Leo darted through the door to the employees-only room, his footsteps echoing in the confined space. He didn't stop to think.
The blaring siren was drowning out all other noise, but he knew the horde would breach the barricade any second. The tallic thud of the zombies' relentless assault against the door sent a chill down his spine.
His grip on Nightshade tightened as he pushed the door open and slipped inside. He took a quick glance behind him, watching as the tal cart wedged against the door rattled under the weight of the undead pressing against it. Ti was running out.
"This was reckless," Leo muttered under his breath as he closed the door behind him. "But there's no turning back now."
.....
The room he found himself in was dimly lit, the faint flicker of ergency lights casting shadows across the walls. As his eyes adjusted, Leo quickly realized he was standing in the supermarket's loading dock. The space was large and mostly empty, save for a few abandoned pallets and scattered crates. The faint scent of mold and motor oil lingered in the air, mixing unpleasantly with the distant stench of decay.
Leo's tense shoulders relaxed slightly as he took in his surroundings. The loading dock provided a glimr of hope—a way out of this nightmare. Large, roll-up doors lined one side of the room, leading to the outside. If he could get one open, he might just escape the supermarket without drawing the horde's attention.
He moved cautiously through the dock, his boots thudding softly against the concrete floor. His gaze darted between the shadows, searching for any sign of movent.
Zombies weren't the only threat anymore. The world had changed drastically in the last three days, and Leo knew better than to let his guard down.
He approached the nearest door, examining the large rolling chanism and thick chains used to pull it open. His fingers brushed against the tal, cool and slightly greasy to the touch.
"This could work," he thought. "But I need to be sure the coast is clear."
.....
Leo closed his eyes and concentrated, reaching out through his [Empathic Link] to Fiona. The connection between them was growing stronger, more intuitive. He didn't need to speak out loud to communicate; his thoughts flowed directly into her mind.
"Fiona, check the area around the loading dock entrance. Make sure it's clear before I open this door."
A brief pause followed, during which Leo felt a wave of reassurance wash over him. Fiona was responding—not with words, but with emotions. He felt her determination, caution, and loyalty radiating through the bond.
Monts later, her thoughts brushed against his mind. "Clear."
Leo smiled faintly. "Good girl."
.....
With renewed confidence, Leo grabbed the thick chain connected to the roll-up door. He gave it a hard pull, the muscles in his arms straining as the door groaned in protest. The sound was loud—too loud—but he had no choice.
The chain rattled as the door began to rise, the tal slats coiling upward with each tug. The noise echoed through the loading dock, a grating, tallic screech that set Leo's teeth on edge. He winced but kept pulling, determined to get the door open.
When the door finally rolled up completely, Leo was greeted by the sight of the parking lot behind the supermarket. It was deserted, save for a few abandoned cars and overgrown weeds poking through cracks in the asphalt. The morning sun cast long shadows across the pavent, and for a mont, everything seed eerily peaceful.
Leo took a cautious step outside, his eyes scanning the area. No zombies in sight.
"So far, so good."
.....
Leo took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. It was a stark contrast to the stifling, decaying atmosphere inside the supermarket. He leaned against the doorfra, allowing himself a brief mont of rest.
"This was reckless," he admitted to himself. "I should've been more prepared."
The truth was, his decision to venture into the supermarket had been driven by necessity. The residential building he and the others were staying in still had water, electricity, and so food, but those resources wouldn't last forever. The electricity was a particular concern—it had been a stroke of luck that the power grid was still functional, but Leo wasn't naive. It could cut out at any mont.
And when it did, all the *mperishable food in their refrigerators would spoil.
He sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. "I can't afford to wait for things to go wrong. I need to fix them before they do."
Still, he couldn't deny that he had underestimated the danger. The number of zombies inside the supermarket far exceeded his initial estimate. It was a mistake born from inexperience—a rookie error in a world where such mistakes could be fatal.
"I won't make that mistake again."
---
Leo pushed off the doorfra and stepped fully into the parking lot, his boots crunching against the gravel. Fiona and the other wolves erged from the shadows, their eyes alert and ears perked.
Leo knelt beside Fiona, running a hand through her fur.
"Good job, girl," he murmured. "You did great."
Fiona nuzzled his hand in response, her warm breath puffing against his palm.
Leo stood and took another look around. The parking lot stretched out before him, bordered by the empty streets of the surrounding neighborhood. He could see abandoned houses in the distance, their windows shattered and doors hanging ajar.
The world was eerily quiet—too quiet.
"Sothing's not right."
.....
Leo's instincts scread at him to remain cautious. The silence was unnatural. In a world overrun by zombies and mutant creatures, there was rarely any peace. The absence of noise usually ant that sothing was lurking nearby.
He turned to the wolves.
"Spread out," he instructed through the empathic link. "Check the periter. If you sense anything unusual, alert imdiately."
The wolves obeyed without hesitation, splitting into pairs and fanning out across the parking lot. Their movents were graceful and silent, their keen senses tuned to detect any threats.
Leo, anwhile, moved toward one of the abandoned cars. He peered through the cracked window, scanning the interior for anything useful. An empty backpack lay on the passenger seat, and he quickly smashed the window with Nightshade's hilt to retrieve it.
"Every little bit helps," he muttered, slinging the backpack over his shoulder.
...
Just as Leo was about to return to the loading dock, a piercing howl echoed through the air.
His head snapped toward the source. It was Fiona.
"Damn it," Leo cursed, sprinting toward the sound.
He found Fiona standing at the edge of the parking lot, her body tense and ears flattened. She was staring into the distance, where a figure was slowly erging from behind one of the houses.
As the figure drew closer, Leo's eyes widened.
It wasn't a zombie.
It was sothing far worse.
A mutant creature, standing taller than any man, its body, huge and grotesque looking, like the combination of man and monster. Its skin was covered in chitinous armor which is actually its fur. It also has long, clawed limbs jutted out at odd angles. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural light, filled with rage and malice.
The creature let out a guttural snarl, and Leo's heart skipped a beat.
"Well… shit."
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