Kate looked like she had already passed out, Adam decided.

  His hand formed into a fist at his side. He swung the car’s door open and grabbed his pistol, but before he could even aim properly, the monster was close enough to yank it from his hand with one of its sharp limbs.

  The monster’s bony hand closed on Adam’s neck and slammed him into the car’s roof.

  He coughed up blood from the impact. Pain screamed through his body.

  The creature aimed one of its sword-like limbs straight at his face.

  But before it could strike, Adam managed to pull the same military knife he had used to stab the creature earlier.

  He used it again, but not on the monster’s face—on its hand instead.

  In a swift arc, the knife came down, cutting the monster’s hand that gripped Adam’s neck.

  The creature let go of Adam as it clutched its severed arm, giving him enough space to slip past it.

  The monster made a muffled screech, seeming oblivious that it had just lost a hand.

  Before it could dash at Adam, he noticed his pistol lying on the sidewalk.

  He dashed toward it, the creature close behind. He felt its other hand grip his shoulder.

  Adam grabbed the pistol. Feeling its weight, he spun and aimed at the monster’s face, only inches from the muzzle.

  Then he shot.

  The gunshot echoed along the empty road as the creature fell over Adam, who stepped back and tripped with the creature on top of him.

  He immediately pushed the monster to the side and ran toward Kate.

  The first thing he did was check if she was breathing. Thankfully, she was, albeit weakly.

  He sighed in relief and allowed himself to catch his breath.

  He wiped the blood from his mouth—probably from the impact.

  He tapped Kate to wake her; she produced a weak groan.

  “Hey, we gotta leave. Can you stand?” Adam asked.

  Kate shuffled, moving her legs—an attempt to stand.

  Adam took her by the shoulder as Kate held her injury with one hand; they started walking toward the car.

  However, Adam realized the car was in much worse condition than he thought. The entire left side of the roof was crumpled like paper.

  “It’s okay, we’ll walk. I can come back for the panels,” Adam assured.

  As he said this, he thought he heard sounds like galloping horses—several footsteps coming in their direction.

  Adam turned and saw the grey creatures had already found them.

  He decided it must have been the gunshot that gave them away.

  “Maybe not,” he whispered.

  He knew they would never outrun those creatures with Kate’s condition, much less fight them.

  He thought of an idea he didn't like.

  “Hey—I'm going to do something. Stay here,” he said, seating her on the road, leaning her against the car, and taking the rifle slung over her shoulder.

  “Do I… look… like I could… leave?” Kate asked in a stuttering voice that made Adam smile.

  She’ll be fine, Adam decided.

  He stood and tried to open the door, but it was stuck. With no avail, he broke the rear window and took a plastic gallon containing LPG.

  He set it beside the car.

  He was about to fetch Kate when he saw his jacket and a black backpack in the front seat. Without much thought, he grabbed them.

  Adam slung the black backpack over his shoulders, put the jacket behind Kate, and helped her stand with her arm on his shoulder.

  Slowly, they walked to the bridge, weaving through the abandoned cars.

  When Adam decided the creatures were close enough, he made Kate sit beside one of the cars again.

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  He took her rifle and aimed at the LPG he'd set beside the car.

  He fired. The first and second shots missed. Fortunately, the third hit, setting a spark that ignited the LPG.

  Flames erupted from the car and the LPG, followed by the deafening roar of an explosion.

  The creatures struggled to get past the wall of flame. Some were consumed by the fire, and those that managed to pass seemed to faint or simply collapse.

  Adam sighed in relief—and maybe a little remorse. He thought, at this rate, they would never get back before the tide, much less retrieve the panels they needed.

  He slung the rifle back over his shoulder and helped Kate stand.

  They walked for a few minutes on the empty road just to make sure they were far enough from the creatures.

  When they finally were, Adam brought Kate closer to an old lamppost and helped her sit, legs stretched.

  Adam crouched again and set the bag down on the road. He unzipped it and took out a roll of bandages. He slightly lifted Kate’s shirt to see the wound.

  Surprisingly, the wound wasn’t as bad as he expected. If anything, it was starting to close.

  A normal person with such an injury could die on the spot, but Kate was able to walk a few minutes away from the creatures despite the hit.

  Of course, Adam knew why. They weren’t exactly what you would call “normal people” — whatever had rained nine years ago had affected them.

  Not that they just had extra limbs or grey skin, or even featureless faces, but they seemed faster and stronger than average.

  Not only that, they healed at a surprising speed, which was probably why Kate was still alive.

  Yet despite all this, he was sure deep inside that something more in him had changed that night.

  He shook his head to clear useless thoughts and focused on wrapping Kate’s wound in bandages.

  He stared at Kate’s face as he applied the bandages.

  She didn't seem like herself. During the walk, Kate had been extremely quiet, dozing off every once in a while. Adam assumed the healing had tired her.

  Adam thought they needed a place to rest. Once he finished wrapping Kate’s wound, he sat and leaned against the same lamppost.

  He pulled the bag closer and inspected its contents.

  A few rounds of ammo—2 for Kate’s rifle and 3 for his pistol.

  He also found a bottle of water, some extra clothes, and more bandages, but no food.

  They never expected the trip to last this long, and canned goods really weren’t a thing now.

  He sighed as he took the bottle of water, opened its cap, took a small sip, closed it, and returned it to the bag.

  After a few minutes of rest, Adam crouched to ask Kate if they could leave already. Kate simply nodded, eyes still closed.

  Adam helped her stand and brought her hand to his shoulder again as he slung the bag over his right shoulder.

  The walk took longer than the first one. Adam figured they must find a place to spend the night since it was getting dark, and returning right now wouldn’t be an option because of the tide.

  Luckily, Kate seemed to be recovering slowly, but Adam figured she would still need proper rest.

  This time they walked for almost an hour, finding houses that weren’t in that bad condition.

  Finally, they came across a huge black gate of a modern village. Adam tried to read the name from the sign, but it was too wrecked and faded.

  The gate was wide open—technically—since the other part of the gate was leaning sideways on the wall, barely attached.

  They entered the village, surveying houses they could spend the night in.

  While walking, they noticed some trees and grass growing by the village sidewalk.

  It was the most color they had seen since they left.

  Feeling the light fading, they sped up their walk, checking a few houses. Unfortunately, most were also broken, with holes in their roofs, filling the inside with stagnant water.

  Adam covered his nose from the stench as they looked for another house.

  Finally, they found one in decent shape. It was a green two-story house that seemed mainly intact aside from its missing front door.

  They entered cautiously as Adam checked for anyone or anything.

  There wasn't.

  He decided it was far cleaner than any other house they'd been in. Of course, the inside was a mess—a flipped sofa and a TV with huge cracks—but it was better than the other houses they'd seen.

  Adam and Kate took the stairs to the second floor and tried one of the rooms.

  The first room was locked. He tried the other one, and luckily it opened.

  When they opened the door, they saw a spacious room with drawers, lamps, and a huge bed with a white mattress.

  At first glance everything seemed perfect. With a closer look, Adam noticed the broken windows, dust, clothes, and paper scattered all over the room.

  A drawer leaned against the wall; one of its legs was already broken.

  Adam coughed from the dust. He covered his mouth and then helped Kate sit on the bed.

  “I think we should clean firs—” Before he could finish his sentence, Kate had already laid down on the bed, fast asleep.

  “Kate,” Adam called.

  “Kate,” he repeated.

  He sighed and dropped the bag along with the rifle at the side of the bed.

  He left the room, deciding he needed some air, closing the door behind him.

  Adam walked down the stairs and headed outside. He took a seat on the steps where the door should have been.

  He looked at the sky and noticed the stars. He remembered the night it all began—a night quite like this.

  He felt his eyelids getting heavy; he was tired. Slowly, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

  Adam dreamed of the night it happened. He felt small again, like a child.

  People screamed and shouted in pain, changing their appearances into something monstrous.

  He was there, watching as it all happened. Everything was just like that night.

  But… there was something missing. An important detail. He was sure there was something he couldn’t remember about that night. Of all the hideous events happening, there was something he was forgetting—or something he was trying to forget.

  What would he want to forget more than everyone turning into monsters, including his own mother?

  He didn’t know.

  “Adam,” someone called.

  “ADAM.”

  Adam was jolted when Kate woke him. He realized it was the middle of the night.

  “You okay?” Kate asked. She was now wearing a different T-shirt, but it was also blue and the print also faded, so it might as well have been the same shirt.

  “I’m fine, just a dream. How about you?” Adam asked.

  “Hungry, but that aside, I’m okay. The sleep helped a lot,” Kate answered.

  “I noticed.”

  “What? Also, why are you sleeping here?” Kate asked.

  “Reminiscing? No, not really. You just snore a lot,” Adam said with a smile as he stood and stretched.

  Kate crossed her arms but didn’t argue. “I didn’t wake up Snow White for small talk. Look at that,” she said, pointing west at the houses.

  Snow White? Me?

  Adam was about to argue when he saw what she was pointing at. He gaped.

  Smoke was rising somewhere nearby. Adam thought it could be something else—like a wildfire

  caused by heat—but it was the middle of the night.

  That could only mean one thing: there was someone like them.