My eyes slowly open, and everything around me is a blur. Gradually, it starts to come into focus. Are those tall trees surrounding me? I sit up quickly. Confusion washes over me as I look left and right. All I remember is that girl jumping at me how did I end up here? In front of me, I notice something small; someone is sitting with their back to me. It's definitely a human. I'm still disoriented, but I say, "Hey!" as I slowly get to my feet. My hands are shaking because I'm not ready to face something crazy again. The figure doesn't turn around.
I start walking toward it. slowly, carefully. The unsettling part is that its back is soaked in red It's blood. "Can you hear me?" I call out, but there's no response. My steps are cautious. "Hello?" I say, hoping it will look at me before I get any closer. I don't fully understand why I feel this urge to approach it, to see who or what it is, rather than running away. But I can't help it I've always been too curious for my own good. I reach out and touch its shoulder. It turns around slowly, and I freeze. Am I dreaming again? Or maybe hallucinating? Because this...
It's the girl I found before. She turns fully to face me, her left eye completely red. She's one of them. I stumble backward in fear, crawling away as I fumble to pull out my knife. But then, to my shock, she starts crying. What the hell? They aren't supposed to cry. That's when I realize she's not entirely one of them. She's still human, or at least partly. Somehow, she's infected but... resisting it. One red eye. I'm utterly puzzled all over again.
Her cries echo through the trees, loud and panicked. I need to calm her down before something else hears us. "Hey! Hey! It's okay… it's okay," I say gently, I push myself up, still gripping the knife tightly in my left hand, and slowly edge closer to her. "Don't cry. It's me… remember?" I reach out, hesitantly placing a hand on her shoulder. She quiets a little, her sobs easing as she recognizes me. I ask, "Are you okay?" She nods, and I feel a bit of relief. That nod it feels human.
I need to be sure she's completely herself. "You know me, right?" I ask, watching her carefully. She nods, My grip tightens around the knife hidden behind me, ready for anything, but she seems calm, almost… normal. "Can you speak?" I ask, testing her. Another nod. kids. I ask gently, "What's your name?" My heart pounds as I study her red eye it's unnerving, but she doesn't seem hostile. Finally, she replies, "Gina." Her voice is soft, her first words since I found her. I never got to know any of their names before. But she has a nice name.
I glance around. I know this place it's a bit farther from the camp. I don't know how I got here, but she seems aware, maybe more than I am. I ask her, "How did we get here?" She looks up with wide, clear eyes. "I don't know," she says softly. Does it even matter anymore? I realize it doesn't. I stand up and say, "Let's get out of here." She nods and rises to her feet. In that moment, I decide to leave everything that happened behind. Right now, she's my responsibility I need to focus on keeping her safe. Looking down at our clothes, I notice we're both covered in dirt and blood. I remember a nearby waterfall; I've been through this part of the forest before, so I know the area. "Give me your hand," I say, reaching out. She takes it without hesitation, her small hand sticky with blood, but I feel a strange sense of calm as I hold on. We'll get through this.
We're both at the waterfall, washing the blood off our bodies. I scrub my hands under the running water, I glance over at Gina. she's struggling to clean her hands. The blood has dried thick, and with her small, delicate fingers, it's tough for her to scrub it off. I move closer, kneeling beside her. "Give me your hands," I say softly. She holds them out to me, and I take them carefully, working to wipe away the stains. Her wide eyes stay on me, I still can't shake the sight of her left eye, bright red and intense. Could she be immune?We still don't know what caused this if it's some kind of virus infecting humans or something worse. Some say the Dark Ones are demons, creatures born straight out of hell. Others believe it was a secret government project gone wrong, something that escaped and spread like wildfire, corrupting souls and bringing the dead back to life to take over the world. But me? I don't believe in any of it. All I know is that one day, they just appeared. Out of nowhere. They started hunting humans, devouring them in the dark. And then came the zombie-like creatures, twisted versions of us, killing everyone they could find. It's been nine years now, and we still have no answers. Humanity is vanishing. extincting, one heartbeat at a time. That she's still alive? It's a miracle.
I look at Gina, her red eye gleaming faintly in the daylight. I need to know. "Can you see out of your left eye?" I ask her gently. I need to understand what it's like for her, having one eye completely red. She looks at me and says, "No, but I see red." Her words leave me puzzled. What does that even mean? Whatever. There's no time to dwell on it. I get up, and she rises with me. I pull out a scarf I've been carrying. I step closer to her. I wrap the scarf around her red eye, tying it snugly. "From now on, you don't take this off. Got it?" My voice is firm, almost commanding. She doesn't argue just nods quietly. Maybe she doesn't want to see the world through that red haze anymore. We can't stay here for long. There's a place in nearby town where I've hidden some supplies guns, food, fresh clothes just in case of an emergency. Thank my brilliant planning; it's saving us again. I offer my hand to her and say, "Come on." She takes it without hesitation, and we start walking.
We're both in the town now, hiding behind a bus. I take a quick peek around the corner to see what's out on the street. A few Red Eyes are roaming around, I glance back at Gina. "Follow me," I whisper, bringing a finger to my lips to signal for silence. I take her hand and start moving, slow and steady, across the road. She doesn't flinch. She's brave. braver than I expect for someone so small. Her gaze doesn't waver as she watches them. She sees them, and yet she's not afraid. We're halfway across the road when it happens. One of them sees us. Just our luck. Being unlucky feels like second nature to me now. Things always turn like this wrong and worse. Somehow, I'm still alive, dealing with it all, though I'll never understand how. It starts charging toward us. I hold her hand tight and start running. There are six of them; they all start to run toward us. I panic a little, but I've dealt with situations like this many times, so I keep my calm and start running while holding her hand. I'm surprised she runs as fast as I do. I thought I might have to carry her. She's a fast runner. They're still following us. They're still following us.
We turn into an alley, and that's when I get scared a little two Red Eyes are in front of me. Now I'm like, how the hell am I going to deal with this? I hear a falling sound behind me it's one of them tripping and crashing to the ground. No time to think. I have to act fast. The two in front start running toward me. I look back at Gina and tell her, "Stay close." She grabs the right side of my shirt, clutching it tightly. I pull out my knife, gripping it firmly, and start advancing toward them, meeting their charge head-on. The other Red Eyes are coming behind us I can hear them screaming and their footsteps getting closer. We come face-to-face with one of them. It swings its hand to grab me. I pull my right shoulder back, grab its hand, and stab it in the head. This one feels weaker and slower than the others I've seen. The next one jumps at me, trying to bite. I grab its hair, pulling its head back so it can't reach me. I stab it under the jaw, driving the knife up. I grab Gina's hand and start running as fast as we can. The ones following us are much closer now. They're faster and stronger than the two I just dealt with. Thank God those two were weak, or I wouldn't have stood a chance.
I kick open the door of the building this is where I hid my stuff. It's a flat. We step inside, but of course, there are more Red Eyes here. You've gotta be kidding me. When does this ever end? To my right, there's a staircase leading to the second floor. "Come on!" I grab Gina's hand, and we start running toward it. The Red Eyes notice us and charge. We dash up the stairs. As we turn the corner to the next flight, there's another one waiting, just staring at us. This one feels... different. They never wait for anyone. He looks like a 15-year-old kid. It jumps at me, and I catch it mid-air, throwing it to the right. It crashes into one of the Red Eyes behind us, slowing them down a little. But, of course, one of them manages to dodge it. We run up the stairs, but he's getting closer. He almost grabs Gina, but before he can, I pull her up into my arms and turn left, sprinting down the hallway as fast as I can. At the end of this hallway is the room where I hid my stuff.
I keep running, holding her tightly. She clings to me, her grip firm on my shoulders, holding on for dear life. They're getting faster. Without looking back, I run as fast as I can, my heart pounding like a drum. I reach the door and quickly put Gina down. Fumbling with the lock, I unlock it. I never bother locking it with anything too complicated nobody would ever suspect a hidden stash here. Especially not other survivors. There's a reason for that a rumor going around about this town. Something happened here, something bad enough to keep people away. No one dares to come close. I open the door, and she enters. I follow her in quickly. They're getting closer. I slam the door shut, but one of them jumps toward it. I hold it back, pushing with everything I've got. It's relentless, pushing back harder and harder. I keep pushing, not letting it in. Finally, with all my strength, I slam the door shut, breathing heavily. The sound of scratching and snarling comes from the other side, but we're safe at least for now.
Bang on the door. It's not going to hold for long. There's this bed in front of me—that's where I hid my stuff. I move quickly and pull it out immediately. I open it. Everything's there, safe and sound. A rifle, a knife, a pistol, and some canned food. Nothing special, just enough to survive in a situation like this, and a backup in case anything went wrong. I'm thanking myself for doing this. If I wasn't the kind of person who always came up with a backup plan, I'd be screwed. I pick up the pistol. It's a Glock with a 15-round magazine already loaded and ready to go. I know I need to save the bullets for the future, but I have to get rid of the ones banging on the door first. The sound isn't stopping they're hungry for it. I walk to the door and look back at Gina. "Hide under the bed," I command her. She crawls there as fast as she can. I open the door and slay them all easily. Me with a gun? Nobody can stop me.
I'm checking the stash. It's been a long day. I'm so tired and hungry. My stomach growls just thinking about food. I glance over at Gina. She's sitting on the bed, looking up at me like she's waiting for something. "Are you hungry?" I ask her. She nods her head so desperately, like she hasn't eaten in days. I grab one of the cans of beans I just opened and hand it to her with a spoon. "Here," I say. There are ten cans of food left in the stash. If we're careful, we could stretch it to last five or six days, maybe even ten if we ration it. But that's a big if. I'm always hungry, and it's hard to satisfy my belly. Also, I don't know about Gina. She looks so skinny—it's like she hasn't had a proper meal in months. She needs more nutrition, every bit of energy she can get. She's still just a little kid, still growing up. I sigh, looking at her as she eats.
We can't stay here much longer. The food won't last, and this place isn't safe enough. We have to move out tomorrow, keep going until we find more supplies. More than anything, I need to find a safe place for her. Somewhere she doesn't have to worry about running or hiding all the time. I made a promise, after all. And I don't break my promises. I'll protect her no matter what. "Is this my new home?" she asks, I'm still staring at the stash, my thoughts running wild about everything—the food, the danger, the uncertainty. I glance at her face, her big, curious eyes waiting for an answer. "No," I say. "We're moving out. Tomorrow." She needs to know, to be prepared. "Where?" she asks, her voice carrying both innocence and worry. I don't actually know where to go or what to do. "Let's just keep moving forward until I figure everything out," I say, trying to sound confident. Staying here isn't an option; we'll run out of everything if we don't move. I know it's not safe to just walk outside, but I have no choice. She keeps questioning, "Where?" I can't let her know I'm clueless. I lie to her, "I know a place, okay?" "Do we have to leave?" she asks me. Does she want to stay? I ask her back, "You like it here?" She shakes her head. "No, but I don't like to run." Oh. Now I understand. She's still just a child. The fear of running, the exhaustion it's all too much for her. But we don't have a choice. We have to keep moving forward.
It's dark now. I've lit candles all over the room and placed two lanterns for backup. I had them stashed in the bathroom hidden well because things like this are more valuable than food or guns sometimes. These days, people can't get comfortable in the dark anymore. We're all searching for a light. Nobody wants to face the death that comes with the Dark Ones. I move to the door and check the lock. It's solid. I twist the handle and give it a firm tug locked tight. Good. Turning back, I see Gina sitting on the bed, holding an old newspaper she found. She's focused on it, flipping through like it's the most fascinating thing in the world. I didn't bother checking the date. Whatever keeps her distracted, I guess. "Hey," I call out. "It's time to sleep." She looks up but shakes her head. "I'm not sleepy," she says casually. Is she for real? After all this, she's not tired? I don't understand kids. I command her, "Just lay your head and close your eyes, okay," I say. I think my tone kind of scared her. She lays her head on the pillow without another word. I need to stay awake and guard this place. The night can be terrifying, and I have to be ready for anything. Clinging to my pistol, I keep my ears sharp, listening for any sound that could mean danger. I need rest too—God, I need it—but I can't afford to close my eyes. Not yet. Maybe later. If I even get the chance. While I'm deep in thought, "Can you tell me a bedtime story?" Gina asks. Is she serious? A bedtime story? I pause, unsure how to answer. I don't know any bedtime stories. Gina insists on hearing a bedtime story. I sigh, realizing there's no getting out of this. Somehow, a story my grandma used to tell me when I was her age comes to mind. I begin, Once upon a time, there was a girl. She woke up in a room, and she had no idea how she got there or what the place was. The room was filled with flowers—all red roses. They were everywhere, covering the floor, the walls, even the ceiling. It was beautiful, but she wanted to get out of that room. There was no door, but there was a window with a full view of what's outside, shielded by thick glass. When she looks outside, she sees a waterfall. She tries to break the glass by hitting it multiple times, but it doesn't work. The whole room is just empty. The only things there are flowers. Seconds, minutes, hours, and days pass by. She has nothing to eat or drink. Whatever she tries to do to get out, there's no way out. She starts to eat the flowers because she is so hungry. Weeks pass by. There's some water puddle on the side of the room. It's coming from underground. She survives for months inside that room with just flowers and water. One day, she falls asleep. When she wakes up, she somehow feels different. Walking to the window, she reaches out and touches it. To her surprise, there's no glass. She immediately jumps outside. I pause, taking a look at Gina. She's fast asleep. Kids—they always fall asleep at the best part. Well, she's asleep now, so I don't need to keep telling the story. I lay back in the chair and glance at her again. Her left eye is still covered with the scarf. It must be uncomfortable. I get up and gently remove the scarf without waking her. I don't want to scare her, but it's not good for her eye to stay covered while she's sleeping. As I take the scarf off, her eye starts glowing. She screams. In an instant, she jumps at me. I catch her by the neck. She's trying to bite me. What the hell? What's going on? "Gina, what's wrong with you?" I say. She's trying her best to sink her teeth into me, her strength wild and relentless. Is it because of the scarf? I hold her tight, struggling to contain her. As quickly as I can, I cover her eye again. She starts to calm down. Her body slackens, and she slowly falls against my chest. What just happened?
We're on the road. We've been walking for four hours now. We came across five Red Eyes, but I managed to kill them all. This road runs through the middle of a forest, leading to another town where we hope to find more supplies. The road looks empty. I don't feel any threats, which is good. Maybe it's the silence or the fresh air, but I feel calm. We're walking side by side, but suddenly Gina falls behind, her steps slowing. I look back at her. She's tired—I can see it on her face. We can't rest now. We have to keep moving," I tell her, trying to push past her tired look. "Come on! Hurry up." She slows down even more, dragging her feet. "Can we take a rest? I'm tired," she says, her voice small but firm. Oh no, kid, we can't do this now. Even though the forest feels calm, I know we can't take the risk. I force my tone to stay steady as I respond, "We can't rest. It's too dangerous, okay? We have to keep moving." But then she sits down right in the middle of the road, crossing her arms like she's made up her mind. Another problem to solve. Great. "What are you doing? Get up!" I bark, but she refuses, shaking her head. "No, I can't." What happened to the quiet, compliant kid I knew? Now she's suddenly turned into a stubborn brat. I don't have time for this. There's only one solution. I kneel down in front of her, trying not to let my frustration show. "Alright, get on my shoulders," I say, and before she can argue, I lift her up. She's light as a feather, but I can't resist poking fun. "You're heavy," I grumble. She glares at me from above. "No, I'm not." "Yes, you are," I tease, smirking. At least now, I don't have to hear her whining.
We arrive at the town. I'm still carrying her. We're walking on the path with a few houses around. It's weird to see such an empty town—no Red Eyes, nothing. "What's that smell?" Gina asks me. I start to notice it too, something rotten. I sniff the air twice. It's gross, unbearable. "Arh! Cover your nose," I tell her. We keep moving forward, but the smell grows stronger with every step I take. I see a bridge ahead and walk toward it. The air is foggy, like smoke from a fire—probably the only explanation for fog on a sunny day like this. We're on the bridge now. It's small, just big enough to cross to the next town. The fog drifts from the left side of the bridge, and the smell is unbearable now. I move to the left side, and as the smoke begins to clear, I look down. Dead bodies—piles of them, burnt. The stench of burning flesh hits me hard. It looks like a bunch of Red Eyes, their bodies thrown together and set on fire. These must've been the townspeople. But the bodies... they're fresh. Someone burned them recently, not too long ago. I stare at the scene for a moment. The sight, the smell—it's disgusting. Flesh, guts, bones—all of it scattered down there. The sight churns my stomach. I glance up at Gina, still perched on my shoulders. "Don't look," I tell her firmly. Without wasting a moment, I turn away and start walking toward the next part of the city. As soon as I step off the bridge, I hear voices. Someone's talking, their words carried faintly by the wind. Instinct kicks in. I quickly move behind a car abandoned on the road and crouch, setting Gina down beside me. Peering out carefully, I see them—two raiders standing a few feet ahead, chatting casually.
We need to pass this town somehow. I take a peek to look at them. I see a way we can sneak past slowly, hiding behind the cars. There's also an entrance to a shop nearby. If I can get us there, we might be able to surpass them safely. I hold Gina's hand tightly and give her a nod, signaling that it's time to move. She's always ready for anything, so I trust her to follow my lead. I also trust that she'll trust me in this situation, but it feels different more dangerous. I'm not good at sneaking; the last time I tried, we barely made it out alive. We slowly start sneaking behind the cars, one step at a time, trying not to make a sound. I don't know what their intentions are. These days, we can't trust anyone. They have the kind of faces that scream untrustworthiness. Especially for us—we have to live a sneaky life, Gina and I. With her condition and the way she acts, I'm always on edge, unsure of what might happen next or how I'll manage to handle it when it does. Finally, we make it into the house. But it's far from over—they're everywhere in this town. I can feel it. The sounds of people talking echo faintly in the air, reminding me that danger is just around the corner.
We move to the other side of the shop, and there's a road to cross. Nothing seems suspicious. I hold her hand tightly and start to cross. We make it to the middle of the road when, Bang! A shot lands right in front of me.I freeze for a split second, shocked. It came from the right. I whip my head in that direction as fast as I can oh my god. There's a sniper on the roof. No time to think. I tighten my grip on Gina's hand and run as fast as I can, pulling her along. She keeps up without hesitation. I glance back at her, expecting fear, but there's none. Not even a trace. I don't understand it. how can she be like that? From the moment I met her, she's always had that look in her eyes, unshaken, like fear doesn't exist for her. She's tough, strange, and unpredictable a kid unlike any other. Another shot rings out, followed quickly by another. Both miss. Whoever this sniper is, they're not very good. Or maybe we're just lucky. If they were a skilled sniper, we'd already be dead cut down the moment we stepped onto the road. Maybe it's luck. Maybe it's something else. Plot armor, who knows.
We cross the road and rush into a building. The echo of footsteps and voices reaches my ears more raiders. They're closing in, likely drawn by the sound of gunfire. We can't afford to slow down. I tighten my grip on Gina's hand. "Run!" I whisper sharply, and we dart straight down the road. Ahead, I spot a four-way intersection. The left turn looks like the way out of this town. Just a little further, I think. We can make it. Bang! Another shot. They're behind us. I don't stop running. I pull out my Glock, twisting back just enough to fire two shots blindly. I'm not aiming to hit anyone. just enough to make them scatter and take cover. I need to save my bullets. The plan works. For now. The sudden gunfire slows them down, buying us just enough time to reach the intersection. We take the left turn, and there it is a car parked in the middle of the road. Before I can react, a raider steps out of the car, a rifle slung in his hands. Damn it. This just keeps getting worse.
I think he heard the gunshots as he was leaving the city. He turns and spots us. His rifle comes up, aimed right at us. For a second, he hesitates, and that's all the time I need. Without a second thought, I draw my Glock, aim, and pull the trigger. The shot lands square in his chest. He stumbles back, collapsing to the ground. We approach the car cautiously. It feels unreal—our luck might just be turning around. The car's engine is still running, I open the door and motion to Gina. "Get in." She climbs in I slide into the driver's seat, gripping the wheel. "Are you okay?" I ask, glancing at her. She nods, her face calm as always. "Alright," I mutter. It's time to move. I shift into gear, pressing the pedal to the floor. The car jerks forward, speeding down the road. As we put distance between us and the town, I glance in the rearview mirror. The raiders are gathered around the fallen man. They don't follow us, just stand there, frozen. Thank God. The city fades behind us. Is this some kind of miracle? Every time we end up in the worst situations, we somehow make it out alive. Always just barely.
I'm driving the car on the road as fast as possible, wherever this road leads me. The sun is about to go down soon, and I need to find shelter to spend the night as quickly as possible. I come close to a three-way junction. Should I keep moving forward or turn? "Always keep moving," they say. So I keep moving forward. I drive the car a little farther and hit the brakes as quickly as possible. I see something I never thought I would encounter again—not in a long time. How is this even possible? Why did I end up in a situation like this again? Why?
There's a horde of Red Eyes in front of me. What are they even doing here? Is this why those raiders didn't chase us? They all see me stopping the car. I have to act quickly, or we'll be torn to pieces. They start charging toward us. I can't guess how many are in front of me, but there are more than thirteen. I shift the gear into reverse, look at Gina, and say, "Hang on!" I reverse the car, turn it around, and start driving forward. They're all chasing behind us. I draw my Glock, aim behind, and shoot. Luckily, one bullet hits a Red Eye's head, and it falls to the ground.
I'm driving the car toward that three-way junction. I can't go back to the city. I don't know what lies on that other road, but I have no choice—I have to face it. We're there now. I turn to the right. One Red Eye is close. He jumps toward the car and lands on the roof. I hear his footsteps. He jumps in front of the windshield. I can't see anything, but I keep moving forward. I can't stop; there are too many behind me. It starts hitting the windshield. Gina is screaming—she's terrified. I draw the Glock and shoot through the windshield. It shatters into pieces. I shoot the Red Eye in the head, and it falls in front of us. The car goes over its body. There's a turn ahead. I try to take it, but the car doesn't turn. It flips to the other side, rolls on the road, and crashes into a tree. Everything goes blurry.
Everything slowly becomes clear. I see everything upside down—yeah, the car is flipped. In front of me, the windshield is shattered. I immediately look to my right. Gina is missing. I unlock the seatbelt as quickly as possible, push open the door, and climb outside. My heart is racing. Where did she go? Where are all the Red Eyes? I look back, and what I see is something I could never have imagined. It's Gina. She's on her knees, and all the Red Eyes are kneeling in front of her.