"Shit."
Chris thought the moment he heard that scream. His eyes darted to the glass doors, and through them he saw the undead… their eyes glowing red with fury.
The thing they feared most had finally happened. All the undead were alerted, and it was only a matter of seconds before...
Bang!
"Rrrrrggggghhhhh…"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The undead slammed against the glass wall.
The walls might have held them back if these were the regular undead. But now? They pushed against the glass as if it were nothing more than paper.
"Ahhhh… don't come near me!"
"Oh God, please save me…"
"N-nooooooo…"
The sight made everyone inside the store scream. Some pleaded for mercy, some begged, and some denied the reality before them. But all that awaited was merciless slaughter.
Raven clenched his teeth, every nerve in his body screaming a single command...
Run.
He grabbed the crowbar at his side and barked at Chris, who stood frozen in fear.
"Run, idiot!"
There was no point in fighting them anymore. Something had changed with the undead. Standing here was nothing but suicide.
"B-but they...?" Chris stammered, eyes darting toward the others.
He wasn't like Raven. He couldn't abandon people so easily.
Raven's glare was sharp, his voice cold and sharp as a blade. "Do you want to die like them? This isn't the time to play hero. A dead hero is just another worthless corpse."
He dragged Chris by the wrist, forcing him toward the back door.
Chris hesitated, guilt pressing down on his chest. He wanted to save the others. He really did. But not if it meant dying with them. Survival came first. Always.
His heart twisted, but in the end he followed Raven.
Behind them, the slaughter began. The undead were fast, too fast for anyone to resist.
"Ahhhh... it h-hurts!"
"Waaah~ Mommy!"
"P-please… God… p-plea-"
Their agonized screams rang in Raven's ears. For just a moment, something flickered in his mind.
'No. Don't fall for it.'
He forced the thought away, just as he always did.
'People can never be trusted. They only care about themselves. So why shouldn't I?'
It was how he justified his choices, whether right or wrong. As long as he survived, as long as he could climb higher, nothing else mattered.
'Humans are born from greed. They can never be trusted.'
How many times had he whispered those words to himself? Too many to count. Every time he felt attachment, pity, or even the faintest longing, he reminded himself:
Trust no one.
Enemies were obvious. But betrayal from the people you trusted hurt the most. It was better to never trust anyone at all.
'Never again. I won't repeat my mistake ever again.'
"Open the back door!" he shouted.
Chris ran ahead. He knew where it was, but there was a problem.
Emergency exits were loud. One push and the panic bar would echo like thunder, drawing the undead to them. But hesitation wasn't an option. Not now.
Chris's hands trembled. He bit down on his fear and shoved the bar.
CLANG!
The door burst open with a screech. The sound carried across the store.
The undead instantly turned, their glowing red eyes locking on Chris and Raven. They barreled forward, smashing through shelves without slowing down, their frenzy terrifying in its raw speed.
But Raven and Chris didn't waste a second. They bolted through the door, sprinting at full speed.
Even though they had a head start, it felt as if the undead were right on their heels, every step echoing with death.
But was simply escaping the store enough?
No.
Because the alley outside was no safer.
As soon as they stumbled into the open, their hearts sank.
Tens of undead already lurked there.
The store may have been left behind, but freedom was still an illusion.
"W-why… why now? Am I really going to die today?" Chris sobbed, voice cracking.
The horror was crushing, beyond grim, beyond dreadful. What stood before them was death itself, and unless they did something, they were finished.
"Shut up!" Raven barked, hurling one of the crowbars he'd snatched from the store into Chris's hands. His cold, indifferent mask was gone. His voice carried raw survival instinct. "Don't tell me you escaped just to cry about dying here. Fight if you want to live!"
Because the truth was clear, if he didn't act now, he would die too.
And he refused.
'I will live. No matter what. Just one day where I don't have to worry about anything. I won't die before I live that day.'
His palm tightened around the chain, his face twisting into something feral, beast-like.
"I will live! You fucking corpses should rot in your graves!"
He roared at the undead charging toward them.
The chain cracked as it swung, slicing through the air. The disc at its end whipped forward, colliding with an undead's skull.
CRACK!
Its head snapped sideways, bone caving in, momentum carrying the body to the ground in a limp sprawl.
If they grew stronger, his weapon did too, his weapon still struck true.
Raven's chest heaved. He turned to Chris, eyes blazing.
"Fight them with everything you have! You asked me how I survived, didn't you? This is how I did!"
The undead howled and surged forward. The night was filled with screams, steel, and the desperate will to live.
And for Raven, that will was stronger than anything else.
***
Thanks for reading.