The world ended on a Tuesday.
Maya Chen still remembered that detail with crystalline clarity, even three years later as she crouched behind the rusted remains of what had once been a school bus. The Blight had swept across continents in a matter of weeks, turning fertile lands into twisted wastelands where nothing grew except the thorned, poisonous vines that seemed to feed on despair itself.
She adjusted the grip on her crossbow, watching the pack of Hollow Ones shamble past her hiding spot. They had once been human, before the Blight's toxins had eaten away their minds and left them as nothing but walking hunger. Their skin had taken on a gray, mottled appearance, and their eyes had turned milky white. They moved in jerky, unnatural ways, following scents and sounds with predatory determination.
Maya held her breath until they passed, then carefully made her way toward the abandoned settlement she'd been tracking for days. Intelligence was everything in this new world. Knowing where to find supplies, where to avoid danger, and most importantly, where to find other survivors who weren't trying to kill you.
The settlement appeared empty from the outside—a cluster of reinforced buildings surrounded by makeshift walls topped with razor wire. But Maya had learned to read the subtle signs. The way certain windows were boarded up in patterns that allowed for sight lines. The carefully disguised gun ports. The fact that the walls, while looking haphazard, were actually quite strategically placed.
Someone was home.
She was debating whether to announce herself or try to get a better look at what she was dealing with when a voice spoke from behind her.
"I wouldn't move if I were you."
Maya's blood chilled, but she kept perfectly still. She'd been so focused on the settlement that she'd missed someone approaching from behind—a potentially fatal mistake.
"Turn around slowly. Keep your hands visible."
She complied, turning to face a tall man with dark hair and intense green eyes. He was pointing a rifle at her chest, but what struck her most was how healthy he looked. Clean. Well-fed. In a world where most survivors looked half-starved and desperate, this man looked like he'd stepped out of the before-times.
"Name," he said curtly.
"Maya Chen."
"What do you want?"
"Same thing everyone wants. To survive another day."
He studied her for a long moment, and she found herself doing the same. He was handsome in a rugged way, with strong features and callused hands that spoke of hard work. There was something in his eyes, though—a wariness that went deeper than simple caution.