The creature began to retreat, and fear showed on the corpse’s face as it drew away to one of the corners. Kala saw her chance and ran towards the communication unit. Vivian sidestepped to keep herself between Kala and the creature, while the other woman continued to march forward, anger marking deep lines on her sweaty face.

The stench was so foul that Kala felt like she was choking. She hit the wall next to the comm unit, pulled the microphone out of its holder, and pressed the button. An echo of the creature’s wail filled the room as the noise was broadcast back to them.

“They’re vulnerable to fire,” Kala said, talking quickly, aware that she had seconds, at most, before the monster tried to stop her. “Bullets won’t hurt them, but fire will. You can kill them with fire.”

The creature roared, the unnaturally loud sound spewing out from its twisted human lips, and lunged towards Kala. Vivian raised her flamethrower, but the other woman leapt in first, directing her flame at the advancing body. Kala saw the black flesh bubble and blister under the heat, but the monster was too enraged be deterred again. A tendril shot forward, breaking through the woman’s fire and spearing her through the chest.

Vivian took her finger off her trigger then turned and pushed Kala. They both hit the floor just in time to avoid two arms aimed at their heads. Kala rolled onto her back and began to scramble away from the monster. Julie or Julia, or whoever she had been, had managed to burn the corpse’s face. The skin had melted and puckered, and both eyes had turned grey-white as they’d cooked inside her head. They swivelled uselessly in their sockets, but even as she tried to draw enough breath into her lungs to power her limbs, Kala saw the burnt flesh begin to repair itself.

“It’s blind,” she hissed to Vivian. “But it won’t be for long. We need to get out of here.”

“I’ll cover your back.”

Kala had nearly gained her feet when a deafening boom assaulted her eardrums. The floor buckled and shuddered, sending vibrations through her body and jarring her teeth.

A harsh bark of laughter came from Vivian. “Sounds like someone found the propane tanks! Hurry, Holcroft!”

She didn’t hesitate. The propane tanks kept in the lower storage level were huge; if the whole stack had been lit, they could easily destroy most of the building. Kala clambered to her feet and started running towards the door. A burst of flame just behind her told her a tendril had tried to follow the sound of her feet.

The two other people who had been hiding behind the table were already gone. Another explosion rocked the building as Kala tried to get through the doorway, and she hit the wall and held on to it to steady herself, blinking through the smoke to see into the hallway. More screams mingled with people yelling for each other and the sounds of feet slapping on the concrete floors. A burst of warm light to her left told her the flamethrowers she’d given out were being put to good use.