The palace chamber was steeped in silence.

  Italia and Mabel wept over their mother’s body, while Luke stood at the door, aware there was no time for mourning.

  "I need you to prepare to leave," Luke ordered, addressing the president’s daughters.

  Italia wiped her tears. Not only had she lost her mother and father, but now she carried the responsibility of the city.

  "Enough, Mabel. We must reach the evacuation zone and survive. It’s what our parents would have wanted."

  The guardians loaded the carriages with provisions and weapons, knowing that every street could turn into an ambush.

  With the sun on the horizon, they departed.

  "Do you think there are more survivors like us?" Italia asked, looking at Néstor and Luke.

  "We’ll find out soon enough…" Luke replied, as the carriages moved away from the palace.

  ***

  Ander’s group emerged from the basement.

  The rays of the sun struck their faces, a brutal contrast after the darkness where they had taken refuge. The absence of sound was as alarming as its presence.

  "We must be very careful," Fermín the butcher warned. "Let’s move slowly toward the evacuation zone. Don’t stray too far."

  Ander, exhausted and weakened, pressed forward with the strength given by the thought of finding his mother.

  Turning down a street, they came upon a path marked by the remains of the less fortunate.

  "This can’t be… how horrifying," Julia the librarian exclaimed, her voice breaking.

  "Come, children, don’t look," Martin said, covering Wallace and Natasha’s eyes.

  The city revealed the destruction wrought in less than twenty-four hours since the invasion.

  "So many people… Why did this happen? We didn’t even have the chance to react," Ander said.

  "We became the prey…" Alicia added.

  "We already were," Josh replied, terrified. "So many years locked inside this city, keeping predators out… Ander?"

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  Ander quickly wiped the blood beginning to drip from his nose, trying to hide it. "It’s nothing, I feel fine… let’s keep moving."

  "Are you sure, kid?" Carlo asked, worried.

  "Yes, let’s not stop," Ander answered.

  But the infection weakened him more and more. With staggering steps, he leaned against a wall, frustrated.

  "Damn it! I don’t want to be a burden," he growled, striking the wall in anger.

  At that moment, a noise on the rooftop alerted them.

  "Hey! Are you all right? Do you have anyone injured?" a soldier called from above.

  "There’s another group of survivors here!" shouted a second soldier.

  Ander’s group froze in shock. Then, at the street intersection, a group of survivors escorted by soldiers appeared.

  Among them, a familiar figure.

  "Cody? Is that really him?... Cody!" Josh cried, tears in his eyes.

  Cody, Josh’s older brother, broke formation and ran toward him.

  The embrace between them was moving, a moment of hope amid the chaos.

  "Little brother… I can’t believe I found you," Cody said, tears streaming down his face.

  ***

  Minutes before the reunion, Cody had been advancing with a group of survivors toward the evacuation zone.

  The battle against the hostiles had been brutal: they managed to eliminate them, but at a terrible cost. Half the soldiers had fallen, and others were wounded.

  "Noah! Do you need help carrying him?" Cody shouted, seeing his comrade hauling a soldier with an injured foot.

  "Don’t worry, we can’t stop. Those things must be right on our heels," Noah replied, gasping.

  "We lost more than half the group… and only managed to kill six of those things," Cody muttered, his anger barely contained.

  Cody’s group kept running until a soldier shouted:

  "Another group of survivors over here!"

  The lieutenant raised his voice. "Keep moving toward them! It looks clear."

  Cody ran alert, scanning every shadow, every corner, fearing a surprise attack.

  And then, among the crowd, he saw him: his brother Josh.

  Josh and Cody embraced tightly. It was a moment of relief in the middle of hell.

  "Are you okay, Josh? Do you know where Mom is?" Cody asked, his voice breaking.

  "No… I don’t know anything about her," Josh replied sadly.

  Cody remained thoughtful. "Don’t worry, we’ll find her. What matters is that we’re together now. What about Ander?"

  Ander sat on the ground, exhausted, while the two groups interacted.

  Josh lowered his voice and confessed to his brother: "He was bitten…"

  Cody clenched his teeth, filled with rage.

  "Damn it, no… We also have a comrade who was bitten… but there’s nothing we can do."

  "The infection is already showing in Ander," Josh continued sadly. "He’s weaker. He was bitten protecting me and Alicia."

  Cody felt a knot in his chest—pity for Ander and gratitude for saving his brother.

  The sound of shattering glass erupted.

  Two hostiles burst through a house window and charged at full speed, roaring.

  The lieutenant, a man of imposing build, stepped forward. His presence commanded respect.

  With unsettling calm, he lit the cigarette in his mouth. Smoke rose slowly as the others stared in disbelief.

  Analyzing the situation, he gripped his rifle firmly.

  PAM! PAM!

  Two shots rang out in the street.

  The hostiles fell instantly, their momentum sliding their bodies until they stopped at the lieutenant’s boots.

  Ander, wide-eyed, stared at the corpses. Both had a bullet perfectly lodged in their heads. "Incredible…" he murmured, unable to hide his astonishment.

  The lieutenant exhaled smoke as if nothing had happened. For him, it was just another day in hell.

  "Treat the wounded quickly! We have to move," the lieutenant commanded.

  The group mobilized without hesitation, knowing that every lost minute could mean death.

  Unaware that those two gunshots had already alerted a horde rushing toward them.