Chapter 7: The First Test

The sky was a dull gray the next morning. The wind carried the smell of ash and something foul. Aiden stood on the rooftop, watching the streets below. He counted five infected moving slowly down the block, dragging their feet and groaning.

Behind him, the group gathered again. Their muscles ached from yesterday's training, but no one complained. Jake walked up to Aiden, a baseball bat resting on his shoulder.

"What's the plan today?"

Aiden didn't take his eyes off the street. "Today, we're going outside."

Jake's eyes widened. "We're going out there? Already?"

Aiden finally looked at him. "You want to survive, right? This is how you'll survive. You need real experience, not just rooftop drills."

The others stood still, nervous. Aiden turned to face them.

"This isn't a game. We'll head to the small convenience store a block away. We need more food, batteries, and medicine. I'll be with you, but I won't be doing all the work. This is your first real test."

One of the younger boys raised his hand. "What if we mess up?"

Aiden was blunt. "Then someone dies. So don't mess up."

He handed out weapons. Bats, metal rods, and a few knives. He gave Jake the only spare crowbar.

"Stay close. Stay quiet. And if I tell you to run, you run."

They left through the back alley. Aiden led the way, crouched and alert. Jake followed, then the rest. Every shadow looked dangerous. Every sound made them flinch.

When they reached the store, Aiden signaled them to stop.

"Two zombies inside," he whispered. "One's near the freezer. The other is behind the counter. Jake, you're up."

Jake looked nervous but stepped forward.

"You've got this," Aiden said. "Aim for the head. No fear."

Jake moved in slowly. His hands were tight around the crowbar. He rounded the corner of the shelf and saw the first zombie. It was an old man in a torn uniform, eyes glazed over, blood on his shirt.

Jake took a deep breath and swung. The crowbar hit the side of the zombie's head with a loud crack. It dropped instantly.

Aiden nodded, proud but focused. "Next one."

The second zombie crawled out from behind the counter. It was faster, groaning louder.

One of the girls in the group screamed.

The zombie lunged toward her.

Aiden moved like lightning. He stepped in front of the girl and drove his blade through the zombie's skull.

He turned to the group. "Don't scream. Ever. That noise could have brought a dozen more."

The girl nodded quickly, shaking.

They searched the store quickly. Canned goods, energy bars, some bottled water, and a few boxes of cold medicine. Aiden loaded half into his backpack and gave the rest to the group to carry.

They were almost done when another growl echoed from the back storage room.

"One more," Aiden whispered. "Tim, your turn."

Tim froze. "Me?"

"You've trained. Time to use it."

Tim nodded, gripping his bat. He walked slowly into the back room. The others listened, tense.

There was a loud bang, a grunt, then silence.

Tim returned, his bat bloody. "It's done."

Aiden gave him a small nod. "Good work."

They exited the store and made their way back to the apartment, this time moving with a little more confidence.

Back inside, they dropped their bags and collapsed on the floor. Jake let out a deep breath.

"That was insane. I thought we were going to die."

"But you didn't," Aiden said. "You acted. You protected each other. That's the first step."

The group smiled a little. Even the girl who had screamed looked more hopeful now.

Aiden leaned against the wall, cleaning his blade. He didn't say it out loud, but he was proud.

Today, they had passed their first test.

But there would be even harder ones ahead.