The journey from Makayla’s home to the daycare stretched for a length of 3 blocks. The daycare sat just outside of the neighborhood, and anyone fit could jog the distance in a few minutes. For Makayla and Raj though, their journey was cut short by the first street. The two sat behind the wall of a house, peeking around the corner to observe a suspicious man walking down the sidewalk. He spasmed with every step he took, sending every red flag imaginable.

He hadn’t noticed them yet, but the entire street was silent except for the man’s shuffling. Both of them made sure to make as little sound as possible.

Raj whispered as low as he could to Makayla, “We have to go another way.”

Makayla whispered back, “Okay but, how do you know there aren't more of those on another street?”

Raj smacked his teeth, he had to accept that only one threat on the fastest route, was their best odds. Makayla looked around, “Jumping through backyards would make too much noise, and it’s more dangerous.”

“More dangerous?”

Makayla’s hair whipped as she turned to look at him and said, “I’m surprised you never bothered to learn how to survive an apocalypse.”

Raj’s head shook in confusion. She continued, “Open areas are better because there’s less places a zombie can jump you from.”

Raj slowly nodded his head, “Oh. Huh.”

“Of course it’s easier to get spotted but at least you’ll see the zombie coming.”

“So what, you wanna fight it?”

“No estúpido, are you crazy?” she made a face at him, “If we had a weapon maybe... but I kind of rushed out without thinking didn’t I?”

Raj’s eyebrows scrunched down as he glared at Makayla. Then, rolled his eyes at her before inquiring, “So what do we do then?”

“It’s obvious.”

Makayla picked up a rock off the ground and threw it at a second-floor window of a house across the street. The window shattered from the collision and a yelp came from inside the house. The shuffling man spun towards the sound. In an instant, he sprinted to the house as Makayla and Raj took deeper cover. Once he reached the house he jumped up onto a ledge and scaled the wall to the broken window. Makayla and Raj watched the display in awe.

“Holy…” Raj whispered.

“Wait till it’s inside, then we book it,” Makayla asserted. Her teeth grinded together and she rapidly tapped on the wall.

The stranger reached the broken window and began looking inside. There was a scream from within the house and the man climbing screeched back. His pace hastened as he leapt in. “Alright now!” Makayla silently shouted. The two picked themselves up and began running down the street again.

Raj looked back at the house as they ran. “I think you just killed someone,” he said concerned.

“Better them than us,” Makayla retorted.

Raj knew Makayla was thinking about her family, but her attitude was unusually cold-blooded. Granted, he recalled, there was the time she abandoned a dude who asked her to prom. And another time a guy in their class got left on Read by her for half the semester. After she responded, Raj remembered how excited the guy got. Then she left him on Read again. Makayla was just ahead of Raj. He eyed her as they ran. If someone isn’t a friend or family… man, Raj thought, Good thing I’m one of those friends.

Every turn the pair reached, Makayla checked around the corner and motioned to Raj it was safe. In just a few minutes, they managed to escape the neighborhood, and the daycare was in sight. It was only a couple seconds away.

Raj thought he’d be glad to finally make it, but felt something was off when he looked at the daycare. As they drew closer to it, a mysterious anxiety grew within him. Just when they reached the driveway of the daycare, Raj realized why. The front doors which were mostly glass were broken into. Inside, it was completely dark. To top it off, the driveway had an overhang, making it even more difficult for sunlight to reach the doors.

“Makayla.” Raj said to her.

Makayla stared at the broken door. Her fists clenched. Her breathing began to deepen. Raj could see that same fire still in her eyes. A fire beyond the sparkling amber of her gaze. Raj knew she was going to go in. He knew he couldn’t convince her otherwise. He pondered, could they even turn back now? Her house was three blocks back the direction they came from. There was no telling what would happen, and they would have risked their lives for nothing if they tried to turn back. While Raj was lost in thought, Makayla tossed a rock through the open door. They heard the pops of it bouncing along the floor. The two continued to stare into the darkness until a growl echoed from inside. Raj’s heart beat through his chest. He prayed for any rabid or wild animal to reveal itself from the shadows. He prayed Makayla’s little brothers and sister would just run out to them completely unharmed.

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The growling grows even louder. Raj begins shaking his head. The longer they stare, the more the darkness stares right back. Finally, from within, a hunched over, snarling man emerges. His eyes are bloodshot and his face and teeth are stained with blood. He stares directly at them with a face twisted in fury. Raj’s mind is racing as it just stands there. “Is it waiting for us?” Raj thinks. He can’t feel anything. He can’t feel his hands, his feet, nothing. No part of his body is responding. All he can feel, is the need to escape. If he gets away now, he might still have a chance-

“C’mere cabrón!” Makayla screams at the top of her lungs. She claps her hands and puts her fists up at the ready. In a split second, Raj feels a sense of bravery. The darkness in his mind suddenly vanishes as he glances at Makayla. Her stance, her confidence, and her energy gives Raj feeling again. Raj turns back to the bloody man who responds with a fearsome howl that echoes throughout the street. The inspiration from Makayla is fleeting but Raj’s spirit grasps it. He stands his ground with Makayla.

“Let’s go!” Raj shouts and pounds his chest. He isn’t sure if he yelled it for the monster that stood before them, Makayla, or himself. It doesn’t matter, he’s staying with Makayla until the end.

The monster charges at them with its arms flailing about. Raj and Makayla both rush at it at the same time. The monster targets Makayla and hurls itself at her. They both go crashing down on the pavement but Makayla manages to grab it’s face and keep its slobbering jaws away from her. With her hands holding it back, she sees an opportunity and takes it. “Go to hell!” she screams as she sends both of her thumbs into its eyes blinding it.

Raj grabs the monster by its shirt and tries to pull it off of her but to no avail. It’s strong. Raj thinks back to the other monster they saw scale an entire house in seconds. Very strong. The monster is still trying to chomp into Makayla as her thumbs continue to sink deeper into its eye sockets. She’s barely managing to push it back even with Raj’s help. Too strong. She can see the thing’s veins bulging through its skin as it tries to use every ounce of force to close the distance between them. Raj continues pulling when he hears tapping behind him. Raj immediately turns around in time to stop a woman covered in blood from attacking him. Raj just barely managed to grab its wrists and stop it from progressing. An insane amount of blood profusely flows from its neck. Raj tries to hold the bleeding woman back, but she continues pushing Raj back. It chomps at the air to Raj. Raj slams his feet into the pavement and shouts back at the bleeding woman. With all of his might, he pushes forward, trying to force her to the ground. To Raj’s surprise, he barely pushes it back an inch. With fleeting hope, Raj attempts to swerve out of the way, but it keeps up with him.

Try this then! Raj thinks, then drops to the ground, pushing his foot into the monster’s stomach and carrying it over his head. As the monster hovers in the air, Raj realizes how weak he really is. He can’t fully execute the idea he played out in his head. Now the monster hangs over him as well.

Meanwhile, Makayla is left on her own now. Makayla is even using her legs to push back the monster on top of her. But it’s taking every ounce of her strength. And she’s losing it. Inch by inch, its jaws close in on Makayla. She needs more. She cries out as she can feel her arms and legs growing more tired.

“Makayla, I’m almost there!” Raj calls out. He thinks about something risky. He needs to end this stalemate. No. It wasn’t a stalemate. He was losing. Bad. Raj’s heart pounds, knowing he can’t even fight back against the monster attacking him. How can he save Makayla?

Makayla cries out again. Her thumbs have fully penetrated through the monster’s eyes, and it still isn’t giving up. In fact, it’s only getting more persistent. It’s getting stronger. It’s getting closer. And Makayla can’t do anything else. She winces in pain. Her strength isn’t enough. She needs more. Makayla sees past the monster. She sees the reason she came here. The reason she’s fighting. Her siblings, Rico, Leo, and Isabella. They’re all waiting for her. She has to reach them. She has to protect them. Images of their faces swirl through her mind. Sadness, torment, hopelessness. “NO!” Makayla screams out at the monster. She can’t let that happen. She won’t let that happen. She feels her desperation transforming into rage. She feels a burning sensation like none other boiling inside her. She doesn’t recognize this feeling. She feels an unknown force coursing through her veins. She can feel it giving her strength. It travels from her gut to her chest. Then her shoulders. Then her arms. Makayla grits her teeth and brings her face closer to the monster. It’s still gnawing but she’s sick of this sight.

She wants it gone.

She lets out another war cry as the strength within her travels up to the palms of her hands. The monster shouts back just before a faint whistle is heard and then BOOM. The monster’s head suddenly bursts into flames like a volcano. Its entire body flies back away from Makayla. Raj and the monster attacking him turn towards the sudden eruption of flame taking place before them. The monster wails in agony as its flesh melts away. The fire crackles violently as it burns away the once overpowering aggressor. All three of them witness the scene in utter astonishment. The monster’s body flails around. Then it becomes motionless.

“What was that!?” Raj shouts at Makayla. She just gazes at the sight dumbfounded. She looks down at the palm of her hands which are still warm. They’re so distracted they forgot the fight isn’t over. The monster next to Raj suddenly returns to normal and forces its way towards him. Raj wasn’t paying attention. It manages to grab Raj’s face just as he realizes his crucial mistake. It’s too late.

Makayla reaches her hand out forward and yells “Stop!” She’s not close enough to help him. Raj screams in terror and shuts his eyes. Its jaws open wide for his neck and there’s a sudden whining chill.

A moment before its jaws chomp down on Raj, it stops moving. Raj winces again, then slowly opens his eyes. As he makes out the monster’s figure, his eyes pop out of his head. The monster’s body was completely covered in ice. Raj looks back and forth between Makayla and the ice sculpture. Then he rapidly shakes his head before tossing its body off of him.

Raj rises from the ground and notices a trail of mist from the monster’s body to Makayla’s outstretched hand. Her face was even more stupefied than his.

Raj felt light-headed. He struggled to stand upright and words dragged from his mouth, “What… is… going on…?”