The mall stood silent.
Its glass doors were shattered, alarms long dead, mannequins frozen in broken poses like they were watching the end of the world. Food stalls were overturned, shelves empty or smashed, and the smell of old blood hung faintly in the air.
Zero stepped inside slowly.
Zero: "Food first. Thinking comes later."
His eyes scanned every corner. A mall was dangerous — too many entrances, too many blind spots. But hunger was more dangerous.
He moved deeper, grabbing canned food, dry snacks, bottled water. Everything went straight into his bag. No hesitation.
Then—
A sound.
Not a zombie.
Breathing.
Fast. Shaky.
Zero froze.
His hand slowly moved toward the weapon he had just picked up from a fallen security rack — a khukuri, its blade dark, heavy, familiar.
Zero: "Show yourself."
From behind a collapsed counter, someone stumbled out.
A girl.
She was shaking, her clothes soaked in dried blood — not all of it hers. Her hair stuck to her face, eyes wide but still sharp. She couldn't have been older than seventeen.
She raised her hands immediately.
"I'm not infected," she said quickly. "I swear."
Zero didn't lower the blade.
He watched her carefully. Her movements were human. Her eyes still carried fear — not hunger.
Zero: "Name."
There was a pause.
"…Aira."
Zero nodded once.
Zero: "I'm Zero."
Silence followed. The kind that tests trust.
A distant crash echoed somewhere outside the mall.
Aira flinched.
Zero noticed.
Zero: "You survived alone?"
Aira swallowed.
"For a while."
That answer was enough.
Zero turned back to the shelves, continued collecting food like nothing had happened.
Zero: "Stick close. Don't slow me down."
She blinked.
"That's it?"
Zero: "You want a speech?"
She shook her head.
They moved together after that.
Before leaving, Zero picked up one more thing — another khukuri, smaller, lighter. He handed it to her.
She hesitated.
Zero: "Just in case."
She accepted it with both hands.
---
They left the mall before sunset.
The city felt tighter now. Shadows stretched longer. The air grew colder.
Zero didn't head toward the streets.
He headed toward the mountains.
Aira noticed.
"Where are we going?"
Zero: "Up."
He looked ahead, eyes focused.
Zero: "I used to come here as a kid. There's a place."
A pause.
Zero: "A hideout."
The mountains rose silently before them — dark, massive, protective.
Aira adjusted her bag, breathing hard but keeping up.
"Why help me?" she finally asked.
Zero didn't look back.
Zero: "Don't misunderstand."
His voice was calm. Empty.
Zero: "I'm not saving you."
They began the climb.
The city disappeared behind them, swallowed by darkness.
Above, only stone, wind, and silence remained.
And somewhere far below, the night finally woke the dead.
---
End of Chapter 5