Story 555: Rise of the Scorched Lands

The barn was nothing more than smoldering rubble, its skeletal frame silhouetted against a blood-red sunset. The ZETU team stood amidst the destruction, catching their breath. But the eerie silence was short-lived.

Ethan ‘Brain’ O’Connor’s voice broke over the comms. “Uh, Captain, you’re not gonna like this. I’m picking up massive heat signatures—multiple, and they’re closing in fast.”

From the horizon, shambling figures emerged. Unlike the standard zombies, their charred bodies glowed faintly, as if molten lava coursed beneath their rotting skin. Smoke billowed from their mouths, and their eyes burned like embers in the fading light.

“What in the hell are those?” Sergeant Jenna ‘Blaze’ Hart muttered, gripping her flamethrower tightly.

“Looks like they’ve been… scorched,” Detective Lila ‘Huntress’ Navarro said, her dual pistols raised. “Maybe that explosion woke them up—or created them.”