The railway depot no longer smelled like rust and death.
Now, faint traces of oil, smoke, and human life clung to the air.
They'd cleaned it ... or tried to. Bloodstains faded under scrub water, tools were gathered into neat piles, and a fire barrel glowed faintly in the corner.
It wasn't home. But it was somewhere.
~~ The First Morning ~~
Luna sat near the fire, wrapped in her blanket like armor.
She hadn't slept. The depot's roof creaked with every gust, and the distant moans of the undead still drifted in like a chorus of broken voices.
Leina crouched beside her, offering a dented mug of instant coffee.
"You'll get used to the sounds," she said softly. "Eventually."
Luna took it, staring into the murky surface. "That's not comforting."
Leina smiled faintly. "Wasn't meant to be. Just honest."
Across the hall, Mike sat cross-legged beside a table covered in scrap metal and wires. He was tuning a makeshift radio with a screwdriver, humming off-key.
"If I pick up a single broadcast that isn't someone screaming," he muttered, "I'm buying everyone lunch."
Dan looked up from cleaning his crowbar. "With what currency?"
"Beans," Mike said. "Beans are the new pounds."
Kazuma sat apart, sketching in his notebook ... rail schematics, power routes, things no one else could decipher. His voice broke through the static.
"You should rest, Luna. Fatigue leads to mistakes."
She glanced up, eyes tired but sharp. "I've had insomnia since I was fourteen. Fatigue is my normal."
Mike smirked. "Oh good, she talks back now."
Luna's glare was immediate. "You talk too much."
Dan's mouth twitched ... almost a smile. "She's adapting."
The Run
By noon, Kazuma decided they needed medicine.
Their supplies were low ... a few painkillers, antiseptic, thread for sutures. Not enough if anyone got seriously hurt.
He picked the team himself: Kazuma, Leina, and Mike.
Dan would guard the depot. Luna would stay, though not by choice.
"I can't fight," she said quickly, clutching her blanket. "And I don't want to."
Kazuma only nodded. "Then listen. Stay alert."
Before leaving, Leina squeezed Luna's shoulder.
"We'll be back soon," she said gently. "Just breathe, okay?"
Luna nodded, but her eyes stayed fixed on the closing door long after they were gone.
~~ Line Break ~~
The run began smoothly.
They moved through narrow backstreets, keeping low, speaking little.
The pharmacy on Holloway Road was half-collapsed but not stripped ... drawers overturned, shelves broken, the air thick with dust and mildew.
Mike whistled under his breath. "Smells like expired life choices."
Leina shot him a look. "You're the only person who jokes in a graveyard."
Kazuma was rifling through cabinets. "Focus. Check expiry dates, sealed packaging only."
Mike tossed a box of gauze into his bag. "Because that's the real problem out here ... expired meds."
Leina was about to reply when Kazuma froze.
"Quiet."
A sound cut through the silence ... fast, scraping, wet.
It came from the alley behind them.
Then it burst out of the shadows.
Not a shambler. Not slow.
Its eyes were gone ... just blackened sockets ... but its head snapped toward the sound of their breathing.
It screeched and lunged.
Kazuma swung first, a pipe connecting with its skull. The thing staggered, twisted, and came again, blind but unnervingly precise.
Leina gasped as Mike shoved her aside and swung his crowbar. It struck, but the creature's claws caught his forearm, tearing flesh.
He hit the floor hard, blood spilling fast.
Kazuma stepped in and drove the pipe down once, twice, until the skull caved with a sickening crack. Silence followed ... deep and absolute.
Mike's voice broke it, shaky. "Please tell me that was a bad dream."
Leina knelt beside him, pressing cloth to the wound. "It's deep. We have to move. Now."
Kazuma checked the alley ... clear, for now.
"Go. Double time."
~~ Line Break ~~
By the time they reached the depot, Mike was pale and sweating.
Luna was pacing by the door, wringing her hands. When she saw the blood, she froze.
"Oh God."
Leina called out, "He's cut ... left arm! It's bleeding fast!"
Kazuma barked, "Infection check first!"
But Luna was already moving.
For someone who flinched at loud noises, her hands were steady. She tore open her kit ... gauze, antiseptic, tape, gloves ... and snapped into focus.
"Sit him down," she ordered, voice trembling but firm.
Mike gritted his teeth. "You sure about this? I usually prefer my doctors with diplomas."
"Shut up," Luna said, inspecting the gash. "No gray streaks. No swelling. You're lucky."
Dan stood nearby, watching quietly. Even he looked impressed.
Kazuma crouched beside her. "You've done this before?"
Luna didn't look up. "I've read about it before."
Kazuma frowned. "Reading isn't practice."
Her tone sharpened. "It is when you never had anyone else to practice on."
She worked quickly ... cleaning, stitching, wrapping ... precise, unflinching. Mike hissed through the pain but didn't move.
When she tied the final knot, she sat back, trembling only after it was done.
"That hurt like hell," Mike muttered. "But… thanks."
Luna exhaled. "Don't thank me yet. If you start mutating, I'm locking you outside."
He grinned weakly. "You'd miss me."
"Doubtful," she said, but Leina caught the flicker of worry in her eyes.
The Night Watch
Later, the depot quieted. The fire crackled low, and rain whispered against the roof.
Luna sat awake again, the blanket around her shoulders. Dan was near the doorway, cleaning his weapon in silence.
She hesitated. "Do you ever think it's weird? That we're still alive… when everyone else isn't?"
Dan didn't look up. "Statistically, it's luck. Emotionally, it's guilt."
Luna nodded slowly. "I don't feel guilty. Just… wrong. Like I'm not supposed to be here."
Dan finally looked at her. "That's still guilt. You've just renamed it."
She studied her hands ... the same ones that had saved Mike hours earlier. "I don't belong out here."
He closed his notebook. "You will. The world changes. So do people."
She stared into the fire for a long time before whispering, "I hope not."
~~ Line Break ~~
By dawn, the rain stopped.
Kazuma stood before a table covered in tools, his notebook open.
"We've confirmed multiple variants," he said. "Some run. Some hear instead of see. Some are strong but slow. There's a pattern ... mutation through infection."
Mike flexed his bandaged arm. "So basically, we're in a horror movie with a biology budget."
Kazuma ignored him. "We'll map safe zones and clear a perimeter around the depot. If we can power the rail line, we regain mobility."
Luna raised a tentative hand. "I can help. I know electrical systems. I've read a lot about generators."
Kazuma looked at her ... surprised. "Then you'll assist with the repairs."
Mike grinned. "Look at that ... the blanket gremlin gets a promotion."
Luna sighed. "If you call me that again, I'm cutting your power."
Leina laughed softly, the sound echoing through the steel hall. For a brief moment, it almost felt like a normal morning ... a group project gone wrong, not the end of the world.
Kazuma closed his notebook. His tone softened, but his eyes were still hard.
"This depot isn't a shelter anymore," he said quietly. "It's a beginning."
Outside, thunder rolled through the ruined city.
Somewhere far away, a siren wailed and faded.
The storm was coming.