With every ounce of energy, I force air into my burning lungs and dodge Asher’s final blow. Falling to the floor, I gasp for breath. My muscles scream, aching from my hour-long training session. “I can always work you harder, cupcake,” Asher taunts, an eyebrow raised. His words ignite a flush in my cheeks. During ...

At the end of the night, the space grew silent. The booming bass ceased, and loud conversations disappeared. Only sounds heard were Nick and the runners counting the register. This part of the night had become Lacey’s favorite part of the evening: a sensory reset and calm she needed to clean up and go home. ...

The Rabids have lost all humanity. Three of the four creatures slink silently about their prison cells, eyes darting this way and that, as if trying to find the exit or an opportunity to wreak havoc on the people observing them. What’s left of their dirty clothes hang loosely from their skeletal bodies, their hair ...

I can almost hear the trill of seagulls as I gaze at the mural on the wall across from my bunk. A calm ocean meeting a distant horizon, like one would see from a balcony view on a luxury cruise liner. It was painted for Val and me when we came aboard five years ago—a ...

Fucking zombies. The one thing I swore I would never live to see. But here I am. I slice my sword left, right into the damn thing’s shoulder. The person, if I can even call it that, doesn’t slow, reaching for me with shriveled fingers. His gaze is unfocused and a cloudy white, like the ...

I stumble to the Hydra, clinging to Sophie’s arm. My vision swims as crew members rush to ready as many available submersibles as possible. I blink away my tears as my seatbelt clicks into place. Xander and Nathan are talking, but I can’t discern them past the ringing in my ears. A loud pop pulls ...

Something is on fire. The alarm sings its wailing song through the Griffin. “We’ve got a breach in the bow.” A crewmember barges into the room, soaking wet. “I’ve sealed the affected compartments. It should hold for the time being.” “That’s good. Keep me posted if anything changes.” Xander exhales as the alert cuts off. ...

Eddie drums his fingers on a nearby AUV. “Did you guys see it? Is it dead?” “We did.” Xander smacks his lips together. “Not hardly.” I struggle out of the Hydra, Xander catching me as I stumble. “You okay, Em?” “Yeah, missed a step.” I smile, my cheeks warm. “Thank you.” “You’re welcome.” Xander plants ...

We hit the surface with a loud thwack, my heart leaping into my throat. I force down the granola bar still clutched in my shaking hands, washing it down with water when it gets stuck in the back of my throat. “You should have eaten breakfast, babe.” Xander glances at me with concern in his ...

The Hangar is teaming with activity. Crewmembers weave in and around the submersibles. “Wow, this is as busy as I’ve ever seen this place,” Sophie comments. She sidesteps two crewmen carrying an underwater drone. Nathan nods, watching groups of three stock each sub with torpedoes of every size. “We started when Xander messaged me what ...