Max Costello could almost hear their own heartbeat as they crept through the halls of the abandoned high school, their backpack slung over their shoulders. After debating the idea in their head for hours, they had decided to leave the rest of the survivors and strike out on their own. Although they hated the idea of being alone, this place no longer felt safe, especially because of what had happened in town earlier that day when they went looking for food and medicine. They had no choice but to leave their friends behind.

If I could survive on my own for months, I can do it again, Max reassured themselves.

It had been three months since Max had taken shelter with a group of other survivors in an old high school, and even longer since the undead had taken over the city. Nobody knew where the virus had come from, but one thing was for certain: everything had changed. Max hadn't heard from their mother at all since the outbreak, and they had been surviving on their own until five boys their age named Lawrence, Ethan, Eugene, Harry, and Zion had rescued them from a bunch of zombies and brought them back to their hideout. And although Max was relieved to have company, this place was no longer safe for them. They needed to leave.

After everyone had gone to bed, Max left a note that they slipped under Harry's door before bundling up and stealing some food and supplies from the storage room. All they had to do now was sneak off of the school property without running into those on nightwatch. They could do this.

Max had become close with most of the other teens in the survival group, but there were a couple of kids, Scarlett Hornby and Jay Nunez, who clearly hadn't wanted them around. And, perhaps too coincidentally, both of them had died recently, and Scarlett's death had been the most shocking. But it wasn't just the kids who had seemed annoyed by Max's very presence: their best friend and ex girlfriend, Judy McAllister, had gone missing not too long into their stay. But while it was assumed she had run away, Max had found her favorite hairpin in a box in the basement.

"This all seems to relate to you," Sue Xing had warned Max a few days before. That very night, she had disappeared.

It had been hard to hear, especially after being blamed for Judy's disappearance. But Max wasn't the type to ignore warnings: they wanted to leave before they put themselves - and the others - in more danger. And they certainly weren't comfortable around Lawrence anymore, even though they struggled to admit it to themselves. They hated the thought that the deaths and disappearances had a chance of being their fault.

Slowly, Max began to make their way down the flight of stairs to the first floor, being careful with every step. They momentarily wished that their Converse were more padded so they wouldn't make as much sound, but hopefully, their steps went unheard. Time seemed to move slowly, and the silence was defeaning.

At last, Max made it to the bottom floor of the school. They prayed that they wouldn't be caught red-handed by those on nightwatch, as they didn't want to face one of their friends, especially Harry, Ethan, or Eugene. Although their mind had been made up, they much preferred not to argue on why they shouldn't stay with people they had become close to over the several weeks they had stayed here. They couldn't think about how everyone would react to their disappearance.

Of course, it wasn't like Max had no idea of where to go. During the search for food a couple of days prior, they had encountered another survivor who had been a friend of a madman Lawrence had killed. He told them about a place called the Safe Zone, a safe haven for survivors of the zombie virus guarded by the military. He even handed the friends a spare map detailing directions towards it. At the group meeting that evening, however, Lawrence stated that they shouldn't go to the Safe Zone yet, claiming that they couldn't risk their lives for an 'unreliable rumor.' While Max could see where he was coming from, they disagreed, as did many of the others. But Lawrence was the leader: what he said went.

But Max had had enough of him. While they still wanted to consider him a friend, they had begun to fear him due to recent events. And they would rather risk racing towards a brighter future than being stuck in this abandoned high school forever. So, that very night, they had started packing their bag.

Suddenly, Max caught sight of their reflection in the window. Stopping in their tracks, they looked back at the teenager staring at them. Bobbed, chocolate brown hair, with a tiny ponytail popping up in the back. Cerulean blue eyes. A chubby middle and thick thighs. Slightly tanned skin. At eighteen, they stood at a height of five-foot-five. Their brown corduroy backpack, stuffed full to the brim, was slung over their shoulders. In one hand was the metal baseball bat Max had stolen from the storage room. In the inner pocket of their green flannel was the map to the Safe Zone that they had stolen.

Max looked out the window at the night sky. The moon was full, and beams of soft light were cast onto Max's face like a white blade. They tightened their grip on their baseball bat. Their heart was heavy, and they knew they were going to miss their friends dearly. But they couldn't turn back now.

"Max?"

Max jumped, their head whirling around so fast that the tips of their hair whipped the sides of their face. Their heart sank at the sight before them: they had recognized that slightly feminine voice. Standing a few meters away was Eugene Linhuang, one of their friends. He had turned eighteen just three weeks before, and Max could remember wishing him a happy birthday and giving him a hug that he had been hesitant to reciprocate.

"Eugene?" Max piped up, their voice cracking from fright. They had been hoping this wouldn't happen. "W-what're you doing here?"

"The hell d'you mean, what am I doing here?" Eugene demanded, clearly irritated. "I'm on nightwatch! What're you doing here with a packed bag and a weapon!?"

Max raised a finger to their lips and shushed Eugene frantically. As if it were even possible, their heart rate picked up even more speed.

Under the light of the moon, Max could see Eugene frown and cross his arms. They gulped. The last thing they needed was one of their closest friends among the group trying to convince them to return the supplies they had stolen and go back to their classroom for the night. That would cause even more distrust among the survivor group than there already was.

"Answer me, Max." Eugene said firmly. "What're you doing down here?"

Max tried to resist the urge to hold their breath. As always, most of Eugene's honey blonde hair was hidden by a black baseball cap and the hood of a gray sweatshirt. Hanging from one of his ears was a black mouth mask. His olive-shaped eyes were a shade of burnt sienna, and his nose and cheeks were dotted with light brown freckles. He looked young for his age, and his rather immature attitude and quick temper didn't help him. But he was sincere when he needed to be, and he had opened up to Max over the past couple of months. He had even told them about his old dream of being a popular musician.

At last, Max gave in. They had been shoved into the spotlight, and Eugene deserved the truth. He might have been a bit whiny from time to time, but he was a good person. Besides, Max couldn't think of a good excuse, anyway.

"I'm leaving," Max said simply. "I'm going to the Safe Zone - alone."

Max could feel sweat beading up on the back of their neck as they watched Eugene contemplate what they had told him. What if he reacted badly? The two had become quite close over time, and Max didn't want him to freak out. There was also the factor that he had a short temper and often acted on emotion, even though he normally didn't mean the things that he said.

Eugene's eyes widened.

"On your own?" he cried. "That's fucking dangerous!" He was trying to keep his voice quiet, but his tone was clear.

"I can't stay here any longer!" Max hissed back. "I'm sick of being fucking blamed for everything! Besides, I wanna get to the Safe Zone before it locks up, and Lawrence wouldn't budge on the matter, remember!?"

Eugene seemed surprised, and Max faltered. They had had their moments, but they didn't argue often nor seek conflict, and they were usually agreeable when it came to their friends. It was clear that Eugene hadn't expected this.

Max lowered their head in shame. Was Eugene offended? A tense silence fell as they waited for him to respond.

"Take me with you."

Max's head jerked up. Had they just heard what they thought they heard?

"W-what?" Max blurted.

"You heard me, take me with you!" Eugene snapped.

Max was surprised. They hadn't expected Eugene to react like this. But then again, Max hadn't forgotten the time when Eugene asked them if they wanted to run away with him. And they knew Eugene no longer respected Lawrence.

"C'mon, you know me," Eugene continued. "You know I hate this place! And I don't wanna be the next one to disappear!"

Max's hands started to shake as they gripped their stolen baseball bat. As their eyes met with Eugene's, they thought they saw his jaw unclench for a quick moment. He was trying not to show it, but Max could see it in his eyes: he looked desperate. They quickly went over the pros and cons in their head: on one hand, Eugene wasn't the strongest or smartest guy in the group, and he could be whiny. But on the other hand, he was determined and a good listener, and he was also a pretty fast runner. And it would be nice to have company, especially if that person was one of Max's best friends.

At last, Max exhaled.

"Alright, fine," they sighed. "Get your things and some supplies and meet me at the front gate. But if I don't see you after fifteen minutes, then I'm leaving you behind." They made sure to keep their voice firm so Eugene would know they meant business.

Eugene nodded, turned around on his heel, and dashed back down the hallway. Max could hear the faint clangs of metal as he ran up the staircase opposite of where Max had come from. Once Eugene was out of earshot, Max hurried through the double doors, out of the building, and into the schoolyard. Part of them was hoping Eugene would take too long and they could leave him behind. But the other half was hoping that he would make it in time and they could leave together. After having studied the map, they knew that making it to the Safe Zone would take a long time, and they didn't want to be slowed down. But at the same time, Max loathed traveling alone. And even though Eugene could be annoying from time to time, having him for company would be much better than Max having to talk to themselves to keep from going insane.

After a few tense minutes of fidgeting and having second thoughts, Max looked down at their watch. Their eyes having adjusted to the darkness, it wasn't hard to see that over twelve minutes had passed.

Max nervously bit their lower lip. Where the hell was Eugene?

Finally, the pitter-patter of running footsteps alerted Max, and they turned their head. There he was, speeding across the schoolyard, his backpack flapping up and down against his shoulders. In his right hand was a fire axe that Max had seen once in the storage room.

It wasn't long before Eugene was right in front of them, where he stopped and keeled over to pant. Max was almost relieved to see him, but there was still that voice in the back of their head telling them that this was a bad idea.

"Thanks for waiting," Eugene heaved.

Max looked back at their watch. It had been exactly fifteen minutes.

"You were pretty close," they said seriously. "Got everything you need?"

"Uh-huh," Eugene answered as he stood up. "I got a lotta stuff, but I don't think we should talk about that right now." He paused. "I made a lot more noise than I intended to and I probably woke some people up."

Max stared in disbelief at Eugene's face, which was now ridden with guilt. But before they could slap him, distant voices calling their names made them jump.

"We gotta run, now." Max snapped through gritted teeth.

As quick as they could, the two teenagers grabbed the front gate, pulled it open, and dashed off into the night.