The eerie silence of the ruined outpost was broken only by the distant growls of the undead. General Viktor "Bloodfang" Kruger crouched low, his grip tightening around the hilt of his combat knife. The bloodstains on its blade weren't fresh, but they would be soon.
He exhaled slowly. He could sense them—Flesh Revenants, Wolfe's abominations. Unlike the mindless husks of the standard undead, these creatures retained memories of their past lives, and worse—they knew how to hunt.
Kruger licked his lips. "Let them come."
From the shadows, the first Revenant lunged. Its eyes burned with unnatural rage, its tactical gear torn but still functional. The beast moved with terrifying speed, its jagged blade slicing the air. Kruger barely twisted in time, feeling the cold rush of steel grazing his shoulder.
Kruger retaliated, his knife finding flesh. He plunged it deep into the Revenant's throat, twisting as he ripped through its rotted windpipe. The beast gurgled but didn't fall. It snarled, claws reaching for him.
"Persistent," Kruger muttered before driving his knee into its gut, yanking his knife free in a spray of black ichor. A second slash across its skull finally sent the Revenant to the ground.
More were coming. He could hear their inhuman screeches.
Activating his comm, he barked, "Voss, Rook—status?"
Dr. Sylvia "Plague Mistress" Voss responded first, her voice tinged with amusement. "We're detecting an entire pack closing in. You're in the middle of their feeding zone, Kruger. Lovely place to be."
"Save the commentary," Kruger growled. "I need a diversion. Hellhound?"
Sergeant Darius "Hellhound" Rook's voice crackled through the channel. "Already setting charges. Give me sixty seconds."
The Revenants poured in, their bodies twisting unnaturally as they moved with lethal precision. Kruger's knife flashed, cutting down the first, dodging the second. A rotted fist clipped his ribs, but he barely registered the pain. He spun, delivering a brutal slash across another Revenant's face, splitting its jaw apart.
Still, they kept coming.
Explosions tore through the eastern wall, sending debris and undead flying. The shockwave knocked Kruger back, but he rolled with the impact, coming up on one knee. Smoke and fire clouded the area.
Rook's voice came through. "That enough of a distraction for you, boss?"
Kruger smirked, wiping blood from his cheek. "It'll do."
As the dust settled, Kruger stood tall, knife still dripping, muscles taut with anticipation. More would come. They always did.
But he wasn't just fighting to survive. He was fighting to dominate.
"Let's finish this," he muttered, stepping into the smoke.