Back at the base, Andy stands near the entrance, speaking quietly with the Chairman.
"They're not back yet," she says. Worry is etched across her face as she paces, eyes flicking toward the door again and again. "I should go out and look for them."
"You can't," the Chairman replies calmly. "It's too dangerous. It's already getting late. Where would you even search?" His voice is steady, reassuring. "If they haven't returned by now, they've likely taken refuge in a nearby building and are waiting for morning. We'll have to do the same."
He places a hand on her shoulder, then gestures toward the sleeping area. "Go rest. You've been standing here all day. You must be exhausted."
Andy exhales slowly, some of the panic leaving her. "Okay."
They turn to head back when Drew approaches them.
"So where are Tim and Josh?" he asks.
Andy hesitates. "They're… still out there," she says, forcing confidence into her voice.
"They'll be back by morning," the Chairman adds. "Don't worry. Let's go."
Drew eyes them skeptically but follows.
Outside, the group presses on.
Under Anna's lead, they've been avoiding areas where the ringing grows strong, zigzagging through unfamiliar streets. She stops abruptly and pulls out the map, staring at it in frustration.
"I don't understand this damn thing," she mutters, turning to Quin. He opens his eyes, clearly irritated.
"Where are we now?" she snaps. "How far from base? It's getting late—are we even making it back before sunset?"
Quin rubs his temples, stress weighing on him. He studies the map, then looks up and points ahead. "See that pub in front of us?"
Anna nods.
"That's here," he says, tapping the map. "It's left of the bank. So we need to take a right here." He physically turns Anna in the correct direction. "Straight down."
"Oh." She frowns. "You should've been that precise earlier."
"You're the one who said you could navigate," Quin replies flatly.
Josh sighs loudly, fed up with their bickering.
"Well, that's because I—" Anna starts.
"Can we just move already?" Josh cuts in.
Anna shoots him a look. "Fine."
She shrugs his hand off her shoulder.
They move straight toward the base. Anna doesn't sense anything, so they keep their pace. After twenty minutes, night finally settles in.
The streets grow pitch-black. Cold air seeps into their bones, and fear crawls up their spines.
Then the ringing returns.
But this time, it's different.
It's distant.
And coming from everywhere.
"Something's wrong," Anna says, panic rising. "We need to hurry."
"Hurry how?" Josh snaps. "We can't run like this—it's dangerous, and I don't have the energy."
"I said shut up and move," Anna snarls. "I'm serious."
"Alright," Quin says quickly, trying to calm things. "We'll pick up the pace."
"That's not what I meant," Anna says, shaking their hands off her shoulders. "I meant run."
She takes off in a full sprint.
Quin stares after her, stunned, then swears and urges Josh forward. They break into a run.
The ringing grows louder, closing in.
"Anna, are you sure?" Quin calls out. "Won't we get caught?"
"We'll get caught either way," she pants. "Just keep running. We're close."
Sounds echo all around them now.
Then—
"There!" Anna shouts. "The bank—we're almost there!"
The noises surge. One sound in particular rises above the rest.
Anna glances back.
Her blood turns cold.
"Behind us!" she screams. "It's a ravager—run faster!"
They do.
The ravager—the first of the apocalypse creatures they ever saw—charges after them, closing the distance.
They reach the bank's side entrance, and it's locked with a padlock. Quin picks up a steel bar from the ground. Together, they wrench open the steel emergency door and scramble inside. Anna lingers just long enough to catch a glimpse of the ravager before slamming the door shut with her full weight.
Inside, they sprint for the vault.
Josh reaches it first, yanking the string above the entrance. Bells erupt inside the vault, ringing wildly.
The alarm jolts the base awake.
"That's them!" Andy gasps, scrambling up. "They're back—I need to open the door!"
"Wait," the Chairman warns. "We can't be sure. That ringing is frantic—it could be raiders, or worse."
"What's happening?" Justin whispers to his mother, Sonia.
She hushes him, pulling him and her baby close and covering their ears, rocking gently.
Outside, the bell pattern changes—slowing, becoming deliberate.
Andy freezes. "That's the signal," she says. "It's them."
She rushes to the door.
Outside, Anna yanks the string from Josh's hands. "Are you trying to get us killed?" she hisses and begins to pull at the string in a certain order.
Moments later, the vault mechanism clicks. Andy peers out and immediately relief washes over her as she spots them, she waves them inside.
They rush in.
Anna signals for silence, finger to her lips.
"Ravager," Quin whispers.
The base goes still, fear thick in the air.
Andy locks the door.
Everyone waits.
SMASH!
Glass shatters somewhere in the bank. Scraping follows—closer, closer.
The ringing in Anna's ears spikes. "It's here."
Fists clench.
BANG.
BANG.
The ravager slams against the door—but can't break through.
Sonia's baby begins to cry. She clutches it tightly, trembling as she tries to soothe it.
The pounding continues, then slowly fades.
"Stay calm," the Chairman whispers. "It can't get in. If stay calm, it'll leave."
Everyone begins controlled breathing.
Silence.
Then—THUMP.
A man in the corner starts to rise in panic, but Andy looks at him sternly and he sits back down. He freezes.
They remain like that—silent, shaking—for an entire hour.
Eventually, the ringing in Anna's ears fades.
"I think… it's gone," she whispers.
Glares snap toward her from everyone inside.
She immediately falls silent.
As time passes, some of the survivors drift into uneasy sleep.