Chapter Text
You heard the growls before anything.
Inhumane. Guttural.
You were trying not to breath too hard but you couldn’t stop the short breaths as you had a tight hold on your pistol. Eyes moving around in the dark and only a flashlight that goes some feet ahead of you doing nothing.
The growls are getting closer.
You move along the walls, trying not to use a hand to guide you. Because that would mean not having a hold on your 1911. That would mean it could get you.
You kept moving your light around. Frantic, sweating and thank God you had your gloves on because if you didn’t you would—
The light caught onto a shape. You turned towards it immediately. Heart stopping as your breath followed with it.
A corpse, rotten and fleshy with holes in the skin of its face and arms. A uniform, with an army helmet. It’s jaw was wide open, farther than humanly possible, it’s mandible stretched down and snapping and it’s goal was to snap towards you.
You shot, aiming wildly. The shots to the chest doing nothing and you need to calm down. Breathe. Steady your aim. It’s getting closer. You shot at it’s head, aiming in between it’s eyes and only than did it go down. You took a quick relieved breath only for it to choke in your throat.
More growls to the left. Shuffling. A sound of something scratching the ground and grating your ears.
You moved your flashlight and pistol, and swallowed back the shriek that wanted to be released.
There were more. More corpses that were moving towards you with their disgusting smell and their snapping jaws and limping towards you. Except they all seemed to be infused.
All stuck together with barbed wire. And they were slower because of that. Not moving in sync to reach their goal of getting you as you kept shooting everywhere now. Jaws moving and sounds from their throats hair rising. Their uniforms bloody. Just like yours is.
Their sounds was all around you now and you began to panic as you shot, only for the need to reload to come. The humanoid figure with more skin flaps and muscle than actual skin still attached to the barbed wire and other corpses yet still has the strength to go towards you as your shaking hands moved for more bullets to your side.
It wasn’t the only one growling however.
You were grabbed from the side. Hand pulling and this time you did let out a scream. Trying to pull away. Use your body mechanics to release from it’s hold as it’s breath grew closer. Your neck bare and feeling the hot air. You grabbed it’s arm, but due to it being more flesh than skin, it caused you to slip your grip due to the bloody mess. Only for more to grab you on your other side.
You were jostling. Moving. Desperate.
Because no, no, no.
Not like this.
Not in a cave. Underneath the ground. With no one to hear your cries and tears going down your face. With corpses that had Vietnam uniforms pulling your clothes only for them to clamp down on your shoulder, your arm, your neck. Biting and pulling and your flesh and blood catching in their teeth as they masticated loudly as they were over your laid form as you could only scream a name that kept getting more and more cracked and desperate like a dying rabbit. Over and over and over since all of this started. The one who was always there to defend you and at your side since the moment you met. The one you can always depend on and knew what to do.
The one who put a needle to your eye and implied this will help them achieve their goal.
“ Adler! ”
Your eyes snapped open when your shoulder shook, raising yourself up so quick you saw stars and hand wrapped around the wrist that was on your shoulder.
Your wild eyes met familiar concerned brown ones with a frown, Mason crouched next to you in your cot.
“You were screaming,” he said, looking at your dilated eyes and sweat sticking to your skin, your quick breaths. You tightened your hold on his wrist. His eyes not moving from yours. “Nightmare?”
You blinked rapidly, trying to calm your racing heart as you let go of Mason. Him moving back slightly as you placed your feet to the ground and leaned over your knees. Your breath steadied as you put a hand to your head, your ski-mask by your pillow. Probably taken off due to your body moving back and forth on the cot. Your hand moved to your left eye. Reflexed habit. Before you took one large inhale as you dropped your hand and stared up at Mason, his brows furrowing down at you and pinched with worry.
“No,” you say, voice cracking slightly and voice rough. “I’m in one right now.”
Mason could only give you a sympathetic look before putting his hand in front of you. You grabbing it as he lifted you up easily and passed you your gun you have by your bed.
“You’re right about that. Let’s go. It’s our turn for watch.”
You could only nod. The both of you moving out of the safehouse’s rest area.
The growls in your sleep couldn’t leave. Because outside there’s always a chance of a stray corpse getting close.
You scratched at your skin where you got bitten in the dream.
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