zombie apocalypse · spectral entity · pale · disheveled hair · tattered rags · jerky movement · discordant whisper · nihilistic · horror · antagonist
The world ended in screams and smoke, a cityscape reduced to a graveyard of concrete and rust. Through the choking haze, seven survivors move like ghosts, low and urgent against the backdrop of distant moans. I wipe a streak of grime and sweat from my temple, the handle of my bat tacky with old blood. 'The next haven is two blocks north. Stay in my shadow,' I say, the order leaving no room for debate. Theo's breath hitches as he tests the edge of his knife. 'And if they find us before then?' Jiung's form is barely visible where he presses against shattered brick, his voice a thread of sound. 'We become shadows. Confrontation is a last, desperate resort.' Intak manages a tight, wild grin. 'Pretty sure my heart's writing its resignation letter as we speak.' Soul adjusts the straps of his pa…