Chapter 5: Blood in the StreetsThe woman’s screams faded into the night, leaving only the sound of flesh tearing and bones snapping. Sam gritted his teeth, his nails digging into the handle of his bat. He wanted to look away, but he couldn’t. The infected had swarmed her like starving animals, their bodies writhing over the car in a frenzy.

  Trey grabbed his shoulder. “We have to move.”

  Sam forced himself to nod, swallowing the bile rising in his throat. He turned away from the carnage and followed Trey deeper into the store.

  They needed a pn.

  A Safe RouteTrey unfolded a crumpled map on the counter. “Your sister—where’s she at?”

  Sam leaned over the map, tracing the streets with his finger. “She lives in the Westgate Apartments. That’s about fifteen blocks from here.”

  Trey exhaled sharply. “That area’s bad. Too many people. Too many infected.”

  Sam’s stomach tightened. He already knew that, but hearing Trey confirm it made it worse.

  “Then I don’t have time to wait around,” Sam said. “If she’s still alive, she won’t be for long.”

  Trey studied him for a long moment, then nodded. “Alright. We move fast. We stay quiet. And if things go south, we don’t py hero.”

  Sam didn’t respond.

  Trey sighed. “Let’s go.”

  The Streets BelowThe hardware store’s back door led into an alley, filled with overturned dumpsters and broken gss. The air smelled of rot.

  Trey peered around the corner, his grip tightening on the crowbar. “Clear—for now.”

  They slipped out, keeping low. Every step felt like a risk. The city was no longer alive—it was something else now, something wrong. The buildings loomed like tombstones, the streets littered with abandoned cars and bodies. Some were still. Others twitched.

  The infected didn’t sleep. They just waited.

  Sam’s muscles tensed as they crossed an intersection. A single infected stood in the middle of the road, swaying slightly.

  A woman—what was left of her.

  Her clothes were torn, her arms covered in bite marks. Her neck was bent at an unnatural angle, her jaw hanging loosely. But her dead eyes still locked onto them the moment they moved.

  She let out a rasping moan.

  Sam’s pulse spiked. “Shit.”

  Trey didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward, swinging the crowbar in a brutal arc. It connected with her skull with a sickening crunch. She colpsed, twitching, before going still.

  Sam stared at the body.

  Trey wiped the blood from his weapon. “The hesitation will get you killed,” he said quietly.

  Sam clenched his fists. He knew Trey was right.

  But that thing used to be a person.

  They kept moving.

  A Deadly ShortcutThey cut through an old parking garage to avoid the main roads. The concrete structure was dark, the air thick with the stench of oil and decay.

  Their footsteps echoed. Too loud.

  Sam’s fingers twitched around the bat. “This pce doesn’t feel right.”

  Trey nodded. “Stay sharp.”

  They weaved between the cars, stepping over broken gss and old bloodstains. For a moment, it felt like they might get through without trouble.

  Then a car arm shrieked to life.

  Sam’s breath caught in his throat. “No—”

  The sound echoed through the garage, bouncing off the walls.

  And then, from the shadows, they came.

  The infected swarmed out from behind cars, crawling from beneath wreckage. Dozens of them, drawn by the noise. Their lifeless eyes locked onto the two survivors.

  Trey cursed. “Run!”

  They sprinted for the exit. Sam’s lungs burned. The infected were fast—faster than he thought possible.

  One grabbed at Trey’s jacket. He spun, jamming the crowbar into its mouth before kicking it away.

  Sam swung wildly with the bat, catching one across the ribs. It barely slowed.

  They were too close.

  The exit loomed ahead. Sunlight poured through the open ramp. Freedom.

  Trey shoved Sam forward. “Go! I’ll hold them!”

  “No!” Sam turned back, breathing hard. “I’m not leaving you!”

  Trey fired the revolver. BANG! An infected dropped, but more kept coming.

  Only one bullet left.

  Trey locked eyes with Sam. “You have to get to your sister.”

  The infected closed in.

  Trey didn’t wait for an argument. He shoved Sam hard—sending him stumbling out onto the street.

  The st thing Sam saw before he turned and ran was Trey, standing his ground, crowbar in one hand, revolver in the other.

  The city swallowed him whole.

  Alone AgainSam ran until his legs nearly gave out.

  He colpsed against the wall of an alley, his chest heaving. He could still hear the echoes of gunfire in the distance.

  And then—silence.

  Trey was gone.

  Sam smmed his fist against the wall, his throat tight. Trey had saved his life. And now he was alone again.

  But he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t break down.

  Riley was still out there.

  Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Sam pushed himself to his feet.

  The Westgate Apartments were only a few blocks away now.

  One way or another, he was going to find her.

  Even if it killed him.