Adrian’s heart pounded wildly, fear seizing his mind as the bloodied, rabid infected charged straight at him.

  He never imagined he would be in a situation like this—staring death in the face.

  Logan reacted faster. He yanked Adrian aside and lunged forward, military knife in hand.

  The blade sliced through the air, stabbing deep into the infected’s throat. But the creature didn’t stop—it let out a guttural snarl and lashed out, its clawed fingers raking across Logan’s shoulder.

  “Shit!” Logan staggered back, his jacket torn and blood seeping from the wound.

  Adrian’s mind went blank, but instinct kicked in. He gritted his teeth, raised his crowbar, and swung it down as hard as he could.

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  THUNK!

  The impact sent a sickening vibration up his arms, but the infected barely flinched. It swayed for a moment before turning its frenzied gaze toward Adrian.

  It locked onto him.

  His breathing turned ragged. His hands trembled against the crowbar. He had never fought before—never even been in a real fight. But there was no time to think. No time to hesitate.

  “Hit the head! Hard!” Logan yelled.

  The infected lunged.

  Adrian swung with everything he had.

  CRACK!

  The crowbar struck the infected’s temple with brutal force. The skull caved inward. The creature twitched violently, then collapsed to the ground, spasming before falling still.

  Silence.

  Adrian gasped for breath, staring down at his weapon, now slick with blood. His stomach churned, nausea clawing at him, but he swallowed it down.

  His hands still shook. The sound of the impact echoed in his head.

  He had killed it.

  Or… had he killed a person?

  “You okay?” Logan’s voice was rough as he clapped Adrian’s shoulder.

  Adrian stared at the lifeless corpse, his throat dry. “…I’m alive.”

  Logan winced, glancing at his wound. “We need medical supplies. Fast. I don’t know how this infection spreads.”

  Adrian took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus. The streets were still dangerous. They had to move.

  He met Logan’s gaze, steadier this time. “Let’s go.”

  This was Adrian’s first kill. The first step in his transformation.

  But he had no idea how much darker things were about to get.