Bloody Captain Freedom vs Exes, part 2

The pause gave a dead woman with matted hair the chance to grab his arm. He could feel the teeth through his combat uniform, but the material held. A quick shake knocked the ex off. A pair of arms wrapped around his leg, and he let his fist swing down like a hammer.
Even as that ex dropped, another one grabbed him by the waist. Its withered arms squeezed tight enough to set off the fire in his ribs. He turned to shake it off and the screws tightened down even more. The dead man made a wet noise as it slipped away and white spots danced in the captain’s eyes.
The wet noise hadn’t come from the ex. The side of his uniform was soaked in blood from his armpit to mid-thigh. The wetness hadn’t gone away. He’d just gone numb. Shock. He was going into shock.
He battered away another dead man and struggled through the growing crowd of exes. He just needed to finish the mission. He had to get to the demon.
Then he could rest.

Excerpt From Ex-Communication, pg 560
Peter Clines
https://books.apple.com/us/book/ex-communication/id635706546