"All clear," Gabriella said to her team.

"Don't let your guard down though," Arthur said, "Those filthy scums, we never know where they come from" 

"They used to be humans once" Declan, her partner opposed. Arthur ignored his comment and ordered the team to move forward.

Gabriella nodded, held on to the gun tucked in her shorts, and looked around for 'the undead' as the military officials called them, as well as for surviving civilians. 

However, no such luck. The entire street seemed to be empty, which she found hard to believe as not too far away, the streets were crowded with the undead. 

She glanced towards Arthur, who appeared to have the same thoughts. 

Gabriella couldn't help but feel goosebumps all over her body as she took a few steps into the street, not knowing what dangers lay ahead. It wasn't as though she was scared, but she was scared for her brother. Was he still alive?

"Marshall, focus" Arthur said. 

She nodded slightly and continued treading with the others, trying to keep her thoughts at bay. All of them turned back at the sound of a girl shrieking. 

But it appeared the military wasn't all she attracted with her screams, soon the undead started crawling out from the shadows and Gabriella wondered why no one noticed them before. 

They quickly got into position and began firing.

»»————-　☠　————-««

"Hello?" Renee said, more like whispered. Seconds later, she felt bright light on her face and covered it with her hands. 

"Are you, um, bitten?" The man asked awkwardly. 

"No," Renee groaned "Turn that thing off please"

The man switched off his torch and instead used a lamp which he had found inside. 

Renee felt a huge wave of relief, it felt like she hadn't seen a real human for so long. 

"Have you eaten anything?" The man asked. 

"Uh, not yet," She said walking towards the counter. "But I will now" 

She picked up a chicken sandwich and came back to the stranger. 

"So, what's your name?"

"I'm Caden," He said "Caden Marshall" 

"And I'm Renee"

"It's kinda crazy, huh?" Caden said, trying to start conversion. 

"Yeah," She said "It is" 

"How'd you end up here?" He asked. 

"It's a long story, I was protesting outside the governor's office and it all happened so fast," Renee said, on the verge of tears. 

Caden wanted to go comfort her, but he wasn't sure what to do himself. They sat in silence until she finished her sandwich. 

"Do you own this place?" She finally asked. 

"Oh god no, it the only unlocked place that wasn't surrounded by-" He stopped mid-sentence trying to find the right word.

"Cannibals?"

"I guess you could call them that," Caden said.

"I'm glad I met you, Caden," Renee said. Seeing his confused expression, she added "There's strength in numbers"

"There is" He agreed "But I'm not sure our goals would align"

"Why do you say that?"

"I've been trying to find my sister, and I don't see myself stopping till I find her," 

Renee had a lot on her mind that she wanted to ask him, but she knew it would be insensitive to ask those. Moreover, if she was trying to get this man to survive with her, the last thing she wanted to do was offend him. 

"That's not a very bright idea," Renee finally said.

"Maybe not, but she's the only family I have left," He said with a sigh "Without her, I'm alone"

"I get it, I do" She continued "But you don't even know where to start, you could get yourself killed in the process" 

"I know where she is" Caden protested "She works for the military and I saw the van she got into, I came here following her" 

"The military?" Renee said with a scoff. "Good luck getting her back, buddy"

"Are you mocking me?" He asked in an irritated tone.

"Soldiers don't abandon the people just because their 'big brother' called them home," She said apathetically. 

Caden sneered and went to the other side of the cafe. He stretched out on the lounge, preparing for bed. 

Renee rolled her eyes at him and went to sleep as well, making sure to lock the doors first. She instantly despised Caden, she felt he was too unrealistic and not ready to accept reality. But she also knew the advantages of working with him. For one, he had the muscular strength which she knew she didn't have. And it was important if she wanted to survive an apocalypse. 

With her thoughts overflowing her brain, she finally made a decision and went to sleep.

Caden couldn't fall asleep after that conversation, however. He hated Renee's guts, but also couldn't deny some of the things she said. 

He was impulsive and had many near-death experiences because of his choices, and Renee was the exact opposite. She was practical, a little cold-hearted but still could be of help. 

But at the same time, Caden wasn't sure if she was ready to give up on Gabriella. Renee's words rang in his ears. 

"Soldiers don't abandon the civilians" 

It was true, there was a high chance she wouldn't leave with him. Maybe he had to believe that she could take of herself. 

He unlocked his phone and opened his gallery, staring at the last picture he took with Gabriella when she visited him a few months ago.

"I miss you" He murmured.

»»————-　☠　————-««

The firing seemingly attracted more of the undead, and Gabriella was struggling to keep a good distance between herself and them.

At the same time, she also kept an eye out for the evacuators, who were not allowed to have heavy weapons while being next to civilians.

Sweat trickled down her forehead as the number of the undead increased, and the evacuation process was extremely slow. There was a lot of protocol to be followed before entering anyone into the vans, but it seemed like the protocol was going to be the death of them all.

Unable to keep up with the number, Gabriella leapt towards a light post and clung onto it using her legs and one hand, and shooting with the other.

After an hour of this, she received a message on my walkie-talkie saying that all civilians had been evacuated. 

Gabriella slid down the pole and ran past all the remaining creatures, not wanting to attract more danger from the sound of my bullets. She got inside the van, her clothes covered with blood and noticed Declan missing. 

"Where's Declan?" Gabriella asked in a shaky voice. 

"He didn't make it" Arthur replied. 

"That's not true," A junior said pointing at the window. All of them looked out and saw Declan racing towards the van, a horde of the undead behind him.

Ignoring the protests of the team, Arthur commanded the driver to take off. He tried to keep a stoic expression. But Gabriella saw the smirk he tried to suppress. 

Author's note: Hey guys! That's the end of chapter 4. This is the first chapter to have so many dialogues 😂 It was cruciating to write so long without any conversation. Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying the book so far. Who's your favourite character? Comment your thoughts below! See ya next week :D