"Be careful! One by one, don't be afraid!"
From a window on the other side of the apartment building, soldiers were helping survivors descend dozens of meters to the ground using curtains tied together as makeshift ropes.
Survivors with ropes strapped around their bodies kept their eyes tightly shut, gripping the fabric for dear life as they slowly lowered themselves down. Their hearts pounded with fear at every inch downward.
Brian swept away the snow from a stone and sat down, watching survivor after survivor safely make it to the ground. When no one was looking, he quietly reached into his backpack, pulled out some food, and began eating in small bites to replenish his energy.
After an hour of difficult crawling through low corridors, the group finally reached the top of the building and caught sight of the outside world. Unfortunately, there was no easy way back down — the same way they had come up was the only way to go.
Suddenly, Brian thought of the bullets fired from the pit below. A cold smirk crossed his lips. After exiting the building, he had shared his concerns with Tracy about the survivors trapped inside. She had been reluctant to take further action, so he suggested sealing off all the passageways they had used. That way, even if those below managed to escape, they wouldn't be able to follow or pose any threat to the remaining journey.
Though Tracy had initially hesitated, a reminder from Brian about the soldier who opened fire made her reconsider. After a long silence, she finally nodded in agreement.
"Ahem... cough!"
As Brian was lost in thought, Sarah suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit beside him — she had eaten too quickly. He snapped back to reality.
"Slow down, don't rush," Brian said gently, patting her back and handing her his water bottle.
Then he glanced toward Wilfred, standing not far away. Sweat dripped from his forehead, his body trembled slightly, and his bloodshot eyes bulged unnaturally. A wave of concern washed over Brian.
If not for the constant crouching required in the building and Wilfred's habit of keeping his head down, his condition would have already been obvious to everyone.
After making sure Sarah had taken a few sips of water, Brian stood and walked over to Wilfred. Looking ahead at the safety zone just within reach, he asked:
"This is the last stretch. Do you think you can make it?"
"Don't worry. Just a bit more. I won't give up now!" Wilfred looked ahead at the mostly empty street leading to the safe zone. As long as they passed this final stretch and reached the soldiers' protection, his daughter would be safe.
A faint smile appeared on his face, though his voice was barely human:
"I've already decided how I'll leave."
He reached into his coat, pulling out a grenade — he no longer needed it with the end so close. He intended to return it to Brian.
Understanding immediately, Brian stopped him mid-motion.
"Keep it. Your fingers probably can't pull a trigger anymore. And I know you'd rather die than become one of them . This is for yourself."
"You really do know everything, huh..."
Hearing Brian's words, Wilfred extended his hand — his five fingers were stiff, barely bending under effort.
After a moment's hesitation, he put the grenade back.
"If that's the case… thank you."
"No problem. Anyway, once we get into the quarantine zone, I probably won't be allowed to keep anything like this anyway." Brian then glanced at Anna sitting behind him and asked softly:
"Should we tell her?"
"...No."
After a long pause, Wilfred pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to Brian.
"When the time comes... give this to her."
Looking at the letter, Brian sighed lightly, carefully folding it and placing it in his pocket.
"Leave it to me."
They rejoined the group shortly after. Everyone had already landed safely. With the destination so near, excitement filled the air. Without waiting for orders, people naturally gathered, eager to continue moving forward.
Seeing the high morale, Tracy didn't say much. She simply waved her arm and led the group onward once more.
As they drew closer to the safe zone, everyone's tension eased. Faces that had been frozen in fear gradually relaxed, and conversations resumed — some familiar, others strangers sharing uneasy laughter.
Wilfred kept his hood up, head bowed, sticking close to Anna, half-closing his eyes as if trying to spend these last moments with his daughter.
"Look! We're here!"
After what felt like hours, the group reached the top of a hill. A man at the front spotted the quarantine fence nearly a kilometer ahead and shouted excitedly.
"Yeahhh!"
"That's amazing!"
The entire group erupted in joy, hugging each other in celebration. From Dallas to Atlanta, the dangerous journey had felt like a nightmare. Now, seeing the barrier in the distance, they couldn't contain their happiness.
With no sign of infected nearby, they began celebrating on the spot.
Standing aside, Brian watched the overly excited crowd with mild annoyance. He couldn't help but mutter to himself: Why are they so happy already? Isn't it common knowledge that tragedy follows joy? If this were a movie, something bad would definitely happen right now...
BOOM!
As if summoned by his thoughts, a sudden explosion roared from behind them. Moments later came the sound of frantic footsteps, gunfire, and terrified screams.
The joyous crowd froze instantly, turning their heads in disbelief toward the source of the noise.
About two hundred meters away, from behind a ruined civilian house that had been blown apart, nearly a hundred figures burst out running. Some wore civilian clothes, others were fully armed soldiers — clearly another group from the convoy.
The civilians ran in terror toward the main group, while the soldiers fired backward as they retreated, occasionally tossing grenades that exploded violently behind them.
"Grrrrooowwwlll—!"
Shortly after the group emerged, a horrifying roar followed. Then came a swarm of infected, chasing furiously behind them.
"Damn it!"
"For crying out loud, run!"
Realizing what was happening, the group snapped out of their celebration. Excitement vanished, replaced by panic. No one listened to commands anymore — everyone turned and fled toward the safety zone in chaos.
"Ugh! Are we seriously this unlucky?" Brian cursed under his breath. Grabbing莎拉 and Alan, he joined the fleeing crowd.
But Wilfred, upon seeing the infected, showed no fear. Instead, he urged Anna and Lucy to run ahead before stepping behind Brian and saying calmly:
"Your backpack zipper is open. Let me fix it for you."
Brian, already running, slowed down instinctively. Once Wilfred finished, he resumed sprinting. For a moment, he felt like his bag had gotten lighter — but maybe it was just his imagination.
Slipping his hand into his waistband, Wilfred cast one last glance at Brian's retreating figure before turning to follow Anna and Lucy from a short distance, occasionally glancing back at the approaching horde.
"Ahhh!"
A scream pierced the air — a soldier had been tackled to the ground by an infected. His cry cut off abruptly as a flood of infected swarmed over him, silencing him forever.
As the infected closed in, the soldiers gave up fighting back. They ran with all their strength, soon overtaking the civilians ahead of them.
The infected were tireless, relentless. Human stamina was limited, especially after hours of exhausting travel. Except for a few who had recently eaten, most survivors were drained. Their legs grew heavier, their pace slower.
Within minutes, most women, children, and elderly were left behind. One by one, they were tackled to the ground.
Humanity's darker side revealed itself again. Those falling behind began pushing others down — some yanking at clothing, others tripping those ahead to buy themselves a few extra seconds.
But no matter how many tricks they used, death was inevitable.
BOOM!
Just then, a thunderous explosion rang out from the safety zone ahead. A shell flew through the sky and slammed directly into the infected horde behind the survivors, sending several flying and halting the chase momentarily.