"GO ON IN!!" Brandon shouted, lagging behind as he urged the front of the group forward. The crowd surged into the firearm store Samantha had pointed out earlier, barely ahead of the chasing zombies. The remaining three—Brandon, Flynn, and Samantha—were still being pursued.
"BRANDON!"
"CLOSE THE DOOR! THEY'RE ATTRACTED TO LARGER CROWDS!" Samantha barked, her voice sharp and urgent. The survivors inside the store hesitated only a second before realizing she was right. The number of zombies chasing the three was thinning—the rest were slowly veering toward the store instead.
A man at the entrance slammed the door shut and scrambled to engage every lock he could find.
Liam scanned the room. Except for the three outside, this was all of them—maybe 40 or 50 people at most. Definitely fewer than last time.
"What do we do?" Flynn asked, eyeing the street packed with undead in every direction.
"That's the largest cluster," Samantha said, pointing at a massive horde heading their way.
"We do the same thing—maneuvering! Move left!" Brandon shouted, and the three of them dashed left, toward the less dense side of the street.
The horde responded exactly as intended, shifting in their direction like a tide. But their path wasn't empty.
"Watch out!" Samantha yelled—too late.
A zombie lunged straight onto Flynn. He braced himself for death.
But it didn't come.
Blood splattered across Flynn's face, blinding him. The zombie's weight collapsed on top of him.
"I got you." Brandon stood over him, having killed the creature just in time.
"They're far from the shop now—we can loop around them!" Flynn shouted as he scrambled up.
"Sounds good, let's go!" Brandon yelled, grabbing both of them by the wrists. He abandoned his broomstick and sprinted ahead, easily outpacing them. He thought dragging them would keep them aligned.
"We're almost there!"
"Zombie—dead ahead!"
"I got it!" Samantha readied her broomstick to swing—but dropped it mid-motion. Brandon's grip had thrown off her balance.
**Graaaagh.**
A zombie blocked their path, mouth wide open. It lunged for Samantha, now only inches away.
Brandon released Flynn and threw a desperate punch, but he was too far. The zombie's teeth were already closer to Samantha's neck than Brandon's fist was to its head.
Samantha froze. Her arm was still behind her from dropping the broomstick. All she could do was watch, paralyzed, as the creature's jaws closed in.
**BANG.**
The zombie's head exploded. Blood sprayed across Samantha's face.
That wasn't human strength. That was a shotgun.
Through the dark, in the firearm store right ahead, she saw someone—wearing a college varsity jacket, face hidden behind a handkerchief. But she knew who it was.
She knew.
"Shut the door!"
The three of them burst into the shop. A survivor slammed it behind them, locking it yet again in one frantic motion.
Zombies slammed into the door seconds later, heads butting and limbs clawing at the surface like frenzied animals.
Brandon, Flynn, and Samantha collapsed, gasping for breath. Flynn's forehead, Brandon's left cheek, and Samantha's entire face were streaked with blood.
**Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.**
The door thudded rhythmically under the zombies' assault.
"That door won't hold for long. Arm yourselves. Now!" Brandon shouted, rising despite the exhaustion.
Samantha stood too—but not to follow orders.
He wasn't there. Not in the corner. Not near the back.
He has to be somewhere, she saw him…
"Samantha, you okay?" Flynn asked, watching her scan the room wildly. "Samantha?"
She didn't answer.
She didn't hear him. She didn't hear the gratitude from the others either:
"Thank you, young lady!"
"Can I know your name?"
"That was your plan, right? You saved us!"
None of it reached her. She just kept searching—eyes darting, turning in every direction. Desperate. Focused. Certain.
He's here. I saw him. I know it's him.
"Samantha!" Flynn finally yanked her wrist.
"What are you doing?"
"What are you doing?"
"Did you see the guy with the shotgun?"
"Uh…" Flynn glanced around. No one stood out.
"Hey! To whoever shot that zombie out there—thanks!" Flynn called out.
"Where are you?" Samantha murmured. "Where are you?" Samantha cried loud.
"Do you…know him?" Flynn asked.
She didn't answer. She kept spinning, surveying every inch of the room like a compass gone mad. Her expression was all confusion and determination—anxious eyes clouded with hope.
"Where are you?"
—
Inside the shop's restroom, Caitlyn leaned against the sink, listening faintly to Samantha's voice echoing from outside.
"Isn't she looking for you?" she asked.
Lydia was curled up on the floor nearby, hyperventilating—her first time in the game had clearly overwhelmed her.
Liam stood with his back against the restroom door, shotgun in hand. His varsity jacket stained with blood.
His voice was calm, quiet, detached.
"No… no, she's not."