The silence in the abandoned building was oppressive, a thick blanket that smothered us as we sat huddled together in the dark. The faint moonlight filtering through the cracked windows cast eerie shadows on the walls, making the room feel like a tomb. My heart was still pounding from the adrenaline of our escape, but now, in the stillness, a new fear began to creep in.

Jaide’s breathing was labored, her chest rising and falling with effort. She leaned against the cold wall, her eyes half-closed, the toll of her captivity etched into every line of her face. I could see the pain she was in, the exhaustion that threatened to pull her under, but there was no time to rest. We were out of the warehouse, but far from safe.

“We can’t stay here long,” I whispered, my voice barely audible in the heavy silence.

Marcy nodded, wiping the tears from her face as she held Kenny close. The boy was trembling, his small body pressed tightly against his mother’s. He hadn’t said a word since we left the warehouse, his wide eyes reflecting the terror of what we had just been through.

“Where do we go?” Marcy asked, her voice cracking with a mix of fear and desperation.

I had scouted the area during our captivity, but the city was a labyrinth of crumbling buildings and decaying streets, filled with dangers that were just as deadly as the guards we had escaped. The immune zombies, the remnants of those who had survived the initial outbreak but were twisted into something monstrous, roamed the streets at night, hunting for anything living. And then there were the scavengers, desperate people who would do anything to survive.

“There’s an old subway station a few blocks from here,” I said after a moment, trying to keep my voice steady. “It’s underground, out of sight. We can rest there, figure out our next move.”

Marcy’s eyes flickered with uncertainty, but she nodded. “We’ll follow you, Caine. Just… don’t let us die out here.”

I squeezed Daries’ hand, his small fingers trembling in mine. He looked up at me, his dark eyes wide with trust, and it broke my heart. I had to protect them, all of them. I couldn’t let what we had just fought so hard for slip away.

“We’ll make it,” I said, more to myself than to them.

Jaide shifted, wincing as she moved. “We have to move now,” she rasped, her voice hoarse from days of neglect. “They’ll be looking for us, and we can’t risk being caught out in the open.”

I helped her to her feet, supporting her weight as she leaned heavily on me. Her body was frail, but her spirit was unbroken. I knew she would push through the pain, would keep going until there was nothing left, but I couldn’t let her burn herself out.

We moved quickly, slipping out of the building and into the night. The city was deathly quiet, the kind of quiet that made your skin crawl, as if the whole world was holding its breath. The moon hung low in the sky, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch out toward us, like the claws of some unseen beast.

The subway station was just as I remembered—a gaping maw in the ground, the entrance choked with debris and decay. We climbed down into the darkness, the air growing colder and more oppressive with each step. The smell of rot and dampness clung to everything, making it hard to breathe, but we had no choice.

“Stay close,” I whispered as we reached the bottom, my voice echoing off the walls of the tunnel.

The platform was deserted, a forgotten relic of a world long gone. Broken tiles littered the floor, and old posters, faded and torn, clung to the walls like ghosts of the past. But it was safe, for now.

I guided Jaide to a corner where she could sit, then turned to Marcy and Kenny. The boy was shivering, his teeth chattering, and I shrugged off my jacket, wrapping it around him. “It’s not much, but it’ll help,” I said softly.

Marcy gave me a grateful look, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Thank you,” she whispered, pulling Kenny close.

Daries stayed close to me, his small hand never leaving mine. I could feel the weight of his fear, the way it seeped into every part of him, but he was trying to be brave. He was always trying to be brave, even when the world around him was falling apart.

“We’ll rest here for a few hours,” I said, crouching down beside Jaide. “But we can’t stay long. The subway tunnels connect to other parts of the city. We’ll use them to move around without being seen.”

Jaide nodded, her eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. “We need to find supplies,” she murmured. “Food, water… weapons.”

“We will,” I promised, though I had no idea how. The city was picked clean, the few resources left guarded fiercely by those who had them. But we had to try. Without supplies, we wouldn’t last long.

Time passed slowly in the darkness, each minute stretching into an eternity. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t let my guard down even for a moment. My mind raced, running through every possible scenario, every potential threat. The subway might keep us hidden from the guards, but it was also a trap—a place where we could easily be cornered, with no way out.

As the others slept, I heard a noise—a faint, almost imperceptible sound coming from deeper within the tunnel. My body tensed, every nerve on high alert. I listened carefully, straining to hear over the sound of our breathing.

There it was again—a soft, shuffling sound, like something dragging across the ground. I reached for the shiv at my side, my grip tightening around the cold metal.

“Caine,” Jaide whispered, her voice barely audible. She was awake, her eyes wide with alarm. “Did you hear that?”

I nodded, motioning for her to stay quiet. I crept to the edge of the platform, peering into the darkness of the tunnel. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. I couldn’t see anything, but the sound was growing louder, closer.

Suddenly, a pair of glowing eyes appeared in the darkness, followed by another, and another. My blood ran cold as I realized what was coming. Immune zombies—dozens of them, their twisted bodies crawling out of the shadows, drawn by the scent of the living.

“We have to move, now!” I hissed, rushing back to the others.

Marcy and Kenny were awake, terror written across their faces as they heard the growls and shuffles approaching. I grabbed Daries, pulling him to his feet as Jaide struggled to stand.

“There’s another exit down the tunnel,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady as the sound of the zombies grew louder. “We have to go, now!”

We ran, the sound of our footsteps echoing through the tunnel as the zombies closed in behind us. My heart was racing, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I pushed myself to keep going, to keep the others moving.

The exit was just ahead, a small door set into the side of the tunnel, half-hidden by debris. I reached it first, yanking it open with all my strength.

“Hurry!” I shouted, ushering the others through.

Jaide stumbled as she passed me, her face pale with pain, but there was no time to stop. Marcy and Kenny were next, the boy sobbing in fear as they squeezed through the narrow opening.

Daries was the last. He hesitated for a moment, looking back at the horde of zombies, their twisted faces illuminated by the dim light of the tunnel.

“Daries, come on!” I yelled, my voice filled with a desperation I couldn’t hide.

He snapped out of it, running towards me just as the first zombie lunged, its decayed hand swiping at him. I grabbed him, pulling him through the door and slamming it shut just as the zombie crashed into it.

We were safe, for the moment. But as we leaned against the door, our breaths ragged, the reality of our situation hit me. The city wasn’t just a dangerous place—it was a death trap, filled with horrors that we could barely comprehend.

And as I looked into the frightened eyes of the people I had sworn to protect, I realized that our fight was far from over.

The door behind us began to shake, the wood splintering as the zombies battered against it. We couldn’t stay here, not for long. But where could we go? The city was vast, and the dangers were everywhere. But there was no turning back now. We had to keep moving, keep surviving.

As I led the group deeper into the dark, winding tunnels, a sense of dread settled over me. We were alive, but for how long? The shadows seemed to close in around us, the walls pressing tighter and tighter as if the city itself was trying to crush us.

But even as fear threatened to overwhelm me, I couldn’t let it. I had to be strong, had to keep them safe. And as long as there was breath in my body, I would do whatever it took.

We moved forward, deeper into the unknown, the sounds of the zombies fading behind us. But the fear never left, a constant, gnawing presence that whispered of the horrors yet to come.

And as we rounded a corner, the faint light of the next station coming into view, I knew that our fight for survival was just beginning.

@mcynyxt