The air was thick with the stench of rotting flesh. Smoke curled into the crimson sky as the ruins of the radio tower burned. But beneath the rubble, something stirred.
The Sleeper wasn't dead.
Evelyn barely had time to react before the creature's elongated tongue shot out from beneath the debris, wrapping around her ankle.
She screamed as it yanked her off her feet, dragging her across the broken ground.
Mia raised her shotgun. BOOM. A direct hit to the tongue, sending a chunk of it splattering against the ruins. The Sleeper shrieked, its distorted, brain-exposed skull pulsating in rage.
Reaper was already moving. He didn't hesitate. In one smooth motion, he vaulted over debris and plunged his machete into the creature's shoulder.
Its flesh shifted, absorbing the blade. The metal sank into its body like it was being swallowed.
Reaper ripped his hand away just in time as the weapon melted into the creature's flesh.
"The hell?" Mia breathed.
Evelyn scrambled back, eyes wide. "It's evolving."
The Sleeper's deformed arms cracked and split, growing larger. Its tongue split into two, writhing independently. And then—its claws extended.
"We need to fall back," Evelyn shouted.
"No," Reaper growled. "We finish this."
The Sleeper lunged, moving impossibly fast. It swiped at Reaper, razor-sharp claws slicing through his vest, barely missing his ribs.
Mia fired again—point-blank. The creature reeled back, but it was already healing.
Evelyn's mind raced. There had to be a weakness.
She ripped a grenade from her belt. "Mia! Aim high!"
Mia nodded, taking a deep breath. She lined up the shot.
The Sleeper lunged again.
Mia pulled the trigger.
The blast tore through its skull, exposing the pulsing mass of flesh and nerves beneath.
Evelyn threw the grenade.
It landed inside the wound.
The Sleeper's eyes went wide.
The explosion tore through its head. Blood and brain matter rained down as the creature staggered, then collapsed.
The three of them stood there, catching their breath.
"Did we get it?" Mia asked.
Reaper nudged the corpse with his boot. No movement.
"It's done," Evelyn said.
But then—the ground trembled.
Beneath the corpse, something shifted.
A new pulsing mass of flesh began to emerge, writhing, splitting open.
And then, it screamed.