Chapter 12: Inferno of the Apocalypse
The world was no longer alive — it was burning. The skies bled red, the ground cracked open like a wound, and chaos echoed through every shattered street. Humanity was at war, not just against the undead but against the night itself. The apocalypse had reached its roaring peak.
Engines screamed through the broken highways as armored vehicles tore through crowds of infected. Riven stood atop the roof of a speeding jeep, his twin blades slicing through the air like silver lightning. Every swing painted arcs of crimson fire as heads rolled and bodies crashed against the asphalt.
"Faster!" he shouted over the roaring engine. "They're gaining from both sides!"
Kael, gripping the steering wheel, slammed the accelerator so hard the vehicle jolted forward, smashing through an abandoned truck. The windshield cracked, sparks flew, and pieces of metal rained around them — but Kael's eyes stayed locked on the road ahead.
Behind them, hundreds of zombies and feral vampires sprinted on all fours, howling like wild beasts. Their claws clattered against the broken concrete, and their glowing eyes reflected the firestorm.
From the back of the vehicle, humans fired machine guns, raining bullets like a storm. "They just don't stop!" one soldier yelled, reloading with shaking hands.
Riven leapt from the jeep — onto a moving truck beside them. The air pressure tore at his coat as he landed, rolled, and rose to his feet. Two vampires lunged from the roof. He met them midair, his blades crossing in a bright flash — two heads flew off.
Kael swerved the jeep beneath a crumbling bridge, and a moment later, the entire bridge collapsed, crushing dozens of monsters behind them. "That'll slow them down!" Kael yelled, smirking.
"Not for long," Riven replied through the comms. "We need the train!"
The survivors' last hope — a freight train carrying weapons and survivors — was stationed a few miles ahead. If they didn't reach it, the entire city would fall.
Suddenly, the horizon exploded. From behind a skyscraper, a massive vampire lord — three times the size of a human — roared and leapt onto the road, smashing a military tank with one hand.
"Holy hell— MOVE!" someone screamed.
The ground quaked as the monster charged. Cars flipped like toys. Kael spun the wheel, dodging wreckage as the vampire swung a steel beam toward them. Riven dashed forward, jumped onto the beast's arm, and stabbed his sword deep into its neck. The creature roared, grabbing him — but Kael fired a grenade launcher, blasting its shoulder clean off.
Riven fell, rolled midair, and landed on the back of a bike driven by a soldier. "Nice ride," he said, grinning.
"Didn't plan on passengers!" the soldier shouted, swerving through the wreckage.
They were close now — the train station loomed ahead, surrounded by fire, chaos, and hundreds of monsters.
"Cover me!" Kael yelled, pulling a flare gun. He fired into the sky. A bright red flare burst above — the signal for Operation Exodus.
At that moment, the ground trembled again. From beneath the streets, hundreds of zombie hands broke through the concrete. The dead rose — faster, hungrier, mutated.
"Go! Go! GO!"
The survivors poured into the train yard, blasting through every direction. Bullets, fire, screams — it was war. Kael covered Riven as he cut through the frontlines, blades spinning in blurs of blood and flame.
Suddenly, the train's horn blasted — the last train out of the city. Survivors rushed aboard as Riven and Kael fought to clear the path.
"Riven, right side!" Kael shouted.
"I see it!" Riven yelled, spinning midair as three vampires lunged from the platform. His blades flashed, slicing them in half.
Kael threw a grenade under a pile of zombies — BOOM! — a wave of fire cleared the area.
They jumped aboard the moving train just as the doors slammed shut. Behind them, the city burned — a crimson sea of destruction.
But there was no time to breathe. From the roof of the train, shadows leapt — vampires had followed.
Riven and Kael climbed up, standing atop the roaring train as sparks and wind tore through their faces. They looked at each other — one nod — and then charged.
Steel met claw. Sparks flew. Bodies fell. The train cut through the inferno like a blade through flesh.
Kael kicked a vampire off the roof and fired his rifle point-blank into another's chest. Riven flipped backward, slicing through two in one move.
Lightning crackled in the dark sky — and for a brief second, they saw it: a mysterious black symbol glowing in the clouds.
"What the hell is that?" Kael muttered.
Riven narrowed his eyes. "The reason this apocalypse began."
The words lingered as the train raced into the unknown, leaving the burning city behind.
The night wasn't over. It was just the beginning.
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