The corner store was quiet, the kind of quiet that felt unnatural. The kind that pressed down on you, making every breath, every creak of a floorboard sound too loud. Outside, the world had been reduced to ruin—charred buildings, ash, and the ever-present threat of something lurking in the shadows. Inside the store, at least, it felt like a brief reprieve from all that. Cass swept her flashlight over the rows of empty shelves. Most of the food had long been picked clean, but the place still seemed sturdy enough. The roof hadn't caved in, and the backroom could serve as a place to sleep for the night if they blocked the door well enough.
"Think this place'll hold for a while?" Riley asked, standing behind the counter and peering at an old display of candy bars. She pulled a half-melted Snickers out of the pile and inspected it with mild interest.
Cass barely glanced her way. "Maybe. We'll clear out anything useful first. Then we can decide."
She was already in motion, moving from aisle to aisle, checking the shelves for anything they could use. Batteries, canned goods, even a first-aid kit—anything that hadn't been looted in the initial chaos. Her knife stayed gripped in her hand as she worked, ready to react if anything—or anyone—decided to make an appearance.
Meanwhile, Riley had abandoned her search for food and wandered toward the shattered front windows, leaning against the counter and watching Cass work. The quiet between them stretched, the only sound was the soft crunch of their boots on the floor and the occasional shuffle of debris.
Cass liked the silence. It was safer that way.
But Riley was getting restless.
"Do you ever stop and think about how weird all of this is?" Riley asked, her voice breaking the stillness.
Cass didn't answer. She crouched down to check a lower shelf, finding a pack of bottled water half hidden behind a bag of charcoal. She tossed a bottle toward Riley, who caught it easily.
"I mean, look at us," Riley continued, unscrewing the cap and taking a long drink. "Surviving day by day, scavenging old stores for scraps like rats. It's messed up."
Cass remained focused on her task, slipping the rest of the water bottles into her pack. "That's life now."
"That's it? 'That's life now'?" Riley mimicked her tone, shaking her head. "Come on, Cass. Don't you miss how things used to be?"
Cass froze for a second, but it was so quick Riley almost didn't catch it. She didn't respond, instead moving toward the refrigerated section, which had long since lost power. The stench of spoiled milk still lingered faintly in the air. Cass wrinkled her nose and pried open the door to see if there was anything salvageable inside. Riley followed her, clearly bored now. "So, you really don't miss anything? Not even, like, small stuff? Friends? Family?"
Cass kept her back turned. "No."
Riley sighed, dropping her hands to her sides. "You can't expect me to believe that. No one gets through this without missing something."
"Does it matter?" Cass's voice was low, but there was an edge to it.
"To me? Yeah, it kinda does."
Cass turned, finally meeting Riley's gaze, her expression hard. "Then that's your problem."
Riley let out a frustrated huff, kicking at a piece of broken glass on the floor. She wasn't trying to push Cass away, not really. But the silence, the tension—it was suffocating. She couldn't just live like that, moving from place to place, never talking about anything other than survival. She walked over to a display rack and ran her fingers over the dusty magazines. "You know, maybe if you actually opened up once in a while, this wouldn't feel like the loneliest apocalypse ever."
Cass's jaw tightened. "Talking doesn't change anything."
"I'm not asking for a therapy session, I just—" Riley stopped herself, leaning against the counter again. "I don't know. I'm just trying to connect, I guess."
Cass let out a slow breath, her eyes scanning the store again as if looking for an excuse to leave. "There's nothing to connect over."
Riley crossed her arms. "You don't believe that."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them felt heavy, charged with all the things they weren't saying. Riley knew she was pushing, but she couldn't help it. It was in her nature to ask questions, to dig for answers, even when it wasn't safe. Cass, on the other hand, had perfected the art of keeping her distance. She didn't want to let Riley in, didn't want to talk about whatever it was that haunted her. That much was clear.
"So, that's it?" Riley finally asked, her voice quieter now. "We're just supposed to survive together, but we're never actually going to talk about anything real?"
Cass's grip on her knife tightened, her knuckles turning white. "If you want to live, you need to stop caring about things that don't matter."
"Like what?"
Cass's eyes flicked toward Riley, sharp as ever. "Like me."
Riley stared at her, something heavy settling in her chest. Before she could say anything, a faint noise echoed outside. A soft rustle, barely audible, but enough to send a chill down Riley's spine.
Cass stiffened, her body going rigid. Her eyes darted toward the door, her instincts kicking in. "Quiet."
Riley froze, her heart beginning to race. "You think—?"
Cass shot her a warning glare, her finger to her lips. They both stood in the center of the store, listening intently. The noise came again—closer this time. It sounded like something scraping against the pavement outside, slow and deliberate.
Cass gestured for Riley to move back, toward the corner near the refrigerators. They crept silently, trying not to disturb the debris on the floor. Cass crouched low, her knife ready.
The scraping sound turned into a low, guttural growl. It was outside, just beyond the shattered windows. A demon—massive, predatory, hungry.
Riley's breath hitched. "Cass—"
"I said quiet," Cass whispered, her eyes fixed on the door.
The demon's shadow stretched across the broken pavement, its long, twisted limbs barely visible through the grime-covered windows. Its clawed hands gripped the sides of the building as it sniffed the air, searching. Riley's pulse thundered in her ears. This wasn't like before, when they'd heard distant noises and kept moving. This thing had found them.
Cass shot a glance at Riley, her expression tense but controlled. "Stay down. Don't move."
But Riley's nerves were fraying, panic setting in. Her foot caught on a loose piece of metal, and it clattered to the floor with a loud clang. The sound echoed through the store like a gunshot.
The demon's head snapped toward the noise.
"Shit," Riley whispered, her eyes widening in horror.
Cass didn't wait. In one fluid motion, she lunged forward, grabbing Riley by the arm and yanking her toward the back of the store. "Move!"
They sprinted past the shelves, knocking over cans and debris as they went. Behind them, the demon let out a bone-chilling screech and crashed through the front window in a burst of shattered glass and twisted metal. Riley stumbled, adrenaline flooding her system. "We're not gonna make it!"
Cass didn't look back, pulling her toward the rear exit. "Shut up and keep running!"
They burst through the back door, into an alley littered with debris and overgrown with weeds. But the demon was fast—too fast. It slammed into the doorframe behind them, its massive claws tearing through the wood, splintering it like paper.
Cass spun around, shoving Riley toward the far end of the alley. "Go! Get out of here!"
Riley hesitated, her eyes wide with panic. "What about—?"
"Just go!" Cass shouted, pulling out her knife and charging toward the demon without a second thought.
Riley stumbled backward, watching in disbelief as Cass slashed at the creature's legs, her movements quick and precise. The demon roared, swinging its claws at Cass, who narrowly dodged, the blade of her knife gleaming in the dim light. "Cass!" Riley cried out, but Cass didn't stop. With a final, vicious strike, she sliced the demon across its throat. The creature let out a final, gurgling screech before collapsing to the ground in a heap of blackened flesh. Breathing hard, Cass stood over its body, her knife dripping with dark blood. She turned to Riley, her eyes blazing with fury.
"What did I tell you? Nothing else matters but survival"
Riley stood there, chest heaving, processing the chaos unfolding. The demon lay still, its body twisted and grotesque, and the stench of blood filled the alley. She couldn't quite wrap her head around what had just happened. One moment, they were searching for food, and the next, Cass had risked her life to save hers. "I didn't mean to—" Riley started, but Cass cut her off.
"Didn't mean to what? Draw attention to us? You don't get to be careless in a world like this!" Cass's voice was sharp, her expression a mix of anger and fear. She wiped her knife on her pants, but the tension radiated from her like heat. "I know! I know!" Riley snapped back, frustration boiling over. "But I'm not just some silent tagalong! I'm trying to survive too! I thought maybe—"
"Thought maybe what?" Cass interrupted, stepping closer, her eyes narrowing. "That we could sit around and chat about our feelings while demons are hunting us? That's not how this works!" Riley clenched her fists, feeling the heat of anger rising in her. "I get it! I get that we need to be careful! But I can't just pretend everything is fine! I can't just shut down and become some cold, heartless shell like you!" Cass's gaze flickered, a momentary crack in her tough exterior, but she quickly masked it again. "You think you know me? Do you think you know what I've lost? What I have been through?"
Riley took a breath, searching for the right words. "I don't know everything, but I want to. I want to understand why you're like this. Why won't you let anyone in?" The silence that followed felt heavy, the air charged with unspoken truths. Cass's jaw tightened, and for a moment, Riley thought she might open up. But instead, Cass turned away, looking at the dead demon, as if it held all the answers.
"You want to understand? Here's a lesson: this world doesn't care about your feelings. It's about survival. Period." Riley stepped forward, frustration boiling over. "But I don't want just to survive! I want to live! I want to remember what it's like to be human, to connect with someone, even in this hell!"
Cass's shoulders stiffened at her words. "You think that's possible? You think you can just pretend everything is fine and get close to someone without it blowing up in your face?"
face?"
"Why not?" Riley shot back, her voice rising. "What's the point of this life if we can't find some kind of connection? If we can't help each other through this?"
Cass's expression hardened, but there was a flicker of something—uncertainty? Fear? "It's not that simple."
"Then make it simple!" Riley pleaded, her heart racing. "Tell me what you're afraid of. Tell me why you keep pushing me away!"
Cass took a step back, her gaze hardening once more. "I'm afraid of losing you," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
Riley's breath caught in her throat. "What?"
"I'm afraid of getting attached," Cass continued, her eyes darkening. "I've seen what happens when you let people in. I've lost too much already. I won't let that happen again."
The weight of Cass's words settled over them like a shroud. Riley's anger faded, replaced by something deeper, a sense of understanding. "You're scared," she said softly. "You're scared of caring about someone again."
Cass looked away, her expression conflicted. "It's not just fear. It's survival. You don't get to choose who lives and dies out here. And I won't let myself care about someone just to watch them get hurt." Riley stepped closer, her voice gentle. "You don't have to do this alone, Cass. I'm not going anywhere. If we're going to survive, we need each other. And we need to talk about this—whatever it is that's holding you back." Cass's gaze flicked back to Riley, and for a moment, the wall between them seemed to crack. But just as quickly, it hardened again. "This isn't a game. I won't let you drag me down with you."
"I'm not dragging you down," Riley insisted, her heart racing. "I'm trying to help! You don't have to fight this alone. I know we're not family, but we can be something. We can find a way to support each other through all of this." For the first time, Cass hesitated, her expression softening just a fraction. "You really think it's that easy?"
"No," Riley said. "But it's worth trying. It's worth risking something real, even in this nightmare."
Cass stood there, weighing Riley's words, the air thick with tension and uncertainty. The alley felt alive, the remnants of their argument hanging between them like a fragile thread. Finally, Cass exhaled slowly, her defenses lowering just enough for Riley to see the vulnerability beneath. "Maybe… maybe I could try," Cass admitted, her voice barely audible. "But I won't make any promises." Riley smiled, relief flooding through her. "That's all I'm asking for. We'll figure it out together." But just as they shared this moment of fragile understanding, a distant sound broke the stillness—the unmistakable growl of another demon echoing through the alley. "Shit," Cass said, her eyes widening as she snapped back into survival mode. "We need to move."
Riley nodded, her heart racing again as they turned, ready to face whatever was coming next. Together, they sprinted down the alley, the weight of their unspoken fears trailing behind them, knowing that the battle for survival was far from over. But now, at least, they had each other.