Ayla bit down hard on her lip as the blade sliced through her skin. The pain was sharp and immediate, fire spreading from her shoulder down her arm. Blood ran in dark rivers, dripping to the floor.
The stranger worked fast. His eyes were focused, his hands steady. He carved away the torn flesh with precision, his expression unreadable.
Kade hovered nearby, every muscle in his body tense. His fists clenched at his sides, knuckles white. He looked like he might explode at any second but he didn't move.
The pounding above them grew heavier. The trapdoor groaned beneath the weight of whatever was trying to break through.
Ayla clenched her jaw so hard it hurt. The world narrowed to the heat of the blade, the sound of blood hitting the concrete, the pressure of the stranger's grip on her arm.
Finally he stepped back, wiping the blade clean on a rag he pulled from his belt.
"That's the worst of it," he said.
Ayla swayed, catching herself on the wall.
"You need to stop the bleeding," Kade said.
The stranger nodded. He rummaged through the supplies in the corner of the chamber and came back with a cloth and a small bottle.
"This is going to burn," he warned.
Ayla gave him a look that said she didn't care.
He poured the liquid over the wound. The burn was worse than the blade. Ayla hissed through her teeth, her vision flashing white for a second. The stranger wrapped the cloth tight around her shoulder, tying it off with a firm knot.
Above them, the pounding turned to splintering.
"Whatever that is, it's coming through," Kade said. His voice was low but urgent.
The stranger grabbed the steel door and forced it open. A dark tunnel stretched beyond, the air thick and stale.
"This way," he said.
They didn't argue.
Kade supported Ayla as they moved into the tunnel, the girl close behind. The stranger led the way, his blade ready in one hand, a flashlight in the other.
The tunnel felt endless. Water dripped from the ceiling. The floor was slick with grime.
Ayla's shoulder throbbed with every step. Her vision blurred at the edges but she kept going, forcing her legs to move.
Behind them came a deafening crash. The trapdoor was gone. Something heavy hit the floor of the chamber they had just left.
Kade glanced back.
"We need to move faster."
They ran.
The tunnel twisted and turned. The stranger moved like he knew where he was going, his light cutting through the dark.
The sound of pursuit echoed behind them.
Ayla risked a glance over her shoulder. Shapes moved in the darkness. Not just walkers. Bigger. Faster.
The tunnel opened suddenly into a larger space. A maintenance room of some kind, filled with broken pipes and scattered debris.
"This is it," the stranger said.
Ayla looked around, confused.
"This is what?"
He pointed upward. A ladder led to a hatch in the ceiling.
"Out."
Kade didn't wait. He lifted the girl first, pushing her up toward the hatch.
Ayla grabbed the ladder next, her arm weak but her will stronger.
The stranger stayed at the bottom, facing the tunnel, ready to buy them time.
The girl pushed the hatch open, moonlight spilling down.
Kade climbed after her, then reached for Ayla as she struggled with the last few rungs.
The sound of claws on concrete filled the tunnel.
The first of the creatures lunged into the room.
Ayla felt Kade's hand close around her wrist.
But before he could pull her through, the stranger shouted from below.
"Behind you!"
A shape moved in the dark above the hatch, something they hadn't seen.
A shadow with glowing eyes and a grin too wide to be human.