If the positions were reversed, would Chase save me just like I saved him?

The simple, same thought couldn't leave my mind. Even though I knew the answer from the beginning, I couldn't help but wonder if he would choose to sacrifice himself for a girl that consistently denied, questioned, and argued with him.

Definitely not.

I let go of Chase as he waited for me to close the gate, still trying to balance himself on one leg. My hands trembled as I took the metallic chain hooking it to the other side. The sound of growls from the house filled my ears as they stumbled towards us.

We were their only living prey.

"Let's go," I commanded through a weak whisper. Wrapping his arm around my neck, we started moving to the path we came from. "That gate won't hold them for long."

The chains rattled, invading the silence of the end of night. They were already trying to go through it.

The very first rays beamed through the clouds, fighting their way through. I considered it as a peace of hope, of the lightness that would fight for us in the midst of the darkness. We cautiously made our way to the forest, the trees welcoming us from both sides of the dirty road. I felt a tug in my chest, warning me to head the other direction. Any other direction.

There might be more of them waiting.

We kept walking, focused on the front of the path. Neither of us said a word to each other which I found rather comforting. It was better that way.

Chase and I never did talk about things in a calm and civilized manner. He couldn't care less that I was terrified of the world. That the position he put me in wasn't fair. If I did tell him that, it would only cause frustration for the both of us. As for me, there was no way to tell him that his foot was going to get better. It was definitely broken. He knew that too. It would have to take weeks for it to heal. I knew reassuring him wasn't something he would like.

As we moved further away from the haunted cabin, I could barely hear the Infected anymore. However, I still kept my guard up. You can never fail to stay focused, otherwise it might just cause you death.

We slowed down more and more after each second. Chase tried hard to keep going vigilantly but I could tell he was battling with the pain and losing. His face was drenched in sweat as he tried to keep up with my pace.

Knowing that, I slowed down and he instantly noticed, "Don't stop because of me. I'm fine."

I looked at him, and his vulnerability struck me. This was the only side of him I could feel slight remorse towards. "You don't look fine."

He scoffed, already finding it annoying so I chose not to say anything else. We continued to move through the path, nearing the end of the forest. I felt a strong sense of relief overflowing me.

We were almost there.

Alive.

We made it.

We reached the end of the road. The Infected we saw a couple of hours ago was gone. I didn't care. My eyes desperately searched for the red jeep.

There it was.

I wanted to run towards it, to drive away from this hell. Instead, I looked towards Chase, giving him a small smile.

He nodded, keeping the leader's facade. "Good work newbie."

Chase was in the passenger seat instructing me where to drive. Even though I memorized the way back, I let him since it did distract him from the pain.

The sun was right above the horizon, welcoming the new day. It was a sign we were already late, and the Commander knew we weren't in the facility. That wasn't the least of my worries though. What was I going to tell Jake? He had to have known I was missing. Part of me regretted that I didn't tell him I was going with Chase. But I knew that he definitely wouldn't let me go if I told him.

"What are you going to say to the Commander?"

He shrugged, putting the map down. Even though he seemed like he was going to speak spontaneously, I could tell he already formed the excuse, "No clue. We'll see how it goes."

All too familiar silence followed after. I chuckled, breaking it, "Is this what you do every night?"

"Pretty much."

The way he said it wasn't a fact. It felt forced. Sarcastic. It was a lie.

He continued, "No, not really. I don't know why there were so many of them."

"What do you mean?" I looked at him puzzled, as I made my way to the highway. This was the Infected's territory. Of course there would be many.

"I've been going here for months. Every night," he explained, trying to find a realistic solution to this. "But this specific land...there's barely any Infected.

"I don't know what that was but it wasn't normal for this, even for this."

"Great," I spoke, sarcastically as I neared Ground Zero. From afar, I could see the barricaded building that was the only one left in full piece after the first wave. "The one night I go, Infected choose to come out and hunt."

"You did good tonight."

Did Chase just...compliment me?

Words left me speechless for a second. I was unsure what to say. I kept driving, moving to the gate of the entrance of Ground Zero.

I said, "I didn't fight. I could've been dead if you weren't there."

"No," he denied, surprisingly being polite, "I could've been dead if you weren't there."

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked, the question bubbling in my head ever since he told me about the night trip. It all felt odd, unusual, undeserving.

"You're new," he explained simply, "And people don't particularly like you. Not really their fault I think it's you... so, I was just helping you out a little bit."

He avoided the question, his eyes focused on his right ankle that was getting bigger each second. I looked at him indicating for him to get back to the topic. To tell the truth.

He sighed, "You didn't choose this...ya know know to fight and save people," his words were slow, deliberately chosen. "And people haven't been so easy on you, so I just wanted to help you out and be the mentor Commander told me to be."

As I entered through the back door of the garage, I tried to think of what I was going to say. All I knew was that he wasn't lying. Even though he put us in danger and we almost died, he tried, for whatever reason. And, I knew it was genuine.

I gave him a small smile, "Thank you."

______

Allie and Chase might have arrived back to Ground Zero safe and well, but that means nothing in the world that is led by the dead.

Soon, there will be a shocking discovery that's going to jeopardize not only Aliana but many others.

Stay tuned for more and if you liked this chapter, please vote, comment and share this book <33