CHAPTER 13: 13: THE WORLD JUST GOT A LITTLE WIDER

The alley smelled like decay, a mixture of rotting garbage and the musty, wet scent of decay that hung in the air. Zara’s breath came in ragged gasps as she pressed a hand against her chest to calm her thudding heart.

more of those things were coming? she thought, why cant i catch a break?

She glanced at the man, who stood a few feet away, eyes trained on the place the footsteps were coming from.

"Stay behind me," he says, his voice a steely command as he raises his rifle.

But she doesn’t listen, grabbing her own weapon—a battered bat with cracks running down its length—and readying herself with a determined look. For some reason, she felt the need to prove that she could hold her onw in front of him.

They reached the corner just as the first zombie appeared. It staggered toward them, its limbs twitching erratically, but its eyes locked on Zara instantly. As expected, it was faster than the typical undead.

"You’re too slow," she muttered under her breath as she darted forward, swinging the bat in a wide arc at the nearest zombie’s head. The sickening crack was followed by the zombie’s immediate collapse, but no sooner had it hit the ground than another took its place.

"Get back!" Winter barked, raising his gun. He fired once, the bullet tearing through the creature’s skull with a sickening pop. It dropped instantly, but the air was filled with a chorus of shrieks. More zombies appeared, flooding out from the alleyways and doorways like a tidal wave of death.

Winter gritted his teeth. This woman is going to be the death of him if she keeps charging headfirst into danger.

He was already a few steps ahead. His gun was out, and with a steady hand, he aimed at the next closest zombie. One shot. Headshot. Efficient. Cold.

"Keep your distance," Winter called out, his voice cutting through the noise. "We need to move out of the open."

Zara rolled her eyes, barely glancing in his direction. She knew his plan—back up slowly, use the high ground. Typical military thinking. She could tell he served somewhere with how he acted.

But Zara, ever the scientist, had a different idea. She’d been studying the infected since the outbreak, using her brief outings to do so and she knew something most probably. Zombies reacted to light and sound—more than just movement. They weren’t all mindless husks. They were evolving.

Without waiting for his approval, she darted to the side, running toward a fire escape. She had to trust her instincts.

"You’re going to get us killed!" Winter shouted, but she ignored him, focusing on her goal.

Her legs burned as she sprinted toward the rusty metal staircase. The zombies were getting closer, but she had one advantage. They were slower in low light, and the alleyway she was heading toward would be perfect. Zara reached the fire escape, hoisting herself up with the strength of someone who had spent too long fending for herself in this apocalyptic hell.

She turned to find Winter standing at the base, his face unreadable as he assessed the situation. "Get up here, Winter. Trust me," she called, her voice strained.

He didn’t hesitate. The soldiers who survived long enough to be with Winter weren’t idiots—they didn’t question orders. He followed, but not without one last look at the zombies closing in.

Zara reached the top of the building, panting, but with a clear plan in her mind. She crouched, peering over the edge. The zombies—nearly a dozen of them—were clustering below, moving with disturbing intelligence.

"These things are different," she murmured to herself, her hand instinctively pulling out a small field notebook. "They’re coordinating..."

"Are you done?" Winter’s voice was terse. He’d already found the next move, already calculating, and Zara could see the impatience simmering beneath his cool facade.

Zara snapped the notebook closed. "I told you—if we light up the alleyway, the UV will confuse them. If we go down the street, we’re dead."

Winter didn’t respond immediately, but Zara could see his mind working. She knew he didn’t like improvisation—he liked to be in control. But he didn’t have time to argue. As much as he might want to question her methods, there was no time for that now. He grabbed her by the arm.

"Let’s go," he said, and they darted toward the rooftop’s far edge, Winter leading.

They dropped into the next building over, moving quickly as more zombies spilled into the alley below. Zara’s pulse was pounding in her ears. She glanced over at Winter, who didn’t even break a sweat as he scanned their new surroundings.

Zara’s mouth was dry, but her mind raced. She knew too much about these things. She had suspected it during her encounters with them as she traveled with Leo but these just proved her theories. Zombies weren’t just mindless. They were adapting. Evolving. If they didn’t figure this out soon, they’d be next.

"I was right," she muttered. "They’re smarter than before. They use their numbers to trap you. They react to noise, but they also react to light, heat..."

"Are we going to get a dissertation, or are we going to keep moving?" Winter cut her off, his voice cold.

Zara scowled, but she didn’t argue. She knew he didn’t care. "I just thought you might want to know how we can kill them faster."

The tension between them thickened. She could feel it, like a pull in her gut.

As the zombies began to pile up against the fire escape below, Zara glanced over at Winter, her lips tight with frustration.

Winter’s sharp eyes met hers, a silent order in them.

Then they were running again.

A massive, hulking zombie appeared, its skin stretched thin over grotesque muscle. It let out a guttural roar and lunged for Winter. He barely had time to aim before the creature was on him, its claws raking through the air. He fired twice, but it was too close.

Zara was there, her body colliding with Winter’s in a flash of desperation. She shoved him aside, narrowly avoiding the creature’s claws as they sliced through the air. The zombie howled in fury, but Zara, moving without hesitation, jammed her metal shard into its throat. The creature’s movements grew frantic before it finally collapsed.

"Dammit, woman!" Winter growled, pushing himself up from the ground. He hadn’t been prepared for her sudden interference, "are you crazy?!"

His heart hammered in his chest, not from the danger of the zombies, but from the chaos she had dragged him into.

"Didn’t see you doing anything," she retorted, panting, her hands slick with sweat and blood. "Next time, I’ll let you handle it."

Winter shot her a glare, but he didn’t have time to argue. More zombies were already pouring into the alley. They were everywhere, fast, aggressive.

"We need to go!" Winter shouted over the noise, his voice tinged with urgency. His sharp eyes scanned the area, searching for an escape route. "There’s a narrow passage up ahead. We can hold them off, pick them off one by one."

Zara’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t trust his plan, didn’t like being led by him. But she didn’t have time to argue. She could already hear the zombies closing in from every direction, and she knew if they didn’t make a move soon, they’d be overwhelmed. Still, she had to try.

"No," she snapped, shaking her head. "That’s too slow. We need to cut through the buildings, take a shortcut. They’ll react to sound and movement—if we can create a distraction, we can slip through."

Winter’s eyes narrowed in frustration. "That’s too risky. We’re already pushing our luck, woman."

it irked her to hear him call her that, she had a name. not that she was going to tell him.

"I’m not about to play it safe while my son is out there!" Her voice cracked, her chest tightening at the thought of Leo. She clenched her teeth, trying to keep her composure. "We’re not waiting around for these things to trap us."

Zara’s mind worked quickly, calculating the best way to use the environment. There was an overturned dumpster nearby. She grabbed Winter’s arm and yanked him toward it. "Help me," she ordered.

He didn’t hesitate this time, his military instincts kicking in. Together, they shoved the dumpster into the narrow street, blocking the path behind them. It wasn’t a perfect barricade, but it bought them time.

"Now what?" Winter asked, his voice tight with impatience.

"We head through the alley," Zara said, pointing toward a shattered window. She vaulted over a pile of debris, moving with an agility that left Winter no choice but to follow her lead.

Zara’s impulsive charges forced Winter to constantly readjust his footing, and he could feel his irritation mounting. She was reckless, unpredictable, yet somehow always managed to keep herself just a step ahead of danger. It frustrated him. Every time he thought she was about to falter, she would surprise him with a quick dodge or a sudden, powerful swing of her bat.

But the infected were closing in, faster and in greater numbers than either of them had anticipated. The alleyway narrowed further, forcing them to fight shoulder-to-shoulder. Zara’s bat swung in broad, desperate arcs, while Winter’s knife carved into the flesh of the creatures lunging toward them.

The two of them sprinted through the darkened alley, the sounds of pursuit growing louder. Zara’s breath came in shallow gasps, her body burning with exertion. Her mind, however, was clearer than ever.

they could do this, they could get out of this. plus, she was leading these monsters away from where Leo was.

As they neared the window, a zombie lunged from the shadows. Zara reacted instinctively, shoving Winter aside as the creature’s jaws snapped. Her shard of metal found its mark, piercing the creature’s eye and sending it into a spasm of death.

Winter looked at her, his eyes unreadable, before pulling her up to the window. He didn’t thank her. He didn’t need to. The briefest moment of gratitude passed between them before they were both out of the alley, sprinting into the next block.

They were almost to the street when the first truly terrifying wave came: a pack of runners. These zombies were fast—too fast. They were already on them, closing the distance.

"Move!" Winter shouted, pulling her forward just as a runner grabbed her ankle. She kicked out, throwing the zombie off balance, but not before another grabbed her arm.

Without thinking, Zara swung the bat with everything she had, breaking the creature’s neck. The momentum carried her forward, and she pulled herself up, away from its gnarled fingers.

When they reached the street, both of them were gasping for air, covered in blood, sweat and grime.

They had survived—this time.

They collapsed against the wall, their bodies trembling with adrenaline and exhaustion. Zara could hear her pulse in her ears, her breath ragged and uneven. She didn’t know how much longer they could keep this up. But for now, they had bought themselves time.

Winter’s eyes met hers. No words were exchanged, but something passed between them—something unspoken, a flicker of recognition.

"You’re a crazy person," Winter finally muttered, his voice cold, but there was a faint trace of admiration in his gaze.

Zara smirked, wiping the blood from her shaking hands. "Takes one to know one."

They both exhaled heavily, their bodies sinking against the wall. The tension between them hadn’t gone away. In fact, it felt thicker than ever. But for now, survival came first.

They were alive—together.