Every instinct is telling me to run. My muscles are tense, and I take a steadying breath. I look to my comrades, a question on the tip of my tongue. What do we do now?

“We do this together.” Asher sets his jaw. “Remember your training.”

Jamie shoots him a concerned glance. Her reason is obvious: most teams don’t make it through an attack. However, all I’ve heard about were ambushes created by a group of three Ravers, each working together tactically.

Val’s gaze sweeps the area, the same question I have written across her face: What if there’s more than the one?

Fear claws at my throat, threatening to suffocate me, and I hold my sword a little tighter.

The Raver makes a loud guttural sound as it waves an arm at Asher. Asher curses, barely avoiding the hit. He slams his blade into the zombie’s lower torso. The Raver doesn’t flinch as he turns his attention to Jesse, who has come up on the other side.

“Oof!” Jesse gasps as a brutal blow slams into his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs. He’s hurled backward, crashing onto the ground in a helpless heap five feet away.

Jamie rushes into a defensive stance between Jesse and the monster. “I got you.”

The thing smiles as it sets its sights on her. He rips a limb from a fallen zombie. She screams, ducking as he whirls it at her.

Val intercepts, slicing the severed arm in two. It is distraction enough that I land a blow to one of its arms, cleaving it off.

The Raver roars in pain, turning on me. His eyes are wild, and I swallow the acid pooling at the back of my throat.

My heart flip-flops as it pounces, pinning me in the dirt. I use all my strength to keep it at arm’s length.

Asher and Rob jump in, pulling the beast away by its feet. “You okay, Izzy?” Asher’s tone is frantic as he searches me for a bite mark.

“Yeah,” is all I croak out. I take Val’s proffered hand up, rising on shaky legs.

Asher gives a curt nod before returning his attention to our target.

The Raver is standing again, encircled by Asher, Rod, Jesse, and Jamie. They each rush the being, but the Raver’s fast reflexes block every hit.

“It’s too quick.” Rod gasps between blows. “We need a new strategy.”

Asher’s gaze lights up, and he aims for the monster’s legs. He slices a deep wound into the Raver’s left heel.

It shrieks, barely able to put weight on the affected limb.

Val lunges, aiming for the creature’s neck. It blocks, taking the blow on the shoulder. Whirling, it pounces on Val. She screams as the Raver slashes her across the chest with long, pointed nails.

“Val!” I drop onto the grass next to her. The rest of the team focuses on the Raver as I assess the damage.

“Fuck, it hurts!” Val glances down at her breast, which oozes blood.

I grab a first-aid kit from my pouch, vaguely aware of the fighting going on around me. I peel away some of the torn fabric to get a better look at the wounds. “Not too bad. I’ll clean them up as best as I can until we return to the ship.”

Val hisses as I pour a little alcohol on the marks, dabbing them with a dry cloth.

“I think the bleeding has already stopped.” I placed several adhesive bandages on the area and helped Val up.

She sighs and nods. “Thank you.”

Rod severs the Raver’s only working leg. He slouches in the dirt, slashing to save itself.

A stab of guilt sweeps over me, and I blink. “Will someone please put him out of his misery?”

Jesse’s face contorts in disgust. “This isn’t exactly a walk in the park.”

“I’ve got it.” Asher looms over the fallen zombie, his weapon poised. It whistles through the air, slicing toward the Raver’s spinal cord. Rod charges into the monster’s line of sight, acting as a decoy. The sickening squelch of steel meeting flesh echoes in my ears. The cut is quick and clean. The Raver’s head tumbles to the ground.

Silence descends upon our group as we all struggle to catch our breath. I wipe a shaky hand across my temple, letting my heart rate return to a steady rhythm in my rib cage.

“I didn’t expect to live through that.” Rod’s posture is weary, but he cracks a small smile.

Asher barks a laugh, and soon the rest of us are joining in. I sigh, allowing the relief to wash over me before refocusing on our surroundings. It’s quiet except for the sound of insects in the tall grass.

“Alright, team. Time to move.” Asher turns to Val. “Are you good to continue, or do we need to call the ship?”

Val touches her chest, wincing. “I’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure, Val?” I frowned.

Asher scans our environment, thinking. “Will you be prepared to fight again if necessary? We don’t know what we’re going to find in there.”

Val stretches, testing the weight of her blade in her hands. When she’s satisfied, she sheathes her weapon and nods. “Absolutely, Captain.”

“Good. Let’s move out.”

Editor: Lucy Cafiero