Fractured

The ground rumbled beneath us as the facility groaned in protest, each tremor a warning that it wouldn't hold much longer. Dust fell from the ceiling, clouding the air with the sharp tang of metal and decay. Every sound—distant explosions, the relentless snarls of the infected—felt louder, more urgent, a constant reminder that time was slipping away.

Zeke led us down the crumbling corridor, his tablet flickering with warnings. "There's an exit ahead," he muttered, glancing back at us. "But we'll need to get through a flooded section."

Lecroix stayed close by my side, his hand brushing mine for the briefest moment—a silent reassurance. We had made it this far together, and we wouldn't stop now.

Apollo slowed as we reached the edge of the corridor. "If we're doing this, we do it now." His voice was tight, focused, though a trace of worry lingered beneath the surface.

The tunnel ahead was flooded almost to the ceiling, the water murky and dark, too deep to see what lay beneath the surface. A metallic ladder dangled from the far wall, slick with algae, leading to a hatch at the end of the corridor.

I swallowed hard. There was no other way out.

"This is insane," Zeke muttered, his voice edged with panic. "What if we can't make it? What if—"

"You will," I said firmly, stepping closer to him. He needed me to be calm, even if I wasn't.

Zeke met my gaze, his fear sharp and unspoken. "What if we drown?"

I placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "We won't. I'm right here. You've got this."

Lecroix gave me a small, approving glance, but his focus never wavered. "We need to go now. The longer we wait, the worse it gets."

Without hesitation, Lecroix lowered himself into the cold water. "Stay close, and move fast." His voice was steady, even as the water lapped at his shoulders. "No noise if you can help it. We don't know what's down here."

I nodded and followed him, the chill of the water stealing the breath from my lungs. Apollo slid in next, his jaw clenched tight, followed by Zeke, who trembled but kept moving. The water felt like ice, dragging at my limbs, making each movement harder.

The corridor was narrow, the walls pressing in as we swam single file toward the ladder. The light from our flashlights cut through the murk in shifting beams, but the water seemed to swallow everything whole.

Halfway through, something moved beneath the surface.

A ripple. A shadow. A low, guttural growl that vibrated through the water, so close I could feel it in my bones.

Lecroix's hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. "Don't stop," he whispered urgently. "Keep going."

Panic clawed at the edges of my mind, but I forced myself forward. The infected were down here—waiting, hunting.

Suddenly, a grotesque shape lunged from the darkness. An infected, bloated and monstrous, burst from the water. Its twisted limbs flailed, claws slashing at Apollo with terrifying speed.

"Apollo!" I screamed, but the water swallowed my voice.

Apollo spun just in time, his knife flashing in the murky water as he stabbed the creature. But the infected latched onto him, its claws sinking deep into his leg. Blood bloomed in the water, a dark cloud spreading through the narrow corridor.

"Go!" Apollo shouted, kicking the infected back with everything he had. "Get out of here!"

"No!" I lunged toward him, but Lecroix caught me, his grip firm but not harsh. "We can't fight here," he hissed. "We'll all drown."

Zeke swam forward, panic in his eyes. "We can't leave him!"

"I'm not leaving him," I snarled, wrenching free from Lecroix's grip. We couldn't leave anyone behind. Not now.

Lecroix surged forward, his movements precise and controlled, as if the chaos didn't touch him. With one powerful stroke, he grabbed Apollo under the arms, yanking him toward the ladder. The infected thrashed in the water, clawing at us, but Lecroix didn't falter.

"Go, Liberty!" Lecroix barked, shoving Apollo toward the ladder. "I've got him."

Apollo's face twisted in pain, his leg a mess of torn flesh, but he nodded, his grip white-knuckled on the rungs of the ladder.

"Come on!" Zeke shouted, his voice hoarse with fear.

We hauled ourselves up the ladder, every movement agonizing. The infected swarmed below us, their twisted forms writhing in the water, snapping at our heels. Lecroix climbed beside me, his breathing steady even as the chaos closed in.

Apollo's leg gave out as he reached the top. He collapsed onto the platform with a muffled groan, blood pooling beneath him. His face was pale, his breathing shallow.

"We need to move," Apollo gasped, though his voice was weak. "Go without me."

"Not a chance," I whispered fiercely, pressing my hand to his wound. The blood was warm and sticky, so much of it spilling between my fingers.

Lecroix knelt beside me, his expression grim. "We can't stay here. If we don't get him out soon, he won't make it."

I glanced at Lecroix, my heart racing. "What do we do?"

"We carry him," Lecroix said simply. "Together."

Without hesitation, he hooked Apollo's arm over his shoulder. I did the same, bracing under Apollo's weight as best I could. It wasn't easy, but we wouldn't leave him. Not now.

The final stretch of the corridor was a blur—the ground shaking beneath us, the infected snarling just behind. Every step felt like a lifetime, every breath harder to take.

But Lecroix stayed by my side, steady and sure. Even as the world collapsed around us, he didn't let go.

We burst through the emergency hatch, gasping for air as we stumbled into the cold night. The ruined city stretched before us, jagged and broken under a gray sky.

Apollo groaned, his head lolling against my shoulder. "You made it," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

"We all did," I murmured, my throat tight. But I knew this wasn't the end. Not yet.

Lecroix's hand found mine, his grip warm and steady. For the first time in a long time, I felt something more than fear. I felt hope.