They couldn't keep running.
Not with her leg like that.
Elias scanned the street, mind racing, heart still pounding from the escape. The sky was already dimming again, shadows stretching longer between buildings.
"We need shelter," he said. "Now."
Malik adjusted his grip on Elias's sister, carrying her without complaint. "Then stop looking and start picking," he replied. "Night's coming fast."
Sarah pointed ahead. "There."
A small pharmacy sat at the corner—its sign half-broken, but the front still mostly intact.
"Good enough," Elias said.
They moved quickly, staying tight as a group. Elias reached the door first and pushed it open carefully.
A soft creak.
Everyone froze.
Waited.
Nothing rushed them.
"Inside," he said.
They slipped in one by one. Elias shut the door and immediately dragged a metal shelf across it with Malik's help, barricading it as best they could.
"Check the back," his father said.
Elias nodded and moved through the aisles—empty bottles, scattered boxes, signs of looting—but not everything was gone.
Good.
He checked the back room.
Clear.
"Clear!" he called.
The others gathered near the counter. Malik gently set Elias's sister down on a folded jacket. She bit her lip, trying not to cry out.
"Let me see," Elias said, kneeling beside her.
Her leg was swollen badly now. She winced as he touched it.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"It's fine," she said through clenched teeth. "Just fix it."
Elias glanced at the shelves nearby.
Bandages.
Painkillers.
Antiseptic.
Not perfect—but enough.
"We're lucky," his mother said quietly as she handed him supplies.
Elias didn't respond.
Luck didn't feel real anymore.
He worked carefully, cleaning the wound first. His sister hissed in pain, gripping his arm tightly.
"Hold still," he said.
"I am holding still!"
"Then stop moving."
She glared at him—but didn't pull away.
He wrapped the bandage tightly, securing it in place.
"It's not broken," he said finally. "But you can't run on it."
His father exhaled slowly.
"That's a problem."
"Yeah," Elias replied.
Malik leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Then we don't run," he said. "We plan."
Sarah glanced between them. "Planning only works if you have time."
"And we don't," Elias said.
Silence followed.
Tense.
Not hostile—but not comfortable either.
Two groups.
One problem.
Elias stood, wiping his hands.
"We need to decide something," he said. "We can't stay in the city."
Malik nodded immediately. "Agreed."
Sarah looked less certain. "And go where?"
"Out," Elias said. "Less people. Less of them."
"Or nothing at all," she countered.
His father stepped in. "Out there, we have space. Here, we're trapped."
Sarah hesitated.
Then sighed.
"…Fine."
The decision hung in the air.
Uncertain.
But necessary.
Then—
A sound.
Faint.
Crackling.
Everyone froze.
"…You hear that?" Mira whispered.
Elias turned slowly.
The sound came from behind the counter.
A radio.
Old.
Damaged.
But still… working.
Malik stepped forward and picked it up carefully, adjusting the dial.
Static.
Then—
A voice.
"…—any survivors… this is a government emergency broadcast…"
Everyone moved closer.
The room went completely still.
"…if you can hear this… major cities are no longer safe… infection has spread rapidly…"
Elias felt his chest tighten.
It was real.
All of it.
"…avoid contact with infected individuals… bites result in immediate transmission…"
His sister gripped his arm tighter.
"…evacuate urban areas immediately… head toward designated safe zones outside city limits…"
Static crackled again.
"Safe zones?" Sarah whispered.
"…military response is ongoing… repeat… leave the city… do not remain…"
Then—
Silence.
The radio died.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Elias stared at it.
Then at the others.
"Well," Malik said quietly, "that settles it."
His father nodded.
"We leave."
Mira looked nervous—but determined.
"…Together?"
Elias looked at Malik.
At Sarah.
At his family.
Then nodded.
"Together."
Night fell fully.
Darkness swallowed the city again.
And with it—
The sounds returned.
Scraping.
Dragging.
Low, endless groans.
Closer than before.
Something hit the barricade lightly.
Then again.
Everyone tensed.
"They're out there," his sister whispered.
"Yeah," Elias said.
His grip tightened on his weapon.
"We rest in shifts," his father said. "No one sleeps fully."
Malik nodded. "I'll take first watch."
Elias shook his head.
"No," he said. "We do it together."
A pause.
Then Malik gave a small nod.
"Alright."
They settled in.
Not comfortably.
Not safely.
But together.
The tension between them still lingered—but it had changed.
Less distrust.
More understanding.
Because now—
They all knew the same thing.
The city was dead.
And staying—
Meant becoming part of it.
Elias sat near the barricade, eyes fixed on the door, listening to the sounds outside.
Waiting.
Thinking.
Planning.
Tomorrow—
They would leave.
No matter what.
Because now, they had something they didn't have before.
A direction.
And as the darkness pressed in around them—
Elias made a silent promise.
He would get his family out.
No matter the cost.