William and Vella ran without stopping, never daring to look back. Every sound behind them made their hearts race, and neither of them wanted to risk attracting more zombies.
Only when they were far enough from the alley did William finally slow down.
He glanced at Vella.
Her breathing was heavy. Sweat ran down her face, and her legs looked like they could give out at any moment.
"You good?" William asked.
Vella nodded quickly, but the exhaustion on her face said otherwise.
She didn't complain. She didn't ask to stop.
Deep down, she was afraid of slowing William down.
William noticed it immediately.
"Let's find a place to stay for now," he said.
Vella nodded again, her face pale and tired.
William scanned the area and spotted a small convenience store nearby.
"Let's head to that store,"he said quietly. "Come on."
They approached the entrance slowly, staying alert.
William peeked through the glass door and immediately spotted movement inside.
Two zombies.
They were wandering near the shelves, their movements slow and clumsy.
William turned to Vella and handed her one of the military knives.
"Can you take the other one?" he asked calmly.
Vella swallowed nervously and gripped the knife.
"I'll... try."
William looked at her seriously.
"I need confirmation, not a chance to waste."
For a moment, Vella hesitated.
Then she tightened her grip on the knife.
"Okay... I'll do it."
William gave a small nod.
The two of them quietly entered the store, crouching low as they moved behind the zombies.
William reached the first one easily, raising his axe.
But just as Vella was positioning herself behind the second zombie—
CRACK.
Her foot kicked a broken glass bottle on the floor.
The sharp sound echoed through the store.
Both zombies turned instantly.
William reacted without hesitation.
THUD!
His axe buried deep into the skull of the first zombie.
The creature dropped immediately.
But the second zombie lunged straight at Vella.
They crashed onto the floor together.
Vella screamed as the zombie clawed toward her face, its rotten breath filling the air. She struggled desperately, trying to push the creature away as its jaws snapped inches from her throat.
"William!" she cried.
William didn't move.
He simply watched.
Cold. Silent.
"This is your first task," he said calmly.
"Kill... or get killed."
Vella looked at him in shock.
But the zombie was getting closer.
Its teeth snapped wildly as it tried to bite her.
"EGH—AAAHHH!"
With a desperate scream, Vella drove the knife upward.
STAB!
The blade pierced straight through the zombie's skull.
The creature froze... then collapsed on top of her.
For a moment, the store was silent except for Vella's shaking breaths.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she pushed the corpse off her.
William finally stepped forward and offered his hand.
"Well done," he said.
Vella grabbed his hand and pulled herself up, still gasping for air.
Her hands trembled, but her eyes were different now.
Something had changed.
That was her first kill.
Night eventually fell.
The store became their temporary shelter.
William and Vella rested inside, taking turns standing guard through the night, listening carefully to every sound outside.
Because in a dead city...
Silence never lasted long.