Evelyn’s lungs burned as she ran. The cold air cut through her throat, but she didn’t stop. Neither did the others. The sounds of the dead followed them, groans and shuffling feet echoing through the trees.  
Claire was ahead, leading the way. Ben struggled, limping as he moved. Sarah clung to Thomas, who was barely conscious.  
They needed to stop. But there was nowhere safe.  
“Up ahead!” Claire hissed.  
Evelyn squinted through the darkness. A small barn sat in the middle of an overgrown field. The roof sagged, and half the door was missing. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.  
They pushed forward.  
Claire reached the barn first, slipping inside and scanning the area. Evelyn helped Ben in next, then Sarah, who dragged Thomas behind her.  
Evelyn stepped inside last and turned, pressing her back against the door.  
The forest was silent.  
No groans. No movement.  
The zombies had lost them.  
For now.  
Evelyn let out a shaky breath and turned to the others. The barn smelled of dust and rotting hay. An old wooden ladder led to a loft above.  
“We should rest,” Ben muttered, sliding down the wall.  
Evelyn shook her head. “Not yet.”  
Claire checked the loft. “No one up here.”  
Sarah eased Thomas down onto a pile of hay. His skin was pale, sweat dripping down his forehead.  
“He’s getting worse,” she whispered.  
Ben clenched his jaw. “We need medicine.”  
Evelyn knew that. But medicine meant going back into danger.  
Claire wiped blood off her knife. “We saw a town yesterday. If there’s a pharmacy, we might find something.”  
Evelyn looked at Thomas. His breathing was shallow. If they waited too long, he wouldn’t make it.  
She exhaled. “We go at sunrise.”  
No one argued.  
Evelyn sat by the door, gripping her knife.  
She didn’t sleep.  
She couldn’t.
The first light of dawn filtered through the cracks in the barn. The air was cold, and the world outside was still. The only sound was the occasional creak of the barn as it shifted in the wind.  
Evelyn stood, stretching her stiff legs. Claire, already awake, was checking her weapons. Ben was still slumped against the wall, his head leaning back, trying to rest despite the pain. Sarah was by Thomas, her hands shaking as she wiped his face with a cloth.  
“Time to go,” Evelyn said, her voice steady despite the knot in her stomach.  
Ben groaned as he pushed himself up. “Let’s just make this quick. I can’t keep moving like this.”  
Sarah nodded, casting a worried glance at Thomas. “We’ll find something, right?”  
Evelyn met her gaze. “We have to.”  
They left the barn quietly, slipping into the field. The morning fog still lingered, adding to the eerie stillness of the world around them.  
Claire led the way, her eyes scanning every corner, every shadow. They didn’t speak much as they walked, but the tension was thick. The silence of the world around them felt unnatural.  
By mid-morning, they reached the town, a small, abandoned settlement on the edge of the forest. Empty houses lined the streets, windows boarded up or shattered. The silence was oppressive.  
Evelyn looked around, gripping her knife tightly. “This place… feels wrong.”  
Claire’s eyes narrowed. “It’s too quiet. Be ready for anything.”  
They moved down the main street, their footsteps echoing in the emptiness. No signs of life. No sounds of movement.  
The pharmacy was on the corner, its sign barely hanging on, the glass door cracked.  
Evelyn reached for the door, but Claire stopped her. “Hold on. Let me check.”  
Claire approached the door slowly, pushing it open just a crack. She peered inside, her hand on the hilt of her knife.  
A sudden crash from behind them made Evelyn’s heart race. She spun around, knife raised.  
Nothing.  
The others looked equally shaken.  
“I didn’t hear anything,” Sarah said, her voice tight.  
Ben squinted toward the pharmacy. “Let’s just get in there. We don’t have much time.”  
They moved quickly, slipping inside the pharmacy. The shelves were half-empty, the air stale. They rummaged through the shelves, finding a few bottles of medicine, bandages, and disinfectant. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.  
Then, a noise.  
A soft shuffle from the back of the store.  
Evelyn froze, motioning for the others to stay quiet. Claire and Ben tensed, their eyes locked on the door leading to the back room.  
Evelyn’s heart pounded in her chest as she stepped forward, her knife ready.  
Another shuffle. Closer now.  
And then, a figure appeared in the doorway.  
A woman.  
She looked ragged, her clothes torn, her face gaunt and hollow. Her eyes were wide with fear, but there was something strange about the way she moved.  
“Who… who are you?” the woman asked, her voice trembling.  
Evelyn didn’t lower her knife. “We could ask you the same thing.”  
The woman swallowed, her hand shaking as she stepped closer. “I’m not… I’m not like them. Please…”  
Evelyn didn’t trust her. “What happened here?”  
The woman’s eyes darted nervously. “It… it wasn’t the zombies. It was the people. They turned on each other. Everyone who’s left is hiding.”  
Evelyn’s stomach churned. “Where are they?”  
The woman’s voice dropped to a whisper. “They’re coming. They’ll take you if they find you.”  
Suddenly, the ground shook, the building groaning as if something large was moving nearby. The woman’s face twisted in fear.  
“They’re here.”