Inside the Peace Seekers’ hideout, the mood was a fragile mix of triumph and tension. The successful rescue of Battol and her children by Karam and Karima had proven the evacuation plan was possible, but it had also shown how dangerous it was.
It was in this lull that the next distress message arrived. It was from a man, deep but frayed with panic, identifying himself as Abo Ibrahim.
“The zombies attacked our car… they came out of nowhere. We swerved and hit a wall. The engine is dead. We ran away and we’re in a building now, the one with the faded blue sign for ‘Sunrise Textiles.’ The ground floor… it’s full of them. We’re on the fourth floor. I'm with my wife and our two baby boys … please help us.”
Jawad and Jalal, exchanged a glance. They were not identical in temperament. Jawad was
