Story 522: The Swarm

The echoing moans filled the narrow alley as Captain Marcus Kane led the team cautiously forward. The sunlight barely touched the ground here, blocked by leaning, crumbling buildings that seemed to close in around them. The smell of decay was overwhelming, and the air was thick with the oppressive sound of shuffling feet.

Detective Lila “Huntress” Navarro perched on a ledge, scanning the horde ahead with her binoculars. She dropped down silently to the rest of the team. “We’ve got a problem. Hundreds, maybe more. They’re packed so tight you can’t see the ground.”

“Hundreds?” Officer Derek “Shield” Coleman repeated, gripping his riot shield tighter. “We can’t go through that.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Kane said firmly. He pulled out the city map, now smeared with blood and dirt. “This is the only way to the supply cache. If we backtrack, we lose precious time.”