The faint light of the next station was a fragile beacon in the darkness, its dull glow offering a momentary sense of relief. We moved toward it with weary steps, our bodies battered and minds frayed from the relentless terror that had stalked us through the tunnels. The air was thick with the smell of rot and the distant echoes of the world above, a haunting reminder that even here, deep underground, there was no true safety.

The station was much like the last—abandoned, broken, a relic of a time before everything went wrong. Cracked tiles littered the floor, and the walls were smeared with graffiti that had long since faded into obscurity. The silence was heavy, oppressive, as if the very station itself held its breath, waiting for something to happen.

I helped Jaide settle against the wall, her face pale and drawn. She was holding on, but just barely. I could see the pain etched in every line of her face, the way her body trembled with exhaustion. But her eyes, though dimmed by suffering, still held that spark of determination that had kept her alive this long.

"We need to rest," Marcy whispered, her voice trembling as she clutched Kenny close. The boy was silent, his face buried against his mother's chest, his small frame racked with quiet sobs. He hadn't spoken since we fled the zombies, the terror of it all rendering him mute with fear.

"We'll rest for a little while," I said, my own voice barely steady. "But we can't stay here long. They'll be looking for us."

"Are we safe here?" Daries asked, his voice small, his dark eyes wide with fear. He stood close to me, his small hand gripping mine as if he was afraid I might vanish if he let go.

I wanted to lie, to tell him that everything would be okay, that we were safe now. But the truth was, I didn't know. The world had become a place where safety was an illusion, where every shadow held a threat, every silence a warning.

"We're as safe as we can be," I said softly, squeezing his hand. "But we have to stay alert. We can't let our guard down."

We huddled together in the dim light of the station, trying to find some semblance of warmth in the cold, lifeless place. The weight of our exhaustion was crushing, but sleep wouldn't come. My mind was too full of dark thoughts, the fear gnawing at me like a hungry beast. Every creak, every distant sound sent a jolt of anxiety through me, as if the world itself was conspiring to take away what little we had left.

Jaide shifted beside me, her breathing shallow, her face pale as death. I could feel her slipping, the fight slowly draining out of her. She had been strong for so long, but there was only so much a person could take. I wanted to help her, to ease her pain, but I didn't know how. All I could do was stay close, offer her the comfort of my presence, even as it felt like the world was crumbling around us.

Marcy's sobs broke the silence, soft and heart-wrenching. "We can't keep doing this," she whispered, her voice cracking with despair. "We can't keep running, hiding. It's...it's too much."

Kenny looked up at her, his eyes filled with a fear too deep for words. I could see the toll it was taking on her, the way the weight of survival was slowly crushing her spirit. She was trying to be strong, for Kenny, for all of us, but she was breaking, and I didn't know how to stop it.

"We don't have a choice," Jaide murmured, her voice faint but firm. "We have to keep going. We have to survive."

Marcy shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "For what? For this? We're just...waiting to die."

The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. I had no answer, no words of comfort. In that moment, it felt like hope was slipping away, leaving us with nothing but the cold, hard reality of our situation.

And then, out of the silence, came a sound that made my blood run cold. A faint, almost imperceptible noise, like a whisper carried on the wind. It was the sound of footsteps—stealthy, deliberate, coming from the darkness of the tunnel.

I froze, every muscle tensing as I strained to listen. The others had heard it too; I could see the fear in their eyes, the way their bodies stiffened with the realization that we were not alone.

"They've found us," Jaide whispered, her voice tinged with dread.

I motioned for everyone to be silent, to stay low. My heart was pounding, the sound of it roaring in my ears as the footsteps grew louder, closer. I grabbed the shiv from my belt, my grip tightening around the cold metal. We had nothing else, no weapons, no means of defense, but I would fight with everything I had.

The light at the far end of the tunnel flickered, and for a moment, I saw them—three figures, shadowy and indistinct, moving toward us with a deliberate, predatory grace. My breath caught in my throat. These weren't zombies. These were people, armed and dangerous.

"Run," I whispered urgently, but before we could move, a sharp whistle cut through the air, followed by a loud bang as the tunnel exploded with light.

Blinded and disoriented, I felt something grab me, pulling me backward. I struggled, panic flooding my senses, but the grip was too strong. A hand clamped over my mouth, silencing my scream as I was dragged away from the others.

Through the haze of light and sound, I saw them—Marcy and Kenny, huddled together, terror etched on their faces. Jaide was on her feet, struggling to move, but too weak to fight. And then there was Daries, his wide eyes locked on mine, filled with fear and desperation as he reached out toward me.

But I couldn't reach him. I couldn't protect him.

"No!" I screamed, but the sound was muffled by the hand over my mouth. I thrashed, kicked, did everything I could to break free, but it was useless. The world spun, and then everything went black.

When I came back to my senses, the light was dim again, the sounds of the tunnel muffled and distant. I was alone, my head pounding, my body aching from the struggle. Panic surged through me as I realized what had happened—I had been taken, separated from the others. The fear was overwhelming, a suffocating weight that pressed down on me with crushing force.

I tried to move, but my hands were bound, tied behind my back with rough rope that bit into my skin. I was lying on cold, hard ground, the dampness seeping through my clothes. I struggled to sit up, to see where I was, but the darkness was complete, swallowing everything in its black void.

"Help," I croaked, my voice hoarse and weak. "Please...someone..."

But there was no answer. Only silence, thick and oppressive, pressing in from all sides.

And then I heard it—a low, guttural growl, close, too close. The sound sent a chill down my spine, freezing the blood in my veins. My breath caught in my throat as I realized that whatever had taken me, whatever was lurking in the darkness, it wasn't alone.

The growl came again, louder this time, and I felt something brush against my leg, cold and slimy. I jerked back, my heart racing, but there was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.

And then I saw them—glowing eyes, dozens of them, surrounding me, watching me with a predatory hunger. The immune zombies, drawn by the scent of fear, by the promise of fresh meat.

This was it. This was how it would end. Not with a fight, not with a final act of defiance, but here, alone in the dark, surrounded by monsters.

But as the first zombie lunged at me, its decayed hand reaching out, something inside me snapped. A surge of adrenaline, of raw, primal fear, took over, and I lashed out with everything I had. I kicked, twisted, fought against the ropes that bound me, but it wasn't enough.

The zombie's hand closed around my ankle, its grip cold and unyielding. I screamed, the sound tearing from my throat as I struggled to break free, but it was no use. The others were closing in, their growls filling the air, drowning out my cries for help.

And then, just as the first set of teeth closed around my leg, there was a sudden, blinding flash of light, and the zombies recoiled, shrieking in pain.

I was blinded, disoriented, but I felt the ropes around my wrists loosen, felt strong hands pulling me up, dragging me away from the zombies, away from the darkness.

"Hold on," a voice said, urgent and commanding. "We're getting you out of here."

I tried to respond, but the words wouldn't come. My vision blurred, the world spinning as the hands guided me through the darkness, away from the snarling, snapping jaws of the zombies.

But even as I was pulled to safety, the realization hit me like a hammer blow—I wasn't safe. None of us were. And whatever had just saved me had its own price.

@mcynyxt