The night was on fire. Sirens, screams, and gunshots blended into one endless roar as Michael ran alongside Joel and Tommy. Joel clutched Sarah tight against his chest, her face buried in his shirt, her whimpers muffled by the chaos. Tommy's rifle barked every few seconds, each shot echoing through the alleys they cut across.
Michael's lungs burned. His legs screamed. He didn't stop. Couldn't stop. His system kept flashing warnings in his head, cold and mechanical reminders of how slim their chances were.
[System Notice: Local infection rate: 62%]
[System Notice: Evacuation perimeter closing.]
"Don't look back," Michael muttered under his breath. "Just forward. Just forward."
Joel glanced at him, sweat dripping from his face. His voice was hoarse but steady. "There's gotta be soldiers setting up a quarantine. If we reach them, they'll take us in."
Michael wanted to believe him. He wanted to believe someone was still in control, that the world wasn't already lost.
They sprinted past burning storefronts. A man slammed against the glass from the inside, blood running down his face as something tore at him in the dark. Sarah whimpered and clung tighter to her father. Joel kept his eyes forward, jaw clenched.
Finally, the narrow alley opened onto a clearing. Ahead was a slope leading down to a floodlit stretch of road. And there silhouetted against the light were soldiers. Actual soldiers. Their uniforms, rifles, and helmets looked impossibly clean compared to the ash and blood of the streets above.
Joel's breath caught. "There! We're almost there!"
Michael felt a wave of hope surge through his chest, enough to drown out the exhaustion. He grabbed Sarah's hand for balance as Joel carried her down the hill. Tommy covered their rear, firing one last shot before the infected gave up the chase, too wary of the lights below.
The four of them stumbled into the floodlit zone, chest heaving, legs trembling.
"Help!" Joel shouted, desperation breaking through his usually steady voice. "She's hurt, my daughter's hurt!"
A soldier raised his rifle, posture stiff, voice clipped through the radio on his chest. "Stay where you are! Don't move!"
Michael froze. Something in the soldier's tone cut through him sharper than the rifle itself. Joel slowed, Sarah's face pressed against him.
"She's just a kid," Joel said, his voice cracking. "She's not sick. Please, she just needs help."
The soldier's hand trembled slightly as it pressed to his earpiece. Michael could see his lips moving, relaying their arrival to someone unseen. There was a pause. Then the soldier stiffened, shoulders locking.
Michael's stomach sank. He'd seen that posture before. Orders.
"No," Michael whispered.
The soldier raised his rifle higher. "I'm sorry. I can't let you through."
Joel's eyes went wide. "No, wait"
The rifle cracked.
Michael didn't think. He slammed into Joel, shoving him sideways as the shots tore into the ground where Sarah had been only a heartbeat earlier. The three of them tumbled into the dirt, Sarah crying out as Joel shielded her with his body.
Tommy roared and fired, his shot catching the soldier in the chest. The man dropped instantly, his rifle clattering against the pavement.
For a moment, everything was still. Then the radios on the other soldiers crackled to life. Voices barked orders. Heavy boots thundered from the floodlights.
"They're coming!" Michael shouted. "We need to move now!"
Joel scrambled to his feet, clutching Sarah close. Tommy fired again, yelling for them to run. Michael grabbed Joel's arm and pulled him toward the shadows on the far side of the road.
But the soldiers were faster than Michael expected. Another unit appeared from the other side of the clearing, cutting off their escape. Bullets tore through the ground at their feet. Dirt sprayed into the air.
"Michael go!" Joel shouted, thrusting Sarah into his arms for the briefest second. "Take her!"
Michael staggered under her weight, Sarah's fingers clutching his shirt. He didn't have time to argue. He turned and sprinted into the dark, clutching her tight, his system screaming warnings in his vision.
[System Notice: Survival probability 15%]
He ducked behind a crumbling wall, bullets chewing through the bricks as Joel and Tommy's shouts faded behind him. Sarah's sobs cut through the gunfire.
"Michael!" Joel's voice echoed, furious and desperate. "Keep her safe!"
Michael's throat burned as he ran, heart hammering so hard it felt like it would break through his ribs. He wanted to turn back, to drag Joel with him, to fight the soldiers head-on. But one look at Sarah's terrified face broke him. He couldn't risk her.
He reached a narrow service tunnel and ducked inside. The sound of boots and gunfire faded above, replaced by dripping water and the echo of his own ragged breathing. He set Sarah down gently against the wall, his chest heaving.
She looked at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Is… is Daddy coming?"
Michael swallowed hard. The truth clawed at his throat, but he forced his voice to steady. "He will. He's fighting his way out. We just… we just have to wait."
Sarah sniffled, hugging her knees. "I'm scared."
Michael crouched down in front of her, forcing himself to meet her eyes. "I know. I'm scared too. But listen… I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Not tonight. Not ever."
For the first time since the outbreak began, his system went quiet. No alerts. No probabilities. Just silence.
Michael sat there in the dark with Sarah, the distant sounds of soldiers and screams echoing above them. Somewhere out there, Joel and Tommy were fighting their own battle. And Michael knew, deep down, that nothing would ever be the same again.
The world had split in two tonight. Joel's path, and his.
And for Michael, the only path left was forward with Sarah.