Zombie Dogs

Kade's eyes widened as he whispered, "What the hell was that?"

Before Dane could respond, their eyes locked on the source of their terror—three twisted, grotesque dogs. Their jaws hung unnaturally wide, bone visible through the ragged flesh where muscle had torn, blood dripping from their broken, misshapen maws. Their fur was matted with gore, patches missing, revealing raw, rotting skin beneath. One of the dogs had a gaping wound where its ribs were exposed, and its eyes, cloudy and lifeless, darted between them with a mindless hunger. Behind them lay the mutilated remains of a recent kill, entrails spilling out onto the pavement, the stench of death thick in the air. Their guttural growls rumbled in the silence, as if savoring the fear they could almost taste.

Kade's voice was barely audible, "Kid… don't move. If we stay still, they won't attack."

Dane gripped the Ax in his hands, panic coursing through his veins. "How can you be so sure?" His voice was laced with skepticism, fear creeping into every word.

"Because," Kade muttered, his voice cracking slightly, "I had dogs back home… they don't attack unless they're hungry. And these mutts? They just ate."

But before the words could fully leave his mouth, the dogs lunged, their eyes filled with a ravenous hunger. "RUN!" Kade barked, as they bolted for their lives.

Dane spotted a shop ahead. "Kade, over there! The shop!" he panted, barely able to catch his breath.

They raced towards the door, throwing themselves inside and slamming it shut just as the dogs crashed into it, snarling and scratching at the metal barrier. Both men held the door with everything they had, feeling the sheer force of the animals on the other side. After several hard thuds, the noise stopped. The dogs, satisfied or perhaps bored, moved on.

Kade exhaled, shaking with adrenaline. "We made it."

But as they turned to survey their new sanctuary, their hearts sank. The shop wasn't safe. It was crawling with zombies, their decaying bodies stumbling mindlessly through the aisles. Dane's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor in terror. Kade remained standing, his eyes fixed on the horde, too stunned to move.

"Get down, you idiot!" Dane hissed, yanking Kade to the ground behind a counter. Both men crouched, trying to steady their breathing, desperate to stay out of sight.

One of the zombies turned its head toward the sound of the door, sniffing the air, but it couldn't see them through the shelves. Dane shot Kade a murderous glare. "So… any better ideas, genius? You were about to get us killed back there. 'They won't attack you,'" he mocked, still breathless.

Kade's face flushed with embarrassment, fumbling for his flask. "I swear… they weren't supposed to attack." He took a long swig of whiskey, the liquid doing little to calm his nerves.

Dane shot him a look of disbelief. "Unbelievable… I'm stuck with a drunken marine who thinks zombie dogs play by house rules."

Kade raised his flask in a half-hearted toast, his smirk faltering. "Hey, at least I'm consistent."

Dane leaned his head against the counter, shaking it in disbelief. "I'm going to die. I'm going to die because of you."

Kade grinned, wiping his mouth. "Not if I can help it, kid. Now, let's figure out how we're getting the hell out of here."

As they whispered, they could still hear the zombies shuffling through the shop. The only thing separating them from a gruesome death was a thin counter and a whole lot of luck.

Dane's frustration boiled over, his voice trembling with controlled anger. "Are you out of your damn mind? Zombies are swarming us, and your plan is to walk through them? We need something better!"

Kade Mercer's voice cracked slightly, but he tried to maintain his cool. "I do have a plan, alright? We can't go out the front because those dogs are still out there. But if we slip out through the back door, we might have a chance."

Dane shook his head, mocking him under his breath. "And how do we pull that off when the shop is crawling with the undead?" He motioned toward the stumbling zombies, their rotting limbs brushing against shelves, oblivious to their hiding spot.

Kade's eyes flickered with an idea. "We need to make our way to the storage room. It's closed off—no zombies in there. We just need to keep low and move behind the counters."