It is midday. The sun hangs high in the sky, but the cold autumn breeze has only grown colder, a quiet reminder that winter is approaching. The silence covering the streets is as suffocating as ever.
The group reforms their line, with Zane leading while holding the map. Quin keeps glancing into the distance, following Anna's movements and remembering her warning. Drew walks at the rear with a smug expression, pleased that his suggestion had been chosen.
They retrieve the equipment they had abandoned the previous day—the blindfolds, earplugs, and rope—and continue onward.
Unbeknownst to them, Anna's instincts had been correct.
Not long after they leave, something passes the convenience store they had just departed from, moving steadily in the same direction they had taken.
Whether from boredom, spite, or simple mischief, Drew slowly lifts his blindfold just enough to peek through.
His gaze settles on Anna.
While Anna struggles to ignore the steadily increasing ringing in her ears, Drew disguises his intentions behind a careless stumble. He bumps into her from behind and deliberately gropes her.
Anna stiffens in surprise. Already on edge, the unexpected contact sends a jolt through her body.
A moment later she realizes it was only Drew messing with her.
Without turning around, she kicks backwards, striking him hard in the shin.
"I'll kill you," she mutters under her breath.
Doesn't this bastard know when to be serious?
She lifts her face toward the sky.
Oh God... why me?
At the front of the line, Zane senses the disturbance and turns around.
He notices Anna's agitation, misunderstanding the reason he tries to comfort her.
"Don't worry," he says calmly. "We're already more than halfway there. We haven't run into trouble yet."
As he turns back around, his eyes catch movement in the distance.
Something is slowly making its way toward them.
"...Jinxed it."
His voice remains calm, though tinged with regret.
He stops walking.
Everyone behind him immediately senses that something is wrong.
The faint sound of shuffling footsteps confirms it.
"What's the matter?" Quin whispers.
Zane grabs the rope and gives it one powerful tug.
Danger.
The entire group freezes.
They all know the signal.
Then Zane begins making lighter pulls.
Tuck.
Tuck.
Tuck. Tuck. Tuck.
Again.
And again.
Quin relays the pattern to Anna.
Anna relays it to Drew.
One.
Ravager.
Very close.
Slowly, they begin untying the rope connecting them.
The Ravager increases its pace.
Only three buildings away.
Anna removes her blindfold.
Zane motions for her to follow him to the left while signaling Quin and Drew to split to the right.
It is a tactic survivors developed after the apocalypse—divide the target and improve the odds that at least one group escapes.
Without speaking, both groups calmly continue toward the junction ahead while the Ravager steadily closes the distance behind them.
The moment they reach the intersection—
They scatter.
Anna and Zane sprint left.
Quin and Drew sprint right.
The Ravager hesitates only briefly before choosing Quin's group.
Zane immediately cups his hands around his mouth.
"HEY!"
The shout cuts through the silence.
The Ravager snaps toward the sound and changes direction.
Now it charges after them instead.
It rapidly gains ground.
The ringing inside Anna's ears becomes almost unbearable.
She loses focus.
Trips.
Falls.
"Damn..."
I fucked up.
The Ravager lunges.
Just before it reaches her—
"HEY!"
Quin's voice echoes from another street.
The Ravager instantly changes direction again.
Zane grabs Anna's arm and yanks her back to her feet.
"Move!"
They run.
Inside his head, Zane counts.
One...
Two...
Three...
...
Nine.
Ten.
"HEY!"
Again the Ravager changes course.
Ten seconds later—
Quin yells.
The creature turns once more.
Each time they increase the delay by another five seconds.
Fifteen.
Twenty.
Twenty-five.
Neither group allows the Ravager enough time to catch them completely.
The tactic only works against a single Ravager.
Against two, it would fall apart immediately.
Eventually, Anna and Zane reach a nearby building.
They rush inside.
Straight to the second floor.
Zane cautiously peers through a window.
"I can't see it."
He leans farther out.
"I think we're safe."
Anna closes her eyes.
She concentrates solely on the ringing.
It grows slightly louder.
"No."
Her eyes open.
"It's coming."
"How do you know?" Zane asks, staring at her. "These aren't circumstances where we can act on guesses."
"Trust me."
She doesn't hesitate.
Their eyes meet.
After a brief pause, Zane nods.
"Alright."
"What do you suggest?"
Anna looks outside before turning back.
"Where are we?"
Zane unfolds the map.
"We should be somewhere within forty metres of this point."
Anna studies it.
That's close to the Hummer.
"Let's go here."
She points directly at the Hummer's marked location.
"The place where you found it?"
"Yes."
She nods.
"It should be a safe zone."
After a moment she adds,
"And I'm pretty sure Quin is thinking the same thing."
"Alright."
Zane immediately agrees.
He checks outside once more before studying the surrounding rooftops.
"We'll travel across the roofs."
He looks at Anna.
"Can you?"
Anna stares back at him.
He isn't joking.
"We'll see."
They climb out through a nearby window before making their way up the emergency stairs to the roof.
Most of the surrounding buildings are roughly the same height, separated by varying gaps.
Zane walks to the edge.
The Ravager is seen approaching their location.
"Right."
Without another word, he jumps.
The first gap is only about a metre.
He lands smoothly before turning back.
Anna takes a breath.
"It's now or never."
She jumps.
The next few rooftops pass without much trouble.
By the sixth roof—
Everything changes.
The gap stretches nearly four metres.
Zane clears it with ease.
Anna stops.
Her stomach drops as she looks down.
I shouldn't have listened to him...
"Huh?"
Zane frowns.
"I thought you said you could do this."
"I said I'd try."
She shoots back.
Zane glances toward the approaching Ravager.
It is moving much faster now.
What happened?
We weren't loud enough to attract that much attention.
He looks back.
"Jump."
Anna remains frozen.
"I'm leaving you."
She searches his face.
He means it.
She inhales sharply before throwing herself forward.
Her feet strike the edge.
She slips.
Zane catches her wrist.
With one powerful pull, he drags her onto the rooftop.
"One roof left."
He sprints onward.
"Run! It's almost here!"
"I know!"
Anna snaps, clutching her ears as she runs after him.
The final gap is even larger.
Zane clears it through sheer momentum.
Anna reaches the edge.
Stops.
She can't make herself jump.
Zane turns.
The Ravager is climbing the building below.
"Its beneath you!"
"Don't worry!"
Anna calls back.
"We're only on the second floor."
She makes a call guessing that the height makes her safe.
She glances downward.
The Ravager is climbing.
Her heart nearly stops.
Instinct takes over.
She jumps.
She doesn't make the landing.
Instead, she catches the ledge with both hands.
The Ravager follows immediately behind jumping to the next building with ease, its now directly beneath her.
Zane grabs both of her wrists and hauls her onto the roof.
Together they race toward the fire escape.
As they begin climbing down, the Ravager finally catches them.
It throws itself onto the metal staircase.
The old structure groans.
Then buckles.
The entire fire escape tears away from the wall.
Metal twists.
Bolts snap.
Anna, Zane, and the Ravager crash to the ground together in a cloud of dust and debris.
Anna instinctively clings to the railing.
Zane shields her with his body before impact.
For a moment—
Silence.
Zane slowly pushes himself upright, clutching his injured elbow.
"Anna... are you okay?"
"Yeah."
Blood runs down her forehead as she takes his hand and climbs out of the wreckage.
The two quickly search for the Ravager.
It lies motionless nearby.
A short distance beyond it stands the Hummer, rooted exactly where they had found it before.
Their gamble had paid off.
For the moment—
They were safe.