Chapter 2602: Story 2603: The Blood Remembers

The staircase seemed to descend forever.

Kael moved first, holding his sword before him while Ethan followed with his rifle raised. Mara kept close behind, and Adrian descended last, gripping the iron railing with trembling hands.

Above them, the First Infected struck the hatch again.

Boom.

Dust rained from the ceiling.

“We need to move faster,” Adrian whispered.

They reached the bottom and found themselves inside an ancient stone corridor. Strange symbols covered the walls. Some appeared freshly painted with dark, dried blood.

Mara touched one.

“These aren’t random marks.”

Adrian examined them.

“They’re warnings.”

“Warnings about what?” Ethan asked.

Adrian pointed toward a carved figure on the wall. It showed a warrior standing before an army of the dead. Behind him was a enormous black creature.

Kael stared at the carving.

The warrior looked almost exactly like him.

“That can’t be me,” he said.

Adrian shook his head slowly.

“Maybe not. But someone expected a warrior like you.”

A distant sound interrupted them.

Clank.

Clank.

Clank.

Something was moving deeper inside the passage.

Ethan raised his rifle.

“Everyone stay quiet.”

The sound stopped.

For several seconds, nothing moved.

Then a whisper floated through the darkness.

“Help me...”

Mara’s eyes widened.

“That sounded human.”

Kael stepped forward.

“Don’t.”

Adrian grabbed his arm.

“We don’t know what is down there.”

Another voice cried from the darkness.

“Please... I’m alive!”

Ethan looked at Kael.

“If there’s a survivor, we can’t leave them.”

Kael reluctantly nodded.

They continued through the corridor.

The walls became wetter as they descended. A foul smell filled the air. They eventually reached a massive underground chamber.

A dozen bodies were chained against the walls.

Most were dead.

One suddenly opened its eyes.

Mara screamed.

The chained figure began shaking violently.

“Get back!” Adrian shouted.

The corpse’s mouth opened far wider than a human jaw should allow.

A black liquid poured from its throat.

Then it attacked.

Kael raised his shield just before the creature crashed into him. The impact threw him across the chamber.

Ethan fired.

The creature barely reacted.

Mara shot two bolts into its chest.

Still it advanced.

Kael rose, blood running from his forehead.

He charged.

His sword struck the creature’s neck.

The blade sank deep.

The monster collapsed.

Silence returned.

Adrian approached the corpse carefully.

“This wasn’t a normal infected.”

“What was it?” Mara asked.

Adrian looked terrified.

“A guardian.”

“Guardian of what?”

Before Adrian could answer, the chamber began shaking.

Stone cracked beneath their feet.

At the far end, a gigantic door slowly opened by itself.

Beyond it was complete darkness.

Then hundreds of pale eyes appeared.

Ethan stepped backward.

“How many?”

Adrian whispered, “Too many.”

Kael tightened his grip on the sword.

But then he noticed something carved above the doorway.

Three words.

THE BLOOD REMEMBERS.

Kael’s expression changed.

He had seen those words before.

Years ago.

Before the outbreak.

Before his family disappeared.

And suddenly, he remembered a night he had spent his entire life trying to forget beneath the mountain.