Chapter 10 :snowstorm
IAN
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The sunrise barely deserved the name. There was no warmth. No golden light breaking through the horizon. No sign that a new day had begun. Only gray. The entire world had been swallowed by snow. The abandoned convenience store, the broken roads, the empty fields surrounding us everything was covered in a thick blanket of white. The storm had not stopped. If anything, it has grown stronger. I stood near the entrance, staring outside through the cracked glass. My breath formed clouds in front of my face. How are we supposed to get back? The camp was only an hour away under normal circumstances.
But nothing was normal anymore. Not after everything that happened. Not after the giant. Not after Rhys. My chest tightened.
The image of him being lifted by that thing’s hand kept replaying inside my head. The way everything happened so quickly. The way we were powerless for those few seconds. I clenched my fists. We survived. But survival always came with a price.
A sound behind me pulled me away from my thoughts. “Ian.” I turned around. Hog was walking toward me, his expression tired but focused. Even injured, he still carried himself like nothing could break him. “Me and Thomas managed to find a truck,” he said. My eyes widened slightly.
“A truck?” He nodded. “Through the scanner Thomas had. We found one nearby. I don’t know how far it will actually go, or if it will even make it all the way to the shelter…” He looked outside at the storm. “But we have to take the chance. If we stay here, we’re all going to freeze to death.” He glanced toward the injured soldiers and refugees resting inside.
“Everyone is exhausted. The soldiers are wounded. The refugees are terrified. We need to get back.” A small sense of relief hit me. A truck meant safety. A truck meant warmth. A truck meant we could finally leave this nightmare behind. But another thought immediately followed. How far will it actually take us? Nothing ever came easily anymore. I looked back at Hog.
“We have to take our chances,” I said. I grabbed my weapon. “How about we head there now? The sooner we leave, the better.” Hog nodded. “You’re right…” Then his expression changed. “But there’s a problem.” I stared at him. Of course there is. I almost laughed. It felt like every single time something good happened, something worse followed right behind it.
Like the world itself was making sure we never got comfortable. “What bad news?” I asked with a tired sigh. Hog looked serious. “The truck is about five to ten minutes away.” I raised an eyebrow “That’s not too bad.” “No.” He paused.
“The problem is the path toward it.” My expression hardened. “There’s a swarm there.” My stomach dropped. Hog continued. “Normally, we could handle it. But look around, Ian. Half our people are injured. They need rest. They need medicine. They can't fight another battle right now.” I stayed silent. He was right.
But waiting here wasn't an option either.
I took a deep breath. “I’ll do it.” Hog looked at me. “Ian" I said interrupting him, “I can handle it.” I looked him directly in the eyes.
“Someone else comes with me. We get the truck. I drive it back here. Twenty minutes. Then everyone leaves.” Hog looked relieved. “Thank you.” He turned around.
“I’ll find another soldier.”
“You don’t have to.” A voice interrupted us.
We both turned. Dameon stood there.
His face was exhausted. But his eyes…
His eyes were different. Filled with anger.
“I’m going with Ian.” Hog stared at him.
Dameon tightened his grip on his weapon.
“Those sons of bitches took my brother from me.” His voice became colder. “They took Rhys.” A silence fell. “I want every chance I get to make them pay.” Hog looked at him. There was sadness in his eyes. But he understood. He nodded. “Alright.” And just like that… We left. The walk toward the truck felt longer than ten minutes. The snow attacked us from every direction. Our uniforms were already damaged from the acidic rain. Holes covered the fabric, leaving us exposed to the freezing weather. Every snowflake felt like a blade against my skin. My injuries burned. Dameon didn't say anything. Neither did I. I could see the storm inside him. The anger. The grief. The emptiness.
I didn't blame him. What would I feel if it was someone I loved? I thought about the coastal mission. If we never went there…
Rhys would still be alive. But then again…
The refugees we saved would have died.
Six lives. Six people who now had a chance. I knew Rhys would understand.
At least… I hoped he would. A few minutes later, we reached the abandoned parking lot. The place was exactly what I expected.
Destroyed cars. Empty streets. And infected. Dameon looked around. “Two problems.” I nodded. “The swarm.” “And finding the truck.” I looked through the snow. Visibility was terrible. The storm made everything look like a dream. A dangerous dream. Dameon looked at me.
“I know it’s risky…” He pointed left. “You go right.” Then he pointed in the other direction. “I’ll search there.” I nodded. “Be careful.” “You too.” We separated. I moved between abandoned vehicles. Most of them were useless. Broken. Destroyed.
Too small. Nothing that could carry everyone. The snow kept falling harder.
This is getting worse. Then I saw it. A vehicle covered in black cloth. My heart jumped. That has to be it. I slowly approached. One step. Another. Then I saw movement. Behind the truck. My body froze. Ten infected. Maybe more. They were standing there, unaware. I lowered myself. Quiet. I moved carefully. Slowly.
Carefully. Then CRACK. My foot stepped on an old can. The sound echoed. Every infected turned. Their heads snapped toward me. For one second… Everything was silent. Then they started moving. Fast.
I raised my weapon. BANG. One dropped.
BANG. Another. BANG. Two more. Four down. Then Click. My heart sank. Empty.
Of course. I had no time. The infected were already reaching me. I swung the rifle.
The first one rushed forward. I slammed the weapon into its skull. The impact sent it crashing down. Its head hit a broken piece of concrete. It stopped moving. I didn't wait. I ran. Jumped onto the hood of a destroyed car. An infected reached for me.
I grabbed the sharp edge of my weapon and drove it downward. Straight through its skull. It collapsed. I landed hard. Pain shot through my body. I ignored it. I looked around. Four left. Only four. Then “IAN!”
Dameon's voice. I looked up. “I FOUND THE TRUCK!” I didn't hesitate. I ran. We reached the truck at the same time. No words. No celebration. No relief. We got inside. The engine roared. And we drove.
Back to the convenience store. When we arrived, we didn't stop. We didn't get out.
Because we both knew. The infected weren't going to forget. And they weren't going to stop. I grabbed the radio. “Hog.”
Static. Then his voice. “Ian?” “We have the truck.” A pause. “Good.” “Everyone needs to leave now.” My grip tightened. “The swarm is probably following us.” Silence.
Then “Understood.” Within moments, everyone came outside. The injured. The refugees. The soldiers. Everyone moved.
No hesitation. No questions. They climbed into the truck. The doors closed. The engine roared again. And as we drove away from the abandoned store… I looked back at the road behind us. The storm was still raging. The world was still broken. The infected were still out there. But for the first time in a while… We were moving forward.
Toward home. Toward survival.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80tQ2ls1zz
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