***

Jim stumbled through the desolate streets, his injured arm throbbing with pain. With each step, waves of suffering coursed through his limb, yet he persevered, compelled by a primal instinct to survive. His companions, Matthew and Zaina, lay defeated behind him, but he had managed to escape with his life intact.

“Ah-” Jim's pained gasp escaped his lips as he walked, a grimace of agony etched on his face. He couldn't afford to waste any time. He needed to find Julia and deliver the urgent message. She had to know what had transpired.

“That damned bastard,” Jim muttered under his breath, anger boiling within him.

Finally, he reached their makeshift hideout, a dilapidated gym building with vines and dust that had seen better days. Jim pushed the door open and stumbled inside, his breath labored from both the pain and the urgency of his mission.

Julia, a woman with an emerald earring, looked at him with a shocked expression, glancing up from a table cluttered with paper and supplies. Her eyes widened in alarm as she took in the state of her injured members. “What happened to you?”

Jim struggled to catch his breath, his words coming out in a strained whisper. “We... we were ambushed. We were following an unknown woman who had been spying on us while we were hunting zombies. As we were searching for her, we ran into him.”

Julia's brow furrowed with concern. Her thoughts raced. “Him? Do you mean that rude guy, Lucas? What's he doing here?”

Jim nodded; his face contorted with pain. “I don't know why he's here, but he was asking about someone, a woman. I think he was looking for the woman we were chasing. We don’t know what animosity he holds to ambush us. Even if we were chasing the woman, we didn’t even kill her.”

Julia's expression grew serious as she considered the implications. “Could it be that he suspects us as the reason behind the woman's disappearance?”

Jim nodded again; his voice strained. “It's possible. We need to be cautious. He's not to be underestimated. He took down Matthew and Zaina. Even though Matthew had a gun, and Zaina is a fighter class, they didn't even stand a chance.”

Julia's eyes flashed with determination. “I doubt he knows anything, but we need to deal with him. He's a threat right now. I will inform the others. You go rest up a bit and treat the wound on your arm. Ask Everly for the first aid kit.”

Jim winced as he cradled his injured arm. “Yes, I will go rest for a while. Be careful of that guy.”

As Jim walked away, fighting back the tears and suppressing his urge to scream, he thought to himself, 'Julia doesn't need to know everything. It's his fault for killing my friend.'

“Where the heck is that woman, anyway? She disappeared like a ghost. If we had killed her earlier, we wouldn't be wasting time looking for her, only to run into him,” Jim muttered bitterly. “Well, it's not my problem anymore. No need to worry about a soon-to-be corpse.”

***

Julia wasted no time. She called everyone present to gather around, and the grim atmosphere inside their hideout grew thicker.

“Listen up, everyone,” Julia began in a stern tone. “We have a situation on our hands. Jim managed to escape an encounter with Lucas, but Zaina and Matthew weren't so lucky. They're dead.”

The news hit the group like a hammer blow. Gasps of shock and sorrow filled the room, and the teenagers, Kristian, Bella, and Jeremiah, exchanged worried glances. This had happened before, a member of theirs dying, but that was a month ago. Some of them had already become accustomed to this harsh lifestyle, yet, suddenly, two of their members were killed, and one was injured.

Jim, nursing his injured arm in the corner, winced at the mention of his fallen comrades. He could be seen on the sofa, groaning as he wept. It was difficult to discern if his grief was genuine or an act, but the shock of two members being killed in cold blood was undeniable.

Rosa, one of the adults, spoke up with a concerned expression. “What do we do, Julia? How do we handle this situation? Why is that guy ambushing us? What did we do to him?” She sounded devastated.

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At Rosa's words, Jim flinched. “We were hunting zombies when we noticed a suspicious woman spying on us. We chased after her, but suddenly we got ambushed by him.”

Julia took a moment to gather her thoughts before responding. “First, we need to find out what Lucas knows. Jim, once you've recovered a bit, we'll need to track him down and seek retribution, an eye for an eye.”

Everly, another adult, chimed in, “We should secure our hideout as well. If Lucas is searching for the same woman Jim was chasing, we can't let him find any clues that we were the reason.”

John nodded in agreement. “We'll fortify our defenses, just in case things take a turn for the worse. That guy can sneak in at any time, as we saw him suddenly descending from the rooftop last time.”

The teenagers, however, exchanged uncertain glances. Kristian voiced his doubts cautiously. “What if we... what if we don't have to resort to violence? Maybe we could try talking to Lucas instead?”

Bella nodded in agreement. “Yeah, maybe we could explain the situation to him. We don't want to make unnecessary enemies. It was the woman's fault for acting suspicious and spying on Jim and the others, Miss Julia.”

Jeremiah added, “And if things go south, we could surrender peacefully. There's no need to escalate things.”

Julia listened to their concerns but wore a troubled expression. “I understand your hesitation, but we can't afford to be naïve. In this world, sometimes, talking won't solve anything. Violence is a last resort, but it's a resort we need to be prepared for.”

The room fell into an uneasy silence as the gravity of their situation weighed on everyone. The teenagers had their reservations, but they kept them to themselves for now.

With a heavy sigh, Julia continued, “Let's hope it doesn't come to that. But we can't let our guard down. Jim, rest up. The rest of us will strategize and fortify our defenses. We'll face this together.”

Having said that, they went their separate ways, with Julia and John finding solace in a secluded corner of the gym, away from the rest.

Julia sighed; her face etched with worry. “John, I don't know what to make of all this. Lucas showing up, the deaths of Matthew and Zaina... It's all spiraling out of control.”

John, his weathered expression clouded with concern, nodded in agreement. “I share your concerns, Julia. It's a precarious situation. We've lost two valuable members, and now we have Lucas to contend with. But we must proceed cautiously. We don't know Lucas's strength or intentions.”

Julia continued, her voice low, “I know, but the decision to take out Matthew and Zaina... It was brutal, John. I don't want their deaths to be in vain. They were the ones who always cleared the area surrounding the gym to protect us.”

John inwardly sneered, thinking, ‘This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't ordered them to kill any suspicious strangers on sight. In an apocalypse, everyone is essentially a stranger.’

John paused, attempting to make Julia reconsider. “It's true that Lucas killed them, but we don't know the full story, Julia. Have you considered interrogating Jim? He's known to be reckless and hot-headed. Who knows, they might have initiated the ambush on Lucas.”

Julia clenched her fists, her frustration evident. “Are you suspecting Jim? He just lost his friend, John. I don't think he'd endanger us by lying about being ambushed. I don't want to be a leader known for making ruthless decisions.”

John sighed in disappointment and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Believe what you want, Julia, but think twice before acting.”

***

As the group split up to work on their tasks, the three teenagers found themselves alone in a corner, their voices hushed but their thoughts running deep. They used the sounds of furniture being moved around to mask their conversation.

Kristian leaned in, whispering, “Did you guys hear what they said about Zaina and Matthew? I mean, yeah, Matthew wasn't exactly the friendliest guy, but... he didn't deserve that.”

Jeremiah nodded in agreement. “It's messed up, man. I get that we're in a tough spot, but killing our own? That's cold.”

Bella chimed in with a frown, “And poor Zaina. She was always kind to us, even when others were jerks. She didn't deserve that fate.”

Zaina had often shared the little food and supplies she found with the three teenagers, helping them adapt to life in the apocalypse when others treated them as burdens.

Kristian shook his head, his voice tinged with frustration. “I don't get Julia sometimes. She's so aggressive and seems more concerned with power than our well-being. Maybe Lucas isn't as bad as they make him out to be.”

Jeremiah added, “I mean, think about it. Lucas was looking for that woman, the same woman Jim and the others were chasing. Remember what Julia said about attacking any stranger on the spot? Who knows, maybe they attacked the woman and Lucas first. We can't risk our lives for a battle that others started.”

A creaking sound accompanied Jeremiah, pushing the freezer to block the opening to the door leading to the rooftop.

Bella looked conflicted. “I get what you're saying, but we can't deny that Julia's our leader. She's kept us alive so far, and she's the one who protected us from those zombies, even though she never forced us to fight them outside. But... she's not perfect.”