The siren wailed on, shrill and unrelenting, echoing through the shattered city like the cry of a dying beast. Xinyi felt it vibrate in her bones, a sound that spoke of ruin and despair. It wasn't just a warning. It was a signal, one that carried across the ruins, drawing the attention of every infected for miles. The cries of the monsters below grew louder, more frenzied. The ground beneath their feet trembled as if the city itself recoiled from what was coming.
Ren grabbed Xinyi's arm, his grip tight enough to bruise. His eyes were wild with fear. "We can't stay here. That siren means a horde is on the move. And if it's the one I think it is, it'll sweep this whole sector clean."
Xie Yan's jaw clenched, his gaze locked on the distant glow of fires where the city center smoldered. "Where do we go? If the horde is coming, no part of this city will be safe."
Ren pointed toward the west, his hand shaking. "There's a bridge. An old freight bridge. It crosses the river. If we can reach it before they do, we might stand a chance."
Zhao Ming pushed his hair back from his sweat-soaked face, his breathing ragged. "And if we can't?"
"Then we die here," Ren said flatly. "Your choice."
No one spoke after that. They ran.
The service road was cracked and broken, weeds pushing up through the asphalt, wreckage strewn everywhere. Burned-out vehicles littered the way, their twisted frames casting long shadows in the pale moonlight. Xinyi's lungs burned as she pushed herself to keep up, every muscle screaming in protest, but she didn't slow. None of them did. The city roared behind them, the infected answering the call of the siren, their shrieks filling the night.
They skirted the edges of collapsed buildings, slipped through alleys choked with debris, crossed empty lots where the ground was pockmarked with craters and scorch marks. The bridge loomed ahead at last, its steel frame a dark silhouette against the night sky. But between them and salvation lay the riverfront, and the riverfront was already crawling with infected.
Xinyi saw them first, shapes moving in the shadows, eyes glinting like coals in the dark. They milled along the ruined docks, drawn toward the sound of the siren but not yet in full pursuit. There was still a chance, but it would take everything they had left.
Xie Yan slowed, drawing them into the cover of a collapsed wall. He spoke quietly, his voice steady despite the storm closing in around them. "We split up. Two draw them off, the other two make for the bridge. Once we're across, we find a way to meet."
Ren shook his head violently. "Splitting up is suicide. We stay together. We move fast and quiet. That's our only shot."
Zhao Ming wiped his face, glancing back at the city where the glow of firelight grew brighter, the siren still screaming. "Decide fast. We're out of time."
Xinyi's mind raced. The bridge was close, but not close enough. The infected would see them the moment they left cover. And the horde was coming. She looked at Xie Yan, at the set of his jaw, the sharpness in his eyes. He was ready to do whatever it took. She nodded.
"We stick together," she said. "But we create a distraction. Big enough to draw them to one spot so we can slip through."
Ren grunted. "And what's your big idea?"
She reached into her bag, fingers closing around the last of the grenades. "Fire. Noise. We bring down part of the dock. Give them something else to chase."
Ren's eyes widened, but then he grinned, a flash of teeth in the dark. "You're crazier than I thought."
Xinyi didn't answer. She slipped from cover, Xie Yan at her side, moving low and fast along the edge of the lot. Ren and Zhao Ming followed, weapons ready. They reached the edge of the dock where old fuel drums lay half-buried in rubble, forgotten by time. Xinyi pulled the pin, lobbed the grenade into the pile, and turned to run.
The explosion tore through the night, a bloom of fire and smoke that lit the riverfront like a second sun. The fuel caught, flames racing along the cracked wood of the dock, igniting debris and broken boats. The roar of the fire drowned out the siren at last, and for a heartbeat, the world was nothing but heat and light.
Then came the infected, swarming toward the blaze, their hunger driving them into the flames, heedless of the danger. The distraction worked. The path to the bridge lay open.
They ran again, sprinting for the bridge as the dock burned behind them, as the horde descended on the fire in a frenzy of snapping jaws and tearing claws. The bridge groaned under their feet as they climbed onto it, the steel structure old but still standing. The river below reflected the flames, turning the water into a ribbon of molten gold.
Halfway across, the ground shook so hard Xinyi nearly fell. She grabbed the railing, eyes wide as she looked back. The horde had reached the edge of the riverfront, hundreds of them now, more than she had ever imagined. And behind them came something worse.
A shape moved through the ruins, massive and hulking, its body covered in slabs of muscle and twisted bone, its eyes burning with a terrible intelligence. It let out a roar that split the night, a sound of pure fury, and the horde surged forward at its command.
Ren swore, his face pale in the firelight. "What in hell's name is that?"
Xie Yan didn't answer. He grabbed Xinyi's hand and pulled her on. They ran, the bridge shaking beneath them, the roar of the horde at their backs, the monster leading them, unstoppable, relentless.
Ahead, the far side of the bridge came into view, but so did the wreck of a transport truck jackknifed across the exit, blocking the way. Xinyi's heart sank. They were trapped between the river and the horde, with nowhere left to run.