The figure on the stairs stepped into view, the weak light from the cracked window casting his face in shadow. Ayla could just make out sharp features, pale skin, and eyes that gleamed like ice. He moved with a calm that didn't match the chaos outside.
The stranger in their group didn't speak at first. His grip on the sword tightened until his knuckles went white.
Kade stepped forward, putting himself between the man on the stairs and the others.
"Friend of yours?"
The stranger's jaw clenched.
"Not exactly."
The man on the stairs smiled, slow and deliberate.
"You always did have a gift for understatement."
His voice echoed in the empty space, smooth as glass but carrying something underneath. Something sharp.
"What do you want?" the stranger asked.
The man tilted his head, like the question amused him.
"I want what I've always wanted. The same thing you want. Survival. Power. Control. And I see you're collecting strays now."
His gaze flicked to Ayla and Kade, then lingered on the girl who shrank back behind the couch.
"Stay away from her," Kade said, voice low.
The man didn't move.
"You're in no position to give orders. Look around. You're trapped. The city belongs to the dead now. And soon, to those of us clever enough to command them."
Ayla felt the weight of his words settle over the room. There was something wrong about him, something that made her skin crawl.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
The man's smile widened.
"The world is changing. Those who adapt will rule. Those who cling to old ways will be eaten. Simple as that."
The stranger moved forward, his sword raised.
"Get out. Or I'll make you leave."
The man on the stairs laughed softly.
"You think you can stop me? You couldn't stop me before. And you won't now."
He took another step down, and Ayla saw it then. His hands were stained with blood, fresh and dark. His nails were cracked and blackened. His eyes shone with something that wasn't entirely human anymore.
Kade tensed, ready to strike.
The man lifted his hands, as if in peace, but the gesture felt more like mockery.
"I'm not here to fight. Not yet. I came to offer you a place at my side. While I still feel generous."
"Never," the stranger said.
The man sighed, as if disappointed but not surprised.
"Then you've chosen your fate."
A noise outside cut through the tension.
The groans of the dead, closer now.
The man glanced toward the window, then back at them.
"Think about it. I'll be seeing you again soon. One way or another."
He turned and walked back up the stairs, his footsteps slow and unhurried, like he had all the time in the world.
The room was silent except for the sound of Ayla's ragged breathing.
Kade swore under his breath.
"Who the hell was that?"
The stranger didn't answer right away. He stared after the man, sword still raised, as if expecting him to return at any second.
Finally he spoke, his voice low.
"Trouble."
The groans outside grew louder.
"They're surrounding the building," Ayla said.
The girl whimpered, clutching Kade's arm.
The stranger turned from the stairs.
"We can't stay here. There's a back exit through the basement. We'll take it and lose them in the streets."
They moved fast, gathering what little they had. Ayla's shoulder burned with every motion, but she ignored it. There was no time for weakness now.
The stranger led the way down another narrow flight of stairs. The basement was dark, damp, filled with broken crates and rusted tools.
The groans outside were closer than ever, hands pounding against the walls and windows, the sound of glass shattering above them.
The stranger reached the far side of the basement and found the door. It was old and warped but unlocked.
He pushed it open slowly.
A narrow alley waited beyond, choked with garbage and shadows.
They slipped out one by one, the night air thick with smoke and the stench of decay.
The stranger motioned for silence, then led them deeper into the maze of alleys.
But after only a few steps, he stopped.
Ayla bumped into him, and Kade caught her before she fell.
"What is it?" Kade asked.
The stranger didn't answer.
Ayla followed his gaze and felt her stomach drop.
Figures filled the mouth of the alley ahead. Walkers at first glance, but as they stepped closer, she saw they weren't like the ones before. These moved faster, their eyes sharper, their teeth bared in something that looked too much like a smile.
And behind them, higher on the rooftop, the man from the stairs stood watching, his pale face lit by the moon, his grin wide and hungry.