Still Breathing

Chapter 20

Shadows and Secrets

Rose leaned heavily against the cold concrete wall, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. Beside her, Tobias kept watch, his normally jovial face drawn and tense. Margot lay at their feet, her caramel skin ashen, her vibrant blue-black curls matted with sweat and grime.

They had managed to find a small, defensible room deep in the bowels of the compound, but their respite was short-lived. The sound of shuffling feet and low, guttural moans echoed through the corridors, a constant reminder of the horrors lurking just beyond their makeshift sanctuary.

"We can't stay here much longer," Tobias murmured, his voice rough with fatigue and strain. "Those things are getting closer. We need to move."

Rose nodded, casting a worried glance at Margot's still form. The other girl had slipped into a fitful unconsciousness, her wounds a stark reminder of the price they'd paid for survival. Rose's heart clenched with fear and guilt. She should have been faster, stronger, should have seen the danger coming before it was too late...

Tobias' hand on her shoulder startled her out of her spiraling thoughts. "Hey," he said softly, his blue eyes intense in the dim light. "Don't go down that road. This isn't on you. We all knew the risks when we stepped into this nightmare."

Rose swallowed hard, forcing a nod. He was right. Blaming herself wouldn't change what had happened, wouldn't magically heal Margot's wounds or lead them to safety. They had to keep pushing forward, keep clinging to the desperate hope that their friends were still out there, still fighting.

That Max, her rock, her beacon in the darkness, hadn't been snuffed out like so many others.

The thought of him sent a lance of pain through her chest, sharp and bright. She couldn't imagine a world without his steady strength, his quick wit, the way he looked at Margot like she hung the moon and stars. If he was gone...

No. No, she refused to believe it. Max was a survivor, a fighter. He would claw his way through hell itself to get back to Margot, to all of them. Rose had to believe that, had to hold onto that fragile thread of hope, or the darkness would swallow her whole.

Drawing in a shaky breath, she pushed herself upright, wincing as her battered muscles protested. "Okay," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Okay. Let's find a way out of here."

Tobias flashed her a grim smile, his hand tightening on her shoulder. Together, they gathered Margot into their arms, her head lolling against Rose's chest. She was burning up, her skin hot and paper-dry. They had to find medical supplies, and soon, or...

Rose cut off that thought before it could fully form, bile rising in her throat. Failure was not an option. Not now, not ever.

They slipped out into the labyrinthine halls, senses straining for any hint of danger. The compound was a twisted maze of corridors and dead ends, echoing with the distant groans of the undead. Every shadow seemed to reach for them with grasping hands, every flicker of movement a potential threat.

But they pressed on, desperation and adrenaline lending strength to their trembling limbs. They had to find a way out, had to find their friends. The alternative was unthinkable.

As they rounded a corner, Tobias suddenly stiffened, his free hand shooting out to halt Rose in her tracks. "Wait," he hissed, eyes wide and fixed on a point over her shoulder. "Do you hear that?"

Rose strained her ears, heart pounding. There, beneath the ever-present moans of the infected...a rhythmic thumping, the unmistakable sound of footsteps. Multiple sets, moving fast and with purpose.

Oh god. They'd been found. The monsters had caught their scent, were closing in for the kill. Rose's breath seized in her lungs, panic clawing at her throat. They couldn't run, not with Margot weighing them down. They were trapped, cornered like rats in a maze. This was it. This was the end.