Chapter 300 Through Fire and Blood
Chapter 300 Through Fire and Blood
Jake came out of nowhere, covered in w marks and half–buried under a tide of zombies, yet <b>somehow </b>still moving.
Before the two biters could pin down the woman with the child, he mmed into them like a wrecking ball. They went flying, and without a second of hesitation, he threw himself at the horde, arms <b>wide</b>, holding them back with nothing but his own body.
“Move! Get out of here!” His voice was hoarse and cracking, but loud enough to cut through the chaos like a whip.
The survivors–barely ten of them–looked back once. Their eyes were ssy, their faces tight with <b>grief</b>. Then, they ran.
Jake never waited for thanks. He didn’t expect it.
He’d always been just a regr guy, the kind of face one hardly noticed in camp–quiet, forgettable.
Funny thing about the apocalypse: it was always those holding the line.
Even if they didn’t live long enough to see how the story ended.
Up ahead, the sh of steel and the roar of abilities cut through the moans of the dead. A squad of armed fighters plowed into the horde, weapons shing, tearing a bloody path through the sea of corpses.
Theresa clenched her jaw and pushed her Aeroshield to the brink. The invisible barrier shoved the zombies back just far enough to open a sliver of space. Her team didn’t waste a second–they surged through, fighting like demons.
Step by brutal step, they hauled over three dozen of Eva’s people out of that nightmare.
Relief hit Theresa for half a second, then it died in her chest.
No one else came out.
Only the endless tide of dead kept pouring forward, swallowing everything in their path.
She backed up slowly, jaw tight, her gaze locked on the swarm.
<i>Where’s </i>Eva<i>? </i>
<i>I </i><i>remember</i><i>–</i><i>she’s </i><i>at </i><i>the </i><i>back </i><i>with </i><i>her </i><i>crew</i><i>. </i><i>de </i><i>shing</i><i>, </i><i>cutting </i><i>down </i><i>every </i><ist </i>zombie <i>just </i><i>to </i><i>keep </i><i>her </i><i>people </i><i>alive</i><i>. </i>
God… don’t tell <i>me</i>…
By the time Theresa had hauled Eva’s people roughly 300 feet from the horde, she stopped dead in her
tracks.
Through the wall of rotting bodies, a figure burst into view, burning like a living torch.
Malik carried Eva in his arms, his entire body wreathed in fire.
The mes burned so bright that it hurt to look at them. Zombies threw themselves at him <b>in </b><b>mindless </b>waves, only to ignite and crumble to ash.
Every step he took seemed to rip him to shreds. His face was drained of all color, sweat boiling off <b>him </b><b>the </b>second it appeared. His fire wasn’t just burning the zombies. It was eating him alive from the core,
Yet, he didn’t care.
The only thing untouched by the mes was Eva.
Theresa’s breath caught.
She noticed that Malik’s fire was dimming, growing weaker and less vigorous with each step.
Finally, he staggered out of the crowd and copsed, still holding Eva as if she were the only thing keeping him upright.
The mes blinked out.
Malik sprawled there, his chest heaving, too spent to lift a finger.
Then, a zombie sprang at him, jaw snapping.
He didn’t even react.
Eva did.
She shoved him aside and took the hit herself.
“Eva!” Malik’s voice cracked like ss.
She smiled at him, soft and stubborn.
“I remember everything you’ve done for me,” she whispered.
Then, she shoved him with all her strength. “Live well. Now, run!”
Malik’s whole body screamed in pain, but he forced himself to move. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled, teeth gritted so hard they might’ve cracked.
<i>D</i><i>*</i><i>mn </i><i>it</i><i>! </i><i>No </i><i>way </i><i>I’m </i><i>leaving </i><i>you</i>.
<i>I </i><i>love </i><i>you</i><i>, </i><i>Eva</i><i>! </i>
<i>I </i><i>don’t </i><i>care </i><i>if </i><i>most </i><i>of </i><i>your </i><i>heart </i><i>belongs </i><i>to </i><i>the </i><i>camp</i>, <i>the </i><i>job</i><i>, </i><i>and </i><i>everyone </i><i>else </i><i>but </i><i>me</i><i>. </i><i>Wh </i>
<i>me</i><i>, </i><i>I’ll </i><i>guard </i>it with <i>my </i><i>d</i><i>*</i><i>mn </i><i>life</i>.
<i>If </i><i>this </i>is <i>where </i>it <i>ends</i><i>… </i><i>then </i><i>we </i><i>burn </i><i>together</i><i>. </i>
<i>little </i><i>piece </i>is <i>left </i><b><i>for </i></b>
He squeezed his eyes shut and clutched her like he could shield her from the world. The roar <b>of </b><b>the </b>horde closed in, deafening.
“Seriously? That’s it? You’re just rolling over now? I thought you were dead set on getting <b>payback </b><b>for </b><b>me </b>
The voice cut through the chaos, sharp and clear.
Malik opened his eyes.
Theresa stood before them, steady as a wall.
“Ms. Hall…” Eva breathed.
“Get him up!” Theresa snapped, thrusting out her hand.
An Aeroshield mmed down between them and the zombies. Zombies hit it in a frenzy, ws screeching uselessly against empty air.
Eva and Malik both gazed, their eyes wide with astonishment.
“Less talking, more running!” Theresa barked.
Eva met her gaze, fierce and grateful, then hauled Malik up with every ounce of strength she had. The rest of Ridgefall Camp rushed to help, dragging both of them toward safety.
Theresa didn’t move until she was sure they were clear. Then she turned, raised her hand, and let a wall of fire roar down the street.
The heat washed over her, scorching the air, and the dead went up like kindling.
She didn’t watch them burn.
She spun and sprinted for the safe zone.
By the time Malik and Eva stumbled in, half–carried by their people, Theresa was already there.