Story 403: The Awakening

The air turned frigid as the corpses jolted to life. A grotesque symphony of bones cracking and joints snapping echoed through the dining hall. The figures—once lifeless—now twitched, their hollow eyes glowing faintly as if possessed by a sinister force.

“Targets are up!” Rook shouted, raising his rifle. “Light ‘em up!”

Ghost fired first. His rounds tore through the nearest corpse, splintering it into dust, but two more lurched forward. Bulwark unleashed his shotgun, the blast sending a corpse tumbling backward into the rotting banquet table, but it only staggered before crawling toward him on all fours.

“They’re fast!” Bulwark grunted, reloading.

“Adjust fire!” Rook barked. “Aim for the heads!”

The team repositioned, creating a firing line. Viper moved like a shadow, his twin knives carving through the undead in quick, fluid motions. “I hate dinner parties,” he muttered, spinning to slice through a lunging corpse.