Chapter Text
The trees were a blur as Nikolai sprinted through the woods, his breath coming in gasps. The air was thick with the scent of pine but the rustling of the fast movements behind kept him running. The growls echoed through the woods like a death bell and only grew louder with every step.
He didn’t dare slow down even if his legs burned and begged him to. The zombies were ruthless and fast. Now they were on his tail, slowly catching up to him no matter how fast he ran.
He was fast but they were faster.
As Nikolai darted through the bushes, leaping over fallen branches and rocks to outrun them, a sharp crack could be heard through the trees. From afar, he spotted a cabin in the distance and felt hope. Until he stumbled, tripping over a root. His heart pounded as his mind raced. He rolled down the hill, bushes cutting his shirt as he fell. He felt something cut his leg. Still, zombies were behind him. They were too fast and too many.
He couldn't die like this. Not now, not when he had figured out what survival meant. Not when he had a thirteen-year-old kid waiting for him at their camp. Why’d he leave? They could have lasted a few days with what they had… Now Nikolai couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes. He needed to get back to camp.
A snap of branches echoed from his left, a feral growl, and the sound of something closing in. He shot up from the ground and risked a glance over, a small group, sprinting through the trees, their eyes locked onto him with a predatory concentration.
His heart pounded as panic set in. He couldn’t outrun them forever. Desperation clawed at his chest as he ran through the woods. The thick trees started to thin out, and a familiar clearing was in sight. An abandoned warehouse!
A scream split the air, the kind that came from the undead as they closed in on their prey. Nikolai didn’t hesitate. He dashed toward the building, adrenaline flowing through his veins. He had hope, even as the zombies grew closer.
He reached the door, pushing it open with all the strength he had left and shutting the door just as a zombie lunged. He stumbled inside and pressed himself against the rusty door, his breath shallow and quick. The sound of feet running to the entrance was followed by silence.
The movement caused Nikolai to freeze, every muscle tensing, before turning slowly to see a figure standing in the shadows. Despite the circumstances, tall and composed…
“Who the hell are you?” Nikolai shouted, pointing his pistol but the man didn’t answer…