Chapter 5: The Encounter
Ethan moved cautiously, his eyes scanning the streets with every step. The city was eerily quiet, save for the occasional distant groan or shuffle. The air smelled of smoke and decay, a grim reminder of the chaos that had overtaken everything. The world had been turned upside down, and now, it was survival of the fittest.
He passed abandoned stores and overturned cars, moving deeper into the city. His mind was a mess—questions swirling, anxiety bubbling beneath the surface. Where was everyone? Were there more survivors? What did he do now?
His stomach growled, reminding him of the urgency of finding food. He hadn't eaten much last night, and what he had was gone. The rations in his backpack wouldn't last long.
A low growl from an alleyway stopped him in his tracks.
He froze.
The sound was unmistakable. It wasn't human, and it wasn't the shuffling of an infected. It was something bigger. Something that had been hiding.
Ethan slowly backed away, his hand tightening on the metal pipe as his heart pounded in his chest. But before he could turn to run, a figure emerged from the shadows.
It was human.
A woman.
She was tall, her dark hair matted with dirt and blood, a rifle slung across her back. Her eyes locked onto Ethan's, and for a brief moment, there was only silence. The kind that hung heavy, filled with unspoken tension.
She raised a hand cautiously, signaling that she wasn't a threat, but Ethan didn't lower the pipe.
"Who are you?" Ethan croaked, his voice cracking.
The woman didn't speak immediately. She studied him for a moment, her gaze sharp, calculating. Her clothes were torn, and her face was bruised, but there was a certain hardened look in her eyes that told Ethan she had survived much worse than this.
"My name's Leah," she finally said, her voice steady, but there was an underlying edge to it. "I'm not here to hurt you."
Ethan nodded slowly, still unsure. "What… what's going on? How many—how many of them are there?"
Leah's expression tightened, and she glanced around the corner, eyes darting. "Too many. Too damn many," she muttered, her voice low. "We're not safe here. We need to move."
Ethan hesitated. A part of him wanted to turn and run, but another part—the more desperate part—wanted to trust her. She was the first person he had seen who wasn't dead, and something in his gut told him that surviving alone would be impossible.
"Where do we go?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Leah turned toward him, her expression hardening. "I have a place. But we need to keep moving. They're not far behind."
Without waiting for him to respond, she turned and started down the alleyway, her movements swift and sure. Ethan had no choice but to follow.
He stayed close, keeping his distance but never letting her out of his sight. Every few steps, he glanced over his shoulder, half-expecting the infected to be closing in on them.
Leah led him through the maze of alleyways and backstreets, constantly glancing around, her senses sharp. Ethan couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at her calm, collected demeanor. It was like she had been doing this for a long time.
Finally, they arrived at a small, fortified building—a rundown warehouse, its windows boarded up, and a makeshift barricade blocking the entrance. Leah stopped at the door, turning to look at Ethan.
"Stay close," she warned, voice low. "There are others inside, but they're not all friendly. If you want to make it, you need to follow my lead."
Ethan swallowed, his anxiety bubbling up again. He had no idea what to expect—who else was inside, or what kind of people they were. But he knew one thing: this was his chance to survive. He didn't have the luxury of making enemies now.
Leah pushed open the door, and Ethan stepped inside, his senses on high alert. The dim light inside the warehouse flickered, casting long shadows across the room.
And then he saw them.
A small group of survivors—maybe five or six people—huddled in the corner, their eyes wary but not hostile. They looked like they had been through hell, just like him.
Leah nodded toward them. "This is Ethan," she said, her voice surprisingly warm despite the tension. "He's with me. For now."
Ethan didn't know what to say. He just nodded, his heart racing as he took in his new surroundings. The group watched him silently, some looking curious, others indifferent. It was clear they weren't used to newcomers.
But it didn't matter.
He was here now.
And this was his chance.
To survive.