The moon hung high in the night sky, casting a silvery glow over the ranger station as Kelly woke up to the sound of rustling. She rubbed her eyes, disoriented, and glanced around. Sam was at the window, peering outside, her expression serious. Liam was still asleep on the floor, curled up with his arms around a backpack.
“Sam? What’s happening?” Kelly whispered, pushing herself up from the makeshift bed they had created from old blankets.
“Just keeping an eye on things,” Sam replied, her voice low but steady. “I heard something out there. It sounded like a group of zombies.”
Kelly’s heart raced. “How many? Should we wake Liam?”
“Not yet. It sounds distant, but we need to be ready just in case,” Sam said, moving away from the window to grab her makeshift weapon—a sturdy branch. “I’ll take a look around the station.”
“Okay. I’ll help you,” Kelly said, gathering her own weapon—a heavy flashlight. “Let’s be careful.”
They stepped quietly through the dimly lit interior, careful not to wake Liam. As they moved to the front door, Sam held up her hand, signaling for silence. They listened intently, and the rustling outside continued, mixed with low, groaning sounds.
“Do you think it’s a horde?” Kelly asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Maybe. Or just a few stragglers,” Sam replied, her brow furrowed. “Either way, we need to be prepared.”
As they opened the front door a crack, a faint light flickered in the distance. It wasn’t from a zombie, but rather a small campfire glowing through the trees.
“Look!” Kelly pointed, her excitement bubbling over. “There are people out there!”
“Stay low,” Sam cautioned, peering through the crack in the door. “We can’t approach them directly until we know who they are.”
“Should we go out and talk to them?” Kelly asked, glancing back at Liam, who was still sleeping soundly. “What if they need help?”
“We don’t even know if they’re friendly. They could be part of a group that’s dangerous,” Sam said, a hint of frustration in her tone. “We need to observe for now.”
Reluctantly, Kelly nodded. They crouched behind the door, watching as a few silhouettes moved around the fire. The faint glow illuminated their faces, revealing tired expressions and worn clothes.
“They look like they’ve been through a lot,” Kelly whispered. “What if they’re survivors like us?”
“Let’s wait a bit longer,” Sam insisted. “We don’t want to rush into anything.”
After a few tense minutes, the group around the campfire began to talk. Kelly strained to hear their conversation, trying to catch snippets of what they were saying.
“I can’t believe we made it this far,” one of the figures said, a woman with tangled hair. “I thought for sure we were done for.”
“We need to keep moving,” a tall man replied, his voice gruff. “There’s no telling how many more are out there. We can’t afford to get complacent.”
“Maybe we should check out that ranger station,” the woman suggested. “We could find supplies there.”
Kelly’s heart raced at the mention of their hideout. “Sam, they’re talking about us,” she whispered urgently.
“I know,” Sam replied, her eyes narrowing. “But we can’t show ourselves yet. They might not be friendly.”
“Can’t we at least hear them out?” Kelly pleaded. “What if they have useful information? What if they’re good people?”
“Fine, but we’re going to stay hidden,” Sam said, moving slightly to get a better view. “And if they seem like a threat, we retreat.”
They watched as the group continued to talk, the woman gesturing animatedly, clearly passionate about something. 
“I’m telling you, there’s a community just outside the city,” she insisted. “They have food, shelter, everything we need. We just have to reach it.”
The man shook his head, skepticism evident on his face. “And how do you propose we do that? The streets are crawling with zombies. We’ll get killed out there.”
“We can take a different route,” the woman urged. “We can find a way through the woods. There has to be a way!”
Kelly exchanged glances with Sam, her heart pounding at the thought of a community. “Maybe they’re right,” she whispered. “We should see if they can help us.”
Just as Sam was about to respond, Liam stirred awake, rubbing his eyes. “What’s going on?” he mumbled, sleep still heavy in his voice.
“Shh!” Sam hissed, pulling Liam back down. “We’re trying to listen to those people outside.”
Liam blinked, suddenly alert. “What people?”
“Survivors. They’re talking about a community,” Kelly said quietly, excitement creeping back into her voice. “We could find a safe place to stay!”
“Are they armed?” Liam asked, concern evident in his eyes.
“We don’t know yet,” Sam replied, keeping her voice steady. “That’s why we’re being cautious.”
Liam sat up, a serious expression on his face. “We need to be careful. We can’t just trust anyone.”
“Agreed,” Sam said. “But we need to at least hear them out.”
As they continued to listen, the conversation outside grew more animated. The woman’s voice rose above the others. “We can’t just keep running! We need a plan. If we stick together, we can make it to the community. I’ve heard good things about it!”
“Enough talk!” a new voice interrupted, a man with a commanding tone. “We need to make a decision. We can’t just sit here waiting for the zombies to find us!”
Sam looked at Kelly and Liam, her expression serious. “We need to make a choice. If we’re going to approach them, it has to be now.”
“Okay,” Kelly said, determination rising within her. “Let’s go talk to them. We need to take the risk.”
“Wait,” Sam said, glancing back at the door. “Let me take the lead. If they’re hostile, I’ll handle it.”
Kelly nodded, her heart racing as they moved closer to the door. Sam opened it slowly, the hinges creaking slightly, and stepped outside.
“Hey!” Sam called out, trying to sound confident. “We’re not here to cause trouble!”
The group turned, surprised to see Sam standing there. The woman’s eyes widened, and she took a step forward. “You… you live here?”
“Yeah, we do,” Sam replied, her tone firm. “Who are you?”
“I’m Eliza,” the woman said, glancing back at her companions. “And this is Ryan and Matt. We didn’t mean to intrude; we were just looking for supplies. We thought this place might have something.”
“We do have some supplies,” Sam replied, trying to gauge their reactions. “But we’re cautious. You never know who you can trust these days.”
“Tell me about it,” Ryan said, a wry smile crossing his face. “We’ve had our fair share of encounters. We’re just trying to survive like everyone else.”
Kelly stepped forward, her voice steady. “What did you mean about a community?”
Eliza’s eyes lit up with hope. “There’s a place—rumored to be safe, away from the chaos. They have food, shelter, everything. But we need to figure out how to get there without attracting zombies.”
“Are you serious?” Kelly asked, feeling a surge of excitement. “We’ve been running for so long. This could be our chance.”
“It’s not guaranteed,” Matt warned, his arms crossed. “We don’t know if the community is still standing or if it’s filled with people like us.”
“We need to take that chance,” Sam insisted, her gaze locked on Eliza. “If you’re willing to share what you know, we can work together.”
Eliza nodded, her expression earnest. “We can show you the way, but we have to be careful. We can’t risk attracting attention.”
“Deal,” Sam said, extending her hand. “Let’s figure this out together.”
As the sun began to rise, casting a warm glow over the forest, a sense of camaraderie filled the air. For the first time in days, they had hope—not just for survival, but for a future.
“Let’s gather supplies and make a plan,” Kelly said, a smile breaking across her face. “We might just make it through this after all.” 
Liam joined them, a grin on his face. “I can’t believe we’re actually doing this. It feels good to have a plan again.”
“Then let’s get to work,” Sam said, her eyes shining with determination. “We’ll make it to that community together.”
With a renewed sense of purpose, they set to work, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. The echoes of the past faded as they forged a new path, united by the hope of a brighter future.