That morning was silently chaotic as the four teenagers scrambled to find all the food left in the motel and packing it into their bags. Since Aadhiya and Florian wanted to leave right away, Max and Eugene's strategy of travelling by night had now been foiled. But it wasn't entirely a disappointment, as more hands meant better defense against the zombies. Aadhiya's shotgun especially would be of ample use, and even more so since she had a lot of ammo.

"You guys know what to aim for, right?" Eugene asked his two new allies.

"Yeah, we gotta aim for the head," Aadhiya answered. "That's where their skull is."

"Exactly," Max replied. "Zombies basically die after their heads are cut off or crushed. Smashing the torso in works, too."

"Well - if you can get any dead-er than undead, that is." Florian remarked. Aadhiya elbowed him in the side.

Max took a deep breath as they approached the door. They had done this many times before, leaving the high school to go look for food or supplies. But now, they were mostly back to square one: two of their travelling companions were people they barely knew.

"Eugene, you got the map?" Max asked over their shoulder.

"Yeah, I got it." Eugene answered, his voice muffled by his mouth mask.

Out of the corner of their eye, Max saw Florian frown. He had asked to hold the map instead, but Max and Eugene had refused to give it to him. After all, they weren't sure if they could trust him or Aadhiya yet. When the outbreak had started, Max had immediately trusted any other survivor they came across, as they were all humans. But after spending a few months with people like Lawrence and Scarlett, Max knew that they couldn't be so quick to put their faith in others. It was a bleak truth, but the truth nonetheless.

"I'll lead the way," Aadhiya offered, and she rested her hand on the doorknob. "You guys ready?"

Max and the boys nodded.

"Alright," Aadhiya said, "let's move out." And she opened the door.

Gray clouds dominated the sky that day, threatening rain. Max and the other three crept along the sidewalks, so it would be easier for them to evade zombies. As Florian brought up the rear and Aadhiya led them, Max walked beside Eugene. They peeked over his shoulder to look at the map. Marked with a big red circle was the stadium in the middle of Culmont, labeled Uninfected Protection Area E-03 in the same red marker. The E-03 made Max wonder if the virus had affected other areas of the country. They hoped it hadn't reached their hometown of Boston yet.

Max shuddered a little. They remembered thinking at the beginning of the outbreak that it was like living in a real zombie apocalypse movie, like the ones Max used to watch with their father before he passed away. Max had always wanted to direct a movie like that.

Ma . . .

Was Max's mother at the Safe Zone? They could only hope.

'Something wrong?' Eugene mouthed, a frown on his face.

Max shook their head and gave him an uneasy smile. They turned their head to find Florian walking behind them, brandishing his weapon of choice, a metal pipe that he said he had found in a hall closet of the motel. Max wondered how Aadhiya and Florian had ended up at that motel, as they seemed to have been staying there for a while.

What seemed like hours went by, and Max's feet grew sore. But they knew they had to keep going.

"Grraaghhh . . ."

Max's heart jumped up into their throat as Aadhiya held out her arm, signaling for them to stop: six zombies were shuffling across the street, dragging their feet behind them. Max had gotten used to the sight of their rotting bodies, the bloodied clothes, the empty eyes and the dead hair. But it was no less saddening. These had once been regular people, with hopes and dreams and families. Now they were just . . . monsters.

Max's pierced nose wrinkled at the smell of the rotting flesh. Them and the others glued themselves to the side of the nearest building, waiting with bated breath for them to pass. But suddenly -

"A-choo!"

FUCK! Max thought. Florian had sneezed.

The zombies all turned their heads in the direction of the teenagers, bones cracking as they did so. Their heartbeat speeding up, Max readied their baseball bat. There were six zombies, and four of them, one of them with a shotgun: they could beat them easily. But that did little to ease their fear.

In a flash, the zombies were already three yards away. Aadhiya readied her gun and fired, the bang splitting Max's eardrums. Their ears began to ring as two of the zombies' heads exploded, blood and brain matter flying everywhere. Max began to swing, their bat crashing into a zombie's neck and decapitating them as they crashed to the ground. Eugene slashed another zombie apart with his axe as he held the map in his left hand, pieces of skull littering the concrete. The next thing Max knew, all the zombies were dead, and they had grabbed Eugene's wrist and started running. There was no doubt that all the commotion had attracted other zombies.

"Goddamnit, Florian!" Aadhiya shrieked furiously, all dignity gone.

~

Max's head was still pounding as they and their allies stumbled indoors, out of breath and heaving for oxygen. They had found themselves in a detroyed pub. Shards of wood and glass littered the floor, and furniture was overturned. Paintings on the walls were lopsided and splashed with dried blood. However, the front windows and the door were in relatively good condition. Outside, rain was beginning to fall. Max didn't want to imagine the panic that had erupted in this bar on the day of the outbreak.

Eugene collapsed onto a bench, his face coated with sweat. Max sat down next to him and spat some of their hair out of their face. Their head was still pounding, and their hands trembling. Even after months of this, every encounter with a zombie left them a little shaken up. To think they had been an adrenaline junkie before the outbreak. . . .

Aadhiya was now accosting Florian.

"Jesus Marie, will you guys just fucking calm down!?" Max snapped breathlessly. "There's no time for fighting!"

Aadhiya groaned loudly and threw down her backpack, while Florian mouthed a 'thank you.' In response, Max nodded. Despite the agrument, Florian and Aadhiya seemed rather close. After all, Max knew from experience that a predicament like this could either strengthen friendships or tear them apart.

Eugene unzipped his backpack and took out a water bottle, opening it before taking a few swigs. Aadhiya did the same with a water bottle she had packed, though this one was reusable and it didn't look like there was that much water left. Max couldn't believe how much they had taken fresh water for granted before the outbreak.

At least the running's been helping to reduce my stomach fat, Max thought half sarcastically. They had always been a little insecure about their weight.

"Can I have a sip, Eugene?" Max asked.

Eugene frowned, but still handed Max his water bottle. Max thanked them and took a sip. They thought they heard Eugene mutter something under his breath, but they couldn't quite catch it. Whatever it was, saying it made Eugene's cheeks flush pink.

"I don't like any of y'all," Aadhiya lamented.

~

"Have some of my water, Aadhiya."

"Are . . . are you serious?"

"I insist."

Eugene looked a little frustrated that Max had offered Aadhiya some of their drinking water. But Max's hesitance to trust these new people didn't correlate with the fact that these were still humans who were trying to survive, just like them.

Aadhiya took a couple big sips from Max's water bottle before giving it back. The four teens were now sitting in a circle on the floor in the pub kitchen. The whiff of expired liquors drifted from the cabinets, but it wasn't as bad as the rotten food smell from the fridges. Still, Max found all of it bearable when compared to the death stench of the zombies. By some miracle, there was still electricity in the kitchen, so at least they had a light source. This also meant that the teens could charge their phones, which had all been dead for god knows how long.

Will there be electricity in the Safe Zone? Max thought. God, I fucking hope there is.

"How the hell did you guys end up in that motel?" Eugene curiously asked Florian and Aadhiya. He had his elbow supported by his knee, and his palm supporting the side of his face.

"Yeah, what're your stories?" Max asked. They tried to sound as polite as possible. They knew that not all people were comfortable with telling the stories of where they were when the outbreak started.

Florian and Aadhiya exchanged looks before Florian cleared his throat. The atmosphere was somber and awkward.

"I don't live here in America." Florian began. "I come from Romania. For years, my parents saved up so we could all go on a cross-country trip of America. It was while we were staying in that motel when the outbreak happened."

"What happened to your family?" Max asked. They already knew the answer, but they were still morbidly curious.

Florian shrugged sadly, his eyes downcast. His voice began to wobble as he continued.

"My parents went out to look for food one day and didn't come back." he answered. "My brother - he was only ten - noticed that they were gone and ran away to find them the next day. I never saw any of them again."

Max didn't say anything, just gave him a simple nod. It must have been hard being trapped in a country so far away from home, with no family left. The fact that it was a country Florian had wanted to go to for years must be a huge letdown. They couldn't imagine that.

"Sorry about that, man," Eugene mumbled.

Florian took a deep breath to calm himself.

"I just hope they've all been put outta their misery," he replied, his voice breaking slightly. Max was used to hearing that now, but it was no less heartbreaking than it had been the first time they heard it.

"What about you, Aadhiya?" Max asked. They took out a protein bar from their backpack and ripped open the wrapper before taking some bites.

Aadhiya didn't look as sad as Florian did.

"My parents died when I was little, so I was sent to live with my uncle." she explained. "I ran away the day before the outbreak started."

"Why?" Eugene demanded. "Was your uncle a huge douche canon? 'Cause if he was, I understand that."

Aadhiya glared at him. Her body language made it clear that this was a delicate subject. After a few moments, she answered him.

"Y'know that one middle-aged man in the neighborhood," she said, "that all the parents tell their kids to stay away from 'cause he's a 'bad guy,' but they never tell 'em the exact reason? Yeah, that was my uncle."

Max froze where they sat, having immediately figured out what she was eluding to. They felt as though, instead a bite of their protein bar, a large rock had been dropped down their throat and into their stomach. They didn't even have to look at Eugene to know that he had the same look on his face as they did. Aadhiya seemed to notice both of their expressions, because she nodded.

"I hope he's dead." she muttered. She took off her beanie and ran a hand through her long black tresses. "What about you two? It's only fair you guys tell us your stories, too."

"Eugene and I were both at school when the outbreak started." Max answered. "We went to different schools, though, so it took us a while to meet."

"D'you know where your families are?" Florian asked.

Max swallowed and shook their head. They looked over at Eugene to see what he would say: despite how close they had gotten, he had only told them a few details about his life before the outbreak. Just like with Eugene's identity, Max had chosen not to pry.

"My older sister got taken by the zombies," Eugene murmured, his face pointed towards the floor. He took a sip of water. "I dunno what happened to my parents."

Max's heart sank, and their face fell.

Later on, after Aadhiya and Florian had both fallen asleep, Max looked over at Eugene. Their eyes had adjusted to the dark by now, and neither they nor Eugene felt like tucking themselves in for the night. They were both sitting up against the wall, their blankets draped over their laps and their backpacks and weapons nearby. The sound of Aadhiya's breathing and Florian's soft snoring echoed along the concrete walls. After a while, Max turned off the music they were listening to (they had dearly missed the sounds of Linkin Park), and took out their earbuds.

"Eugene?" they whispered.

"Hm?" Eugene hummed back.

"Why didn't you tell me about your sister?" Max asked. "I'm not saying I have the right to know everything about your life, but we've still known each other for months."

There was a pause. Max wondered if they should apologize, but before they could, Eugene spoke.

"I just didn't see the point," he answered. He scoffed. "I mean . . . s'not like I'm ever gonna see her again."

"Still doesn't hurt to keep her memory alive, I guess." Max pointed out.

"Maybe," Eugene said with a sigh. "Sometimes I'd rather just forget her entirely instead of having to live with a pain like this."

Max scooted closer to their friend and wrapped their loving arms around him, resting their head upon his shoulder. They undestood where he was coming from. At this point, one of the only things keeping Max going was the thought of seeing their beloved mother again.

"I know," they agreed. "I feel the same way about Judy every now and then."

"Yeah, she was a good person . . . I kinda miss her." Eugene admitted.

Max couldn't help but crack a smile. They were glad that more people had appreciated Judy.

"Can I be honest about something?" Eugene asked.

"Of course," Max answered genuinely. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Thanks," Eugene said. He paused before continuing.

"My sister was the only family member who supported me when I first said that I was a boy." he said. "My dad kept telling me that it was just a phase that I'd grow out of once I got older. Lo and behold, I'm eighteen and I still flatten my chest as best as I can every single fuckin' day."

Max frowned. One of their grandfathers had been those types of parents. Eugene hadn't deserved that kind of upbringing.

"What about your mom?" they asked curiously.

Now Eugene seemed to pause again. His body tensed a little in Max's embrace. They heard him swallow.

"She left us after I came out," he mumbled at last. "Never heard from her again."

Max responded to this heartbreaking statement by hugging Eugene a little tighter. Eugene finally returned their embrace, and Max began to rub his back. For a moment, they thought they heard their friend sniffle. Being in Eugene's arms caused a warm sensation to swirl in their stomach.

"For as long as I live," Max said softly and sincerely, "you'll always be appreciated for who you are. I mean it."

Eugene giggled tearfully.

"I can't remember the last time someone said that to me," he confessed. "Know what? I'm really glad I know you."

Max's heart fluttered.