The air outside the village was thick with uncertainty. It felt different from the moment they stepped beyond the walls of Sitio De Villasarza, like they had crossed an invisible line into a new, unforgiving world. The stars were barely visible through the haze of dust and smoke in the distance. Lena couldn’t help but look back one last time, though she knew there was no turning back. The village was a memory now—a place filled with echoes of lives lost, of innocence stolen.
 The group ran down the narrow road, their footsteps heavy with exhaustion. They didn’t speak, for what was there to say? They were all thinking the same thing: survival.
 Behind them, the sounds of the zombies were still echoing, their growls becoming fainter, but the fear of being followed lingered. Lena held Zebby tightly, the baby’s small form warm against her chest. She glanced down at the child’s innocent face, feeling the weight of responsibility press down on her. She had promised the woman to protect the baby, but she wondered how long they could keep running before they became just like the others—the ones who had given up, the ones who hadn’t been fast enough, or strong enough, to make it out.
 “Do you think they’ll follow us?” Kai asked, her voice low, her eyes darting nervously from side to side.
 “I don’t know,” Rafael said. “But if they do, we’ll be ready.”
 They ran in silence for a while, the landscape around them becoming more desolate with each passing minute. The world felt so empty now, like a forgotten dream. It had only been a few weeks since they had been just normal people—students, friends, siblings. Now they were survivors, a term they had come to dread, for it meant they had seen too much, lost too much.
 “How long are we going to keep running like this?” Adrian finally spoke, his voice tinged with frustration. “I’m exhausted. We need to find shelter.”
 “Adrian’s right,” Lena said, her voice hoarse. “We can’t keep running forever. We need to find somewhere to rest.”
 They had no map, no idea where they were headed. They were just following the road, hoping it would lead them to something, anything, that could give them a sense of safety. The journey had only just begun, but already, the uncertainty felt like a heavy weight.
 “We’ll find somewhere,” Rafael said, his eyes scanning the horizon. “We just need to stay focused.”
 After another hour of running, the group finally spotted a small abandoned building off the side of the road. It looked like an old store, its windows shattered, the roof caved in at some parts. But it was shelter, and that was all they needed for now.
 Rafael led the way, cautiously approaching the building. They didn’t know what was inside, but they couldn’t afford to be picky. Inside, it was dark, the only light coming from the cracks in the walls and the faint glow of the moon. The air was stale, and the smell of mold and decay filled the space. But it was better than the open road.
 “Let’s stay here for the night,” Kai said. “We need to rest. Tomorrow, we figure out our next move.”
 They made their way inside, finding a corner where they could sit and try to rest. Zebby was still awake, looking up at Lena with wide eyes. The baby’s cries had stopped for now, but Lena knew it wouldn’t last long. She didn’t know how long she could keep up this charade of hope.
 “How do we keep going?” Adrian asked, looking at each of them with desperation in his eyes. “I mean, what’s the point of all this? It feels like we’re just running in circles.”
 Rafael sat beside him, his hand resting on his shoulder. “We keep going because we have no choice. We fight because we’re still alive. That’s all we can do.”
 “I don’t want to keep running forever,” Kai muttered, leaning against the wall. “I want to know if there’s a place left that’s safe. Somewhere we can stop.”
 “That’s the plan,” Rafael said, looking up at the cracked ceiling. “We’ll find a place. There has to be something left.”
 They sat in silence for a long while. The sounds of the world outside seemed far away, drowned out by the constant hum in their heads—the hum of fear, of exhaustion, of the overwhelming uncertainty of it all.
 Eventually, Lena pulled Zebby closer, rocking the baby gently. She couldn’t help but think of the woman who had given her the child, the mother who had asked for help, who had entrusted Zebby to her care. Lena didn’t know if she was strong enough to protect this baby, to protect her friends, but she had to try. For them. For herself.
 “I miss the old world,” Kai said softly, breaking the silence. “When things were simple. When we didn’t have to think about whether or not we’d survive the night.”
 Rafael nodded. “We all do. But we have to live for today. We can’t change what’s happened, but we can fight for tomorrow.”
 The group settled in as best as they could. Adrian leaned against a nearby wall, his eyes closing as he tried to catch some rest. Kai sat by the window, watching the dark night. Rafael lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling.
 And Lena, still holding Zebby, couldn’t shake the feeling that the road ahead would be even more dangerous than the one they had just left. They had survived the village, but survival wasn’t enough. They needed more. They needed answers.
 The world around them was silent, but the fear in their hearts screamed louder than any monster ever could. Lena knew that the next day would be another test of their resolve. It would be another day of running, of surviving.
 And it would be another day closer to the truth.