Ava moved carefully as she entered the yard, one hand on her pistol, the other steady near her knife. Her steps were light. Her breath is calm.
Nazi was strapped to her back, bundled in a thick jacket and soft carrier. His little face was pressed against her shoulder, half-asleep.
Ava kept walking. Slowly. Quietly. She didn't flinch when a loose can rolled from somewhere in the dark. She didn't panic when a crow flew off from the tree above.
Then..
Movement.
To her left, near the old water pump, a figure stumbled out of the shadows.
The skin was pale, torn. Its arms twitched as it walked. The head tilted, snapping toward her.
Undead.
Ava didn't stop.
She raised her pistol with silencer, aimed without hesitation, and fired.
Pfft.
A single suppressed shot. The bullet tore through the forehead. The body crumpled silently into the tall grass.
She kept moving.
Another one appeared, then two more.
One got too close.
Ava stepped in, drew her knife, and drove the blade clean into its temple. Then twisted. The second fell to a bullet between the eyes. The third, she grabbed its collar, shoved it down, and finished it with a clean downward strike into the skull.
Her movements were smooth, efficient. No wasted steps. No hesitation.
On her back, Nazi hummed along to the song, unaware of the danger.
"All through the town..."
—----
Inside the house, Uncle Ferdie crouched near a window with a rifle in his hands. His eyes were sharp, but tired. His porch light was broken, and the generator had run out an hour ago. He had been shooting for the past twenty minutes.
Now, there was silence.
He peeked through the cracked blinds, his back against the wall.
Then he saw it.
A shadow moving through the yard.
Low. Fast. Too clean to be a walker.
He leaned forward, frowning. "Who the hell's out there…?"
Another undead tried to rise near the side fence. The shadow moved first. Gun raised. Flash, silent. Headshot.
Then another.
And another.
Every shot landed. Clean. Deadly.
"…That ain't no rookie," Ferdie whispered, stunned.
The last one dropped.
Then the yard went quiet.
A soft breeze rustled the tall grass.
Thump.
A sound at the front door.
Ferdie stood slowly, rifle still in hand.
—---
The smell of gunpowder still clung to Ava as she stepped inside.
Her pistol, still warm, lowered slightly. Smoke trailed from its barrel.
Nazi peeked over her shoulder, small hands clutching the back of her jacket.
"E-I-E-I-O…" the rhyme is barely loud enough to hear.
The hallway lights flickered weakly. Dust floated through the air.
In front of her, a shadow moved.
Click.
A rifle raised, aimed straight at her.
"Back off!" came a low growl. "I swear, I'll…"
Then he paused.
"…Ava?"
Ferdie slowly lowered the gun. "…What the hell are you doing here, girl?"
She stepped forward, eyes scanning the windows, still alert.
"This place won't hold," she said, voice low but calm. "You stay here, you die."
He blinked. "I've got food. Water. Ammo. You think I can't handle–"
"No perimeter," Ava interrupted. "No watchers. No fallback. No time."
Her words were quiet but firm. They cut deeper than shouting would have.
Ferdie stared at her.
Then at the baby on her back.
Then back at her.
"…You're serious."
Ava nodded.
"Where I go, he goes."
Outside, a distant groan echoed.
The undead were gathering.
Ferdie sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Damn it. Fine. Let me grab my stuff."
Moments later as they stepped outside, Ferdie stopped.
"…Holy hell."
His yard was crawling.
Shadows staggered through the tall grass. Limbs twisted. Heads tilted. Dozens of them.
The porch light flickered above, casting uneven light.
Ava didn't blink.
She shifted Nazi's weight on her back and drew her knife with one hand, pistol in the other.
A slow breath escaped her lips.
Nazi softly sang, "Old MacDonald had a farm…"
Then Ava moved.
A burst of speed. A clean headshot. Pfft.
One down.
She rolled low, slicing the legs from another. Then, up, stab, into the head.
The undead were fast but her movements were faster and smoother. Her body moved like it remembered pain. Like it didn't allow mistakes.
Nazi giggled softly. The nursery rhyme is still playing in his ears. To him, it was just another ride with Mommy.
Ferdie raised his rifle to help, but he barely had time to aim.
Ava already cleared the path ahead.
She kicked a barrel, knocking it into two undead. Another slipped in the grass. She struck one with the hilt of her knife, spun, and shot its skull clean.
The dry grass nearby caught fire, distracted some of them, and drew others away.
Ferdie stared. "You're not the same girl I remember."
Ava didn't answer.
There was no time.
They reached the fence. A dozen more undead blocked the gate.
Ava didn't hesitate.
She dove, sliding low under the old wire mesh. While sliding, she fired upward, pop pop pop, three clean kills.
Nazi, still strapped to her back, clapped softly. "With a moo moo here, and a moo moo there…"
Ferdie followed, panting, rifle raised, but Ava was already ahead again.
Another one lunged. She spun and slammed it down with her elbow, then stabbed it through the eye.
Blood splashed her arm.
She didn't flinch.
Nazi leaned against her shoulder, still humming.
Ava led Uncle Ferdie through the last stretch of yard, stepping over fallen bodies, ash, and broken fence wire. Smoke curled in the air behind them, soft and gray.
The car waited near the ditch, engine still warm from the earlier drive.
Ferdie slowed as they neared it, looking around with disbelief in his eyes. "Girl… what the hell did you become?"
Ava opened the driver's door without answering.
He stared at her again. "Your father never mentioned you did firing."
Ava paused, her voice low.
"I don't know how to explain it. I just… had to be this."
Ferdie didn't reply.
He just nodded, quietly. Then slid into the passenger seat, breathing hard. His rifle rested between his legs. His hands were still shaking.
In the backseat, Nazi hummed softly. The tune had changed again.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star…"
Ava checked the mirrors.
The undead were coming.
A horde. Dozens. Maybe more. Crawling out from behind the trees, from under the shadows. Hungry. Mindless.
The kind of hunger that didn't care what you used to be.
Ava reversed.
The tires screeched against the dirt. She turned the wheel hard, spinning the car sideways, then floored it forward.
The engine roared.
They tore across the overgrown field, cutting between dead trees and broken fences. Grass whipped at the windows. Blood still stained her arms, but her grip on the wheel was steady.
The road turned. She took it fast, tires kicking up dust behind them.
Ahead, the tall silhouette of the farm rose into view.
The front gate was already opening.
Pablo stood near the switchbox. Aryan had a flashlight in one hand and a crossbow in the other.
Both of them looked ready.
Ava didn't slow down.
The car burst through the gate just as it opened wide enough. Gravel crunched under the wheels. The gate creaked shut behind them…
Ferdie leaned back in the seat, sweat dripping from his brow. "Okay," he muttered, still catching his breath. "You were right. Your place is better."
Ava didn't answer.
She stared straight ahead, eyes cold and steady.
The hum of Nazi's nursery song played gently behind them.
Then the soft chime rang inside her mind.
[Task Complete: Retrieve Another Survivor]
[Reward: +10 System Points]
[System Bond Deepened – Dependent Perk Unlocked: "Calm Presence"]
[Passive Effect: Reduces fear effect on Dependent during combat situations.]
[Available System Points: 20]
She let out a small breath she hadn't realized she was holding.