Chapter 43
Kate
Jordan and I storm the stairs, descending further into the bowels of the city.
“This way,” I pant, veering left, picking up speed as I lead us past empty storefronts.
Our shoes thump against the tiles, my flashlight the only form of light we have.
I’m about to take another left when Jordan’s arms wrap around me from behind, pulling me against her chest.
“Wait,” she murmurs quietly in my ear.
I try to see or hear what she must sense, but no alarm bells go off in my head.
“I hear footsteps down that way.”
“How many?” I whisper, trying to consider if a fight will be necessary. It’s the only path I know back to the zone—the other has been deemed too dangerous.
“At least ten, maybe fifteen,” she answers.
“Raiders or infected?”
She listens for a moment before growling, “Raiders.”
My heart drops into my stomach. We fought off the cult, but raiders will be armed to the teeth—we won’t stand a chance.
“We have to go the other way,” she tells me before letting me go.
I lick my lips, trying to think, trying to consider another option, but there isn’t one.
So I turn and jog into the unknown, Jordan at my side.
The walkway looks similar to the path I’ve taken before, but we move slower, more deliberately.
I’ve swapped out the bow for my gun and my hand holding the flashlight trembles, making the light bounce off the walls.
The flamethrower weighs heavier with each step.
Jordan prowls next to me, scanning all that I can’t see.
Maybe we won’t encounter anyone, I try to soothe myself, but it doesn’t stop the worry from overriding my senses. Some of these walkways were closed off to prevent infected from pushing through into safe zones. I don’t even know what we’ll come up against this way.
We keep moving, neither of us straying far from the other. I seek Jordan out, the back of my hand brushing against hers. The feel of her skin on mine is the only thing that stops me from breaking down.
The stench of rotting flesh reaches my nostrils and my spine locks. We both freeze, Jordan’s eyes sweeping in the dark. I hear her sharp intake of breath and I try to tell where she’s looking when I hear it, my tiny light finally connecting.
A shadow stalker.
The sound of elephant feet thumping against the ground comes from in front of us as the sole infected drags itself into view.
It’s massive, standing at around seven feet tall, its skin as pale as the moon.
Parts of its rib cage protrude from its chest and its hands are larger than any one person’s hands can be.
Deep blue veins cover its body, pulsing as if they’re working overtime to pump blood through it.
It’s eyes, the same eerie color as Jordan’s, lock onto me as it tilts its head.
There’s nothing human left behind those eyes—it’s pure predator.
Jordan and I both stay frozen as I calculate our odds of survival. We can’t outrun it. Firing at it may down it, but I have to make sure to get it through the brain before it rips us apart.
It opens its mouth, jaw disconnecting, splitting in two from the chin as it hisses, “Hu…man.”
My body trembles.
A roar erupts from it, saliva and blood flying from its mouth, shaking the entire walkway.
Jordan doesn’t hesitate—she howls back, crouching, preparing to attack.
As it takes off toward us, I raise my gun and fire again and again, aiming for its head as Jordan races forward.
The bullets hit it’s shoulder, it’s neck, it’s ear—
Jordan and the stalker clash, snarls and shrieks nearly making my ears bleed. I try to get in the killing shot, but they’re a mess of teeth and claws, I can’t be sure I won’t shoot her on accident.
Jordan scratches down its face, blood already welling as it snarls and slashes.
She’s too slow to avoid the attack—she lets out a pained yelp as it slices down her abdomen.
Jordan attempts another swipe, but it has the upper hand now.
Its enormous hands reach for her, picking her up like she weighs nothing and throwing her against the wall.
She grunts as her back hits the wall before landing in a heap.
“No!” I scream as it stalks toward her, ready to kill. I fire again and my gun clicks.
Out of bullets.
Jordan tries to push herself up, to fight back, but her arms buckle and she collapses. The stalker stands above her, it’s talons dripping her blood on the tile.
She lifts her head, eyes locking on me. Nothing but pain and sadness on her face. Like she’s telling me she’s sorry.
Like she’s telling me goodbye.
Fury and fear rise in me, cutting my body off from rational thought. It isn’t ending like this. I’m not losing her this way. I drop my gun and lift the flame thrower, my palms sweaty against the igniter.
“Hey!” The word bounces off the walls. “Hey, over here!”
The stalker halts and twists its head to me, eyes zeroing in on me as it hisses. I grip the igniter, finger against the trigger, as I stare down this monster.
“Come on!” I shout, bracing myself.
It roars and advances, muscles coiling as it readies to strike.
A little bit closer, just a little bit more—
I’m panting through gritted teeth. When I see its pupils and what’s left of its teeth, I let out a primal yell of my own, squeezing the trigger.
Flames shoot out, engulfing it with such force that it stumbles back a step, shrieks bellowing. The heat nearly knocks me over, singeing my hair, melting my skin clean off. But I don’t stop, holding steady as I set this motherfucker aflame.
Its arms flail, trying to shield itself, but the flames are relentless. I step forward once, then twice, inching closer, never letting up. Nearly setting myself on fire in the process, sweat pours down my body.
It fights against me, trying to advance and rip my head from my shoulders. It swings its arms, nearly clipping me as I fight to keep the upper hand. I keep my finger curled around the trigger like it’s the last thing I’ll do, even as the heat becomes unbearable.
The stench of burned flesh clogs my nose as it finally drops to its knees, a low groan escaping it before it falls forward, smoke rising from its charred body.
I ease off the trigger, the flames extinguishing as I watch for any signs of life.
But there aren’t any.
I race over to Jordan, who is still face down on the ground, a small pool of blood underneath her. I drop to my knees, panic gripping me as I rasp out, “Jordan?”
Turning her over, I see the damage: blood covering her face, her shirt slashed to threads with deep cuts underneath. A sob wracks my chest as I cradle her head. I can’t lose her, I can’t—
Her eyelids flutter and a soft groan passes her lips before she grits out, “I had him.”
I blink then press my lips to hers, overwhelmed with relief. “Thank fuck,” I whisper, my voice breaking against her mouth.
She snorts and then winces, her eyes opening as I pull back. “That hurt.”
A bemused laugh rises up my throat, vision blurred by my tears. “I’m sure it did. We need to tend to your wounds.”
She sits up, her hand clutching her abdomen. “I need…some time. We need…to hide…somewhere.”
I nod as I help her stand, her arm going across my shoulders as we drag ourselves forward. There has to be somewhere to stay down here.