"Be strong, buddy..."
Liam's scream was muffled by a pillow, as he didn't want the zombies to discover them.
Zane had done it cold, without anesthetic. With the towel rolled up under Liam's armpit for leverage, he pulled the dislocated forearm and twisted it with a dry movement. CRACK!
Liam collapsed against the wall, sweating profusely, but the arm now hung correctly.
"You bastard," Liam hissed, half-smiling.
"Shut up. Thanks for not biting me," Zane replied, starting to bandage his shoulder with the only thick gauze Chloe found in the first-aid kit. "That arm will be out of commission for weeks. You can't put any weight on it."
"I won't be a burden," Liam said, with determined fury in his eyes. "I can fight with one hand. Give me something."
Zane pulled the hunting knives from his backpack. He handed one to Chloe and one to Liam.
"They're better for stealth. Only use them if it's absolutely necessary," he warned them.
Zane pulled out the officer's semi-automatic pistol. He checked it; it had six bullets. It was useless against the horde, but it could save a life in a one-on-one confrontation.
"Chloe, you keep this. It's the last card."
Chloe backed away, shaking her head frantically. "No, no. I can't shoot that, Zane. I've never touched a gun."
"Chloe, it's insurance..."
"No! I'm not taking it! I'm not going to shoot anyone, not even those things!" Chloe clung to her refusal, her eyes full of pleading.
Liam, still pale from the pain, sighed. "Give it to me, Zane. It's just extra weight for Chloe, and I won't pass out if I have to use it."
Zane nodded. Liam made more sense. He handed him the gun and one extra six-round magazine. "Six shots total. Only use them if death is the only other option."
Zane hadn't made this decision on a whim. A gun was indispensable if the enemies stopped being zombies and became desperate people. Besides, he had extensive experience handling melee weapons, so using the pistol would only be a waste of his time.
Once the arsenal was distributed, they focused on preparations. They filled three travel backpacks: one for Zane (with most of the weight, the weapons, and the makeshift gear), one for Chloe, and one for Liam. Canned food, water bottles, warm clothes, flashlights. They were basic supplies, but enough for a week.
"Now, a quick shower," Zane ordered. "One at a time. We can't afford to have any odors. It'll be the last one you take for a long time."
Liam went in first. When he came out, Chloe took her turn.
Zane stood guard by the apartment door. The sound of running water from the shower made him tense up. It was such a normal, civilized sound, yet he couldn't stop thinking about Chloe bathing, the water running down her skin as she soaped up.
Zane's heart pounded uncontrollably, even causing a sharp pain in his chest.
"You okay, man?" Liam asked, sitting on the armchair and clenching his jaw against the pain.
Zane, staring fixedly out the window, turned red. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... thinking about the zombies outside. I'm a little scared."
Liam laughed, a rough chuckle that ended in a painful grimace. "Don't lie. I saw how you dealt with those monsters. You might be afraid of everything else, but not zombies... I know what's wrong with you... you turn red every time Chloe is near you."
Zane turned to him, his warrior expression crumbling. "Not the time, Liam."
"And when will it be, 'Saint'?" Liam leaned back. "Look, I don't know what the hell is going on in this world, and I don't know why you're suddenly so powerful, but I know Chloe and I are alive because of you. And I know one more thing."
Liam lowered his voice. "She's always loved you in secret, since we were kids. Everyone knew it but you. You're the only one who freezes up... if you had half the guts you used to fight the zombies, she'd be with you."
Zane's heart skipped a beat. He, the warrior who had just massacred a horde without flinching, felt the apartment closing in on him. Liam was right. Facing the truth of his feelings was harder than facing the zombies.
"Wait until we get out of the city," Zane replied, his voice barely a whisper.
Chloe emerged from the bathroom, dressed in jeans and a dark hoodie. She was pale but determined. "I'm ready. Let's go. Where are we going?"
Zane nodded. "We're going West. Toward the Green Field Refuge. It's four hours from here, but it's a rural environment with food, and there's a small river nearby we can use as a temporary base."
"The street?" Liam asked.
"Impossible. There are already too many on the I-90. We'll be surrounded, and the pistol won't help." Zane picked up his backpack.
Chloe intervened, pointing to the ground. "There's an access to the metro network right here on the corner. What if we use the subway? We could move without being seen."
Zane thought about it. His strategist mind went into overdrive.
The subway. It was the only viable option. In the future, the metro hadn't collapsed until many months later, when floods and high-level monsters destroyed it. Now, it might be full of zombies, but if they came head-on, Zane was confident he could fight them. It would prevent them from being surrounded.
"Agreed," Zane said. "It's risky, but it's the only clean way out of the city."
They all nodded and took their gear, but Zane stopped them one last time and looked at them intently.
"When we're outside, I want you to obey everything I say, no exceptions. Also, whatever you see, don't scream. They are highly sensitive to sounds."
Liam and Chloe nodded. The warrior, the wounded friend, and the girl in love headed for the door. It was time to go underground to try and escape this hell.