At that same moment, Avya and her crew finally glimpsed their destination through the haze—a small pier jutting out beside a sprawling, abandoned shipyard.
Rusting cranes loomed like skeletal sentinels over the desolate station, their jagged silhouettes stark against the noon sky.
The air carried the faint tang of salt and decay, a grim welcome to their journey's end.
"There are a ton of zombies roaming out there," Shiva said, his voice low as he eased the boat forward, halting a few dozen feet from the pier.
"This'll be rough." His eyes narrowed, scanning the shore where the undead had already clocked them.
A swarm surged toward the water's edge, their guttural moans rising like a tide—but the gap of churning waves kept Avya's group safe.
Some zombies staggered into the shallows, clawing at the air, but their rotting husks—bones jutting through shredded flesh—lacked the strength to swim.
