Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"We need to go. Now," Risa said, stepping toward the woman and her kids.

The children had their faces buried against the woman, their small bodies trembling. They were clearly terrified by the gunshots. The woman, however, sat frozen—her wide blue eyes still locked onto the bodies, struggling to process what had just happened.

"Where did you get that gun?" the woman finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"That's not important right now," Risa replied firmly. "We need to get far from here. Someone might have heard the shots. We have to find somewhere safer."

She crouched in front of the children, softening her expression. "Let me carry them so we can move faster."

The kids peeked at her, still fearful.

Risa offered them a small, reassuring smile. "It's okay. We're going somewhere safe. Just close your eyes for now, alright?"

She didn't want them to see the bodies behind her. That kind of sight wasn't good for their young minds.

She glanced back up at the white-haired woman. The shock in her eyes shifted into something more serious before she gave a small nod. She gently nudged the children, silently telling them it was okay.

Hesitantly, the girls moved toward Risa. She lifted them effortlessly, holding one in each arm. Their small arms wrapped around her neck, their faces burying into her shoulder as if trying to block out the world.

They were too light. Underweight for their age.

We need to find food soon.

Risa took a deep breath, tightening her hold on them before turning back to the woman. "Let's move."

As they moved through the darkness, putting as much distance between themselves and the barn as possible, Risa spoke up.

"Where is Douglas' base?"

The white-haired woman abruptly stopped in her tracks. She turned to Risa, her expression shifting from fear to shock and disbelief.

"Why?" Her voice was tight, almost accusing. "Are you planning to send us back to him?"

Risa furrowed her brows. "What? No. Why would I—" She exhaled sharply, realizing how it must have sounded. "Look, I just need to know which direction we shouldn't go. The last thing we need is to accidentally walk straight into his hands."

The woman still looked hesitant, looking at the children, then back to her. Risa could see the way her body tensed, like she was preparing for the worst.

Risa softened her tone. "I don't know what kind of people you've dealt with before, but I'm not handing you over to anyone." She met the woman's wary gaze. "I just got you out of that situation. I'm not about to throw you back into it."

The woman studied her for a long moment before finally exhaling. "West," she muttered. "His main camp is west of here, near the old industrial zone. They have walls, weapons, supplies, and too many people loyal to him."

Risa gave a short nod, taking in the information. "Then we go east."

After hours of trekking through the dense forest, exhaustion settled deep into Risa's bones. The children were barely awake in her arms, their small bodies limp with fatigue. Beside her, the white-haired woman stumbled, her steps unsteady.

Then, through the trees, a dark silhouette emerged—a cabin.

The wooden structure was weathered and draped in moss, almost swallowed by the overgrowth. Grimy, cracked windows stared out like vacant eyes, and the front door hung slightly ajar, creaking softly in the wind.

Risa stopped, scanning the area. No movement. No sounds—except for the distant hoot of an owl.

"This might be safe," she murmured, adjusting her grip on the kids.

The woman, breathing heavily, eyed the cabin with uncertainty. "Or it might not be."

Risa nodded, then gently set the children down, patting their heads in reassurance. "Stay back. I'll check it first."

She stepped onto the porch, the old wood groaning beneath her weight. Her fingers tightened around her weapon as she nudged the door open, revealing the dark, musty interior.

The cabin was small but solid. A stone fireplace stood against one wall, cold and untouched. A worn-out couch sagged in the center of the room. A wooden table and a few chairs sat nearby, covered in dust. In the corner, a kitchen area with pots hinted at long-forgotten meals. A narrow hallway stretched deeper into the cabin, leading to what looked like a bedroom.

The air was thick with dust and decay, but something about the place felt... off. Untouched, yet not entirely abandoned.

Then, from the bedroom—a faint thud.

Risa froze.

Something—or someone—was inside.

Risa's breath caught in her throat as she tightened her grip on her gun, but she didn't draw it. Her instincts screamed at her to be ready. Keeping her steps light, she crept forward, pressing herself against the wall beside the bedroom door.

She took a slow breath, then peeked inside.

A man sat hunched over in the dimly lit room, his back facing her. His clothes—a camping jacket and worn-out jeans—were caked in dirt and dried blood. That wasn't the strangest part.

It was his face.

The side of his head was visible in the weak moonlight filtering through the cracked window, and his skin was peeling away in patches, revealing rotting flesh beneath. His lips were cracked, his cheeks sunken, and his eyes were hazy and lifeless.

Risa's stomach twisted. 'A zombie?'. That wasn't possible.

Zombies weren't real.

This wasn't some horror movie or post-apocalyptic video game—this was real life.

Yet, as if to mock her disbelief, the man let out a low, wet gurgle and twitched. His head jerked unnaturally, as though sensing her presence.

Risa's pulse hammered in her ears as the decayed man twitched, his movements erratic and unnatural. His cloudy eyes locked onto her, and with a wet, rattling breath, he took a staggering step forward.

Her instincts screamed at her to shoot, but she forced herself to stay still. A gunshot would be too loud. If there were more of these things out there, she couldn't risk drawing them in.

She needed to take him down quietly.

Her eyes darted around the room. There—a rusted fire poker leaning against the stone fireplace. It wasn't ideal, but it was solid metal and long enough to keep some distance.

Keeping her gun ready in one hand, she crept forward and grabbed the poker with the other. The man let out another ragged, gurgling breath, his decayed lips peeling back as if trying to snarl. He moved again, faster this time, reaching toward her with claw-like fingers.

Risa didn't hesitate.

She swung the poker hard, slamming the blunt end into the side of his head. The impact made a sickening crack, and the man staggered, his legs wobbling before he dropped to his knees.

But he didn't go down.

With a choked rasp, he lunged again, his rotting fingers clawing for her leg.

Risa grated her teeth and adjusted her grip. One more hit. She raised the poker high and brought it down straight into his skull.

A sickening squelch. A violent twitch. Then—stillness.

Risa's breathing was ragged as she took a step back, gripping the poker tightly.

'What the hell was that?'

Risa barely had a moment to breathe before she heard it—another shuffle, this time from the far side of the room.

Her grip on the fire poker tightened as she turned toward the noise. The dim light barely reached the shadowed corner near an old wooden wardrobe, but she could see her.

A woman.

Or at least, what was left of one.

She stood half-hidden in the darkness, dressed in weathered camping gear—a torn jacket and dirt-streaked hiking pants. Her arms hung limp at her sides, but her head twitched unnaturally, and her red-rimmed eyes locked onto Risa. Her mouth was slightly open, her lips cracked, as if frozen mid-scream.

Risa felt a shiver crawl up her spine. The last one had lurched at her mindlessly. But this one?

She was just standing there. Watching.

Then, without warning, the woman moved.

Not a slow, staggering step. A sharp, jerking lunge.

Risa barely dodged in time as the creature slammed into the space where she had been standing. Dust flew up as it collided with the wooden table.

No time to hesitate.

Risa shifted her stance, gripping the fire poker like a spear. The woman snarled—actually snarled—and whipped her head around, her cloudy, bloodshot eyes locking onto Risa again.

She's faster.

Before the woman could lunge a second time, Risa struck—driving the fire poker straight into her chest.

It hit, but it didn't stop her.

With an unnatural screech, the creature grabbed the metal rod, her decayed fingers curling around it, trying to push it out.

Risa felt a jolt of panic. 'Shit. That didn't work.'

The woman's jaw unhinged wider than it should, her rotten teeth snapping dangerously close to Risa's face.

Risa yanked the poker free and drove it upward—straight through the skull.

The woman's body convulsed before collapsing, lifeless.

Risa took a deep breath, steadying herself. The cabin was too small to risk surprises. She needed to be sure there were no more of those things inside.

Gripping the fire poker, she moved carefully through each room.

After confirming that the place was clear, Risa exhaled, lowering the fire poker. Now to deal with the bodies.

She grabbed the first corpse—the male one—and dragged it across the wooden floor, muscles straining as she pulled it toward the door. The decayed flesh reeked.

With a final heave, she dumped him outside, his body landing in the dirt with a dull thud.

The second one—the woman—was lighter, but moving her was just as unpleasant. Risa made sure to drag them far enough from the cabin that the others wouldn't have to see.

When she was done, she wiped her hands on her jeans, grimaced at the filth.

Time to let them in.

She walked back toward where the white-haired woman stood, clutching the kids. Their small hands gripped her jacket tightly.

Risa met the woman's uncertain gaze and gave a nod. "It's safe now."

The woman hesitated, then finally stepped forward, leading the children inside.