There was no snow. No rain streamed from a haunted, ashen sky to mock our progress. And yet, the cold remained. It lurked beneath my fragile skin, screaming for me to unleash the beast of emotion inside—to let panic, rage, or raw terror explode unchecked.

  I shivered violently, clutching Kael’s arm. He gently nudged me back and stepped forward. When the thin strip of light was only a single stride away, he stopped. Staring into the dark doorway, Kael raised his machete and waited for the grotesque thing lurking just beyond the glow.

  The creature seemed held back by the light, hesitant to cross the threshold. An infected that feared the light could only be one thing—a name we dreaded to even whisper: a "Monster."

  Monsters were slightly smaller than ordinary zombies, but they were many times faster and stronger. When night fell, they became the true apex predators. They were the worst I had ever encountered.

  More than a year ago, when our group still numbered nearly a dozen, we were ambushed by one on a moonlit autumn night. Ten guns fired at once—hundreds of bullets tearing into its body—yet the Monster kept coming, kept killing. In mere moments, half of us were dead. Monsters always lived up to their name. They devoured without satiation. They attacked without fear. Among the undead, they were kings.

  The only thing that could stop them—the only thing that could truly destroy them—was both simple and incredibly difficult to find: sunlight. Ultraviolet rays charred their skin, incinerated their cells, and obliterated them in an instant.

  I hated to admit it, but after half a year of fragile peace, Kael and I had once again become prey.

  A low chorus of snarls rose from the gate behind us. I realized with a jolt that the horde had somehow tracked us here.

  “Perfect,” Kael muttered with a crooked, humorless smile. “A Monster in front. A pack of zombies behind.”

  My legs locked. I couldn’t move. For the first time, I felt an utter, bone-deep despair.

  They’re going to kill me. They’re going to eat me. The thoughts spiraled out of control. My muscles stiffened; my vision blurred as the light around us weakened. For a fleeting second, I could hear my own heart thundering like drums before an execution.

  Someone was calling my name. Someone grabbed my arm—

  Smack!

  A sharp sting snapped me back. Kael had slapped me.

  “Fine,” he said harshly. “If you want to give up, then choose. Bitten by a Monster, you become a monster. Bitten by a zombie, you become a zombie. Which do you prefer?”

  I touched my stinging cheek and stared at him, unable to answer. He was right. I had already begun to surrender.

  Kael exhaled, stepped back, and pulled the door to the room behind us shut. That was his decision. We had sealed ourselves inside the building—with a Monster ahead and a pitch-black corridor waiting behind.

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  “The moment I grab it,” Kael said, pointing at the creature, “you’ll have less than two seconds to shoot it—right through the crown of its head. Don’t miss.”

  “I… I’m afraid I can’t…”

  “You can!” His voice rang firm. Then he hesitated—just slightly. It was the first time I’d seen him falter in two years. “And if not… keep one bullet for yourself. It’ll hurt less that way.”

  His gaze locked onto mine—steady and impossibly clear. I nodded, a gambler accepting fate.

  He didn’t give me time to think. He lunged forward, bursting through the last thread of dying light just as it vanished completely.

  “GRAAAH!”

  The Monster roared. Kael was thrown backward, but the machete buried in the creature’s chest became his anchor. He twisted, narrowly avoiding the slash of black, hooked claws, and locked his arms around its throat from behind.

  “Shoot it!” he shouted.

  My hands trembled as I raised the rifle. I have to hit it. I have to.

  The Monster flailed wildly, jerking its head out of my sights.

  BOOM!

  The gun discharged. The shot struck its chest. It shrieked, a piercing, metallic scream, and hurled Kael away. I staggered back, my heart slamming against my ribs. Saliva dripped from the creature's jaws, sizzling where it hit the ground, bubbling into a terrifying white foam.

  It roared again and charged.

  Thud! Kael used every ounce of speed to tackle the Monster mid-air. Both of them tumbled away, rolling into the pitch-black corridor.

  A shriek. Then—silence.

  I couldn’t breathe. My rifle held one last round.

  I can’t hit it. I can’t.

  So... use it on yourself. One bullet for you. It’ll hurt less.

  I stared down the barrel. “Is this the end?” I whispered, my finger resting on the trigger.

  “GAOOO!!!” The Monster’s roar echoed from the depths of the hallway.

  Something inside me snapped. A surge of violent fury erupted in my chest, burning hotter than fear.

  “No! This one’s for you, you bastard!” I screamed and charged into the thick darkness.

  A deafening shriek rushed at me instantly. Without hesitation, I raised the gun and pulled the trigger.

  BOOM! The blast deafened me.

  For a moment, the world went silent. Then I realized my face was coated in something warm and slick. The stench told me enough. I didn't need to look to know what covered my skin.

  Thud. A heavy body collapsed to the floor.

  The Monster was dead. A lucky shot. A shot directly through the skull.

  But... I should have done that sooner. I shouldn’t have missed the first time. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have lost Kael.

  I was forsaken. Irrevocably alone. The nightmare was real.

  I slid down against the wall, hugging my knees, and broke. Whether there were more Monsters here or zombies, I didn’t care. It was too much. Too cruel. Too exhausting.

  If I were to die, then let it end. So be it.

  The darkness enveloped me, screaming the sounds of death into my ears. Outside, the moans and bloodthirsty howls of the horde drew nearer.

  Go ahead, come here. Come feast on the fresh meat of your former kind... I was so very tired.