The hole in the wall grew wider.
Chunks of plaster fell onto the floor with dull thuds. Dust drifted through the candlelight like gray snow. The rotten hand that had burst through the wall clawed blindly at the air.
Elena Voss stepped back until the edge of the bed touched the back of her legs.
The creature beside her lowered its massive body, muscles tightening beneath its dark fur. Its glowing eyes never left the opening in the wall.
Another hand pushed through.
Then a shoulder.
The zombie forced its way forward, breaking more of the wall apart. Its jaw snapped hungrily as it slled living flesh.
But before it could crawl fully into the room—
The monster under the bed struck.
It moved like a shadow exploding into life.
Claws slamd into the zombie’s skull with a sickening crack. The creature ripped the corpse out of the wall and hurled it across the room. The body smashed against the far wall and collapsed in a heap of broken limbs.
For a mont, the room went still.
But the scratching inside the wall continued.
More were coming.
Elena’s breathing beca uneven. She stared at the broken plaster as faint fingers began pushing through the cracks again.
“They’re everywhere,” she whispered.
The creature growled softly, as if agreeing.
Then—
A sound ca from the hallway.
Not scratching.
Not dragging.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
Elena’s eyes shifted toward the open doorway.
Sothing stood in the darkness beyond the bedroom.
She couldn’t see its face clearly, but she could see its shape.
Tall.
Too tall.
It stood perfectly still in the hallway.
Watching.
The shadow zombies behind Elena began to twist violently. Their silent mouths stretched wider as their glowing eyes flickered with fear.
For the first ti since Elena had begun seeing them...
The shadow zombies were afraid.
The creature beside her slowly backed closer to the bed.
Its growl deepened.
Low.
Threatening.
Elena’s heart pounded.
“What... is that?” she whispered.
The figure in the hallway took one slow step forward.
The floor creaked.
Candlelight stretched into the hallway just enough to reveal part of its face.
Its skin was gray like the others.
But its eyes were different.
They weren’t empty.
They were awake.
The tall zombie tilted its head slightly, studying Elena with unsettling curiosity.
Behind it, shapes began filling the hallway.
More zombies.
Dozens.
They crowded the corridor, pressing against each other like a wall of dead flesh.
But none of them entered the room.
They waited behind the tall one.
Elena realized sothing horrifying.
“They’re following it...” she breathed.
The creature beside her bared its teeth, claws digging deep grooves into the wooden floor.
The tall zombie stepped into the bedroom doorway.
The shadow zombies behind Elena scread silently.
Then the tall figure spoke.
Its voice was broken and wet, but the words were clear.
“...you...”
Elena’s stomach twisted.
“...see... us...”
The creature lunged forward with a violent roar.
But the tall zombie moved faster than any corpse should.
It stepped back into the hallway.
Imdiately the horde surged forward, filling the doorway like a living wall of decay.
Claws reached inside the room.
Hands grabbed at the doorfra.
The building itself seed to shake as the undead pressed inward.
Elena backed toward the window.
The creature stood between her and the door, roaring at the swarm.
But Elena’s eyes remained fixed on the hallway.
The tall zombie had disappeared.
It was gone.
Watching.
Planning.
And sowhere in the darkness of the building, it now knew one terrifying truth.
Elena Voss could see them.
And that made her far more dangerous than the dead realized.
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