Back to the present

The house loomed ahead of them, its silhouette sharp against the twilight sky. Noah squinted through the sweat and grime streaked across his face, scanning the old, two-story estate nestled on the edge of the town. It was a large, isolated property, surrounded by a thick line of trees that provided some semblance of shelter from the rest of the world.

It looked abandoned—dark windows, the shutters half-fallen away, the yard overgrown with weeds and creeping vines. But it was a house, and that was enough for now.

Noah pulled Olivia toward it, his mind racing. Her pace had not slowed, but she kept up, her ragged breaths the only sound between them as the growls of the undead echoed in the distance. Her blood-streaked wedding dress now ended at her knees, the tail having been caught in something and ripped off during the chase through the town.

They reached the front door, a large, old wooden frame that looked like it had weathered its fair share of storms. Noah tested the handle, relieved to find it unlocked. Without hesitation, he pushed the door open, and they slipped inside, closing it quietly behind them.

The interior of the house smelled musty—old wood, dust, and something faintly sour from the stale air that had been trapped inside for too long. The floor creaked under their feet as they stepped into the entryway, and remnants of old furniture lay scattered around, the walls covered in faded wallpaper that peeled at the corners. It was a far cry from the warm, inviting home it had once been, but it would do.

Noah moved further into the house, his mind already working. He might have been a mechanic, but he had dabbled in carpentry during his service, and he immediately began to assess how the place could be fortified.

"This could work," he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to Olivia. He rubbed his hand across his face, wiping away the blood and grime, and turned to her. "We're going to have to make it secure, but I think we can manage."

Olivia sank onto an old armchair that had been left in the living room, her body trembling from exhaustion. Her hands were shaking, and she stared blankly at the floor, her mind a whirlwind of confusion and grief. She couldn’t stop thinking about the people they had lost—family, friends, all the people who had filled their wedding day with life and joy. And now… they were gone.

Noah crouched beside her, his expression softening as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're not alone in this, Olivia. We’ve made it this far. We just need to keep pushing. We’ll make this place ours. It can be a base. A safe place." His voice was calm, firm, trying to reassure them both.

Olivia nodded, but she could feel the weight of everything pressing down on her. The loss, the fear, the uncertainty of what came next. It was too much to process in one go. But the fire in Noah’s eyes kept her grounded. He had always known what to do. He was the one who could fix things, who could make them work. She needed that now, more than ever.

"Let me take a look at your knee," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She was still a nurse and, in a world that had so quickly fallen apart, it was all she could hold onto, something she could focus on instead of the terror that had been their reality. She gently examined the injury, her hands moving with a practiced ease. "Looks like a scrape, and no damage to the joint," she said, trying to keep her tone even. "Just need to clean it and bandage it up. There should be some water here somewhere. If we're lucky, there might be some old first-aid kits."

Noah stood up and walked to the large windows at the front of the house, peering through the dusty panes of glass. He could see a little of the town in the distance—the burning ruins of buildings, the shattered streets, the silhouette of more shambling bodies. The dead were everywhere, but the estate was tucked away enough, far enough from the heart of the town, to give them a chance.

They could do this. He could make this place work.

He turned to Olivia. “This place needs work. We’ll have to fortify the windows, reinforce the doors. I can get the garage organized for tools, maybe find some supplies, first aid like you said. But we’ll need to clear the area first. Make sure it’s safe.”

Olivia stood slowly, her body protesting, but she straightened her back and looked at him, a spark of determination flickering in her eyes. "I can help," she said, her voice hoarse but steady. "We can do this together."

Noah smiled, a rare, genuine smile that made her heart skip a beat, despite everything. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to remind her that they weren’t completely alone. Not yet.