Her eyes flittered open stinging from the brightness. Walls, ceiling, floor--everything around her was blinding white. The door creaked open, and she hesitated before stepping out. Sunlight hit her face for the first time in days, but the sight ahead made her stomach drop. Shops stood hollow with shattered glass, cars rusted where they'd been left, and the air carried only the faint whistle of wind. An entire town lay before her, lifeless and abandoned.
She froze as a scream tore through the air. She located the origin of the scream to an older woman a small distance from her stumbling into the street, chased by a man, part of his left arm appeared to be chewed out and his movements were too jerky, too jagged to be human. The woman tripped, her cries tearing through the empty town. Before she could rise, he was on her, teeth sinking into her neck with a wet tear. Blood sprayed across the ground, the sound of ripping flesh filling the air. The girl's stomach lurched, bile clawing its way up her throat. She had never seen anything like this. The sound gnawed into her mind, echoing in her brain. She clamped her hands over her ears, but it didn't stop the tearing, the muffled cries, the awful chewing. Her hands shook, her breath came in sharp gasps, and her mind screamed at her to run before he looked her way.
Her legs obeyed before she could think. She bolted, shoes smacking the cracked pavement, lungs burning with every gasp. The silence of the dead town was shattered by the frantic beat of her feet. She darted into a narrow alley, heart hammering, and threw herself behind a half-toppled trash bin. Curling into the shadows, she pressed both hands over her mouth, trying to choke back her ragged breaths and hold back her gag. Every sound--the swerve of the wind, the distant drip of water--felt like it would give her away.
Her breath caught as a low shuffle scraped across the alley. Slowly, she lifted her head--and froze. Another infected staggered not twenty feet away, its body twitching with jerks that didn't look human. Her chest tightened; the air stuck in her throat. She pressed herself deeper into the shadows, praying it would pass without noticing her.
For a moment, it worked. The creature turned, its milky eyes scanning the street, but not settling on her. Relief trickled through her, shaky and thin. She let out the smallest sigh--
--and that's when it whipped its head toward her and lunged.
She barely had time to scream. She squeezed her eyes shut, every muscle locking in terror as the thing's snarl filled her ears. Then came another sound--a sharp whistle of steel cutting air, followed by a wet crack and the heavy thud of something hitting the ground.
Silence.
Her eyes flew open. The infected headless body lay crumpled at her feet, blood pooling dark on the cracked pavement. She blinked up, heart hammering, at the figure standing over her. He was tall, broad-shouldered but lean, his movements sharp and deliberate, like every step had purpose. Dark stubble shadowed his jaw, and his hair hung uneven, as if cut by his own hand with little care. His eyes--hard, cold--swept the area before settling briefly on her.
A small black bag hung from his shoulder, worn at the seams but packed tight. In his right hand he held a sword, its edge nicked and dulled from long use, dripping blood from the attack. His clothes were simple, dark and stained from travel, dust clinging to every fold. There was nothing gentle about him; he looked like he belonged to this broken world, carved from the same ruin she'd been running from.
For a moment, he said nothing, only studied her like she was another problem to solve. Then his lip curled faintly, "Huh… another one," he muttered, almost like it was nothing new. He flicked his blade, scattering blood drops onto the ground, then turned on his heel. Without another word, he started down the street, boots crunching against broken glass.
She sat frozen, heart pounding so hard it hurt. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Was she supposed to follow him? Stay hidden? He hadn't said anything. He was just… leaving.
The man's footsteps faded, steady and uncaring. She hugged her knees tighter, every muscle trembling, unable to decide what to do.
So, she stayed still, lips pressed shut, watching his back grow smaller with each step. When he finally rounded a corner and vanished, the alley seemed to grow colder. The infected body lay only inches away, the metallic stink of blood thick in the air. She swallowed hard, forcing herself not to gag, and listened to the silence pressing in again.
Her legs felt like lead, but the silence was worse. She couldn't stay here, not with the corpse beside her and the chance of more infected finding her. Swallowing hard, she pushed herself up, knees shaking, and crept out from behind the bin. The man's footprints trailed faintly in the dust, and she followed, keeping to the shadows, each step careful and quiet.
He moved with purpose, blade hanging loose at his side, never once looking back. She stayed several paces behind, her small frame darting behind rusted cars, broken walls, anything that kept her hidden. Every crunch of her shoes on gravel made her flinch, terrified he'd hear—or worse, that something else would.
Still, she kept going. Better to risk following him than face the empty town alone.
She trailed him through the broken town, always a few steps behind. He never slowed, never turned, boots crunching steady against cracked asphalt. She darted between the husks of cars, crouched behind leaning fences, ducked into doorways, always careful to stay out of sight. Her heart pounded every time he paused, but he only adjusted his grip on the blade and kept walking.
The silence of the town pressed in, broken only by the whisper of wind rattling loose signs and the faint creak of a broken swing. Once, far off, a scream tore through the air—cut short too quickly. She froze, nails digging into her palms, but the man didn't even flinch. He just kept moving forward as if the sound meant nothing.
Her legs ached, but she followed. Each step was a gamble between safety and being caught. She didn't know if she was safer behind him or if he was just another danger she hadn't seen yet. Still, her body chose for her—forward, always forward.
She froze when his footsteps suddenly halted. The man turned, eyes narrowing as they locked on her small frame half-hidden behind the shell of a rusted car. For a moment, neither moved—the silence heavier than any shout. Then his voice cut through it, low and rough.
"I don't need company," he said flatly, his gaze sharp as the blade still dangling from his hand.
Her throat tightened. Words gathered on her tongue but refused to come out. She clutched the edge of the car door, ready to shrink back into hiding, but her legs refused to move. He stared for another long second, then exhaled, turning away again as if she wasn't worth the effort.
He turned his back on her without another word, boots crunching against the cracked pavement as he walked away. For a long moment she stayed frozen, pressed against the rusted car, watching his figure grow smaller with each step. Her chest rose and fell in shaky bursts, every instinct telling her to stay hidden.
But the silence crept in again—thick, heavy, and unbearable. The dead town stretched around her, empty windows staring like hollow eyes. The thought of staying behind, of being alone, was worse than anything. She bit her lip until it hurt, then pushed herself onto trembling legs.
Keeping her distance, she trailed after him once more, footsteps soft, careful not to alert him this time, eyes darting to every shadow. He didn't look back, didn't slow. And still, she followed.
The hours dragged by in silence. The sun dipped lower, shadows stretching long across the ruined streets. When darkness finally began to fall, the man slowed his pace, scanning the husks of buildings before slipping into the shell of what used to be a hardware store. He moved with practiced ease, gathering scraps of wood, broken shelves, and anything dry enough to burn. A spark soon caught, and faint orange light licked the air, pushing the night back.
She lingered at the edge of the fire's glow, hugging her knees to her chest. The warmth reached her, but not the safety. She stayed a small distance away, perched on a slab of concrete, watching him with wide, cautious eyes. He didn't speak, didn't even look her way as he worked-stripping cloth for tinder, setting his blade close within reach. The crackle of flames filled the silence between them.
Her stomach growled, but she kept quiet. He was close enough to be protection, far enough to be untouchable. And so, she sat there, small and still, staring into the fire as the ruined town disappeared into darkness around them.
He settled against the wall, back to the firelight, and unzipped the small pack slung over his shoulder. The rattle of wrappers broke the quiet as he pulled out a few snacks--things long past fresh but still edible. Without a word, he tossed one across the short gap between them. It skidded once on the concrete before she snatched it up with both hands.
The wrapper crinkled under her trembling fingers. She didn't pause, didn't savor; the first bite vanished so fast it hardly seemed chewed, she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten. Crumbs stuck to her lips, but she ignored them, shoving the rest into her mouth in greedy, desperate mouthfuls. Only when the last bit was gone did she sit back, chest rising and falling, as if suddenly realizing just how empty she had been.
The man's eyes flicked toward her for the briefest moment, unreadable in the firelight, before he looked away again.
The night stretched on in silence, the fire crackling low as the stars pricked through the torn sky. She curled into herself, exhaustion finally pulling her under. The last thing she saw before sleep claimed her was the dim glow of flames flickering across the man's still, watchful face.