Static buzzed in my skull.
It seeped into my dream, crackling like an old, damaged film reel. Black-and-white flickers danced across my vision. Trees towered above, their canopies strangling the sky, blotting out the sun with thick, tangled branches. Shadows stretched long and sharp as if the world itself was broken.
I moved forward, rifle clutched tight to my chest. Every breath was shallow, controlled, calculated. I stepped behind one tree, then another, hand flashing the signal to move forward. Advance. Keep moving. Stay quiet.
My team followed. Their faces…
Or lack of faces.
Their heads were twisted masses of flesh, as if someone had taken clay and twisted it into a spiral, hiding every human feature beneath warped meat. No eyes. No mouths. No identity. Just hollow, fleshy masks staring at me as they followed.
Their voices garbled like radio static, distant but constant. Sweat dripped down my brow, soaking the collar of my fatigues. The air was thick, wet, and heavy, pressing down like a wet blanket.
Something's wrong.
We reached a clearing. My boots slowed, skidding in the dirt. The team didn't stop. They moved past me, gliding forward in slow motion, their twisted faces gazing straight ahead. I reached out to grab one of them, but my hand phased through their arm.
They didn't even notice me.
They faded into the trees, one by one, swallowed by the shifting green.
Gone.
Alone, I glanced around, heart thudding against my chest. The world shifted red. Slowly. Like blood soaking into paper. The green leaves dulled to brown. The sky darkened, clouds gathering like a bruise across the heavens. Cold droplets tapped my face. I held out my hands, palms up.
It wasn't water.
The thick, warm liquid pooled in my hands, rippling with each drop. I stared at it, the smell hitting me hard. Copper. Sharp. Familiar. My breath caught in my throat. Blood.
My fingers twitched. I flung the blood away with a disgusted cry, wiping my hands on my pants, but the red only spread. My breath came in short gasps as the downpour intensified. Blood rained from the heavens, soaking my skin, drenching me to the bone. It ran in rivers down my arms, slithering like snakes, curling around my fingers like leeches.
They're dead. They're all dead.
Graves. Nameless, faceless graves began rising from the ground, circling me like stone teeth. No names. No markers. Just judgment.
The river of blood swirled around my knees. Then my waist. Then my chest. I gasped, filling my lungs one last time. The blood rose past my chin. I threw my head back, eyes wide in panic. No. No. No.
I sucked in one final breath before the sea swallowed me whole.
There was no pain.
There was no death.
There was only silence.
GASP!
I shot upright, chest heaving. Air flooded my lungs like I'd been underwater for hours. My heart pounded like a war drum, each thud echoing in my ears. I pressed a hand to my chest, fingers curling tight. No pain.
Wait. No pain?
My eyes darted down. I yanked up my shirt. The bruises — those horrible, black-and-purple stains that had covered my ribs — were almost gone. Just faint, yellowish marks. I poked one, pressing down hard. Nothing but a dull ache.
"What… what the hell?" I muttered, staring at the faint bruises. They should be worse. They should be worse.
Panic rose fast and hot. My breath came shallow and quick. This isn't normal. This isn't normal.
"WHAT DID THEY DO TO ME?!" I roared, fists slamming into the metal shelf beside me. Cans of rotten food clattered to the ground, the stink of decayed meat and fermented sludge filling the air. My hands moved on their own, tossing jars, shoving shelves. I tore apart the tiny space, searching for something to blame.
I grabbed the nearest shelf, fingers trembling as I braced against it. My chest felt tight, breath coming in sharp gasps. My eyes darted around the room, desperate for an answer.
Am I like them now?
I felt it. The weight of realization. It crushed me, heavier than any blow. If I'm turning, if I'm becoming one of them… I should end it.
I reached for the gun at my side. My fingers trembled as I unholstered it, my eyes locked on the black barrel. Slowly, I turned it, gaze fixed on the hole at the center. The abyss staring back.
It saved me once before. It can save me again.
My lips quivered. I raised it to my mouth, cold steel pressing against my tongue. My teeth clamped down on the barrel.
Click. Click. Click.
Nothing. No bullets.
The gun slipped from my hands and hit the floor with a hollow clatter.
"I… I almost…" My voice cracked as I felt my knees give out. My chest heaved, every breath sharp and hollow. I laughed. Quiet at first. Then louder. Choking, gasping laughter, my tears blurring my vision.
"I can't even die properly…" I leaned back against the cold metal wall, head tilted up to the ceiling. "Pathetic."
---
BOOOOOMMM!!!
The wall behind me exploded.
My body spun, heart leaping into my throat. Before I could react, a pair of bloody hands punched through the wall and yanked me into the open air.
Dust choked my lungs. I coughed, eyes stinging, barely able to see through the thick, swirling cloud. My vision cleared just enough to see them.
Those eyes. Glowing. Burning red.
Mr. Muscles.
A grin spread across his face, lips peeling back to reveal crooked, yellowed teeth. Maggots wriggled between his gums. His breath hit me like rot and sulfur, hot and sour.
He squeezed.
Bones creaked. My ribs bent like wooden planks ready to snap. A raw, strangled scream ripped from my throat. I kicked, legs thrashing wildly. The pain burned like fire under my skin. Every second, every breath, every heartbeat felt like the last.
Ba-BUM. Ba-DUP. Ba-BUM. Ba-BUM.
My heart. Thundering. Pounding. Louder. Louder. My vision tunneled, heat surging in my chest, my arms, my legs.
NO.
Something inside me snapped. Heat flooded my body, burning hotter than ever. My arms shifted. My fingers pressed against his hands.
I pushed.
His grip cracked.
"AARRGGGH!" His roar echoed like thunder. His teeth chattered in frustration as my arms pushed harder. The gap widened. Air flooded my lungs.
I threw my head back, gasping like a drowning man breaking the surface. "You're done!"
My feet hit the ground. I crouched low. His fists crashed together with a deafening CLAP! right where my head had been. Missed.
An opening.
My body moved on instinct. My weight shifted. Legs coiled. I pulled my arms in, fingers tight, form perfect. My right arm shot back like a loaded spring.
One shot. One shot. Make it count.
I lunged forward, my fist snapping up in a sharp, violent uppercut.
THOOM!
The impact was sharp, raw, and absolute. His body jolted. His six-pack crumpled like wet cardboard. Blood spurted from his mouth in a wet cough. His eyes went wide with shock.
He stumbled back, one step, then another. His hand pressed to his chest. A crater. A jagged, sunken crater where his chest had been.
He hit the ground hard. He didn't get up.
I stood, chest heaving, staring at him. My glare softened.
Shock. Awe. Disbelief.
I lifted my hand, staring at my bloodied knuckles.
"I did that."
The battle was over.