The city was a graveyard of twisted steel and shattered glass. Fire flickered in the distance, its glow casting eerie shadows over the crumbling skyline. The air was thick with smoke and decay, and the groans of the undead echoed through the streets. Jack gripped his pistol tightly, his eyes scanning the wreckage for movement. Riley crouched beside him, her wrench held like a weapon. Mia, barely nine years old, clutched Shadow, their sleek black cat, to her chest.
“We have to move,” Jack murmured. “They’re getting closer.”
The trio darted through an alleyway, stepping over a rotting corpse slumped against a dumpster. The city had once been their home, but now it belonged to the dead. Jack had seen it happen—the infection spreading like wildfire, neighbors turning into monsters overnight. He had tried to fight back, but there were too many. Now, survival was all that mattered.
A low growl rumbled from the shadows. Shadow’s ears twitched, his body tensing in Mia’s arms.
“What is it, buddy?” she whispered.
Before anyone could react, a zombie lunged from behind a wrecked taxi. Its sunken eyes locked onto them, teeth bared in a silent snarl. Jack raised his gun and fired, the shot echoing through the empty street. The creature collapsed, its body twitching before going still.
“Damn it, Jack!” Riley hissed. “That was loud. We need to go!”
From the distance came the sound of more groans, followed by the unmistakable shuffle of feet. They had been heard.
“Run!” Jack ordered.
They sprinted through the ruins, weaving through abandoned cars and debris. Mia clung to Shadow, her small legs struggling to keep up. Jack scooped her up without breaking stride. Riley led the way, her mechanic’s overalls stained with dirt and dried blood. They needed shelter—somewhere defensible.
Then, they saw it. An old bookstore, its metal gate half-closed but intact.
“There!” Riley pointed.
Jack pushed through the door, quickly slamming it shut behind them. Riley yanked the gate down the rest of the way, locking them in. The moans grew louder outside, fists pounding against the metal.
“That won’t hold forever,” Jack panted.
The store was dark, shelves covered in dust. Books lay scattered across the floor, their pages curling with time. Mia set Shadow down, and he slinked into the shadows, his green eyes glowing in the dim light.
“We can’t stay long,” Riley said. “We need a plan.”
Jack nodded. “We find supplies, we find a way out. Maybe even find other survivors.”
Mia, quiet until now, looked up. “What if there’s no one left?”
Jack knelt in front of her. “Then we keep moving. We survive.”
A sudden crash from the back of the store made them all jump. Shadow hissed, his fur standing on end. Jack motioned for silence as he crept forward. The back door stood ajar, swinging slightly in the breeze. A figure loomed in the darkness—human, but barely. A man, his skin pallid and eyes wild, stumbled into view. He was alive but infected, his breath ragged.
“Please… help…” he rasped, blood trickling from his lips.
Jack raised his gun, but hesitated. The man was turning, but not yet lost. Could he be saved?
Riley shook her head. “We can’t risk it.”
Jack exhaled, then pulled the trigger. The man’s body fell limp, joining the countless others lost to the apocalypse.
Mia hugged Shadow, burying her face in his fur. “I hate this world.”
Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know, kid. But as long as we’re together, we keep fighting.”
Outside, the undead howled in frustration, but inside, the survivors stood strong. Tomorrow, they would move on. Tomorrow, they would find hope—or die trying.
321TMP
