Story 359: Among Ruins

Zara pressed her back against the jagged wooden wall, her breaths slow and measured. The air was thick with the scent of decay, the rotting remnants of a long-abandoned structure surrounding her. She peeked through a crack, her sharp eyes scanning the dimly lit corridor ahead. Faint footsteps echoed, each one deliberate, methodical.

Her instincts screamed danger. Whoever was approaching was no mindless drone or shambling zombie. This was a hunter—intelligent, calculated, and lethal.

Zara gripped her silenced pistol, its weight reassuring in her hand. She adjusted the strap of her red dress, which now clung to her like a second skin, dirtied from the day’s relentless battles. She couldn’t afford to make noise or leave any trace of her presence.