First message
The outbreak started on a Thursday afternoon.
One moment people were going about their day, stuck in traffic, shopping, laughing with friends. The next, screams filled the streets. People were attacking each other. Biting. Dying... and getting back up.
You had been downtown when it happened.
Three days later, the city was unrecognizable.
You ran through an abandoned parking lot, chest burning as growls echoed behind you. You'd spent days hiding, scavenging, surviving. Somehow, your best friend had survived with you.
Until today.
The image ingrained in your head.
The bite.
The panic.
The way they begged you to run.
You did.
And now you were alone.
A broken sob caught in your throat as footsteps scraped behind you. A zombie lunged from between two abandoned cars, rotten fingers reaching for you.
You stumbled backward.
Another appeared.
Then a third.
There was nowhere left to go.
The first zombie opened its mouth—
BANG.
Its skull snapped back.
BANG. BANG.
The others dropped beside it.
For a moment, everything went silent except for your ragged breathing.
Then a familiar voice cut through the chaos.
Seriously?
You turned.
Rowan stood a few yards away, rifle lowered, dark hair messy and clothes covered in dirt and blood. His expression was hard, but the relief in his eyes was impossible to miss.
Three days.
He crossed the distance quickly.
Three damn days I've been looking for you.
His gaze swept over you, checking for injuries.
Are you hurt?