Final Dawn: Season 3 (The Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Series) by Mike Kraus Page A

or scream. All of the wall signs were marked in Russian with arrows pointing in various directions and no clear indication of where the command deck was. As they continued to move forward, though, the sound of gunfire gradually grew louder to the point where the sporadic bursts were coming from behind a doorway in the next corridor down. Leonard and Nancy stopped and leaned against the wall, trying to decide if they would be safer retreating or hoping that whoever was shooting wasn’t being overwhelmed by the creatures.
     
     

 
    Leonard McComb | Nancy Sims
    12:28 PM, April 25, 2038
     
    “Keep it up! They’re nearly all dead!”
     
    Commander Krylov was kneeling behind his chair, looking down the sights of a rifle that he kept pointed at the one door that was left open to the command deck. Behind him, the rest of what remained of the Arkhangelsk’s crew stood in various positions, all brandishing weapons ranging from Makarovs to AK-74s. Every few seconds, a creature would dart past the open door, testing the crew’s defenses and reactions, trying to gain entry to the room and kill the last of the people on board.
     
    A shot rang out from behind Krylov, who shouted at the man without bothering to turn his head. “Do not engage unless you have a sure shot!” Ammunition was beginning to run low, and Krylov wasn’t certain how many creatures were left on board. In the moments since the bridge had collapsed over the Arkhangelsk, Krylov had been shocked at how many creatures had gained entry to the submarine as well as how quickly they had swept through the ship, trying to kill anyone who stood in their way. His men had performed bravely, manually closing off hatches and activating emergency bulkhead seals that prevented the Arkhangelsk from completely flooding, though the vessel’s response was sluggish due to the amount of water she had taken on. More of the flooded areas would have been sealed off if not for the creatures, though, which nearly overwhelmed the small crew.
     
    Quickly honing in on the retreating crew, the creatures had congregated around the command deck, which Krylov had the foresight to seal off, leaving one entrance intentionally open to try and keep the creatures busy with so that they wouldn’t go on a rampage through the rest of the ship. Seven creatures had died to hails of gunfire and one of the crew on the command deck had been injured so far after he got too close to one of the beasts that hadn’t been properly finished off.
     
    Another creature ran past the open door, hooking its hand around the frame and swinging in, staying low to the ground to avoid being shot. Krylov tracked the creature with his rifle and fired several short bursts, sending all but two rounds directly into the creature’s side and chest. It collapsed to the floor, sliding several inches before coming to rest in front of a petrified crewman who it had been trying to reach, adding another body to the seven already lying just inside the door to the command deck.
     
    Behind Krylov, the groan of a hatch lock being disengaged made him turn. A figure was visible through the small window in the door, though he couldn’t make out if it was human or one of the disfigured creatures. Another burst of gunfire came from one of the crewmen and a howl came from the corridor as another creature darted by slowly enough to take a few bullets in the side. The hatch on the opposite side of the room began to open and Krylov tightened his grip on his rifle as he prepared for an assault by the creatures from two directions.
     
    “Don’t shoot!” Nancy stepped through the door with Leonard right behind her, leaning on her for support as he hopped over the threshold and began to pull the door closed behind him. Krylov lowered his rifle and looked at Nancy and Leonard with a stunned expression, shocked that they had survived long enough to make it to the command deck.
     
    “Leonard! Nancy!” Krylov’s formal way of addressing the