It didn’t take long for them to reach the end of the hall. Thanks to the green exit sign, a small radius of light illuminated the crate. Alex chewed his lower lip. He wanted to get to his bike, but going through the front entrance was a no-go. Even with Keaton there, his stomach still churned at the idea of venturing back. As they approached the side exit, Alex frantically glanced up at his companion, who slowly grew a scowl.

“What the? Who’s the dipshit that left their box here?” Keaton groaned loudly.

“I tried moving it before, but it’s way too heavy.”

Keaton pursed his lips. He then stomped toward it and easily shifted the crate to the right with his left hand. “Hmm. Aight, I’ll take care of this.” Finally, he holstered his pistol and firmly grasped the metal crate’s side. Then he pushed forward; it barely resisted, leaving only minimal scratches on the floor. Keaton sighed, wiped his brow, and rubbed his hands clean before taking out his gun.

“Well, look at you, mister muscles.” Alex placed both hands on his hips and leaned slightly to the right.

A wide smile spread across Keaton’s face as he scratched the back of his head. “Heh, it was nothing.”

A warm feeling instantly ignited within Alex’s body. He then backed up a bit, holding back his own smile. This guy’s pretty cool.

“Aight, here we go.” Keaton then pulled out his handgun and pushed the door open slightly. He then poked his gun out, ready for anything. However, the door only opened ajar and then instantly smacked against something and caused an echoing thump. Alex jumped and held his breath; he then flicked his head back to glance down the hall. Thankfully, that zombie from before was still lying there.

Maybe it’s down for good, or that was just a fluke prior… A calm wind brushed through the gap and against Alex’s chest, causing him to lose his train of thought.

“What the hell?” Keaton whispered.

Alex turned his attention back to his newfound companion. “Who blocks an exit twice?”

“An overcautious jackass….” Keaton attempted to stick his body through the opening but stopped when the frame and his broad chest collided, preventing him from sliding through. “Dammit. I’m too big for this. Alex, what do we do now?”

Alex licked his back molars, then tapped Keaton’s shoulders, prompting him to step aside. “Maybe I can try.”

“You sure? There might be more of those things.” Keaton flashed a nervous glance down the hall.

“I’m not a kid. I’m not scared.” Alex pulled out his lighter and once lit, he stuck his arm through the gap.

“I-I know, but—”

“I’ll be fine; besides, you taught me how to shoot.” Then, Alex easily slid half his body through the gap without a second thought.

“Yeah, but…” Keaton’s thought trailed off. He sighed, then said, “Aight, fine.”

Alex squeezed through the tight door easily. Thankfully, his lighter made it easier to see outside, albeit only so far. The dim, overhanging street lamps didn’t help much; they barely lit up the street. Looking as best as he could, Alex spotted many shadowy figures lying in various assortments. Even more so, he found several bullet shells scattered by his feet. He clenched his handgun tight as he thought of the multiple ways that an onslaught could’ve occurred.

Thank you, Eric, for making me wait, Alex reminded himself. If I was here a tad earlier….

He sighed and looked to the other side of the street, where a few flames rose out from an old barrel. Some of the towering buildings also had fires, though they hadn’t spread far. He faced left, where a minivan was. Its rear doors were left wide open. Beyond that was a large black gate that covered the whole road. A few flashing blue and red lights marked the cruisers behind it; they all appeared abandoned. A faint siren echoed in the distance, followed by a mechanical voice. However, it was impossible to hear what it said.

Darn, Alex thought. That way would’ve taken me back to my bike. Guess we have no choice but to travel on foot.

Looking closer, Alex spotted several cardboard boxes stacked on each other. Their contents spilled onto the gross floor, and some remnants blocked the door. Someone must’ve been in a hurry.

“See anything?” Keaton’s voice echoed, pulling Alex away from his thoughts.

“Yeah, more boxes.”

A subtle scoff came from the inside. “Fucking annoying. No monsters, though?”

“The road’s empty.” Alex pushed the door back into its frame, flicked his lighter off, and quietly removed the boxes. At least I can move these ones.

“Alright. It’s ready, Keaton,” whispered Alex.

The door slowly creaked open, and the tall, smiling man stood in the frame. Keaton kept his grin and raised his hand, prompting a high-five. Alex shrugged and returned the gesture.

“Not bad,” said Keaton.

“Of course. I told you it was no problem.”

Keaton chuckled and quietly closed the door behind him. “I know, I know. But still, I don’t wanna lose the only other living person in this town.”

Alex lowered his head and backed up. “What’s up with this town anyway? Why are there zombies here?” He glanced up at his companion while tugging his popped collar with his spare hand.

Keaton poked at his inner cheek and stared deeply into Alex’s eyes. He shook his head while taking a step closer. His cologne’s intense, dry cedar smell filled Alex’s nostrils. Keaton then put his hands on his hips. “Well, there was a quarantine three days ago, but no one likes to follow good advice. So, the infection spread quickly—course, we were told that it was just the flu… Look how that came about.”

“I never thought this stuff was possible....”

“Don’t think too hard about it,” his deep voice rang. Keaton walked out onto the street, looking both ways. He finally settled and faced the right. “If we head west, we should bypass the roadblock on Freeman Street.”

Alex nodded, shut off his lighter, and followed. He walked down the open road, wary of either direction. The city street was unnervingly calm; malaise filled the stale air. But despite the situation, Alex kept his footing. Maybe it was from Keaton being there with him, but he didn’t know for sure. Or it was rumbling distant sirens and occasional gunshots that grounded him. Alex groaned, turning his attention to Keaton’s aggressive foot stomps. He was sure the man couldn’t help himself, but Alex would rather listen to silence.

A light breeze of cool air brushed by, causing slight goosebumps to coat Alex’s bare skin. He huffed as his face flushed pink; his nose was already bright enough to see in the darkened night. Overhead, clouds slowly formed, swallowing up the small white dots in the sky; it looked like a thick spiral would form over the town itself. Shadows of grays and blacks looked like a stormy sea against the moonlight.

“I think it might rain,” whispered Alex, sniffing the air.

“Hopefully, we’ll be long gone before it does. It’s already hard to see at night; imagine it blurry, too—with zombies sneaking up on us.”

Alex tensed up. He didn’t know what to think. What Keaton said was entirely true, but they could also use that advantage. As he glanced around, seeing the unmoving figures on the floor, Alex knew they needed to get off the streets.

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“Damn,” Keaton muttered, causing Alex to jump. “Can’t believe they got this street too. You know there’s a crazy good donut shop behind that roadblock.

“I’m not much of a sweet tooth,” Alex whispered.

“Eh, no biggie, I’m just pissed everything is all blocked off—you know the mechanic’s shop is also blocked off too. I can’t believe I slept through all of that commotion.” Keaton shook his head.

Though Alex knew little about this place, he was sure it must’ve been a pain. “At least you managed to get out, though.”

“Yeah, true. Who knows how many unlucky bastards didn’t.”

“Yeah…” Alex tried not to think about it, but his brain went off on scenarios. He’d seen the movies, the creativity on being trapped like a rat; he still felt ill as he remembered one of a man abandoned his family in a house. Alex then flicked his eyes to Keaton’s sturdy back and wondered if he’d leave too if his life depended on it. One thing he knew for certain was that everyone could defend themselves in a dire situation.

“Fuck… I wish I could’ve at least had dinner before all this,” Keaton muttered, his stomach groaning in response.

The two continued, the stretch seemingly endless. Alex chuckled slightly at his companion pouting. He didn’t mind taking a break to eat, but it wasn’t like they really could. From what he’d seen in the apartments, it was likely that every building held the same nightmares.

Even the bookstore…

Alex shook his thoughts from his head and his attention on the long stretch of road; it banked left at the far end; however, from the orange glow of the buildings down there, it was likely impassable too. He couldn’t tell, though, if a fire had broken out as the air was nothing but fowl; a thick, grimy odor of smelled like rust made its way into his nose; it practically replaced the air as he couldn’t even smell his own scent. Alex stopped and glanced around. Was it another zombie? He couldn’t tell. They all smelled like shit in the end, anyway. But that smell…. Alex tensed his shoulders as he walked. The smell thickened and grew more intense as he walked. He quickly checked his shoes, ensuring he didn’t step in anything awful. Thankfully, there wasn’t anything.

“Alex, check this out,” Keaton whispered from up ahead.

He had stopped just a few feet down the road. With a confused glance, Alex brought his attention to the asphalt in front of his friend. The thick odor was even stronger now; the smell of rotten meat drilled into his nose, causing him to gag. It was awful, worse than the zombies.

What the? What is that? Alex narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brows while clenching his nose. He was somewhat shocked that Keaton could stand so close without vomiting. Ignoring that, Alex focused on holding his breath as he got closer. As he did, an oversized black silhouette came into view; it was sprawled out, lifeless.

Holy shit… Is that…?

They stood in front of a dead, massive, four-legged creature. The hideous beast had several deep slash wounds, and its intestines were loosely hanging out. Parts of its skin were ripped clean off; he saw open holes showing bones and maggots infesting. Not only that, but the mangled animal also shared those same milky white eyes.

“A dog!?” Alex shrieked.

“It looks like it’s been dead for a while. That wound, though, I wonder what caused that.” Keaton shook his head and looked away.

Alex blinked. “You think there’s something worse out there?”

“Likely.” Keaton stood up and let out a heavy sigh. “We should be careful. I don’t really wanna meet whatever caused that.”

Alex lowered his eyes back down to the dead dog. Fighting off a single zombie was the best he could do. No, running away was the best option. But he knew he’d have to bring one down eventually. Grouped-up zombies were out of the question for now, and these things, Alex likely wouldn’t see the light of day. He was almost certain that those zombie dogs would maul him to death. On top of that, whatever killed that dog… Alex glanced away, not wanting to think about it more.

Great, what else are we gonna be dealing with besides zombies?

Alex’s thoughts dwindled as the two moved on. They passed by a tireless pickup truck held up by cinder blocks. Even in desperate times, it never ceased to amaze Alex how voracious people could be. He rolled his eyes as Keaton headed toward the car.

“Shit, Alex, someone jacked this car’s tires. Hey, wait a second!” Keaton crouched down toward the license plate. “I worked on this car three days ago! What the hell!?” Keaton clenched his fists and pouted, prompting Alex to chuckle.

“Someone was clearly impressed with your work; they had no choice but to take it,” said Alex, now amused.

“Whatever,” —Keaton scoffed— “hate Ford pickups anyway.”

Alex folded his arms and tilted his head slightly. “So, you work on cars… That explains the suit.”

“Hmm?” Keaton mumbled, turning his attention back to Alex. “Oh yeah, I’m a mechanic—working on cars is my specialty. Fun fact, dealerships screw you over.”

“Good to know.”

“What about you?” Keaton asked. “What’d you do for a living.”

“Secretary. For the Bellucci Corporation.”

“Bellucci? Sounds like some type of fashion.”

Alex nodded. “My job is to assist the CEO, Chantel Bellucci, in her daily tasks, mostly involving her fashion empire.”

“Tch sounds like a pain,” Keaton grumbled.

“It’s not easy; I lose several hours of my day and sleep. But the branch office where I work is closer to home, so I guess there’s that.”

“Eh, I’d much rather spend my time in the shop. It’s close by, and I love looking at all the beautiful cars that stroll in… Fuck, why’d this city have to go to hell?”

“Don’t know, but I’m with you on wanting things to return to normal. I’d rather be home where I only have to deal with a stubborn roommate. He’s way easier to manage than all of this.”

“Roommate?” Keaton dry-gagged. “Yikes. I live alone; best decision I ever made. Well… I guess I didn’t have much of a choice, actually.”

Alex chuckled. “It’s not so bad. We’ve been living together since we graduated high school. I’m used to the company.”

“Well, that’s not fair; you already had someone. Imagine being me, having to invest in a dating app at twenty-eight just to find a girl who can handle all this.” Keaton waved to his body. “That shit takes way too long. And no fucking way, I’ma go try some site to find a rando for a roommate. Some people are insane.”

Alex gave a soft smile. “That does sound rough.”

“Yeah, I mean, I’ll find my soul mate eventually… I hope.” Keaton lowered his eyes.

“I have faith you will.”

Keaton flicked his eyes to the bottom right. He was thinking about something, though Alex couldn’t tell what. Finally, Keaton looked back at Alex before giving a curt nod.

“Come on, let’s get to the shelter,” suggested Alex.

Then, suddenly, a cacophony of raucous snarls and squeals echoed throughout the street. Alex raised his shoulders slightly when something else also emitted. Not a moment later, a loud blast followed by rapid popping sounds went off in the distance.

More survivors?

He was honestly shocked that there were still others out there fighting. From the dead silence, Alex was almost convinced he and Keaton were the only ones left. But being quiet was on their side. Despite the horror, whatever was out there had gone after someone or something else. He sighed, relieved to be on a street with nothing.

As they walked closer to the bookstore, a faint yet clear string of jazzy music tickled the shell of Alex’s ear. He blinked. He hadn’t noticed any music before. Where was it coming from? He quickly turned around, looking at the abandoned buildings before spotting one with its lights on. It was the corner building, where this street met the next in its seven-shape. As far as he could tell, it looked like a restaurant, maybe a pizzeria. The building’s front had a small dining patio with a thin railing that wrapped around it. Unfortunately, the inside had been in disarray. A few chairs had been stacked up against the left window, while the right had a splatter of dark blood against it. Alex stepped closer; the jazzy melodic tunes danced in his ears.

He recognized the whirling music. Eric’s partner, Donny, was into jazz and would play similar songs nonstop. He was old school, something Alex enjoyed whenever he visited, as he’d often show up with cool cassette tapes and tell stories about how he got them. Of course, Eric would always complain after Donny left, mainly after the man had a beer—or two. Alex tilted his head, thinking about Eric sprawled out on their couch; he missed him.

Heavy footsteps approached from behind, causing Alex to nearly jump out of his shoes. He stumbled backward with a slight yelp. Keaton stood before him; his brows scrunched together as he looked at either side of the street.

“Keep your eyes open; here they come!” Keaton shouted.

Alex blinked when several dreadful moans and cries echoed throughout the street. He quickly pivoted around, eyes now widened. Zombies crept out from every abandoned building. Each of them varied in different attires, heights, and even wounds. But one shared thing was the insatiable hunger that permeated their raspy howls. There had to be at least twenty of them; they filled the narrow street quickly; their matching glossy white eyes had locked on to the only two living survivors outside. Alex narrowed his eyes and watched as even more carriers poured out onto the street to investigate the commotion.

“This is insane…” Alex shook his head slowly. “There was nothing here a minute ago!”

“It’ll only get worse as time goes on—we gotta go!” Keaton yelled out. Finally, the man jerked Alex’s thin arm, easily pulling him toward the bookstore.

As much as Alex tried to resist, able to move independently, Keaton’s rough hand was too strong. He stopped resisting and let his friend lead as he glanced around, watching as more and more zombies shuffled out into the open. They flooded the street to the brim, and Alex wondered if the building would hold back this undead amalgamation. But he didn’t have time to think twice; they reached the bookstore’s front doors.