echoed through the air, bouncing off the desolate skyscrapers surrounding us. More howls joined the first, and then the shadows seemed to come alive. Glancing back down the street, I spotted inhuman figures stirring. Despite the daylight, mutants were emboldened to venture out, attracted by the scent of blood. And, judging by the blood-curdling screams from the direction of the Marauder camp, they were about to stumble upon a feast.

"We gotta move," Ethan shouted, his voice tinged with hysteria.

I nodded and hurried over to the others, quickly reviewing the map before cursing under my breath. The highway ahead was completely obstructed by wrecked vehicles. Returning the way we came wasn't an option, not with the robots on a rampage.

"We have to go underground," I announced, hardly believing my own suggestion.

Beth and Trevor regarded me as if I had lost my mind. "No way, man," Trevor objected vehemently. "That's suicide."

I pointed to the hundreds of mutants now slowly emerging from the buildings around us. "We can't go forward, and we can't go back. The underground is our only chance."

Trevor began to pace, his head in his hands, while Beth glared at me. Despite her skepticism, it was clear she understood the grim logic. Venturing underground might be perilous, but it was preferable to being torn apart by mutants. The problem was that city subways were notorious death traps.

"Nobody ever comes back from going underground. Everyone says so!" Ethan stammered.

Approaching him, I roughly took his arm and shoved him toward the subway entrance across the street. "If that's true, then who's around to tell the tales?" I snapped.

Our debate was cut short by a piercing howl. Beth's warning came just in time—we had been spotted. The grotesque mutants fixed their unsettling gaze on us. At first, they merely stared with their distorted eyes—some lacked eyes entirely, while others possessed more than any human should.

The mutants began to advance, their movements erratic and unnerving. Each step they took was a grotesque display of their inhumanity; limbs twisted in unnatural ways, and their forms seemed to twitch with a hunger for violence. The air filled with their maddening screeches, a cacophony that threatened to overwhelm us.

"We need to move, now!" I shouted, my voice barely cutting through the din of their howls.

Without waiting for a response, I turned and sprinted towards the subway entrance, the others close on my heels. Behind us, the sounds of the mutants gave chase, a terrifying noise that spurred us to push our bodies beyond their limits. I reached the steps leading down into the subway station, turned and fired off a few rounds cutting down a mutant that was sprinting after us on all four of its limbs. I shuddered, they were monstrous things straight out of your worst nightmares. The monster collapsed to the ground in a screeching bundle of mutated claw like appendages and writhed like some dying animal. I quickly followed Beth and the others into the dark.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

*

The steps leading into the subway station were piled with debris, and the metal handrails were either fractured or coated in years of rust. Activating our flashlights, we stepped into a circular hall, complete with a ticket kiosk and the remnants of various shops. Their signage, despite being covered in years’ worth of dust and grime remained visible, and as my light swept across their interiors, I noticed most of the shelves still housed merchandise. The sounds of the mutants drew nearer.

"Help me with this," Beth requested, having located a metal chain linked to a shutter. I hurried to the entryway's opposite side, finding a matching chain.

"Pull," I instructed.

Together, we tugged on the chains, and with a resounding clatter, the shutter descended, sealing off the entrance.

"That should hold them. At least for a while," I observed.

As if to challenge that assessment the heavy shutter shook violently as the mutants pounded on its surface seeking a way through.

“Take that you bastards!” Trevor shouted.

I assessed the shutter and was satisfied that it should hold. It was made of steel and was in remarkably good condition. Indents appeared on its surface where the crazed monsters on the other side were trying to break through. Turning away from it I swept my flashlight over the hall. A ticket kiosk and some machines were at the far end and next to them were the turnstiles leading down into the subway.

"Can't we just stay here and wait them out?" Ethan inquired, gazing into the darkness below.

"Once a mutant has your scent, they don't give up until they're dead. Trust me, I've seen it," I replied, making my way to the kiosk's door.

I tried the handle and the door opened with a groan of rusted hinges. Stepping into the small room I was hit by the smell of decomposition. I almost gagged and raised the top of my shirt so that it covered my nose. I quickly found the source of the stench. A body. Casting my torch over it I could see that it was some unfortunate scavenger, their till moist skeleton stared back at me with empty voids where their eyes had been. Judging from the dried blood that covered almost every surface the scavver had likely been shot and sought shelter down here. ‘Just like we are’ I thought morbidly. Carefully stepping over the corpse, I found what I was looking for affixed to the wall: a map of the underground rail system. We would need to follow it to find our way out of this place. I exited the room tossing a salute to the dead scavver as I did so. Anyone who survived as a scavenger had my respect. It was no easy life and death was always around the corner.

"I've found a map," I announced to the others. "Let's figure out a way out of here and head back to camp."

Beth placed a hand on my chest. "Since it was your bright idea to take us underground, you're leading the way," she said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.

"Fine. Just keep up," I shot back, brushing past her towards the top of the stairs. Directing my flashlight downward, I noted two inoperative escalators flanking the staircase, with the skeletal remains of hundreds of people scattered across them.

"What happened here?" Ethan whispered, his voice betraying his frayed nerves. It was clear I'd need to watch him closely.

"This is the reason people avoid the underground. When the bombs fell, thousands sought shelter in subway networks like this one. Many were injured from the blasts, and the rest likely succumbed to radiation," I explained.

"This place is a tomb," Trevor stated grimly.

"It is. That's why we need to tread carefully. We'll probably encounter many more bodies the deeper we go. Most sought deeper refuge to escape the radioactive fallout. Unfortunately, there are numerous ways for radiation to penetrate and contaminate these tunnels—air conditioning, ventilation ducts, and so on."

"Are there things down there?" Ethan asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

I glanced at Beth, sensing she already knew the answer. The nuclear bombs had wreaked havoc not just on the world above but had also disturbed the depths below.

"Possibly. Just stay close and remain alert to any sounds. We need to move quietly," I advised, taking the first step down.