The morning sun barely broke through the smoke that covered the city.
The streets were silent.
Too silent.
Breddy tightened the strap of his backpack while the manager checked the ammunition in his rifle.
Manager: "I don't like this. Where'd everybody go?"
Breddy: "They're either hiding... or they're already dead."
Suddenly—
CRACKLE...
The walkie-talkie on Breddy's belt came to life.
"Attention... any survivors... this is the Florida Emergency Response Command... if anyone can hear this... report to Safe Zone Echo... coordinates will repeat every thirty seconds..."
Breddy froze.
Breddy: "Did you hear that?"
Manager: "That's the first real radio signal we've heard since this started."
The voice continued.
"Warning... infected have evolved. Do not engage the new infected alone. Repeat... do not engage the new infected alone..."
The transmission ended with loud static.
Silence.
Shijiki looked nervous.
Shijiki: "What do they mean... evolved?"
Before anyone could answer...
A loud crash echoed from a nearby apartment building.
BOOM!
The ground shook.
Glass shattered across the street.
The three of them aimed their weapons toward the building.
Nothing.
Then...
A shadow sprinted across the rooftop faster than any zombie Breddy had ever seen.
Breddy: "That wasn't normal."
The creature stopped.
It slowly turned its head.
Its glowing red eyes locked onto Breddy.
Then it screamed.
A horrifying scream echoed through the city.
Seconds later...
Dozens of zombies emerged from every street, alley, and parking lot.
They weren't wandering anymore.
They were hunting.
Manager: "RUN!"
The three survivors sprinted toward an abandoned police station as the horde chased them.
They slammed the doors shut and pushed desks against the entrance.
The zombies crashed against the doors over and over.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Breddy looked around the station.
The lights still worked.
Emergency power.
There were maps, police radios, body armor... and a locked evidence room.
Inside that room could be the supplies they needed to survive.
But before they could move—
One of the security monitors flickered on by itself.
A hooded figure appeared on the screen.
His face was hidden.
He smiled.
"Congratulations, survivors... You've made it farther than expected."
The screen went black.
Nobody in the room spoke.
Finally, Breddy broke the silence.
Breddy: "...We're not just fighting zombies anymore."
Chapter 6 – The Woman in Black
The pounding on the police station doors suddenly stopped.
Silence.
Not a single zombie growled.
Not a single footstep echoed outside.
Breddy slowly lowered his shotgun.
Breddy: "...Why did they stop?"
The manager peeked through a broken window.
Manager: "I don't see anything..."
Then—
BANG!
A zombie crashed through one of the side windows.
Before anyone could react...
BANG!
A single pistol shot echoed through the station.
The zombie dropped instantly with a bullet through its forehead.
Everyone spun around.
Standing in the shattered doorway was a woman.
Early 30s.
Tall.
Athletic.
Long black hair flowed over a torn black dress that had clearly survived countless battles. A black tactical vest covered her chest, with spare magazines strapped across it. A pistol rested calmly in one hand while a combat knife hung from her belt.
Her face showed no fear.
Only experience.
She stepped over the dead zombie like it was nothing.
Woman: "You boys always let zombies sneak up on you?"
Nobody answered.
She glanced around the room.
Woman: "Figures."
Shijiki whispered.
Shijiki: "...She's kinda scary."
The woman heard him.
Without even looking...
Woman: "Good."
Breddy raised his shotgun.
Breddy: "Who are you?"
She didn't flinch.
Instead, she slowly holstered her pistol.
Woman: "If I wanted you dead..."
She looked directly into Breddy's eyes.
"...you'd already be dead."
The room fell silent.
Even the manager couldn't argue with that.
The woman walked over to a map hanging on the wall.
She pointed toward downtown.
Woman: "This city is lost."
She then pointed farther north.
Woman: "But there are survivors."
Breddy frowned.
Breddy: "How do you know?"
She gave a small smirk.
Woman: "Because I've been saving them."
The manager crossed his arms.
Manager: "Name?"
She hesitated for a moment.
Woman: "...Call me Raven."
Breddy looked at her tactical vest.
Every magazine pouch was half empty.
Her dress was ripped and stained with blood.
Fresh scratches covered her arms.
She'd been fighting for days.
Maybe weeks.
Shijiki broke the silence.
Shijiki: "So... you're telling me you've been surviving this whole time by yourself?"
Raven shrugged.
Raven: "People slow you down."
Breddy chuckled.
Breddy: "You sound just like me after the first outbreak."
For the first time...
Raven smiled.
Just a little.
Then—
The emergency radio crackled.
"...Attention... all remaining survivors... avoid Sector Nine... the infected have created nests... repeat... do not enter Sector Nine..."
Everyone stared at the radio.
Raven's smile disappeared.
Raven: "Too late."
Breddy looked at her.
"What do you mean... too late?"
She slowly reloaded her pistol.
"I came from Sector Nine."
She looked each of them in the eyes.
"And whatever is making those zombies..."
"...it's awake."
– Ghost of the First Outbreak -
The streets of Sector Nine were silent.
Burned-out military trucks littered the road. Barricades had been torn apart as if something impossibly strong had ripped through them.
Raven raised her pistol.
"Stay close."
Breddy scanned the rooftops.
"They're watching us."
The manager frowned.
"You can feel that too?"
Breddy nodded.
"I've had that feeling before."
Suddenly...
A low growl echoed from an abandoned sporting goods store.
One zombie stumbled into the street.
Then another.
Within seconds...
More than thirty infected surrounded the intersection.
Shijiki tightened his grip on his bat.
"That's... a lot."
Raven smirked.
"Let's see what you've got, Walmart hero."
The horde charged.
Breddy didn't panic.
He looked around once.
A broken steel pipe.
A loose stop sign.
A bicycle lying in the road.
He smiled.
"Everything's a weapon."
He grabbed the steel pipe just as the first zombie lunged.
CRACK!
One swing shattered its jaw.
A second zombie rushed him.
Instead of meeting it head-on, Breddy sidestepped, caught its arm, and threw it over his shoulder with a smooth hip toss. It crashed into two more infected, knocking them all to the pavement.
Raven blinked.
"...Judo?"
Breddy didn't answer.
Another zombie came from behind.
He spun and drove a sharp elbow into its face, then followed with a knee strike that crushed its nose before finishing it with the pipe.
The manager stared.
"I didn't know you could fight like that."
"I never had a reason to show it."
The horde closed in.
A zombie tackled Breddy to the ground.
Without hesitation, he trapped its arm, rolled over, and snapped it aside before kicking the creature away. He grabbed a loose brick and slammed it into the zombie's head until it stopped moving.
Nearby, Raven fired controlled shots.
One...
Two...
Three...
Each bullet dropped an infected.
Still, more kept coming.
"Breddy!"
She tossed him a machete she'd spotted inside a broken camping display.
He caught it effortlessly.
"You know how to use that?" she asked.
Breddy gave the blade a quick test swing.
"I've trained with swords."
The machete flashed through the air.
One zombie fell.
Then another.
His movements were calm, precise, and efficient. He never wasted energy, always stepping around attacks instead of charging into them.
Raven couldn't hide her smile.
"You're full of surprises."
Breddy shrugged as he kicked another zombie into an abandoned car.
"I don't like showing off."
She laughed.
"That's a shame."
He looked over.
"Why?"
She fired another shot without taking her eyes off the horde.
"Because confidence looks good on you."
Breddy smirked despite himself.
Shijiki shouted from across the street.
"Can you two flirt later?!"
The manager rolled his eyes.
"We're kind of surrounded!"
Working together, Breddy and Raven moved as if they'd fought side by side for years.
She covered him with accurate pistol fire while he eliminated any infected that got too close.
Within minutes...
The street fell quiet.
Bodies covered the pavement.
Raven wiped sweat from her forehead.
"I've survived this outbreak alone for weeks..."
She looked directly at Breddy.
"...and I've never seen anyone fight like that."
Before Breddy could respond...
A deep roar echoed from inside the sporting goods store.
It wasn't human.
It wasn't like any zombie they'd faced before.
The glass doors slowly shook.
Something enormous was trying to get out.
Raven's expression turned serious.
"That's... not a regular infected."
The doors exploded outward.
A massive silhouette stepped into the sunlight.