The subway tunnel was suffocating in its silence.
Evelyn could barely make out the silhouettes moving in the darkness ahead—twisted figures, hunched and twitching. Their bodies pulsed unnaturally, limbs elongated and warped.
She swallowed hard. These weren't normal infected.
The Devourer had birthed something new.
Mia aimed her pistol into the black void. "What the hell are these things?"
Reaper crouched, steadying his shotgun. "Lurkers," he muttered. "Seen 'em before. Fast as hell, but blind. They hunt by sound."
Evelyn clenched her jaw. Perfect.
Behind them, a low snarl echoed.
She turned—the Alpha was coming.
The ground trembled as it forced its way into the tunnel. It was too large for the narrow passage, but that didn't stop it—its claws scraped the walls, its body contorted unnaturally, bones shifting to fit through the space.
Evelyn's pulse skyrocketed. No. No, no, no.
"We move. Now," Reaper ordered.
They hurried forward, trying to stay silent.
A metal canister clattered against the floor.
Mia had barely brushed against it, but the Lurkers reacted instantly.
The sound was inhuman, an ear-piercing shriek that rattled Evelyn's skull.
And then—they attacked.
The first lunged from the darkness.
Reaper fired. The blast blew the creature apart, but two more took its place.
Mia cursed, unloading her pistol. "Keep moving!"
Evelyn sprinted forward, heart pounding. The tunnel twisted into an old maintenance corridor—a dead end.
Behind them, the Alpha crashed through the tunnel, its massive form slamming into the walls.
It roared, sending Lurkers scattering in all directions.
It didn't care about them.
Reaper turned, eyes dark. "We make a stand."
Evelyn hesitated—until she saw the grate in the wall.
"Not yet." She ran to it, fingers scrambling at the rusted edges. "Help me with this!"
Mia and Reaper ripped at the metal, forcing it loose.
A tight crawlspace. Their only way out.
Reaper went first, squeezing inside. Mia followed.
Evelyn turned—just as the Alpha lunged.
She threw herself inside as the monster's claws tore through the air where she had been.
The grate collapsed behind her, sealing them in.
Darkness. Silence—except for the Alpha's growl on the other side.
It couldn't reach them.
Evelyn exhaled shakily. "We need to keep moving."
Mia nodded, but her face was grim. "Yeah… but to where?"
None of them had an answer.