The early morning light felt like a cruel reminder of how much had changed. Lena squinted against the harsh sunlight, her eyes raw from the battle and the lack of sleep. The house, now eerily silent, was littered with the bodies of the undead they had managed to kill. The air was thick with the stench of blood and decay, and every corner seemed to echo with the sounds of their struggles.
 They were alive. For now. But at what cost?
 “Is everyone okay?” Rafael asked, his voice hoarse. He wiped a streak of blood from his forehead, his gaze sweeping over the room to make sure no one was seriously injured. He knew they had been lucky. Too lucky. In this world, luck was a fragile thing.
 Kai was sitting on the floor, her back pressed against the wall. She was silent, her head bowed, but her hands were trembling. It wasn’t clear whether it was from fear or exhaustion. Probably both.
 “We’re alive,” Lena said quietly, though her words didn’t carry the same conviction she would have liked. She moved toward the window, carefully peering out through the cracked glass. The streets were empty now, but she knew better than to trust the calm. The world had a way of lulling you into a false sense of security.
 “Just for today,” Kai murmured, her voice barely a whisper. “Just today.”
 Lena didn’t respond. She couldn’t. The weight of the truth hung in the air between them: survival was never guaranteed. Not in this world. And as the hours stretched on, they all knew that there were greater dangers out there—dangers far beyond the undead that plagued their every step.
 The world had changed in ways that none of them had ever anticipated. It wasn’t just the zombies they had to worry about anymore. It was the people, too. Those who had been driven to desperation by the collapse of society. Lena had seen it in the eyes of the survivors they’d met—people who were willing to do anything, anything, to survive.
 And now, it seemed, they were facing something new.
 “We need to move,” Rafael said, his voice low but urgent. He had been quiet ever since the battle, his eyes scanning the street outside. The calmness in the air made him uneasy. It always did. “We can’t stay here. Not with the noise we made last night. We’ll draw attention.”
 Kai stood up, wiping the blood from her hands on her clothes. “What’s the plan?”
 “We need to find a safe place,” Rafael replied, his eyes narrowed. “Somewhere away from the chaos. A place where we can rest, resupply, and figure out our next move.”
 Lena nodded, though she felt a pang of unease at the thought of leaving the safety of the house behind. It was temporary, yes, but it was the best shelter they had found in days. Yet, Rafael was right. They couldn’t afford to stay in one place for too long. The world had changed too much. Staying in one spot made you a target.
 “We’ll head east,” Rafael continued, taking a map from his bag. “There’s a settlement not too far from here. We might find other survivors, maybe even some supplies.”
 Lena glanced at Kai, who had already started to pack her things. The decision was made. They didn’t have much choice. There was no time to waste.
 “Let’s go,” Lena said, her voice steady, though her heart pounded in her chest. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for what lay ahead, but she knew they couldn’t afford to hesitate. The longer they stayed in one place, the greater the risk.
 The group moved quickly, exiting the house one by one, taking care not to draw attention. The streets were eerily quiet, and for a moment, it almost felt like they were the last people left on earth. The morning fog had rolled in, shrouding everything in a pale, ghostly mist. It felt like the world was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
 Lena felt the weight of every step, her senses on high alert. They couldn’t afford to be careless. Even in a world that had already fallen apart, there were still dangers lurking in the shadows.
 They walked for hours, their progress slow but steady. The streets were empty, the buildings crumbling, the world reduced to a ghost town. It was hard to believe that this had once been a thriving community. It was hard to remember what life had been like before everything had changed.
 As the sun climbed higher in the sky, they came upon the outskirts of a small town. The buildings here were in slightly better condition, though still showing signs of wear. It looked like people had tried to make a stand here, but the chaos had eventually caught up with them.
 “This place looks abandoned,” Kai said, scanning the area with caution. “Where is everyone?”
 “They might have left,” Rafael said, his eyes narrowing. “Or they could be hiding. We need to be careful.”
 Lena wasn’t sure what to think. The silence was unsettling. She had grown used to the noise of the undead, the groans, the shuffling of feet. But here, there was nothing. Just an eerie stillness.
 They moved cautiously through the town, checking each building as they passed. The first few houses were empty, the doors and windows wide open. The signs of a hasty departure were clear—items scattered about, possessions left behind, as if someone had grabbed what they could and run.
 It wasn’t until they reached the center of town that they found signs of life—or what had been life. A barricade had been set up across the main street, though it had clearly been abandoned. There were signs of a struggle—bloodstains on the ground, broken boards, and torn pieces of fabric hanging from the barricade.
 “Something’s wrong,” Rafael muttered, his eyes scanning the area. “This doesn’t look good.”
 Lena felt her stomach tighten. She knew exactly what this meant. The survivors here hadn’t just left—they’d been forced out. Something had driven them away. And it wasn’t the zombies.
 “Should we check it out?” Kai asked, her voice filled with hesitation.
 “We don’t have a choice,” Lena said quietly. “We need to know what happened here.”
 They moved toward the barricade, staying low and cautious. Lena could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as they approached. It was too quiet. Too still.
 And then, just as they were about to reach the barricade, Lena heard a noise—a soft scrape, like something dragging along the ground.
 Her heart skipped a beat.
 “Get down!” Rafael hissed, pulling them behind the nearest building.
 They crouched low, holding their breath. The sound was coming closer. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a zombie.
 It was human.