As I heard the cry of the last wolf, I knew it was over. We had done it. We had survived. Breathing hard, I surveyed the desolate forest around us. Wolf carcasses were everywhere. Dotted in between them were a few human ones too. The lesser warriors, the slower, older men whose best fighting years were behind them.

Scanning the trees, something caught my eye. Movement. In the dense brush to my left. Only slight. I made a ‘stop’ hand gesture to silence the others. They froze, statues. Waiting with trepidation to see why I’d stopped. I waited. I listened, straining my ears for even the slightest sound to indicate what was watching us. I breathed deeply, trying to pick up the scent of animal. Nothing. Suddenly, a stench of decay washed over me, causing me to flinch. One of the others made a gagging sound. They smelled it too. It was pungent, like rotting animals, skunk-like in its pervasiveness. It was a distinctive smell. It was an evil smell. My blood ran cold. The wolves had been the least of our worries.

I spoke softly, trying not to move. “When I give the signal, run, to the East. We have to make it back to the bunker. We will not survive a fight.”

I glanced around, making sure my message had gotten through. From the terrified looks on their faces, they knew.

“Ready? RUN!”

The second we moved towards the trees to our left, the brush erupted with a flurry of movement. Casting only a quick glance, risking losing my footing, I saw a huge brown, hairy mass fly out of the bush. It moved impossibly quickly, like no animal I’d ever seen. But then this wasn’t a product of Mother Nature. It was a product of human nature.

I turned back, focused on the ground in front of me, jumping over sticks and obstacles in my way. I heard a scream from behind me but dared not look back. A horrible crunching sound broke off the scream. I kept running. I could hear the others around me, moving through the trees. Another scream, another crunch. “C’mon!” I yelled, “run faster, like your life depends on it because it fucking does!”

My breaths were ragged, my heart beat in my throat. Branches swiped at my face, trying to take me down. I ran.

I tripped.

I fell, hands out to break my fall. Searing pain in my wrist. I cried out then immediately stopped. I didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself. I tried to push up with my good arm, while trying to hold onto my crossbow. I stumbled, fell again. I was too petrified to loook behind me, to see where that thing was.

A snuffling noise behind me. A growl. I screamed. Pain exploded through my thighs as what felt like 200 hot daggers hit into my flesh. I screamed. A crushing force on my neck, then blackness.