Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

The living room was an inferno. Flames clawed at the furniture, engulfing the striped armchairs and spreading rapidly to the curtains, which disintegrated in fiery bursts. Smoke coiled ominously along the ceiling, thick and suffocating, as the room transformed into a death trap.

Commander Rook kicked down the front door, his silhouette framed against the blinding light of the blaze. "Move in, but watch for traps!" he bellowed, waving the team forward.

The squad entered with precision. Bulwark hefted a fire extinguisher, spraying foam to create a path through the chaos. "This fire's not random!" he shouted over the roar. "They've rigged the accelerants to burn in separate waves."

Viper darted to the side, her combat knife gleaming in the flickering light as she sliced through the remnants of fallen drapes. "They wanted it to spread. This whole house is a giant signal flare."

Ghost crouched low, his mask filtering the acrid air as he examined the floor. His night vision goggles pierced the smoke, revealing faint trails of a liquid substance. "Accelerants leading to the fireplace," he noted. "There's something hidden inside."

Rook gestured for Shadow to cover the area. "Ghost, check it out. Viper, back him up."

The two advanced, dodging falling debris as Ghost pried open the scorched fireplace. Inside, hidden beneath a false panel, was a metallic briefcase. It was coated in soot but remained intact.

"We've got something," Ghost announced, pulling it free.

"Open it!" Rook ordered, keeping an eye on the unstable structure.

Ghost unclasped the case, revealing a set of documents, a hard drive, and a single photograph. The picture was slightly singed but clear enough to identify—a man in a suit, standing before a government building.

Shadow took a quick look. "That's General Adrian Kane," she said. Her tone was sharp, her sniper's eye recognizing the target instantly. "The same man who's been off the grid for months."

Before anyone could process the information, a loud creak echoed through the room. The ceiling above groaned ominously, giving way in a shower of flaming beams.

"Fall back!" Rook yelled, shoving Shadow out of harm's way.

Bulwark surged forward, using his reinforced armor to shield Ghost and Viper as the debris crashed around them. "This place is coming down! We've got less than a minute!"

The squad retreated with practiced efficiency, dodging collapsing furniture and walls as they raced toward the exit. Outside, they regrouped, coughing and drenched in sweat, but alive. The house collapsed in on itself moments later, sending a fiery plume into the night sky.

Rook turned to the team, his expression grim as he held up the briefcase. "This changes everything. If General Kane is involved, we're no longer just fighting shadows. This goes higher than we thought."

Ghost nodded, glancing at the flames. "And someone out there doesn't want us to find out why."

Rook's gaze hardened. "Then we make sure they can't stop us. This mission just got personal."

The team prepared to move, the flames behind them a burning reminder of the stakes they now faced.