The Long Journey Ahead

As the sun rose over the desolate landscape, casting a pale glow over the abandoned garage, the group of survivors prepared to embark on their long journey south. The air was crisp and cool, with a hint of uncertainty lingering in the air. Sarah, with her keen senses, could feel the weight of the unknown pressing down upon her.

As they set off, the group made their way through the quiet streets, their footsteps crunching through the snow as they traveled. The silence was oppressive, punctuated only by the occasional shuffling of undead feet in the distance. Sarah's eyes scanned the horizon, her gaze darting from one potential threat to the next. The group walked in a single file line, their eyes fixed on the road ahead, as they navigated through the ruins of what once was a bustling city.

The streets were lined with abandoned buildings, their windows broken out, their doors hanging off their hinges. The pavement was cracked and broken, drifts of snow creating a contradiction between the clean white snow and the crumbling infrastructure around them, giving the landscape a eerie and deserted feel. The group's leader, Alex, walked at the front of the group, his eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of danger.

As they walked, Sarah noticed that Dr. Merchant was speaking with some of the new members of their group. She recognized a few faces, but many were unfamiliar. Dr. Merchant seemed to be making an effort to integrate everyone into the group, and Sarah was grateful for his efforts.

After a few hours of walking, they stopped to rest and rehydrate. Sarah sat down on a nearby rock, her eyes scanning the horizon once more. The landscape was flat and barren, with nothing but snow and emptiness stretching out as far as the eye could see.

As they rested, Dr. Mullins approached Sarah once more. "Sarah, I think it's time I told you about my update," he said quietly. "It's not good news, but I think you should know."

Sarah's ears perked up at this. She had been wondering what Dr. Mullins had been hinting at earlier. "What is it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Dr. Mullins hesitated before speaking. "The virus...it's not just a virus anymore. It's become something more, the zombies are becoming almost like...a...a new form of life."

Sarah's eyes widened in shock as she processed this information. They had seen changes in the way the zombies were acting. Becoming more organized, but she had not even heard rumors of this before, but she would have never believed them to be true anyway.

Just as they were about to continue their journey, a loud groaning noise echoed through the air. Sarah's head snapped up as she saw a group of zombies stumbling towards them. They were slow and disorganized, but there were too many of them.

"Get ready!" Alex shouted, drawing his gun.

The group quickly formed a defensive line, facing off against the approaching zombies. Guns and swords drawn. Sarah drew her own sword, her heart racing with excitement and fear. The zombies attacked and the battle was intense and chaotic, with bullets flying and zombies stumbling towards them.

Sarah fought hard, taking down zombie after zombie with her precision her sword skills. But despite their best efforts, there were just too many of them. The group began to tire, their breathing heavy and labored.

Just when it seemed like all was lost, Dr. Mullins shouted out to the group. "We need to get out of here! We can't hold them off much longer!" he shouted. "Quickly, let's put some distance between us and them."

Without hesitation, Alex led the charge, Sarah close behind followed by the others. They headed towards a nearby alleyway and kept moving.

The group caught their breath as they listened for the sound of zombies outside. They knew that they had to keep moving if they were going to survive.

After a few minutes of silence, Alex whispered to the group, "We need to keep moving. We can't stay here."

Nodded in agreement, their hearts still racing from the battle they knew that they had to keep moving if they were going to make it to their destination.

As they emerged from the alleyway, they found themselves face to face with a horde of zombies that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The group knew that they couldn't fight them off again so soon after their previous battle.

"We need to find another way around," Alex said quietly. A few of the Resistance people engaged the closest zombies to keep them busy while they searched for the best path to take. "We need to get out of the city as quickly as possible."

Sarah nodded in agreement as they quickly scanned their surroundings for an alternative route. After a few moments of searching, they spotted a narrow roadway leading off into the distance.

"What about this way, it is headed in the right direction and I don't see anything on the road." Sarah called over to Alex.

Looking past her he nodded agreement. Without hesitation, Alex led them down the roadway. The group followed close behind him as they made their way through the city wasteland.

As they walked on they came to the edge of the city and began moving off down the road that lay before them. As they walked, Dusty and Sarah couldn't help but wonder what lay ahead for them. Would they be able to outrun the new form of life? And what would happen when they finally reached their destination?

The continued down the road until late in the evening, the goal for the day was to put as much distance between them as the zombies as possible. As the sun began to set, they found a small farmhouse that had been long abandoned. 

Checking that it was empty, they make camp building a big fire in the fireplace to bring some warmth to the chilly night air. They had made it out of the city, it was the first step in their path to safety.