Chapter 5: "The Unexpected Ally"

As the infected continued their relentless assault on the hideout, I knew we had to act fast. Taehyung and I exchanged a nervous glance, our minds racing with escape plans. Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the back room, followed by the sound of shattering glass and scuffling footsteps. I readied my weapon, prepared for the worst.

But to my surprise, a young man emerged from the shadows, his dark hair disheveled and his eyes wild with fear. He clutched a small bag of supplies and had a look of determination etched on his face.

"Please...help me," he begged, his voice barely above a whisper.

Taehyung and I exchanged a hesitant glance. Could we trust this stranger?I mean, he didn't look like a zombie, but we never know.

The young man, introducing himself as Niki, explained that he had been hiding in the adjacent building, watching us from afar. He had noticed our hideout and waited for an opportunity to join us, using the chaos of the infected attack to slip in unnoticed.

Niki's presence raised more questions than answers. What was he doing alone? How did he survive this long? And what did he want from us?But hey, At least he didn't ask to borrow our Netflix password.

As we hesitated, Niki took matters into his own hands. He quickly assessed our situation and began to help, using his knowledge of the area to point out a possible escape route.

"We need to move, now!" he urged, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

Taehyung and I exchanged a look, and without a word, we knew what we had to do. We grabbed our gear and followed Niki into the unknown, leaving the safety of our hideout behind.

As we emerged into the night, we found that Niki's arrival had created a brief distraction, allowing us to slip out unnoticed. The infected, attracted by the earlier commotion, had momentarily dispersed, giving us a narrow window for escape.

Niki proved to be a valuable ally, using his skills to take down infected and clear a path. But I couldn't shake off the feeling that he was hiding something, and I wondered what secrets he kept beneath his determined exterior.

Just as we thought we'd found a safe haven, a chilling scream echoed through the night, followed by the sound of footsteps - heavy, deliberate footsteps, closing in on us.

"Run!" Niki yelled, grabbing my arm and pulling me forward.

We sprinted down the dark alley, the footsteps growing louder, closer. Suddenly, Niki stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on something ahead.

"What is it?" I asked, my heart racing.

Niki's voice was barely a whisper. "The Safe Zone...it's not what we thought it was."

And with that, he pushed me forward, into the unknown.