Chapter 15Hell

Chapter 15

Hell

I stirred awake, surrounded by the warmth and safety of Wyatt, Dante, Ret and Alex. For a moment, I let myself burrow deeper into their embrace, savoring the fleeting peace. We were a pile of warm bodies in the tower, Wyatt and Dante having joined us sometime in the night.

My eyes drifted over to the table, where Alex and Ret had made me scream with pleasure. My whole body flushed at the memory, tingling with the need to repeat it, only this time, with all four of them.

It was the last thing that should have been on my mind in the apocalypse. I should be more worried about survival. But tell that to my horny ass brain. Sometimes, even in the middle of a fucking horde battle, I couldn't help but marvel at the skill in which each of them moved, and the precision of their kills. What the hell did that say about me? I didn't think I wanted to know.

Wyatt's arm tightened around my waist as he nuzzled into my neck. "Morning, darlin'," he murmured, voice scratchy with sleep.

I smiled up at him as he leaned over, softly kissing my lips. He groaned as my tongue slipped between his lips. His huge hand moved to cup my face as he kissed me deeper.

Pulling back, his eyes were filled with naked heat. "I need you." His expression was more serious than it normally was. With a hint of something that looked like…panic?

My eyes flitted between his as I cupped his cheek too, sinking y fingers into his beard. "Wyatt what's wrong?"

His nostrils flared as he took a deep, steadying breath, running his thumb over my cheek. "We came too close to losing you yesterday. I don't ever want to feel like that again. I don't think I've ever been so fucking scared in my life."

My chest felt heavy as I processed his words. It had been a close call. If I hadn't caught onto the railing of the bottom level when I did, I would have plummeted straight down into the zombie-infested waters of the bay, and I would have been torn to shreds in seconds. I shivered with revulsion just thinking about it.

"It made me think about what it would be like without you in this fucking wasteland." He shook his head, his breathing coming out more ragged. "I can't fucking do it, Hell. I can't do this without you."

Alex propped on one elbow, gazing down at me, his eyes bouncing from me to Wyatt. The others were stirring now, Dante stretching with a yawn, while Ret sat up. My body was hot and tingling with need.

"Be prepared to have new and improved bodyguards following your every move," Dante teased, his calloused hand sliding possessively over my hip from behind me.

I rolled my eyes, but I was thankful for his every present teasing. "I guess I should have seen that one coming. Now I'll never get rid of y'all."

Wyatt cracked a smile at that and kissed me fast and hard before pulling back. "Not on your fucking life."

I pulled Wyatt's face back to mine, suddenly needing more. It's been days since our session in the trailer and my body was screaming for it. Wyatt growled into my mouth as he moved over me, pressing me into the floor. His hand moved from my cheek, gliding down my neck, my breast and my hip until he was grabbing my ass and pulling me flush against him.

Fuck… Wyatt was such a massive man that he pretty much covered my entire body. From a distance, I was probably hidden beneath him entirely. But he managed to hold the majority of his weight with his other arm propped next to my head. I fought against the urge to beg him to squish me.

Dante leaned in, nipping at my earlobe. "Such a greedy little thing, aren't you, cari?o? Last night wasn't enough for you?"

I whimpered, head falling back against the pillow as Wyatt began kissing down my neck. Suddenly, I was splayed out on the floor with four sets of hands roaming my body, igniting my skin. My eyes fell closed as someone's fingers dipped below the waistband of my pants.

I thanked every god in existence that we had plenty of wet wipes to clean up with, because yesterday had been a blood bath. It'd taken nearly an hour before bed to scrub myself raw, but it was worth it for moments like this.

I cracked my eyes open to see that it was Ret's fingers sliding through my wetness. She knelt next to Wyatt, her brown eyes full of need. I licked my lips, my body coming alive.

"Already so wet for us," she rasped approvingly. "That's our good girl." Her voice was raspy and low, and it sent shivers through my entire body.

I stared at her as she sunk two fingers into my head, moaning in pleasure as they began to pump in and out of me.

"Holy shit…" Danted groaned, watching us.

I knew he wasn't looking at Ret in that way, but seeing two women together had to be icing on the cake at least. I was in a daze as someone pulled my shirt off, the cold concrete floor pressing against my back. Alex and Dante latched onto my nipples, sucking and biting just hard enough to ride the line between pleasure and pain. I was writhing beneath them, whispered curses spilling from my lips.

"Please," I gasped out, too far gone to care how desperate I sounded. "I need you. All of you, right fucking now."

Wyatt gave a low, approving growl against my belly where he licked and kissed. "Don't worry, darlin'. We'll give you exactly what you need. Gonna fill this sweet cunt so fucking full."

I whimpered at Wyatt's words, my pussy clenching around Ret's fingers. She added a third, stretching me deliciously as her thumb circled my clit. Alex and Dante continued their relentless assault on my nipples, teeth scraping, tongues swirling. It was almost too much stimulation.

"Fuck, look at you," Dante rasped, releasing my nipple with a wet pop. "So gorgeous when you're desperate to be fucked."

I whimpered as Ret's fingers left my heat, and Wyatt pulled off my pants at last. They each grabbed one of my thighs, spreading me wide open. Cool air hit my soaked folds and I shivered.

"Please," I begged again, not even knowing what I was asking for. I just needed something, anything to quench the ache inside me.

"I know, baby," Alex soothed, claiming my lips in a filthy kiss, all tongue and teeth. "We've got you. Gonna make you feel so fucking good."

In a blink, Wyatt's tongue was at my center, lapping at my entrance and flicking my clit. "Oh god!" I cried out, back arching off the floor.

He circled my clit with the tip of his tongue and I saw stars.

Wyatt's tongue worked me mercilessly, licking and sucking my clit until I was a writhing, whimpering mess beneath him. Dante and Alex kept up their tortuous attention on my aching nipples, teeth grazing, tongues swirling. I was drowning in sensation, my body on fire from their touch.

"Wyatt, please..." I panted, tangling my fingers in his hair, holding him against me. "I need your cock. I need all of you, right fucking now."

He growled against my pussy, the vibrations making me cry out. "Patience, darlin'. Wanna taste this sweetness first. Get you nice and ready for us."

His tongue delved inside me and I nearly screamed, pleasure spiking through my core. Dante chuckled darkly, releasing my nipple. "Fuck, you're so responsive. I fucking love hearing those pretty noises spill from your lips."

I whimpered as Ret leaned in, capturing my mouth in a searing kiss, tongues tangling. The feel of her soft lips and the scrape of the men's stubble was driving me wild with need. I bucked my hips against Wyatt's face, chasing my release.

"That's it," Alex encouraged, voice gravelly with lust. "Ride his tongue. Fucking soak his beard."

Shockwaves rolled through me as Wyatt sucked hard on my clit, two thick fingers plunging deep inside my heat. I cried out into Ret's mouth as the coil in my belly wound tighter and tighter.

"Come on, baby girl," Dante coaxed, pinching and rolling my nipple. "Cum all over Wyatt's face. Let go for us."

With a few more flicks of Wyatt's skilled tongue, I shattered. My back bowed off the floor as I wailed my release, inner walls clamping down on his fingers. Wave after wave of ecstasy crashed over me, leaving me a boneless, trembling mess.

"Fuck, that's so hot," Alex groaned, palming his hard cock through his pants. "Look at you, coming apart for us. So goddamn beautiful."

Wyatt lapped at my sensitive folds, helping me ride out the aftershocks before crawling up my body and claiming my mouth. I moaned at the taste of myself on his tongue.

"Need to be inside you," he rasped against my lips. "Need to feel this sweet cunt squeezing my cock."

"Yes," I breathed, wrapping my legs around his hips. "Please, Wyatt. Fuck me. I need it so bad."

He reached down, freeing his thick erection. The swollen head nudged at my entrance and I whimpered with anticipation. With one powerful thrust, he buried himself to the hilt

"Fuck!" I cried out as Wyatt filled me, stretching me deliciously around his thick cock. He stilled for a moment, letting me adjust. I clenched around him, relishing the feeling of being so utterly stuffed full.

"Christ," Wyatt grunted, burying his face in my neck. "Always so goddamn tight for me."

He started to move then, pulling nearly all the way out before slamming back in. I moaned loudly, digging my nails into his shoulders as he set a hard, fast pace. Each powerful thrust hit that perfect spot inside me, sending sparks of pleasure zinging up my spine.

"Look at you, taking his cock so well," Dante praised, fisting his own erection as he watched us. "You were fucking made to be split open on our dicks, weren't you?"

I whimpered in response, too lost in sensation to form words. Ret captured my lips again, swallowing my needy cries. Her delicate hands roamed my body, tweaking my nipples and making me jerk against Wyatt.

Then, in a move I wasn't expecting, not in my wildest fantasies, Dante moved behind me, with the help of Alex and Ret. He slid his body beneath me while Wyatt's cock was still in me.

His breath whispered against my earlobe as he said, "Are you ready for me?"

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head at what he was asking. Could I handle both of them in my pussy at once? Together? The thought had my whole body tensing with need.

"Yes," I gasped out, hardly able to believe this was happening. "I want you both. Fill me up, please."

Dante chuckled darkly behind me. "Such a greedy girl. Don't worry, we'll give you exactly what you need."

Wyatt stilled inside me as Dante positioned himself at my stretched entrance. I held my breath in anticipation, my heart hammering against my ribs. Slowly, oh so slowly, Dante pushed forward, the blunt head of his cock breaching my tight heat.

"Oh fuck," I whimpered, my nails digging into Wyatt's shoulders. The stretch and burn was intense as Dante inched deeper, my pussy struggling to accommodate them both.

"Breathe," Dante soothed, rubbing my hip. "Just relax. Take us in."

I forced myself to exhale, willing my inner walls to soften and open for them. Ret ran her hands over my trembling body in encouragement while Alex watched, eyes blazing with lust.

Finally, after an eternity, Dante bottomed out, both he and Wyatt buried to the hilt inside my aching cunt. I'd never felt so incredibly full, stuffed to the absolute brim. It was pure sin and ecstasy.

"Holy shit," Wyatt grunted, his face strained with pleasure. "Never felt anything like this. You're squeezing us so damn tight."

Dante groaned in agreement, his chest pressed against my back. "Fuck, your pussy feels like heaven. Stretching so perfectly."

I could only whimper in response, my body trembling from the overwhelming sensations. It was almost too much - the delicious burn and stretch, the weight of them on top of me, inside me. I felt completely owned, possessed by my men in the most primal way.

Slowly, they started to move, Wyatt pulling out as Dante pushed in. Their thick shafts dragged along my fluttering inner walls, hitting every sensitive spot. Sparks of white-hot pleasure shot through my core and I cried out, my head falling back against Dante's shoulder.

"That's it," Wyatt rasped, his blue eyes burning into mine. "Take it. Take everything we give you."

They quickly found a rhythm, pistoning in and out of my stuffed channel. The wet squelch of their cocks plunging through my soaked folds filled the air, mingling with our harsh breaths and grunts of pleasure. It was pure filthy ecstasy.

Alex moved up near my head, fisting his impressive erection. "Open up, baby. I wanna feel that sweet mouth."

I parted my lips obediently and he fed his cock between them. I swirled my tongue around the throbbing head, savoring the salty tang of his pre-cum.

I hollowed my cheeks and sucked Alex deep, moaning around his thick shaft as Wyatt and Dante continued their relentless thrusts. It was almost too much - being so thoroughly filled, claimed by my men in every way. My body was on fire, every nerve ending singing with pleasure.

"Fuck, just like that," Alex groaned, tangling his fingers in my hair. "Holy shit you feel like heaven. How do you always feel so damn good?"

I whimpered around him, my pussy clenching hard at his filthy words. Dante chuckled darkly behind me, snapping his hips harder. "You like that? Being used, stuffed full of us?"

Tears of pleasure pricked my eyes as they pounded into me from both ends, my throat and cunt stretched obscenely around their lengths.

Ret's fingers found my aching clit, rubbing in time with their brutal pace. The coil in my core wound tighter and tighter, my impending orgasm barreling down on me like a freight train.

"That's it, sweetheart," Wyatt grunted, his pubic bone grinding against my swollen nub with each thrust.

I mewled around Alex's dick, my inner muscles starting to flutter and clench. Wyatt and Dante were relentless, spearing into me over and over, stretching me to my absolute limit. Ret's skilled fingers worked my clit mercilessly and I could feel my release bearing down on me like an oncoming storm.

"I'm gonna fucking come," Alex groaned, his grip tightening in my hair. "Swallow it all, Helana. Don't waste a fucking drop."

With a strangled grunt, he erupted, hot ropes of cum shooting down my throat. I gulped it down greedily, moaning at the taste of him. His climax seemed to trigger my own and I screamed around him as my orgasm crashed into me like a tidal wave.

My pussy clamped down on Wyatt and Dante's pistoning cocks, milking them for all I was worth. Pleasure radiated out to the tips of my fingers and toes, white hot ecstasy consuming me entirely. I writhed between them, completely at the mercy of the sensations ripping through my body.

"Shit!" Wyatt roared, his hips stuttering against mine. "Oh fuck, oh fuck!"

Dante followed him over the edge, my body getting pumped so full that cum was dripping out of me.

Alex slipped from my mouth with a wet pop and I gasped for air, stars bursting behind my eyelids. Ret gentled her touch on my throbbing clit, helping me ride out the aftershocks of the most powerful climax of my life. My men collapsed against me, all of us a panting, sated tangle of limbs on the concrete floor.

"Holy crap," I breathed once I recovered the ability to speak. My voice was hoarse from taking Alex down my throat. "That was..."

"Fucking incredible," Alex finished for me, rubbing dripping cum over the tip of his dick with his thumb. "

Dante and Wyatt pulled out of me ever so gently, and I groaned at the emptiness as I was guided to the floor. "I chuckled. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Now I'm all noodly. How am I supposed to fight zombies like this?"

The others just laughed, and Wyatt shot to his feet, heading to our packs to grab stuff for us to clean up with.

Dante grinned down at me, brushing my hair from my face. "They say you're supposed to stretch before a fight. I think you're sufficiently stretched."

Ret and I snorted. "That's the fucking understatement of the millennia."

It took us an hour to get cleaned up, taking hasty baths with jugs of water and wet wipes. It was better than nothing, but I couldn't wait to get back to the ranch and take a real shower. I slicked my hair into a long french braid and called it good, strapping my weapons on me and stepping into my boots.

"Time to get this shit show on the road?" I said as I walked into the main room downstairs where everyone was already milling around, getting our things together. The others just grumbled back incoherently, everyone wiping sleep from their eyes.

I purposefully avoided my brother's eyes this morning. I had no idea if they heard anything coming from the top of the tower this morning, and I highly doubted it, but still, they didn't need to know about my sex life.

We ate a quick breakfast of granola bars and water. it wouldn't be enough, but it was all we had. Dante spent twenty minutes checking over our injuries, which we probably should have done the night before. He set my broken finger as best he could, but all he could really do was bind my two fingers together with bandages. Then, he moved onto Nina, who still winced when she moved wrong, clutching at her side.

Dante determined that her wound was just a bruise. She'd been slammed into the ground by one of the wolves and had landed on a large chunk of debris. Her whole torso was black and blue, but it was nothing immediately worrisome. I just hoped she still had the strength to fight, because we had no idea exactly what kind of shit we were about to walk into today.

Nina sidled up beside me as we trudged through the crumbling ruins an hour later, a teasing glint in her dark eyes despite the grim set of her mouth. "Getting your freak on, huh?"

I snorted, shoving her playfully. "Like you're one to talk. I know you and Missy sneak off every chance you get."

"Guilty as charged," Missy piped up from behind us, her wild red curls bouncing. "But seriously, You're one lucky bitch."

"The luckiest bitch in the apocalypse. What would I even do with all the time on my hands if we never met them?" I didn't even want to think about it.

"Probably die of sexual frustration," Nina quipped.

I rolled my eyes, but a smile tugged at my lips. "Maybe I would have kept that lime green dildo."

We fell into a puddle of giggles, trying our hardest to keep the noise down, but it was difficult. Not laughing is always the hardest when you're in a situation where laughing is inappropriate. We'd learned that the hard way back in boot camp, and had suffered through many hours of punishment for it.

As we continued navigating the decaying remains of Fisherman's Wharf, the stench of rotting fish and decay assaulted my nostrils. I tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the uneven ground beneath my feet. The last thing I needed was to twist another ankle in this godforsaken place.

Ethan stumbled beside me, a hiss of pain escaping his lips. I whipped my head around, my gaze zeroing in on his limping form.

"You alright, kid?" I asked, brow furrowed with concern.

He straightened up, a determined set to his jaw. "I'm fine. Just tripped over some debris."

I wasn't convinced. The kid had been through hell, no pun intended. It was a miracle he was still standing at all.

"You sure? We can take a break if you need it."

Ethan shook his head vehemently. "No, we have to keep going. Those people need us."

I couldn't argue with that. The thought of Sam and that baby, and whoever else was with them, trapped in this that submarine, surrounded by those undead fuckers, made my blood boil.

"Okay, but you stay close to me, got it? I'm not losing anyone else today."

Ethan nodded, a flicker of gratitude in his haunted eyes. It broke my heart to see someone so young shouldering such a heavy burden. In another life, he would've been worried about school and girls, not starvation and zombies.

Rusted hulks of ships loomed in the murky water just past the docks, their decks littered with debris and bloated corpses. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare. Hands reached out of the water, grabbing for any morsel of flesh they could get. If I were to picture what the deepest pits of hell might look like, this was it.

"There," Dante said, pointing to a particularly dilapidated vessel. A tattered FEMA sign dangled from its side, fluttering in the fetid breeze. "That's the one." The dock was free and clear of zombies, thank god, but we had no idea how many of them were crawling around the inside.

The old submarines were a labyrinth of cramped metal corridors. I remembered some old tours I took when I visited Hawaii in the military. I never understood how sailors handled it with all the cramped spaces.

My heart started to race as we approached the dock. I stared at the swaying sub with my stomach in my throat. I hated small spaces. They made me panic, ever since I was a little girl stuck in that dark well.

I paused as we stepped onto the docks, and the others went ahead of me. With my respirator on, it was already hard to pull in large breaths, but suddenly I felt like I couldn't quite get enough air.

A heavy hand pressed down on my shoulder, and I was startled. But it was just Alex. He placed his hands on both my shoulders, putting himself between me and the sub, his blue eyes staring down at me knowingly. "I'm right here with you. Just breathe for me, baby."

My heart fluttered despite the inner turmoil. Alex had been with me that day in the hospital closet, when there was nowhere for us to run and zombies were bursting through the door. He's witnessed me at my lowest, and he'd held me through it even when we hated each other.

"I'm okay…" My words were breathy and slightly stuttered. "I just need to psych myself up a little."

His eyes crinkled as if he was smiling behind his mask. "You got this shit. You're the most badass chick I've met in my life. Just concentrate on getting the baby out, and everything else will become nothing but noise."

He was right. Lives were at risk here. We'd come all this way to save these people, and I wasn't about to stop now just because of a tight hallway full of metal, gears, buttons, pipes…

I shook my head, clearing away the mental image.

The ship was large, but not overly so. it was relatively old, and was only used for tours nowadays. Remnants of the FEMA camp lay scattered around us, and puddles of blood covered the upper level. I wondered just how many survivors had used this submarine as a shelter if only a handful survived the horde.

And then we saw them.

Zombies. Dozens of them, maybe more, filled the door that led to the inner chambers and spilled out onto the deck, beckoned by our approaching footsteps. Their rotting faces turned towards us, milky eyes fixing on our flesh with ravenous hunger.

"Fuck," Alex breathed, his grip tightening on his machete. "We're gonna have to fight our way through."

We exchanged a final look, a silent acknowledgment of the chaos we were about to wade into.

The clash was brutal and bloody, a whirlwind of slashing blades and gnashing teeth. I lost myself in the rhythm of it, my machete singing as it cleaved through rotting flesh and shattered bone. Gunshots rang out, and I cringed, knowing they would only draw in more zombies.

For every zombie we cut down, two more seemed to take its place. They pressed in on us from all sides, their fetid breath hot on our skin as we fought desperately to get through them. I saw Missy pushing several of them back with her booted feet, and they stumbled off the side of the sub and into the water. She moved on to the next, and the next…

"There's too many of them!" Wyatt shouted, his blade buried in a zombie's skull. "We need a fucking plan!"

I knew he was right. We couldn't keep this up forever. Sooner or later, we'd be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

What if we were already too late? What if they'd breached the mess hall?

I shoved the thought away, refusing to give in to what-ifs.

Beretta's voice cut through the chaos. "I have an idea!" she shouted. "We need to create a diversion to draw them away from the ship!"

I met her gaze through the bloodshed in time to see her shove a knife through an eye socket and push the zombie into the water. "What did you have in mind?" I asked, my voice hoarse from screaming.

"The other ship, the one docked next to us," she said, gesturing with her blood-slick blade. "If we can get over there and make some noise, maybe set off an explosion, it might be enough to lure the zombies away."

It was a crazy plan, but right now, crazy was all we had. I nodded grimly. "Let's fucking do it."

""I'll go," Wyatt rumbled. I whipped my head in his direction, dread coiling in my gut. "Dante, I need molotovs asap!"

Dante nodded, rushing off to the side as Alex covered him. He knelt down, yanking things from his pack. Alcohol, bottles that he was emptying onto the deck, a lighter and a strip of fabric that he ripped up.

Missy rushed to Wyatt's side, her red curls matted with gore. "Count me in, big guy. I've been itching to blow some shit up." Her grin was sharp and feral, a reminder of the deadly marine she'd once been.

Niko hefted his crossbow, his dark eyes glinting beneath his hood. "I'll cover you from the top of the sub. Make sure none of those fuckers get too close."

I looked at each of them in turn, my heart swelling with fierce pride and love.

"Be careful," I said, my voice catching slightly. "We'll keep searching for Sam. Just give us as much time as you can."

I watched them go, my heart in my throat, before turning back to the rest of my crew. "You heard them," I growled. "Let's find Sam and get the fuck out of here."

I caught Beretta's arm as she moved to follow the others, pulling her close. For a moment, the chaos around us seemed to fade away as I lost myself in those piercing green eyes.

"I..." My voice faltered, the words sticking in my throat. There was so much I wanted to say, so much I needed her to know. But in the end, all I could manage was a rough, "Be careful."

Something flickered in Beretta's gaze, a specific kind of softness I'd never seen before. She reached up, cupping my cheek with a gentleness that made my heart ache.

"I love you," she said. "I'll see you on the other side."

I choked on a sob, unwilling to let it slip out. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Then, before I could overthink it, I turned on my heel and rejoined the others.

We climbed to the top of the submarine, the metal slick beneath our feet. The stench of decay was even stronger up here, carried on the salt-tinged breeze.

Crouching low, we waited, our hearts pounding in unison. The anticipation was a physical thing, coiling in my gut like a snake ready to strike.

"Come on, you fuckers," Nina muttered, her knuckles white on her gun. "Come and get us."

As if in answer, a guttural moan echoed from within the ship, followed by another. And another. I tightened my grip on my weapon, adrenaline surging through my veins. This was it. The moment of truth. How many of them were packed in there?

We waited, barely daring to breathe, as the first zombies began to stagger out onto the deck. Their rotting faces were twisted in mindless hunger, their eyes milky and sightless.

Then, just as the horde began to turn in our direction, a deafening explosion rocked the ship next to us. Fire bloomed in the darkness, painting the early morning sky in shades of orange and red. The zombies hesitated, their attention caught by the noise and the flames. For a single, breathless moment, everything seemed to hang in the balance.

They moved as if they were part of one giant mass. Dozens of them poured from the doorway, spilling out on the deck. They ambled along, moaning and gnashing their teeth as they headed onto the docks. Some of them fell into the water, and we just watched from above, not wanting to distract them from following the noise.

The stream of the walking dead coming from the door began to thin after a few minutes, and I knew this was our chance.

"Now!" I roared, surging to my feet. "While they're distracted!"

As one, we leapt from the top of the sub, hitting the deck running. The zombies turned at the sound of our approach, their moans rising in a terrible chorus. I didn't hesitate, didn't falter. I met them head-on, my blade flashing in the firelight as I carved a path through the horde.

Behind me, I could hear the others fighting, their grunts of exertion mingling with the snarls of the undead. But I couldn't focus on that now. All that mattered was cutting a path to the heart of the ship.

I whistled sharply, and Anubis lunged forward, a black blur of teeth and fury. He hit the zombies like a battering ram, tearing through their ranks with savage efficiency. He had to be tired, my poor boy, but like us, he was fighting with everything he had.

I followed close behind, my machete slicing through rotting flesh and bone. The stench of decay was overwhelming, but I pushed through it, letting the adrenaline carry me forward.

Anubis was a whirlwind of violence ahead of me, his powerful jaws snapping and tearing. The zombies fell before him like wheat before a scythe, their bodies crumpling to the deck in broken heaps.

I risked a glance over my shoulder and saw my companions fighting tooth and nail, their faces grim with determination. Nina was a blur of knives, her long hair whipping around her as she spun and slashed. Dante and Alex fought back to back, their movements perfectly synchronized as they cut down the undead.

As the zombies thinned, most of them already on their way to the neighboring ship, I just hoped that Ret, Wyatt and Missy were able to get out in time. Hopefully they found a way to circle back to us without going through the horde.

The ship's interior was a twisted maze of corridors and passageways, each one darker and more claustrophobic than the last. I could feel the weight of the vessel above us, the sense of being trapped and alone. It was enough to send even the strongest person over the edge.

"Sam!" I called out. "Sam, if you can hear me, please, answer me!" I had no idea where the damn mess hall was supposed to be.

For a moment, there was only silence. Then, from a distance, I thought I heard it: a faint voice, barely audible over the moans of the undead.

"Here! Over here!"

Relief flooded through me, warm and overwhelming. Alex took the lead, catching several zombies as they staggered out of shadows and opened doorways. "Sam! Keep talking, kid. We're coming for you!"

We followed the sound of his voice, Anubis leading the way as he snuck past Alex, a blood-soaked guardian angel. The corridors twisted and turned, but we pressed on.

The echoes of Sam's distant cries led us through the twisting bowels of the ship, past rusted metal and pools of fetid water. My heart pounded in my ears as we ran, desperation fueling every step. The zombies were fewer down here, but no less deadly, their snarls echoing off the narrow walls.

"There!" Nina shouted, pointing ahead with a gore-streaked blade. "The mess hall!"

A set of double doors loomed before us, dented and splattered with old blood. From beyond them came the sound of screaming, high and terrified. The baby. Oh god, the baby...

I didn't hesitate. With a feral roar, I pulled my glock from its holster and shot the door several times. Then, Alex kicked the doors open, ready to get these people the fuck out of here.

The scene within stopped me cold.

Sam huddled on top of a large stainless steel freezer, clutching a wailing bundle to his chest. His face was bruised and bloody, his eyes wide with naked fear. And surrounding him, clawing at him, were five zombies.

My heart fucking sank. I knew without even needing to ask that these were some of the survivors. Sam had said a few of them were sick, but it must have been worse than we thought. Several of them were women, and for a moment, I wondered which one of them was the baby's mother.

My blade sang as it cleaved through putrid flesh, spattering me with gore. It took seconds for us to put the zombies down, leaving us standing in the mess hall, finally staring at the boy who had called for help.