The morning light filtered through the canopy of trees, casting long golden beams across the forest floor. The embers of last night's fire smoldered low, tendrils of smoke curling into the crisp air. Leila stood with her arms crossed, watching the group stir awake, the weight of Kai's words from the night before still pressing heavily on her mind.
She hadn't slept. Not really. Too many moving pieces, too many uncertainties. They were out of time. The outbreak was escalating faster than expected, and their window to secure the cabin before the chaos reached them was closing. Trust, or lack thereof, was another problem entirely. Jace and Ellie had grown quieter, their suspicion simmering beneath the surface. She had heard them whispering when they thought she was asleep. She didn't have to hear the words to understand their meaning.
Jace had started keeping his distance, his interactions with her clipped and calculated. Ellie had taken to lingering closer to him, their hushed conversations growing more frequent. Leila could feel the weight of their distrust in every glance they exchanged, every unspoken hesitation when she gave a command. It wasn't just doubt—it was the beginning of something more dangerous.
Kai, on the other hand, was a wild card. His presence was an unplanned variable, one she wasn't sure she could afford to ignore. He had knowledge, resources, and most importantly—experience. But Leila had spent enough time in the old world, before it fell, to know that people like Kai never offered something for nothing.
The air was thick with tension as she stepped toward the small map she had unrolled on a flat rock near the fire. It was an old highway map, tattered and marked with her notes from weeks of preparation. The cabin was still their best option. Isolated, defensible, stocked. But the closer they got, the greater the risks became.
Kai approached first, standing just off to her side, arms crossed as he studied her work. "You're smart," he admitted. "You planned ahead. That's rare."
Leila didn't look up from the map. "And you're still here," she noted dryly. "That's rare too."
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I know a good bet when I see one."
Mark, still rubbing the sleep from his face, trudged over and crouched next to the map. Darren followed soon after, keeping his distance from Kai. Fiona hovered near the fire, clutching her medical bag as if it would anchor her.
Jace and Ellie lingered in the background, just far enough away to keep themselves separate. Watching. Weighing their options. Jace's arms were crossed tightly over his chest, his posture rigid. Ellie's eyes darted between Leila and the others, her fingers twitching at her side as though she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to.
Leila tapped the map with the end of her knife. "We move within the hour. The town between us and the cabin is already starting to show signs of collapse. That means more looters, more infected, and less time to waste."
Mark frowned. "What about supplies? We're burning through food faster than expected."
"We salvage what we can on the way," she replied. "But we don't take risks. The goal is getting to the cabin, not playing hero."
Jace scoffed under his breath. "Easy for you to say."
Leila's gaze snapped to him. "You have something to add?"
Jace hesitated, but Ellie stepped in before he could answer. "You expect us to keep following your lead, but you don't tell us everything," she said, her tone carefully neutral, but there was an edge to it. "You keep secrets, Leila. You're hiding something. And we're just supposed to fall in line and trust that you have all the answers?"
Leila's fingers curled against the handle of her knife. She forced her expression to remain impassive. "I'm doing what I have to so we survive."
Ellie let out a bitter laugh. "That's not an answer."
Kai studied the exchange quietly, his gaze flickering between them. "People do stupid things when they're desperate," he murmured.
Leila clenched her jaw, glancing toward Jace and Ellie. They caught her stare but didn't challenge it. Not yet.
She turned back to the map, pressing her palm flat against it. "We move in formation. Darren on point, Mark and I covering the sides, Fiona and Ellie in the center, Jace on rear guard."
"And me?" Kai asked, his voice calm.
Leila met his gaze. "You stay within sight."
A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Fair enough."
The group moved quickly, breaking camp and loading their packs. The weight of exhaustion was visible in their sluggish movements, but fear kept them going. As they stepped onto the overgrown road leading out of the woods, the tension thickened. The wind carried the distant sound of sirens—faint, but still there. A reminder that the last remnants of the old world were still collapsing.
They walked for miles, keeping their pace steady. The forest eventually gave way to the ruins of civilization. Houses with doors left open, belongings scattered on front lawns, abandoned cars clogging the roads. A world frozen in the moment disaster struck.
Leila motioned for them to halt as they reached an intersection. A rusted-out pickup truck sat in the middle of the road, its doors ajar. A dark, dried stain stretched from the driver's seat down into the pavement.
Jace and Ellie lingered at the back of the group, exchanging tense whispers when they thought no one was watching. But Leila was always watching. She caught glimpses of their silent conversation—Ellie's hand gestures, Jace's narrowed eyes. They were planning something.
Leila's paranoia sharpened, her instincts screaming that whatever was coming wasn't going to be a simple disagreement. They were waiting for an opportunity, a moment of weakness.
She needed to be ahead of them.
Darren tightened his grip on his rifle. "We going around?"
Leila hesitated, eyes scanning the shadows between buildings. Then, a shuffling sound. Slow. Measured. Not the erratic sprint of fresh infected.
A figure emerged from the side of a nearby gas station. Gaunt, wild-eyed, clothes torn. His movements were sluggish, his skin already mottled with the telltale signs of the virus taking hold. He turned toward them, hollow eyes locking onto their group.
Leila exhaled. "Just one."
Jace stiffened behind her. "One is all it takes."
Before she could respond, the infected man let out a garbled, rattling groan and charged.
It was too fast.
Jace was closest. He stumbled back, his hand fumbling for his weapon. Too slow.
Leila moved on instinct, raising her rifle. A single shot rang out, the crack splitting the silence like a blade through glass. The infected crumpled instantly, its body skidding against the pavement.
The echo of the shot lingered.
Leila turned, finding Jace's pale face, his breathing erratic. He hadn't even drawn his weapon.
Ellie was already by his side, gripping his arm. She looked at Leila, a storm of emotions in her eyes. "You didn't have to kill it."
Leila's expression remained cold. "Yes. I did."
Jace's expression darkened. "You didn't even hesitate."
Kai stepped up beside her, his voice low. "You handled that well."
Leila glanced at him. "Noticed something?"
Kai's gaze flickered toward Jace and Ellie, then back to her. "They don't trust you."
Leila exhaled, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Trust doesn't matter when survival is all that counts."
But as they walked, she knew one thing for certain.
Jace and Ellie were waiting for their moment.
And when it came, Leila would make sure she was ready.