Leya didn't know how much time had passed as they slowly made their way through the mess. Every second felt like an hour. She was getting cramped in the car, but she didn't dare move or get out. The city was officially in chaos. She wasn't sure what this was the beginning of, exactly, but she could assume it was only one thing - the apocalypse. It was the beginning of the end. 

She was still having trouble figuring out how it all started in the first place. There was no such thing as the end of the world - not really. This had to just be a pandemic of sorts, a crisis that could be solved. Maybe it really wasn't as bad as it actually was. Maybe it was just their area that had been impacted, the rest of the world was probably just fine. God, she sure hoped so. 

It was hard for Leya to wrap her mind around it all. One second they'd all been normal people living normal lives, and now they were fighting for survival. It didn't make any logical sense. She had never seen people get sick so fast before, and the woman's face from the hospital haunted her. She tried not to think about it too much as they sat in the car, stranded in the road. Traffic had been backed up significantly - they weren't the only ones trying to escape and reunite with loved ones. She hated that she was going to be stuck in the car with Shane for so long. Even though they were both fighting for their lives, she wasn't happy about the idea of being with him. Why couldn't it be anyone but him? 

Now was not the time to protest. She knew that if she said anything, it would just lead to more arguments and she didn't want to talk to him more than necessary. She didn't know what was worse, though. Fighting to fill the air or the tension in the silence. The silence was tense but they both seemed to agree on keeping it as they inched by through traffic. It moved slowly, until they weren't moving at all. She sighed, a sound that was loud in the silence. 

After a while, Shane looked like he was about to say something when a slam on the side of her window took her by surprise, making her yelp. It was a man, bagging on her side of the door. Her nearly heart raced out of her chest, realizing quickly that it wasn't just a man. It was one of those... things. It looked like he had already lost all sense of himself through the decaying skin and the snarling. 

Leya's heart pounded as she stared at the creature, its eyes wild and vacant, a grotesque parody of the person it used to be. It was crazy to think that this beast had once been a human guy with feelings and thoughts of his own, reduced to this. A whole life turned to nothingness in a matter of what seemed to be seconds, and that was the part that terrified her the most. The sound of its fists slamming against the glass echoed in her ears, each hit a jarring reminder of how close they were to danger.

"Shit!" Shane muttered under his breath, quickly reaching for his gun. "Stay calm, Leya. The glass should hold, but we need to get out of here."

She tried to steady her breath as she focused, but it was hard. She had never been so afraid of anything before, and she used to pride herself on generally being fearless. This was like an instinctive fear, knowing that her life could end instantly if she wasn't on guard. The fear clawing at her chest was almost paralyzing, but she knew they had to act fast. She didn't have much time to waste. The snarling outside was growing louder, more frantic. She could see the creature's face contorting in rage as it pounded harder against the window, cracks beginning to spiderweb across the glass.

"Shane," she whispered urgently, her voice trembling. "We need to move. Now."

He nodded, his face set with determination as he shifted the car into reverse, trying to maneuver around the stalled vehicles - but the traffic was too thick, too congested to allow for a quick escape. The car jerked as he struggled to find a clear path, but they were boxed in on all sides.

"Dammit," Shane cursed, frustration and fear seeping into his voice. "We're stuck."

The creature outside let out a low, guttural growl as it smashed its head against the window, the glass shuddering under the force. Leya flinched, instinctively leaning away from the door, her eyes wide with terror.

Without thinking, Shane rolled down the opposite window and fired a shot, the noise deafening in the confined space. The bullet hit its mark, and the creature slumped to the ground, its body twitching as it finally stilled.

Still, there was no time to feel relieved. More of them were beginning to appear, drawn by the noise and the scent of fresh prey. They were the prey. Leya could see them shambling through the gridlocked cars, their movements slow but relentless. 

"We can't stay here," Shane said, his voice tight with urgency. "We need to get out on foot. It's the only way."

Leya nodded, her mind racing as she tried to process everything. Right now, she was aware of the fact her mind had shifted. She was stuck in autopilot, her body moving without much thought. They had to abandon the car, leave behind what little safety it offered. She grabbed her bag from the back seat, stuffing it with whatever supplies she could find in the brief seconds they had. She made sure the pistol was secure at her side. It probably wasn't going to do them much good for long, but for now it was good enough. At least until they could get somewhere safe. 

****

They walked for what felt like hours, making their way over abandoned cars and debris. It looked like the setting of a horror film, which she supposed they were basically in now. It was certainly horrifying. Her senses had never been more alert as she kept an eye out for every single person that could be infected, and that was a lot. Thankfully, they hadn't seen any since leaving their last car. At least not yet. 

"How does one even kill these things?" she asked, though she didn't know why. Shane knew just as much as she did. She supposed she was just thinking out loud at this point. It was something to kill the time, and they needed to have a plan. As much as she loathed the idea of being stuck with him, they would have to work together for a little bit if they were going to survive. Survival was more important than her pride. 

"Seems like that one dropped dead when I shot it in the head," Shane said as he contemplated. He had a point. She'd already nearly forgotten about the incident in the car, maybe it was because she was still trying to process the trauma. 

"Headshots," Shane repeated, more to himself than to her, as if he was trying to imprint the knowledge in his mind. "That's gotta be it. Take out the brain, and they go down."

Leya nodded, her thoughts a jumble of fear and determination. The idea of facing these things head-on was terrifying, but at least they had a plan, however small it might be. At the rate the disease was spreading, she was sure she would have to get used to it sooner rather than later. The only problem was that she didn't want to get used to it. 

As they passed an abandoned storefront, Leya caught a glimpse of their reflections in the shattered glass. They looked like ghosts, hollow-eyed and weary, covered in grime and blood. She hardly recognized herself, and for a moment, she felt a pang of grief for the life they'd lost—the normalcy that was gone forever.

****

"Mom?" Leya called out, her heart skipping a beat as she saw the outline of a woman up ahead. The woman was leaning against the car, which was pretty sure was her mother's car - though to be honest, she didn't know what to think anymore, cars looked the same, and people were starting to blend together in the chaos. She squinted, hoping it was her. That would be embarrassing if it wasn't, but that wasn't as important right now. She let out a breath of relief as she saw the woman turn toward her in response. 

"Leya!" she replied, her stressed features seeming to visibly soften as she saw her. Leya didn't hesitate as she broke into a run toward her. 

Leya's heart pounded in her chest as she sprinted toward her mother, the weight of the last few hours falling away with each step. She was alive and seemingly unhurt, and that's all that mattered. She could feel tears welling up, a mix of relief and fear finally releasing in a rush of emotion.

When she reached her, Leya threw her arms around her mother, holding her tightly as if she might disappear if she let go. "Mom, thank God," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "I was so scared I wouldn't find you."

Her mother held her just as tightly, her own voice trembling. "I was so worried about you, Leya. I didn't know where you were, if you were safe... I've been trying to get in touch with you, but the phones... nothing's working."

"I know," she agreed with a sigh. She looked around, scanning the nearby area. Her heart dropped when she realized her little brother wasn't in sight. "Where's Carl?" 

"He's asleep in the car," she said as she gestured to the back seat, where she saw his sleeping form curled up in a bundle of blankets in the back seat. "That's why I've been standing here." 

Relief washed over Leya as she spotted Carl through the car window, his small body safely bundled up in blankets. Seeing him there, unharmed and peacefully asleep, felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. The sight of her brother, even in the middle of all this chaos, was a small miracle.

Leya let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Thank God," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. She turned back to her mother, her eyes reflecting the unspoken fears they both had been carrying. "I was so scared something happened to him too."

Her mother nodded, her expression softening as she looked at Carl. "Me too. He's been so brave, Leya. He's scared, but he hasn't complained once. I think he's still in shock." 

"It'll hit all of us hard soon, I imagine," she said with a sigh. "I don't think we've had a chance to even think about what this is." 

Her mother gave a weary nod, the weight of their situation clear in her eyes. "We're all just trying to survive right now. The reality of everything... it hasn't fully sunk in yet. But it will, and when it does, we'll have to be there for each other."

Leya felt a pang of fear at the thought. She was barely holding it together herself; how could she be strong for her brother and mother when everything seemed so hopeless? But she couldn't let them see that. They needed her to be strong, to keep moving forward.

"We will be," Leya said, her voice firmer than she felt. "We'll get through this. We just have to keep going, keep looking out for each other. That's all we can do right now."

Her mother squeezed her hand, her grip strong despite the exhaustion that was clearly weighing on her. "You're right. And no matter what happens, we stick together. We're all we have left."

Leya nodded, her heart aching with the truth of those words. The world outside was crumbling, but their family was still here, still fighting. That had to mean something.