ASHES OF THE LAST CITY

Chapter 1 — The First Night Silence used to mean peace. Now it meant something terrible was about to happen. Marcus Reed stood on the roof of an abandoned shopping mall and watched the empty streets below. Three weeks ago the city had been full of life. Cars moved through traffic. People rushed to work. Music played from open windows. Now the streets were filled with broken vehicles and scattered trash. And sometimes… the dead. Marcus lifted a pair of cracked binoculars and scanned the road again. Nothing moved. That worried him more than anything. “Still clear?” a voice asked behind him. Marcus lowered the binoculars and turned around. Jade Carter was sitting on a metal vent, sharpening a long knife with slow, careful strokes. The scraping sound echoed softly across the rooftop. “For now,” Marcus said. Jade snorted. “‘For now’ is the only thing we get these days.” Seven other survivors shared the rooftop with them. They had found each other during the chaos of the outbreak. None of them planned it, but somehow they had become a team. Luis Alvarez knelt beside a pile of bags, fixing a small portable radio with a screwdriver. “If this thing starts working,” Luis said, “we might hear another survivor group.” “Or the military,” said Dr. Evelyn Park hopefully. Evelyn had once been a doctor in the city hospital. She still carried her medical bag everywhere. Across the roof, Jonah Blake stood near the stairwell door with a shotgun in his hands. He rarely spoke, but everyone trusted his instincts. Aisha Bello leaned against the low wall and looked down at the street. “I hate how quiet everything is,” she said. Tyler Grant laughed nervously. “Quiet is better than screaming zombies.” Samuel Okoye, the oldest member of the group, finished checking the batteries in their flashlight. Then he looked up. “We need more food,” he said calmly. Marcus frowned. “How long do we have?” “Two days,” Samuel replied. “Maybe three if we’re careful.” Tyler groaned. “So another supply run.” Marcus turned back toward the street. Across the road stood a small pharmacy. The front windows were broken, but the shelves inside still looked full. Medicine. Bandages. Painkillers. Things they desperately needed. “We go tonight,” Marcus said. Tyler blinked. “Tonight? You’re kidding, right?” Jade stopped sharpening her knife. “You serious?” Marcus nodded. “That pharmacy might still have medical supplies.” Evelyn immediately stood. “That could save lives,” she said. Tyler rubbed his face. “Yeah, assuming we survive getting there.” Marcus raised the binoculars again. Shapes were moving at the far end of the street now. Slow. Unsteady. Hungry. “They’re waking up,” Marcus said quietly. A low groan echoed through the empty road. Then another answered it. Jade stood and slipped her knife into its sheath. “Alright,” she said. “Let’s hear the plan.” Marcus looked around at the group. Eight survivors. Eight people trying to stay alive in a dying world. “Jonah and Jade lead,” Marcus said. “Quiet kills only.” Jonah nodded once. “Evelyn and Samuel stay in the middle with the medical supplies.” “Understood,” Samuel said. “Tyler, Luis, and Aisha cover the rear with me.” Tyler lifted his bat. “If anything grabs me, I’m blaming you.” Luis zipped his backpack. “Radio’s coming with us.” Marcus walked toward the stairwell door. “We move fast,” he said. Jonah slowly pulled the door open. Darkness filled the stairwell below. The smell drifted upward immediately. Rot. Tyler gagged. “That’s not good.” Something moved in the darkness. A faint scraping sound. Then— A low groan. Everyone froze. Jade slowly pulled out her knife. “Tell me that came from outside,” Tyler whispered. Another groan echoed up the stairwell. Closer this time. Jonah tightened his grip on the shotgun. “There are more,” he said quietly. Marcus stepped closer to the door. The sound of slow footsteps drifted upward. Not one pair. Many. Too many. Tyler’s voice shook. “They’re inside the mall?” Marcus felt a cold knot form in his stomach. Their only path to the street went through those stairs. And the dead were already climbing them. Suddenly something slammed against the metal door from below. The door rattled violently. Rotting fingers pushed through the crack as the dead tried to force their way upward. Aisha stepped back. “Oh no…” Marcus grabbed his crowbar and looked at his team. Eight survivors. And a stairwell full of monsters. “New plan,” he said. But before he could explain— The door burst open. And the dead rushed up the stairs. End of Chapter 1