The building wasn't safe anymore.
Daniel felt it before anyone said it.
The fights were getting louder. The infected were coming faster. And now—with Kane there—it was clear this wasn't just chaos anymore.
It was spreading with purpose.
Kane reloaded what little ammo he had left, his movements calm and efficient. "We can't stay here."
Maya crossed her arms slightly, still watching the stairwell. "You think they'll keep coming?"
"They will," Kane replied. "And next time, there'll be more. Maybe worse."
Daniel looked toward the broken hallway behind them. "Then we move."
One of the others hesitated. "Move where? The whole city is like this."
Kane answered that one. "Not every area collapses the same way. You find gaps. You move through them."
Maya nodded slightly. "And we need supplies. Real ones. Not scraps from apartments."
Daniel tightened his grip on the gun. "Then we go out."
That got everyone's attention.
"Out?" the man repeated. "You saw what's out there."
"Yeah," Daniel said. "And staying here gets us surrounded."
Kane gave a small nod. "He's right."
That settled it.
No one liked it.
But no one argued.
"Stairs down," Kane said. "We move quiet. No unnecessary noise. If you panic, you die."
The group formed up, tighter now. Not random anymore. They had seen too much for that.
Daniel and Kane took the front.
Maya stayed just behind them.
They moved.
Step by step.
Down the stairwell.
Every sound mattered now. Every creak. Every shift of weight.
Sixth floor.
Fifth.
Fourth.
The lower they went, the stronger the smell became.
Rotting.
Thick.
Heavy.
"Stay sharp," Kane said quietly.
They reached the second floor.
A body lay across the steps.
Not fresh.
Not fully turned either.
Just… still.
Daniel slowed slightly.
Kane didn't.
"Keep moving," he said.
They reached the ground floor.
The lobby door hung open, glass shattered across the floor. Blood smeared across the walls. A trail led outside.
Daniel stepped closer.
The street came into view.
And everything inside him tightened.
New York was gone.
Cars were abandoned in the middle of the road. Some had crashed into each other. Smoke drifted from a distance. Doors hung open. Bags, shoes, broken glass—everything scattered like people had vanished mid-movement.
But the worst part—
The silence.
No crowds.
No traffic.
Just emptiness.
"Where is everyone?" someone whispered.
Kane answered flatly. "Dead. Running. Or turned."
A distant scream echoed.
Then another.
So they weren't alone.
Not even close.
Maya stepped beside Daniel. "We don't stay exposed here."
Kane nodded. "We move along the side. Stay close to walls. Avoid open ground."
Daniel glanced down the street.
Then he saw one.
Far ahead.
A single figure stood in the middle of the road.
Not moving.
Just standing.
Watching nothing.
"Contact," Daniel said quietly.
Kane followed his gaze. "One infected."
"Looks alone," Maya added.
Kane shook his head slightly. "There's no such thing as alone anymore."
The figure twitched.
Its head snapped slightly to the side.
Then—
It turned.
Directly toward them.
Too far to hear.
Too far to smell.
But it still noticed.
Daniel felt it immediately.
"That's not normal," he said.
The creature didn't rush.
Didn't scream.
It just stood there—
Watching.
Then slowly—
It took a step forward.
Kane raised his gun. "We don't engage unless necessary."
But it kept coming.
Slow.
Controlled.
Maya's voice dropped. "That's like the one from before."
Daniel nodded. "Yeah."
The creature stopped again.
Its head tilted slightly.
Like it was studying them.
Then suddenly—
It screamed.
Not the broken, wild scream of the others.
This one was sharper.
Louder.
Intentional.
Daniel's stomach dropped.
"That's not good," he said.
Kane's expression hardened instantly. "Move. Now."
From the sides—
Movement.
Fast.
Multiple.
From behind cars, from alleyways, from broken doorways—
They came.
A swarm.
"Run!" Maya snapped.
The group moved instantly.
No hesitation.
They sprinted down the side of the street, staying close to buildings as Kane directed.
"Left!" he shouted.
They turned sharply into a narrow side path.
Footsteps thundered behind them.
Too many.
Way too many.
Daniel risked a glance back.
Big mistake.
Dozens.
Chasing.
Fast.
"They're gaining!" someone shouted.
"Keep moving!" Kane barked.
A car blocked part of the alley ahead.
Daniel didn't slow.
He vaulted over it, landing hard but steady.
Maya followed.
The others scrambled after.
One didn't make it clean.
He slipped.
Fell.
The sound was enough.
The swarm caught him instantly.
The scream cut off fast.
No one stopped.
No one could.
They burst out into another street.
Clearer.
But not safe.
"Inside!" Kane pointed toward a nearby store.
They rushed in, slamming the door behind them.
Daniel shoved a shelf against it.
Maya helped.
Kane checked the windows.
The pounding started seconds later.
Bodies slamming against the entrance.
Growling.
Scratching.
Daniel stepped back, breathing hard.
"That scream…" he said.
Kane nodded. "Yeah."
"That thing called them," Maya said.
Kane looked toward the door, eyes focused. "That wasn't a normal infected."
Daniel tightened his grip on the gun. "Then what was it?"
Kane's answer came without hesitation.
"An alpha."
Silence followed.
Because now—
This wasn't just survival anymore.
This was escalation.