Chapter 3

Jeremy jumped out of the window, pulling me out just as the horde barged into the shopping mall, snarling as their noses finally caught our scents.

"The black rain!" I called, just then noticing it had stopped.

"You were out for a while, princess. Just don't touch anything wet or step into any puddles, and we'll be fine," Jeremy called back, panting heavily. "Right now, acid rain is the least of our problems."

We kept running down the street while some zombies spotted us and followed.

[Hostiles approaching! Hostiles approaching! Take cover or fight.]

His fingers flexed around the hilt of his knife, clearly ready to pick a fight he wouldn't win.

"Don't be a fool. Look back." I turned my head to stare at the horde of zombies approaching. "There are too many."

In that moment, a zombie flew out of the window, landing right on his back.

My fingers tightened around the knife, lashing forward before sinking it into the neck of the already rotting zombie.

Jeremy didn't so much as grunt before turning and helping me finish the kill.

We kept running, and despite me not being a very athletic person, I didn't run out of breath as fast.

"We need to take cover. We can't run forever." He pointed toward a nearby building. "There?"

[Threat level: high.] The system chimed.

"That's an official building. There are dozens of people who worked there, and now they're likely zombies." I dodged another approaching, slower one. "Of course it's dangerous."

My eyes scanned the buildings we were approaching before settling on a small, single-floor building. "There."

[Low threat level detected. Congratulations, host. You've found a shelter.]

Jeremy chuckled before dashing there, matching my pace while the zombies kept rushing toward us. "We'll have to distract them first, so let's run around and take the back door."

I hummed in response, following him past the gate and to the back. Sure enough, the zombies ran right past the building as he yanked the handle open and stood aside for me to go in first.

The lights were flickering on and off, giving the room an even more haunted look than it already had.

Our backs pressed together, knives drawn in defence.

"If you hear anything..." I said.

"If you see anything," he continued. "Kill it."

I despised the thought of murdering people in what used to be their own home, but the world wasn't what it used to be.

And I had to keep reminding myself that whoever was here was no longer a person.

"I don't hear anything." My hands fell to my sides, the defensive position faltering. "Do you?"

"The system said the threat level was low. You think it meant none?"

[Threat level: low.]

"What the hell does that even mean?" He groaned in frustration, leaning back on the table.

The lights flickered again, turning off and then on.

I could barely contain the scream that crawled up my throat when a child appeared behind his head, dressed in a school uniform with blood spattered over it.

Jeremy didn't so much as blink before turning and shoving the table across the room.

The movement sent the cold zombie off balance and crashing to the floor.

In that moment, another one appeared, likely his mother.

She was slower, clearly a lower-grade zombie than her child.

Still, she lashed out at me. I dodged the blow, her nails grazing my shoulder slightly.

Her snarls caught Jeremy's attention while he was still dealing with the child.

Another man appeared, this one no doubt the father.

He had the same edge in his eyes as his son. The edge that might have meant something wonderful if a virus hadn't eaten at their brains and taken over.

I lunged up from the floor, using the woman's knee to balance myself in the air before slamming my foot into the man's face and sending him flying back.

Jeremy was standing now, holding the boy by his uniform while he thrashed in his hand.

It might have been funny if it wasn't so damn tragic.

He snapped the boy's neck, letting his body slump to the floor. His gaze lingered on the body for a brief moment before finally shifting to the man on the floor. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"I used to be a gymnast." My voice was laced with sarcasm, but he actually seemed to believe me.

"That's so cool." He grabbed the zombie's collar, slamming his fist into his face continuously until it was nothing but a bloody mess.

I finished up the kill by slashing the woman's throat with one slick swipe.

Her blood splattered onto my face.

Jeremy kicked at the father's boot. "I'm guessing the kid came home already infected and then gave it to those two."

"How can you be so calm? We just killed a whole family." I hated how hypocritical that made me.

Because besides a slight tremble in my voice, I didn't feel anything either.

"We didn't kill anything, Arya. These people were already dead. All we did was help them stay dead." He crouched in front of me, cupping my cheek. "Don't let yourself carry the guilt of this mess, Vivian. It's not your fault."

I hummed, desperate to believe him.

The lights flickered again. This time, at the top of the stairs stood a girl who was either in her late teens or early twenties.

For a moment, I thought she was normal. Maybe just coming out after hiding from her zombie family.

But Jeremy didn't even turn before he frowned.

[Threat approaching.] The system chimed. [Threat status: Level A zombie.]

Her eyes were bloodshot and red. Then she smiled, revealing a set of perfectly rotting teeth.

I blinked exactly once, and she was already at the bottom of the stairs, lunging toward us.