The moment the lockdown tone faded into silence, the first rumble hit.
The ground trembled—a faint vibration at first, like the prelude to an earthquake. But it grew. Louder. Heavier.
Outside the main walls, dust clouds rose in thick columns from the western ruins. The approach of something massive. No, not something—many somethings.
"Visuals incoming," Marcus said tensely, enlarging the external feed to the main holoscreen.
Thomas leaned forward.
The sight was monstrous.
Through the ruins, hordes of infected charged—more than they'd ever faced before. Twisted humanoids, some sprinting on all fours like beasts, others hulking with grotesque muscle and bone growths. Interspersed among them were towering brutes, eight meters tall, dragging malformed limbs heavy enough to crush tanks.
And above them, filling the ash-thickened sky, hundreds of flying creatures circled like vultures waiting for the kill.
"All units," Thomas said into the mic. "Weapons free."
