Chapter 13: No Way OutThe depot reeked of burning flesh. The Titan's corpse smoldered, bckened and broken, but the real problem wasn’t over. The howls outside were getting louder. The explosion had drawn them in.

  They were trapped.

  Carter groaned as he pulled himself up, favoring his side. “That thing almost broke my damn ribs.”

  Grace yanked him up by the arm. “Yeah? Well, if we don’t move, those things outside will finish the job.”

  Sam swallowed hard. The creatures outside weren’t normal infected—they were something worse. The ones that had chased them in here weren’t just mindless husks; they were smart. They had waited. Stalked. Hunted.

  Now they knew their prey was cornered.

  Sam’s hands tightened around his bat. “We need another way out.”

  Carter wiped blood from his forehead. “Only one way to find one.”

  The Escape PnThe depot was a maze of rusted containers, colpsed shelves, and abandoned military gear. The explosion had weakened the structure, and parts of the ceiling had caved in, leaving jagged beams hanging like broken ribs.

  Grace led the way, her rifle raised. “If this pce has a supply entrance, it’s gonna be at the back.”

  Sam nodded. “And if it’s locked?”

  Carter chambered a fresh round into his shotgun. “Then we make our own door.”

  They moved quickly, sticking to the shadows. Outside, the infected scraped against the walls, their guttural growls filling the silence.

  Every second that passed, they were gathering.

  Sam’s breath was tight in his chest. If they swarmed the depot all at once, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

  Then Grace froze.

  “Found it,” she whispered.

  At the far end of the depot was a heavy steel roll-up door, partially rusted but still intact. It had once been a supply entrance for trucks, but now? It was their only chance at getting out.

  Sam tried the side tch. Locked.

  Carter grimaced. “Figures.”

  Grace stepped back. “Alright. We go loud.”

  Sam’s stomach twisted. “That’s gonna bring them in faster.”

  Carter shook his head. “They’re already coming.”

  Sam turned and saw what he meant. The walls were shaking.

  The infected were piling against the outside of the depot, smming their bodies against the metal, their strength unnatural. Dents appeared in the walls, and the sound of screeching metal filled the air.

  Sam clenched his jaw.

  They didn’t have time to argue.

  Carter raised his shotgun and fired into the lock. BOOM! The metal tch blew apart.

  Grace grabbed the door handle and yanked. The rusted mechanism screeched as it rolled up inch by inch—revealing what was on the other side.

  Sam’s stomach dropped.

  More of ThemBeyond the door was a loading dock—but it was full of infected.

  At least twenty of them, packed together, their rotting faces snapping toward the noise.

  Sam barely had time to react before Carter bellowed:

  “RUN!”

  The first infected lunged, mouth gaping.

  BOOM! Carter dropped it with a shotgun bst to the face.

  But the rest were charging.

  Grace fired, her bullets cutting through the closest ones. Sam swung his bat, cracking a skull clean open.

  The air was filled with the sounds of screaming, gunfire, and breaking bones.

  Sam felt something grab his arm—an infected with half its face missing. Its fingers dug into his skin, pulling him toward its snapping jaws.

  Panic fred in his chest.

  Then Grace stabbed her knife through its eye.

  Sam gasped as the infected colpsed, lifeless.

  “No time to freeze up!” she shouted.

  Sam nodded, shaking himself out of it.

  They had to move.

  The BetrayalThey tore through the loading dock, cutting down anything in their way. There was an open exit at the far end—a broken fence leading into an alleyway.

  They sprinted toward it, shoving past the dead—when suddenly, a new sound cut through the chaos.

  Engines.

  Bright headlights fred to life beyond the alleyway.

  Sam’s heart sank.

  A bck armored SUV rolled into view, its reinforced grill smeared with dried blood. Behind it, two more vehicles blocked the exit.

  Marcus.

  And he wasn’t alone.

  The doors swung open, and at least six of his men stepped out, guns raised.

  Sam skidded to a stop.

  Carter cursed under his breath. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

  Marcus grinned, stepping forward. His shotgun rested casually over his shoulder.

  “Damn,” he said, shaking his head. “I almost thought you wouldn’t make it.”

  Grace aimed her rifle at him. “Move.”

  Marcus chuckled. “Now, now. Let’s not get trigger-happy.” He gestured to the depot behind them. “Looks like you had one hell of a night.”

  Carter spat blood onto the pavement. “You sent us into a trap.”

  Marcus smirked. “And yet… you survived.”

  His men closed in, forming a loose semi-circle. Their weapons weren’t raised—yet—but it was clear they weren’t letting anyone leave.

  Sam clenched his fists. They were tired, low on ammo, and surrounded.

  Marcus knew it.

  And he was enjoying every second.

  Grace’s voice was tight. “What do you want?”

  Marcus shrugged. “Same deal as before. You work for us.”

  Carter growled, “Not happening.”

  Marcus sighed, rubbing his jaw. “Shame. See, I need people like you. Fighters. Survivors.” He grinned. “But if you’re not with us… well.”

  He snapped his fingers.

  His men raised their guns.

  Sam’s pulse hammered.

  Carter lowered his shotgun slightly. Not in surrender, but in calcution.

  Grace was tense, her finger hovering over the trigger.

  The silence stretched.

  Then—

  A bloodcurdling SCREECH.

  Marcus froze.

  A shadow loomed over the convoy.

  Something massive.

  Something worse than the Titan.

  A new mutant—taller than a man, its body covered in thick, bony armor ptes. Its elongated arms ended in jagged, hooked cws, its mouth split wide with rows of dagger-like teeth.

  And it was hungry.

  Marcus’s smirk vanished.

  “Shit.”

  The creature roared, shaking the ground.

  Then it charged.

  All Hell Breaks LooseThe convoy erupted into chaos.

  Marcus’s men opened fire as the creature tore through them like paper.

  One man was ripped in half, his screams cutting off in a sickening crunch.

  Another was snatched up, his body filing before the monster bit clean through his skull.

  Sam barely had time to think.

  “MOVE!” Carter roared.

  They sprinted through the madness, dodging bullets, infected, and screaming men.

  Sam vaulted over a wrecked car, skidding into the alley.

  Carter and Grace were right behind him.

  The st thing Sam saw before they turned the corner was Marcus—standing frozen in horror—as the mutant lunged for him.

  Then Sam ran.

  And he didn’t look back.