The gunshot echoed through the mess hall like thunder.
Joel screamed.
He dropped to his knees, blood streaming down his thigh.
And then, the zombies went berserk.
The sound of the shot jolted them from their lethargy. The dead snapped their heads toward us, empty eyes now filled with hunger.
And Joel's scream sealed our fate.
"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!" Ryan snarled, yanking up his rifle.
"OPEN FIRE!" I bellowed, pulling Joel by his vest while drawing my weapon.
Hell broke loose.
The zombies surged forward like a wave, knocking over tables, stumbling over each other, but closing in fast.
"FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!" Joel groaned, lifting his rifle as I dragged him, firing short bursts from the ground.
Ryan, Richard, and Mark unloaded, skulls bursting all around.
The Russian soldier who fired the shot tried to run, but the zombies swarmed him like wild animals.
His scream lasted two seconds before turning into a horrible gurgle.
But we had no time to watch.
"MOVE, MOVE!" I ordered, yanking Joel harder.
The dead were closing in from all sides.
One of them leaped onto a table beside us.
Before I could shoot, Richard drove his knife into its chin, shoving it back.
"FUCK, GHOST! THEY'RE CUTTING US OFF!" Ryan shouted.
I looked at the exit—it was too far, and the zombies were blocking the way.
We needed to break through.
"GRENADE!" I roared.
Lee ripped one from his vest and tossed it over the tables.
The explosion shook the ground, sending bodies flying in all directions.
Smoke and blood filled the hall.
"NOW! PUSH FORWARD!"
Richard and Ryan led the charge, unloading bullets into the remaining zombies.
I kept dragging Joel, feeling his weight straining my shoulder.
He groaned in pain but kept firing.
Every meter felt like hell.
Every bullet spent was a second less to escape.
Then, finally, the door was in front of us.
Ryan spun around and kicked it hard.
It slammed against the wall with a loud bang.
Light. A hallway. A new path.
I gave Joel one last pull, firing behind us as we ran through.
Richard and Lee covered our exit, gunning down the last zombies.
And then, we were out.
I slammed the door shut and locked it.
But I already knew it wouldn't hold for long.
On the other side, the moans grew louder, followed by the sound of bodies slamming against the wood.
"This won't hold!" Ryan growled, his eyes scanning the area for a solution. "Fuck, this just keeps getting worse!"
We slipped through a side exit, emerging into a corridor I had no idea where it led. I took a deep breath and gave the order: "Follow the corridor! Now!"
Lee, Richard, and Mark moved ahead first, weapons up, eyes sharp for any threat.
I kept dragging Joel, who was limping, blood dripping from his leg onto the floor.
"FUCK!" He snarled, gritting his teeth.
His face was pale, but he refused to fall.
The wood behind us cracked.