The aroma of brewing coffee and the sizzle of frying eggs filled the small kitchen, pulling me from the depths of sleep. I yawned and stretched my body languidly.

The two girls were already awake and working on breakfast. Zoe was moving gracefully around the stove while Mia set the table, her cheerful demeanor brightening the room.

My eyes softened, and I felt the urge to join them.

"Let me hold that."

I removed the pile of plates from Mia's delicate grasp, our fingers brushing lightly, which made her cheeks turn a shade rosier. She was evidently still affected by the memories of last night, feeling somewhat shy about it.

"Good morning, A-Aiden," she stuttered a little.

Zoe peeked at us with a mischievous glint in her eye.

It's not what you think, brat.

"Morning, you too. It smells lovely in here," I said, placing the cutlery with a clink. "Zoe, you're spoiling us."

Mia agreed with a nod. "Looks like we're in for a real treat this morning."

Zoe smiled, flipping an egg expertly.

"We all need a good start to the day, especially with everything going on."

Stepping out of the cramped storage area, Lucas rubbed his eyes. Much like in our previous shelter, he was not fond of sleeping in close quarters with others.

He didn't like it because he had a unique burden: feeling the tragic destinies of others even in his dreams. This way, he was able to safeguard his sanity. As his best friend, I was the only one aware of his plight.

"Smells great."

Lucas' voice was groggy, but his gaze carried the usual sharpness of someone always focused on securing the best future scenarios.

Erwin joined us too, stifling a yawn with his afro hairstyle all over the place.

"I could get used to this," he joked, winking at Zoe. "Homecooked meals in the apocalypse."

"Don't get too comfortable. I'm not running a diner here, you know. Next time, you might just end up with canned beans and toast if you're lucky."

Despite the harsh words, I could see her trying to hide the hint of a smile tugging at her lips.

We gathered around the table like we had done many times before. For a second, it felt as if we were back to the times before the Cataclysm. Zoe served the eggs, her hands steady despite the wear and tear of our life on the run.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Lucas asked, taking a sip of his coffee. "We can't stay put forever."

"I think we should scout the area, see if we can find any more supplies," Mia suggested with an optimistic tone.

"That sounds fine for me. What do you guys think?"

"I agree, and maybe set up some of those traps like we saw yesterday. Could come in handy," Erwin added.

I sat quietly, thinking it was surprising for Erwin to give decent suggestions.

"We should be careful," I finally said. "The city's changed. It's not like the open fields we crossed, and the infected are stronger than the ones in Cologne."

Zoe glanced at me, a hint of concern in her eyes.

"Aiden's right. We need to be cautious. This place... it's different."

The conversation continued, each of us contributing our thoughts and ideas. The thing we could all agree on was that Düsseldorf was much more dangerous than Cologne.

As breakfast came to an end, Lucas lingered back, his expression turning serious.

"Aiden, can we talk?"

His tone indicated it was more than just casual chat.

I nodded. "What's on your mind?"

"Since you've been back, you seem..." he hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "...different. More distant. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, Lucas. Just dealing with things, that's all."

He pressed on, undeterred.

"It's not just that. You're not yourself. I'm worried about you."

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"I said I'm fine," I retorted sharply, my patience wearing thin.

"We're here for you, Aiden. Whatever it is, you don't have to go through it alone."

I turned away, the conversation leaving a sour taste in my mouth. His words, though well-meaning, felt like an intrusion into a part of myself I wasn't ready to face.

A darker realization began to unfurl in my mind, a glimpse into the abyss I'd been skirting around.

The truth?

I had a twisted satisfaction in bearing the weight of our survival, a perverse sense of control in hoarding the responsibility.

It's not just about protecting them, no—it's about possessing the struggle, making it mine and mine alone.

There's a hunger, a void that demands more—more pain, more responsibility, more isolation. These are chains dragging me further from the warmth of the human connections I still had.

I didn't know. How could I know?

When one wants it all, when one seeks to grasp every thorn, every shard of pain and bear it alone, he ends up grasping nothing at all.

❆ ❆ ❆

While surveying the area, the dilapidated roads of Düsseldorf led us into an unexpected ambush. Four infected black swans with matted feathers and long claws hissed menacingly as they blocked our path.

They are smaller than the one I fought yesterday. Offspring, maybe?

"Get ready!" I shouted, tightening my grip on the short metal bar I wielded. As for the shivs, they were not very useful against the large bodies of the swans.

Mia brandished her new crowbar with a determined glint in her eye.

"We've got this," she said, moving to flank the swans.

Lucas narrowed his brows and fell into step beside her.

"Stay sharp, Mia," he advised. "These aren't ordinary infected. They can work as a team."

Erwin, dagger at the ready, sent curses at the enemies.

"No kidding, these stupid birds look madder than a hornet's nest."

As we engaged, the swans lashed out with ferocious speed. Lucas, quick on his feet, ducked under a swipe.

"Watch their claws!" he warned, swinging his spear with precision at the bloodshot eye of the beast.

The skirmish was intense, our rudimentary weapons against the swans' natural armaments. It was during a parry that I noticed something alarming—bullet wounds amidst the feathers of the creature.

"They've been shot at," I yelled over the noise.

Lucas glanced at a swan's injury, concern lacing his gaze.

"Who else is fighting these things?"

I felt a surge of unease.

The presence of bullet wounds meant others were here, others with firepower beyond our simple arsenal. It made the stakes all the more dire.

"Worry about the living later!"

Erwin lunged, his dagger finding purchase in a confused swan's side.

Mia, on the other hand, was not doing so well. She was locked in a struggle against one of the swans, her crowbar half-broken.

"A little help here?" she grunted as the beast cornered her against a wall.

I moved without hesitation, intercepting the creature with a charge of my own body. The impact was jarring, but my healing ability began its work instantly.

As for the infected black swan, it experienced the sensation of a train smashing into its side before it was catapulted against a car with a thunderous crash.

"Keep going!" I urged, feeling the rush of the fight flow through me.

Zoe analyzed the situation from the back, healing my friends whenever they received a heavier wound.

"We have to end this now," she said, her voice steady despite the chaos.

As the battle wore on, the reality of our situation became clearer to me. We were in someone else's territory, playing by unknown rules. The thought sent a shiver through me.

With a final push, we took down the last of the swans, their bodies collapsing onto the cracked pavement. We stood there, panting, the echoes of our battle ringing in the empty streets.

"Aiden, this changes things," Lucas met my gaze, his expression grim. "We're not alone here. And whoever it is, they're armed."

I nodded as my apprehension increased and the adrenaline started to wane.

"Let's move quickly. We need to be smart about this."

I knelt beside one of the swans, pointing to the areas of its body still covered in white feathers.

"The infection spreads slower in animals than in humans. The meat under the white feathers is likely to be safe."

"Aiden is right. We were quite lucky in finding half-mutated infected. It's almost impossible to find them nowadays," Lucas explained while examining the swan's wing.

I guided my shiv under the white feathers and sliced carefully to remove a piece of meat.

"Never thought I'd be foraging swan meat in Düsseldorf," Erwin said, a hint of dark humor in his voice.

Mia managed a small smile while joining in the effort.

"Let's just hope it tastes better than it looks."

"Mia is one hundred percent right. We must cook this thoroughly," Zoe said with a disgusted frown.

"Definitely," I agreed. "Better safe than sorry."

Erwin was the first to finish his section and kept watch for us, his eyes scanning the silent buildings around us.

"I still can't shake the feeling we're being watched," he muttered under his breath.

"BBBLLLAAARRRGGGHHH!"

It was Lucas' sudden retching that halted our actions. He doubled over, a cascade of vomit spilling onto the streets.

"Lucas!" Zoe cried, rushing to his side.

The rest of us gathered, concern etching our features.

"What's wrong? Was it the water?" I asked, my mind racing with possibilities.

But Lucas could only shake his head, gasping for air between spasms. His face was ashen, sweat beading on his brow.

"I... I don't know, but danger is here," he managed to choke out.

It was then, amidst the confusion and worry for our friend, that a primal instinct screamed within me to look up, to scan the urban decay for a lurking predator.

My eyes caught the slightest movement, the merest glimmer of light on metal, and there he was—a lone figure on the roof, the sun glinting off the scope of a rifle aimed at my sister.

My blood ran cold, a chill that knifed through the adrenaline and fear.

The world fell away. Sound and color bled out until only the masked man and his weapon remained in sharp focus.

The skeletal grin of his mask was a mockery of the life we clung to, and I knew in that heartbeat that everything was about to shatter.

Without a thought for my own safety, I surged forward, my boots slipping on the grime of the street as I threw myself towards Zoe.

"Zoe!"

It was a desperate plea that clawed its way out of my throat.

Her eyes met mine, wide with confusion. My silence screamed for her to move, to dodge, to survive.

Time stretched, each millisecond a slow drip of molasses. My hand reached for her, my body pushing through the air as if wading through a viscous sea.

The sniper's finger, a pale sliver against the dark stock of the rifle, twitched in a motion that seemed both glacial and swift.

*Boom!*

The gunshot, when it came, was like a thunderclap that rolled over us.

The world snapped back into brutal clarity, the cacophony of the city returning in a rush—the distant cries of the infected, the guttural coughs of Lucas, the sharp intake of breath from Zoe.

As the bullet's echo faded into the dead city, the outcome of that eternal moment hung in the balance, the line between life and death drawn across the tarmac.