An hour had passed since Aiden fled his home. He moved carefully through the streets, doing his best to stay out of sight, but the fear he felt hadn't gone away. He had already seen too many bodies being eaten by Zeds, and the memory stayed fresh in his mind. Gunshots echoed from far away, each one sending a chill down his spine. Sirens wailed in the distance, and the sound of helicopters rumbled in the background. They were far from his location, which gave him a bit of relief. If they were far, that meant most of the infected were too.
Eventually, Aiden reached the house of someone he used to be friends with. He quietly passed through the front gate and stepped into Sheldon's yard, scanning the area to make sure it was safe. As he made his way to the front door, he thought about knocking but stopped himself. Making noise wasn't a good idea. That's when he noticed the door wasn't completely shut. It stood slightly open.
With a light push, Aiden opened the door. The creak that followed made him uneasy, and he quickly turned to check if anything had heard it. The street was still silent, and no one was there. He took one last look around before facing the entrance again. As soon as he stepped inside, the power cut out. The house went completely dark. It reminded him of the blackout at his own home, but this time, he stayed calm. He glanced over his shoulder one more time, just in case. No Zeds were nearby.
After taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, Aiden stepped further into the house, squinting as he tried to adjust to the dark. There were sounds coming from one of the rooms, like chewing mixed with wet tearing. Aiden followed the noise and whispered the only name that came to mind.
"Sheldon, is that you?"
His eyes gradually adjusted as he walked down the hallway. When he reached the room where the sounds were coming from, he stopped at the doorway and looked inside. A phone lay on the floor, its flashlight still on. The light revealed something that sent a jolt of terror through him and froze his body in place.
"Sheldon…"
Sheldon was being devoured by his own father. The sound he had been hearing the entire time was the sound of the feast. The Zed was hunched over Sheldon's mangled corpse, but its body remained angled toward the doorway where Aiden stood. After Aiden's faint voice reached its ears, it noticed the boy's feet and slowly raised its blood-soaked face. Aiden stared back, his eyes wide in horror.
"No…"
The Zed began to rise, stepping over Sheldon's mutilated remains. Once Aiden realized the threat in front of him, he turned and ran as Sheldon's father reached out with a blood-smeared hand.
"No!"
Although his surroundings were faintly visible in the darkness, making out the details on the floor was a challenge. Aiden tripped over a misplaced umbrella and fell, giving the pursuing Zed a chance to catch up. The boy's heart pounded as he crawled away, trying to put distance between them. The Zed grabbed his leg, but he kicked it in the face and pulled free. He scrambled to his feet and rushed into the kitchen, only to hit his head against a chair and stumble again. This time, he managed to regain his footing before the Zed reached him.
"Help! Help!"
As he backed away, the Zed reached for him once more. Aiden stepped on a fallen knife holder and lost his balance, hitting the floor with a painful thud. The Zed inched closer, its arms stretching forward as Aiden cried out.
"No! Help!"
Fortunately, the knives from the holder he tripped on were scattered across the floor. Just as the Zed climbed on top of him, Aiden's hand brushed against one of the blades. He grabbed it and, in a panic, began stabbing over and over. But the wild strikes along the side of its waist barely slowed it down. The infected man leaned in, mouth wide open, ready to bite. At that moment, one of Aiden's thrusts hit the side of its neck, making it pull back and roll onto its side.
This time, Aiden was the one who got on top. He screamed as he drove the knife into its chest again and again, ultimately shoving the blade into its throat, causing it to gurgle and die. His hands trembled, now smeared with black blood. The weight of what he had just done hit him, and tears poured down his face.
Regrettably, the noise from the struggle had already drawn another Zed. It wandered in through the front door, attracted by Aiden's cries. When he saw it, the fear came rushing back.
"No! No! Not again!"
Aiden was too shaken to think about grabbing the knife he'd just used. He just ran, heading straight for the room where Sheldon's lifeless body still lay. He stopped for a second when he saw his friend's corpse, the phone's dim light still casting a glow over the gruesome sight.
But the new Zed was getting closer, leaving him no time to hesitate. He forced himself to step over Sheldon's remains and slipped into the nearby closet, pulling the splintered wooden door shut behind him. With both hands pressed to his face, he tried to quiet his breathing, but it was no use. His breaths came fast and shaky, loud enough to give him away. The Zed couldn't see him, but it began moving toward the sound.
Aiden squeezed his eyes shut and tried to calm down, but the footsteps grew louder. It was too late. The Zed had found him. It started banging on the closet door. Aiden screamed for it to stop, but it kept going. As the wood cracked under the pressure, he cried out again, desperate and terrified.
A piece of the door broke off and hit the floor in front of him. The infected man could see him now, barely lit by the faint light coming from Sheldon's phone. Its hand pushed through the gap, reaching for him. Aiden screamed again, begging it to leave, but it did not listen. The boy backed up as far as he could, pressing into the wall, tears running down his face.
There was nowhere to go. The closet was too small. The Zed's hand was just inches from his face, getting closer with each crack on the splintering wood. Aiden dropped to his knees and looked up at the Zed breaking through the door, sure that this would be his end.
Suddenly, a brighter light flickered behind the infected man, followed by a loud clang. Something had struck the Zed from behind. It jerked back, its hand leaving the closet as it stumbled to the ground from another blow to the head.
Aiden listened as the Zed was pummeled by a metallic object on the other side of the door. The assault continued until it finally ceased. There were a few more seconds of movement outside, like the sound of a blanket being dragged and adjusted, before a voice finally called out.
"Okay, girls, you can open your eyes now. As for whoever is in that closet, you're safe now."
The terrified boy slowly rose to his feet, his movements careful and unsure. His hand hovered near the doorknob, then settled on it. He was just about to turn it when he froze, suddenly realizing he had no idea who might be waiting on the other side. "Wait, who… who are you?! What do you want?!"
"It's okay! The Zed is dead! You can come out now!" the man replied.
Aiden clutched the doorknob, his body still trembling. He didn't fully trust the man on the other side of the door, but he knew staying in the closet wasn't any safer. If the man wanted to break in, he easily could. Swallowing hard, Aiden eased the door open, bracing himself for whoever might be beyond it.
The moment the door creaked open, a beam of light hit Aiden's face, causing him to flinch. A girl's voice followed right after.
"Aiden, is that you?"
That familiar voice belonged to Lydia Monroe, the girl Madison had wanted Aiden to befriend. She held her mother's phone, using its flashlight to light up the dark room.
Aiden blinked against the brightness, gradually making out the people in front of him. "Senator Monroe… Lydia? Julie? What are you doing here?" he asked, confused.
Six people were gathered in the room, consisting of two young girls and their parents. Lydia's long blonde hair hung neatly over her shoulders, and Julie, beside her, wore her brown hair in a ponytail. Their white shirts, black ties, black blazers, and skirts were all neat despite the chaos outside. Julie's father stood nearby, wearing blue mechanic coveralls stained with a dark substance that resembled oil, and in his hand was a wrench drenched in the same black fluid.
Although Aiden's question wasn't directed at him, Julie's father answered anyway. "We heard you scream and rushed to help. We didn't know who it was, of course, but we couldn't just leave someone to die."
Aiden looked over at Sheldon's body, now covered with a white blanket. It had probably been placed there to spare the girls from seeing what was underneath. He didn't blame them. Even he could barely handle it.
The boy shifted his attention back to the others in the room. Julie's mother stood beside her husband, her brown hair tied into a bun. She wore blue jeans and a black shirt. Lydia's parents stood just behind the girls, their appearance noticeably more refined. Like their daughter, both had blonde hair. Her mother wore a red dress and high heels, while her father donned brown pants, a white shirt, and a matching brown suit.
"Julie's mom and dad? They're here too?" Aiden wondered aloud.
Julie's parents exchanged glances before looking over at Lydia's parents, who returned the gesture. Julie's father then took a step forward and answered.
"I understand you recognizing Logan here since he's a senator, but you recognize us too? Have we met?"
"No. I've seen you pick up your daughter at school," Aiden replied.
"Ah, so you attend the same school. What's your name?"
"Aiden. Didn't Lydia just mention it earlier?"
"Oh, right. Sorry, it went over my head. Well, Aiden, it's nice to meet you. My name is Dylan, Dylan Sandoval. My wife's name is Amanda, and you already know my daughter, Julie. As for the blonde ones over there--"
"No need to introduce us," Logan interrupted. "We could do it ourselves." He calmly adjusted his tie, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "As you already know, Aiden, my name is Logan, Logan Monroe. As for my wife…"
"My name is Hayley. Nice to meet you."
After Hayley introduced herself, an awkward silence lingered. It came from the unspoken expectation that Lydia would be next.
Hayley shot her daughter a stern look. "What are you waiting for? Introduce yourself."
"He already knows who I am," Lydia replied, her eyes still fixed on Aiden. "I doubt there is anyone at school who doesn't know who I am."
Aiden didn't bother to hide the irritation in his voice. "You're still as conceited as ever."
Lydia's lips curved into a smug smile, her eyes gleaming with pride. "Oh, please. As my father often says, it's good to be confident. Otherwise, we'd end up like you. The only reason we know your name is because you went from being a good student to being the class clown. Even the teachers agree."
"You little--"
Hayley intervened, preventing their exchange from escalating into an argument. "Lydia, that's enough. That's no way to speak to your classmate."
Lydia looked away with a faint sigh, her apology half-hearted. "Sorry."
Deciding not to dwell on Lydia's comment, Aiden turned to Julie, who hadn't said a word since they arrived. "Julie, right?"
Julie crossed her arms, eyeing him like he was being ridiculous. "Don't act like you don't already know my name."
"I was just making sure. Are you still the top of the class?"
Julie wasn't sure if he genuinely didn't remember or was just trying to get under her skin. "No. Lydia eventually beat my scores, remember? She became first, I was second, and you were third." Her eyes narrowed as she added, "Well, you were third before you started getting average scores. What happened? Did you stop studying?"
Aiden briefly glared at Lydia before answering Julie, his tone carrying a hint of frustration. "I'd rather not talk about it."
Curious about Aiden's circumstances, Julie's mother, Amanda, broke the short silence that followed. "What about you? Where are your parents?"
Aiden's gaze shifted toward the white blanket covering the Sheldon's body, fresh blood already beginning to seep through the fabric. "They're… dead," he said quietly.
For several seconds, no one spoke. Even Lydia's confidence faltered, feeling a bit guilty over the argument she nearly ignited earlier.
Not wanting to leave the young boy to fend for himself, Amanda made him an offer. "Would you like to come with us? If you're alone, it would be better not to be by yourself."
Aiden glanced at each of them in turn, meeting their eyes one after the other. Everyone awaited his answer, and after a contemplative pause, he made his decision.
"Okay, I'll go with you."