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CHAPTER 184: SHAKY ASCENT
SHAKY ASCENT
Desperation fuels your decision as you kick down hard, your boot connecting with the face of a zombie reaching up from below. The impact sends it reeling back into the others, creating a brief domino effect that buys you precious seconds. You scramble upward, each rung protesting under your weight, the metallic groans a constant reminder of the precariousness of your situation.
Your heart pounds in your chest as you reach the midpoint of the ladder, the zombies recovering quickly and renewing their assault on the base. One particularly aggressive shambler manages to latch onto the lowest rung, its weight pulling the mounting bolts further from the wall. The ladder tilts, threatening to pitch you into the ravenous swarm below.
Gritting your teeth, you push yourself harder, the light from the hatch above a beacon of hope and salvation. You dare not look down again, your focus solely on reaching that opening. Your knuckles whiten as they grip the rungs, sweat slicking your palms.
Then, a thunderous snap echoes through the shaft—a bolt finally giving way. The ladder jerks violently, swinging away from the wall. Your stomach lurches as you're suspended momentarily in a nauseating freefall. Panic claws at your sanity as you desperately reach for the hatch above, your fingertips grazing the edge.
Just as the ladder begins to collapse entirely, you hear another crack—a different sound. It's coming from the ceiling above. You freeze, heart in your throat, as the realization hits you. Something else is about to give way.
Your heart pounds in your chest as you reach the midpoint of the ladder, the zombies recovering quickly and renewing their assault on the base. One particularly aggressive shambler manages to latch onto the lowest rung, its weight pulling the mounting bolts further from the wall. The ladder tilts, threatening to pitch you into the ravenous swarm below.
Gritting your teeth, you push yourself harder, the light from the hatch above a beacon of hope and salvation. You dare not look down again, your focus solely on reaching that opening. Your knuckles whiten as they grip the rungs, sweat slicking your palms.
Then, a thunderous snap echoes through the shaft—a bolt finally giving way. The ladder jerks violently, swinging away from the wall. Your stomach lurches as you're suspended momentarily in a nauseating freefall. Panic claws at your sanity as you desperately reach for the hatch above, your fingertips grazing the edge.
Just as the ladder begins to collapse entirely, you hear another crack—a different sound. It's coming from the ceiling above. You freeze, heart in your throat, as the realization hits you. Something else is about to give way.