The Van Helsing Conjecture – Excerpt No. 243

They did not linger for long. Clara found herself once more upon Evelyn’s shoulder as they ran to the opposing staircase. The crew from behind broke through the stairwell door as they were about to clear the hallway.

Clara shot off half her magazine to distract them, but somehow managed to drop another two men… At this range I should have missed every shot…

Through the ventilation shafts there came blood curdling screams along with sustained gunfire. It did not take much for Clara to realise that several intruded on the confined Marc… they unleashed the bloodthirsty creature…

Clara’s heart sank, but the level of activity around them was far too coordinated to be a mob. Teams were converging on them from multiple vectors, many of them running in lockstep.

A cinematic, high-contrast photograph capturing a derelict luxury hotel's dimly lit hallway, littered with debris and shattered chandeliers, where two post-apocalyptic soldiers lie dead, their rusted armor and tattered gear scattered around them, while two other soldiers, clad in worn, earth-toned combat fatigues and scarves, advance cautiously, their guns at the ready, their faces weathered, with prominent facial scars, and a mix of determination and exhaustion etched on their worn, dirt-stained skin, with the hotel's once-opulent walls now cracked, and a sense of desolation and decay hanging in the air, as if time itself has been ravaged by the catastrophic event that ravaged the world.

Disclaimer: This novel is an work in progress and readers may encounter grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Please view this a draft and not a published work.