Chapter 6: No Way BackSam forced himself to keep moving. His legs burned from exhaustion, his breath came in ragged gasps, but stopping wasn’t an option. The city was alive with the dead. Every alley, every car, every broken window was a possible hiding pce for something waiting to sink its teeth into him.

  And now, he was alone.

  Trey was gone.

  He swallowed the lump in his throat. He hadn’t even known the guy for long, but in a world colpsing around him, Trey had been the closest thing to a lifeline. Now that lifeline had been ripped away, and the weight of survival pressed down heavier than ever.

  Keep going. Keep moving.

  He cut through an empty diner, the tables overturned, dried blood smeared across the counter. A pte of rotting food sat abandoned next to a half-full coffee cup. It was like the world had just stopped in the middle of an ordinary day.

  A corpse y slumped in a booth, head tilted back, mouth frozen in a silent scream. The gaping wound in its throat told Sam everything he needed to know.

  He edged past it carefully. The st thing he needed was—

  The body twitched.

  Sam’s breath caught.

  The corpse shifted, its arms jerking unnaturally, its neck twisting. Its eyes snapped open, milky and lifeless, but its lips curled back in a slow, unnatural snarl.

  Sam reacted on instinct, swinging the bat with all his strength. CRACK! The thing’s skull split open, its body jerking violently before slumping forward, finally still.

  Sam stumbled back, breathing hard.

  Even the dead weren’t truly dead.

  He gripped the bat tighter and pushed forward.

  The Streets of HellWestgate Apartments were only a few blocks away now, but every step forward felt like a step into hell. The closer he got, the worse the destruction became.

  Cars burned in the streets. Windows were shattered, doors left wide open, clothes and broken furniture scattered like people had fled in a panic.

  The worst part was the bodies. Some were fresh, others half-rotted. Some moved. Others didn’t.

  Sam stayed low, weaving between cars, avoiding open spaces. He could hear them—moans, dragging footsteps, the sound of nails scraping against concrete.

  As he turned a corner, he stopped cold.

  A group of infected stood in the middle of the intersection—at least ten of them. Their bodies twitched, heads jerking as they sniffed the air, searching.

  Sam’s heartbeat pounded in his ears.

  He gripped his bat, pressing himself against the wall of a nearby building. He needed to find a way around them.

  Then, from somewhere down the street, a car arm bred to life.

  The infected reacted instantly. Their heads snapped toward the noise, their bodies stiffening before they ran.

  Sam had never seen them move like that before. They sprinted, their limbs filing unnaturally as they chased the sound.

  It wasn’t normal.

  It wasn’t human.

  Sam didn’t wait to see what happened next. He took off in the opposite direction, his footsteps light, his breath controlled.

  One block away.

  Then two.

  Then—

  Westgate Apartments came into view.

  Westgate ApartmentsThe building loomed over the street, a towering structure of shattered windows and broken balconies. The front entrance was barricaded with overturned furniture and wooden pnks, hastily nailed into pce.

  Sam’s chest tightened. Someone had tried to make a stand here.

  He sprinted across the open street, ducking behind an abandoned car. No movement. No sound.

  But that didn’t mean it was safe.

  He climbed over the barricade, gripping the bat tightly. The inside of the lobby was dark, the air thick with the stench of rot. A single flickering light buzzed overhead, casting long, shifting shadows.

  Blood streaked the walls.

  Sam swallowed hard. “Riley?” he called out, his voice barely above a whisper.

  Silence.

  He moved deeper inside.

  Apartment 207Riley’s apartment was on the second floor.

  The stairwell was littered with debris—abandoned bags, broken gss, a trail of blood leading up the steps.

  Sam stepped carefully, wincing at the creak of the floorboards.

  He reached the second floor and turned down the hallway. The doors to most of the apartments were broken open. Some had deep cw marks on them, others were spttered with blood.

  He stopped in front of 207.

  The door was closed.

  His heart pounded.

  He raised a shaking fist and knocked lightly.

  “Riley?” he whispered.

  No response.

  His stomach twisted. He grabbed the handle, slowly pushing the door open.

  The apartment was dark. He stepped inside, gripping the bat with both hands.

  “Riley?”

  A soft shuffle came from the bedroom.

  Sam’s breath caught. He moved forward, his steps careful. The door was slightly open.

  With a deep breath, he pushed it open.

  A figure sat on the floor, back against the bed. Long, tangled hair. A familiar hoodie.

  “Riley,” he breathed, rushing forward.

  She looked up.

  Her face was pale, her eyes sunken, her lips cracked. But she was alive.

  Sam dropped to his knees beside her. “Riley! I thought—I thought you were—”

  Her lips trembled. “Sam…” Her voice was weak, barely a whisper.

  He touched her arm—and that’s when he saw it.

  The bite.

  Dark, rotten flesh marked her shoulder, the infection creeping up her neck.

  Sam’s stomach dropped.

  “No,” he whispered.

  Riley’s eyes filled with tears. “I tried to wait for you…” Her voice was hoarse, tired. “I locked the door… I didn’t let them in…”

  Sam’s whole body shook. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening.

  He gripped her hand. It was ice cold.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  Sam swallowed hard, tears stinging his eyes. He shook his head. “No. No, we can fix this. There has to be a way—”

  Riley gave him a sad smile. “There isn’t.”

  Her breathing was slow. Shallow.

  “I just… I didn’t want to die alone,” she whispered.

  Sam clenched his jaw, his whole body trembling. He had made it. He had found her.

  But it was too te.

  Riley’s eyes fluttered. “Stay… just for a little while?”

  Sam bit back a sob, nodding. He sat beside her, holding her hand.

  For the first time since the world ended, he felt truly helpless.

  And for the first time in his life…

  He didn’t know what to do.