Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

A searing pain shot through Sergeant Darius "Hellhound" Rook's body. His veins burned like wildfire, his muscles twisted as if they were tearing themselves apart and rebuilding at the same time. His heart pounded in his ears, a relentless drum of war against the unnatural force invading his flesh.

His eyes shot open.

The room around him was dimly lit, metallic, sterile—a laboratory. Restraints pinned him to a medical slab, thick metal clamps holding his wrists and ankles in place. His breathing was ragged, and his vision blurred before clearing sharply. His senses felt... different. Stronger. He could hear the hum of machinery, feel the vibrations of footsteps down the hall, smell the chemical rot of the experiments conducted here.

Kruger's voice echoed through the room.

"Welcome back, Sergeant."

Rook growled, his muscles flexing instinctively. The restraints creaked but held firm. He turned his head to see General Viktor 'Bloodfang' Kruger standing beside Dr. Sylvia 'Plague Mistress' Voss, her gloved hands idly tapping at a monitor.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Rook snarled.

Kruger smirked. "I gave you a gift."

Rook's breath hitched as he felt the change. His body felt stronger—unnaturally so. His fingers twitched, and his nails had sharpened slightly. His heartbeat had slowed, more controlled. He clenched his teeth, feeling an unfamiliar hunger gnawing at his core.

Voss grinned. "Fascinating response time. He's adapting faster than expected."

Rook pulled against the restraints again, and this time, the metal groaned. His strength had increased exponentially. Whatever Kruger and Voss had done, it had turned him into something else—something monstrous.

Kruger leaned closer. "You were always a soldier, Rook. But now, you're a weapon. My weapon."

Rook's memories flooded back—his unit, his fallen comrades, the atrocities Kruger committed. He hadn't fought through hell just to become one of Kruger's pets.

"Go to hell."

Kruger sighed and stepped back. "I thought you might be stubborn. No matter. You'll learn your place soon enough."

With a nod to Voss, Kruger turned to leave. The doctor smiled as she pressed a button on the console. The restraints hissed, injecting something into Rook's bloodstream.

A searing cold spread through him, and his vision flickered. His body trembled as something inside him struggled—his humanity.

Kruger's last words before the door closed chilled him to the core.

"Break him."

The pain surged again, but this time, Rook did not scream.

He would not break.