The fire raged below, thick smoke curling up through the stairwell. The heat pressed against Hugo’s skin, sweat dripping from his brow as the battle raged on. Gunfire echoed through the fire station, the scent of burning wood and blood mingling in the air. The Encve was still coming, pushing forward through the chaos.

  Frank took down another man with a clean shot to the head, his rifle steady despite the carnage around him. Hugo moved fast, dodging past the bodies and broken furniture, gripping the firefighter’s axe tightly. He needed a gun. The first soldier came through the smoke, weapon raised, and Hugo didn’t hesitate. The axe swung hard, cleaving through the man’s ribs. A wet gasp escaped his lips before he colpsed, dead before he hit the floor. Hugo dropped the axe and grabbed the pistol from the soldier’s holster, his fingers wrapping around the cold metal. It felt familiar now, almost second nature. He pulled the slide back, chambering a round, then turned to face the next threat. The Encve soldiers pushed forward, but Hugo was ready. He fired, his shots no longer wild and desperate—each one was precise, measured. The second man barely had time to react before a bullet struck him clean in the chest. Another stumbled through the smoke, rifle swinging toward Hugo. He fired first. A headshot. The man crumpled instantly. More came. Hugo didn’t hesitate. Bang. A shot to the leg sent one to his knees.Bang. Another through the throat silenced the next. He was faster, more ruthless than ever before. Every loop had sharpened him into something else—something the Encve wasn’t prepared for. But even with all his skill, it wasn’t enough. Frank’s rifle barked one st time before he grunted in pain, stumbling back against the wall. Blood soaked through his shirt, pooling at his side. Hugo turned, his chest tightening. “Frank!” Frank exhaled sharply, forcing a smirk despite the pain. “Ain’t gonna make it, kid.” Hugo clenched his jaw, stepping toward him, but Frank shook his head. “Don’t waste it. You know how this ends.” The words sent a chill through Hugo, but there was no time to argue. A voice rang out through the smoke, mocking, arrogant. “Well, well. Looks like you’re all alone now.” The Encve leader stepped through the wreckage, his burned face twisted into a cruel grin. He moved with confidence, pistol loose in his hand, like he had already won. “You put up a hell of a fight, I’ll give you that. But in the end, you’re just another dead man walking—” Bang. The leader’s head snapped back, blood spraying from the clean hole in his forehead. His body crumpled before he could finish his sentence. Hugo didn’t lower the pistol, his breath coming fast and ragged. He had waited too long, wasted too many loops letting the bastard get the st word. Not this time. Frank let out a weak chuckle, his breaths shallow. “Damn… finally shut that bastard up.” Hugo turned back to him, kneeling at his side. “You need to hold on.” Frank’s eyes were gssy, distant. “You already know I won’t.” Hugo’s throat tightened. He had lost count of how many times he’d seen this moment, and yet it never got easier. Frank let out a slow breath, his grip on his rifle loosening. “You’re a tough son of a bitch, kid. Don’t let ‘em break you.” His chest rose one st time, then stilled. Hugo swallowed hard, shoving the grief down. The fire was spreading, licking up the walls, filling the air with thick bck smoke. He had no time. He grabbed Frank’s rifle, slinging it over his shoulder. Then he bent down, yanking the leader’s pistol from his dead hand and checking the magazine. Still had ammo. He grabbed the spare clips from the leader’s belt before securing his own bag. A sharp meow sounded from nearby. Salem. Hugo turned, spotting the cat near the back exit, tail flicking, waiting. He took one st look at Frank before forcing himself to move. The fire roared behind him as he slipped out into the night, Salem darting ahead. The city was waiting. The fight for survival wasn’t over. Hugo didn’t stop running until the fire station was nothing more than a flickering glow in the distance. His breaths came hard and ragged, his boots smming against the cracked pavement as he pushed forward, Salem darting ahead, his sleek bck form barely visible in the dim light of the city. When he finally slowed, he turned back, gncing over his shoulder. The fire still raged, thick plumes of smoke curling into the sky, embers crackling like dying stars against the darkness. Even from this distance, he could hear the groan of colpsing beams, the violent pop of more ammunition cooking off in the fmes. Then, another explosion tore through the station, sending a fiery bloom into the night—one of the compressed air canisters finally giving way. A second bst followed, then a third, smaller but still powerful, shaking the distant ruins. For a moment, Hugo just stood there, watching. That pce had been their st stand. A fragile, desperate hope turned to ash. Frank had been right. This was always going to happen. The weight of exhaustion settled deeper into his bones, but there was no time to grieve. No time to process what had happened. He had won. If you could even call it that. The Encve was broken, scattered. Their leader was dead. But victory didn’t feel like much of anything when Frank wasn’t standing beside him. Hugo exhaled, turning away from the fire. The fight was over. But it wasn’t safe to linger. All that noise—the explosions, the gunfire, the bze—it would draw everything. Zombies. Scavengers. Maybe even the Encve survivors. He couldn’t afford to wait and see. He adjusted the weight of his pack, feeling the extra guns shift inside. Frank’s rifle, the leader’s handgun. Weapons that would have made a difference if Frank had been the one holding them. Salem let out a soft chuff, his tail flicking as he looked up at Hugo expectantly. “We keep moving,” Hugo murmured, mostly to himself. His legs ached, his body screamed for rest, but stopping wasn’t an option. Not yet. He forced himself forward, leaving the burning wreck of their st stand behind. There was no home to go back to. No pn. Just the road ahead. Hugo moved through the streets with quiet determination, his breath steady despite the exhaustion clinging to him like a second skin. Every step took him further from the fire station, the warmth of the fmes fading against the cool night air. The city stretched out before him, empty and endless, its ruined skeleton bathed in moonlight. Salem trotted ahead, weaving between the rusted husks of abandoned cars, his ears flicking at every distant sound. Hugo kept one hand on his crowbar, the other steadying the weight of his pack. He had to find shelter. Somewhere safe. His pace slowed as he spotted an old undromat on the corner of the next block. The front windows were shattered, but the metal security gate was still partially intact. It wouldn’t stop someone determined from getting in, but it was better than nothing. He moved toward it cautiously, his steps careful against the cracked pavement. A faint shuffling sound echoed from inside. Zombies. Hugo sighed, rolling his shoulders. No rest yet. He crept toward the entrance, peering inside. The undromat was dim, rows of rusted washing machines lined up against the walls, their doors hanging open like gaping mouths. A few pstic undry baskets were scattered across the floor, their contents long since looted or rotted away. And in the center of it all—three of them. Two were hunched near the back, their gaunt bodies swaying slightly in the darkness. The third was closer, near a broken vending machine, its milky eyes unfocused, its mouth working soundlessly as if chewing on something long gone. Hugo tightened his grip on the crowbar and stepped inside. The nearest zombie turned at the sound, its head snapping toward him with unnatural speed. It let out a low, guttural hiss before lurching forward. Hugo moved first. He swung the crowbar in a sharp, calcuted arc. The metal met bone with a sickening crunch, caving in the side of the creature’s skull. It crumpled instantly, its body twitching for only a second before going still. The noise was enough to alert the others. One of them snarled, its head jerking toward him as it stumbled forward, arms outstretched. The other followed a second ter, its movements sluggish but relentless. Hugo exhaled, shifting his stance. He was too tired for this. He let the first one come closer before stepping to the side, swinging the crowbar in a brutal downward strike. The weight of the blow sent the zombie sprawling onto the floor, its skull split open. The st one lunged faster than expected, and Hugo barely managed to raise the crowbar in time to block its grasping fingers. It snarled, snapping its broken teeth inches from his face. He gritted his teeth and shoved it back, pnting his boot against its chest to force some distance between them. The moment it stumbled, he swung again, the impact reverberating up his arm as the crowbar crushed through its skull. Silence followed. Hugo stood there for a moment, breath heavy, muscles burning. Then he turned and locked the security gate behind him. Safe enough. Salem padded inside, his nose twitching as he cautiously sniffed at the bodies before hopping onto a nearby counter. He let out a soft meow, clearly unimpressed with the state of their temporary shelter. Hugo let out a dry chuckle. “Yeah, yeah. It’s not much, but it’ll do.” He dropped his pack onto a folding table, rolling his shoulders as he exhaled. His entire body ached, but at least he had a roof over his head for the night. He pulled out one of the protein bars from his bag, unwrapping it as he sat down. It was dry and tasteless, but it was food. He broke off a small piece, setting it down for Salem, who sniffed it before eating it delicately. They ate in silence. Hugo’s fingers traced the edges of his pack, his gaze unfocused. Then, slowly, he reached inside and pulled out something he hadn’t used in what felt like forever—the old Sony CD pyer. It was the first time that he would use it. He flicked it open, checking the disc inside. An old burned mix CD he had never listening to. He slipped the headphones over his ears and pressed py. A soft static hum filled his ears before the music kicked in—low, familiar chords, the opening notes of a song he had listened to a hundred times before. It was a nice surprise. He leaned back against the table, closing his eyes. And for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he let himself remember. The first time he had stepped out of his apartment, heart hammering, breath shallow, every sound a potential death sentence. The way the city had felt—empty and endless, stretching out before him in ruins. Clearing the complex. The old woman in the next-door apartment. The cat. Meeting Frank. Dying to Frank. Over and over. Venture outside. The Pawnshop. The first real hope that maybe he could survive this. The bike. The generator. Foolish, naive pns that had never gone anywhere. The dog. The runners. The way they had changed everything. The first fight with the Encve. And now—Frank’s st stand. Hugo’s grip tightened around the CD pyer. Everything he had done. Everything he had lost. All of it had led to this moment. He opened his eyes, staring at the dark ceiling of the undromat. Frank was gone. But he was still here. And he had no idea what came next. Hugo sat in the dim light of the undromat, the song in his ears trailing off into silence. His gaze stayed locked on the CD pyer, his fingers resting against the worn pstic casing. His body ached, his wounds throbbed, but none of it compared to the weight pressing down on his chest. He had a choice to make. If he slept, Frank’s death would become real. There would be no resetting, no trying again, no chance to do better next time. Frank would stay dead. Hugo swallowed hard, rubbing a hand over his face. He had thought he was prepared for this—for losing people, for moving forward no matter what—but now, with the moment actually here, he wasn’t so sure. He had never had a choice before. Every time he died, it had just happened. He never got to decide when to move forward. But now, it was in his hands. And he didn’t want to let go. His eyes flickered to Salem, curled up beside him on the counter. The cat had eaten, cleaned himself, and now y resting, his body still, but his ears twitching at every small sound. He was content. Safe. Hugo exhaled slowly. He wasn’t alone. It was just the two of them now. And that had to be enough. He leaned back against the table, closing his eyes. He let out a slow breath, forcing his muscles to rex, letting the exhaustion finally win. Frank was gone. There was nothing else to do but move forward. Sleep pulled him under. Just darkness, quiet and final. When Hugo woke, it was to the soft sound of Salem stretching beside him, his paws pressing against Hugo’s side before the cat leapt down. Sunlight streamed through the broken windows, casting long shadows across the floor. It was morning. A new day. Hugo stayed still, staring up at the ceiling. He didn’t feel any different. But the world had changed. Frank was gone, and there was no undoing it. His limbs felt heavy, but not from exhaustion. It was the weight of knowing that for the first time in what felt like forever, there was no pn. No immediate threat. No enemy bearing down on him, no trap to set, no battle to prepare for. He had spent so long in survival mode that now, with nothing left to fight, he didn’t know what to do. He turned his head slightly, watching Salem as the cat padded toward his bag and nudged it with his nose, as if reminding him that they had to move eventually. Hugo exhaled, sitting up slowly. His body protested, sore from the endless fighting, but he ignored it. What now? He could keep running, but where? The Encve might still be looking for him. They might not. Either way, staying in one pce wasn’t an option. His fingers traced over the strap of his backpack, lost in thought. He was already closer to where his brothers had lived before everything fell apart. Maybe he could try finding them. It was a stupid thought. A long shot. But what else was there? The city was dead. Frank was dead. His family might be too. But maybe—just maybe—they weren’t. He had nothing else left to lose. And so, as he pulled his bag onto his shoulders and grabbed his weapons, he made his decision. He was going to find out. Spoiler And That's the end of book 1!

  I hope you liked it so far.I will start book 2 right away!

  [colpse]