LOGINCage:The walk toward the military center was exhausting because I had to listen to Freya complain about everything as though we were somehow on the same side.She spoke openly about how much the apocalypse had ruined for her.It was almost unbelievable.By the time we reached the military center, I expected the warriors to stop her immediately.I thought she would be caught, and the rest of us would finally be free.But things didn’t go the way any of us expected.Even Freya seemed surprised when no screening took place.The gates were closed, but there was no one in the watchtower.She gestured for me to use my band to unlock the entrance.We didn’t have much choice.We needed to find out what she was trying to do and what had pushed her this far over the edge.So I stepped forward and unlocked the gate.At the same time, I kept praying that Rome had reunited with Fallon.I was jealous, of course, but that was still better than losing Fallon altogether.The fact that I could even wi
Fallon:I didn’t know what to think.My mind had gone completely blank. All I could think about was my life before any of this happened.The bite itself didn’t hurt that much. The fear was worse than the burning sensation around the wound.The next hour was unbearable because I had to keep convincing everyone that we needed to move, that we had to reach the military center.“Yeah. That’s the right thing to do. They’ll have something there that can help with this mess,” Rome finally said after nearly an hour of silence.He was sitting in the middle of the road, barely moving.Seeing the panic in his eyes frightened me too.“Yeah. That’s why we need to go,” I lied.My gaze met Ali’s.By then, we were both on the same page.He was in worse shape than I was because of the accident, but neither of us wanted the others to lose hope.Holly had finally stopped crying over her sister.She dragged Christina’s body back into the security center and locked the door behind her.I knew it wouldn’t
Rome:Fallon was in the security room, handcuffed to a metal pipe with three zombies trapped inside with her.She was fighting as hard as she could, but how much could she really do with one hand restrained and no weapon?There were three of them against her.“Christina, please give me the keys,” I pleaded, stretching my hand toward her.Christina shook her head. “Over my dead body.”Panic surged through me again.Every time I tried to move closer, she tightened her grip on the keys, holding them directly over the drain.Her fingers remained loose enough that she could drop them at any moment.“You come anywhere near me, and I’ll let the keys fall,” she warned.“Do you really think that’ll stop me? I need those keys, and if you’re not going to give them to me, the result will be the same whether you drop them or not.”I tried to reason with her, but the truth was, I wanted those keys no matter what. I refused to believe anything bad would happen to Fallon. I was certain I could still
Christina:“What are you doing? Let her go, please. She’s innocent. She’s never done anything wrong to anyone.”Ali started crying in front of me, and he looked sick, to be honest.I wasn’t sure what was wrong with him, but something about him seemed different.I had known Ali since we were children.We had played games together and spent plenty of time having fun, so I knew he didn’t deserve any of this.But I also knew that if he was this worried about someone, then she had to be special to him.And if Priya was special to Ali, then she had to matter to Rome too.Priya and Fallon already shared a sisterly bond.“Let her go, please. You’re holding me, right? Then just keep holding me,” Holly pleaded.She turned toward me, a storm of emotions crossing her face.I hated seeing my sister like that, but it wasn’t as though this was going to last forever.“No.”I refused because none of them were taking my threat seriously.They were moving too slowly, and Fallon still hadn’t done what I
Christina:It started some time ago, when I began dating Freya’s brother.I had no idea what was coming for me. I didn’t know what he had planned all along.I only found out when he invited me to a hotel room, claiming he needed to talk to me about something important.That was where he forced himself on me.Afterward, I was devastated.Everywhere I went, especially around older women, I heard the same questions.“Have you found a mate yet?”“Oh, you poor thing. Who will accept you now?”Slowly, I became deeply insecure.I started believing that maybe I would never find anyone, and that thought made me furious because I knew none of it had been my fault. I hadn’t done anything wrong.Then that man was released.His sister had saved him.Just thinking about it kept me awake at night. He was probably out there living his life comfortably while I was still suffering because of what he had done.Anger burned through my veins, and eventually I started going to bars to drink, hoping I might
Fallon:We had no other option but to rest for a few minutes.We were all exhausted.None of us had gotten enough sleep, and I didn’t even know what to say to Ali except that I was sorry.I wasn’t sure those words meant anything to him.Still, he insisted that while the rest of us slept, someone should stay awake and keep watch.That alone told me how scared he was.He was afraid he might transition while we were asleep and attack someone.The thought made Priya break down completely.So Holly offered to stay awake.They told me she had already been knocked unconscious earlier and had managed to get a little sleep, so she felt rested enough to keep watch.About half an hour later, I jolted awake.And I was so glad I did.Otherwise, I would have missed what was happening.The moment my eyes opened, I saw Holly standing by the door, slowly opening it for someone.I sat up and narrowed my eyes.Then my instincts went wild.Christina stepped inside.I jumped to my feet immediately.“What
Fallon:Flashback:I sat on the floor beside the bed, curled into myself with my arms wrapped tightly around my body.My stare remained locked on the ground, as if my dignity had been left there with the rest of me.“Don’t make such a big deal out of it.”Nathan stepped out of the bathroom with a to
Fallon:The instant it lunged at me, I stumbled back and slammed my foot against the door.The heavy door crashed into its face and knocked it backward.I did not waste the opportunity.I rushed inside with the piece of broken glass in my hand.The room was too cramped for a proper fight.Every move
Fallon:I slowly pushed myself off the road and brushed the dirt from my clothes, scanning my surroundings with panic building inside me.I didn’t know if the world had always been this terrifying.Maybe I had just never noticed it before. Back when my biggest concern was surviving another day as a
Fallon:“I’m not going down there,” I shot back before any of them could try talking me into it.All four of them mirrored each other, planting their hands on their waists as they lined up in front of me.Men, especially, always went after weakness the moment they sensed it.Cage lifted a brow, look







