American Horror: Grind Edition Chapter 45 45: Holy Water Washdown

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The second the words left Luke's mouth, the limp fire hose swelled instantly, snapping taut under the pressure.

He squeezed the nozzle trigger. A thick, roaring column of holy water exploded outward and slamd into the charging zombie horde with unstoppable force.

Ssssss…

The lead zombies didn't even get a chance to scream.

Their bodies lted like wax figures doused in acid, dissolving in clouds of acrid white smoke. The blue-green pus inside them was instantly purified on contact—no trace left on the ground.

The high-pressure stream carved a blazing path straight through the black sea of corpses. Every zombie hit dead-on vanished into nothing. Those only splashed by the spray burst into smoking holes and collapsed, twitching as they lted into bubbling piles of rotten at.

The sight was almost beautiful.

"My God…"

Inside the cab, the young firefighter and Paki stared in stunned silence. Neither had ever imagined a fire hose could unleash this kind of apocalyptic power.

Paki's grandmother whispered a quiet prayer to her voodoo god, hoping everything would turn out all right.

Lionel's eyes stayed locked on one figure in the horde—his mother, Vera. As the source of the infection she was far tougher than the others. Holy water rained down on her, burning deep pits into her flesh, yet she still scread and staggered forward through the pain.

Luke didn't hesitate. He swung the nozzle toward the two biggest threats.

"Your turn, clown."

The stream whipped around and blasted Freddy full in the face.

"No!"

Freddy's scream was pure agony. He tried to dodge, but the zombies still clinging to him held him in place. Holy water hamred down on his already ruined face, carving it into a ss of charred, bubbling craters. Black smoke poured off him in thick waves.

The divine power scorched his soul far worse than any physical wound. He felt his strength draining away at terrifying speed.

"AAAAH! You goddamn cop! I'm dragging you into a nightmare you'll never wake up from!"

Freddy thrashed and cursed, his voice growing weaker by the second.

Jason took the sa baptism. The high-pressure stream slamd into his chest with a loud hiss. Thick black smoke billowed off his entire body as if he were burning from the inside.

For a mont he staggered under the force, but he didn't scream like Freddy. He didn't lt like the zombies. Behind the hockey mask, those burning eyes stayed fixed on Luke—the man who had cut him to pieces again and again.

Jason kept walking forward, one brutal step at a ti, even as holy water ate away at his regenerating flesh. Every footprint left a bloody sar that the stream imdiately washed clean. New muscle and sinew writhed back into place almost as fast as it was destroyed.

"This guy… is a goddamn monster."

Luke gritted his teeth and cranked the pressure to maximum.

Freddy was already rolling on the ground, seconds from going under. Luke caught Jason still pushing forward and saw his opening.

Freddy scrambled on all fours and ducked behind Jason's massive back, using the big man as a living shield.

"Hey, big guy! Nice work! Hold him off! We'll take the cop together!"

Jason ignored him completely. His empty eyes never left Luke—the one enemy he truly hated.

Without warning, Jason reached back, grabbed Freddy by the collar, and hurled the dream demon straight at Luke like a screaming missile.

"Shit!"

Luke's pupils shrank. He dove sideways on instinct.

Freddy flew past him and smashed into the side of the fire truck with a sickening crunch.

THUD!

"AAAAH!"

Freddy's spine bent the wrong way on impact. He groaned and lifted his head—then spotted the still-spewing hose connection right beside him. A vicious grin split his ruined face. He slashed his claws straight through the hose.

The line went dead in Luke's hands.

"Heh heh. Looks like you're out of tricks, cop."

Freddy's smug smile froze as the severed outlet suddenly erupted with an even thicker, more powerful stream of holy water.

"What the hell? Why isn't it stopping?!"

Luke looked at him like he was an idiot.

"It's just a hose, dumbass. The valve's inside the truck."

Freddy's already hideous face twisted even further with rage.

"Watch your own ass, cop."

Luke's instincts scread. He spun around—Jason had already regained his footing and was charging straight at him again.

On the other side of the street, the remaining zombies began swarming toward Vera. She opened her mouth wide and started devouring her own kind. Her body visibly swelled with every bite.

Luke spat on the ground, yanked the shotgun off his back, and stepped forward to et Jason.

Inside the fire truck, Lionel gripped his shaking wrist. He still rembered every second of pain Freddy had put him through last night. Fear clawed at his gut harder than anyone else here.

But he looked at the chaos outside, then at Freddy circling the truck like a predator, and knew this was the mont that mattered.

He made his decision.

"I'm going out to reconnect the hose. Lock the doors and stay inside."

Paki reached for him, but her grandmother gently held her back and nodded at Lionel.

"Go, child. You have the strength for this."

Before Paki could argue, Lionel shoved the door open and jumped down.

Freddy spotted fresh prey and let out a delighted cackle.

"Well well. Mama's boy finally left the nest?"

Lionel ignored the taunt. He sprinted to the broken outlet, doused himself head to toe in holy water, then ran to the side storage compartnt for a spare hose.

Pain exploded through his back.

He froze. Five razor claws punched straight through his chest and out the front.

"Heh heh. Good boy. You finally—"