The wind cut through the depot in long, icy gusts.

It whistled through broken windows.

Through rusted fencing.

Through gaps in old maintenance buildings that should’ve collapsed years ago.

Every breath burned on the way in.

Every exhale vanished into white fog.

Snow crunched beneath shifting boots.

Nobody said it aloud, but everyone felt it.

Winter was winning.

Not the infected.

Not starvation.

Winter.

The kind of cold that crawled into your bones and stayed there.

The kind that turned a minor injury into a death sentence.

Somewhere in the distance, a low, distorted howl drifted across the frozen landscape.

Everybody heard it.

Naomi’s head turned immediately.

Terri’s arms folded tighter.

Even Hale paused for half a second before continuing to load fuel.

Another sound followed.

Faint.

Far away.

The unmistakable cry of an infected.

Not close.

Not yet.

But getting closer.

Nobody had many rounds left.

Hell, most of us didn’t have any.

After the fight inside the cult compound, ammunition had become a luxury none of us could afford.

Lila coughed violently.

A thick stream of blood spilled from her mouth and splattered across the frozen ground.

For a second, nobody moved.

I did.

I dropped beside her immediately, grabbing her shoulder and rolling her carefully onto her side before she choked on it.

More blood poured from her lips.

Dark.

Too dark.

Too much.

My stomach twisted.

"Lila."

Another cough wracked her body.

Her entire frame trembled beneath my hands.

Blood dripped from her chin and soaked into the dirt.

The wound in her side looked worse now that the adrenaline was gone.

A lot worse.

The knife had gone in deep.

Too deep.

I pressed a shaking hand against the injury.

Fresh blood immediately seeped between my fingers.

"Shit."

My voice cracked.

"Shit, shit, shit..."

The others stood nearby.

Nobody rushed over.

Nobody dropped beside me.

Nobody offered help.

Terri stood with her arms folded tightly across her chest, staring somewhere off toward the tree line.

Naomi was checking the perimeter.

Cherie stood near the truck with an unreadable expression.

Isabella and Hale were loading fuel containers into the truck bed.

Aubrey watched everything from several yards away.

Her face looked carved from stone.

"The fuck even happened out there?" Aubrey asked.

I looked up at her.

The answer got stuck in my throat.

What happened?

What the hell was I supposed to say?

That we got ourselves captured by a cult of infected because I couldn’t mind my own business?

That people almost died because I followed a truck instead of sticking to the plan?

That Hale got knocked unconscious because I couldn’t walk away?

The truth tasted awful.

We weren’t attacked.

Not really.

We walked straight into it.

And I led the way.

Because I was curious.

Because I thought I needed answers.

Because I was stupid.

My eyes burned.

Lila started coughing again.

I immediately looked back down and tightened pressure against her wound.

She winced.

Just barely.

That tiny reaction somehow hurt more than if she’d screamed.

Aubrey let out a short scoff.

The kind that said everything she wasn’t bothering to say aloud.

Get a grip. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Grow up.

Accept reality.

I hated that sound.

The fuel containers finally settled into place.

Isabella climbed down from the truck bed and slapped the side of the vehicle.

"Come on, guys," she called.

"We’re ready."

Then she noticed the blood.

My hands.

Lila.

Her expression darkened immediately.

Nobody spoke.

One by one, people started climbing into the truck.

Terri.

Naomi.

Cherie.

Isabella.

Even Aubrey turned toward it.

Panic shot through me.

"Hale."

The word came out weak.

He didn’t turn around.

"Hale."

Nothing.

My pulse hammered.

"HALE!"

That finally stopped him.

The older man turned.

His face looked exhausted.

Annoyed.

Worn down.

"What?"

I swallowed hard.

"She needs medical attention."

My voice sounded desperate even to me.

"She can’t move like this."

Hale’s eyes dropped to Lila.

Then to the blood.

Then back to me.

For a second I thought he might agree.

Then Naomi spoke.

"She wouldn’t give a damn if someone else was bleeding on the ground."

Her tone wasn’t cruel.

That somehow made it worse.

It was calm.

Matter-of-fact.

Cold reality.

"You know that’s true, Adrian."

I stared at her.

The words hit harder than I expected.

Because part of me knew she wasn’t entirely wrong.

I looked toward Terri.

She lowered her gaze.

I looked toward Cherie.

She looked away.

Nobody defended me.

Nobody defended her.

My arms tightened around Lila.

"Guys..."

The word came out broken.

"Please."

Nobody answered immediately.

The silence stretched.

Then Hale sighed.

A long, tired sigh.

"We can’t."

My heart dropped.

"It isn’t safe."

I shook my head.

Slowly at first.

Then faster.

"No."

The word escaped before I realized it.

"No."

I hugged her tighter.

"Hale, please."

My voice cracked.

"You know I can’t do that."

Something painful flashed across his face.

Not anger.

Not hatred.

Something closer to disappointment.

"Adrian."

"Please."

"Adrian."

"Please."

"Get your ass in the fucking truck."

Aubrey’s voice cut through everything.

Sharp.

Explosive.

I snapped my head toward her.

"NO!"

The word echoed across the depot.

Birds scattered from a nearby rooftop.

My chest heaved.

"Not without her."

Silence.

"Not without Lila."

For a moment nobody said anything.

Then Aubrey started walking toward me.

Fast.

Angry.

Years of frustration seemed packed into every step.

When she stopped, she was practically shaking.

"Why?"

The question exploded out of her.

"Why the hell do you care so much?"

I stared.

Aubrey wasn’t finished.

"She hurts you."

Another step.

"Over."

Another.

"And over."

Another.

"And over again."

Her voice cracked.

Not with weakness.

With fury.

"I’ve watched it happen."

Nobody moved.

Nobody interrupted.

The entire group stood frozen.

Listening.

"Every damn time she gets what she wants, somebody pays for it."

Her eyes were wet now.

Though she clearly hated that they were.

"You bleed for her."

Another step.

"You suffer for her."

Another.

"And you keep choosing her."

The words landed like punches.

Aubrey laughed.

A bitter sound.

"I never treated you like that."

The entire world seemed to stop.

Even the wind felt quieter.

Behind her, Isabella’s fists tightened.

Hard.

I noticed it immediately.

So did Hale.

So did Naomi.

Aubrey apparently didn’t.

Or didn’t care.

For the first time since I’d known her, every wall she’d built cracked at once.

And everything underneath spilled out.

Raw.

Ugly.

Honest.

Isabella abruptly turned away.

Marched toward the truck.

Then slammed the door hard enough to shake the vehicle.

The sound echoed across the lot.

Aubrey didn’t even look.

Her eyes never left me.

I looked toward Isabella.

Then back.

My mouth opened.

Nothing came out.

Before I could say anything, Hale stepped forward.

His hand landed firmly on Aubrey’s shoulder.

"Come on."

She didn’t move.

"Come on, Aubrey."

Still nothing.

Then he said the words.

The ones that made my stomach drop.

"He made his choice."

Aubrey’s face crumpled.

Only for a second.

Only for one tiny moment.

Then she looked away.

Tears filled her eyes.

She blinked them back immediately.

Turned.

Walked toward the truck.

And didn’t look back.

The engine started.

One door slammed.

Then another.

Then another.

A moment later the truck began rolling forward.

My chest tightened.

The vehicle picked up speed.

Ten feet.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Nobody looked back.

Not Naomi.

Not Terri.

Not Cherie.

Not Hale.

Not Aubrey.

Not even Isabella.

They just left.

The truck disappeared beyond the gate.

And suddenly the maintenance depot felt enormous.

Empty.

Silent.

Cold.

I sat there holding Lila as tears finally slipped down my face.

I didn’t even bother wiping them away.

The blood soaking through my hands felt warm.

Too warm.

Her breathing was getting weaker.

Every cough sounded worse.

The truck was gone.

The group was gone.

The future I’d imagined was gone too.

Only the two of us remained.

—

Nobody looked back.

But several of them wanted to.

Terri nearly did.

Her hand even tightened around the edge of the truck’s seat before she forced herself to stop.

Naomi stared straight ahead so hard her eyes hurt.

Cherie sat rigidly beside the window.

Silent.

Motionless.

As if moving might somehow make the decision feel real.

Even Hale kept glancing at the side mirror before catching himself.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Every time, the same thought followed.

Go back.

The thought came and went.

Returned.

Left.

Returned again.

But reason always crushed it.

No ammunition.

No supplies.

No way to move Lila safely.

No way to fight another group if Miriam’s people showed up.

No way to save everyone.

The math was ugly.

The math always won.

That didn’t make it hurt less.

Up front, Aubrey stared out the windshield.

Her jaw clenched so tightly it looked painful.

She refused to blink.

Refused to look toward the mirrors.

Because if she did, she knew exactly what she’d see.

A scared kid holding the person he’d chosen over everyone else.

And a part of her hated that image.

Because a part of her still wanted to turn around.

Nobody said a word.

The engine rumbled.

Tires crunched over frozen pavement.

The silence was unbearable.

Until Terri suddenly sat upright.

Her eyes widened.

"What?"

Naomi frowned.

"What is it?"

Terri stared through the rear window.

Her face had gone pale.

"What?"

Terri swallowed.

Then pointed.

Far behind them.

On the horizon.

Beyond the trees.

Beyond the snow.

A massive column of black smoke was rising into the sky.

And it was coming from the direction they had just left.