BANG!
At that moment, a huge splash erupted from the water, and the loud noise made both Kael Voss and Scout Finch snap their heads around. A zombie suddenly shot up from beneath the surface!
"Ahhh!"
Scout's face turned pale as she let out a sharp scream. "Zombies can fly now?!"
But the very next second, even without Kael explaining anything, she realized what was actually happening. The zombie wasn't flying—it had been seized by the lower half by a crocodile that had leapt violently out of the water.
The crocodile was savage and starving. Ever since Doomsday, the local aquarium had fallen into disrepair. With no one left to feed them, these apex predators had reverted to their primal instincts, feeding on whatever they could—animals, and now, zombies.
More crocodiles burst out of the water shortly after, their jaws snapping shut on the remaining zombies as they began their deadly "death rolls" beneath the surface.
It was a horrifying and nauseating scene. Just then, Scout screamed again, raising a trembling arm and pointing ahead. Kael turned to look—and saw several quick, narrow wakes in the water racing toward their inflatable kayak.
It wasn't clear whether it was pythons or crocodiles this time—either way, it wasn't going to be good.
Kael's heart sank. Sensing danger, he swiftly turned the bow of the kayak and, panic surging through them both, they began to paddle with every ounce of strength they had.
At that moment, survival was their only goal. Terrified and disoriented, they had no sense of direction. The aquarium was dimly lit, and after what felt like an eternity of frantic paddling, Kael realized something was wrong.
Instead of getting closer to the entrance like they had intended—despite the undead waiting outside being a lesser threat than what lurked in the water—they had somehow ventured deeper into the aquarium.
The building was pitch black. Even with their headlamps on, they could barely see more than ten meters ahead.
Kael scanned the darkness in every direction, panic rising. They were heading deeper in. This was madness.
And in a place like this, it wasn't just crocodiles or pythons they had to worry about—what if there were sharks?
"Scout," Kael muttered, still searching for a way out, "have you been to this aquarium before? Are there any sharks here?"
Scout's teeth were chattering as she tried to answer, "Sh-sharks? I… I don't think so?"
"Good…" Kael let out a slow breath. Scout was a local—surely she'd visited the place before the outbreak. If she said there weren't any sharks, chances were she was right.
After a short pause, Kael asked again, "Even if we try to turn back now, we probably won't find the entrance. Do you remember where the exit is?"
Scout glanced around in the darkness, uncertain. "I came here years ago… I don't really remember. But I think—it's big. One entrance, one exit. That's all I recall."
Kael frowned. Surely an aquarium wouldn't have just one exit—that would violate every safety regulation. But she'd only ever been here as a tourist, so it made sense she wouldn't know about emergency routes.
They paddled forward another dozen meters. But ahead of them, there was nothing but endless black.
"Kael…" Scout said nervously in the stillness, "I just remembered something. There might not be sharks here… but I think—there were piranhas."
"Piranhas?" Kael chuckled. "That's not too bad. They're small. As long as we don't go into the water, they can't exactly eat us."
Before he could finish the sentence, the kayak jolted violently.
Kael looked down just in time to see a massive shadow gliding beneath the boat. He gasped. That was definitely a shark.
He stared in disbelief. "Scout! What the hell? You just said there weren't any sharks!"
Scout was just as stunned. "There weren't—at least not last time I came! But that was… over two years ago…"
She didn't get to finish her sentence. Suddenly, two long, thick limbs—hooked like steel claws—clamped down on the sides of the kayak!
Oh God. What the hell is that?
Kael had barely processed the thought when their boat capsized. The creature had flipped them with ease, overturning the kayak into the dark waters.
Kael had anticipated the fall. He took a deep breath and held it as they plunged into the cold. Beneath the surface, using his memory of Scout's position, he grabbed her immediately.
At the same time, his right hand struck something hard and rough underwater. Instinctively, he pushed off it with all his strength, propelling them sideways through the water.
It was complete darkness. The headlamps and most of their gear had fallen into the depths when they capsized. Thankfully, Kael's bowie knife and crossbow were strapped to his body. Otherwise, those would've been lost too.
Scout's headlamp had been torn away by the current. As Kael broke the surface, he quickly switched off his own, afraid that even a flicker of light might draw more creatures toward them.
He tried to remember the texture of the object he'd pushed against. It had been solid, with a rough, almost armored surface—what kind of creature had scales like that?
There was no time to think. Kicking furiously, Kael managed to surface again—but smacked his head against something solid. A rock?
Pain exploded in his forehead, forming a swelling almost instantly. But the moment of agony was eclipsed by relief: he'd hit a faux rock—one of the artificial mountains commonly found in aquariums.
Without hesitation, Kael scrambled up the structure, dragging Scout behind him. They climbed to the highest point they could reach, collapsing atop the ledge, breathing hard, soaked and terrified—but alive.
Their respite didn't last long.
Scout suddenly tugged on Kael's sleeve, whispering in a trembling voice, "Kael… listen…"
Kael strained his ears. Below, he could hear something slithering—scraping, maybe even crawling—across the rocks. And with it came a putrid, fishy stench.
With his headlamp turned off, the darkness around them was nearly absolute. The crawling sounds grew louder. Gritting his teeth, Kael flicked his headlamp back on—but only partially, shielding most of the light with his hand.
The dim beam illuminated the horror below.
Two crocodiles. And three grotesque creatures, each with eight long, pole-like legs, slowly climbing up the fake mountain.
Scout clung to Kael's arm, her voice quivering, "Kael… what the hell are those?"
Kael exhaled deeply and grabbed the crossbow slung around his neck. Forcing himself to stay calm, he said, "Don't panic. It won't help now. Do you still have your bow?"
Scout steadied herself, bolstered a little by Kael's calm tone. "Yeah. I was worried I'd drop it, so I kept it strapped on."
"Good." Kael glanced at the distance between them and the approaching beasts, then spoke in a low voice. "When I drop the shield and light them up, we fire together—aim for the crocs first."
Scout gave him a doubtful look. "Why not the crab-looking ones?"
Kael replied, "Those things look like some kind of deep-sea crab. Big and scary, yeah—but I doubt they're stronger than crocodiles. And they probably can't survive out of water long. Crocs, on the other hand, can stick around for hours."
Scout wasn't completely convinced, but she nodded, not arguing further. She swiftly readied her crossbow, loaded a bolt, and took aim.