Story 574: The March of the Earthbound Dead

The night was suffocating, a heavy fog shrouding the barren wasteland outside the city. The team stared out at a grotesque sight: a horde of decayed, mud-covered zombies, their skeletal frames coated in layers of soil and debris, shambling across the cracked earth. These were no ordinary zombies—they were rising from the earth itself, as if clawing their way out of a cursed underworld.

Ethan “Brain” O’Connor’s voice crackled through the comms, sharp with urgency. “Team, these things are different. Scans show abnormally high densities of organic matter combined with minerals. They’re tougher, like walking rock formations.”

“That’s great news,” Sergeant Jenna “Blaze” Hart quipped, gripping her flamethrower. “Burning rock is my specialty.”

Captain Marcus Kane raised his shotgun, scanning the oncoming horde. “Blaze, hold off on the fire. Let’s assess. We don’t know if they’re flammable.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” she shot back, incredulous.