Battle at the Shelter Threshold
Minutes later, the echoes of roars grew louder. Alucard signaled the team to remain silent. Hana leaned against the wall, struggling to breathe, her breath raspy. Malik kept his eyes locked on the rigged door slit. Ruby stood on the other side of the hallway, ready to lure the horde in.
Suddenly, cracks in the nearby ground trembled, and the first figure emerged: a zombie with sinewy, dried skin and red eyes glowing with confusion. It stretched out a stiff hand and dragged itself forward. Behind it, dozens more emerged from the ruins—mutated Steppe Runners: slightly faster than usual despite the cold, hair and flesh torn to shreds, grayish skin streaked with bluish veins. Some wore remnants of protective gear—likely from failed expeditions in the area.
Alucard whispered, "Now!"
Ruby let out a silent roar—like a wave of vibration luring the horde into the narrow corridor.
The zombies surged into the trap. Alucard pulled the remote detonator's trigger. The explosion thundered—wood and metal tore into their bodies. The sound of shattered bones and melting frozen blood dripped onto the floor, mixing with ice and debris. The stench was unbearable—a fusion of thawing blood and scorched organs from Malik's incendiary rounds fired into the fallen corpses. Some zombies dropped instantly, but behind them came a larger variant: a small Steppe Seer, possibly the pack leader, its body clad in thick, mutated scale-like skin. Its eyes shone with a naive intelligence, guiding the others around the corridor.
Alucard directed Malik, "Move to the right wing, trap them in the rubble corner!"
They drew the zombies into a narrower space between two collapsed walls. Ruby stepped farther in, whispering mentally, "They're locked on me—too much focus. Ready smoke grenades behind them."
In the tight space, the hallway pulsed with roaring. The Steppe Seer led two others to block the path. Alucard unleashed a volley of incendiary rounds, searing the zombies' arms and chests. Despite being undead, their guttural screams echoed with a mechanical agony as flesh burned. Malik launched the smoke grenades, filling the corridor with dense fog, disorienting the horde and disrupting their frenzy. Hana pulled Ruby back, and together they retreated toward the shelter's door.
But not all the zombies were caught in the trap. A few leaped out of the corridor, flanking the shelter's entrance. Alucard jammed a thermal knife into the wall as a makeshift anchor, also arming a leftover mine for a secondary blast—but he knew: ammunition was running low. Every shot had to count. He aimed his modified pistol at the head of the larger variant—the Steppe Seer. The bullet struck its temple; frozen blood burst, its skull shattered. For a brief second, the horde paused—but surged again, driven by residual mutant instincts fueling the swarm's rage.
Meanwhile, Ruby moved her hands, trying to affect the zombies' minds—subtle psychic vibrations pulling their focus away from the door. She crouched, making a luring motion:
"Come on… follow me…"
The zombies shifted, giving Alucard a window.
"Now, jump!" he yelled.
They sprinted through the narrow corridor, forcing the horde onto another mine placed at the shelter's front ledge. Another explosion ripped through the reckless pursuers. Blood splattered, limbs and bone fragments flew, leaving a thick pool over the thin frost-lined hallway.
As the smoke billowed, Alucard, Ruby, Malik, and Hana rushed inside, slamming the heavy door shut with wooden planks and rigged debris to fall into place. They panted heavily, their bodies trembling; Hana coughed again, blood and mucus dripping onto the floor. Malik took a headcount: only the four of them survived. Two other members had fallen during the fight—their bodies trapped in the corridor, frozen blood spilling through the cracks in the rubble.
Aftermath and Reflection
Inside the dim shelter, only a small flashlight lit the space. The stench of smoke and blood lingered. Alucard fought the nausea as he cleaned Hana's wounds with the last of their alcohol, then wrapped them tightly. He glanced at Ruby, seated cross-legged, seemingly drawing in psychic energy to calm herself. She closed her eyes, then whispered into Alucard's mind:
"They're pushed back for now. But this is only the beginning. There's something bigger lurking in the north—a signal of ancient power."
Her words gave Alucard chills: ancient variant? He recalled Dr. Chen Wei's notes about the Primal Ice Caverns in the Shiver Peaks. Could a frozen entity have reached this region? Somehow, Ruby sensed it long before any human could understand.
Malik sat in the corner and lightly tapped Alucard's chest.
"You led us well back there. But we can't keep doing this—without a long-term plan, we're just postponing death."
His voice was low, but firm. Alucard lowered his head, absorbing Malik's words. He knew: supplies were low, and the next route was long and perilous. They needed a safe zone to treat wounds, recover strength, and continue toward Rotwood Jungle for machine parts.
Hana stared at the dim ceiling, her voice trembling.
"I'm weak… if we keep going, I might die on the road. Maybe… you should go on without me."
There was hesitation in her eyes—she felt like a burden. Alucard bent down, struggling to keep emotion in check. He knew Hana wanted to help, but her body was fragile.
"We'll face it together," he said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You still play a crucial role—repairing the Rotwood systems. First, we'll find medicine—maybe at the African Safe Havens or the symbiotic village Dr. Voss once mapped."
Hana nodded faintly, though her breathing remained labored.
Alucard checked his portable sundial—daylight was fading, and the temperature would soon plummet. He knew: the night would bring deadlier threats, harder to predict.
"We move at dawn," he said.
"Next, we find the nearest shelter. Ruby, keep scanning for variant movement. If anything abnormal pings, we change route."
Ruby nodded, her gaze piercing the rubble as though she could already see the treacherous path ahead.
She looked at Alucard, then merged her vibration into his thoughts:
"There's a choice: southward to Devies for ancient data in the temple, or northward to the Shiver Peaks for the Primal Caverns. Both routes are deadly. But my instincts urge north—there's ancient resonance there that may hold the key to a vaccine."
Alucard frowned—he understood the risk. The Shiver Peaks were filled with feral variants and lethal cold, requiring oxygen gear and climbing tools they didn't yet possess. The southern route might lead to seaborne passage across the Indian Ocean but faced local factions and swampborne undead in Devies. Both paths were equally dangerous.
The night deepened. Alucard stood, glancing at Ruby and his two remaining teammates.
"Rest while you can. We plan at first light. I'll inventory our supplies and check if we can barter with any nearby factions through the remaining radio—maybe there's a nearby safe zone."
He exhaled deeply, burdened by the weight of leadership. The dim world outside seemed to close its eyes, awaiting their next move.
Outside the shelter, zombie howls faded, but the creaking walls and trembling ground warned that the threat hadn't vanished—only delayed. Alucard knew: by dawn, the temperature would drop further, and another wave might strike. He looked at Ruby, faint in the flashlight's glow, her dark eyes lost in deep thought.
"North or south?" his mind churned.
Ruby answered telepathically, her voice soft but firm:
"North. Even if the cost is higher in lives, that's where the truth lies. If we don't seek it out, we're only delaying the threat—for other worlds. We need the truth before more are lost…"
Her words embedded themselves in Alucard's mind. Beneath the world's cruelty they faced, one fragile dream endured: finding a key to hope—a real vaccine, or understanding the virus so humanity might endure. But to get there, they would have to face the deadliest path: the Shiver Peaks, the Primal Caverns, and whatever awaited in the frozen dark.
Alucard exhaled the icy air.
"All right," he murmured.
"We head north. At dawn, we move. Get everything ready."
He turned to Malik and Hana, saw resignation in Hana's eyes, but determination in Malik's. Ruby touched Alucard's head, telepathically channeling calmness even though the storm inside his chest had yet to subside. The dark dawn on the horizon awaited, bringing both hope and an unimaginable threat.
(To be continued)