The old manor lood on the horizon, silhouetted against the amber glow of the setting sun. Its warped, gothic architecture seed to watch the ZETU team approach with a sinister intent. Vines crawled over the structure like veins, and crows cawed ominously from its rotting spires.
"Let guess," Jenna 'Blaze' Hart said, gripping her flathrower tightly, "that's where the distress signal ca from?"
Marcus 'Iron Will' Kane nodded. "Intel says this place was a quarantine facility during the early stages of the outbreak. Sothing happened, and now it's overrun. But the signal's coming from the basent. Could be survivors—or worse."
Riley 'Quick Shot' Bennett crouched by the overgrown path, peering through her scope at the manor. "I see movent," she said, scanning the windows. "But it's... slow. No runners. Just shamblers."
"That's still enough to make it a death trap," Lila 'Huntress' Navarro muttered, checking her pistols. "Place looks like it could collapse if we breathe too hard."
Derek 'Shield' Coleman hefted his riot shield and grunted. "Then don't breathe. Let's get in and out before the sun's gone."
The team advanced cautiously, their boots crunching on the dry, brittle grass. As they approached the manor, the stench of decay beca overwhelming. Ethan 'Brain' O'Connor adjusted his drone controller, sending a small reconnaissance drone through a broken window.
"Drone's picking up heat signatures," Ethan reported. "Too many to count. And... there's sothing else. The basent's emitting strange readings. Could be a generator—or a reactor. Be careful."
The front door creaked ominously as Marcus pushed it open, shotgun at the ready. The interior was worse than they'd expected. The walls were sared with dried blood, and decomposed bodies littered the floor, so still twitching. The team moved in formation, clearing each room thodically.
In the dining hall, a grand chandelier hung precariously, its crystals glinting in the fading sunlight. A sudden noise froze everyone—a low, guttural growl from the shadows.
"Contact!" Marcus shouted as a group of shambling zombies erged from the adjoining hallway.
Jenna wasted no ti, igniting a wall of fire between the team and the advancing undead. Riley climbed onto a decaying staircase for a better vantage point, picking off zombies with precise headshots.
"Focus fire!" Marcus commanded. "Jenna, keep them back. Derek, cover the rear!"
As the team pushed forward, the growls intensified. The basent door lood ahead, its fra cracked and splintered. Lila kicked it open, revealing a staircase descending into darkness.
"This is where it gets fun," she muttered, leading the way.
The basent was worse than they'd imagined—a labyrinth of makeshift labs and holding cells. In the center was a glowing, pulsing machine, its cables snaking across the floor. Around it, a horde of zombies stood eerily still, as though in a trance.
"What the hell is that?" Ethan whispered, his eyes wide.
Before anyone could answer, the machine emitted a deafening pulse, and the zombies turned their glowing eyes toward the team.
"Brace yourselves!" Marcus shouted as the horde charged.
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