Story 559: The Manor of Shadows

The old manor loomed on the horizon, silhouetted against the amber glow of the setting sun. Its warped, gothic architecture seemed to watch the ZETU team approach with a sinister intent. Vines crawled over the structure like veins, and crows cawed ominously from its rotting spires.

“Let me guess,” Jenna ‘Blaze’ Hart said, gripping her flamethrower tightly, “that’s where the distress signal came from?”

Marcus ‘Iron Will’ Kane nodded. “Intel says this place was a quarantine facility during the early stages of the outbreak. Something happened, and now it’s overrun. But the signal’s coming from the basement. Could be survivors—or worse.”

Riley ‘Quick Shot’ Bennett crouched by the overgrown path, peering through her scope at the manor. “I see movement,” she said, scanning the windows. “But it’s... slow. No runners. Just shamblers.”