[-21 Food, Security >20] The horde passes

Greg stayed by the window, his jaw tight as he watched the horde press against their defenses. “This isn’t going to hold,” he muttered, his voice barely audible.

Noah crawled to the other side of the room, peering through a small crack in the boards covering the front window. The horde was massive, their numbers swelling as more zombies emerged from the woods.

Suddenly, a faint noise caught his attention—a distant crash, followed by the sound of shattering glass. The zombies froze, their heads jerking toward the sound. It was coming from farther down the road.

“They’re distracted,” Olivia whispered, her voice trembling with hope.

Noah nodded, his heart racing as he watched the horde begin to shamble away, drawn by the noise. One by one, the zombies drifted from the fence, their groans fading as they disappeared into the distance.

Minutes passed before the last of them was gone. The silence that followed was deafening.

Noah exhaled slowly, his body sagging with relief. He turned to the others, his voice low. “We survived.”

“For now,” Greg muttered, his eyes still fixed on the empty road.

Olivia moved to the window, her hands trembling as she peeked outside. The barricades were battered but intact, the evidence of the horde’s **** scattered across the yard in the form of broken planks and bent wires.

“We’ll need to reinforce everything,” Noah said, his voice steady but tired.

Greg nodded. “And pray they don’t come back anytime soon.”

Olivia leaned against the wall, her shoulders slumping. “At least we have another week,” she whispered, echoing the thought that hung unspoken between them.

Noah glanced at her, then at Greg. The silence was heavy, the threat of the horde still lingering like a shadow. They had survived, but the cost of that survival loomed larger with every passing day.