Xinyi's breath caught in her throat as the raiders stepped from the ruins, their boots crunching on broken glass and debris. There were six of them, maybe more lurking unseen, each one armed with mismatched weapons rusted blades, scavenged guns, clubs wrapped in barbed wire. Their faces were smeared with dirt and blood, their grins wide and hungry, like predators that had just cornered their prey.
The one who had spoken, tall and wiry with wild hair and a jagged scar running down his cheek, stepped closer, his shotgun resting casually across his shoulder. His eyes gleamed with amusement, as if this was a game to him.
"Well now," he drawled, eyeing Xinyi up and down, then glancing at Xie Yan, Ren, and Zhao Ming. "What's this? A soldier, a stray, and two little rabbits out past their burrow. Lucky us."
Ren's hand twitched toward his weapon, but Xinyi saw it and shook her head the tiniest bit. The raiders were too close, their guns ready. One wrong move would mean a bullet before he could even fire. Xie Yan's posture was deceptively relaxed, but she could feel the tension in him, the coiled readiness beneath his stillness. Zhao Ming looked between them and the raiders, his jaw clenched, sweat trickling down his temple.
The scarred raider tilted his head, considering. "Here's the deal. Give up what you're carrying, and maybe we let you walk. Maybe. Or maybe we just take it and leave you for the biters."
From behind, the howls of the infected grew louder, nearer. The city's monsters were closing in, drawn by the noise, the scent of blood, the promise of a feast. Xinyi's mind raced. The raiders would slow them down, trap them here between one death and another.
Xie Yan's voice was calm, cold. "If you're smart, you'll run. The infected are almost here. You want to die out here for a few supplies?"
The scarred man laughed, the sound sharp and cruel. "We've survived this long. We can handle a few biters. You? I don't think you'll be so lucky."
Xinyi shifted slightly, her fingers brushing the hidden grenade at her hip. It was a risk, but maybe their only one. She caught Xie Yan's eye, the smallest nod passing between them. He understood.
The raiders began to spread out, circling, tightening their trap. One of them stepped too close, reaching for Xinyi's bag. In a single smooth motion, she yanked the pin from the grenade and held it up, her voice steady though her heart thundered in her chest.
"Take one more step, and we all go down together."
The raiders froze. The scarred man's grin faded, replaced by a snarl. His eyes darted to the grenade, to her face, weighing the risk.
"You wouldn't," he hissed.
"Try me," Xinyi said, fingers tight on the grenade, ready to let it drop if she had to. "You'll be too dead to know if I was bluffing."
For a moment, everything hung in the balance. The world seemed to hold its breath. Then the first of the infected broke from the shadows at the edge of the yard, its scream shattering the tension like glass. Others followed, a wave of hunger and rage, charging toward the living.
The raiders panicked. Their bravado melted in an instant, replaced by the raw need to survive. They turned as one, firing at the infected, forgetting Xinyi and the others as the true enemy descended. Xinyi didn't wait. She threw the grenade into the path of the oncoming horde and ran, grabbing Xie Yan's arm as she passed.
"Move!" she shouted, her voice barely audible over the gunfire and the shrieks of the infected.
The grenade exploded in a roar of fire and smoke, tearing through the front ranks of the horde, throwing bodies and debris into the air. The blast knocked several of the raiders off their feet, their screams lost in the chaos. But it was only a momentary reprieve. More infected came, driven into a frenzy by the noise, the scent of blood, the promise of fresh meat.
Xinyi, Xie Yan, Ren, and Zhao Ming sprinted through the yard, weaving between rusting train cars and scattered crates. Bullets whined past them as the raiders fired wildly, caught between trying to fight the infected and stop their escape. The ground shook beneath their feet, the night filled with smoke and flame.
They reached a derailed train near the far edge of the yard, its side ripped open by some long-past disaster. Ren led the way, diving through the gap, the others following close behind. Inside, the air was thick with dust, the floor littered with old cargo and debris. Xinyi could hear the infected pounding against the sides of the train, the metallic thud of bodies slamming into steel in their mindless hunger.
"We need to get out the other side," Ren panted, shoving aside crates. "There's a maintenance ladder. It leads to a service road."
Xie Yan helped clear the way, his strength steady even now. Xinyi kept her gun ready, her eyes on the dark corners of the train, every nerve on edge. Zhao Ming was pale, blood streaking his sleeve from a cut she hadn't seen him take.
They found the ladder at last, hidden behind a collapsed shelving unit. Ren scrambled up first, vanishing through the hatch above. Xinyi went next, the rungs cold and slick beneath her hands, her muscles screaming in protest. Xie Yan followed, pushing Zhao Ming up ahead of him, making sure no one was left behind.
They emerged onto the service road, the city spread out before them in ruin. Fires burned in the distance, the night alive with the sounds of battle and death. The infected swarmed below, drawn to the rail yard, tearing into the last of the raiders in a frenzy of blood.
For a breath, they stood there, catching their breath, the cool night air washing over them. But the danger was not over. From the direction of the city center, a sound rose that chilled Xinyi to the bone — a siren, loud and insistent, cutting through the night. And with it, the ground seemed to tremble, as if something massive was moving through the ruins toward them.
Ren swore, his face ashen. "We need to go. Now."
Xinyi stared toward the city, heart sinking. Whatever was coming, it was worse than anything they had faced so far.
And it was heading straight for them.