The small entrance was filled with muffled thuds of flesh being slashed by metal.
Ethan swung his fire axe like he was chopping vegetables, each strike cleaving through decaying skulls with precision and strength. The metallic caps rang as it fell to the ground, drawing more zombies into his position.
"Hmph!" he snorted, cleaving another unarmored zombie into two.
Footsteps echoed from inside the small office building. Five zombies walked out, attracted by the noise of bodies thumping into the ground.
Ethan stretched his neck and stepped forward. He took a deep breath, gathered strength into his limbs, shoulders, and core, before whipping the axe's handle straight into their necks.
Three zombie heads flew into the air, dropping together with its decapitated bodies. Another swing reaped the two on the rear, falling helplessly under Ethan's unstoppable charge.
"Good work." Dmitri walked over, his hands firmly holding the MP7A1 submachine gun. Behind him was Rex, casually walking around with its tongue hanging from its mouth.
Suddenly, it growled as it stared at the direction inside the manager's office. Its ears pointed forward, and its tail slightly lowered—stiff but straight.
"Hmm, did something come over, Rex?" Dmitri was alerted, knowing that Rex had sensed the presence of another special zombie inside this building.
"Get back for now and cover this entrance. Tell Ryan to follow me," he softly patted Ethan's shoulders, "Rex and I will enter the building."
"Roger, sir." Ethan nodded and retreated to the rear where Alexei, Selene, and Ryan were taking point. Although Dmitri wanted only three to join him in clearing the manager's room, he included one more for additional firepower and assurance.
"Did something happen?" Ryan and the other two glanced at Ethan.
"The officer is requesting you to guard his rear, sir." Ethan looked at Ryan.
"Okay, you three stay here and guard the entrance." Ryan stood up and loaded his assault rifle.
Meanwhile, Dmitri took small, soft steps inside the building.
The area was shrouded in darkness, faintly illuminated by the light outside. A few signs were lit brightly, guiding anyone who was lost in the dark.
Armory.
Lounge.
Canteen.
To Dmitri, they were all distraction. Turning the lights on was the main challenge. The switch mechanism wasn't known, and surely it wouldn't be put somewhere so convenient near the entrance.
Power could be down too, let's keep that in mind.
His memory flashed back to when the light switch panels at the second apartment building varied. If electricity was truly down, then he wouldn't be able to do much about the darkness.
CCTV footage is out. How disappointing...
Dmitri lamented.
"I wonder what threat this new zombie is. It doesn't act smart, nor is it sensitive to sound." Dmitri pondered as he put on his night vision goggles.
"Rex, cover my rear." he whispered into the dog's ears while gently rubbing its fur. Rex positioned itself behind Dmitri, turning its head to the side.
Dmitri noticed the dog's movement and followed, pointing his gun to the comfort room door behind the small counter.
Is it here? No, Rex is too calm. Might be a zombie hiding in the dark.
He moved around and checked the corners. A small human shadow went past his line of vision, outlining Ryan's silhouette who had come to support him from the rear.
Dmitri quickly turned and signaled, raising his right index finger and stopping it in front of his mouth.
Ryan nodded and remained on the spot.
Dmitri resumed his exploration, softly turning the doorknob leading to the comfort room. The signs had been stained by blood that trailed off from someone's fingers.
As the door was pushed open, his vision widened and saw a security guard standing dumbly, facing the wall to Dmitri's left.
Before firing a shot, he first checked the corner on the right. Seeing no zombie in that area, he shifted his gun's muzzle and aimed at the zombie guard's unguarded head.
Plop!
The guard stumbled, its head punctured by the MP7A1. Dmitri stepped back slightly, waiting for something to happen.
"Strange, that gunfire was a bit loud. It should have heard this," he muttered. "Must be in the second floor."
As he walked out of the counter, he signaled at Ryan and Rex to follow him.
"Are we not going to loot, sir?" Ryan was confused.
"Time is of the essence." Dmitri rebutted, "Looting can be done once this entire place is secured."
His eyes veered to Rex who was growing more agitated as time passed by. The dog's complexion made Dmitri uncomfortable.
Rex hadn't reacted like this to the sewer monsters. That zombie out there, not someone so simple, eh?
"Keep your guard up. Something's not right here." Dmitri carefully moved forward.
Ryan took a deep breath and focused, fully entrusting himself to his superior.
The trio walked through the dim and dark hallways, eliminating zombies inside the rooms and on the way.
Some rooms were locked. Dmitri didn't waste time with the locked doors and walked to the next one.
He walked straight into an open room and checked the inside.
No zombies, next.
The next door was slightly dented at the middle. Dmitri knelt down and inspected.
"Must have been caused by fighting." his eyes trailed into the bloodstains that painted the wall and the floor in front of them.
"Poor guy, I hope he died quickly."
As they closed in at the middle section of the floor, Rex's growling became louder. Its eyes had locked to the direction where a wooden double-door could be seen.
The golden handles gleamed in the dark, acting like a beacon for something sinister. A few zombie guards wandered around the area.
Dmitri frowned first and then noticed that their heads weren't protected at all.
"Ryan, stay here and guard this area. Rex, keep him company." He moved forward, inching closer to the double doors.
The combat knife on his hands sunk deep into the first zombie guard's head. It plopped down but was held tightly by Dmitri, slowly putting the corpse into the floor.
Then came the next strike, and the next.
After striking down three more zombie guards, he arrived near the glistening double-door.
The handles were intricately polished, with exquisite markings engraved in the door's body.
Right before he touched the handle, a loud thump echoed on the other side. Dmitri frowned, sensing the danger and quickly rolling backward.
The double-door was suddenly blasted open. A large body charged through like a drunk person, sending the doors flying into the air.
Dmitri grunted, wooden shards hitting his back.
The creature crashed into the wall. Debris fell down and the fat zombie almost buried itself. Dmitri wasn't fond of staying here any longer and ran away.
Extremely dangerous! He inwardly shouted, wondering how that fellow mutated into such an abomination.
"Leave, now!"
"Roargh!" The fat zombie roared, pushing the debris that blocked it. Its large, fatty arms flailed, searching for its prey. Then, it thrashed around, throwing dust and objects everywhere.
Its nose twitched, remembering that familiar scent. Its body turned to the right, and swung its arm, collapsing the wall in return.
The loud noise attracted zombies from the third apartment building and the areas around it. Their growls echoed, attracting even more on the way.
Hans, who was still counting his wealth, jumped from his seat. He pushed the cabinet blocking the window and peered to his left.
"Damn it, a special zombie has emerged!"
He looked at his interface and pondered for a moment before making his decision.
"Dmitri and the rest are in danger. I need to reinforce them, quick!"
...
Back to the manager's office, Dmitri jogged to the entrance and removed his night vision goggles.
"The creature is chasing us, get out!" he sprinted to his squad, panting and full of sweat.
Alexei, Selene, and Ethan was dumbfounded at this scene. The scout troop who was known to be extremely calm and collected, now looked anxious and battered?
"Sir, what happened? What's with the sound?" Ethan switched into his MP5 submachine gun.
Dmitri remained silent, I can lure that monster somewhere, but the noise... No need to consider.
"Lukas, Elise, do you copy? This is Dmitri." he tapped on his comms bead and called out.
"Lukas, copying."
"Elise, copying. Is there something you need, sir?"
"I need reinforcements, all of it, except for those stationed at the first apartment building." Dmitri cocked his gun and turned to the entrance.
The monster's rampaging roar continued, crumbling walls as it made its way through the narrow hallways.
"Go to the parking lot, behind the second apartment building, and assemble a formation. Now! Do you copy?"
"Copy. We are moving, out." Lukas and Elise responded at the same time, hurrying to regroup their squad and the other conscripts.
"You four, follow the rest into the parking lot." Dmitri called out to Ryan, "I don't know what this thing is, but I'll lure it myself."
"Will you be okay, sir?" Alexei worried.
"I should be fine." Dmitri answered, wiping the sweat off his face.
The roaring became louder, shaking the ground under them. Dmitri quickly readied his gun and roared at his team.
"We don't have time to waste. Use your guns if you need to. Go, now!"
Ryan led the other three through the small pathway on the left side of the building, sprinting toward the parking lot.
"It's you and me, buddy." Dmitri muttered. On his side was Rex who stood on its ground, barking at the approaching fat zombie.
The tremors had grown stronger, its roar almost blasting straight at Dmitri's ears.
He grabbed the fragmentation grenade from his belt, pulled the pin, and readied.
"Come on, big guy. Show yourself."
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Bricks scattered across the floor. The monster charged into the counters and threw a chair out of the way.
Then, it turned—the fats wobbling like a jellyfish.
The bulging, rotting skin emitted a foul stench, coupled by its dreary breath. The fat zombie grinned, showing its green, sharp teeth. It had finally found the prey it was looking foor.
Despite its small feet, the monster stood upright. Though blind, its white eyes seemed to be locked into Dmitri, sending a glare.
The latter's eyes widened and threw the fragmentation grenade into the monster.
"Now!"