The barricade didn't hold.
It splintered.
Wood cracked inward, metal bent under pressure, and in the next second—
It gave way. The sound wasn't loud. It was violent.
Bodies forced through the opening, limbs twisting through gaps that shouldn't have fit them. Hands clawed. Teeth snapped.
They didn't hesitate.They poured in.
"Move!" Marcus barked. No one argued. They didn't stay. They ran.
The first wave hit fast. A bodyguard stepped forward, blade flashing, cutting just enough space to push through. Another slammed a zombie aside with brute force, buying a second.
That was all they needed.
Two of the bodyguards carried Daniel between them, his head lolling slightly with every movement, his breathing still shallow, still wrong.
Claire stayed close, one hand hovering near him as they moved.
No formation.No perfection. Just survival. They forced their way through.
"They're coming through!" someone shouted from behind.
"I know… keep moving!"
They weren't fighting to win. They were fighting to leave.
Cold air hit them as they burst out of the bank.
The SUV was right there.
"Go, go, go!"
Doors were yanked open. Bodies shoved in. Someone nearly slipped climbing in, catching themselves at the last second.
A zombie lunged.
The door slammed shut just as its fingers scraped across the glass.
"Drive!"
Marcus didn't need to be told twice. The engine roared.
The SUV jerked forward hard, tires screeching against the road. A body slammed into the side, dragged for a brief second before being thrown off.
Another hit the rear. Then they were through. The bank disappeared behind them.
No one spoke. Not because they didn't want to. Because they couldn't.
Breathing filled the space. Harsh. Uneven. Too loud in the silence.
Claire checked Daniel again, her hand trembling slightly this time.
"…He's still burning up." No one responded. No one had anything to say.
The city stretched ahead of them, empty and broken.
[ 12:31:42 ]
Iris leaned her head back slightly, eyes unfocused for a moment.
Her status surfaced quietly.
[STATS]
[Name: Iris Hale
Age: 20
Level: 3 (155/400)
Life: 300/400
Spirit: 250/400
Physique: 42
Agility: 39
Defense: 33
Physical Potential: B,
Mental Potential: SS+
Skills:
Active: None
Passive: None
Elemental Affinity: Wood, Water, Earth
Titles: None
Overall Rank: S
Current Status: Fatigued ,Weakened State ]
[ WEALTH: 9,000 Gold, 569 Silver, 700 Copper]
Her fingers twitched faintly. Too low.
They couldn't keep going like this.
"…Did any of you notice something?"
Caleb's voice cut through the silence, quieter than usual.
No one answered immediately.
"Notice what?" Benjamin muttered.
Caleb frowned slightly, glancing toward the window.
"…It's too quiet."
That got their attention.
"What are you talking about sir ?" Suppressing a groan, Victor asked still holding his injured forearm.
Caleb shook his head once. "Not that kind of quiet."
He gestured vaguely outside.
"…There's nothing."
Iris followed his gaze.
Empty streets. Burned-out vehicles. Shattered glass. Nothing moved.
Not the slow dragging kind. Not the distant wandering shapes. Nothing.
"…No animals," Caleb added.
Silence.
Then Iris spoke.
"…I saw bodies earlier."
A few heads turned toward her.
"Animals," she said quietly. "They were dead. They didn't turn."
No one replied.
The implication settled in.
The engine coughed.
Once.
Twice.
The SUV jerked slightly.
Marcus frowned. "No…"
Another jerk. The engine sputtered. Then it died. The silence that followed was absolute. Marcus tried again. Nothing.
"…We're out," he said flatly.
No one moved for a second. Then reality hit.
"Everyone out," Henry said coughing a few times.
The SUV doors opened. The air outside felt heavier. Hotter.
Ash drifted faintly through the air, clinging to skin, to clothes.
They moved quickly. No panic. But no hesitation either.
"Take only essentials," Victor said. "We're not coming back."
Iris tried to store what she could. It failed. No space. Of course.
She didn't waste time trying again. Around her, the others made the same decision. Weapons. Water. Anything immediately useful. Nothing else.
The two bodyguards that had been carrying Daniel lifted him up again.
He hadn't woken up. Not once. He only twitched a couple of times like he was fighting something unseen.
Claire stayed close.
"Ready," Marcus said.
They left the SUV behind.
Walking was different. Slower. Louder. More exposed. Each step felt heavier than the last. Not pain. Not injury.
Just… exhaustion.
The road stretched ahead of them, empty but not safe.
Heat radiated from distant fires. The air felt dry, harsh in the lungs. Somewhere far off, something screamed.
Then went silent. No one spoke. Not because they didn't want to. Because it took too much effort.
Veronica stumbled on a pebble that wasn't there. Her stumble was small. But noticeable.
Benjamin reached out instinctively.
"Mom, are you alright?" Worry threading his voice.
"I'm fine." Veronica said, Her voice was sharp. It was Controlled , even as she straightened.
Her hair was a mess now. Strands clung to her face different from her usual updo. her breathing uneven, shoulders rising and falling too quickly.
This wasn't her world. But she didn't stop.
"I can walk," she added, already moving again.
No one pushed it. They kept going.
And then. They heard it.
A sound. Low. Not human. Everyone froze.
Something moved. Fast. Too fast.
It came out of nowhere. A blur of motion, low to the ground…
Teeth bared. The impact knocked one of the bodyguards sideways.
"Watch out!"
The creature twisted mid-motion, limbs bending at unnatural angles as it landed.
It was a dog. Or what used to be one. Something had twisted it into something else.
Its body was wrong. Muscles too tight under torn skin, eyes clouded but locked in.
It didn't hesitate. It lunged again. Faster than anything they'd faced so far.
Iris moved. Instinct guiding her.
Her blade came up just as it snapped forward. The force rattled through her arm, pushing her back a step.
Another attack from the side…
Someone struck it. It twisted away. Not clumsy. Not slow.
It was hunting.
"Don't let it circle!" Marcus shouted.
Too late. It was already moving again.
Benjamin swung.
He missed.
The dog darted past him, going straight for Veronica, the weakest link …
A shot rang out.
The body jerked mid-air. Collapsed.
And then silence.
No one moved for a second.
"Animals… mutated…" Caleb muttered still in disbelief. Hands trembling slightly "What. The. Hell ?"
No one argued. They moved again. Faster now. No one wanted to stay exposed.
Then. They saw it…
A mall. Or what used to be one .
The mall rose ahead of them, massive, stretching wide across the block. Parts of it were intact. Others… not.
Glass shattered across the entrance. Doors forced open. Blood splattered everywhere. Human or zombie, nobody knew. But darkness loomed beyond.
Relief hit first. Then hesitation.
Noticing the details around them, they approached the mall curiously. If it could still be called that.
Up close, the damage was worse. Shards of glass crunched underfoot. Metal frames bent outward. Inside, the front stores were empty. Shelves stripped clean. Displays overturned. Nothing left.
"This place has been looted clean." Benjamin said quietly.
No one responded. They stepped closer. The entrance loomed in front of them.
Open. Waiting. Too quiet.
Again.
Iris slowed. Just slightly. Something about it…
Didn't feel right.
They had found shelter.
But not safety.