Near the Death

Dane pressed his back against the car, peeking around the edge. They were everywhere—staggering through the streets, their decaying bodies swaying with every step. He clenched his jaw, whispering to himself, "If I make one wrong move… this is over. They'll hear me. They'll come for us."

Dane slowly rose from his crouched position, his body tense as he reached for the car door. His hand trembled as he pulled it open, but the moment the door creaked, a lifeless body slumped out of the car, crashing to the ground with a dull thud. The sound reverberated through the air, and every zombie in the vicinity turned their decayed heads in unison, locking onto the fresh source of movement.

Dane's heart dropped, the cold sweat of fear clinging to his skin. The horde, their broken and disjointed limbs barely holding them up, started staggering towards him, their hungry eyes fixated on the corpse now lying on the ground. The grotesque sight of them, dragging themselves with missing limbs and gaping wounds, made his stomach churn.

Dane said There were too many. Far too many.

Panic surged through him. Without another thought, he bolted back to Kade, who lay unconscious and vulnerable on the ground. Dane grabbed him under the arms, hoisting him up with all the strength he had left. His muscles screamed in protest, but he couldn't stop. He dragged Kade toward the car, each step feeling like an eternity as the horde closed in behind him.

"Come on… come on…" Dane muttered under his breath, his breath ragged as he hauled Kade's limp body to the car.

Finally, they reached it. With one last burst of energy, he shoved Kade into the back seat, collapsing beside him. His chest heaved with exhaustion, but he forced himself to sit up and slam the car door shut. His hands fumbled as he locked the doors, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.

The sound of shuffling feet grew louder—closer. Dane peered through the window, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from his chest. The zombies were there, now surrounding the car. Their grotesque faces pressed up against the windows, their dead eyes unseeing but still terrifying in their hunger.

One by one, they turned their attention to the fallen body. With a sickening growl, the first zombie sank its teeth into the corpse's flesh, tearing off chunks with no hesitation. The others followed, piling onto the body like vultures. Blood sprayed in every direction, splattering against the car windows, thick and dark. Dane could hear the wet, grotesque sound of tearing flesh, the snapping of bones, and the low, guttural growls of the creatures as they devoured their prey.

Dane recoiled, pressing himself back against the seat, his breath coming in shallow gasps. His stomach turned, bile rising in his throat. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to block out the horror unfolding outside, but the sound of the feeding frenzy was impossible to escape. He could still hear it—the sickening crunch of teeth breaking through bone, the squelching of blood and guts.

He opened his eyes for just a moment, but the sight made him regret it instantly. One of the zombies had pulled off an arm, gnawing on it with savage intensity. Another had dug its teeth into the dead man's skull, cracking it open as if it were nothing more than a piece of fruit.

Blood smeared across the windows, painting the car in a gruesome red. Some of it dripped down in slow, thick trails, and Dane turned his head away, gagging.

"God... how did the world become this?" he whispered, his voice barely audible as he closed his eyes again, hoping—praying—that if he just kept them shut, this nightmare would end. "How can humanity fall so far? How… how did it come to this?"

Kade remained motionless beside him, completely unaware of the carnage just outside. Dane's mind raced as he sat there, trembling, his hands balled into fists. He wanted to do something—anything—but what could he do? There was no way out. No hospital. No medicine. Only death.

As the last zombie finished its meal, leaving behind nothing but a blood-soaked skeleton, Dane squeezed his eyes shut even tighter. He couldn't bear to look anymore. The weight of despair pressed down on him, suffocating him in the silence that followed the feeding.

"I can't… I can't live like this. This isn't a world for people anymore," Dane whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of his emotions. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he fought them back. He couldn't break down now. Not here. Not with Kade so close to death.

But as the blood dripped slowly down the windows and the rotten stench of death filled the air, Dane couldn't help but wonder if there was any hope left at all.