The moon hung low and swollen, casting a blood-red glow across the broken skyline. Ash drifted in the air like falling snow. The city didn't sleep; it held its breath.
Inside the laundromat, Ayush's group moved in tense silence. The air smelled of sweat, rust, and resolve.
Ayush knelt beside a half-broken washing machine, tying tripwires laced with glass shards. His hands shook only slightly. Every knot felt like an oath.
Kartik checked the M16 again and again, clicking the safety on and off, eyes darting between the door and Ayush. Shivam tested the weight of a metal pipe, practicing swings against an old table, each strike echoing like distant thunder.
Riya sat on a dusty plastic chair, her ankle bandaged tight. Sanaa weaved glass shards into cloth wraps for their arms, her face pale but focused.
Ananya moved along the perimeter, reinforcing wire alarms. When she passed Ayush, she placed her hand on his shoulder — steadying both him and herself.
"They'll follow you," she said quietly.
Ayush looked up, his eyes hollow yet burning. "They deserve better than me."
She squeezed his shoulder. "Maybe. But right now, they need you."
Outside, on a rooftop
Rahul crouched beside a shattered air conditioning unit. His fingers brushed over the folded photo of Aliya. Even now, her smiling face looked almost alive under the moonlight.
He pressed it to his forehead, whispering, "Tonight, they learn what it means to lose everything."
He stood, knife gleaming under the moon. His movements were almost gentle — like a dancer before stepping onto a stage.
The first alarms
Inside the laundromat, a distant clang — metal scraping concrete.
Shivam flinched. "He's here."
Ayush stood. "Positions! Remember: we hold the ground. No one runs."
Kartik moved to the narrow hallway on the second floor, rifle trained down the stairs. Shivam took his place beside him, iron pipe ready.
Suraj herded Riya and Sanaa into the storage area, placing makeshift barricades in front. "Stay behind me," he said, his voice low but steady.
Ananya stayed at Ayush's side. Their eyes met. No words left.
The first breach
A sudden crash. The back door slammed open, cans clattering across the floor.
Kartik shouted, firing a warning burst. Sparks flew as bullets ricocheted off metal. Dust rained from the ceiling.
Then — silence.
Kartik's breath shook. "Did I—?"
A shape moved in the dark.
Rahul lunged forward, almost a blur. He slammed into Kartik, driving him against the wall. The rifle clattered away.
Shivam swung the pipe, but Rahul caught it mid-swing, twisting it so violently that Shivam spun and crashed onto a pile of crates.
Kartik swung a fist, teeth bared. Rahul ducked and drove his elbow into Kartik's ribs — a sickening crack. Kartik collapsed, wheezing.
Rahul tilted his head, almost curious. "Weak," he murmured.
Downstairs
Suraj heard the fighting above and tightened his grip on the iron rod. Riya whimpered, clutching Sanaa's hand.
Then came scratching, then pounding. Infected, drawn by the noise.
Shadows writhed behind the barricaded door.
Suraj looked at them, voice low. "When they come in… you run behind me. You hear me? You don't stop."
Ayush vs Rahul
Ayush charged up the stairs. Ananya followed, her knife drawn.
Rahul turned, eyes lighting up. "There he is," he said, smiling. "The pretender king."
Ayush lunged, knife aimed at Rahul's ribs. Rahul parried with his forearm, sending Ayush stumbling past.
Ayush spun, slicing Rahul's side — blood splattered. But Rahul didn't flinch. He grabbed Ayush by the collar and drove a knee into his stomach. Ayush fell to one knee, gasping.
Rahul looked down. "This is the best you can do? After all your talk?"
Ananya screamed, running at Rahul with her knife raised. He sidestepped, catching her wrist and twisting it until the blade fell.
She cried out — but before Rahul could finish her, Ayush tackled him. They crashed into a wall, glass shattering around them.
Their knives clashed in a brutal dance — fast, vicious, personal. Sparks flared in the dark hallway.
🏹 Meanwhile: Leon and Ethan arrive
On a rooftop across the street, Leon set up his scope. His breath trembled as he focused on the bloody fight below.
"Clear shot!" Ethan hissed, raising his rifle. "We take him now!"
Leon grabbed Ethan's arm. "Wait! You'll hit Ayush!"
Ethan shoved Leon aside, leveling his sights. "He'll die if we don't!"
The final blow
Rahul pinned Ayush against the wall, knife raised for the killing thrust.
Ayush's vision blurred. His hand scrabbled weakly at Rahul's wrist.
Rahul leaned close. "Aliya would've loved to see this. You… begging."
Ananya's voice cracked through the hallway. "Ayush!"
Rahul turned slightly. The momentary distraction.
Ayush drove his knee upward, catching Rahul off guard. He lunged forward, ramming his shoulder into Rahul's chest, forcing him back.
But Rahul twisted, slammed Ayush onto the floor, and raised the knife again.
A single loud crack echoed.
Blood sprayed.
Rahul froze, eyes wide.
He staggered backward, looking down at his side — a bullet hole blooming red.
Across the street, Leon lowered his smoking rifle, his hands shaking violently.
Aftermath
Rahul snarled, glaring at the rooftop. He turned to Ayush, breath ragged.
"This isn't over," he growled.
Then he stumbled backward, vaulting through the broken window. Glass shattered as he vanished into the moonlit streets below.
Ayush lay on the floor, gasping, blood from his nose pooling under him. Ananya crawled to him, cradling his face.
"Stay with me. Please… please."
Ayush's fingers closed around her wrist. Weak, but alive.
Downstairs
Suraj and the girls pushed against the barricade as infected clawed inside. Shivam stumbled down, blood dripping from his mouth but still moving.
"Go! Out the back!" Suraj yelled.
They pushed into the alley, moonlight pouring over them. The infected crashed in behind them.
Closing
On a nearby rooftop, Rahul clutched his bleeding side, eyes burning.
He pulled out the old, blood-smeared photo of Aliya, staring at it.
"They want to play hero? Let them."
His lips twisted into a manic grin.
"When the moon bleeds again… I'll take everything."
Below, Ayush's group huddled in the alleyway. Alive. Broken. But together.
Ayush looked up at the moon, red and distant.
And for the first time, his eyes didn't show fear.
They showed war.