The streets felt different now.
They felt quieter. Heavier.
Ayla and Kade moved fast, weaving through alleys and shattered fences. The sun had dipped below the horizon. Darkness spread over the city like a disease.
Neither of them spoke much. There wasn't any need.
Kade kept glancing at her like he was still trying to figure out what kind of girl would walk calmly beside a stranger with blood on her hands. She caught him looking once and raised a brow. He looked away, smirking.
The tension was there, simmering beneath the surface, but they both ignored it for now.
Survival first.
"We need supplies," Ayla said finally.
"There's a market about two blocks from here. I was heading there before I ran into those thugs."
Ayla nodded.
"Lead the way."
They picked up the pace. Broken glass crunched under their boots. The air smelled of smoke and something worse. Decay.
The market came into view, dark and silent. Most of the windows were smashed. The doors hung crooked on their hinges.
Kade drew his knife again.
"Stay close."
Ayla followed him inside, but she didn't stay behind him. She stayed beside him. His glance said he noticed.
The shelves were mostly bare. A few cans. A broken box of energy bars. Kade grabbed what he could, shoving it into a torn backpack he must have picked up somewhere.
Ayla kept her eyes on the shadows.
It was too quiet.
And then she heard it.
A low groan.
Kade froze. His hand tightened around his knife.
The groan came again, closer this time.
"Don't make a sound," Ayla whispered.
They moved slowly toward the exit, but the groan turned into a wet snarl. A shape stumbled out from behind a shelf.
The first of the undead.
Its eyes were cloudy. Skin pale and torn. Blood dripped from its mouth. It dragged one foot as it lurched toward them.
Kade didn't hesitate. He lunged, driving the knife into its skull. The body fell with a thud.
But it wasn't alone.
More groans echoed through the market. Shadows shifted.
Kade swore under his breath.
"How do they move so fast already?"
Ayla didn't answer. She already knew. This was just the beginning.
They ran.
Out the shattered doors, down the street, hearts pounding.
The city had changed.
Figures moved through the dark now. Shambling, hungry.
"Where to?" Kade asked between breaths.
Ayla pointed to a parking garage ahead.
"High ground. For now."
They reached the entrance, slipping inside. The sound of their footsteps echoed against the concrete.
They climbed the ramp, higher and higher, until they reached the top level. The city stretched out around them, broken and burning.
Kade dropped the bag and leaned against a pillar, trying to catch his breath.
Ayla stood at the edge, watching the streets.
"They're everywhere," Kade said quietly.
She nodded.
"I told you. The beginning."
For a moment they just stood there, the night wrapping around them. The heat between them hadn't faded. If anything, the danger made it stronger.
Kade took a step closer.
"You're not what I expected," he said.
Ayla smirked.
"Neither are you."
His eyes dropped to her mouth.
The tension snapped tight.
But then a sound cut through the night.
A scream.
Close.
Ayla's head whipped around.
Kade grabbed his knife.
They ran to the edge of the garage and looked down.
A girl. No older than sixteen. Surrounded. Trapped between a wrecked car and at least six of the dead.
Her screams filled the air.
Ayla didn't think. She moved.
Kade swore and followed.
They didn't stop to plan. They didn't stop to speak. They just ran.
Down the ramps, boots thudding on concrete, breath coming in harsh gasps.
Out onto the street.
The dead were closing in on the girl.
Ayla drew the broken metal rod she'd taken from the market.
Kade was at her side, knife ready.
The girl saw them and screamed again, louder.
Ayla charged.
The first walker turned toward her. Its face was half gone, teeth bared. She swung the rod with all her strength. The skull cracked open, brain matter splattering the ground.
Kade moved like lightning, blade flashing, cutting down two more.
The girl scrambled back, sobbing.
There were too many.
Ayla felt it before she saw it. A hand grabbed her arm. Cold. Rotting. She spun, driving the rod through its eye.
Another grabbed her hair.
Kade tried to reach her.
But the dead kept coming.
And then Ayla felt the sharp sting of teeth at her shoulder as one of them bit down, hard.