The Screamers rushed forward like a tidal wave of hunger and madness. Their hollow, gaping mouths stretched wider than humanly possible, their bodies twisting in unnatural ways as they scuttled and lunged toward ZETU.
"OPEN FIRE!" Captain Marcus "Iron Will" Kane roared.
Riley "Quick Shot" Bennett took her position on a broken pew, sniper rifle steady. Her first shot punched through a Screamer's forehead, but instead of dropping, it let out a deafening shriek.
A sudden force slammed into Riley's chest, sending her flying backward into a pile of rubble.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Ethan "Brain" O'Connor gasped, his broken tablet still flickering uselessly.
"Their screams..." Marcus muttered, eyes widening. "They're not just noise. It's like a sonic weapon."
Sergeant Jenna "Blaze" Hart was still struggling to breathe, her throat bruised and freezing from the Queen's touch. But she forced herself to move, gripping her flamethrower. "Let's see if their screams burn."
She let loose a torrent of fire.
The flames engulfed three Screamers, their skin bubbling. For a moment, she thought it worked—until they started laughing.
A high-pitched, distorted cackle that pierced the air like nails on a chalkboard.
Then, the burning Screamers kept coming.
"They feel pain, but it doesn't stop them!" Lila "Huntress" Navarro shouted, emptying her pistols into another.
Derek "Shield" Coleman slammed his riot shield into one of the creatures, knocking it back—but another latched onto his arm, its elongated mouth stretching down to bite.
"AAAGH!" Derek bashed its head with his baton, cracking its skull. The creature didn't let go.
Marcus stepped in, jamming his shotgun under its chin. BOOM!
The Screamer's head exploded. Its grip loosened. Derek shoved it off.
"FALL BACK TO THE EXIT!" Marcus commanded.
But the Queen blocked their way, standing in the ruined doorway. Her empty, white eyes burned with amusement.
"You do not leave," she whispered.
Her voice slithered into their ears, even though her lips barely moved.
The air cracked. Stone shattered. The sheer force of the scream threw Marcus back, slamming him into a broken column. Blood dripped from his ears.
Ethan gasped for breath, his nose bleeding from the pressure. "We're gonna—gonna—die…"
Jenna staggered forward, barely holding onto her flamethrower.
But Lila noticed something.
The Queen wasn't moving from her spot.
"She's controlling them… but she's not leaving that doorway," Lila muttered. Then her eyes darted to the old, rusted chandelier hanging above the Queen.
"Marcus!" she shouted. "Get her under that chandelier!"
Marcus wiped blood from his eyes, nodded, and cocked his shotgun.
"HEY, UGLY!" he bellowed at the Queen. "Scream at this!"
He fired—and the plan was set in motion.