Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

The ruins shuddered under the weight of nightmares. Damien pulled Zara through the archway, their boots splashing into stagnant water pooled in the cracks of the broken street. Behind them, the world roared and moaned at once—the Tyrannosaur and the undead colliding in a cacophony of death.

The beast snapped its jaws, crushing three zombies in a single bite. Bones cracked like twigs, and blood sprayed into the mist. But for every corpse torn apart, a dozen more staggered from the fog. They clawed at its legs, climbing with skeletal fingers, gnawing at scales tougher than steel.

Zara stumbled, dragging against Damien's pull. She turned her head, eyes wide with horror. "It's eating them!"

"It'll eat us too if you don't keep moving," Damien hissed, yanking her forward. His voice stayed steady, though his pulse thundered in his ears. He knew this distraction wouldn't last long. One predator or a thousand corpses—their hunger always found the living in the end.

The street ahead was a maze of broken stone and hollowed buildings. Damien led them into an alley, narrow enough to force single file. He hoped the confined walls would buy them time, funneling the dead if they followed.

A tremor shook loose bricks from above. Zara ducked as one shattered at her feet. The Tyrannosaur roared again, and the alley filled with echoes of splintering stone.

"They can't stop it," she whispered, her voice breaking. "The dead can't stop it."

"No," Damien admitted grimly. "But they can slow it."

For a moment, Zara thought he might be right. She dared a final glance back. The beast thrashed wildly, its massive tail sweeping through crowds of corpses like dry grass before a scythe. Dozens fell, crushed into the rubble. But still the horde came, piling onto its limbs, weighing it down in a grotesque tide of rotting flesh.

The monster bellowed in fury, its sound tearing through the fog like a storm. Then, with a violent shake, it sent corpses flying, smashing them against the ruins. Their broken bodies twitched, but still crawled, relentless.

Damien pulled her into the dark shell of a ruined church. Its roof had collapsed long ago, but the thick stone walls still stood. Stained-glass fragments glittered faintly on the ground, sharp as knives.

Inside, the silence felt heavier, broken only by their ragged breathing. Damien pressed his back to the wall, listening. Outside, the battle raged—an orchestra of snapping jaws, tearing flesh, and endless moans.

Zara's hands trembled. She clutched Damien's arm. "How long before it finds us?"

He scanned the church, his eyes settling on a spiral staircase half-buried in rubble. "Not long enough. We move again soon. High ground might give us a chance."

The ground trembled again, dust drifting from the ceiling. Damien's jaw tightened. He knew the fight outside wouldn't last forever. One side would win—and whichever horror survived would come hunting for them.

He raised his hatchet, the blade glinting in the dim light. "Pray the dead keep it busy."

Zara swallowed hard. "And if they don't?"

Damien's eyes never left the shadows. "Then we make our stand."