The grunts grew.
The echo in the cave did not allow you to distinguish where the footsteps were coming from, they only knew that they came from everywhere. The stone vibrated. The bioluminescent lights flickered, as if the cave itself was holding its breath.
Valeria checked her pistol. One more charge.
"Zara, stay behind me," he whispered, his voice strained. The possum, covered in dust and dried mud, crouched next to his leg.
Suddenly, the natural dome where they were taking refuge was illuminated by the organic lanterns of the Monscar zombies. Emerging from hidden tunnels, collapsed ceilings, and invisible cracks, misshapen bodies began to surround them.
One. Three. Twelve.
Fifty.
There was no way out.
Valeria took aim, but she knew that the laser would not be enough. The wall behind her was solid rock.
"Damn," he tried to activate his communicator. Valeria to the base, we are surrounded! I repeat, we are...!
Static. Nothing. Just his quickened breathing inside the helmet.
Zara squealed. A high-pitched sound, louder than ever.
And then he jumped.
"Zara!" NO!
The little possum ran straight into the center of the horde, zigzagging between rotting legs, scratching, biting, climbing bodies.
The zombies were taken aback. Some turned to her. Others tried to catch it without success.
"Zara, come back!" Valeria was aiming, but the Monscars' bodies were getting in the way. ZARA!
Desperate, Valeria shot at the ceiling. The crystals resonated with the impact. A rain of rock and dust fell that opened a crack through which he could barely crawl.
"ZARA, RUN TO ME!"
But Zara didn't listen to her. Or yes. Maybe he was just buying time.
With one last jump, the possum bit a wire hanging from a corpse, triggering a shock that momentarily electrocuted three zombies.
Valeria saw it all: the courage, the spark, the last look.
And then, the instant when a monstrous hand reached her.
"NO! Valeria shouted, breathless. He ran to her, but stumbled. He shot, but missed. He fell, got up, screamed again.
Zara was crushed. His final shriek hung in the air like a note that no one wanted him to finish.
The mere idea did not fit in Valeria's mind.
It was unforgivable that he accepted that possibility, that his partner...
A cruel silence came over the cave. All that remained was the sound of zombies tasting.
Valeria fell to her knees.
The world turned red, touching her chest where Zara used to curl up.
He looked up. The creatures were advancing. They were not in a hurry. They knew she wouldn't run. Not this time.
But Valeria did have one last option. The disastrous image of the Monscars bathed in blood was too much for Valeria. Zara had been overtaken by the zombies and only pieces were scattered throughout the cave.
Trembling, he pulled the device from his belt. A small black cylinder, with a red knob and a warning: "END USE - Absolute Emergencies."
Activated the timer: 30 seconds.
Ran. He ran with all the hatred, sorrow and contained fury.
Each step was a heartbeat. Every heartbeat, a tear.
After 28 seconds, she jumped into the tunnel, climbing through the crack she had opened. The stones slipped under his hands, but he did not stop.
At 30... The world trembled.
A white light exploded on their backs. The shock wave threw her like a doll towards the exit, tearing part of her suit and rolling her on the parched earth.
Silence.
An absolute silence, broken only by the electric screech of his damaged communicator.
Valeria was there, on her back, bathed in blood and red dust, looking at the artificial sky of the collapsed cave.
Breathed. Hardly.
But Zara no longer does.
His hands trembled. She wanted to speak, but only sobs came out. His body trembled from the emotional and physical discharge.
The cave was in tatters, a thick red rain filled the space suit of the girl who was mourning the loss of her possum for a mission.
"I'm sorry," he murmured. I'm so sorry...
The hazard lights on his suit were flashing.
A distorted voice came through the communicator.
"Base Valeria... does she copy me?" Valeria... is she alive?
She didn't answer. I couldn't.
She just squeezed her eyes shut, and let the cry seep through the cracks of her soul.