Zero Day: Days Left

Chapter 4

The forest was a desolate stretch of twisted trees and dead silence, a place where the living had long since abandoned hope. Cliff moved through it like a shadow, his footsteps silent on the carpet of rotting leaves, his breath barely a whisper in the cold air. The events of the past few days clung to him like a shroud—Mason's brutal death, the slaughter of the men who had trusted him, and the terror of being hunted by Cyprus and his Reapers. It was a nightmare he couldn't escape, no matter how far or fast he ran.

His body ached with every step, the wound in his side throbbing in time with his heartbeat. He had torn a strip of cloth from his shirt to bind it, but the bleeding hadn't stopped entirely, and he knew he was losing strength. But there was no time to rest, no time to let the pain consume him. Aubrey was out there, somewhere, and he had to find her before the Reapers did.

Cliff's mind was a whirlwind of dark thoughts as he pushed through the forest, his eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. The memory of Mason's execution replayed in his mind on an endless loop—the sound of the gunshot, the lifeless thud of Mason's body hitting the ground, and the cold, empty look in Cyprus's eyes as he pulled the trigger. Cliff had barely escaped with his life, diving into the horde of zombies the Reapers had unleashed, using the chaos to slip away. But the guilt gnawed at him, a relentless voice in his head whispering that he should have done more, should have saved Mason, should have fought harder.

A branch snapped somewhere behind him, the sound like a gunshot in the stillness of the forest. Cliff froze, his hand tightening around the handle of the knife he had taken from one of the dead Reapers. He listened, every muscle in his body tense, as the shuffling of feet and low, guttural moans grew louder. The undead were close, too close, and there was no time to hide. He would have to fight.

The first zombie staggered into view, its flesh hanging in tattered strips from its bones, its eyes clouded and empty. It let out a low growl as it caught sight of Cliff, its jaws snapping hungrily. Behind it, more figures emerged from the shadows, a slow-moving wave of death.

Cliff didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, driving his knife into the zombie's skull with a sickening crunch. The creature went limp, and he shoved it aside, but there was no time to catch his breath. Another zombie was on him, its decaying hands clawing at his shirt. Cliff slashed at it, the blade slicing through rotten flesh, but the creature didn't stop. It let out a wet, gurgling snarl as it lunged at him, its teeth snapping inches from his face.

With a grunt of effort, Cliff twisted the knife in his hand and plunged it into the zombie's eye socket. The creature convulsed, its body shuddering violently before it collapsed to the ground. Cliff yanked the knife free, blood and gore dripping from the blade, and turned to face the next one.

The fight was brutal and bloody. Cliff moved on instinct, his body a blur of motion as he hacked and slashed his way through the horde. Each kill was a reminder of the world he had lost, the life that had been stolen from him. The zombies were relentless, their hunger driving them forward despite the damage he inflicted on them. But Cliff was faster, stronger, and fueled by a determination that bordered on madness.

By the time the last of the undead fell, Cliff was covered in blood—some of it his own, most of it not. He stood over the pile of corpses, his chest heaving, his heart pounding in his ears. The stench of death was overwhelming, a foul odor that clung to his clothes and skin. But he was alive, and for now, that was all that mattered.

He wiped the blade of his knife on his pants, trying to ignore the slick feel of the blood, and sheathed it. The wound in his side throbbed painfully, and he pressed a hand to it, feeling the warm stickiness of fresh blood seeping through the bandage. He was running out of time—he needed to find help, to find Aubrey, before the wound became infected or he bled out entirely.