He couldn’t.

  He couldn’t do a thing.

  Only run.

  He saw more people behind the partly opened curtains up in the apartments. Saw men. Women. Children. All of them staring out at the road. Some of them crying. Some of them scrapping. All of them devastated.

  He wasn’t sure the MLZ was ready for a breach like this.

  He wasn’t sure any place would ever be a breach like this.

  He wasn’t sure if they’d ever bounce back.

  If there was anyone left to bounce back at all.

  He stopped when he saw the entrance area to Hassan’s apartment complex.

  His mouth went dry. The droning sounds of the creatures behind him diminished somewhat, drifted into the background.

  There were five, ten creatures all gathered around the steps leading into Hassan’s apartment complex.

  All ripping the insides out of a tall, dark-haired man.

  Ripping his insides out as he screamed.

  For a moment, Riley felt a flicker of emotion he didn’t recognise. An emotion that he felt guilty for experiencing.

  He felt a flicker of hope.

  Hope, that this was Hassan on the ground.

  That he was the one being torn to pieces.

  Out of the way.

  He banished that thought from his mind almost immediately.

  He couldn’t think that way.

  He couldn’t let his hate overcome him.

  He moved quickly but as quietly as possible towards the steps of Hassan’s apartment. He wasn’t sure he’d make it in time. Wasn’t sure how long the creatures would stay distracted, feasting on the flesh of this fallen man—who evidently wasn’t Hassan now Riley had a closer look.

  He just had to focus.

  Just had to keep his cool.

  Climb the steps.

  Get in…

  He heard a groan.

  Saw one of the creatures to his right lift its head.

  Saw two others look up, meat dangling down their chins.

  All of them looking at Riley.

  All of them staring.

  Then, all of them standing and walking towards him.

  He pushed past them. Stumbled as another blister burst on his foot. He crawled up the steps. Smacked against the door. Grabbed the handle.

  He tried to push his way inside.

  The door was locked.

  His stomach dropped. He banged on the glass. Tried the door again.

  Locked. Of course it was fucking locked.

  He turned around. Looked at the oncoming creatures. Watched them climb the steps. Swarm towards him.

  And he felt a burning behind his eyes. A sadness. A sadness that he’d never be able to apologise to Jordanna. To tell her how much he loved her.

  A sadness that he’d never be able to step up.

  He closed his eyes.

  Braced himself for the impact.

  And then he heard gunfire.

  He felt blood splatter against him. Smelled rot in the air. And when he opened his eyes, he saw the creatures heading towards him were falling. Falling to the ground. Tumbling back down the steps.

  Someone was shooting them.

  Someone was putting them down.

  When all of them were down, and only the mass crowd in the distance remained, Riley saw a figure.

  A figure with a rifle walking towards Riley.

  Climbing the steps.

  Pointing his rifle at Riley.

  Riley tasted blood on his lips. He knew what he must look like. He held up his hands. “Wait. It’s—it’s okay. Don’t shoot. I’m alive. I’m not bitten. I’m okay.”

  Riley looked at the silhouette in front of him.

  Looked at the raised rifle.

  And then he saw a spark of light from the end of the gun.

  He closed his eyes. Held his hands in front of him.

  Waited for the bullets to pierce his skin.

  But they didn’t.

  He heard the glass behind him smash.

  Felt shards of it slice against his face.

  When he opened his eyes, he saw the silhouette more clearly.

  He saw exactly who it was.

  “James?”

  James stopped in front of Riley. His eyes had bags underneath. He looked gaunt, aged, even though he’d last seen him a day ago. He looked dishevelled.

  Angry.

  “You… What’re you—”

  “I know what happened,” James said. “To… to Tamara. To my baby.”

  He stared at Riley for a few seconds. And Riley wondered if he was playing with him. Toying with him. Waiting to kill him.

  “James. I didn’t…”

  He looked past Riley. Looked inside the apartment complex.

  And then he lowered his gun.

  “Come on,” he said. “We don’t have all night.”

  Riley watched James step back inside the apartment complex.

  His heart raced. His muscles ached.

  James hadn’t killed him. James had spared him.

  He heard the groans behind getting closer and he knew he couldn’t stay here. Not much longer.

  So he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  Stood up.

  Walked inside Hassan’s apartment complex.

  Towards James.

  Towards whatever lay ahead.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “I know we need to fucking get inside this apartment fast. But we can’t just leave the doors like this. James!”

  Riley stood by the glass doors of Hassan’s apartment complex. Well, they weren’t doors at all. Not anymore.

  They were openings.

  Openings, which allowed the creatures to get inside.

  The horde of creatures marching down the street.

  Filling every space, like liquid.

  Riley looked at James. He was storming ahead. Racing up the stairs. He wondered where he’d seen. What he was doing here. He must know about Tamara. That look in his eyes. He must’ve seen her.

  But what had happened since?

  Riley heard the groans getting louder. He looked around, saw the creatures edging closer, closer. He needed to board this up somehow. He needed to block this entrance or they’d all be dead.

  James didn’t seem to give a fuck.

  “Wait for me, at least,” Riley shouted.

  Again, James didn’t respond.

  He just kept on climbing the stairs.

  Rifle in hand.

  Anger on his face.

  Riley looked around the reception area. Looked around for something—anything—he could use to block the opening. Something to slow down the creatures’ advance. He knew he couldn’t stop them. He knew nothing could stop a force this strong, this numerous. He’d witnessed a horde like this just once before, when he was out on the road with Pedro and the rest of the group.

  They’d stepped out of the trees. Surrounded the armoured vehicle.

  Pedro had died getting the vehicle back to life.

  At this rate, somebody else was going to die today.

  All of them were going to die today.

  “Could really do with a hand down here,” Riley called. He dragged a large wooden bookcase from the corner of the reception towards the door. Books fell out as he moved. Books about the end of the world. Some bullshit series called Infection Z.

  Fuck. Maybe he could learn a few tips from a story like that right now.

  He reached the glass with the bookcase. It wasn’t much, but it’d at least make the creatures’ struggle a bit more. It’d make their entry more difficult. That counted for something, right?

  A few extra seconds of life. That’s what it counted for.

  Hardly seemed worth it.

  But no.

  Every second was precious now.

  Every second was sacred.

  He turned from the oncoming crowd of creatures. Did his best not to inhale the air too deeply, mar his senses with their stench of decay. He turned. Ran towards the stairs. James was nowhere in sight now. Great. Fucking great. All alone and weaponless.

  He’d just found James—just been reunited with him—and he’d lost him already.

  He reached the top of the stairs. Looked down the first-floor corridor. People were out there, looking around their doors. They looked afraid. Looked at Riley like he had the answers for them.

  He was about to climb the next set of stairs without saying a word.

  Then he stopped. Looked back at the people in the corridor.

  “Go in your rooms. Lock your doors. Put everything you can in front of them. Keep the lights off. Keep the curtains closed. And don’t make a sound. Please.”

  He saw the glimmer of terror in each and every one of their eyes and he knew he hadn’t done much to calm their nerves.

  He climbed the next set of stairs. Saw more people in the corridors of the next few floors. People surviving in this place. Citizens, just like him.

  He told them the same thing as he’d told the people on the first floor. He knew it was defeatist. He knew the logical thing was to fight. Especially when this entire block was on the verge of being overrun.

  But there was no fighting an army of that size.

  There was no hope.

  Only hiding.

  Praying.

  Hoping for the best.

  Riley reached the eighth floor and he saw James.

  “James,” he called, picking up his pace to catch up with him. He wanted to be with James when they went into Hassan’s apartment. He wanted to be by his side when they found Jordanna. He wanted her to see him. To see that he’d made it. That he’d fought for her. That he was here for her.

  He wanted her to see that he was still strong.

  That he still cared about other people.

  That he still cared about her.

  “James, wait!”

  Riley’s voice broke when he heard the smash. The crash, down on the bottom floor, echoing its way right up through the apartment block.

  The voices.

  Warbled, distorted cries.

  The creatures.

  The creatures were inside.

  He heard a few scattered screams. Tasted vomit in his mouth at the thought of the horrible fear the innocent people living here were about to face.

  This was wrong.

  This shouldn’t have happened.

  It wouldn’t have happened under him.

  But he kept on going. Kept on moving towards Hassan’s apartment. Towards James. Because he was here now. He had to find Jordanna. He had to hope she was here. He had to…

  James stopped.

  Riley slowed down. Slowed down and approached him.

  “James? What is it?”

  James was staring at something.

  Something on the carpet outside Hassan’s apartment.

  It took Riley a few seconds to realise what it was.

  What was on the carpet.

  What was on the door.

  The ajar door.

  Blood.

  James looked at Riley, and Riley looked back at him. There was a look in James’ eyes. The first time he’d looked at Riley like he was a human being with sympathetic emotions since they’d been reunited.

  “Do you want to…” James started.

  Riley didn’t need asking.

  He walked past James.

  Held his breath.

  Put a hand on the door as the creatures’ and the human cries echoed louder through the apartment.

  A part of him wanted Jordanna to be in here.

  Safe.

  Alive.

  But another part of him wanted her to be away from this place.

  Far, far away.

  There was only one way of finding out.

  He pressed the door.

  Listened to it squeak as it swung open.

  Jordanna was here.

  So too was Hassan.

  But somebody else was here, too.

  Somebody standing over them.

  Holding a bloodied knife.

  “What…”

  Riley stepped into the room.

  He realised Jordanna and Hassan were both tied up by the window. Tied up and bound. Duct tape over their mouths.

  The man standing over them turned.

  “Cal?”

  But the look in his eyes wasn’t anything like the Cal Riley knew.

  The expression on his face was more like… more like Billy Warren’s.

  Eyes rolled back into his head.

  Blood seeping out of his nose, mouth, ears, even his eyes.

  He stood there. Stared at Riley. Bloodied knife in his shaking hand.

  “Cal,” Riley said. “Put—put the knife down. Please.”

  Cal looked at Riley for a few seconds.

  Then he smiled.

  Turned to Hassan and Jordanna.

  Lifted the knife.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Riley ignored all his good judgement, ignored the screaming voice inside his head, ignored everything.

  Because all he could do was throw himself at Cal.

  Throw himself at Cal, who had a knife raised above Jordanna, above Hassan.

  He stumbled across the darkened room. He knew there were creatures outside on the road, inside the apartment complex. He could hear them. Smell them.

  But more than anything, as he hurtled towards Cal’s ankles, it was that sickly sweetness in the air that he smelled.

  The same sickly sweetness he’d smelled back when he’d discovered Billy out on the street.

  He didn’t know what it was. Didn’t know what caused it.

  He just knew it was related.

  It had to be related.

  He slammed into Cal’s thighs before Cal could swing the knife at Jordanna, at Hassan, who were both tied up to the radiator underneath the window.

  He felt Cal’s body giving way as he threw everything he had at it. As he landed on top of Cal. Lifted his clenched fist, went to take a swing.

  Cal stared up at him with vacant eyes.

  Gasped, blood drooling out of his mouth.

  His eyes were bloodshot. Wide.

  Angry.

  Riley went to punch Cal.

  But Cal lifted the knife.

  Slashed it across Riley’s knuckles.

  Blood spilled down on Cal’s sweat and blood-drenched body.

  And then Riley felt a force hit the left side of his head. Felt something crack in his face—his left cheekbone.

  He went dizzy. Fell to the right. Tried to keep his balance.

  But before he knew it, Cal was on top of him.

  On top of him with a knife.

  On top of him with that demonic expression.

  Riley lifted his hands to try and push Cal away. His right fingers stung after contact with the blade. In the corner of his eye, he could see the bewildered looks on Jordanna’s and Hassan’s faces. The terrified looks.

  He hoped they could see the truth right now.

  Both of them.

  He hoped they could see what was really happening inside these walls.

  Even if they didn’t completely understand yet.

  Cal slashed at Riley’s chest. Splitting pain stretched right the way down his body, between his lips.

  And as Riley tried to fight back, as he tried to swing his fists into Cal’s face, he soon became aware that he was fighting a losing battle.

  Because Cal wasn’t Cal anymore.

  That much was clear just from his eyes.

  He waited for another puncture from the blade when he heard footsteps to his left.

  Then a blast.

  He saw the blood spurt out of Cal’s neck. Saw him fall away from Riley. Fall onto the ground in a heap.

  Riley stayed still. Stayed completely still under the weight of Cal’s body.

  He didn’t totally understand what had happened, as he lay there in Cal’s blood.

  Not until he turned. Saw James walking his way. Still holding that rifle.

  Relief filled Riley’s body. He pushed Cal away. He didn’t want to think about the consequences right now. Didn’t want to think about what it meant. “Could’ve—could’ve used that a bit sooner. Couldn’t you?”

  James didn’t say a word in return.

  He just walked towards Cal’s body.

  Walked towards him, anger in his bloodshot eyes.

  He wasn’t walking for much longer.

  Cal’s hand shot out.

  Shot out and grabbed James’ left ankle.

  Pulled him to the floor.

  Riley stepped back. Couldn’t say a word. Couldn’t even think.

  Cal was still alive.

  He was bleeding out of his neck, but he was still alive.

  James fired the rifle. The bullets sprayed around the room, wayward and without caution.

  He landed on his back.

  The rifle fell out of his grip.

  Cal crawled on top of him.

  He stayed there. Stayed perched over James for a few seconds. Riley couldn’t see Cal’s eyes, not from here, but he could see James staring up at Cal. Could see the anger. Could see the hate. The fearlessness.

  The rifle.

  Riley had to get to the rifle.

  He had to—

  “You’re… Not… Ready… For…”

  The voice was deep, distorted, like nothing Riley had ever heard.

  It was alien.

  Completely alien.

  And it was coming from Cal’s lips.

  He looked at the rifle. Looked at it over on the other side of the pair of bodies.

  He couldn’t get past them.

  Not now.

  He had to try something else.

  He held his breath.

  Ran over to Cal, who had his hands around James’ throat.

  James was turning purple.

  He put his hands on Cal’s forehead. Pulled back, as hard as he could.

  But Cal was still too strong.

  Blood flowed out of the gunshot wound in his neck, but he was still too…

  Riley felt Cal’s neck snap.

  He fell back. Fell onto his arse, which was ironic considering it’s the place he’d spent the most of the last few months.

  Cal’s neck. It’d snapped.

  But Riley hadn’t been pulling it that hard.

  Surely he hadn’t…

  His thoughts froze.

  Cal’s head tipped backwards. It kept on tipping backwards, way past the angle a neck should be able to turn. He heard more cracks. More snaps. Blood spurted out of the gunshot wound, which widened and tore the further back Cal twisted his head.