Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

Mira fell.

There was no sensation of air rushing past her—only the heavy pressure of being pulled. The walls of the Maw weren't made of flesh or stone but of shifting ash that moved like liquid, swallowing the light. Elena's hand remained outstretched above, her figure shrinking, framed by the circle of gray sky.

The tether inside Mira's chest burned. It wasn't dragging her down—it was holding her steady, resisting whatever force wanted her deeper.

The hum from before became a voice. No words, just vibrations that formed thoughts inside her skull:

You are not for us… not yet.

She slammed into something solid. Not ash, not earth—bone. She lay sprawled across an enormous ribcage, its arcs the size of bridges, each one pitted with cracks and strange carvings. A pale light seeped from between the bones, casting everything in a dim glow.

"Mira."

The voice was Elena's—close, but when Mira looked up, her friend was perched on one of the massive ribs, eyes glinting with an unnatural sharpness.

"You shouldn't have followed me," Elena said.

"You told me to choose," Mira replied, forcing herself to stand. "I chose you."

Elena's expression twisted—not anger, not gratitude, but something between hunger and regret. "Then you've chosen the Maw, too."

The ribcage shuddered. Far beyond, something enormous shifted in the shadows, its outline so vast Mira couldn't comprehend its full shape. Multiple spines curved upward, forming a jagged crown in the darkness.

"They'll see you now," Elena whispered.

Figures emerged from the gloom. The same elongated creatures from the ash plain—but here, their slitted faces glowed faintly, revealing glimpses of bone beneath translucent skin. They moved with a slow, deliberate grace, circling the ribcage.

The voice returned, stronger this time:

Bring her forward.

Mira felt her legs move, though she hadn't decided to walk. Each step took her closer to the darkness between the ribs, where an opening pulsed faintly like a breathing wound.

Elena followed but kept her distance. "Don't fight it. If you resist, they'll tear you apart before you get there."

"What's there?" Mira asked.

Elena's gaze darted toward the dark opening. "The Maw's heart. It decides who leaves and who stays. It's… not a place you can lie."

The ribcage trembled harder. Fragments of bone flaked away, drifting upward like ash. As Mira reached the wound, a heat washed over her—not from fire, but from something alive and ancient.

The voice became almost human now:

One bound, one unbound. Only one will return.

Mira's eyes locked on Elena's. For the first time, her friend's mask slipped—real fear flickered there.

The ground beneath them split, and the glow inside the wound flared blinding white. The tether inside Mira wrenched tight, pulling her toward the light, while another unseen force clawed at her, trying to drag her deeper into the dark.

Elena screamed, "Choose, Mira! Now!"

And the light swallowed them both.