Evelyn jolted awake at the sound of rustling outside. The fire had died down to embers, casting weak shadows against the cabin walls. She turned her head and saw Claire, already awake, gripping her knife.  
“You heard it too?” Evelyn whispered.  
Claire gave a small nod.  
Sarah stirred beside them, rubbing her tired eyes. “What’s going on?”  
Evelyn put a finger to her lips. “Something’s outside.”  
Ben, still leaning against the wall, gripped his makeshift crutch. His expression was tight with exhaustion, but he remained quiet.  
A low groan echoed through the trees.  
Evelyn’s stomach dropped.  
Zombies.  
Claire moved toward the window, careful not to make a sound. She peeked through a gap in the broken boards.  
“Three of them,” she whispered. “Maybe more.”  
Evelyn’s grip tightened on her knife. With Thomas unconscious and Ben injured, they couldn’t afford a fight.  
Sarah crawled toward Thomas, checking his pulse. “He’s burning up,” she whispered. “We need to get him out of here.”  
Evelyn swallowed hard. The infection hadn’t spread, but his body was weak. Moving him now could kill him.  
Another groan. Closer this time.  
Then, the sound of twigs snapping.  
Claire’s eyes widened. “They’re coming.”  
Evelyn’s mind raced. If they ran, they’d be exposed. If they stayed, they risked being trapped.  
Ben cursed under his breath. “We don’t have a choice, do we?”  
Evelyn shook her head. “We fight.”  
Claire nodded, gripping her knife. “Quietly.”  
Sarah’s hands trembled as she picked up a rock. She wasn’t a fighter, but she was ready.  
Evelyn took a deep breath, steadying her heartbeat.  
Then, the first shadow appeared at the window.
The first zombie pressed against the window, its rotting fingers clawing at the wooden boards. Its milky-white eyes rolled in different directions, sniffing the air.  
Claire gripped her knife tightly, her breathing slow and steady. Evelyn motioned for her to wait. If they attacked too soon, they’d make noise. And if more were nearby, that would be the end of them.  
Sarah held her breath, clutching the rock like it was her last hope. Ben shifted against the wall, his injured leg making him useless in a fight.  
Then, another twig snapped outside.  
The zombie’s head jerked toward the sound. It let out a low growl and turned away from the window. A second later, another figure moved in the darkness. Not a zombie.  
A person.  
Evelyn’s stomach twisted.  
The stranger crept along the treeline, moving carefully. Their silhouette was barely visible in the dim moonlight, but Evelyn could see the rifle slung over their shoulder. They weren’t just wandering. They were hunting.  
For them.  
Claire saw it too. She turned to Evelyn, her expression sharp. 'Not good.'
The zombie groaned again, stumbling toward the figure. The person stopped, raised their rifle, and fired.  
The shot echoed through the forest.  
Evelyn’s breath caught in her throat.  
The zombie dropped. But the sound of the gunshot spread like wildfire.  
A second late, more groans.  
From everywhere.  
Claire grabbed Evelyn’s arm. “We need to move. Now.”  
Ben gritted his teeth. “I can’t run.”  
Sarah tightened her grip on Thomas. “He can’t either.”  
Evelyn cursed under her breath. If they ran, they’d leave Thomas and Ben behind. If they stayed, the horde would overwhelm them.  
Outside, the stranger cursed and sprinted away, disappearing into the woods. More zombies emerged, staggering toward the cabin. Their moans grew louder, desperate.  
No more time to think.  
Evelyn grabbed her knife. “We fight our way out.”  
Claire nodded. “Fast and quiet.”  
Sarah swallowed hard, fear in her eyes. But she didn’t argue.  
The first zombie reached the door.  
Evelyn raised her knife.  
And the fight began. 
The first zombie shoved against the door, its rotting fingers forcing through the cracks. The wood creaked under the pressure.  
Evelyn didn’t hesitate. She lunged, driving her knife into its skull. The blade slid through the soft, decayed bone, and the body slumped against the doorway.  
Claire moved just as fast. She swung her knife in a clean arc, slicing through the next zombie’s throat. It gurgled but kept moving. With a quick step forward, she stabbed it through the eye.  
Sarah pressed against the wall, gripping Thomas’ unconscious body. Ben held a rusted pipe, ready to swing if anything got too close.  
Outside, more figures stumbled toward the cabin. The gunshot had drawn them from all directions.  
“We can’t hold this place,” Claire panted.  
Evelyn scanned the room. The back window was small, but it was their only way out. “We go through there.”  
Ben hesitated. “I can’t climb fast.”  
“We’ll help you,” Sarah said quickly.  
No more time to argue. The next zombie was already inside, its bony fingers grasping at Claire’s shirt.  
She twisted out of its grip and stabbed upward, the blade sinking into its jaw. Blood and saliva splattered onto her hands.  
Evelyn shoved another zombie back with her shoulder, then turned to Ben. “Move!”  
Sarah and Ben dragged Thomas toward the window. Claire and Evelyn covered them, stabbing anything that got too close. The cabin was falling apart. Wood splintered under the weight of more bodies pushing in.  
Ben gritted his teeth, hoisting himself up. Sarah climbed next, pulling Thomas as gently as she could.  
The door gave way.  
Zombies poured in.  
Evelyn turned, grabbed Claire’s wrist, and yanked her toward the window. Claire hesitated, just for a second, then scrambled up.  
The first zombie grabbed Evelyn’s ankle. She kicked hard, its grip loosening just enough for her to pull herself up.  
She tumbled out into the cold dirt, rolling onto her side. Claire grabbed her arm, dragging her up.  
No time to breathe.  
More zombies were coming from the trees.  
“Go!” Evelyn shouted.  
They ran.  
Through the trees, over roots and rocks, past the smell of death and rot. The sounds of the undead filled the night.  
Evelyn didn’t look back.  
She just ran.