Chapter 18: ETHEN

18 | ETHEN

Hurrying outside behind Kasi, the intense warmth of the surrounding fire engulfs me, and smoke claws at my throat, making it nearly impossible to breathe. I bury my face into the crook of my arm, trying to shield myself as my eyes sting and water. The ground trembles beneath my feet as another explosion from the truck erupts, sending a fireball surging above the treetops, briefly illuminating the dark sky in a blazing orange glow. Flaming debris rains down, igniting tents and makeshift wooden barricades in a chaotic blaze.

I nearly crash into Kasi as she halts abruptly, raising her rifle to fire into the oncoming horde of infected. Their guttural screams rise above the crackling flames as they topple over one another—some collapsing lifeless and tangled in the mud, others bursting forth from the wreckage, clawing frantically through the chaos.

Beside me, Leah raises her handgun and fires, the shot ripping through the face of an infected that leaps toward us. Its blood and viscera spray across my face as its body slams into us, nearly knocking me off balance. With a swift kick, Kasi sends the corpse tumbling down the stairs. Steadying myself, I catch sight of fire spreading through a patch of nearby weeds. Beyond it lies a gruesome pile of mangled bodies and burning metal, broken limbs jutting out at grotesque angles.

"Get to the line!" someone shouts, their voice raw and laced with panic.

I turn to follow, but my boot catches on uneven ground, and I stumble hard, falling face-first into the dirt. The impact drives the air from my lungs, and I cough violently, spitting out grit. As I lift my head, I realize with a jolt of panic that not only have I been separated from the others, but my gun is nowhere in sight.

Kasi and Leah whirl around, alarm flashing across their faces, but they're too far away. An infected creature lumbers toward me, its blackened, grotesque hands outstretched, soulless eyes fixed on me. My heart pounds as sweat and grime drip into my eyes. Frantically, I wipe my face and try to push myself up, but my hands slip against the dirt, finding no grip.

A cold realization washes over me. Is this it? Is this how I'm going to die? After all those close calls, it ends like this—ripped apart by some crazed infected?

But it doesn't happen.

A low, guttural growl erupts nearby just as a shadow hurtles toward the infected. The creature goes down hard, hitting the ground with a wet, sickening splat. My breath catches as I watch, wide-eyed. Jigs barrels into the infected, his powerful jaws clamping around its throat. The creature shrieks, limbs flailing wildly, but Jigs shakes his head with feral intensity, tearing into its flesh until the cries are silenced. The infected's body collapses into the mud, motionless.

Jigs lifts his head, blood and entrails dripping from his jaws, his yellow eyes locking onto mine. For a moment, I just stare, frozen, my pulse roaring in my ears.

"Ethen!" Kasi's voice breaks through the haze as she grabs my arm, yanking me to my feet with surprising force. My legs tremble beneath me as she presses my lost gun into my hands. I can only nod, my head spinning.

"Come on!" she shouts, pulling me along.

We sprint toward higher ground, where other survivors are gathering. Flames roar behind us, devouring everything in their path. The cacophony of gunfire and screams shatters the night, the battle below raging like a storm of chaos.

As we approach the front line, I pull my coat tighter against the biting wind that howls through the open spaces. It carries the nauseating stench of burning flesh and decay, a mix so pungent it turns my stomach. The ground beneath our feet is littered with bodies—most of them infected, their twisted limbs crumpled in grotesque stillness. But not all are monsters. Camp guards and raiders lie scattered among them, their blood soaking into the trampled mud, dark and glistening in the flickering firelight.

Suddenly, something cold and wet brushes my face. Startled, I pause and glance up at the swirling gray sky. Snowflakes drift down slowly, their delicate patterns vanishing the instant they touch the searing heat of the burning wreckage.

A snowflake lands on my cheek, its coolness sharp against my fevered skin. I blink as more settle on my lashes, fleeting and damp. A stray flake brushes my lips, leaving a taste of stark purity amidst the filth and chaos surrounding me.

For a moment, the world feels unnaturally still. The falling snow creates an eerie calm over the inferno, softening the edges of destruction. But the illusion shatters with a piercing shriek.

"Ethen!" Leah's voice cuts through the noise, sharp and urgent. "The infected—they're coming straight for us!"

I snap back to reality, my chest tightening as a fresh wave of infected surges toward us. Their decrepit hands claw at the air, their teeth bared in grotesque snarls. My grip tightens on my gun, my hands trembling.

"Hold steady!" Kasi barks, her voice steely as she sprints forward, firing at the advancing horde.

I raise my weapon, the kick of each shot jolting through my body as we unleash a barrage of gunfire. Around us, snowflakes continue to drift softly, untouched by the chaos.

Above the cacophony of screams and gunfire, I notice Kasi climbing the palisade at the main gate. A spotlight catches her face as she raises a walkie-talkie to her mouth, speaking quickly and urgently. The distant roar of battle muffles the words, but the grim set of her expression tells me everything I need to know—it's bad.

She lowers the walkie-talkie and turns to Leah and me, her sharp eyes narrowing with determination. "You two!" she shouts, her voice cutting through the chaos. "The infected have reached the south gate! Get to the infirmary and make sure they don't breach it!"

She hesitates briefly before tossing a walkie-talkie to me. I fumble but manage to catch it, quickly fastening it to my belt as I nod.

"Update me once you're there!" she adds, already turning back to the fight.

The snow continues to fall, but it can't silence the storm of infected bearing down on us. My stomach churns as my thoughts race to Levi—and Sal—still clinging to life in the infirmary. There's no time to argue or hesitate. Kasi's expression hardens as she guns down a crazed raider, twin machetes dripping blood still clutched in his lifeless hands.

"Go!" she barks.

Leah nods sharply, tightening her grip on her handgun. She grabs my arm and tugs, snapping me into motion.

We've barely turned to leave when the ground trembles beneath us, accompanied by a guttural roar so deep it feels like it's vibrating inside my chest.

I whip around and freeze. A massive, infected creature barrels toward us, illuminated by the flickering red of the surrounding flames. Its grotesque, hulking body is covered in bulbous, pulsing growths, faintly glowing as if irradiated. Blood-soaked saliva drips from its gaping maw as it bellows, swatting a man with one massive arm. He's sent flying like a rag doll, his body colliding with the dirt in a sickening crunch.

Before I can process what's happening, the monstrosity lunges at another man. Its oversized hands dig into his chest, and with terrifying strength, it tears him apart. Blood and entrails spray in all directions, hot and sticky as they splatter across my face and clothes. The air thickens with the stench of iron, choking my senses. My rifle slips from my trembling hands.

A blur of fur and motion slashes my vision—it's Jigs, his agile body charging right at the creature. He leaps, bared teeth sinking into the infected's swollen arm with feral force.

"Jigs!" Leah cries, panic and desperation overwhelming her voice.

The infected creature bellows in rage, thrashing wildly to dislodge him. With a brutal swing of its massive arm, it catches Jigs midair, hurling him into the side of a flaming cart. The dog yelps in pain, crumpling into a heap on the ground.

"Jigs!" I shout, my voice cracking. He doesn't move, his body eerily motionless.

The infected turns toward Leah, its glowing eyes narrowing. She fires her handgun frantically, but the bullets seem to bounce off its grotesque, swollen form. With horrifying ease, it snatches her by the throat, lifting her into the air as she kicks and claws in vain.

My heart pounds as I watch her struggle, her face contorted in agony, gasping for air. My limbs feel like lead, but then I see it—a machete lying in the dirt, glinting faintly in the firelight.

Without thinking, I lunge for it, wrapping my fingers around the blood-slicked handle. With all the strength I can muster, I swing, plunging the blade into the creature's shoulder. It bellows in rage, swiping at its back to dislodge the machete, flinging it aside like a mere thorn.

Leah drops to the ground, coughing and gasping as she clutches her bruised neck.

The creature turns toward me, its glowing, bloodshot eyes locking onto mine. It staggers closer, blood dripping from its lips, raising its massive arm for a killing blow. I stumble back, tripping over debris and landing hard. Pain shoots up my back as I brace myself for the end.

But it doesn't come.

A sickening squelch fills the air as a blade cleaves clean through the creature's neck. Its headless body convulses violently, spraying blood in every direction before collapsing with a thunderous thud.

Kasi steps into view, machete in hand, her chest heaving. She glares at the massive corpse, blood spattered across her face.

She reaches out a hand, and I take it wordlessly, letting her haul me to my feet.

Leah groans, staggering upright and delivering a spiteful kick to the creature's lifeless form.

"Fucking bastard nearly killed me," she spits, her voice raspy.

A faint whimper catches my attention, and my chest tightens. I whirl around to see Jigs slowly stirring, his legs shaky as he pushes himself up.

"Jigs!" Relief floods through me as I rush to him, running my hands over his fur. "Good boy—you're—you're okay."

He licks my face weakly, his ears twitching as he steadies himself. Even battered, his determination is unshaken as he nudges my side, urging us forward. Leah taps my shoulder, and she hands me the rifle I had dropped earlier. We exchange a quick look, but I see the thanks in her eyes. There's no need to say anything more.

Kasi waves us on, her voice sharp and commanding. "Get to the infirmary—now!"

Still shaken, Leah and I nod as we take off, with Jigs limping slightly but keeping pace. Our boots crunch through ash and debris as we sprint through the snow-dusted carnage.

Behind us, the flames and chaos rage on, but we don't look back. There's no time. We have to make it to the south gate—and fast.